News Digest: Tamil Nadu to get four mega food parks soon

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Friday, February 20, 2015
		Today's Headlines

		India
		Tamil Nadu to get four mega food parks soon The proposed mega food parks project in Tamil Nadu, which has been stalled due to problems related to land acquisition and paucity of funds, is all set to take off soon with the union ministry of food processing clearing the proposal. Modi to flag off first train from Arunachal to Delhi The ‘Land of the Rising Sun’, as Arunachal Pradesh is popularly known, will witness the dawn of a new era on Friday when Prime Minister Narendra Modi flags off the first train connecting the easternmost state of the country, parts of which China claims to be its own, with the national capital. Harassment complaint: Delhi HC directs RK Pachauri to join police probe The Delhi High Court on Thursday directed Rajendra Kumar Pachauri, the director-general of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), to join a police investigation into charges of alleged sexual harassment "as and when required". More India News»

		Business
		US probes Mirach Cap's 'forged' letter to Sahara Federal authorities in San Francisco are probing US-based Mirach Capital Group, two sources familiar with the situation told Reuters, amid allegations that the group gave a forged bank letter to Indian conglomerate Sahara as part of financing negotiations. Govt to tap global funds for infra push The government is expected to outline a strategy to tap into the growing interest from global pension funds and other long-term investors to finance infrastructure projects, a move that will also reduce the pressure on it to find resources in the Budget. Paytm plans up to 50,000 outlets Digital wallet provider Paytm is looking to set up 30,000 to 50,000 retail outlets where its 2.4 crore customers can load cash on their digital wallet. More Business News»

		Environment
		More sick sea lion pups washing up on California beaches Four times more sick and dying sea lion pups than normal have gotten stranded on California beaches this year, and experts say unusually warm ocean water along the West Coast is to blame. Govt to ask Delhi to prepare master plan to check pollution Concerned over rising pollution in the national capital, environment minister Prakash Javadekar on Thursday said the ministry will ask the AAP government to prepare a master plan to deal with the problem. Some animals 'enjoy' music like we do Certain birds can learn how to produce song-like vocalisations, a pre-requisite to learning new songs. More Environment News»

		World
		2 cyclones hit parts of northern Australia Two powerful cyclones smashed into northern Australia on Friday, with authorities ordering coastal residents to flee their homes amid warnings the storms' violent winds and drenching rains could prove deadly. Turkey, US sign deal to train, arm Syrian rebels Turkey and the United States signed an agreement Thursday to train and arm Syrian rebels fighting the Islamic State group, said the US embassy in Ankara. British teen convicted of terrorist plan to behead soldier A British teenager who rapidly became radicalized after converting to Islam was convicted today of planning to behead a soldier. More World News»

		Entertainment
		Celebs who went over the line with affection Celebs and politicians are not new to the foot in the mouth syndrome. Awkward gestures or illogical statements have always ruled the roost when it comes to their public appearances but two recent instances have put the spotlight on some public figures going over the line in displaying their “affection”. Cases in point are those of noted lawyer Ram Jethmalani and Us Vice President Joe Biden. Badlapur wins praise from the industry Badlapur, directed by Sriram Raghavan, is an intriguing tale of love and revenge. Bollywood sequels to look forward to in 2015 Here are some other sequels that seem promising. More Entertainment News»

		Science
		SkyCruiser: A car, a plane & a copter A US-based start-up is developing a five-passenger “flying car” type vehicle that requires no runway to take off. Lack of sleep can up risk of type 2 diabetes Those who sleep less are at a higher risk of diabetes. Lack of sleep has been found to elevate levels of free fatty acids in the blood accompanied by temporary pre-diabetic conditions in healthy young men. A microscope to scan objects a millionth of a human hair British scientists have invented a new super-powerful electron microscope that can examine objects a million times smaller than a human hair. More Science News»

		Sports
		Overcoming 'fatigue' will be key, says Sachin Tendulkar A Test series and a tri-nation event took India into the 1992 World Cup and Sachin feels that with a similar schedule this time around, fatigue will be the key. India have lot of match-winners in ODIs, says Ganguly The Indian batting may seem to be reliant on Kohli, but Ganguly feels that the team has more than one player to depend on as far as ODIs are concerned. Batsman Dhoni seeks Shastri's advice in testing times In the last 10 ODIs that Dhoni has played, he has scored only one half-century (51 not out) against the West Indies and didn't get to bat in two other matches. More Sports News»

		Technology
		At $8.7 billion, TCS fastest-growing IT brand globally With this, TCS retains the IT industry's highest brand strength rating of AA+, and cements position as one of the top global brands in the industry. Telecom salary hikes to be among lowest: Survey Telecom sector finds place among 'Lag industries' in consultancy firm Aon Hewitt's annual salary survey. 10 programming languages you need to know in 2015 Looking for a career in technology industry? Wonder what are the languages that will give just the right start to your career? Here are 10 programming languages you can cherry pick from based on Mashable's '15 programming languages you need to know in 2015'. More Technology News»

		Education
		9-year-old sits for Class X exams in Assam A Class V student from Assam's Darrang district appeared in the Class X state board examination that began from Thursday. ICAI takes steps to revamp CA course The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has kickstarted the process of restructuring its curriculum for the chartered accountancy (CA) course to bring Indian CAs more in line with their global counterparts. B-school aspirants get 9 days to register for MAH- CET B-school aspirants will get only nine days to register for the state’s common entrance test (MAH-CET) for MBA/MMS admissions. The directorate of technical education (DTE) started the registration process on Wednesday and will close the window on February 27. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		Huge asset found from excise officers The Anti Corruption Bureau, which on Wednesday arrested Thane excise superintendent Manohar Anchule and excise inspector Ramesh Dhanshetty while accepting a bribe of Rs 18 lakh from a subordinate, have found huge assets in their house searches. Work piles up at Mumbai's 3 RTOs after ban on entry of agents Even as citizens have welcomed the ban on agents at RTOs, there are widespread complaints of files not being cleared on time at the city’s three RTOs. Aspiring model drugged, raped; boyfriend held A 24-year-old aspiring model has accused her boyfriend of drugging and raping her at her Oshiwara residence a fortnight ago. Her boyfriend has been arrested. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		DDA planning 2,500 affordable service apartments for elderly Delhi Development Authority is working on a first-of-its-kind senior citizens’ housing scheme, senior officials have said. Teen dead, cops suspect honour killing A 17-year-old girl was found dead under mysterious circumstances in northwest Delhi’s Netaji Subhash place area on Thursday morning. Cloudy sky, light rain likely today After a comparatively warm and humid day, some parts of the city saw light rain in the late evening on Thursday. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		Allegations are baseless, says Deshpande Higher education minister R V Deshpande on Thursday termed false and baseless the allegations of his role in the acquisition and allotment of 600 acres for the IT corridor in Varthur-Whitefield area. Students to camp out at RV College It's time for students to do some bivouacking on the campus even as they indulge in merrymaking. Come February 26, the RV College of Engineering (RVCE) on Mysore Road will host the city's first campout college fest. One-man panel to probe BBMP irregularities Determined to clean the Augean stables in the city civic administration, chief minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday announced a one-man commission to probe a string of irregularities in BBMP. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		AP govt to provide free medical tests for poor The Andhra Pradesh government is to soon launch free diagnostic services across the 11 teaching hospitals, nine district hospitals, 30 area hospitals and 190 community health centers (CHC) under the public private partnership (PPP) mode. Man arrested for sneaking into animal enclosure Police arrested a 22-year-old mechanic for trespassing into the animal enclosures of Nehru Zoological Park last year. 6 held for practising black magic South Zone police on Thursday arrested six persons accused of indulging in black magic and cheating people during raids at various parts of Old City. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		Tamil Nadu to get four mega food parks soon The proposed mega food parks project in Tamil Nadu, which has been stalled due to problems related to land acquisition and paucity of funds, is all set to take off soon with the union ministry of food processing clearing the proposal.  Ex-fireman dies after cigarette butt triggers blaze As a fire officer, he battled flames and rescued people for 38 years. Finally, a cigarette butt killed him. DMDK members suspended for rest of assembly session There was pandemonium in the Tamil Nadu assembly on Thursday with all DMDK members, barring its chief Vijayakanth, being suspended for the rest of the session. DMDK floor leader Azhagapuram S Mohanraj made a remark against AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa without naming her, infuriating AIADMK members and sparking a furore in the house. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		Gujarat to share business gyan with other states The Centre has asked the Gujarat government to share with other states its knowledge and experience of how to make it easy to do business. Ensure private hospitals treat poor H1N1 patients free: HC Gujarat high court on Thursday directed the state government to ensure that the 'common man' gets free treatment for swine flu in private hospitals of the state. Communication conference at MICA The content consumers turning into content makers and the oppressed finding their voice on global platform to raise issues.The technology has thrown open a world of possibilities. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		Prank calls give tough time to cops Cops posted at the police control room are finding it difficult to put a break on prank calls. Hundreds of such calls are received daily. AU stresses need of multi-specialty hospital The Allahabad University has given a reply to the HR ministry on Wednesday on a proposal of setting up a hospital in the university and also highlighted the pathetic condition of the lone dispensary. HC reserves order on Noida 'sports city' The Allahabad High Court on Friday reserved order on the maintainability of a PIL challenging plans to develop ‘Sports City’ in Sector 150 of Noida. The city would be spread over 300 acres of land and the plan has already been launched and advertised. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		Jaundice spreads to Odhisha capital After Sambalpur and Cuttack, jaundice has reared its ugly head in the city. Crime branch in Rayagada to probe suicide Cuttack/ A three-member team of Crime Branch (CB), headed by a DSP-rank officer, on Thursday landed in Rayagada to probe the alleged suicide of district welfare officer Dhaneswar Prusty. Legislators turn heat on officers Cutting across partylines, MLAs came down heavily on bureaucrats on Thursday, accusing them of not showing due respect to elected representatives. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		'It's H1N1 pandemic influenza 2009, not swine flu' The disease causing large number of deaths across the country is not the swine flu. Two more swine flu deaths in Bhopal, toll 26 Swine flu claimed two more lives on Thursday, taking the toll to 26 in Bhopal this year. Twenty-four others are critical. PM Modi praises MP's agriculture miracle Madhya Pradesh received Krishi Karman award for maximum wheat production for third consecutive year in Suratgarh, Rajasthan on Thursday. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		Drop SIT orders against me, Sanjiv Chaturvedi asks HC Whistleblower Haryana bureaucrat Sanjiv Chaturvedi has on Thursday requested the Punjab and Haryana high court to recall its order to form a special investigation team (SIT) in the suspicious death of a forest officer in 2009. Truck runs over man in Fatehabad A 35-year-old man was run over by a truck near Barsin village in district Fatehabad on Thursday. 776 'Munnabhai gurus' to be sacked Haryana's 'munnabhai' teachers are set to lose their jobs as the state government has initiated termination procedures against 776 of them. More Chandigarh News»

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