Your News Digest from Times of India

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Friday, February 21, 2014
		Today's Headlines

		India
		Nirbhaya ad gives sleepless nights to NRI woman While boarding a Kochi-Bahrain flight three months ago, Daisy Sunny, a widow and mother of two from Kerala’s Thoppumpadi, was clueless about unexpected ‘fame’ awaiting her. Money-spinner ATM gives bank a run for money State Bank of India officials went into a tizzy after one of its ATMs in Madhya Pradesh’s Manasa town began spewing extra cash, nearly double the amount keyed in by customers. As the word spread, crowds thronged the machine to collect their booty. One toll tag for Delhi-Mumbai national highway from August Indian Highways Management Company Ltd, a company promoted by NHAI, has appointed ICICI Bank to set up the central clearing house that will collect toll charges through electronic mode and distribute the funds to developers. More India News»

		Business
		Final nod to AirAsia India likely today India is all set to get a new airline very soon. Top aviation ministry sources say the proposed Tata Group-AirAsia joint venture will get the final clearance to fly from DGCA on Friday. Salary credit to NRE account not taxable Indian employees working overseas often face litigation over taxation of their overseas salary income, if such salary is received in India. This is because a non-resident can be subjected to tax in India on that portion of the income which is received in India. Coal regulator gets approval With Parliament running out of time to enact the Coal Regulatory Authority Bill, 2012, the Cabinet on Thursday approved an executive order to put in place a regulator for the coal mining industry that would have much less teeth than originally envisaged. More Business News»

		Environment
		Agra's leather shoe units told to check pollution After hundreds of petha (sweetmeat) units were forced to shut down in Agra last fortnight, Uttar Pradesh's pollution control body has now shifted its focus to pollution causing leather shoe units here. Cabinet clears Rs 13,000-crore project to increase forest cover The government finally on Thursday approved a much awaited 'Green India Mission' proposal of the ministry of environment and forests as a "centrally sponsored scheme" to increase forest cover in the country and sanctioned Rs 13,000 crore for this purpose. Flamingos hunted for meat in Navi Mumbai's mudflats Broken beaks, feathers and bones have been found on the outskirts of Phunde village in Uran taluka, about 25km from Vashi, raising fears of poaching of flamingos which migrate to the nearby mudflats every winter. More Environment News»

		World
		Venezuela protests escalate At least five people have died since the unrest turned violent last week, with scores of injuries and arrests. EU drags Britain to court for high air pollution levels The European Commission has dragged Britain to court for failing to deal with its air pollution. Chinese censors allow access to US TV drama Chinese censors have allowed a major video downloading website to provide access to the latest series of popular US political TV drama, House of Cards, Hong Kong-based Phoenix Weekly has reported. More World News»

		Entertainment
		Aishwarya avoids mom-in-law Jaya Bachchan in public? According to Zoom, the famous saas-bahu jodi avoided each other at a bash thrown by the Ambanis on the occasion of their mother Kokilaben's birthday. When Shah Rukh Khan created a ruckus on flight Shah Rukh Khan is not only Bollywood’s badshah but also the king of hearts. Movie Review: Highway More Entertainment News»

		Science
		Found: 'Switch' in brain that lulls us to sleep Researchers at Oxford University's Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour have discovered the 'switch' in the brain that sends us off to sleep. Gene behind kids' love for violent TV shows? Ever wondered why certain kids like violent TV and video games more than others? Scientists now say they were just born that way. Cyborgs step closer to reality Scientists have created a new coating that makes nanoelectronics much more stable in conditions mimicking those in the human body, bringing the development of cyborgs closer to reality. Cyborg is short for "cybernetic organism", a being with both organic and mechanical parts. More Science News»

		Sports
		Dhoni ruled out of Asia Cup with injury Dhoni was ruled out of the Asia Cup due to a side-strain injury that he suffered during the 2nd Test in New Zealand, paving the way for Kohli to lead the side. Not converting good starts, says Sehwag "When I watched the videos of my game, I did not find too many mistakes. The only mistake was that I was not converting good starts into big ones," said Viru. Rafael Nadal rolls into Rio quarterfinals World No. 1 Rafael Nadal stormed into the quarterfinals of the $1.3m Rio Open on Thursday by beating Spanish compatriot Albert Montanes 6-1, 6-2. More Sports News»

		Technology
		Why Facebook is buying WhatsApp for a whopping $19bn Facebook is betting huge on mobile with an eye-popping cash-and-stock deal worth up to $19 billion for smartphone messaging service WhatsApp. Facebook to buy WhatsApp for $19 billion Facebook will buy mobile messaging startup WhatsApp for $19 billion in cash and stock, as the world's largest social network looks for ways to boost its popularity. World's longest free Wi-Fi zone in Patna If you have an internet-enabled device and you are anywhere on the stretch from NIT-Patna on Ashok Rajpath to Danapur, you can now access the internet free of cost. More Technology News»

		Education
		Film and Television Institute of India may remodel all TV courses The city-based Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) is expected to restructure all its one-year television courses into two-year certificate programmes. Jawaharlal Nehru University vice chancellor considers opening centre in Bihar Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) vice-chancellor has informed education minister P K Shahi that the issue of opening a branch of the varsity in Bihar has been circulated to different wings of the university. Panjab University to offer one-year post-graduate law course Students wishing to undertake a post-graduate degree in law from Panjab University (PU) may soon be able to complete it in just a year. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		New bus depot at Chincholi to be city's first in 18 years After TOI reported on February 10 on the urgent need for a bus depot to smooth the flow of traffic between Goregaon and Malad, the BEST undertaking has decided to throw open its 26th bus depot at Chincholi Bunder from March 1. Chincholi Bunder is between Goregaon and Malad. Maria forms commission to review citizen-friendly plans by ex-chiefs New police commissioner Rakesh Maria has set up a committee that will review the earlier schemes that were introduced by his predecessors to help citizens but never really worked out. Bus runs over child pillion rider after bike skids A nine-year-old girl, who was riding pillion on a bike, was run over by a BEST bus in Ghatkopar (W) after the two-wheeler skid. The biker was an underage rider, the police said. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		Gunrunner from MP held A man was arrested outside Gurdwara Balasahib in north Delhi with 10 pistols in his possession on Wednesday evening, police said on Thursday. Cops to reply on Gopal Kanda plea A trial court on Thursday sought clarification from Delhi Police and former Haryana minister Gopal Kanda on his bail plea in the Geetika Sharma suicide case. Danish rape survivor asked to depose The Danish gang rape survivor is likely to return to India to depose against her tormenters.Delhi Police has written to her via Interpol and conveyed the matter to embassy officials, sources said. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		Five revellers attack two cops, held Five inebriated people, including a contractor attached to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), were arrested after they allegedly attempted to assault two policemen. Drunk driving check turns ugly SI Rajanna and constable Anand were carrying out checks near Chennakeshavanagar when they stopped a car carrying brothers and realty businessmen Chinnappa (37) and Anthony (33). Understaffed forest department grapples with eviction woes Over 1.6 lakh acres of forest land in Karnataka have been encroached upon by private individuals until mid 2013, according to official figures. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		Confusion over status of Andhra cabinet Andhra governor E S L Narasimhan has sent a report to the Centre following the resignation of N Kiran Kumar Reddy as chief minister but confusion seems to persist over the status of the Cabinet, Raj Bhavan sources said on Thursday. High court upholds conviction of Abu Salem in fake passport case The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Thursday confirmed the 7 year jail term awarded to underworld don Abu Salem by a CBI court in Hyderabad in the fake passport case. Army imposes blockade in Secunderabad Cantonment limits from February 25 Come February 25, lakhs of people traversing through defence areas in the Secunderabad Cantonment will run into road blockade as the Army authorities have decided to close down important roads. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		Terminally-ill life term convict set to walk free A terminally life convict who is said to be counting his days is all set to be released from the Cuddalore central prison, thanks to an order of the Madras high court. Centre to fund five new medical colleges in Rajasthan With an aim to give a fillip to medical education in Rajasthan, the Centre has decided to fund five new medical colleges in the state. High court orders work on elevated port road to resume Earlier, advocate-general of Tamil Nadu A L Somayaji said the government halted works because the NHAI deviated from the original plan, exposing several city suburbs to inundation risk. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		Naroda Patiya massacre: Maya Kodnani given electric shock therapy This was the first time Kodnani was given ECT. Mahajans ate away Gujarati's 'top line' Gujarat’s business community has always influenced history and culture of the land. Women file public interest litigation for school in village Four women from the village have submitted in their petition that the village of 15,000 population has got only one school up to class V.Kids that study beyond it have to travel 6km to reach the nearest secondary school. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		MNNIT faculty members sport black ribbon, stage protest Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology (MNNIT) faculty members on Wednesday wore black ribbons and staged a protest at the administrative block against implementation of four-tier flexible faculty structure. Murder triggers violence in Pratapgarh Angry locals fought pitched battle with police near Bhupiamau crossing in Pratapgarh on Wednesday over murder of a history-sheeter. AU to host seminar on world peace Rajiv Gandhi chair in contemporary studies of Allahabad University will be organising a two-day international seminar on peace building from February 21. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		The benefits of new exam format Examination season is round the corner and the phobia is gripping students and parents alike. Experts advise pupils to keep calm and study With just five days left for the annual high school certificate exam, the students are busy in last-minute preparations. Temperature to rise from today Interior parts of the state continued to reel under cold wave conditions for the third consecutive day on Wednesday.At least nine places recorded less than 10 degree Celsius on Tuesday night. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		Symposium on Kanha-Pench landscape held at Mocha A three-day symposium was held on Kanha-Pench Landscape Symposium at Mocha, in Mandla district in Madhya Pradesh. Jilted cop shoots woman dead in MP A sub-inspector posted at Indergarh police station in Gwalior district of Madhya Pradesh today shot dead a woman with his service revolver here after she allegedly turned down his love proposal yet again. Scindia lays foundation stone of NTPC super thermal power project at Gadarwara Scindia said that the aim is to make the country self sufficient in power along with efficient transmission and distribution systems. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		EC: Will check DGP complaint after code The Election Commission (EC) on Thursday said it would deliberate on the complaint made by the Congress against Punjab police chief Sumedh Singh Saini once the model code of conduct is in place. Ramoowalia said Akali brass sought Blue Star: Brothers However, Ramoowalia rubbished the allegations made by his two brothers, terming it an attempt by them to defame him and impact his status in the Akali Dal by concocting this story due to an ongoing family dispute. 215 deities invited to join week-long Shivratri fair Colourful palanquins of over 200 deities will congregate at historic Mandi town of Himachal to celebrate week-long Shivratri fair on February 28. More Chandigarh News»

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