News Digest: Those who call the shots must be those who bring (value) to the party: Jyotiraditya Scindia

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Wednesday, February 25, 2015
		Today's Headlines

		India
		Those who call the shots must be those who bring (value) to the party: Jyotiraditya Scindia At a time when Congress has been thrown into confusion with the surprise announcement of Rahul Gandhi's sabbatical, party chief whip Jyotiraditya Scindia has joined the debate. For his opponents, CM Fadnavis can do nothing right in Pansare case Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis is getting it from all sides for his handling of the situation in the aftermath of the fatal attack on veteran communist politician Govind Pansare last week. Accusations of ineptitude and lack of sensitivity were hurled at him. Centre will now have to give a lot more of its tax money to states : In a move that will financially benefit states greatly, possibly at the Centre’s cost, the 14th Finance Commission has hiked the states’ share of central taxes by an unprecedented 10 percentage points from 32% to 42%. More India News»

		Business
		India Inc backs PM's bid to ease land law As the government’s land acquisition amendment bill came under fire from several fronts on Tuesday, a section of industry leaders supported Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s efforts to make the law development-friendly. SC asks RBI to probe fresh fraud by Sahara Unable to cough up Rs 10,000 crore to secure the release of its chief Subrata Roy since March 4 last year, the troubled Sahara group on Tuesday faced fresh setbacks in the Supreme Court which ordered Roy to be taken back to jail from the conference room inside Tihar and asked RBI to probe an alleged Rs 500 crore financial fraud by group company Sahara India Financial Corporation (SIFCL). Mahindra eyes stake in ABG Shipyard India’s debt-laden, privately run shipbuilders are becoming M&A targets as big corporate houses seek to expand into red hot defence sector, where the government will spend $250 billion in the next decade to modernize the military. More Business News»

		Environment
		Task force to check waste-burning in Gurgaon The HUDA chief administrator's office on Monday issued directions to administrators of Gurgaon, Faridabad, Rohtak, Hisar and Panchkula to establish special task forces to check burning of waste, including leaves, in the open. Save Yamuna: 67 factories told to shift As many as 67 small factories in the city who are discharging effluents directly into the Yamuna have been asked to shift from their current location by end of next month. 'US politics won't hit climate deal prospects': Al Gore The climate change crusader and former US vice president Al Gore does not think the existing differences between Democrats and Republicans in his home country will cast its shadow over the prospect of a strong climate deal that is expected to be inked in Paris later this year. More Environment News»

		World
		9 dead including gunman in Czech restaurant shooting A gunman opened fire inside a small-town restaurant in eastern Czech Republic Tuesday, killing eight people and seriously wounding a waitress before he fatally shot himself, officials said. It was the worst shooting attack in the young country's history. Greece clears first hurdle, eurozone backs reform plans Greece cleared a major hurdle on Tuesday in its ongoing battle to remain solvent after its European creditors approved a 4-month extension to its financial bailout. But, the cash-strapped country still has a lot to do to convince its partners that it deserves more help beyond the summer. N Korea could have 100 nuclear weapons by 2020: US researchers North Korea appears poised to expand its nuclear program over the next five years and in a worst case scenario could possess 100 atomic arms by 2020, US researchers warned today. More World News»

		Entertainment
		'CBFC is under-staffed and has backlogs' The Central Board of Film Certification recently put out a set of guidelines to be followed by filmmakers that has been a cause of worry for the entire film industry as they clearly seemed to be coming in the way of freedom of expression. 5 superstars who have never won awards Shah Rukh Khan: The badshah of generosity Though he doesn't like to personally put light on his bigheartedness, we reveal some of his acts of kindness and generosity where he hasn't thought twice before shelling out money. More Entertainment News»

		Science
		Weed is 114 times less deadly than alcohol And yet alcohol is completely legal in the UK, while cannabis remains a class B drug – upgraded from class C in 2009 when it was deemed more harmful. Wisdom teeth may help treat eye disease Your wisdom teeth could hold the clue to treating diseases affecting the cornea, a major cause of blindness worldwide, says a new research. Day dreaming helps the mind in doing complex tasks later Daydreaming can prepare the mind to better address many tasks by switching on bigger networks of brain cells. More Science News»

		Sports
		Virat Kohli cannot be compared with Sachin Tendulkar: Richards Barry Richards feels Kohli is a few notches above his contemporaries in the Indian team but still has some way to go before one can compare him with Sachin. Gayle double ton coincides with Sachin Tendulkar's 200 in 2010 Chris Gayle smacked the first double hundred of a World Cup on the same date when Sachin Tendulkar had also registered one-day cricket's first 200 in 2010. Shikhar Dhawan lucky to have understanding people: Holding Michael Holding feels that Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan is lucky to be surrounded by understanding men, who can play the good mentor's role. More Sports News»

		Technology
		Google bans adult content on Blogger Google is pulling the plug on adult content on its popular service Blogger. IGate may lay off up to 3,000 employees IGate may lay off 5% to 10% of its workforce, or around 1,500 to 3,000 people, over the next three months, sources familiar with the development said. Rs 4 Lakh-plus Lamborghini phone: 8 things to know Lamborghini 88 Tauri is a super premium Android smartphone from Tonino Lamborghini. More Technology News»

		Education
		UGC slams Telangana, AP varsities over lack of digitization The University Grants Commission (UGC) has slammed dozens of varsities in Telangana, AP for failing to digitize campuses or even provide information on the steps taken thus far. ACCA signs MoU with ICAI to develop and support the accountancy A new agreement signed today by ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) and The Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICAI) will see them work in partnership to develop the business and finance profession in India. Centre to frame grading system for universities, SC told The Centre told the Supreme Court on Monday that it was considering a new system to grade universities and the process of laying down criteria would be finalized within three months. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		Sindhis to get a shrine they can call their own in Kutch Work on the Tirathdham complex which includes a massive Jhulelal temple, a museum, amphitheatre, auditorium, meditation centre, shelter for pilgrims and other amenities will start soon. Central pollution board official issued warrant Failure on the part of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in getting noise norms implemented in new vehicles recently resulted in an official of its being issued a bailable warrant. Governor pushes for 'Teach in Maharashtra' Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao on Tuesday urged universities to promote the ‘Teach in Maharashtra’ and ‘Study in Maharashtra’ campaigns. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		Woman drags father and brother to court under DV Act Till now, women, either married or in live-in relationships, initiated proceedings against husbands or partners under Prevention of Domestic Violence Act. Chargesheet prepared in child's kidnap, murder case Police have prepared a chargesheet against the two accused who had kidnapped and murdered the 13-year-old son of a jeweller in east Delhi’s Gandhi Nagar area on November 20. DU professor who alleged sexual harassment sacked The executive council of Delhi University on Tuesday terminated the services of professor Sapna Jain, two days ahead of a court hearing in the allegations of sexual harassment levelled by her against vice-chancellor Dinesh Singh, ex-registrar Alka Sharma and her colleagues in the mathematics department. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		Karnataka team captures 3 elephants in Maharashtra A team from Karnataka has done the state proud by capturing three trouble making tuskers in Maharashtra recently . Let's make the Green Corridor part of the city's plan Despite massive infrastructure and support from the government and its resources, ambulance services continue to be dogged by several issues. The alarming increase in traffic, accompanied by chaos caused by systems that haven't kept pace with growth, have proved to be a pitfall for ambulance services in Bengaluru and across the country . Precious lives are stuck in traffic jams Very few motorists make way for an ambulance ferrying a patient to hospital. Here's why you should get out of their way More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		US ambassador Richard Rahul Verma calls on K Chandrasekhar Rao US ambassador to India Richard Rahul Verma called on chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao at the Secretariat on Tuesday. H3N2 virus could be behind flu deaths in Telangana: Expert Swine flu-causing Influenza A virus appears in three strains_H1N1, H2N2 and H3N2_, but testing labs in India can detect presence of only H1N1 virus, but not the other two strains. KCR's vows to make endowments department poorer by Rs 5.59 cr Vows will be fulfilled, so what if they have to be done so with public money! That seems to be chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s logic. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		Man arrested for medical seat fraud A 40-year-old man was arrested in Ayanavaram on Tuesday for cheating a man of 10 lakh after promising him a medical seat for his daughter. Teen felled by stroke gets a new life with manual intervention Like most people his age, 16-year-old Vamsi was a sports fan. A champion himself, the boy’s life turned upside down recently when a stroke paralysed the left side of his body. Luckily, he was rushed to a private hospital in Pallikaranai where an interventional procedure helped reverse the impact. SC quashes election of panchayat prez for suppressing info on cases Holding that half-truth is worse than silence, the Supreme Court has upheld a Madras high court order quashing the election of a panchayat president for failing to furnish details of his criminal antecedents. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		65 kg gold worth Rs 17.84 crore seized at Ahmedabad airport In two separate incidents, the city crime branch and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized about 65kg gold worth Rs 17.84 crore and arrested seven persons in two cases. As swine flu cases rise, hand sanitizers fly off shelves in Ahmedabad For years, Aarti Naik used soap to keep her hands clean. With the swine flu scare sweeping across the state, Naik and her family have bought their individual bottles of hand sanitizers to be used everywhere outside their home-be it office, shopping mall or restaurant. Sanghi Industries wins another environment award Sanghi Industries Ltd hosted 22nd Mines Environment & Mineral Conservation (MEMC) Week 2014-15. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		NCR sends budget proposals to Rail Board With the annual Railway Budget scheduled to be presented on February 26, expectations of the people have soared up. North Central Railway has send proposals to the Railway Board including work of development of circulating area on the city and Civil Lines side of the Allahabad railway junction, construction of RCC benches, upgradation of platform in Chheoki, development of goods shed at Naini and other demands. Sangam city gets state university, IT park The state government’s annual Budget has gifted the Sangam city a state university and an Information Technology Park apart from an elevated link road and flyover in Sangam area. The Budget presented by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has also provisions for digitalisation work at Allahabad High Court and has extended helping hand to improve the financial condition of young legal fraternity. 56 police cars to be equipped with GPS In an attempt to maintain transparency and effective patrolling, 56 police cars will be installed with Global Positioning System (GPS) devices. The motive is to lessen the response time as the device will help in locating the patrol cars nearest to a crime scene. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		CM carcade head shunted Chief minister Naveen Patnaik’s carcade in-charge Binod Das was on Sunday transferred to commissionerate of police headquarters in the wake of Thursday’s egg attack on the CM’s car. Health dept asks police to report jaundice cases With jaundice cases pouring in from three police institutions in the state, the health department has asked police to inform it about any future outbreak. New lease of life for dying art forms at fest Artists left city folks mesmerized during a two-day fest, which aimed at reviving various dying art forms. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		Bhopal Jheel Mahotsav starts with a spectacular boat dance The Bhopal Jheel Mahotsav, one of the most awaited events in the City of Lakes, kick-started on Friday with a sparkling ceremony and a lineup of performances, including a sufi dance, a Bharatnatyam act and a boat dance. Singers regale the audience at Bharat Bhavan's 33rd anniversary in Bhopal Musical programmes have been a highlight of Bharat Bhavan’s 33rd anniversary celebrations and earlier this week, singers from across musical genres regaled the audience with their folk music. Teejan Bai performs at Bharat Bhavan in Bhopal The most famous exponent of Pandavani storytelling, she brought alive characters from the Mahabharat through her powerful vocals during a cultural festival at Bharat Bhavan. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		Police set up checkpoints outside Sectors 36, 46 colleges Police have set up permanent checkpoints outside MCM-DAV college, Sector 36, and PG Government College for Girls, Sector 46, after students complained that roads around their institutes often turned into "geri" routes. Planning holds the key to success: Former topper Confused over what to study and what to leave with the board exams only a few days away? Here are some tips and tricks from previous year's toppers who have already passed this phase. 6 goons assault Mohali landlady A 37-year-old woman was assaulted by six unidentified persons at her house in Phase VI, Mohali, on Monday evening. More Chandigarh News»

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