News Digest: Rs 69,355 crore debt: That's killing Punjab farmers

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Friday, February 12, 2016
		Today's Headlines

		India
		Rs 69,355 crore debt: That's killing Punjab farmers The figure of Rs 70,000 crore cropped up frequently in 2015.This was the total amount that mutual fund firms invested in equity markets. Set up coastal economic zones, says Arvind Panagariya India should look at creating large, exportoriented firms and coastal economic zones to garner a bigger share of global trade, Niti Aayog vice-chairman Arvind Panagariya has argued. Swamy abroad, will SC hear Gandhis' plea today? Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and son Rahul's petition in the Supreme Court against summons issued to them in the National Herald case is listed for Friday but with BJP member Subramanian Swamy, who has filed a caveat, not in the country till February 19, there is suspense if the court will hear the case. More India News»

		Business
		Will Sebi get its 1st woman chief, or will Sinha stay? It seems to be turning into a two-horse race between SBI chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya and U K Sinha for the Sebi chief's post. Wipro buys US IT firm for Rs 3,000cr Wipro is buying US-based insurance technology platform HealthPlan Services for $460 million (over Rs 3,000 crore), its fourth acquisition in less than six months and its biggest since the $600-million buyout of US data centre provider Infocrossing in 2007. SBI sees record Rs 20k cr loans turn bad, Q3 profit slides 62% Corporate loans of over Rs 20,000 crore advanced by State Bank of India soured and Bank of India reported a loss of Rs 1,505 crore in the quarter ended December 2015 as the RBI's move to get banks to unearth bad loans played out in quarterly results. More Business News»

		Environment
		China experts called to help pandas mate at Belgian zoo Two Chinese experts have been called in to an animal park in Belgium in a "delicate mission" to help two giant pandas reproduce, the park said in a statement. Zoo keepers had noted a change in the couple's behaviour in recent days, potentially signalling the start of a reproductive period. How climate change could slow transatlantic flights Researchers say global warming is likely to speed up jet stream winds - adding thousands of hours a year to journey times. Researchers from the University of Reading used climate models to simulate how a doubling of atmospheric CO2 would affect atmospheric winds. Dust pollution: Violators to be fined Rs 5000 Vehicles carrying construction material or demolition waste in the city will be penalized up to Rs 5,000 if they are found violating pollution norms. Until now, traffic authorities could penalize errant vehicles up to Rs 2,000 under the Motor Vehicles Act. Now the fine will go up to Rs 5,000. More Environment News»

		World
		Diplomats aim for temporary Syria truce in a week Diplomats trying to secure a ceasefire for the civil war in Syria fell short in organizing an immediate truce but agreed to try to work out details and implement a temporary "cessation of hostilities" in the coming week. Medvedev lambasts 'stupid' Merkel's migrant policy Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has condemned German Chancellor Angela Merkel's liberal policy on migrants as "quite simply stupid", in an interview due to appear this weekend. Nigerian suicide bomber gets cold feet, refuses to kill Strapped with a booby-trapped vest and sent by the extremist Boko Haram group to kill as many people as possible, the young teenage girl tore off the explosives and fled as soon as she was out of sight of her handlers. More World News»

		Entertainment
		'Romantic films have a greater recall value' Romantic films have a greater recall value than thrillers or action films, says Bhushan Kumar of T-series, the producer of the upcoming romantic movie 'Sanam Re' Krishna Raj Kapoor critical The matriarch of the first family of Bollywood, Krishna Raj Kapoor has been in Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital for close to a fortnight now.She was admitted for age-related health issues. Vidya Balan opens up on her dressing sense More Entertainment News»

		Science
		Stephen Hawking congratulates gravitational waves discovery team, says we can 'expect many more detections' Stephen Hawking has congratulated the team behind the detection of gravitational waves - direct evidence for one of Einstein's wildest predictions. Gravitational waves discovery: India's imprint in landmark LIGO project Indian groups contributed significantly to the historic search for gravitational waves. 'Find comes exactly 100 years after Einstein's paper' It's existed since the beginning of time, when the Universe was created by the Big Bang. Humanity has always accepted it as an immutable force. More Science News»

		Sports
		Dhoni threatens defamation suit following match-fixing allegations Dhoni's lawyers have sent a nine-page-long notice, calling Dev's claims "false propaganda" and an "attempt to defame Dhoni". South Asian Games: India clinch gold in women's hockey A rampaging India stamped their formidable superiority in women's hockey in the region as they steamrolled Sri Lanka 10-0 in the summit clash to clinch gold in the 12th South Asian Games. Endeavour is to try all combinations before WT20: Ravi The former captain said he is focussed on the World T20 and not thinking about the possibility of becoming a full time coach of the Indian team. More Sports News»

		Technology
		'Flipkart exit harder than Myntra sale' Mukesh Bansal’s journey at Flipkart began after his fashion e-commerce venture Myntra was acquired in May 2014 for $330 million by its crosstown rival. That was an emotional moment for Bansal, but leaving Flipkart and saying goodbyes now is even more difficult, he says. HP Envy 13 Review: An ultrabook that is worth every penny We review the latest ultrabook from HP, the HP Envy 13, priced at Rs 70,000 to find out how it fairs in the Indian PC market. Smartphones sound the death knell for cameras Nao Noguchi is a perfect illustration of why Japanese camera sales have plunged -- she uses her smartphone for everything and cannot understand why anyone would bother with a separate device. More Technology News»

		Education
		Enrolments in online courses may see surge from tier-2 cities Online education and skill enhancement is likely to see a significant uptrend this year and high number enrolments are expected from major tier-2 cities, a survey showed. It also identifies media/entertainment and IT/ITES as two industries that will constantly seek skill development in 2016. Applications invited for the 3D Design: Ceramics programme at Staffordshire University The Staffordshire University has invited applications for the 3D Design: Ceramics BA (honours) programme run by the School of Art and Design. A statement issued by the university said that the university has the most extensive ceramic facilities in the United Kingdom. Sikkim to have institute on organic farming The agriculture ministry on Wednesday approved setting up of National Organic Farming Research Institute (NOFRI) in Gangtok, Sikkim, to extend research and technological support to organic farming systems in the country. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		'Headley has been tutored to suit those in power' Ishrat was innocent, you can't trust a terrorist: Mom Ajit & Tatkare face inquiry into 189 irrigation projects State Panel To Probe Plans Cleared During Their Tenure More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		Officials must deliver or leave, says Sisodia Privatisation is important but some work should be done by the govt, said Sisodia. In education, he added, the govt should be very proactiveover to the market Prescription works, revival long way off Well begun is half done. Not exactly, if you look at a pre-election promise of setting up 1,000 primary health centres in the city, but the Arvind Kejriwal government appears keen on covering healthy ground in the coming months. Much lost in power struggle after tariff cut Having made cheap water and power electoral planks, the Aam Aadmi Party government began its stint in governance by reducing electricity bills through a subsidy. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		Child brides born out of poverty, lack of security According to the National Family Health Survey 2015-16, one in every four women in the age group of 20-24 was found to have been married before turning 18. Leopard sighting creates scare; 135 schools closed A leopard was sighted by a construction labourer again on Wednesday at Nallurhalli, near Whitefield, even as teams of forest officials scoured the area for the three big cats that had been spotted on Tuesday evening. NCERT working on app to reduce schoolbag burden on children The Central Institute of Educational Technology (CIET) of the National Council of Educational Research of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is developing a mobile app that will have textbooks of all state and national boards on it. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		Another MLA quits TDP; Maganti in ACB crosshairs After a string of electoral defeats and defection of many of its MLAs to TRS, the Telugu Desam Party is in danger of becoming a spent force in Telangana. Will give top priority to civic infrastructure: New mayor Newly-elected mayor, Bonthu Rammohan said that he would give top priority to better civic infrastructure including roads, storm water drains and sanitation in the city. Soon, automatic water meters in Malkajgiri To audit every drop of water and generate revenue, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board has decided to fix `automatic water meters' to every household in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Malkajgiri circle. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		Driver suffers heart attack, stops bus to save passengers Swooning after a heart attack, a 51-year-old bus driver kept calm, pulled over and stopped the vehicle to keep at least 50 passengers from harm, before he died in Maduravoyal on Thursday. After freak accident caused 2 deaths, complex in shock Two days after a bank manager's speeding car cut down two of their neighbours and injured three others, residents of Sai Subhodaya Apartments on East Coast Road were still in shock on Thursday evening. Why can't state form team to curb encroachments: HC Why can Tamil Nadu not follow the Karna aka example of forming a special task force (STF) to dentify , demarcate and take physical possession of all types of government land, he Madras high court has asked. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		Morari Bapu roped in to save birds After saving the whale sharks, noted kathakar Morari Bapu will now be roped in for saving the winged visitors who visit the Nalsarovar in large number from Siberia and other places. Bootlegger nabbed for forging vehicle documents Listed bootleggar Kailash Rathi of Zalor in Rajasthan was nabbed by city crime branch last week , this time not for smuggling liqour but for forging the documents of trucks used to smuggle liquor in Gujarat. Gujarat police seize liquor hidden under fruits The state monitoring cell on Wednesday intercepted a truck near Samakhiyali check post in Kutch and siezed Indian made foreign liquor worth Rs 34.53 lakhs. Police have arrested two persons Majorsinh Shikh and Pavan Arora, residents of Punjab. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		Allahabad HC seeks report on lawyers' protests Taking a serious note of violent protests of lawyers in Lucknow, a seven-judge bench of the Allahabad High Court on Thursday took cognizance of the matter and directed the principal secretory (home) of the state to submit his report on the matter on February 18, 2016, the next date fixed by the court for the hearing. Government considering establishing training university for teachers We are considering establishing a training university for teachers, said Minister of State for HRD, Ram Shankar Katheria. This is being thought after a meeting held with top academicians with the government wherein many steps, including the need of setting up such a dedicated training university in different states, were suggested. 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. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		Tata Steel's Kalinganagar plant to start production in next FY: Narendran Tata Steel would start commercial production from Kalinganagar plant, commissioned in November last year, from the next fiscal. Naveen requests PM to set up CNG stations in Odisha The state government on Wednesday urged the Centre to set up compressed natural gas (CNG) stations in Odisha to facilitate provision of alternative fuel for motorized vehicles. IMMT research scholar kills self during video call A research scholar of Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology (IMMT) here hanged herself to death during a video call with her friend on Tuesday night, police said. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		`Jal Mahotsav' begins in Hanuwantia on Fri Ten-day water tourism festival `jal mahotsav'' will be kicked off at Hanuwantia, near Khandwa on Friday. Campaigning ends for Maihar assembly seat, voting on February 13 Electioneering in the by-poll for Maihar assembly seat ends on Thursday with both BJP and Congress claiming the coveted post. On the last day of campaigning, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan? address rallies in more than five villages and participated in road shows to bait the voters. The other side, Congress roped in senior leader Jyotiraditya Scindia who addressed public meetings in the constituency. Bhojshala row: Cong claims Basant Panchmi on Saturday, says Hindu outfits provoking communities Even as Hindu right wing leaders are adamant to perform puja at Vagdevi temple in Bhojshala on Friday, the Congress has charged RSS-VHP with inciting communal tension in Malwa region as Basant Panchmi, the auspicious day chosen by them, will fall on Saturday, February 13. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		Rs 69,355 crore debt: That's killing Punjab farmers The figure of Rs 70,000 crore cropped up frequently in 2015.This was the total amount that mutual fund firms invested in equity markets. 1 dies, another critical in hit and run accident A biker died and the pillion rider was critically injuried in a hit and run accident which happened in Zirakpur late on Wednesday night. MC spl budget meeting today Non-Motorized Traffic-NMT, slip roads along all key roads of the city and its allied services, will be one of the crucial features in the upcoming financial year's budget 2016-2017 of the Chandigarh municipal corporation. More Chandigarh News»

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