News Digest: Promotion to Pachauri makes my skin crawl, says complainant

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Wednesday, February 10, 2016
		Today's Headlines

		India
		Promotion to Pachauri makes my skin crawl, says complainant As condemnation poured in over The Energy Research Institute board's decision to name R K Pachauri as executive vice chairman of the governing council, the complainant in the sexual harassment case against him wrote an open letter saying the move made her "flesh crawl". Backward class panel for private sector quotas The National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) has demanded that the government introduce quotas for OBCs in private sector. Squatter ex-MP faces eviction The urban development ministry has decided to move court for eviction of former Rajya Sabha MP Akhilesh Das Gupta, who has been overstaying in a government bungalow. More India News»

		Business
		Govt set to revive divestment panel The government will set up a Disinvestment Commission to push strategic stake sales in state-run companies and will offload 20-26% in IDBI Bank through a qualified institutional placement (QIP), minister of state for finance Jayant Sinha told TOI. Telcos dispute call drop test results, Trai rejects objections Telecom regulator Trai on Tuesday rejected mobile operators’ objections to the results of tests conducted to check call drops, and said it will carry out more such checks around April across a number of cities. Dabur, Emami in bitter war over sugar in honey The gloves are off in the branded honey market in India as home-grown FMCG players Dabur and Emami have locked horns over what they claim are misleading ads by each other. With Ramdev’s Patanjali honey and other smaller players entering the segment, the Rs 600-crore category has been witnessing renewed competitive action in recent months. More Business News»

		Environment
		3rd rhino killed in Kaziranga this year Third rhino has been killed by poachers in last 40 days in Kaziranga National Park of Assam, a senior forest official said on Tuesday. Pollution breaching right to happy life: Prez "Distressing" pollution levels in cities have "breached" people's right to lead a healthy, happy and productive life, President Pranab Mukherjee said on Tuesday. Greenhouse gases fuelling long-term global warming The Earth is known to be able to restore its temperature equilibrium after a period of natural warming. More Environment News»

		World
		Pak's growing nuclear stockpile, doctrine pose risk: Pentagon Expressing concern over Pakistan's evolving "tactical nuclear weapons" doctrine, a top American spymaster on Tuesday warned the Congress about the increasing risks of an "incident" associated with the growing nuclear arsenal. Amid cybersecurity warnings, Obama unveils 'action plan' President Barack Obama has unveiled a cybersecurity "national action plan" as his intelligence chief warned of growing risks from new technologies that open more doors to hackers. Don't link Zika with nerve disorder, says WHO The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday urged caution about linking the Zika virus with a rare nerve disorder called Guillain-Barre, which health officials in Colombia have blamed for three deaths. More World News»

		Entertainment
		TOIFA 2016 to be held in March Bollywood will celebrate cinema and excellence at this star-studded award ceremony Anushka Sharma-Virat Kohli to reconcile?  Bollywood’s rosy romances seem to be falling apart, latest being the break-up news of Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma. Blockbusters we wish Kajol hadn't rejected! There is a long list of Bollywood movies the actress rejected which went on to be huge hits. More Entertainment News»

		Science
		Cotton candy inspires tech to produce organs Taking a cue from cotton candy machines, scientists have developed a 3D artificial capillary system that can keep living cells viable and functional for more than a week, thus paving the way for making life-sized artificial livers, kidneys, bones and other essential organs. Global warming likely to extend for next 10,000 years, says study The damaging climate consequences of carbon emissions will grow and persist for millennia without a dramatic new global energy strategy, a new study has warned. Do gravitational waves exist? You'll know by tomorrow Scientists are set to make a major announcement Thursday on efforts to pinpoint the existence of gravitational waves, or ripples of space and time that transport energy across the universe. More Science News»

		Sports
		SL seamers hand India defeat on lively Pune surface Sri Lanka chased down India's third-lowest total with five wickets to take a 1-0 lead in three-match series in Pune's MCA stadium on Tuesday. It was more English wicket than Indian: Dhoni A livid India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Tuesday took a dig at the pitch prepared for the first T20 International terming it an "English" rather than Indian track. India steamroll Sri Lanka to enter U-19 World Cup final Three-time champions India continued their invincible run to enter the ICC Under-19 World Cup final for a fifth time with an emphatic 97-run win over Sri Lanka in the semi-finals on Tuesday. More Sports News»

		Technology
		Google's Sundar Pichai set to become highest-paid CEO in US Google’s Sundar Pichai is poised to become one of the highest-paid executives of a publicly traded company this year after parent Alphabet awarded him restricted stock worth about $199 million. Valentine's Day: 7 hot dating apps Valentine’s Day is around the corner and everyone is feeling the love in the air. Couples are busy with their partners and singles are looking for love. So, this valentine’s day we help you to find your special someone the appy way. We bring you list of 7 valentine apps to make your day special. Facebook CEO unhappy with Trai's ban on Free Basics The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India on Monday barred all forms of differential pricing of data services, barring in emergency situations. More Technology News»

		Education
		UGC lets deemed private universities have 6 off-centre campuses Barely three months after the University Grants Commission (UGC) issued notice to 10 deemed universities, including prestigious ones like the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, for having off-centre campuses without clearance, it has amended its regulation allowing private deemed universities to have six off-campuses. Biometric attendance for Allahabad University students For the first time at Allahabad University, attendance of students would be registered through biometric attendance machine. National civic fest: Students and their ideas steer change at civic level  It was a whirlwind of thought-provoking ideas at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan auditorium on Friday, thoughts that poured out of young minds and actually helped fix civic woes. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		Campaign on to guard citizens against errant retailers, dealers In a move aimed to protect the interests of the consumers, the officials of the Legal Meterology department booked as many as 33 dealers of Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders across the district after a surprise inspection revealed that the domestic cylinders were being dispatched to consumers without weighing them to quantify the net weight of filled cylinders. City school to host exhibition on cleanliness City’s popular St. Mary’s School, (ICSE) Mazagaon, will hold its annual exhibition day themed on cleanliness. The annual event will be held on February 11. Harbour hit by track trouble thrice in Feb As many as 35 services were cancelled after a track failure occurred coinciding with morning peak hours on the Harbour line. A rail-roko by agitated public also added to the woes of the commuter. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		No separate police zones: LG Delhi Police's proposal to divide the city into two law-and-order zones has been struck down by LG Najeeb Jung. Le Meridien compromise a fraud, NDMC tells HC New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has termed as "fraud" an out-of-court settlement that it had entered into with Le Meridien hotel to clear pending licence dues through payment of Rs 151 crore. Penalty waived for no rainwater harvesting In what comes as a huge relief to house owners who do not have rainwater harvesting, Delhi Jal Board has deferred the imposition of a hefty penalty which it had implemented since September 1, 2015. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		Now, Karna CM's watch is worth Rs 70,000,00! After days of bickering over the value of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s wrist watch, CM’s nemesis and JD(S) state president H D Kumaraswamy on Tuesday said the time teller was worth a whopping Rs 70 lakh. Bengaluru's residential unsold inventory 2.2%: Report The report vindicates the stand of Credai, which maintained since the middle of last year that the city’s real estate market is not as gloomy as portrayed to be and is comparatively better than Delhi NCR and Mumbai. E-comm sites drawn towards visual search More and more e-commerce and fashion sites are introducing visual or image search. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		TDP faces defections after poll rout After suffering a rout in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation elections, the Telugu Desam Party is now facing an ex odus of its MLAs and a threat of getting reduced to a nonentity in Telangana. HC raps AP over old-age pension Coming down heavily on the Andhra Pradesh authorities for deleting `most deserving people' from the list of beneficiaries of old-age pension, Justice C V Nagarjuna Reddy of the Hyderabad High Court on Tuesday told authorities to scrap the scheme, if they do not have enough money to give pensions to all the eligible people. 44 Telangana agriculture marketing panels to be linked to national e-auction system In a gamechanging move, the Telangana government has decided to integrate its agriculture marketing committees (AMCs) and hundreds of sub-markets with national eauction system to facilitate state farmers to sell their produce at best prices in the country . More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		Chennai doctors replace patient's defective heart valve without using scalpel When 73-year-old Padmanabhan approached a city hospital with severe breathing difficulties, poor kidney function and high blood pressure, doctors found the answer to his problem in his heart. Frustrated over delay in repairing road, Chennai resident makes a statement with paint Perungudi resident P Sajeevan's repeated calls to Chennai Corporation complaint cell 1913 to repair the Anna Main Road, which was damaged in the rain in November, had evoked no response from the civic body for two months. Chennai Corporation to begin work on drainage project The AIADMK led-corporation council has built 329.05km of storm water drainage system at an estimated cost of Rs 521.64 crore in the last four years. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		India to follow Gujarat conservation model The success of Gujarat's community-based wildlife conservation model will soon be replicated across the country . The Union ministry of forest and environment has proposed employing the `Van Praani Mitra' model in sanctuary areas and adjoining localities across the country . `Land scam charge is Cong propaganda' Chief minister Anandiben Patel, who had for four days avoided any official reaction to the Congress allegation of government land scam involving her daughter Anar Patel, chose the platform of party MLAs' meeting to claim her innocence. Govt will urge MPs to take up issues pending with Centre The state government has called for a crucial meeting on Wednesday evening with the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs from Gujarat, ahead of the Union Budget that is to be tabled later this month. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		Around 1.25 crore devotees likely to take holy dip on Mauni Amavasya With around 30 lakh devotees and pilgrims already flocked Sangam to take holy dip on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya snan scheduled on Monday, men-in-khaki on Sunday turned the entire Magh Mela campus into a fortress. `Ayodhya issue should not be politicised' Shankaracharya of Puri Jagadguru Swami Adhokshayajananda on Saturday targeted the Sangh Pariwar outfits for “playing with the sentiments of people and raising sensitive issues keeping in mind the 2017 UP assembly elections and Lok Sabha elections in 2019." No reservation for creamy layer, says Justice Sacha Former Justice Rajinder Sachar said “creamy layer“ should not get advantage of reservation system in the present context and caste system should be abolished. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		Sambalpur folk fest a crowd puller Thousands of people are thronging the PHED ground here every evening to witness the performances of eminent folk artists in the Sambalpur Lok Mahotsav. Govt nominates 5 ambassadors for Swachh Bharat Mission The state government on Saturday nominated five eminent personalities from Odisha as brand ambassadors for the Swachh Bharat Mission. Renovation of major drain begins in Berhampur The much-awaited renovation work of Sapua Nala, one of the major drains flowing on the outskirts of Berhampur, started recently. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		Marriage feast leaves 35 ill in Sitamau of Mandsaur At least 35 people fell ill due to suspected food poisoning after having dinner at a wedding function in Sitamau town of Mandsaur district late on Tuesday. Railway ticket collector threatens, abuses woman in MP, video goes viral In a case of high-handedness, a video of ticket collector (TC) Bismillah Hasan Ali hurling abuses and threatening an elderly woman travelling with three children has gone viral after a fellow passenger tweeted it to railway minister Suresh Prabhu, recently. Acid test for CM Shivraj Singh next fortnight ​Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will face acid test in coming days as he prepares his strategy to confront challenges from Hindu devotees in Bhojshala to testing his popularity among public. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		Murder bid case: Asaram's son sent to 7-day judicial remand in murder bid case A Panipat court on Tuesday sent arrested self-styled godman Asaram Bapu's son Narayan Sai to judicial custody for a week in connection with the attack on a prime witness in a rape case registered against them. OBC quota for jats: Khattar sets up 4-member panel under CS Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Tuesday ordered constituting a four-member committee under the chairmanship of state chief secretary to prepare outline for future action on the issue of reservation to jat community. The committee will submit its report by March 31. UK firm to invest 1K cr in Haryana Aiming to provide world-class medical services to people of the state, Haryana government has inked an agreement with Indo-UK Healthcare Private Limited to establish medical institutions in the state with a proposed investment of Rs 1,000 crore. More Chandigarh News»

		Unsubscribe | To manage your newsletter subscription settings, click here	Other Newsletters from TOI : Breaking News | Top Headlines | Tech | Entertainment | Movie Reviews | Life & Style