News Digest: For LCA Tejas, it's now about months, not decades

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Wednesday, April 15, 2015
		Today's Headlines

		India
		For LCA Tejas, it's now about months, not decades India's defence R&D establishment will have to fire on all cylinders to fast-track the meandering Tejas light combat aircraft, which is still not fully operational or combat ready High-tension power lines keep workers away, farmers suffer Madhya Pradesh's Satna, Arun Kumar Tiwari claims that his family's farm holdings have been severely impacted after high-tension wires were put up. Global warming behind freak rains: Top Met official Global warming coupled with changes arising out of an evolving El Nino may have combined to cause the heavy spells of unseasonal rain which have devastated crops in many parts of India since late February, a leading meteorologist has said. More India News»

		Business
		World Bank, IMF back India story India's growth story is expected to dominate the headlines in the years ahead with both the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund predicting robust expansion for Asia's third largest economy on the back of reform initiatives launched by the government and the impact of lower global oil prices. Race hots up for new Trai chief, 77 apply The race for the next chief of telecom and broadcasting regulator Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) is hotting up as incumbent Rahul Khullar retires around the middle of next month. 'Indian cos will raise $100bn in next 3 years' Kaku Nakhate, country head, Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BofA-ML) is facing a problem of plenty with a "sharp" pickup in investment banking activity. More Business News»

		Environment
		Global warming behind freak rains: Top Met official Global warming coupled with changes arising out of an evolving El Nino may have combined to cause the heavy spells of unseasonal rain which have devastated crops in many parts of India since late February, a leading meteorologist has said. Tree-felling is rampant in the name of development For all the corrective steps taken by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to curb pollution in the NCR by constraining construction, vehicles, waste burning and industries, not much thought goes into saving trees, a crucial cog in preserving urban air quality. Considering NCR in action plan a welcome: Experts The Centre's three-month action plan to curb air pollution in Delhi has nothing new, experts said. More Environment News»

		World
		Obama moves to drop Cuba from terror blacklist President Barack Obama is set to remove Cuba from a list of state sponsors of terrorism, in a landmark step paving the way towards restoring ties frozen for five decades. Malala writes open letter to kidnapped Nigerian girls Pakistani teenager and Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai on Tuesday told Nigerian schoolgirls who were kidnapped a year ago by Boko Haram militants they will never be forgotten and to never lose hope. Worker takes nap in cargo hold, wakes up mid-flight An airport worker who fell asleep and found himself trapped in a plane’s cargo hold forced a Los Angeles-bound Alaska Airlines flight to return to Seattle. More World News»

		Entertainment
		Deepshikha gets restraining order Actress Deepshikha Nagpal and husband Kaishav Arora, who were spotted together at several social dos until recently, are facing some serious trouble in their marriage. Salman Khan thanks Arbaaz Khan Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has completed five years on micro-blogging site Twitter. Emraan claims Vidya is more 'filmi' than him Emraan Hashmi insists that he and Vidya Balan are essentially the same person. More Entertainment News»

		Science
		Turn corpses into compost and let life bloom The body of the tiny 78-year-old woman was brought to a hillside at Western Carolina University still clad in a blue hospital gown. She was laid on a bed of wood chips, and then more were heaped atop her. If all goes as hoped, the body will turn into compost. New data signals Mars may hold liquid water Mars may have liquid water close to its surface, according to new data from Nasa’s Curiosity rover which raises the chance of finding life on the red planet. Warming may affect the way we write songs Climate change is predicted to intrude into almost every area of life — from where we live, to what we eat and whom we war with. Now music can be added to the list. More Science News»

		Sports
		Steven Smith leads Rajasthan Royals to win over Mumbai Indians Captain Steven Smith smashed an unbeaten 79-run knock to lead Rajasthan Royals to a seven-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians at Motera. Nothing wrong in Uthappa's behaviour: Gautam Gambhir Gautam Gambhir defended Robin Uthappa's alleged scuffle with Sarfaraz Khan, saying that such things "happen" during a high intensity tournament like IPL. India handed tough draw for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers The Indian football team has been drawn in a tough group alongside top Asian nation Iran, Oman, Turkmenistan and Guam for the second phase. More Sports News»

		Technology
		14 ways to make Android phones even more awesome Your Android phone has a lot of features baked in from the start, but what if you want better? US receives record number of H-1B visa applications Applications for H-1B visas allowing US businesses to hire foreign workers in science, engineering and computer programming totaled a record 233,000 for fiscal 2016. Flipkart pulls out of Airtel's net neutrality violating Airtel Zero After facing significant backlash on its plans to join Airtel's net neutrality violating service Airtel Zero, e-commerce major Flipkart has pulled out of the service. More Technology News»

		Education
		Delhi's education system needs to be overhauled: Sisodia Laying more emphasis on teacher training, the education system in the national capital is all set to be overhauled, Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said here on Tuesday. Premji varsity introducing new syllabus The way Indian students are introduced to economics needs a lot of improvement and there has to be a contextualization before jumping into theories and tools of economics, says Venu Narayan, director of the School of Liberal Studies and Strategic Development at Azim Premji University. AICTE breather for DU colleges seeking nod for B.Tech courses In a breather for 27 DU colleges who have been seeking AICTE nod for running B.Tech courses, the regulator has agreed to take a fresh view of the case. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		Slick railway touts use apps to get tickets Touts are increasingly taking the online route to procure tickets for railway commuters with illegal softwares and apps easily accessible for bulk booking. Of the 528 tickets, worth Rs 16 lakh, seized on Central Railway till April 6 this year, a majority constituted e-tickets. Terror accused have right to education, says court Observing that accused have a right to education, a MCOCA court recently allowed a key accused in the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case to attend his LLB exams in Malegaon. The 35-year-old, Sharif Ahmed, a qualified Unani doctor, had applied for his LLB degree last year after the same court granted him permission. SoBo college makes India proud at aero-design event Anjuman-I-Islam’s M H Saboo Siddik College of Engineering students were placed second and third in two out of three categories in an aero-design event organized by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) on March 13 and 14 at Lakeland, Florida. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		Retired engineer held for duping investors in Delhi A 68-year-old retired engineer, who allegedly duped several investors on the pretext of trading through National Stock Exchange and other financial institutions and cheated them of Rs 85 crore, has been arrested by the economic offences wing. Delhi duo held for cheating doctor of Rs 40 lakh in A woman and her associate, a Nigerian national, were arrested for cheating a doctor of around Rs 40 lakh. Gang that robbed businessman of Rs 4 crore jewellery busted in Delhi A gang, which targeted Rajdhani and Shatabdi Express passengers who got down in Delhi, was busted by the crime branch, police said on Tuesday. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		Bengaluru boy to head Indian team at G200 youth forum A 19-year-old Bengaluru boy is all set to take part in the G200 youth forum 2015 in Germany. Shailesh Singhal, studying in St Joseph's College of Arts and Science, has been chosen as the India head in the summit. CBI to quiz driver in DK Ravi's death case There is a steady movement of junior-level CBI officers between Chennai and Bengaluru as the premier investigation agency is collecting all documents relating to the mysterious death of IAS officer DK Ravi in his southeast Bengaluru flat on March 16. Batchmate Rohini hails investigation The news that the CBI has begun its investigation into the mysterious death of IAS officer DK Ravi, 35, has been welcomed by a batchmate of the late bureaucrat. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		Bird flu scare leaves poultry industry shaken in two states The bird flu outbreak in Telangana has the Rs 20,000 crore turnover poultry industry in the two states of Andhra Pradesh and T running scared as it comes at a time when the sector has been bleeding due to adverse market conditions. Universities across city ban chicken, eggs in hostel mess Universities in the city have taken chicken and egg off their student mess menu following the bird flu outbreak, despite medical advice against such a move. Andhra Pradesh imposes curbs on poultry products The AP government on Tuesday restricted transport of poultry products into the state in the wake of brid flu outbreak in Telangana. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		Rationalists skirt high court order, pull off 'thali removal' A court order that came a little too late failed to stop a symbolic protest by rationalists to take on the Hindu culture. Ripon disconnects citizen link to IAS officers' mobiles Bombarded by complaints from the public, the Corporation of Chennai has taken off the official mobile numbers of its IAS officers from its website (www.chennaicorporation.gov.in). HC ruling on erring drivers sparks debate A Madras high court division bench ruling that the licence of a driver involved in a fatal accident should not be suspended unless he/she is found guilty by a criminal court or a motor accidents tribunal has sparked a heated debate. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		Wet spells wipe out most mango orchards It seems mango lovers would have to be satisfied with water melons this summer. Aligarh institute to confer honorary doctorate on Sareshwala City-based businessman Zafar Sareshwala, who is an ardent supporter of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will be conferred with an honorary doctorate by Aligarh’s prestigious Jamia Urdu, which is the first distance-learning institution of India. Rain chills ice cream demand At a time when ice cream sales were beginning to pick up as the mercury rose, sudden climatic change — manifesting in rain and hailstorms — has cooled down the demand for ice cream in many parts of the state. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		Rural women script success story Male members returning home drunk was a routine affair. Women of the house had to bear the brunt and ignominy silently. They were told that it was their fate. Two-dozen schools asked to explain steep fee hike District inspector of schools (DIoS) has sought clarification from over two dozen schools affiliated with ICSE and CBSE for charging exorbitant tuition fee and selling school stationery and dresses from the school premises. Impersonator held in SSC exam A youth appearing in place of an aspirant in Combined Graduate Level-2014 (Tier II) exams conducted by Staff Selection Commission (SSC) was arrested at Government Inter College in Lucknow on Sunday. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		Special cell to monitor illegal mining To curb illegal mining, the steel and mines department is planning to create a dedicated cell in Odisha Space Applications Centre (ORSAC). BMC to conduct survey for toilets in Bhubaneswar The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to engage anganwadi workers to carry out a survey to identify households without latrines in the city. Work on IITBBS campus far from over IIT Bhubaneswar (IITBBS) is taking steps to move to its new campus at Argul village on the outskirts of the city from July in a phased manner. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		Laadli case: Victim's father wants 10-year-old slapped with POCSO freed Laadli case being heard at the juvenile court took a serious turn on Tuesday when mother of the 10-year-old tribal girl slapped with POCSO lodged a complaint at Raisen police station against two women Action Aid members and three unidentified men for manhandling and threatening them. June 15 deadline for 3,000 toilets: MP government State government has to construct around 3,000 toilets in schools across Madhya Pradesh. This gap of almost one third of the target of 8,540 toilets under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan would now have to be met by June 15. The previous target was March 31. Three killed as jeep falls in gorge Three die, 18 hurt as pick-up jeep falls into 30-feet deep gorge in tribal dominated Alirajpur district of Madhya Pradesh. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		Panchayat fines groom 75 paisa for cancelling engagement A community panchayat in Haryana on Monday slapped a fine of 75 paisa on a groom for annulling his engagement nine days before the wedding. Haryana's Bhirrana oldest Harappan site, Rakhigarhi Asia's largest: ASI Asia's largest and oldest metropolis with gateways, built-up areas, street system and wells was built at the site of Haryana's two villages, including one on the Ghaggar river, according to a new Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) report. Promote paramilitary jawans even after disability: HC The Punjab and Haryana high court has come to the rescue of jawans of the paramilitary forces at a time when they have borne the brunt of deadly Naxalite attacks in Chhattisgarh and elsewhere. More Chandigarh News»

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