[wanabidii] News Digest: Govt lowers 2015-16 growth estimate to 7-7.5%

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Friday, December 18, 2015
		Today's Headlines

		Business
		Govt lowers 2015-16 growth estimate to 7-7.5% The government on Friday lowered its growth forecast for the fiscal year ending in March 2016 to 7-7.5 per cent from 8.1-8.5 per cent estimated in February. The finance ministry said though the economy has made considerable progress, yet challenges remain. Sensex down 100 points on profit-booking Brokers said that apart from profit-booking in recent gainers, weak trend at other Asian bourses, tracking overnight losses at the US markets, mainly influenced the sentiment. Rupee weakens 10 paise against dollar The rupee had gained 31 paise to close at three-week high of 66.42 in yesterday trade. More Business News»

		Environment
		Concrete steps taken to tackle air pollution: Javadekar In the backdrop of air quality plunging into 'severe' category across Delhi, the government today said that it has taken concrete measures including ban on burning of wastes to tackle the pollution level in the national capital and country. NGT orders inspection of Delhi's waste-to-energy plants Concerned over delay in the operationalizing the waste-to-energy plants in capital, the National Green Tribunal today constituted a "high-powered team" to inspect these plants while directing it to submit a report within three weeks. Climate change warming world's lakes at alarming rate Climate change is warming lakes around the world at an alarming rate, threatening freshwater supplies and ecosystems, says the largest study of its kind led by an Indian-origin researcher. More Environment News»

		World
		Yemeni forces seize northern rebel town: Military Hundreds of Yemeni troops, trained in Saudi Arabia, have crossed over the border from the kingdom and seized a rebel town after clashes that tested a shaky ceasefire, military officials said on Friday. Beijing issues 2nd smog red alert of the month ​The Beijing Meteorological Administration said Friday that levels of PM2.5, the smallest and deadliest form of airborne particulate matter, are set to top 500, more than 20 times the World Health Organization's recommended level. Obama: No specific, credible terror threat to US President Barack Obama has said there is currently no "specific and credible" information of a potential terror threat to the US, but cautioned his countrymen to remain vigilant. Obama's comments came in the wake of a deadly shooting incident in California in which a Pakistani-origin couple shot dead 14 people. More World News»

		Science
		Dust doughnut around massive black hole is clumpy, study shows Scientists have for the first time penetrated the doughnut shaped clouds of gas and dust that surround most of the massive black holes in the universe and come up with a surprising discovery. The cosmic doughnuts are not smooth but clumpy. Vegetarians lead a healthier life than meat-eaters: Oxford study Non-vegetarian food may lose its charm beyond your taste buds. Vegetarians have been found leading a healthier life as compared to meat-eaters. Incidence of diseases such as pancreatic cancer and respiratory problems are also less common among vegetarians than in those who consume meat regularly, according to a latest study. Cancer caused by environmental factors such as smoking, radiation and toxic chemicals, not 'bad luck', study reveals Modern lifestyles are causing 90 per cent of cancers, according to new research. More Science News»

		Technology
		Review: HP Star Wars Special Edition Notebook 15 is built for the star wars fan in you Here's the review of the new HP Star Wars Special Edition Notebook 15, priced at Rs 69,990, which sports great Star Wars look but lags behind in performance. Facebook is selling old wine (Internet.org) in a new bottle (Free Basics), users be aware Facebook has been pushing Internet.org also known as Free Basics (which is the opposite of free) with a lot of belligerence. Recently, Tim Berners-Lee, who is a computer scientist and creator of the World Wide Web, came down hard on Facebook’s internet.org/Free Basics, as it violates the principles of Net Neutrality YU Yutopia smartphone, a OnePlus 2 rival, launched at Rs 24,999 YU Yutopia features a 5.2-inch 2K display, 64-bit octa-core Snapdragon 810 chipset, 4GB RAM, 3,000mAh battery, 21MP rear camera, 8MP front camera, metal unibody design and 'Around Me' digital assistant. More Technology News»

		Education
		Education system needs to comply with present needs: President President Pranab Mukherjee today said there is no dearth of talent in the country but the education system needs to comply with the present requirements. The Sanskrit College and University Bill passed in WB assembly In a bid to create a nodal center in learning of Sanskrit, a bill was passed in West Bengal Assembly today. Maharashtra Council gives nod to form Marathi language committee The Maharashtra Legislative Council today unanimously adopted a resolution for the formation of Joint Parliamentary Committee for development of Marathi language. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		Koradi's 660 MW thermal unit begins commercial operations This could be good news for parts of eastern suburbs, Thane and Navi Mumbai. Skill development should be brought in the mainstream: Rajiv Pratap Rudy Rajiv Pratap Rudy, minister of state for skill development and entrepreneurship has emphasized on the urgent need of bringing about skills in the mainstream of the country’s agenda. Cop made lover drink beer before killing her Nearly 10 days after he was arrested on the charge of killing his paramour, Thane crime branch head constable Pramod Shinde has confessed to the crime. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		Now, Shah Rukh Khan believes there's no intolerance in country Superstar Shah Rukh Khan has said he does not believe there is intolerance in the country , clarifying that his earlier comments on the issue were misconstrued. Neighbour killed Narela girl A 35-year-old man was arrested on Thursday for smothering his 14-year-old neighbour, whose body was discovered in bushes beside a government school in Narela on Wednesday. Police suspect the man, identified as Sheroo, had raped the child before smothering her. Hurt spine killed sex life? Hope alive At 25, Sumit Sanyal met with a car accident that left him paralysed below the waist. While he was happy not to have lost his life, he however, agonised over whet her he could now marry , or whether he could ever father a child. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		Father saves 5-yr-old son, takes snake o hospital too Five-year-old Krishna was bitten by a snake when he was playing in front of his house in his village in Bavalagaum-Bavagi tanda of Aurad taluk, Bidar district on Tuesday. BU students in a fix as MS changed to MA In 2014-15, many students joined two programmes -MS in Communication and MS in Electronic Media - at the Bangalore University (BU). Bananas, oranges cheaper by 30% in Hopcoms shops Prices of bananas and oranges in Hopcoms stalls dropped by about 30% on Thursday after rates were fixed in last week for the benefit of farmers and consumers. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		Dalit farmers duped by Ruling Party Realtors The controversy surroundinng around the call money scandal had virtually overshadowed a much bigger scandal in the capital city in which the involvement of ruling TDP leaders is being strongly suspected. According to sources, the ruling party leaders believed to have usurped land worth nearly Rs.1000 crore in the riverbank area of the capital city and getting the entire deal regularized through a controversial notification under Land Pooling Scheme (LPS). 42k houses for Guntur poor In a relief to the shelterless poor in the district, the state government has decided to build about 42 thousand houses under NTR housing scheme to be launched shortly. While 24 thousand double-bed roomed houses would be constructed in urban areas, remaining 18 thousand would be taken up in rural areas. Affiliation row: Inter exams to be held in degree colleges As many as 4 lakh Inter students will have to write their exams in degree colleges as the Telangana State Board of Intermediate Education (TSBIE) has decided to not allow unaffiliated junior colleges from holding the exams. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		DMK to hold fast to demand lifting of ban on jallikattu during Pongal DMK leader M K Stalin on Friday said his party cadres would hold a fast at Alanganallur in Madurai district on December 28 to demand lifting of ban on jallikattu (bull taming), which is part of Pongal celebrations in Tamil Nadu. S10 Health conducting mobile medical camps in flood-hit Chennai S10 Health, an e-commerce healthcare organisation, is conducting mobile medical camps in flood-hit Chennai with the help of its network of doctors. The camps will go on till December 30. Jayalalithaa seeks Modi's help to secure release of 41 Indian fishermen in Sri Lankan custody Chief minister J Jayalalithaa on Friday sought the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to secure the release of 41 Tamil Nadu fishermen, who have been in Sri Lankan custody over the past several weeks, and 56 fishing boats. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		DRI arrests 2 Jalandhar-based businessmen in fake exports case The Ahmedabad zonal unit of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) arrested two Jalandhar-based businessmen in the Rs 17 crore commercial tax fraud case. DRI sleuths held Amarjeet Singh Jolly and Ashok Goyal, for claiming Rs 3.5 crore and Rs 1.5 crore in duty drawback by using fake bills. Both accused were sent to custody by a local court on Thursday. Gatisheel Gujarat slothful in spending The state government may be marketing itself as `Gatisheel Gujarat' but the fact is that government departments are unable to use the amounts allocated to them in the budget. In fact, they also miss most of the physical targets of development. Khaki brass pours into White Rann Officials of the Intelligence Bureau, Special Protection Group (SPG) and local police on Thursday conducted their final Advance Security Liaison (ASL) at Dhordo. Police officials said they checked the route to Dhordo from Bhuj airport and Air Force base. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		UP Board exams from Feb 18 The high school and intermediate examinations to be conducted by Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad would begin from February 18. Climate Express soon to give info on environment In order to create awareness among the people, particularly students, about environment, Indian Railways has rolled out a special train christened 'Science Express Climate Action Special' (SECAS) which would chug in at the railway station here on Monday. HC seeks govt reply on salary to homeguards The Allahabad High Court on Thursday directed the state government to file its reply on a writ petition filed by some homeguards seeking payment of “equal salary for equal work”. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		BJD MPs seek PM intervention BJD MPs on Thursday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi and sought his intervention in the controversial Polavaram project. 'I regard only two persons as statesmen - Nehru and Biju' What was your contribution towards the formation of BJD? A: After the demise of Biju Patnaik, a group of Janata Dal leaders, including me, initially opposed formation of another regional outfit. Oppn questions links between BJD and Rehman's brother Opposition political parties BJP and Congress on Thursday raised questions about links between ruling party BJD and the family of suspected al-Qaida operative Abdul Rehman who was arrested on Wednesday in Cuttack. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		Horror stories unfold: Kids in third-degree police chamber They were given third degree torture — electric shocks, baton beatings, pricking with pins, rolling of pebbles in the ears, hanged upside down — and after all this, asked to pay money from Rs 1,000 to Rs 70,000. However, believe it or not, those facing police brutality are not hardened criminals or any terrorist but children in the age group of 6-14. Gang which conducted fake rail exam in city, busted in Udaipur A fake railway recruitment racket has been busted by Udaipur police with the arrest of 11 people. What left investigators stumped was a claim by the victims who said that they had appeared for a test at the DRM’s office here in Bhopal. Madhya Pradesh Congress slams BJP for failing to control inflation The Madhya Pradesh Congress has come out strongly against BJP for recent hike in taxes and for failing to curb inflation. "The BJP government has failed to deliver on its promise of good days (achche din), which is contrary to it’s pro-people claim’’, said state Congress president Arun Yadav. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		Pune scientist selected for the Open Innovation Challenge Karthikeyan, a scientist from CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (CSIR-NCL), Pune has been selected for the Open Innovation Challenge Lecture held at Chandigarh on Lung Cancer In the wake of the Lung Cancer trend in India, Dr. Jatin Sarin, Consultant Cancer Specialist at Chandigarh Cancer and Diagnostic Centre addressed a media briefing to increase awareness on the growing Lung Cancer cases. 16 months on, fate of HCS candidates still uncertain The selection process of new bureaucrats in Haryana has been hanging in balance for the past 16 months after change of power equations in the state in October 2014. More Chandigarh News»

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