News Digest: 'Driver' of killer Audi says he was in Gujarat that day

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Saturday, February 04, 2017
		Today's Headlines

		India
		'Driver' of killer Audi says he was in Gujarat that day “Salaam,” says the man on the phone. “Yes, my name is Ishaq Ahmed. I am about to cross the Bengal border into Assam. I am in my truck. The network is weak and I don’t understand what you are saying. US universities move to allay Indian students' fears Allaying fears of international students following US President Donald Trump's controversial executive order targeting immigrants, several American universities are mailing prospective students to let them know that that they are welcome to their campuses, regardless of what the Trump government says. Gandhi name goes missing, Congress irked Rajya Sabha saw a slugfest between Congress and the treasury benches on Friday over removing former PM Rajiv Gandhi’s name from Sadbhavna Diwas programmes and renaming schemes which were named after Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. More India News»

		Business
		Banks set to keep rates low due to slow growth in credit Bank credit increased by nearly Rs 1.7 lakh crore during the current financial year up to January 20, 2017, as compared to a more than Rs 11-lakhcrore increase in deposits. This huge gap in growth of banks’ resources, even as demand remains tepid, points to further reduction in interest rates. Govt to explore M&As across state-run units The government will explore mergers & acquisitions (M&As) in not just the oil sector but in all state-run enterprises, a senior finance ministry official said on Friday, while asserting that all efforts would be made to meet the disinvestment target of Rs 72,500 crore for the current financial year. Jet Airways' Q3 net profit plunges 70% on higher cost Rising oil prices have started seriously denting the profitability of Indian carriers. Jet Airways on Friday reported a net profit of Rs 142.4 crore in the quarter ended December 2016, -- down 70% from Rs 467.1 crore in same period last fiscal. More Business News»

		Environment
		Judge asked to lift hold on Yellowstone dam and protect fish World's smallest porpoise close to extinction, 30 left Mexico's vaquita marina is edging closer to extinction as scientists warned Wednesday that only 30 were left despite navy efforts to intercept illegal fishing nets killing the world's smallest porpoise. "The already desperate situation has worsened, despite existing conservation measures and current enforcement efforts," said the report by the International Committee for the Recovery of the Vaquita. In a 1st, greater flamingoes spotted in Pong wetlands More Environment News»

		World
		Fewer than 60,000 visas canceled by Trump's order: State Dept Fewer than 60,000 foreigners from seven majority-Muslim countries had their visas canceled after President Donald Trump's executive order blocked them from traveling to the US.That figure contradicts a Justice Department lawyer's statement Friday during a court hearing in Virginia about the ban. The lawyer in that case said that about 100,000 visas had been revoked. US sends Navy destroyer to patrol off Yemen amid Iran tensions The USS Cole arrived in the vicinity of the Bab al-Mandab Strait off southwestern Yemen where it will carry out patrols, including escorting vessels, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity. US reaffirms commitment to treaty with Japan US President Donald Trump's defense secretary reaffirmed America's commitment to its mutual defense treaty with Japan on Friday during a meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo. More World News»

		Entertainment
		'Dangal' box-office collection Week 6: Aamir Khan's film rakes in money despite release of 'Raees' and 'Kaabil' Aamir Khan’s film ‘Dangal’, inspired by the life of real-life wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat, continues to perform well at the box-office despite being in its sixth week. 'RunningShaadi.com' song: Amit Sadh plays Taapsee Pannu's 'Mannerless Majnu' The romantic song ‘Mannerless Majnu’ from the upcoming romcom ‘RunningShaadi.com’ is out and is indeed a funny number. Watch: Akshay Kumar and Ranveer Singh crooning to 'Hookah Bar' at a wedding Akshay Kumar and Ranveer Singh recently attended a high profile wedding in Hyderabad which also saw the presence of several other celebrities including Shilpa Shetty, More Entertainment News»

		Science
		France turns to flower-growing toilet to fight public urination In cities the world over, men (and, to a lesser extent, wo men) who urinate in the street -al fresco -are a scourge of urban life, costing millions of dollars for cleaning and the repair of damage to public infrastructure. This scentless perfume smells different on each wearer On the face of it, scentless cologne might seem pointless. If it's not going to spritz you with enticing smelling scent, what's the point of wearing it? And yet one perfume company is selling just that -Escentric Molecules fragrances are practically scentless, but apparently mingle with the wearer's natural pheromones to create a unique smell. After all, no one wants to smell the same as everyone else, do they? Why sound of chewing, clicking pens annoys us Irritated by the sound of chewing or repeated pen clicking? Your brain may be wired to go into overdrive on hearing such trigger noises, researchers including one of Indian-origin have found. More Science News»

		Sports
		IPL player auction to be held on February 20 in Bengaluru The 2017 player auction ahead of the 10th anniversary of the Indian Premier League will be staged on February 20th in Bengaluru, it was officially confirmed on Friday. Hussey warns Australia against sledging Kohli Former Test star Michael Hussey has warned the India-bound Australian cricket team for a four-Test tour not to antagonise Virat Kohli, saying sledging the Indian captain may boomerang on the visitors. Bangladesh will be a good match for India: Bashar Over the years, Bangladesh-India have played some memorable matches in the shorter formats and former skipper and current selector Habibul Bashar believes the trend will continue in the upcoming Test as well. More Sports News»

		Technology
		Idea offering 10GB high-speed data at Rs 256 to some customers: Report Idea Cellular, India’s third largest telco is now offering 10GB of 3G/4G data for Rs. 256 to selected customers, TelecomTalk reported. Airtel, DoT collaborate to educate trailers for preventing SIM card frauds Airtel said that the session educated the distributors on correct measures for customer verification and documentation as prescribed by the Government. Nokia CFO 'threatens' Apple In December, Nokia filed a string of lawsuits against Apple for violating its patents. More Technology News»

		Education
		BEd degree from Jammu & Kashmir institutions will now be valid in Bihar Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) degree from the University of Jammu and the University of Kashmir will now be valid in Bihar for appointment of teachers in secondary and higher secondary schools. Academic council fumes at attempts to straight jacket popular arts course under science A circular from under-secretary to government, education department (universities – 2) to registrars of all 17 state universities to offer UG/PG courses in geography, psychology, statistics, mathematics, anthropology and criminology as part of BSc/MSc programmes came in for close scrutiny at the third general meeting of the academic council of Mangalore University on Friday. Set up grievance redressal system in all varsities: High Court tells UGC More Education News»

		Mumbai
		Winning party in BMC may pick male candidate for mayor It will be a fierce fight for the post of mayor in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Record 186 hopefuls file nomination papers from Mumbai's most ignored ward Friday, February 3 was the last day to file nominations to the upcoming civic elections. Sena, BJP fear internal unrest may spoil party The Shiv Sena is worried that escalating dissension may upset its calculations in the BMC elections. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		Two small plots holding up Metro expansion in east Delhi: Mangu Singh Two small patches of land -a 286-metre-long stretch in Trilokpuri and a 100m plot in Hasanpur - are set to derail Metro's expansion into east Delhi this year. Delhi Metro chief Mangu Singh said because of these yet-to-be-acquired pieces of land, only a part of the Majlis Park-Shiv Vihar corridor will be ready this year. Marking plots, hefty penalties can tame chaos The numbers tell the story of why Delhi is clogged. In 2012, the city had 77.7 lakh registered vehicles. Four years later, this number reached 97 lakh. Only 9 Metro stations in Ph-III to have parking lots If you’ve been banking on Delhi Metro for parking to make your commute easier, here’s a shocker—in Phase-III, only nine stations will have the facility. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		Principal arrested on harassment charges The principal of a prominent government school in north Bengaluru was arrested after students and staffers accused him of sexual harassment. Kadabagere brothers ride their luck in badlands off Magadi Road SHOOT AND RUN Dhaba Seena Stable After Surgery | Personal Rivalry Suspected Your house may soon get a digital ID A unique digital numbering system, based on the geo-spatial location of each house, could soon become a reality in the city. The state government proposes to include the system under the Centre's Smart City Mission project. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		Injured Afghan finds messiah in K Chandrasekhar Rao Taking note of a report carried in these columns on Thursday , the office of Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Friday announced that it would provide financial assistance from the chief minister's relief fund to Abdul Qahar, a citizen of Afghanistan, currently seeking treatment for post-bullet injury at the Osmania General Hospital (OGH). Biker rams road divider at police academy, one dies A man, who was riding pillion with his friend on a Honda Activa bike, died after the bike hit a road divider near TS Police Academy (TSPA) on Friday morning. Pregnant teen dumped by 27-year-old lover, rape case lodged A rape case was registered against a 27-year-old man on Friday , for allegedly refusing to marry a 13-year-old girl, who turned pregnant, after he lured her into a relationship. The victim, who is five months pregnant now, was abandoned by the accused. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		Paralympics aspirant waits for wheelchair Making a potent statement about the right to life is the second most tenacious thing Shailesh Kumar loves doing on a wheelchair.The first one, for the 23-yearold, is racing like a tornado. 15 people attacked by rabies-infected cow get shots A group of people attacked by a rabies-infected cow at a village near Maraimalai Nagar were vaccinated on Friday thanks to the efforts of animal welfare organisation Blue Cross. Residents fast against ASI ban More than 500 residents of Pallavaram, under the `Federation of Civic and Welfare Associations of Pallavaram', sat on a fast on Friday demanding the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) lift the ban order on construction of and alteration to houses in the area. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		1.26 lakh cash stolen from bank premises A 23-year old man has registered a complaint with Naranpura police of theft of Rs 1.26 lakh cash from inside a bank.Police have started investigation on the basis of CCTV footage obtained from the bank. Ahmedabad is India's oral cancer capital (Box in Niyati's story) Controversial education bill gets Gujarat governor's nod After thinking over it for nearly 10 months, Gujarat governor O P Kohli approved the controversial Gujarat Higher Education Council (GHEC) Act-2016 on Wednesday giving the state government overarching powers over the functioning of the state's universities. The GHEC Bill was passed in the state assembly on April 2 last year amid protests by the opposition and teachers' federations of the state. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		For Kaushambi's triad, it's a triangular contest Teachers of minority institutions can avail promotion quota: HC HC reserves verdict on plea challenging ST status to Obra, Dudhi More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		CBI arrests Green Ray chief, suspects his underworld links After dodging the police for over four years, Mir Sahiruddin, managing director of Green Ray International Limited (GRIL), was netted by the CBI in Kolkata on Friday. 1,124 depositors duped by chit fund firms got their money back Maoists gun down civilian in Malkangiri More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		Infidelity doubts led man to bury girl in marble tomb It was murder after breakfast. “I killed her because I suspected her of cheating on me,” said 32-year-old Udyan Das when TOI asked him about livein partner Akansha’s murder on Friday. After a pause, he added: “I was confused.” ITI students forced to write exam in the middle of the night 1.48L women apply for driving license in last one year in MP Indore and Bhopal top the chart in the state, when it comes to women applying for driving license, since the state government had waived off the application fee for female applicants to promote driving in the last one year. Data from Smart chip, company which has been handling driving license smart card services in MP also shows that tribal women are taking more interest in driving. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		World Wetlands Day 2017 observed Youth Innovative Society (Regd)-City based environmental NGO in collaboration with the Department of Enviornment and Forest and Wildlife departments Chandigarh Administration celebrated World Wetland Day, 2017, at Nature Interpretation Center Regulatory End of Sukhna Lake Chandigarh (UT) Cheque lost in transit but lands in banks twice Handle your bank cheques with caution, for a single signed leaf may allow fraudsters to make multiple withdrawals of varied amounts. Man whom CM Badal `beseeched' for votes leaves SAD to help Congress The man whom Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal allegedly beseeched to seek vote in an audio clip that went viral is committed to ensure maximum support for Punjab Congress chief Captain Amarinder Singh, who is contesting from Lambi against the CM. More Chandigarh News»

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