News Digest: Modi hears out Congmen seeking Chouhan's ouster

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Thursday, March 19, 2015
		Today's Headlines

		India
		Modi hears out Congmen seeking Chouhan's ouster PM Narendra Modi on Wednesday met Congress members who are gunning for Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who is facing serious allegations in the Vyapam scam. Solar Impulse 2 successfully takes off from Varanasi, on way to Myanmar Solar Impulse 2 (Si2), the solar powered aircraft on its maiden round the world flight, took off from Varanasi a few minutes ago. Day after boy's arrest for Facebook post on Azam Khan, parties protest police 'excess' A day after police in Rampur (UP) arrested and sent to the district jail a class 11 student of a reputed public school in Bareilly for uploading what they insisted was an ‘objectionable’ Facebook post against Samajwadi Party’s Azam Khan, political parties joined hands to protest “excesses by the district police”. More India News»

		Business
		New rules for startup airlines to fly abroad New airlines will find it easier to start long-haul international operations and will have to wait for a longer period before launching flights to nearby countries. Better placed to tackle US rate hike: Raghuram Rajan India is in a much better position to meet any impact of a possible increase in US interest rate, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Raghuram Rajan said on Wednesday. Sebi plans IPO rule changes to lure homegrown startups The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) is planning rule changes that will make it easier for homegrown startups to list their shares on local bourses, sources involved in the process said, helping domestic investors to bet on the country’s booming online economy. More Business News»

		Environment
		Rare black turtles seized along India-Bangladesh border The Border Security Force (BSF), on Wednesday, seized 97 rare Asian black spotted turtles close to the India-Bangladesh border. India to use drones to keep eye on poachers in tiger reserves India, a home to more than 60% of the world's tiger population, will use drone to keep eye on poachers. Mining operations to resume in Goa Mining operations in Goa are set to resume after the environment ministry decided to revoke its 2012 order that kept in abeyance environment clearances (ECs) granted to all the mining leases in the state. More Environment News»

		World
		Modi's Republican buddy quits after fraud charges A young Republican lawmaker who defied the US government’s ban on Narendra Modi and reached out to the then Gujarat chief minister before going on to become the Prime Minister’s best buddy in Washington has had to quit Congress following tax fraud allegations. US Presbyterian church okays same-sex marriage After three decades of debate over its stance on homosexuality, members of the Presbyterian Church (USA) voted on Tuesday to change the definition of marriage in the church’s constitution to include same-sex marriage. Anti-austerity protests rock Germany, scores hurt Protesters torched police cars and threw stones at officers during anti-austerity protests ahead of the inauguration ceremony for the European Central Bank’s new headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany. More World News»

		Entertainment
		Exclusive: Ranbir, Anushka in 'Bombay Velvet' First look of the romantic couple Ranbir Kapoor (as Johnny Balraj) and Anushka Sharma (as Rosie) from Anurag Kashyap’s Bombay Velvet. Actress can't see hubby doing intimate scenes Neha Marda, who is popularly known as Urmi from Doli Armaanon Ki, was contemplating on quitting the show after it took a five-year leap as she wasn’t comfortable playing a mother to a nine-year-old kid. However, such was the attachment of the actress to the show that she let go of that decision and decided to continue post the leap. Bollywood's Top 10 must watch deleted scenes More Entertainment News»

		Science
		Terminator-inspired 3D printer grows objects from liquid A terrifying killer liquid metal robot portrayed in the movie ‘Terminator’, has inspired what was heralded here as a revolution in 3D printing. Are wearable devices as harmful as cigarettes? In 1946, a new advertising campaign appeared in magazines with a picture of a doctor holding a cigarette and the slogan, “More doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette.” Soon, you may be told to use lift in emergencies In case of fire, use elevators.” It sounds like apostasy, as if a lifetime’s indoctrination had suddenly been invalidated. More Science News»

		Sports
		I expect India to win but it may not be easy: Gavaskar If they (Bangladesh) bat first and put up 250-odd runs and then the ball starts turning, it may not be easy to chase down the target for India," Gavaskar said. World Cup: High-riding India hold all cards over Bangladesh Defending champions India steam into quarterfinal vs Bangladesh with the momentum of an unbeaten six-game run as the event becomes cut-throat. South Africa crush Sri Lanka to reach World Cup semifinals South Africa registered their first ever victory in the knockout stage of the World Cup when they crushed Sri Lanka by nine wickets in the first quarterfinal. More Sports News»

		Technology
		Infosys whistleblower: H-1B workers have minimal skills A whistleblower from Indian IT giant Infosys has said and asked lawmakers not to increase the number of much sought-after visas and plug in the loopholes in the immigration system. Microsoft announces Windows 10 release date, free upgrade Terry Myerson, who runs Microsoft's operating systems unit, announced the plan at the WinHEC technology conference in Shenzhen, China. 12 fastest-rising executives at Google You may not find the names of these Google executives on the company's management profile pages, but these guys are running some of the Google's most important businesses. More Technology News»

		Education
		Kakodkar quits as chairman of board of governors of IIT-Bombay Nuclear scientist Anil Kakodkar has resigned as the chairman of the board of governors of IIT Bombay apparently because of differences with the HRD ministry over selection of some IIT directors. PU camp to help students 'think like a Nobel Laureate' Three hundred young students from Tricity and neighbouring areas will get to interact with Nobel Laureate John C Mather, a renowned astrophysicist and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) scientist, on March 27 as part of DST Inspire camp being hosted by Panjab University (PU) for the first time. Teachers call off boycott, will check SSC papers The Maharashtra Unaided Schools Action Group has decided to withdraw its boycott on assessment of the ongoing SSC examination papers. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		Columbia graduates study Bhendi Bazaar revamp plan The Bhendi Bazaar redevelopment plan was lauded by graduate students of Columbia University’s school of architecture, planning and preservation who are visiting the city to examine its model of urban renewal. Mumbai got a raw deal in budget, says Sena Sena legislators from the city say the budget “favoured” rural Maharashtra. 'Ex-business partner told me to sleep with govt officials' The wife of an additional DGP, now posted in Delhi, has accused her former business partner of coaxing her to sleep with government officials. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		Endgame begins for DU VC as govt serves show-cause notice on him Show-cause notice has finally been served on Delhi University vice-chancellor Dinesh Singh, asking him why he should not be removed from his post. Court grants 63 lakh to victim's kin Family members of a 33-year-old man, who died in a road accident involving a rashly driven vehicle in 2013, was awarded a compensation of over Rs 63 lakh by a Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) 'Keep personal biases out of verdicts' Reacting to a court’s remarks that relationships formed without societal sanction are “illicit”, legal experts on Wednesday said judges shouldn’t air their “personal biases” and “orthodox views” through court judgments. Former chief justice of India justice V N Khare condemned the observations made by additional sessions judge Vimal Kumar Yadav. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		No compromise on safety of buildings, govt tells HC The government on Wednesday told the high court that it hadn't compromised on safety aspects of the buildings to be regularized under Akrama-Sakrama, the scheme for regularizing unauthorized constructions in urban areas. Priests ready to visit Ebola-hit Africa again When the rest of the world kept away from the Ebola-hit areas of Africa, two Indian priests stepped up to take care of the infected community. Priests ready to visit Ebola-hit Africa again Spent 2 Months In Sierra Leone Helping Survivors More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		Osmania University erupts, this time for jobs In a throwback to the days of Telangana agitation, Osmania University once again erupted on Wednesday with over 1,000 students fighting a pitched battle with police after their planned march to the assembly to seek jobs was foiled. 'Urdu media needs to evolve' The marginalization of the Urdu media is rooted in its inability to look beyond the gambit of Muslims. They are still caught in stereotypes and fail to capture the aspirations of the Muslim community that’s evolving with time and age. Centre entrusts Polavaram project to Andhra Pradesh In a major development, the NDA government has decided to allow Andhra Pradesh to continue holding operational powers in executing all the existing contracts of the Polavaram multi-purpose project. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		'Naming erring builders on website will benefit buyers' Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority’s submission before the high court on Tuesday, during a hearing of the Moulivakkam building collapse case, that it was willing to put building violations on its website, may go a long way in educating the general public on trustworthiness of developers in the city. Cargo ship hits two boats, three fishermen rescued Three fishermen were injured when a cargo vessel entering the Ennore port banged into two fishing boats seven nautical miles off the city coast on Tuesday. Stop Nokia from shifting machinery: Staff in HC More than five months after the closure of Nokia factory at Sriperumpudur — once the world’s largest handset making facility — a group of employees has moved the Madras high court to restrain the company from dismantling and taking away machineries and materials from factory premises. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		Lit grit: Beti padhao, mummy bhi padhao! Rasila Patel, 39, was forced to drop out of school after class VII as the secondary school was 8 km away from her home. Her conservative parents decided she was better off not going to school since she was a girl. 'State down in maternal care' It seems that the maternal and child health (MCH) care in Gujarat is slipping under the leadership of first woman chief minister of the state, Anandiben Patel, who took charge of the state in May 2014. Govt pleader, PP for high court named Gujarat government on Wednesday appointed advocate Manisha Lavkumar Shah as government pleader and advocate Mitesh Amin as public prosecutor to conduct matters in Gujarat high court. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		Dist lawyers to collect Rs 1 cr for killed lawyer's family The District Court Bar Association will collect Rs 1 crore to help family members of lawyer Nabi Ahmad who was allegedly killed by sub-inspector Shailendra Singh on court premise. Automatic weather station to come up at MNNIT Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology (MNNIT) – the lone NIT of the state – will soon get a state-of-the-art remote automatic weather station on its campus. No boundary wall to protect women hostellers in AU The women hostel area on Allahabad University campus continues to face encroachment even after the authorities have spent around Rs 1 crore to construct boundary walls for the safety of the girls living in hostels. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		Human-animal conflict touches jumbo figures It's raging war between humans and jumbos! While 685 elephants died in past 11 years, mainly because of humans, the animals killed 660 people and injured 272 during the same period. Naveen 'chief conspirator' in Talabira-II: Cong State Congress president Prasad Harichandan on Tuesday described chief minister Naveen Patnaik as the 'chief conspirator' in allocation of Talabira-II coal block to Hindalco (Aditya Birla Group). Morning classes in all schools from next month With temperature touching 39 degrees in the second week of March, the school and mass education department on Tuesday announced morning classes in all schools from April. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		Elderly man found murdered at farm in Bhopal A 60-year-old man was found murdered at his farm on Wednesday morning. The motive of this third murder in last three days is a mystery for cops. CM skirts question on 2008 tiger crisis in Panna reserve For the first time in six years since Panna tiger reserve (PTR) lost 30 tigers, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan parried a question on action against officials responsible for the 2008 crisis. Narmada pipelines laid, but industrial area still parched With summers almost there, Govindpura Industrial area remains parched as it endlessly waits for Narmada water supply. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		Contracts for 350-crore cleanliness projects in April Contractors for door-to-door garbage collection and mechanized sweeping in the city are likely to be finalized next month. According to officials, the two projects have been facing a delay for want of interested contractors and technical disqualifications of interested parties. A budget of nearly Rs 350 crores has been set aside for the two projects. Mayfield builder's bank deposit to be used for infra The government has encashed the bank guarantee of Mayfield Garden's builder to carry out development and maintenance work of the township that has been waging a long battle for access to basic amenities. Four held for rioting in Udyog Viharin Udyog Vihar Four men, all of whom work in factories owned by Gaurav International, have been arrested for the vandalism in Udyog Vihar on February 12. More Chandigarh News»

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