News Digest: India, US talk aircraft carrier tech, but key point off menu

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Saturday, February 20, 2016
		Today's Headlines

		India
		India, US talk aircraft carrier tech, but key point off menu But as per the terms of reference for the JWGACTC "only conventional propulsion systems" (gas turbines or diesel-electric systems) are under discussion as of now. Jats unimpressed by govt's promise of new quota law The Haryana government on Friday buckled under pressure from agitating Jats demanding quota and announced it would introduce a new legislation in the coming assembly session to give them reservation. The fine print of the new law, however, was not given out. NCBC query on hiring in Delhi Police could hit Jats The National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) has asked the Centre to examine if the 27% backward caste reservation in Delhi Police can be limited to the central list of OBCs - a move that would directly impact the Jat community. More India News»

		Business
		Budget may offer sops for housing, healthcare, edu Finance minister Arun Jaitley is likely to introduce some incentives in the budget that can make the life of the common taxpayer easy. India needs to hike tobacco taxes: Study Prices of tobacco products in India have not increased substantially over a period, making them easily affordable and even cheaper than essential food items, says a study, recommending a substantial increase in taxes on all types of tobacco products. Amit Mitra new head of GST panel West Bengal finance minister Amit Mitra on Friday was named the new chairman of the empowered committee of state finance ministers (ECSFM) on Goods and Services Tax (GST). Mitra will be the second finance minister from West Bengal after Ashim Dasgupta to head this committee. More Business News»

		Environment
		Pangolins face extinction in India, wildlife body warns On the eve of World Pangolin Day, a wildlife body on Friday highlighted the extreme impact caused by poaching and illegal trade of the species and stressed the need for coordinated action to save the pangolins from extinction. TRAFFIC India said the survival of the species in India is in question. Green building to grow by 20% in India by 2018: Report Green building industry will grow by 20% in India in the next three years, mainly on account of environmental regulation and rising demand, a report said. New high-rise residential, communities and mixed-use development are expected to be the top three sectors for green building growth in India, it added. 30-million-year-old fossil flowers found preserved in amber  Researchers have discovered the first ever fossil specimens of an "asterid" - a family of flowering plants that gave us everything from the potato to tomatoes, tobacco, petunias and our morning cup of coffee. More Environment News»

		World
		Cameron seals 'Brexit' deal after marathon EU summit European leaders finally sealed a deal Friday on British Prime Minister David Cameron's reforms after hours of haggling at a marathon summit, paving the way for a referendum on whether Britain will stay in the EU. In setback, Syrian peace talks not to resume next week In another setback to international efforts to resolve Syria's devastating civil war, peace talks are not to resume next week in Geneva, a UN. Despite strike, US wary of Libya engagement: Experts In what was only the second time the United States hit an IS target in Libya, the air strike early Friday saw warplanes and drones obliterate a training center near the city of Sabratha west of Tripoli. More World News»

		Entertainment
		Preity Zinta to auction her wedding pictures Following closely on the heels of Hollywood couples like Brad Pitt-Angelina Jolie and George Clooney-Amal Alamuddin, actor Preity Zinta and fiancé Gene Goodenough have decided to auction their wedding pictures for a charity that she supports. Krishna Raj Kapoor is back home from hospital Krishna Raj Kapoor, who was being treated at Breach Candy Hospital for age-related health issues for almost three weeks, is doing fine now and was discharged yesterday. Actors who refused to do love-making scenes More Entertainment News»

		Science
		Nasa to simulate growing potatoes on Mars Do Peru’s potatoes have the right stuff ? That’s the question scientists will be asking in Lima next month, when a selection of tubers will begin undergoing tests to determine whether they’re fit to grow on Mars. Poor diet causes more premature deaths than smoking or drinking Unhealthy eating has been named as the most common cause of premature death around the globe, new data has revealed. Coming: Bat-inspired micro air vehicles Researchers, led by an Indian-origin scientist, have designed innovative membrane wings inspired by bats, paving the way for a new breed of unmanned micro air vehicles (MAVs) that can fly over long distances and are more economical to run. More Science News»

		Sports
		Tendulkar is the greatest after Don Bradman: Ponting Ricky Ponting has rated Sachin Tendulkar as the all-time best batsman after Sir Donald Bradman, saying the maestro truly deserves to be called "great" at a time when the word is "bandied" about often. Shami ruled out of Asia Cup, looks doubtful for World T20 Pacer Mohammad Shami was on Friday ruled out of India's squad for the upcoming Asia Cup. This has raised doubts about his participation in the marquee ICC World Twenty20 that follows the continental tournament. Indian team is in auto-pilot mode, says confident Dhoni India's limited overs captain MS Dhoni asserted that his team is in "auto-pilot" mode and shaping up well for the upcoming big-ticket ICC World Twenty20. More Sports News»

		Technology
		Veritas CEO: Silicon Valley wants dramatic expansion of H-1B visa With IT firms struggling to find quality and right number of professionals, a top American CEO has called for a "dramatic expansion" of the H-1B visa scheme -- popular among Indian tech firms -- to meet the growing demand. Railways rushes RPF after man tweets 'passenger troubling aunt' After a fellow passenger in the Nauchandi Express misbehaved with a woman, she called up her nephew, who in turn quickly tweeted the matter to @RailMinIndia. Within minutes, a team of Railway Police Force (RPF) from Meerut city station reached out to help the woman, Anu Agarwal. Seeing the cops, the passenger fled. UE Roll wireless Bluetooth speaker review: Value for money Ultimate Ears is known for its exciting range of Bluetooth speakers. We reviewed the latest UE Roll wireless Bluetooth speaker priced at Rs 8,495. Wonder what else is good and not-so good in the UE Roll, read and find out. More Technology News»

		Education
		UGC tells universities to celebrate Matribhasha Diwas on March 3 In a letter written to vice-chancellors, University Grants Commission has said that since February 21, which is celebrated as the Mother Languages Day falls on a Sunday, it has been decided to celebrate 'Matribhasha Diwas' on March 3. Homi Bhabha National Institute gets HRD ministry's nod to start its off-campus centre The HRD ministry has given approval to Mumbai-based Homi Bhabha National Institute to start an off-campus centre at Bhubaneswar in the name of National Institute of Science Education and Research. The ministry said it has issued a notification in this regard on the advice of the UGC. Eleven model schools to be functional from next session Eleven model schools will start functioning in Ganjam district from the next academic session under the Odisha Adarsha Vidyalaya programme. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		Didn't call farmer suicides a 'fashion': BJP MP Shetty BJP MP Gopal Shetty has clarified that he did not use the word 'fashion' while commenting on farmer suicides in the state. MARD demands more transplarency in parallel PG programme The Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) has written to the state government asking for transparency in the selection process of the College of Physicians and Surgeons (CPS). The doctor's body has demanded that the 103-year-old CPS entrance should be brought under the ambit of the state-conducted MHT-CET. Kidnapped 11-yr-old boy traced in 4 hrs Four hours after a trader’s 11-year-old son was kidnapped from Khetwadi on Thursday evening, the police rescued the child and arrested his abductor in 10 hours. The accused, a former employee of the trader, had demanded Rs 5 lakh to set the boy free, failing which he threatened to kill him. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		Offence 'grave', no bail for Geelani Former DU lecturer SAR Geelani, arrested on sedition charges for anti-India sloganeering at an event on February 10, was denied bail on Friday by a trial court which termed the offence as grave Nationalism revisited at 'Freedom Square' Outside the main gate, right-wing activists shouted slogans alleging anti-national activities were taking place on the JNU campus. Inside, hundreds of students sat quitely on the steps of the administrative block, dwelling over the theory and practice of nationalism and its evolution Opposing BJP worse than rape: Kejriwal Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal was busy on Friday morning on Twitter where he said that the biggest crime in the country was to oppose BJP and RSS, bigger than even killing and raping. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		NGO to organise a race to raise funds for rare disease patients The Organization for Rare Diseases India (ORDI) would organise Race for 7, a unique first of its kind event to commemorate Rare Disease Day and draw attention to the needs of rare disease patients in India. Man vs animal - As stray dog count swells, leopard threat grows on outskirts What brought the eight-year-old leopard to Whitefield? Stray dogs, possibly. If yes, it could happen in other parts of the city as well. The city's canine population is growing at an alarming rate. Halting of BBMP's animal birth control (ABC) programme due to delayed payments to NGOs has only pushed up the numbers. Man stabs girl for turning down proposal A man stabbed a 24-year-old woman in her throat in Perumugai village on the outskirts of Vellore as she turned down his proposal.Saraswathi was admitted to Christian Medical College and Hospital. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		GHIAL drags minorities panel to court over mosque issue The face-off between GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHIAL) and the State Minorities Commission (SMC), over a petition pertaining to the construction of a mosque on the airport premises, took a legal turn with GHIAL now dragging the minorities panel to the Hyderabad High Court. BJP-TDP break up in Telangana After losing its legislators to Telangana Rashtra Samiti, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) is now being deserted by the BJP, its electoral ally in Telangana. 3kg gold looted from Andhra Bank: Officials The quantity of lost gold in Ghatkesar Andhra Bank burglary case rose from 70 tolas to 3 kilograms on Friday after bank employees verified the records pertaining to stolen mortgaged gold items. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		Civic body programmes to celebrate Jaya's 68th birthday Here’s the list of plans of Greater Chennai Corporation on the occasion of Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa’s 68th birthday on February 24. Shrimp farming training progrmme conducted in Tuticorin A one-day training programme on shrimp farming was conducted at the Fisheries College and Research Institute in Tuticorin on Friday. Over 7,000 migratory birds colonise Otteri lake in Chennai's Vandalur zoo If you are going to Vandalur zoo in Chennai this weekend, do not forget to visit the Otteri lake, where a large number of local migratory birds have taken up roosting and nesting activities. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		Managing stress: 'Face exam with smile' "This will book will guide students on how to reduce the exam stress. It will also help to stop students from committing suicide," Dr Ajitsingh Rana, translator of the book, said. Chaos reigns at AMC general body meeting The civic body's general board meeting on the budget continued till late Wednesday night with several issues, such as the declining passenger numbers of AMTS and loss making accounts took centrestage. Two kids go missing In two separate incidents, two children, aged 16 and 15, were reported missing with city police.Police have circulated their photographs with various agencies. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		'Prithviraj' of UP tries to abduct bride from venue Shouting "I am Prithviraj Chauhan", Mahavir, armed with a sword and pistol, burst into a wedding venue and tried to carry away the bride by force.But since he was not the historical Rajput warrior he believed he was, locals beat him up and police filed an FIR against him. High Court declares lawyers' strike illegal A seven-judge bench of Allahabad High Court on Thursday declared the strike by Lucknow HC bench lawyers as illegal and issued directive for its immediate withdrawal. The court said that if anyone interfered in the smooth functioning of the court, it would amount to contempt of court. Cops set up coordination committee to solve elderly problems The brutal assault of a 55-year-old woman has once again raised the issue of safety of elderly living alone in Allahabad as policemen failing to protect them from trouble makers. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		Centre is contemplating to revive IAP scheme: Rajnath Singh Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said the Centre is contemplating to revive the integrated action plan, a scheme meant for infrastructure development of the left wing extremism-affected districts. Man kills wife for refusing to water plants The police on Friday arrested a man of Budhapanka village under Banarpal police limits in Angul district for allegedly killing his wife on Wednesday. Noted singer Bhubaneswari Mishra passes away Noted Odia singer Bhubaneswari Mishra passed away in New Delhi on Friday. She was 67. She died due to heart attack in a private hospital, family sources said. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		Missing priest surfaces in China, sent back home 'Missing' sadhu from Guna district in Madhya Pradesh, Chanda, who went missing while on his way to Gwalior in 2013 only to surface in a Chinese town last year, was deported to India on Friday. MP police to review Simhastha security after SIMI operative arrest Madhya Pradesh home minister Babulal Gaur has said that security arrangements? in? Ujjain Simhastha will be reviewed with inputs from central agencies. Gaur's statement came in view of recent arrests of? top SIMI (Student Islamic Movement of India) ?operatives in Odisha and their disclosure about? possible attacks during Simhastha ?fair in Ujjain. I am under trauma, now Railways want me to pay fine: Rati Tripathi She lay in a bloody heap on railway tracks near Bina station, sunk into coma for 53 days before rising like a phoenix from the brink of death. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		23-yr-old killed in hit-and-run A 23-year-old youth was killed and his father injured in a hit-and-run near Sector 74 light point in the wee hours of Friday. CBI sends Niper fund scam report to ministry The CBI has sent a detailed report containing the copy of FIR and list of all valuables recovered from the houses of the nine accused in the Niper fund scam to the union ministry of chemicals and fertilizers. Man duped of Rs 1.55 lakh for 'cheap' air tickets A travel agent duped a family from phase 11 of Rs 1.55 lakh on the pretext of selling them five air tickets.The fraud took place in February and an FIR was lodged on Friday. More Chandigarh News»

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