News Digest: Sidhu's wife slams Akalis, wants BJP to sever ties

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Thursday, February 11, 2016
		Today's Headlines

		India
		Sidhu's wife slams Akalis, wants BJP to sever ties Adding to the unease among Punjab's ruling SAD-BJP combine, Amritsar (East) MLA Navjot Kaur Sidhu, wife of cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu, on Wednesday said she would not campaign during the 2017 assembly elections in the state if the alliance among both parties continued. 20 alumni of Teri refuse to take degrees from RK Pachauri Protests appear to be growing within The Energy and Resources Institute against RK Pachauri’s appointment as vice-chairman of the governing council, with 20 students who recently completed courses at Teri University saying they would not accept their degrees from Pachauri during a convocation on March 7. My biggest regret is losing ACB, can't take action against corrupt anymore, says Arvind Kejriwal Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal tells TOI in an exclusive interview that his government’s first year in power has been tumultous but fruitful. However, constant interference by Centre and the state of bureaucracy upset him More India News»

		Business
		Australia to look for ways to ship cheap gas Australia is willing to look at a regulatory framework for facilitating supply of gas at lower prices for India’s gas-fired power stations, which may hold the key to the success of Narendra Modi government’s 100 GW (giga watt) solar dream envisaging round-the-clock clean and affordable power to all. '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. India seeks investment from UAE in energy sector India has invited investments from the United Arab Emirates in a slew of oil projects as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's drive to attract greater foreign participation in upgrading and expanding the South Asian nation's stretched infrastructure. More Business News»

		Environment
		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. 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. More Environment News»

		World
		Lobby funds? No, thank you, say Bernie and Trump Kingmakers in the US presidential elections are in a fix as two insurgents, openly challenging mainstream candidates, have emerged as leading contenders in both the Republican and the Democratic parties. US SC puts Obama's climate plan on hold The US supreme court on Tuesday put on hold a sweeping plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fuelled power plants, dealing a significant blow to President Barack Obama’s efforts to rein in climate change. Syrian forces' assault on rebels in Aleppo 'kills 500' A Russian-backed regime onslaught in northern Syria was reported on Wednesday to have killed more than 500 people this month, as Turkey faced mounting pressure to open its border to people fleeing the violence. Tens of thousands of Syrians were still stranded at the frontier north of Aleppo city. More World News»

		Entertainment
		'I like men who love taming roaring lionesses' She reminds me of Alice in Wonderland. A girl who scampered dreamily, fell into a rabbit-hole and found herself in the peculiar, fantasy world of Bollywood. Celeb photographer is smitten with Priyanka! 'Pulkit-Yami's potential had not been exploited' As Sanam Re, a romantic-musical with Pulkit Samrat, Yami Gautam and Urvashi Rautela keeps its Valentine’s weekend date at the cinemas, director Divya Khosla Kumar talks about what went into making her second directorial venture extra special. More Entertainment News»

		Science
		Now, study links Zika virus to eye damage in babies Infants infected with the Zika virus may be born not only with unusually small heads, but also with eye abnormalities that threaten vision, researchers reported on Tuesday in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology. Artificial Intelligence behind Google car can qualify as driver US vehicle safety regulators have said the artificial intelligence system piloting a self-driving Google car could be considered the driver under federal law, a major step towards ultimately winning approval for autonomous vehicles on the roads. Smartphones sound the death knell for cameras Highschooler Nao Noguchi is a perfect illustration of why Japanese camera sales have plunged the past few years — she uses her smartphone for everything and cannot understand why anyone would bother with a separate device for photos. More Science News»

		Sports
		BCCI revenue may dip from 2000 crore to 400 crore BCCI is set to suffer a financial loss to the tune of Rs 1600 crore if Lodha Panel's recommendations on curtailing the advertisement breaks during the matches is implemented. Defeat was a very, very good wake-up call: Gavaskar The defeat to Sri Lanka was a good wake-up call for the Indians, according to Sunil Gavaskar, who said the batsmen should have shown more respect given that the Lankan pace trio was an unknown proposition. No country should feel insecure playing in India: Anurag Thakur BCCI has said "no country should feel insecure" about playing in India amid reports that Pakistan has proposed to play its matches in the upcoming World T20 at a neutral venue citing security concerns. More Sports News»

		Technology
		Google's self-driving car is its own driver: US government US vehicle safety regulators have said the artificial intelligence system piloting a self-driving Google car could be considered the driver under federal law, a major step toward ultimately winning approval for autonomous vehicles on the roads. Net neutrality: Exemptions must not become the rule Trai’s regulation on differential pricing is being celebrated as a victory for net neutrality. But many are pointing out that the exemptions contained within it give cause for concern. 15 hot gadgets launched in India recently Planning to buy a new smartphone, tablet or budget LED TV? Here are 15 new cool launches from the last 15 days that you can add to your list of gadgets to be considered. More Technology News»

		Education
		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. 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. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		Urdu University students ring opening bell at BSE Forty-four postgraduate students of commerce and business management of Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU), Hyderabad, rang the opening bell at the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) Wednesday. Another smart city in the offing in Navi Mumbai The state-run City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) plans to develop Khalapur into a smart city at a cost of Rs 7,909 crore, on the lines of the Navi Mumbai airport influence notified area Mumbai Metro offers up to 50% discount on monthly passes Mumbai Metro One Pvt Ltd has joined hands with an e-commerce player to offer huge discounts on monthly passes More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		My biggest regret is losing ACB, can't take action against corrupt anymore, says Arvind Kejriwal Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal tells TOI in an exclusive interview that his government’s first year in power has been tumultous but fruitful. However, constant interference by Centre and the state of bureaucracy upset him 'Man of peace' Varghese to be Stephen's principal John Varghese from the English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad, will take over from Valson Thampu as principal of St Stephen's College on March 1.Varghese, a professor in the communication . PAN card a must, jewellers shut shop "All shops in the Kucha Mahajani lane in Chandni Chowk were closed.Over 96% of our customers don't have PAN cards. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		B'luru advertiser puts his faith & funds on billboards For months now, citizens of Bengaluru, the eastern parts in particular, have been seeing huge billboards at vantage points with the tagline,'Islam: Facts Vs Fiction', offering a free copy of the Quran from the advertiser. Three arrested on sexual harassment charges Koramangala police arrested three men for allegedly misbehaving with a 20 year old woman near BDA complex on Sunday night. ICICI manager arrested for duping bank of Rs 79 crore The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrested three including a manager with ICICI bank, Vijayapura, for allegedly cheating the bank to the tune of Rs 79 crore. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		Income-tax department arrange maiden workshop for sub-registrars in Bengaluru The Directorate of Income Tax (Intelligence and Criminal Investigation), Bengaluru organized a workshop for the first time for the sub-registrar officers in Karnataka on February 9, 2016. Youth climbs cell tower demanding reservations on EBC quota In a shocking incident, an engineering graduate threatens to jump off a cell tower demanding the state government to introduce reservation system based on their economic status, not on the caste bias. 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. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		Elderly get together to fight land mafia Land-grabbers find senior citizens owning parcels of land an easy target, but this bunch of elders are planning to form a group to retrieve what is lost and defend what is left. IIT Madras amends circular, steers clear of student politics Days after a circular was issued in the hostels of IIT Madras that dissuaded students from participating in any political activity on campus, a fresh set of forms emerged on the IIT-M website, where the particular reference to 'political activity' has been removed. Trucks on OMR drive commuters up wall A gated community in Navalur is using a service road on the Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) for parking water supply and sewer trucks, making the path unusable during peak hours. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		Star first, script last in IIM-A B'wood hit mantra Star first, script last ­ that seems to be the formula for a Bollywood blockbuster! A research team led by a professor of Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, (IIM-A) has come up with a model that predicts a movie's success, including box office collections. CM asks BJP MPs to raise 48 pending issues in Parliament In an evening meeting on Wednesday with MPs from the state, chief minister Anandiben Patel asked all BJP MPs to raise key long-pending issues of Gujarat's development during the upcoming budget session of the Parliament. 'Eggs not needed in mid-day meals' In response to a public interest litigation (PIL) asking for implementation of National Food Security Act in Gujarat, the state government has submitted to the Supreme Court that there is no need to provide eggs to children, as part of the mid-day meal scheme in the state. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		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. `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." More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		Friend on video call sees 34-year-old hang herself A 34-year-old research scholar of the Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology (IMMT) in Bhubaneswar hanged herself during a video call with her friend on Tuesday night, police said. Naveen requests PM to set up CNG stations in Odisha The state government on Wednesday urged the Centre to set up a CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) stations in Odisha to facilitate alternative fuel for motorized vehicles. Block grant college teachers threaten to boycott plus II exams should be abolished because it has no pay parity.There is also no. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		Who will foot bill for PM's meet in Sehore? BJP still unclear Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally in Sherpur village of Sehore district on February 18, the BJP is yet to clarify on expenses to be incurred on the programme and arrangements made. BJP MPs demands 'dawn to dusk' access in Bhojshala Two senior BJP leaders have joined the chorus demanding exclusive access to Hindus to pray in Bhojshala on the occasion of Basant Panchmi, on Friday. BJP not ready to compensate farmers for crop loss in Sehore Led by a farmer chief minister, the BJP is unwilling to compensate the loss of farmers who were compelled to cut their unripe wheat crop near the venue of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		4 bullets in stomach, he fought Pathankot attackers for 90 mins A day after being sprayed with terrorists' bullets at the Pathankot airbase last month, Corporal Shailabh Gaur, a Garuda commando with the air force, did not have the courage to tell his mother the truth. Three of family booked in chit fund scam Mohali police booked three members of a family for duping a Panchkula resident of Rs 1.84 crore. UT holds interactive session on Digital India The UT administration along with department of land resources, Delhi, on Wednesday, organized a programme-cum-interactive session on Digital India Land Record Modernization. More Chandigarh News»

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