News Digest: I am not an absconder, fully respect the law of land and will comply with it, says Vijay Mallya

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Friday, March 11, 2016
		Today's Headlines

		India
		I am not an absconder, fully respect the law of land and will comply with it, says Vijay Mallya Vijay Mallya flew Jet first class to London with 7 heavy bags Indian banks may be looking for Vijay Mallya to pay up Rs 9,000 crore, but the "wilful defaulter's" flight out of India was in the lap of luxury. Highway advisory system to make Delhi-Jaipur ride easier More India News»

		Business
		Mallya's personal guarantee not easy to enforce To what extent is Vijay Mallya personally liable to repay the Rs 9,000-crore loans taken by Kingfisher Airlines (KFA)? Bankers say that his personal guarantees amount to Rs 1,500 crore, but laws do not allow for summary attachment of a guarantor’s assets and this entails a separate legal process. Essar loses Ratna fields to original owner ONGC State-run ONGC is getting its 'ratna' (jewel) back after nearly two decades. The government on Thursday cancelled the letter of award issued in 1996 to a consortium of the Ruias-promoted Essar Oil and Premier Oil of UK for Ratna and R-Series oil and gas fields. ECB pulls out all stops with rate cuts, stimulus boost The European Central Bank unleashed some of it last remaining stimulus weapons on Thursday, cutting all three of its interest rates and expanding asset-buying to boost the economy and prevent ultra-low inflation becoming entrenched. It slashed its inflation expectations for this year as well. More Business News»

		Environment
		Greens fume as 46 trees cut without permission A private agency hired by the civic body for its botanical garden project in Pandavleni came under the scanner of the green activists on Thursday for cutting 46 trees at the location without prior permission from the Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra Limited (FDCML). African wild dogs considered for name change to up image This endangered species with big, round ears and a patchy white, yellow and black pelt is in such jeopardy that there is talk among conservationists of renaming the species "painted dog" or "painted wolf" to dignify its image and ensure people don't confuse the name with a scrawny stray. Birds leaving Kashmir early as temperature rises More Environment News»

		World
		Clinton, Sanders clash on healthcare, immigration Hillary Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders clashed vividly over immigration reform, healthcare and Cuba during a contentious debate on Wednesday as the two Democrats appealed to Hispanic voters and tried to outdo each other in assailing Donald J Trump. Pope imposes checks on costs of making saints Pope Francis on Thursday made key changes to the complex and often opaque financial procedures involved in the making of Roman Catholic saints. Closing migrant route 'unsustainable': Merkel German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned on Thursday that closing the route used by migrants through the western Balkans "does not resolve the problem" and that this move is "not sustainable" after western Balkan countries barred entry to transiting migrants from midnight Wednesday. More World News»

		Entertainment
		First look: M S Dhoni - The Untold Story In the first look from director Neeraj Pandey’s ‘MS Dhoni – The Untold Story,’ Sushant Singh Rajput is seen as a ticket collector, sitting pensively on a bench at Kharagpur railway station. The film depicts lesser-known details of the Indian cricketer’s life and his success story. While the teaser releases on March 15, the biopic, produced by Arun Pandey and Fox Star Studios, will hit screens on September 2. SPOTTED: Is Hrithik Roshan angry? 'Window shopping is every BF's harsh reality' His boy-next-door looks and charming smile belie his wicked sense of humour. Kartik Aaryan, who shot to fame with 'Pyaar Ka Punchnama' thanks to his ‘anti-women’ rant, has been nominated in the Best Actor in a Comic Role category at the Times of India Awards (TOIFA) 2016 for the film’s sequel More Entertainment News»

		Science
		Found: A way to make plastic from CO2 & agricultural waste Scientists, including one of Indian origin, have discovered a new way to make plastic from carbon dioxide and agricultural waste and grasses, that may dramatically lower carbon footprint of the plastic industry These smart clothes can blow hot and cold Scientists in Finland have developed a new technology for smart clothing that automatically adjusts its temperature depending on the wearer’s needs. Kidney transplant now possible from any donor Now, in a revolutionary study, researchers have successfully altered patients’ immune system to allow them to accept kidneys from an incompatible donor. More Science News»

		Sports
		WT20 warm-up: India thrash West Indies by 45 runs Rohit Sharma smashed a scintillating 98 not out at his favourite Eden Gardens as India scored a comprehensive 45-run win over the West Indies in their World T20 warm-up match on Thursday. Pak government yet to clear team departure to India Pakistan's participation in the World T20 continued to be shrouded in suspense with the country's government refusing to clear the team's departure unless India provides written assurance of security. The top 10 chases in first-class cricket On Thursday, in the Irani Trophy, Rest of India hunted down a target of 480 against Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai to record the tenth highest run-chase in first-class history. More Sports News»

		Technology
		Android N: 6 new features Wonder what's new in Android N? Read on to know the top features Moto X Force review: A flagship, only when it comes to performance Here's the review of the first shatterproof phone, the Moto X Force priced at Rs 49,999. Here's why the iPhone is still better than the Galaxy S7 iOS is Apple's greatest weapon against the competition, and it's the main reason why the iPhone continues to be such a massive success even though anyone can make a smartphone that's just as good hardware-wise. More Technology News»

		Education
		RTE mandate fails to achieve even half-mark They were supposed to go to school with everyone else.But the move towards equal education has been marred by contorted reasons and handicaps like slow admission process and lack of awareness among families. Aptitude test to filter students for JEE put on hold HRD ministry has shelved its plan to reform the Joint Entrance Examination by introducing an aptitude test that would filter students for a single entrance test for admission to IITs/NITs and engineering institutions. Copernicus, Pythagorus not removed from textbooks, Smriti Irani says HRD minister Smriti Irani denied that the names of historic western intellectuals like Nicolaus Copernicus and Pythagoras had been removed from school textbooks. She also said there was no proposal for "cleansing" the textbooks from foreign influence. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		HC says consensual sex can't be rape, grants bail When an educated adult woman consents to “sexual” relations with a man it cannot be termed rape, observed the Bombay high court on Thursday declining to refuse pre-arrest bail to a man. Rs 3cr drugs seized from 'miracle doc' fake: FDA The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) now has conclusive proof that the so-called magic drug “Body Revival” produced by self-proclaimed scientist and ‘miracle doc’ Munir Khan is spurious and contains no remedial properties. Based on the findings, the drug regulatory body and police have seized 2,099 bottles of the ayurveda tonic worth over Rs3.3crore from his Andheri office on Tuesday. Pvt med colleges likely to admit PG students through state CET Private medical colleges are likely to admit students through the state’s common entrance test (CET) at least for postgraduate admissions this year, as the Supreme Court prescribed deadline for conducting CET for PG seats is already over. While the Association of Managements of Unaided and Private Medical and Dental Colleges (AMUPMDC) will be officially notifying the government and its own members through a draft in the next few days, it will simultaneously try to get an early hearing from the Bombay high court for their pending case challenging the new admissions act– Maharashtra Unaided Private Professional Educational Institutions (Regulation of Admission and Fees) Act, 2015. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		Once a drug addict, now a lifesaver He was a drug addict. He turned over a new leaf and is today a police informer. But his achievement goes beyond that: he saves lives of students trapped by drug cartels by helping police. The current operation was a result of a tip-off by him. Panel issues dos and don'ts to organisers A committee of experts that inspected the World Culture Festival site following National Green Tribunal’s order told TOI that the damage had already been done to the Yamuna as its floodplains were completely levelled. It, however, issued directions to all civic agencies and Art Of Living to control air and water pollution as well as manage solid waste. 36k artistes for river rhapsody The Art of Living's World Culture Festival is set to move from the courtroom to the Yamuna floodplains on Friday evening when a spectacle begins to unfold. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		Parties regret supporting Mallya's candidature to Rajya Sabha As an independent candidate for the Rajya Sabha seat in 2002 and 2010, business magnate Vijay Mallya made a significant contribution to Karnataka politics. Pvt colleges urge govt to hike professional course fees by 10 to 15% Managements of private colleges have petitioned the state government to increase the fees for undergraduate professional courses - medicine, engineering and dental - by 10% to 15%. HC quashes lifetime tax on non-KA vehicles in state for over 30 days The high court on Thursday struck down a rule that required owners of vehicles registered in other states to pay lifetime tax in Karnataka for using their vehicles here for more than 30 days at a stretch. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		Corporates donate generously to political parties Former FFI chief seeks revamp of censor board With the Centre appointing the Shyam Benegal committee to revamp the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), a senior producer in the Telugu film industry has come up with a suggestion of a single regulatory authority for films, social media and Youtube. Telangana to set up more hotel management colleges The recent decision of the Telangana State Council of Higher Education (TSCHE) to set up more hotel management colleges in the state has come as good news not just to students but also the tourism sector that is reeling under a dearth of trained professionals. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		DMK demands transfer of 3 collectors `close to Jaya' The DMK has called upon the Election Commission to transfer three district collectors and two district revenue officers in the state who are involved in election duty as they are, according to the party , either close relatives of senior leaders of the ruling party or have publicly displayed their allegiance to chief minister J Jayalalithaa. Premalatha cheers Captain's decision to go it alone 4,616 walls in Chennai defaced by parties: EC Chennai tops other cities in Tamil Nadu when it comes to the number of walls being defaced by political parties ahead of the assembly election. According to data released by chief electoral officer Rajesh Lakhoni on Thursday, 4,616 walls in the city have been defaced by graffiti, posters and banners. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		Gohil alleges corruption in vessel tracking system Congress MLA Shaktisinh Gohil has alleged the presence of rampant corruption in setting up and running Guja rat's vessel tracking management system. Probe reveals cash counter scam at VS One of the biggest scams awaits to unfold at VS Hospital which Sardar Val abhai Patel considered to be his `dream project' for Ahmedabad. Asaram aides to get bribery case papers Office bearers of Asaram's ashram would now have exact bearings on the nature and extent of documents seized by cops from Shopper's Plaza in Surat in 2013. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		High Court seeks report on probe against Higher Education Service Commission secretary The Allahabad High Court on Wednesday directed the state government to file a report on the probe conducted in the case of missing records related to appointment of S K Singh as secretary of UP Higher Education Service Commission (UPHESC). Allahabad University Student Union chief protests on campus Allahabad University Student Union (AUSU) president Richa Singh staged a protest on the university campus on Wednesday against what she termed as “saffronisation“ of the varsity campus by forces inimical to the interests of the students. Anomalies in Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana: CAG Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has detected irregularities in the ambitious Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) which was aimed at providing connectivity by way of an `all-weather road' to unconnected habitations in rural areas with a population of 500 persons and above. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		Unicef launches short film contest on childrights 7,000 anganwadi buildings to be constructed in 2016-17 The state government has set a target to construct 7,000 new buildings of anganwadi centres in 2016-17. Women demand curbs on liquor sale in Keonjhar village More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		MP's 5 lakh govt staff on one-day state-wide stir Damoh: Day after, students allege rotis are thrown on platter A day after dalit student paid with his life following refusal to drink water school from hand-pump, another incident of social discrimination at institute has come to light in Damoh district of backward Bundelkhand region. Police announce Rs 10K reward on arrest of rape accused Police announced a reward of Rs 10,000 for the arrest of a man, accused of raping a 9 -year old girl in Khajuraho on Wednesday. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		Panchkula prepares for dog show Shivalik Canon Club will organize a dog show at Raipur Rani, Panchkula, on Sunday where over 100 canines will take part. Found mauled by dogs, newborn dies A newborn baby was found wrapped in a plastic bag by a security guard in Zirakpur on late Wednesday night.The infant was being mauled by the dogs when Parminder Singh saw the child. 10-month-old found abandoned in auto A 10-month-old boy was found on the rear seat of an auto rickshaw parked outside a house in Lekh Ram Colony, Pinjore, on Thursday morning. More Chandigarh News»

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