Your News Digest from Times of India

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Saturday, February 15, 2014
		Today's Headlines

		India
		Rebel CPM leader Molla begins separation process Rebel CPM leader Rezzak Molla's leaving the party is an open secret by now. On Friday, he gave a date and time to begin the separation process: 11am on February 23, at Rabindra Sadan. Tejpal not getting a fair deal, Bina Ramani says A fashion designer and restaurateur from Delhi, Ramani, 70, is best known for hosting the party at which model Jessica Lal was shot dead. 190 officers refused to provide vehicles for Maharashtra assembly session, RTI query reveals As many as 190 officials defied the state government's orders to provide their official vehicles for the winter session of the state legislature that was held in Nagpur from December 9 to 20 this year. More India News»

		Business
		Govt raises tariff value on gold, silver The government today raised the import tariff value on gold and silver to $421 per 10 grams and $663 per kg, respectively, taking into account the volatility in the global prices India-US partnership remains indispensable, vital: CII As India-US ties remain indispensable, vital and invaluable, a balance needs to be struck between a sustainable, strategic partnership and the comparatively short term goals of trade and commerce, industry body CII said on Friday. Unitech Q3 profit down 61% at Rs 32.82 crore The Gurgaon-based company had posted a net profit of Rs 84.16 crore in the year-ago period. More Business News»

		Environment
		Barack Obama proposes $1 billion climate protection fund President Barack Obama will Friday propose a $1 billion dollar fund to mitigate the impact of climate change, as he inspects farmland parched by drought in California. Hefty fine for killing great white shark in Australia An Australian man has been fined Aus $18,000 (US $16,000) for killing a juvenile great white shark by ramming it with his boat then beating it to death with a metal pole, officials said. No norms compromised in granting environmental nods: Veerappa Moily Moily, who took over the additional portfolio in late December after Jayanti Natarajan resigned, has cleared projects worth over Rs 150,000 crore and is nearing clearing the backlog. More Environment News»

		World
		Daunting task ahead for Italy's Renzi Italian centre-left leader Matteo Renzi is one step away from forming a new government after he swiftly eliminated party rival Enrico Letta as prime minister. Snow storm hits Japan again, grounds over 100 flights Two people were killed Friday when a fresh snow storm hit Japan, disrupting rail and road travel, grounding more than 100 flights and adding to the piles left behind by an earlier blanketing. US judge strikes down Arkansas execution method A group of death row inmates won a US court ruling on Friday temporarily blocking executions in Arkansas until the southern state's legislature specifies which barbiturate drug should be used in lethal injections. More World News»

		Entertainment
		Who did Hrithik spend his Valentine's Day with? For a better part of the last 17 years, Hrithik Roshan reserved February 14 for Sussanne 'A rockstar's life is not possible without sex ' Ali Zafar, 33, is an extremely kind-hearted man, who is the happiest when he is jamming or creating music Movie Review: Gunday More Entertainment News»

		Science
		China's second lunar probe travels 70 million km China's second lunar probe, Chang'e-2, has traveled more than 70 million km into deep space in good condition, so far the longest voyage of any Chinese spacecraft, a senior engineer said Friday. Early Britons chose dairy food over fish Archaeologists and chemists tracing ancient British diets have found that more than 99% of the earliest farmer's cooking pots lacked seafood residues. Now, practise kissing with this pillow In a bizarre invention, a Florida designer has developed a pillow with a 'mouth' that can help people perfect their kissing technique. More Science News»

		Sports
		Wagner scalps Kohli after steady stand Wagner gave India sixth blow as he dismissed Kohli (38) after a 63-run stand with Rahane in the post-lunch session on the second day of the final Test. I get dropped for important tours: Ishant "Whenever, there is an important tour I get dropped; whenever there is an easy tour I am in the team. It's a very hard thing for me," said Ishant Sharma. Stage set to host perfect ICC World Cup MS Dhoni said that India are shaping up nicely and are on course to become the third nation after Australia and West Indies to win back-to-back World Cups. More Sports News»

		Technology
		IBM to cut 15,000 jobs, India operations to be affected IBM has started a restructuring process, which would see as many as 15,000 jobs being cut globally, including India. Your mobile bill may go up soon Your mobile bill may soon go up with top telecom companies such as Bharti Airtel and Vodafone bidding aggressively to bag spectrum. Airtel launches 4G on mobiles at same price as 3G Airtel has launched 4G on mobiles, thus becoming the first in India to offer such a service. More Technology News»

		Education
		Rajasthan high court notice to HRD ministry, law varsities on CLAT The Rajasthan high court on Friday issued notices to the HRD ministry, all the 14 national law universities and schools as well as organizers of the Common Law Admission Test asking why question papers and a copy of OMR (Optical mark recognition) sheet were not given the students appearing in the exam. High court tells Haryana to appoint regular govt college teachers by November 15 The development as state-run colleges in Haryana are facing acute shortage of teaching faculty and a large number of contractual or guest teachers have been engaged for a long time to meet the requirement. Soon, college courses to be graded Soon students will be able to make more informed choices on the courses they wish to pursue. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		C ward residents set to form pressure group Residents of C ward, who gathered in strength for a public discussion organised by The Times of India on Friday on civic issues in their area, posed tough questions to their elected representatives and agreed to form a citizens’ action committee which would act as a pressure group to push authorities into taking action. 'Old Bollywood hits are very similar to the Blues' On Thursday night, Grammy Award-winning Bluesman Jimmie Vaughan was flipping through channels in his Mumbai hotel room when he came across Bollywood hits from the 50s. Cop who makes Rs 51,000 a month worth Rs 40 crore Chavan comes from a middle class family; his wife is a homemaker and they have two school-going children. The ACB raided his home in Varap village, Titwala, and found proof of assets far beyond his known sources of income. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		Wet Valentine's-Day is 2nd coldest in Feb since 1971 Couples had another excuse to snuggle up to each other on Valentine’s Day, which turned out to be wet and chilly. Relief, but new worries for Congress The exit of the AAP government came as a huge relief to the Congress that had never been at ease with supporting a party that relentlessly targeted it for corruption , but the emotion was tinged with apprehension in view of uncertain poll prospects. Middle class may return to BJP fold AAP’s exit from office would reassure BJP that its decision to keep out of government formation was wise given the instable nature of the December, 2013 mandate, but the saffron outfit faces a tough task of taking on the new party in what may turn out to be a direct fight in the Lok Sabha polls. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		ATM attack victim returns to work Around 6.45am on Friday, Jyothi Udaya, 44, walked into Corporation Bank's service branch on Mission Road to a warm reception from her colleagues. Bangalore infra is set to get a Rs 9,477 cr push The Karnataka government seems to be recognizing that Bangalore, the state's cash cow, needs more attention than it has received in recent years. 'The Hindus': ALF serves legal notice to Penguin The 30-paragraph notice was sent by advocate Lawrence Liang of the ALF on behalf of Shuddhabrata Sengupta and Aarthi Sethi to Penguin on Friday. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		3 students drown in water body in Jayabheri Enclave Park The schoolbags, tiffin boxes and shoes of A Shravan, 14, Indrajith, 14 and Nikhil, 15, were found on the platform at the edge of the deep waterbody, said Petbasheerabad police. CM Kiran's file clearance spree raises eyebrows Kiran Kumar Reddy is burning the midnight oil to quietly clear hundreds of pending files at a time when Parliament is being rocked by protests over the creation of Telangana. Andhra Pradesh high court upholds SWB's power over endowed properties The high court on Friday upheld the AP State Wakf Board's powers to supervise the activities of Mumtaz Yar Ud Daula Trust. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		Tamil Nadu cop who spilled the beans on IPL probe faces arrest It is learnt that CB-CID chief Narinderpal Singh wrote to DGP K Ramanujam on Wednesday and Thursday, recommending Kumar’s suspension and his custodial interrogation. 85% of Chennai roads of poor quality, corporation data shows Almost 85% of city roads have failed Chennai Corporation’s quality test. Data accessed by TOI shows 27 of the 172 samples collected were tested, and only four roads were found to be of standard quality. Jayalalithaa's birthday goes national, feasts planned in Delhi, Mumbai It is a busy week ahead for AIADMK functionaries. In between election work, they will hold feasts for the poor, organize blood and eye donation camps, distribute free dhotis and saris, plant saplings and special arrange special prayers in religious places. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		Bride calls in cops, scraps wedding It was a moment of happiness for Panchal family in Ranip as their only daughter was getting married with a city youth on the Valentine's Day. Groups clash in Navrangpura Two groups came to blows after an altercation between two students at a community-run hostel in Navrangpura on Thursday night. Sour grapes: Moral police fire tomatoes A group of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal members threw tomatoes at lovebirds who had thronged the Sabarmati Riverfront early on Friday morning to celebrate Valentine's Day. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		55 Bahraich villages face blackout over dues The power corporation has disconnected the connection of 55 villages due to non-payment of bills.As many as 30 such villages are in Nanpara tehsil and 25 in Mihipurwa town. AAP's 'jhadoo chalao yatra' from Saturday AAP's 'jhadoo chalao yatra' Aam Admi Party volunteers on Friday announced a "jhadoo chalao yatra" across Allahabad from Saturday onwards. Sakshi Maharaj bats for Uma Bharati as Jhansi candidate Former MP and senior party leader Sakshi Maharaj visited Jhansi on Friday to feel the political pulse here. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		Allow stray tiger to mate in zoo, experts say Wildlife experts have criticized the state government for preventing a tiger, which strayed into Nandankanan on April 30 last year, from mating with a tigress there. Emotions rule as curtains fall on the 14th assembly Emotion was writ large on the faces of legislators as curtains fell on the last nine-day session of the 14th assembly on Friday. Dhauli Hill sound and light show on fast track After hanging fire for four years, the proposed sound and light show at the historic Dhauli Hill here has been put on fast track. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		MP boy shifted to Karachi's Malir prison Four days after an Indian fishermen was battered to death in Karachi's Malir Jail, Madhya Pradesh's runaway youth Jitendra Arjunwar, who was arrested for trespass in August last year, has been dumped in the hellhole prison. Number of battered husbands in Jabalpur on the rise Complaints received and disposed at the weekly public hearing at the police headquarter in Jabalpur displays a shocking trend. 'Billion Rising' cries for swift justice for rape survivors This was no court.It was a public hearing in which dozens of people, including rape survivors, who are still denied justice, raised their voice in the One Billion Rising Campaign launched in the city on Friday. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		Wet Valentine's Day hots up on dance floors Be it trance, punk, or hip hop, party-hoppers let their hair down to different genres of music.But, surprisingly sufi music too got many people tapping their feet. 5 Union territory cops key witnesses in Rs 8 crore car robbery Five policemen attached with the operation cell of the Chandigarh police are key witnesses in the sensational Rs 8-crore car robbery in Delhi. Optical sensors in medicine can better diagnose many diseases: Experts Students were apprised of diverse technologies in biomedical engineering and how these have helped people worldwide. More Chandigarh News»

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