[wanabidii] News Digest: New suitor offers $1.3bn for Sahara's overseas hotels

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Wednesday, July 27, 2016
		Today's Headlines

		Business
		New suitor offers $1.3bn for Sahara's overseas hotels Embattled Sahara group has got a $1.3 billion offer from a new suitor for its three prized overseas hotels including the Grosvenor House and Park Plaza. A consortium of family office investors, comprising of Jesdev Saggar-led 3 Associates of the UK & others from the Middle East have made the offer. Deutsche Bank 2nd quarter net profit tumbles by 98% Troubled German giant Deutsche Bank saw net profit tumble in the second quarter to 20 million euros ($22 million), down 98 per cent on the previous year's figure, results released on Wednesday showed. Japan PM Shinzo Abe unveils more than $266bn stimulus Japan launched an economic stimulus package worth more than 28 trillion yen ($266 billion) on Wednesday, days before the central bank is expected to unveil its own growth-boosting measures. More highlights of the package are expected next week. More Business News»

		Environment
		Byculla zoo gets Humboldt penguins as new members Adding to its list of major attractions, Mumbai's Byculla Zoo has brought in eight Humboldt penguins from Chile and Peru, an exercise which has not gone down well with wildlife experts who termed it as "wasteful and unnecessary." Concentration of pollutants increased during odd-even Dirty water stunts millions of Indian children: Study India is home to the world's largest number of stunted children due to a lack of toilets, dirty water and poor hygiene, according to a new study published on Tuesday. More Environment News»

		World
		IS claims responsibility for attack on Syrian town, 44 dead A twin bombing struck a crowd in a predominantly Kurdish town in northern Syria on Wednesday, killing 44 people and wounding dozens more, Syria's state-run news agency and Kurdish media reported. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack. Flood, landslides kill 33 after heavy rains in Nepal At least 33 people have died in floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains in Nepal and dozens more are missing, a government official said on Wednesday. Heavy monsoon rains have swelled rivers across the country, triggering floods and landslides that have destroyed homes. Morocco arrests 52 suspected militants, foils attacks Morocco said on Wednesday that it had arrested 52 suspected militants inspired by Islamic State and that it had foiled several attacks in the North African kingdom by seizing weapons and bomb-making materials. More World News»

		Science
		CCMB-SCIC ink MoU on sickle cell disease research The city-based, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), a premier institute under Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has signed a long-term Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Sickle Cell Institute Chhattisgarh (SCIC), Raipur, an autonomous institute of the Government of Chhattisgarh. These images of a thunderstorm taken at 37,000 feet will make your heart skip a beat Nasa probe set for date with near-Earth asteroid US space agency Nasa will launch a spacecraft in September to a near-Earth asteroid known as Bennu to harvest a sample of surface material and return it to the Earth to scan for signs of life. More Science News»

		Technology
		Flipkart-Jabong deal: 10 things to know Marking one of the biggest mergers in India's online shopping space, Flipkart-owned Myntra has acquired fashion e-tailer Jabong. Here are some key details about the deal. Apple to launch iPhone 6SE in September: Report Apple will be launching iPhone 6SE in September instead of the much-rumoured iPhone 7, so claims a report on German website Apfelpage.de. The report, which cites supply-chain sources in China, claims that Apple has already produced packages with the 'iPhone 6SE' branding. BlackBerry DTEK50 with Android 6.0 Marshmallow launched BlackBerry claims its DTEK50 is not like any other Android smartphone as it comes with company’s own “enhancements”. The smartphone features functions like BlackBerry Convenience Key, BlackBerry-style pop-up widgets, BB device search, Instant Actions, Gesture Controls, and a smart keyboard. More Technology News»

		Education
		At Rajasthan University, foreign authors give way to Gandhi, Vivekanand, CK Prahlad The curriculum revision committee says that inclusion of a chapter on Swami Vivekanand will enlighten young generation on how a yogi is behind concepts like 'globalization, corporate social responsibility and trusteeship'. 73 seats vacant at end of counselling in IITs At the end of this year's joint counselling for IITs, NITs, IIITs and other government-funded technical institutes, only 73 vacancies are left in IITs, bulk of them (38) in IIT-BHU. In case of NITs (National Institutes of Technology), there are 1,518 vacancies. Chaturvedi assumes charge as CBSE chairman Rajesh Kumar Chaturvedi, IAS, assumed charge as the chairman of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Tuesday. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		Court issues Letter Rogatory to Singapore in Lalit Modi case Mumbai, Jul 27 () A Special Court today issued a fresh Letter Rogatory (LR) to the competent authority in Singapore in a case of alleged money laundering filed against former IPL chief Lalit Modi by Enforcement Directorate (ED). Caution ahead of F&O expiry, FOMC outcome depress equity markets Mumbai, July 27 (IANS) Profit booking, combined with caution ahead of derivatives expiry and a key announcement over the US interest rate, depressed the Indian equity markets on Wednesday. Dr Reddy's tanks 10%; mcap dips by Rs 5,529 cr on weak Q1 nos Mumbai, Jul 27 () Extending its previous session's losses, shares of drug major Dr Reddy's Laboratories today fell sharply by over 10 per cent, wiping out Rs 5,529 crore from its market valuation, after the company's consolidated net profit declined by 80 per cent for the June quarter. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		Cops can't probe pvt defamation case against Rahul Gandhi: SC New Delhi, Jul 27 () Magistrates cannot ask the police to investigate a private criminal defamation complaint as it is the complainant who needs to prove the case, the Supreme Court today said while prima facie finding fault with a lower court order asking Maharashtra cops to probe the defamation Sohna in Gurgaon to urbanise in next 7 yrs: Report New Delhi, Jul 27 () About 13,000 housing units are expected to be developed at Sohna in Gurgaon by 2020 while the location is expected to rise steadily on the livability index in 5-7 years, property consultant Cushman & Wakefield said in a report today. Only 906 call drop complaints made in last 3.5 years: Sinha New Delhi, Jul 27 () Out of over 100 crore subscribers, only 906 complaints have been made on call drops in the last three and a half years, with Bharti Airtel and Vodafone facing the maximum number of grievances on the issue. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		Varsity education startup Minerva to start Bengaluru facility Minerva Project, a startup university programme that aims to provide Ivy League-level education at a considerably reduced cost, will open a facility in Bengaluru by the beginning of 2018 as part of its curriculum. Minerva's is an undergraduate programme, where the students spend a year at its base in San Francisco and over the next three years, they move across California, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Seoul, Istanbul and London while studying a largely online and interactive curriculum. Bengaluru will be one of the locations where the students will be based for six months once the facility is operational. KSDL of Mysore Sandal Soap fame to expand capacity in 100th yr Bengaluru, Jul 27 () As Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited celebrates its centenary year, the company has planned to go in for capacity enhancement by modernising plants and machinery and launching new products to cater to market demands. Israeli scientists develop new system to harvest drinking water from air Bengaluru, July 27 (IANS) Scientists at the Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa have proposed an innovative system for harvesting safe drinking water from air. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		Gunning for trouble: Sale of air rifles booms The alarming rise in cases of cruelty against animals could well be rooted in an equally disturbing trend in the city -a steep jump in sale of air rifles. DRL may go for product filings in LatAM, APAC, North Africa Hyderabad, Jul 27 () Dr Reddy's Laboratories may go for product filings in Latin American, North African and Asia Pacific countries this year as part of its growth strategy, a top executive said today. Uniform Civil Code short-hand for imposing RSS view: Ramesh Hyderabad, Jul 27 () Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has alleged the demand for bringing a Uniform Civil Code is a "cloak" for imposing Hindu Personal Law and "RSS's view" on what women should be entitled to. "Women should have equal rights as men. Let's start with that principle. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		Karunanidhi to TN govt: Prevent move to privatise Salem Steel Plant The Tamil Nadu government must take steps to prevent the central government’s move to privatise Salem Steel Plant, said DMK chief M Karunanidhi on Wednesday. Tamil Nadu govt sanctions Rs 9.5lakh to meet legal expenses of three Indians in Qatari jail Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa has sanctioned Rs 9.5 lakh to meet the legal expenses of three fishermen from the state who have been lodged in a Qatari prison in connection with a murder case. Why humans who breed fierce dogs need a leash Many local municipalities in the UK, US, Canada, Europe and Australia have breed-specific bans and enforce muzzles for dogs they deem dangerous or have caused fatalities. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		Cow skinned by Dalits in Una was killed by lions, says Guj CID The Gujarat police probing the widely condemned incident of thrashing of dalits in Una town of Gir Somnath district by 'cow vigilantes' has found that the cow being skinned by the dalits, was killed by lions. The dalit victims were called in the morning to dispose of the carcasses. Cow skinned by Dalits in Una was killed by lions, says Guj CID Ahmedabad, Jul 27 () The Gujarat police probing the widely condemned incident of thrashing of Dalits in Una town of Gir Somnath district by 'cow vigilantes' has found that the cow being skinned by the Dalits, was killed by lions. Ahmedabad University's orientation week kick starts Orientation week starts as the colleges commence More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		UP Board begins online registration Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad (UP Board) has started online registration of students for class 9 and 11 examinations of 2017 through its official website www.upm.sp.edu. 2 thieves held, pistol recovered District police on Tuesday arrested two thieves near Shankargarh road on Tuesday. In times of virtual games, age-old toys on display At a time when children prefer to keep busy with mobile games, toys dating back to 3,000-5,000 years are up for display at Allahabad Museum. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		Raman Singh and Balyan's statements 'unfortunate': Patnaik Bhubaneswar, Jul 27 () Pledging to take the Mahanadi river water issue to its logical end, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today dubbed as "unfortunate" the statements of Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh and Union Minister of State for Water Resources Sanjeev Balyan on the matter. Police release photos of absconding Puri servitors Chhattisgarh CM's reaction on Mahanadi is most unfortunate: Naveen Patnaik More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		Muslim women beaten over beef rumour: MP Home Minister hints at action Taking a strong note of the incident in Mandsaur district where the Hindu Dal activists roughed up two Muslim women for allegedly carrying beef, Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Bhupender Singh on Wednesday said that action would be initiated against those who Sikh farmers flatten ravines to grow basmati Sikh farmers who migrated from Punjab and Haryana to the drought-hit tribal district of Sheopur are growing basmati rice in what was once a bald patch in the ravines. They have revolutionized the way agriculture was done in the dust bowls by flattening ravines and irrigating land with high-power pumps. Singapore to be GIS partner After the UAE and South Korea, Singapore has given its consent to be a partner country of Global Investor Summit (GIS) scheduled to be held in October this year. Singapore Consul-General Ajit Singh met chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan at the state assembly on Tuesday and confirmed the country's participation in GIS. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		Power subsidy burden set to rise by 14 pc in Punjab Chandigarh, Jul 27 () The total power subsidy burden on the state exchequer in Punjab will jump by 14 per cent as power regulator PSERC has worked out subsidy including free power to farmers to the tune of Rs 6,364.49 crore for current fiscal 2016-17. Power rates kept unchanged in Punjab; slashed for industries Chandigarh, Jul 27 () Power consumers in poll-bound Punjab were today spared from hike in tariff by the power regulator which also slashed the energy rates for industrial users to promote growth. AAP MLA Naresh Yadav sent to judicial custody till August 1 Aam Adami Party MLA Naresh Yadav was today sent to judicial custody till August 1.The Malerkotla court of Preeti Sukhija refused to extend the police remand. More Chandigarh News»

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