[wanabidii] News Digest: China's foreign exchange reserves dwindling rapidly

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

		Business
		China's foreign exchange reserves dwindling rapidly A year and a half ago, China held as much as $4 trillion in foreign exchange reserves. However, the country's reserves have shrunk by nearly a fifth since summer 2014 — and more than a third of the shrinkage has been in the last three months. 'Make In India' racks up $222 billion in pledges A week-long "Make in India" fair closed on Thursday with $222 billion in investment pledges, but thin attendance by foreign firms at the event launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi means many are unlikely to actually happen. Sebi checking if MFs dressing up portfolios  The Sebi is examining whether funds may be dressing up portfolios to shield low-rated debt securities, a senior official said. It’s looking to see if mutual funds transferred instruments, such as those of JSPL, from one scheme to another. 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
		In a resilient North Korea, can sanctions work? "Sanctions and pressure will never work on the DPRK, which has been exposed to all kinds of sanctions and blockade for decades," its state-run Korean Central News Agency wrote in an editorial last week. North Korea satellite tumbling in orbit again: US The satellite update came as a key congressional watchdog agency said the US military had not demonstrated its ability to protect the United States against a possible North Korea missile attack.The report said that the missile defense system, or the Ground-based Midcourse Defense, had only demonstrated “a partial capability against small numbers of simple ballistic missile threats.” South China Sea row: Australia warns Beijing Australia urged China on Friday to refrain from the "militarisation of islands" to avoid walking into a conflict, a day after the United States slammed Beijing for deploying missiles in the disputed South China Sea. More World News»

		Science
		New Nasa telescope to help unlock secrets of universe Nasa has started work on a new telescope with a view 100 times bigger than that of Hubble Space Telescope that may help unravel the mysteries of dark matter and advance the search for alien life. The mission is led by Nasa's Goddard Space Flight Centre in Maryland. Four shower mistakes you're probably making If you shower daily and scrub yourself all over with a loofah, you may be doing it wrong. Wearable robot to become musician's third hand More Science News»

		Technology
		Veritas CEO: Silicon Valley wants dramatic expansion of H-1B visa With IT firms struggling to find quality and right number of professionals, a top American CEO has called for a "dramatic expansion" of the H-1B visa scheme -- popular among Indian tech firms -- to meet the growing demand. UE Roll wireless Bluetooth speaker review: Value for money Ultimate Ears is known for its exciting range of Bluetooth speakers. We reviewed the latest UE Roll wireless Bluetooth speaker priced at Rs 8,495. Wonder what else is good and not-so good in the UE Roll, read and find out. Freedom 251 site crashed after 30,000 bookings; to launch Bells SIM card The website apparently crashed due to immense traffic amounting up to 6 lakh hits per second. Also, due to a glitch, some buyers were able to book up to 99 smartphones at a go. 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
		Bhojpuri director held for raping Pakistani actor in Mumbai A Bhojpuri film director has been arrested by the Mira Road police for allegedly cheating and raping a small time female actor from Pakistan. Sweden and Maharashtra govt collaborate in skills training on infection control, wound care and diagnostics Sweden and India have a long history of partnership and close collaboration in the area of health sector. Cambridge English South Asia Partnership Summit to be held on 23 & 24 February 2016 in New Delhi Cambridge English Language Assessment and Cambridge University Press, in association with FICCI, are hosting the Cambridge English South Asia partnership Summit on 23 and 24 February 2016 in New Delhi. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		Similar call signs ring alarm bells for flight safety, DGCA forms panel Similar call signs of commercial flights have set alarm bells ringing in the Indian aviation safety regulatory agency. 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
		Man vs animal - As stray dog count swells, leopard threat grows on outskirts What brought the eight-year-old leopard to Whitefield? Stray dogs, possibly. If yes, it could happen in other parts of the city as well. The city's canine population is growing at an alarming rate. Halting of BBMP's animal birth control (ABC) programme due to delayed payments to NGOs has only pushed up the numbers. Man stabs girl for turning down proposal A man stabbed a 24-year-old woman in her throat in Perumugai village on the outskirts of Vellore as she turned down his proposal.Saraswathi was admitted to Christian Medical College and Hospital. 12 die in truck-lorry collision in Karnataka As many as 12 persons were killed in a head-on collision between a mini-truck carrying them and a lorry on a national highway near here in today, police said. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		Chandrababu Naidu to get roof-top helipad at AP secretariat Tech-savvy AP chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu will get a roof-top helipad at the proposed interim secretariat complex at Velagapudi village in the upcoming capital city of Amaravati. 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. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		When all that one heard was silence Old-timers remember Chennai as Madras, a city of horse-drawn carriages, lonely streets and men in suits. A TOI series brings recollections from a mix of neighbourhoods. Tamil Nadu govt to constitute panel to review new pension scheme More than a week after government employees and teachers went on a strike to press for their various demands including withdrawal of the new pension scheme, chief minister J Jayalalithaa on Friday announced in the assembly that the government would constitute a committee to review the pension scheme. She also announced several concessions for the employees hoping that they would end their strike. Rath Yatras by TN leaders to add zest to BJP campaign In a move probably inspired by L K Advani's Rath Yatra in 1990 that yielded poll dividends, the BJP poll campaign in Tamil Nadu will get rolling with the simultaneous launch of six Rath Yatras on March 1. The campaign was kickstarted with the Coimbatore rally addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 2. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		Managing stress: 'Face exam with smile' "This will book will guide students on how to reduce the exam stress. It will also help to stop students from committing suicide," Dr Ajitsingh Rana, translator of the book, said. Chaos reigns at AMC general body meeting The civic body's general board meeting on the budget continued till late Wednesday night with several issues, such as the declining passenger numbers of AMTS and loss making accounts took centrestage. Two kids go missing In two separate incidents, two children, aged 16 and 15, were reported missing with city police.Police have circulated their photographs with various agencies. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		'Prithviraj' of UP tries to abduct bride from venue Shouting "I am Prithviraj Chauhan", Mahavir, armed with a sword and pistol, burst into a wedding venue and tried to carry away the bride by force.But since he was not the historical Rajput warrior he believed he was, locals beat him up and police filed an FIR against him. High Court declares lawyers' strike illegal A seven-judge bench of Allahabad High Court on Thursday declared the strike by Lucknow HC bench lawyers as illegal and issued directive for its immediate withdrawal. The court said that if anyone interfered in the smooth functioning of the court, it would amount to contempt of court. 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. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		Woman killed by crocodile in Odisha's Kendrapara Ahead of Modi's visit, Naveen woos farmers at twin rallies Chief minister Naveen Patnaik addressed two farmers rallies in Kalahandi and Balangir ahead of a similar kisan maha sammelan of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Bargarh on February 21. Logistical support from Chhattisgarh for Bargarh meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi's farmers rally in Bargarh district on February 21 will have a visible Chhattisgarh touch. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		I am under trauma, now Railways want me to pay fine: Rati Tripathi She lay in a bloody heap on railway tracks near Bina station, sunk into coma for 53 days before rising like a phoenix from the brink of death. Arrest of SIMI fugitives: MPATS may get info on IS link Arrest of four terror suspects, including three Khandwa jailbreak fugitives by the Telangana police from Odisha, would help Madhya Pradesh ATS and Central agencies get more information about slain Aijajuddin and his network in Pakistan and Saudi Arab. PM gives farmers an online market With a sharp eye on the rural votebank in a year choc-a-bloc with state Assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday announced the launching of a national agriculture market -- a digital platform that will enable farmers to sell their produce at a better rate anywhere in the country. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		Parents make fake income certificates to abuse EWS quota Following a procedure that does not ensure verification of the exact income of a person is making many genuine students from economically weaker section (EWS) lose out on their right to education in private schools under 25% quota in Chandigarh. Child Rights Commission asks for status report on molestation case of five year old student Going back to the case of molestation of a five-year-old girl student who was molested by the conductor of her school bus last year, the Chandigarh Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CCPCR) has written to the police department, Chandigarh, to submit the status report on the case. Chandigarh to get international development center soon The National Institute of Technical Teachers Training (NITTTR) has announced setting up of an international skill development centre in the city. More Chandigarh News»

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