News Digest: Govt no longer taking 'bulky' helmet lightly

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Friday, February 19, 2016
		Today's Headlines

		India
		Govt no longer taking 'bulky' helmet lightly Centre mulls dam maintenance bill Shetty asked if he can kill self for Rs 10L BJP MP Gopal Shetty’s insensitive remarks on farmer suicides triggered a political war of words, with one Mahila Congress member wondering if the legislator would commit suicide if offered Rs 10 lakh. More India News»

		Business
		Sebi wants retail participation in stock market 70 + directors need 75% shareholders' nod to stay Nestle profit dips due to strong franc, deal-making Swiss food giant Nestle has reported a drop in profit and sales last year largely because of a stronger Swiss franc, a re-evaluation of some operations and the sale of a stake in L'Oreal a year earlier. More Business News»

		Environment
		Green building to grow by 20% in India by 2018: Report Green building industry will grow by 20% in India in the next three years, mainly on account of environmental regulation and rising demand, a report said. New high-rise residential, communities and mixed-use development are expected to be the top three sectors for green building growth in India, it added. 30-million-year-old fossil flowers found preserved in amber  Researchers have discovered the first ever fossil specimens of an "asterid" - a family of flowering plants that gave us everything from the potato to tomatoes, tobacco, petunias and our morning cup of coffee. Oil spills in Peruvian Amazon hit wildlife Two recent oil pipeline spills in Peru's part of the Amazon hit areas rich in wildlife and it will take them a year to recover, the government said. The spills released a total of 2,000 barrels of petroleum, energy and mining minister Rosa Maria Ortiz said. More Environment News»

		World
		Obama to be 1st US prez to visit Cuba in 88 years Seven dead in south Sudan UN base attack: Ban An outbreak of fighting at a UN peacekeeping base sheltering civilians in South Sudan has killed at least seven people and injured 40, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Thursday. Syrian Kurd behind deadly Ankara bombing, Turkey says A Syrian national with links to Syrian Kurdish militia carried out the suicide bombing in Ankara that targeted military personnel and killed at least 28 people and wounded dozens of others, Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Thursday. More World News»

		Entertainment
		'Dislike B'wood's tendency to stick to one trend' Musician Clinton Cerejo talks about his latest album Jugni, the quality of music in Bollywood and his Sufi connect Song from Randeep's film gets leaked online Even as the makers of Randeep Hooda-Kajal Agarwal starrer Do Lafzon Ki Kahani were deliberating over the release date of the film, the first song, Kuch toh hai, has leaked online. The movie’s team was planning to unveil the song at an event to kick-start the promotional campaign, but now their plans have gone kaput. Sonam Kapoor's dresses you would want to steal More Entertainment News»

		Science
		Wearable robot to become musician's third hand Five 'hot' Jupiter-like planets discovered Experience of beauty can be measured, says British neurobiologist AHMEDABAD: Can experience of beauty be measured? 'Yes' was the answer that Professor of Neurobiologist at University College London, UK, Semir Zeki had to this subjective question. More Science News»

		Sports
		Viv Richards likely to coach Pakistan for World T20 Former West Indies skipper Sir Vivian Richards is likely to join the Pakistan squad as a batting consultant for the upcoming World T20 to be played in India in March. ICC World Twenty20 2016: Full squad list The sixth edition of the ICC WorldT20 kicks off in India with the qualification round from March 8. Eight teams will fight to secure the two available spots for the Super 10 round that starts from March 15. Suspicious bets mostly around tennis in 2015: Report Tennis accounted for nearly three quarters of all the suspicious betting alerts issued last year, the European Sport Security Association (ESSA) said in a report published on Thursday. More Sports News»

		Technology
		Freedom 251: Queries (FAQs) about the cheapest smartphone answered While initially there might be a lot of doubts around the Freedom 251, Ringing Bells is just clinging on to the price of device to silence critics, which by the way are growing by each passing minute. Worldwide smartphone sales grew 9.7% in Q4 2015; iPhone declines: Gartner Sales of iPhone declined for the first time in fourth quarter of 2015, even as global smartphone sales exhibited slowest growth since 2008. Comparison: Freedom 251 vs Xolo Era 4G, Swipe Konnect 5.1 and Spice Xlife 425 3G We bring you a head-to head comparison of Freedom 251 with recently launched Xolo Era 4G, Swipe Konnect 5.1 and Swipe Xlife 425 3G smartphones. More Technology News»

		Education
		Homi Bhabha National Institute gets HRD ministry's nod to start its off-campus centre The HRD ministry has given approval to Mumbai-based Homi Bhabha National Institute to start an off-campus centre at Bhubaneswar in the name of National Institute of Science Education and Research. The ministry said it has issued a notification in this regard on the advice of the UGC. Eleven model schools to be functional from next session Eleven model schools will start functioning in Ganjam district from the next academic session under the Odisha Adarsha Vidyalaya programme. New Zealand universities showcase academic offerings Education New Zealand (ENZ), the lead government agency for international education conducted its first university roadshow in Pune highlighting what New Zealand institutions have to offer Indian students. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		Doctor in dock for removing intestine In a landmark development, the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) has temporarily suspended the registration of a Mulund doctor for removing a portion of a patient’s intestine allegedly without complete medical investigations. Pvt hospitals ask for reduction in import duty on med devices Leading private hospitals in the city want the customs duty on imported medical devices to be reduced in the forthcoming budget. They have made a representation to the finance ministry claiming that it will reduce the cost of healthcare in the city. Corporate executives and doctors launch cycle relay from Delhi to Mumbai A few years ago, a group of corporate executives and doctors with a shared hobby for cycling would meet in Worli at 5.45am to ride along the open streets before traffic overwhelmed the roads. They called themselves Wurlee 545. Owing to intense practice, its members are no longer amateur riders, having explored the Himalayas and other difficult terrain on their bikes. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		Will cancel licences of guilty lawyers: BCI The Bar Council of India on Thursday promised strict action, including cancellation of licences of lawyers who indulged in violence at Patiala House courts Special cell conducting raids to nab Umar, others The special cell is conducting raids in Amravati in Maharashtra, Shimla and Kashmir to arrest Umar Khalid, Anirban Chakroborty and several others accused in the JNU sedition case. 'Could not stand govt's oppression' Pradeep Narwal, one of the three ABVP office-bearers at JNU who resigned on Wednesday, says the decision was "not sudden but the result of differences in opinion with the NDA government" More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		Countering tyranny with silence means death: Bengaluru academics A consortium of academicians and researchers from Bengaluru’s landmark institutions was in the vanguard of the protest against unsavoury incidents unfolding in universities across the country over the last few months.  City's techies take sporty route to de-stress BENGALURU: It's not all-work-and-no-fun for these techies in the city. Despite packed schedules and long working hours, many tech park employees are heading to the grounds to destress and keep themselves more productive. It may be a different ball game, but most companies are taking lead in organizing sports events to boost the morale of employees. Central govt confers New Horizon College as best college in south The city-based New Horizon College of Engineering (NHCE) has been awarded “Best Engineering College in India (South)” and “Best B-School in India (South)” in an award ceremony organised by ministry of human resource development. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		Court tells Transstroy to give up land for metro rail work Traffic cops need to fix signal snags before revoking licences It seems it's not motorists alone who are to blame for frequent traffic violations in city, but faulty traffic signals and lack of timers too. Cyber fraud held in Guwahati More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		IPS officer, 32, found dead in officer's mess No logic in making guinea pigs of dogs Scholar, chronicler of inner lives of Tamils More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		Gujarat Govt allocate less budget than constitutional mandate on SC/ST welfare As per the constitutional provision every state is expected to make atleast minimum budget allocation for the Schedule Caste(SC) and Schedule Tribe(ST) in proportion to their population in the state budget every year under SC and ST sub plan. 50 countries and 20 states to Participate in Gujarat International Travel Mart Government of Gujarat and Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Limited in association with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) are organizing Vibrant Gujarat International Travel Mart (VGITM), a Global Travel Exposition. Nadiad whiz-kid gets three patents in his name A final year engineering student of Nadiad has made a record of sorts. The whiz-kid has got not one or two, but three patents published in his name by the de partment of in dustrial policy and promotion of the Union ministry of commerce and industry. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		Cops set up coordination committee to solve elderly problems The brutal assault of a 55-year-old woman has once again raised the issue of safety of elderly living alone in Allahabad as policemen failing to protect them from trouble makers. IG, DIG take lead in solving pending criminal cases Concerned over the failure in cracking down the unsolved cases pertaining to dacoity, arson and murders and those pending at police stations for more than a year, senior police officials have come forward not only to monitor investigations, but would also be visiting the crime spot to collect evidences and analyse the sequence of events. UP court admits petition seeking sedition trial against Rahul A court here admitted a petition on Wednesday seeking trial of Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on charges of sedition for his opposition to the police action against students of the JNU who had taken part in a demonstration where "anti-national" slogans were allegedly raised. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		Temperature soars giving summer-like feeling in February With a sudden jump in mercury summer like feeling is witnessed in most parts of Odisha on Thursday. Capital city of Bhubaneswar was the hottest town of the state with maximum temperature recorded at 39.2 degree Celsius. Met centre forecast said next few days will be hotter. Six criminals arrested in Kendrapada In a bid to neutralize the crime syndicate of D S brothers-Sushil and Sushant Dhal Samant-the police in Kendrapada district on Thursday arrested six notorious criminals, who are suspected to be the associates of the gangster brothers. ED grills spiritual guru in Odisha Spiritual leader Shankarananda Giri landed in trouble as the enforcement directorate (ED) on Thursday grilled him for nearly seven hours for allegedly 'cheating a Danish businessman and misusing foreign funds.' More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		Shop till you drop in Bhopal's streets Besides sightseeing, shopping in the bustling markets and visiting popular souvenir shops in New Market and Old City in Bhopal are a must on the list of any tourist. Spokes fail to pedal cycle plan Decision of Bhopal City Link Limited (BCLL) to provide rented bicycles in state capital seems to have be taken without providing for facilities or safety measures needed on roads for promoting commuters to use bicycles. 'Waste-to-energy a failed concept' Promoting smart and energy saving products, Indian Association of Energy Management Professionals (IAEMP) on Wednesday said waste-to-energy is “a failed concept and just a source of lobbying for money and land”. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		Sarangpur village govt school gets solar power plant MP Kirron Kher inaugurated 10 kWp Grid-tied Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic Power Plant at Government High School, Sarangpur village, on Thursday."It is important that we start thinking smart. Jewellery worth lakhs stolen as house owner sleeps An unknown person decamped with jewellery worth around 40-50 lakh from a house in Sector 36 on Thursday early morning while the entire family was asleep.The incident has been caught on CCTV cameras installed in the house. HSRP firm to pay consumer for service delay More Chandigarh News»

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