News Digest: India didn't prevent Hurriyat members' meet with Pakistan envoy

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Tuesday, March 24, 2015
		Today's Headlines

		India
		India didn't prevent Hurriyat members' meet with Pakistan envoy Separatists led by Mirwaiz Umer Farooq met Pakistan high commissioner Abdul Basit for Pakistan Day on Monday. After Basit mentioned to a TV reporter that India had not objected to the meeting, India reacted by saying that it could speak for itself. India to procure ship that can break through 1.5-m ice India's scientific expeditions in the polar region will get a boost with the ministry of earth sciences deciding to procure a polar research vessel (PRV) from Spain that can navigate through 18,000 nautical miles of frozen waters and break ice as thick as 1.5 metres. Govt launches mega campaign on immunization drive Ahead of launching its ambitious child immunization programme ‘Mission Indradhanush’ next month, the health ministry on Monday unveiled a major campaign to create awareness on immunization. More India News»

		Business
		Adani, JSW vie for Monnet Power Gautam Adani-led Adani Group and Sajjan Jindal-owned JSW Group are vying to buy a majority stake and take management control in Delhi-based Monnet Power from Sandeep Jajodia’s Monnet Ispat and Energy for $500 million (over Rs 3,100 crore), edging out Tata Power and an international player from the race, said sources in the know of the development. TechM, HCL eye $350m stake in Geometric Geometric’s principal shareholders — the Godrej family and CEO Manu Parpia — have mandated JM Financial to sell their 39% stake in the engineering solutions company, people directly familiar with the matter said. Govt to roll out 40-year bonds to raise funds For the first time, the government will launch 40-year bonds to raise funds and help pension funds and insurance companies park long-term resources. More Business News»

		Environment
		Review 1994 water pact to revive Yamuna: Experts The Centre may have assured the Yamuna Muktikaran Abhiyan protesters that the “ecological flow” in the river will be restored in Delhi, but experts say this can’t be done without revisiting the 1994 water sharing agreement between Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. Time running out for wild elephants: experts African elephants could be extinct in the wild within a few decades, experts warned on Monday at a major conservation summit in Botswana that highlighted an alarming decline in numbers due to poaching. Climate change puts Britain at risk of diseases Climate change could accelerate the emergence of vector-borne diseases such as chikungunya, dengue fever, and West Nile virus in Britain, says a new study. More Environment News»

		World
		Greek, German leaders seek to reboot relationship Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and German chancellor sought Monday to reboot an increasingly sour relationship, saying they are looking for ways to help Athens reach a deal with creditors that will keep it from falling out of the euro. Syrian rebels shell city of Aleppo, 13 killed Syrian rebels fired mortar rounds into government-held parts of the northern city of Aleppo during rush hour Monday, killing 13 people and wounding dozens, state-run TV and an activist group said. Pakistan Taliban chief killed in air strike? Tehreek-e-Taliban chief Mullah Fazlullah, who masterminded the Peshawar school massacre, was believed to be killed after being seriously hit in air strikes in Pakistan's restive Khyber tribal area over the weekend. More World News»

		Entertainment
		Aditya Roy Kapur sacks his driver The extremely well-behaved Aditya Roy Kapur is on the lookout for a new driver. Sakshi Tanwar in a period drama Best remembered as Parvati from 'Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii', actress Sakshi Tanwar, currently seen in Code Red, is set to foray in a never-attempted-before genre — period drama. She will be seen in Vikas Gupta’s show titled Rani Mahal. Bollywood stars who desperately need a hit More Entertainment News»

		Science
		Manned mission to Mars delayed by 2 years Mars One’s ambitious mission to send four people to colonize the red planet in 2024, which includes three Indians among its 100 finalists, has been pushed back by two years. Felled tree to be reborn after 125 years A giant redwood tree that was felled 125 years ago in the US state of California to satisfy a drunken bet is all set to be reborn with scientist cloning the stump in the UK. Nazi hideout found in Argentina Archeologists in Argentina believe a collection of ruins found deep in a remote jungle region may be the remains of a secret hideout built by German Nazis to flee to after World War II, a report said on Sunday. More Science News»

		Sports
		Live Blog: ICC World Cup 2015 - New Zealand vs South Africa New Zealand and South Africa meet in the semifinals of the Cricket World Cup today, with both teams bidding to reach the final for the first time. World Cup 2015: South Africa elect to bat against New Zealand South Africa won the toss and opted to bat first against New Zealand in their ICC cricket World Cup 2015 semifinal at Eden Park on Tuesday. No one can stop us, says South Africa skipper AB de Villiers After years of South Africa being lumbered with the "chokers" tag, captain AB de Villiers boldly declared the World Cup was theirs for the taking this time. More Sports News»

		Technology
		Samsung Galaxy S6, S6 edge debut @ Rs 49.9K Samsung Mobile today unveiled its latest smartphones Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge in India. Samsung Galaxy S6, S6 edge: 8 unique features Samsung has launched its two new smartphones, Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge, in India. This is how Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella will earn his salary We keep hearing bits and pieces of a plan inside Microsoft that could radically change how businesses buy Windows in the years to come. More Technology News»

		Education
		CBSE's teacher eligibility test riddled with errors The recently conducted Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) was beset by errors. IIT heads' selection process too casual, says Anil Kakodkar “It is too casual a process for the appointment of directors of IITs,” said nuclear scientist Anil Kakodkar in his first remarks on record after his run-in with the HRD ministry over the appointment of directors of the IITs at Patna, Ropar and Bhubaneshwar UGC portal to receive students' complaints An UGC-run portal was launched here on Monday to facilitate online registration of students' grievances, send reminders and check action-taken status in connection with their concerns. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		Lift mishap kills 23-yr-old set-to-wed girl A 23-year-old wo8m8an, busy with last-minute preparations for her weddi8ng, was killed while trying to get into the elevator of a Malad society on Sunday night. State govt mum on toll promises The BJP and Shiv Sena had spoken about removal of some toll posts before the polls, but after five months the coalition government is yet to come up with a revised policy. Railway cops return bag with gold The Bandra GRP recently returned a bag containing gold jewellery to the woman who had left it behind in a local train. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		Long spring over, summer begins in Delhi The prolonged spring in the capital this year appears to have finally come to an end with temperatures in the last couple of days inching above 30 degrees Celsius, marking the beginning of summer. Big bang catch: 3 men, 11 guns, 2,000 rounds In what appears to be the biggest arms haul in recent years, the special cell of Delhi Police has seized a consignment comprising 1,800 cartridges and 11 single and double-barreled guns. Missing boy's body found with hands chopped off The body of a 10-year-old boy, who had gone missing from his house in northwest Delhi, was found with the hands chopped off along a railway track in outer Delhi’s Samaypur Badli area on Sunday night. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		SC rejects state's plea on medium of instruction The Supreme Court on Saturday rejected the curative petition filed by the Karnataka government on the medium of instruction in schools. Congress, ministers made CM relent Let bygone Bengaluru live on TOI campaigns to ensure our heritage and monumental structures stay alive and relevant. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		Nayani paints a grim picture of Hyderabad The city of Hyderabad is a dangerous place to live in. Criminals appear to lurk at every corner, terror groups ready to strike any moment, naxalites and religious fundamentalists wait for a chance to foment trouble. Dilkusha, nursing college, may be razed If the Telangana government has its way, the Raj Bhavan, the official residence of governor, may find itself sandwiched between two skyscrapers Andhra Pradesh to name capital Amaravati Finally, chief minister Chandrababu Naidu has zeroed in on Amaravati as the name of the new capital of Andhra Pradesh.  More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		Gadgets deny kids good night's sleep Parents rarely realize children aren't sleeping well till mood swings, fatigue show up. Chennai's outlying zones get lion's share of corporation funds Four years after Corporation of Chennai expanded its boundaries to include outlying localities, its focus is now clearly on their development, as figures in its 4,632 crore budget for 2015-2016 released on Monday indicate. All's well: Girl writes exam after 30-feet fall Class 12 student S Supraja knew there would be many pitfalls on her path to success in the board exams, but she didn’t count among them the well in her backyard. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		TB makes worrying comeback After leprosy, is tuberculosis back to haunt Gujarat? Data available with State TB Training and Demonstration Centre (STDC) suggests that TB has made a 'worrying comeback' — from 72,554 cases in 2012 to 78,153 in 2014. Drug-resistant variant makes mark in state Despite Gujarat being touted as a medical tourism hub and the health department's claims about tuberculosis, the state has now even started witnessing cases of extensive drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB). IIM-Ahmedabad grad's portal to examine Modi's work What has Modi done in the last 10 months? For all those who have wondered about what our elected representatives have done for the betterment of society, an initiative by a student of Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A) will answer your questions. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		Vizianagram Hall to get a facelift The 125-year-old heritage structure -- the Vizianagram Hall and two allied buildings including department of mathematics and defence studies of the Allahabad University -- will finally be restored Women folk artistes present Haryanvi art forms to city A group of young women folk artistes of Haryana are on a mission to propagate the ‘Hariyanvi culture’, specially prevalent in the areas bordering Rajasthan, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, on the global map Rural schools to go Eng medium Basic Siksha Parishad has given up the idea of making English the medium of education in two primary schools of the city More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		State asks for more tourism circuits Talk of tourism and Odisha has them all. From majestic monuments to beautiful beaches, hot springs to forests and exquisite handicrafts, the state everything for everyone. Protect lords' lands: House committee The state government should evolve a mechanism to identify huge landed properties of several religious institutions, an assembly committee has said. Ministers differ on khadi board land use Industries minister Debi Prasad Mishra and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) minister Jogendra Behera gave contradictory statements on proposed use of the land, housing Odisha Khadi and Village Industries Board at Kharavela Nagar here. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		No change in collector rate in Bhopal Despite being on of the fastest development cities in India, collector rate for the state capital is to remain static for residential and most commercial properties. NIA team spends 2 days in MP's Khandwa to track deadly SIMI fugitives Almost a year and half after six dreaded Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) escaped from Tantya Bheel Jail in Khandwa town of Madhya Pradesh, a National Investigation Agency (NIA) team from Kochi spent two days recently in Khandwa to track them. Potdar's walkathon in Bhopal to stop misuse of dowry law The social activist from Belgaum district of Karnataka has embarked on the longest walkathon to uphold the cause of men, who suffer due to misuse of IPC Section 498A by women. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		Chandigarh, Panchkula exempted from AIIMS-MBBS entrance exam centers The Aspiring candidates from Chandigarh and Panchkula who wish to sit for the MBBS exam conducted by All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) this year will have difficult time with no center allotted for the beautiful city. 4 years on, Punjab brides got belated shagun: CAG It took the Punjab government four years to send wedding gifts to brides from financially backward families under its flagship Shagun scheme. Bhagat Singh's kin demand pen that spelled death for him Descendents of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh have demanded that the pen used by judges to write the judgment awarding capital punishment to the young revolutionary and his friends should be kept at the museum in his native village Khatkar Kalan. More Chandigarh News»

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