News Digest: CBI yet to establish money trail as VVIP chopper deal probe reaches final stages

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Monday, March 02, 2015
		Today's Headlines

		India
		CBI yet to establish money trail as VVIP chopper deal probe reaches final stages Two years after it began probe into the controversial Rs 3,600 crore VVIP chopper deal with AgustaWestland, CBI is yet to establish the money trail of alleged kickbacks as it prepares the final report, sources said. 'Levy rice' system to go from October In its bid to push state governments to set up procurement mechanism for paddy and to ensure farmers get the minimum support price (MSP), the Centre has stopped the decades-old practice of “levy rice” from October this year. Maintenance of national highways remains neglected Substantial increase in budgetary allocation and the provision to raise more funds from the market for building and expanding highways may accelerate road construction, but maintenance of large sections of national highways still remains a challenge for the road ministry. More India News»

		Business
		Dalal Street finds no devil in detail, sensex may rally Dalal Street investors are expected to take the sensex and nifty higher on Monday, after having found nothing that could be termed as devil in the detail in Budget’s fine print. No capital gains tax on merged mutual funds Mutual fund (MF) investors have something to cheer from the budget. Scheme mergers will no longer be considered as fresh investments, allowing investors to make exits earlier without incurring taxes. Govt's tax moves to ensure policy certainty, assure investors The budget has unveiled several measures which will add certainty to taxation policy in the months ahead and help make the country an attractive destination for investors and improve the ease of doing business. More Business News»

		Environment
		Environmental degradation costs Pak Rs 356 bn annually Environmental degradation costs Pakistan a staggering over Rs 356 billion annually and the government has been making "all-out endeavours" to control it, environment minister Mushahid Ullah Khan said on Sunday. Mexico to enforce ban on fishing gillnet Mexican authorities will use satellite tracking, drones, a series of naval bases and a fleet of small patrol boats to enforce a new gillnet fishing ban in the upper Sea of Cortes in a bid to save the critically endangered vaquita marina, the world's smallest porpoise. Study finds high level of toxic benzene in Delhi air For Delhiites, there’s more bad news in the air. The capital not only has the worst air quality among big cities across the world, a new study has found alarmingly high levels of a carcinogenic compound, benzene, in Delhi’s air. More Environment News»

		World
		US targeting 'Jihadi John,' senator says US forces are targeting the London man believed to be "Jihadi John," an Islamic State executioner, a senior Democratic senator said on Sunday. Kerry arrives in Geneva for tough Iran,Ukraine talks Top US diplomat John Kerry arrived in Switzerland late Sunday for tough talks on Iran and Ukraine, and to push Moscow's foreign minister to ensure a "credible" investigation into the killing of opposition leader Boris Nemtsov. Iraq PM urges forces to spare civilians in Tikrit battle Iraq's prime minister has announced the launch of a military operation to retake Tikrit from the Islamic State jihadist group, urging his troops to spare civilians in the battle. More World News»

		Entertainment
		Sunny Leone excited about her 'sexy comedy' Sunny Leone and Ram Kapoor are all set to tickle the audience’s funny bone with their comic caper Kuch Kuch Locha Hai. The Zafars name their daughter Alyza Ali Zafar and his wife Ayesha Fazli were blessed with a daughter on February, 23. After much discussion on what they should name her, it’s the couple’s four-year-old son who eventually found a name for his baby sister. Unexpected rains cause huge losses for Sunny Deol Sunny Deol, who is directing Ghayal Once Again, was in for a rude shock when the city woke up to an unexpected downpour on Saturday. The actor, on reaching Kamalistan Studios, saw his unit hands running helter- skelter as rain water started dripping onto the lavish set. More Entertainment News»

		Science
		Chronic fatigue is a biological illness, not psychological Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) has now been confirmed to be a biological illness. Soon, you could talk with computers like friends Humans may soon be able to talk to computers and robots the same way they talk to their friends, scientists say. Human head transplant in two years? The world's first human head transplant could take place within the next two years, according to an Italian surgeon who claims to have developed a technique for the radical surgery. More Science News»

		Sports
		India have been provided favourable pitches, says Sarfraz Former Pak pacer Sarfraz Nawaz accused the ICC of favoring the Indian team in World Cup by providing them pitches tailor made to suit their strengths. Chelsea outmuscle Tottenham to win League Cup Chelsea overpowered London rivals Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in the League Cup final at a rain-swept Wembley to lift the first silverware of English season. WC: Pakistan beat Zimbabwe by 20 runs for first win Embattled Pakistan finally opened their account in the World Cup as they laboured to a narrow 20-run win over a spirited Zimbabwe in a Pool B match. More Sports News»

		Technology
		Samsung unveils Galaxy S6 Edge with screens on 3 sides Samsung Mobile today took the covers off its Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge smartphones, which mark the biggest upgrade in the company's mobile portfolio yet. Samsung Galaxy S6, S6 edge Vs HTC One (M9) Vs Apple iPhone 6 We take a look how the HTC One (M9) faces off against the Samsung Galaxy S6 and the S6 edge, and the Apple iPhone 6. In pics: Samsung Galaxy S6, S6 Edge We got a chance to spend some time with the phone and here’s how the two phones look and feel… More Technology News»

		Education
		Sleep well, keep stress in check during Boards With just a day to go before the Boards, anxiety levels are high among students. Loss of appetite and sleep resulting in nausea and diarrhoea is common among candidates. CBSE, MPBSE board exams from March 2 Class XII exams of MP Board of Secondary Education (MPBSE) would commence from Monday. This exam would be held till April 7. India provides scholarships to 200 Nepalese students India on Sunday handed over 200 scholarships to Nepalese students for various courses under a bilateral scheme to boost human resource development in the country. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		MPID Act does not debar consumer complaint Can a depositor who is defrauded approach the consumer forum? Rare brain disorder gets 'Make-in-India' answer? Keeping in tune with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ slogan, treatment for a rare brain disorder may just have emerged from India. BJP workers accuse telecom staffers of threatening them BJP MP Kirit Somaiya has lodged a complaint with the Mulund police against four employees of Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd (RJIL), accusing them of threatening his party workers who questioned them about 4G towers that were being installed at a civic garden in Mulund (W) on Saturday. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		Flyover death: 3 suspects detained A 44-year-old man, who was found dead on the Geeta colony flyover last Friday with his limbs tied, was reportedly murdered at GB Road. 2 gangs busted in ATM fraud cases in Delhi A five-member gang which had duped more than 50 people in south Delhi by offering to help them with their ATM transactions on machines which were already tweaked by them have been arrested. 'Tenants can't dictate terms' Tenants cannot dictate terms to landlords, a trial court has said while allowing eviction petition of a landlady. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		Girl run over, parents donate her eyes A six-year-old girl who was run over by a two-wheeler on Sunday in north Bengaluru is set to bring life into a visually impaired person. CBSE exams will begin on March 2 The class X (board-based) and class XII exams of Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will begin from March 2. Mysuru firm develops critical technology for missiles    On March 13, 2013, India had to destroy its nuclear-ready cruise missile Nirbhay which was on its first flight trial. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		Designer exhibition at Angasutra boutique in Hyderabad Designer exhibition at Angasutra boutique in Hyderabad Trip Tease at Taj, Vivanta in Hyderabad Trip Tease at Taj, Vivanta in Hyderabad Atif Aslam rocks Hyderabad at HICC Atif Aslam rocks Hyderabad at HICC More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		Traffic runs through MTR at night for temple fest Permission to allow vehicles through Mudumalai Tiger Reserve and the core forest areas at night for five days for a temple festival has shocked conservationists and wildlife lovers. Karuna remark raises hopes of Stalin supporters Party sources said that a few executive committee members, including former ministers, are expected to raise the demand for an official announcement. Centre seeks to register logo of Nagercoil temple jewellery The Union government has submitted an application before the Geographical Indication registry in the city to register the logo of Nagercoil temple jewellery. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		FM plays hare and tortoise Goods and service tax (GST) implementation from 2016, the abolition of wealth tax, elaborate action plan to counter black money, deferral of GAAR and the promise to lower corporate tax rate to 25% (though over a span of four years) are the five shining stars of the Budget 2015 of finance minister Arun Jaitley. Yoga training for Ahmedabad cops To relieve city cops of mental stress and hyper tension, yoga training will be imparted to all police officials of the city. Riot survivors vow to fight for Teesta On the 13th anniversary of the 2002 riots, the survivors expressed their support to social activist Teesta Setalvad who has been accused of embezzlement of funds collected for a museum she had promised to build at Gulbarg Society. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		Group clash in marriage ceremony leaves 11 injured Two groups clashed during a marriage ceremony over misbehaviour with a girl and consumption of liquor on Sunday. The clash left 11 injured. Condition of three injured was stated to be serious. A case was lodged against six persons after bride’s father alleged that the other group had looted jewellery and cash worth Rs 5 lakh. Three new trains for Holi and summer rush To meet the rush of passengers during Holi and summer season, the railway administration will be plying three special trains via Allahabad and Chheoki. These three trains will ply between Mumbai CST and Varanasi, Ahmedabad and Patna and Secundrabad and Patna respectively Rahul lose out to Modi, Kejriwal in Holi market too Congress has lost out once again to Modi and Kejriwal. However, this loss is not in any political arena but in Holi market too. With the festival just a few days away, shops are full of Modi pichkaris and Kejriwal sprinklers but devoid of items named after top Congress leaders like Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		Naveen gives thumbs down to Budget Finance minister Arun Jaitley in his Budget speech on Saturday announced special assistance for poll-bound Bihar and West Bengal 'to give an opportunity to the eastern states to grow faster'. Declare swine flu national emergency, says Togadia Without stirring any fresh controversy, senior VHP leader Praveen Togadia here on Saturday said he would urge the Centre to declare swine flu as a national emergency. Konark missing from favoured monuments list Budget 2015 has disappointed Odisha as the only Unesco World Heritage Site of the state Konark Sun Temple is missing from nine sites for which the finance minister announced a special package. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		CBSE, MPBSE board exams from March 2 Class XII exams of MP Board of Secondary Education (MPBSE) would commence from Monday. This exam would be held till April 7.  Barkatullah University wins All India hockey tournament title Hosts Barkatullah University on Sunday won the trophy of All India inter-university hockey tournament concluded at Maj Dhyanchand hockey stadium. In the final, BU defeated Amritsar’s Gurunanak University 3-1. Governor fails to meet President, to return to city today Governor Ram Naresh Yadav failed to meet President Pranab Mukherjee for second constitutive day on Saturday despite repeated attempts. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		Punjab module part of global poaching nexus: WTI Investigations into the astounding seizure of 95kg of leopard bones and 11 of the big cat's skins at Mukerian in Hoshiarpur district, earlier this month from a gang of Bawaria-Pardia tribals point to a well-organised racket and supply chain with indications of Nepal being the next destination for the animal parts. Jeweller accuses 4 of blackmail A Mullanpur-based jeweller has accused four persons, including a girl and Kharar Shiv Sena president of blackmailing him for the past one week. PU all set, NAAC team arrives today With Panjab University (PU) campus all geared up for a four-day exercise that will evaluate and accredit the university with a fresh rating by the University Grants Commission (UGC)'s National Assessment and Accreditation Council, the peer team from the council will arrive on campus for the activity on Sunday. More Chandigarh News»

		To manage your newsletter subscription settings, click here	Other Newsletters from TOI : Top Headlines | Tech | Entertainment | Movie Reviews | Life & Style