News Digest: LS, RS to be prorogued for ordinance to help Uttarakhand with its finances

LS, RS to be prorogued for ordinance to help Uttarakhand with its finances
The cabinet committee on political affairs on Tuesday decided to prorogue Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha so as to issue an ordinance to facilitate Uttarakhand to draw from its consolidated fund to run its finances after March 31.

Centre rushes Rohatgi to Nainital, hopes for a stay
The Uttarakhand HC order directing a floor test has raised the BJP's stakes in the outcome of the legal battle over imposition of central rule in the state.

Uttarakhand crisis: As D-Day draws close, MLAs come out of hiding
With HC ordering a trust vote in the Uttarakhand assembly on March 31, both Congress and BJP are aiming to keep their flock together before the acid test.

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Mercedes S400 launched at Rs 1.31 crore
Mercedes-Benz brought in the luxurious S400 to India on Tuesday at Rs 1.31 crore ex-showroom Delhi. The S400 is for those who don't want a diesel nor the immoderate S500 with the massive V8. The S400 goes up against the other two German super luxury sedans, the BMW 7-series and the Audi A8L.

RBI may go for a 'measured' cut next week, report says
The Reserve Bank of India is likely to approach policy easing with caution and go for a measured cut next week amid recent bounce in global oil prices and partial implementation of a public sector wage bill, says a report by DBS. The RBI in Februaruary had left the key interest rate unchanged.

In Sydney, Jaitley seeks Australian investment in India
Finance minister Arun Jaitley invited businesses in New South Wales to invest in India, saying the country wants foreign sovereign wealth funds to be part of NIIF, pension and insurance funds in India. He also highlighted various initiatives undertaken by the government to boost the Indian economy.

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'Troublesome lion' in fresh escape from S Africa park
A lion named Sylvester that escaped from a South African national park last year has escaped again, a park official said on Tuesday. During his last escape, he roamed 300 kilometres from the park, killing 30 animals over three weeks before being shot by a tranquilizer dart fired from a helicopter.

Worst bleaching on record for Great Barrier Reef
Aerial surveys of Australia's Great Barrier Reef have revealed the worst bleaching on record with few corals escaping damage. Bleaching occurs when abnormal environmental conditions, such as warmer sea temperatures, cause corals to expel tiny photosynthetic algae, draining them of their colour.

Chinese man hands over rare Assam monkey to reserve
A Chinese man returned a rare Assam macaque to a nature reserve in Yunnan province, after keeping it as a pet for 14 years, the local nature reserve bureau said. The man who kept the macaque in his home said he took it home after he saw people injuring its hands while trying to capture it.

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Pakistan detains more than 5,000 after Easter bombing
Over 5,000 people were rounded up in the two days since the Easter Sunday bombing in Lahore with more than 200 still in custody, Pakistan's Punjab province law minister said on Tuesday and announced that a joint investigation team has been formed to probe the attack.

Brussels airport could take 'months' before normalizing
The Zaventem airport in Brussels could "at best" resume very limited services soon but it will take months to get back to normal after suicide bombers destroyed the departure terminal, the airport's CEO Arnaud Feist said. Brussels is a major European hub and has flights to destinations worldwide.

Hanged killer's backers continue protests in Islamabad
Hundreds of hardline Islamists resumed protests in Pakistan's capital on Tuesday over the execution of a policeman Mumtaz Qadri who killed a secular governor Salman Taseer, in a show of defiance amid a government crackdown following a suicide attack two days earlier.

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Are Virat and Anushka back together?
After his stellar performance against Australia on Sunday, ace batsman Virat Kohli was undoubtedly the star of the evening.

PIC: Tiger's date night with Disha
Tiger Shroff might be busy with his shoot schedules for ‘Baaghi’ and ‘A Flying Jatt,’ but that did not stop him from spending some quality time with his rumoured lady-love, Disha Patani.

First Look: Randeep Hooda in 'Laal Rang'
Randeep Hooda, who is known for choosing unconventional projects and pushing the boundaries as an actor, is upbeat about his upcoming film Laal Rang.

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Humans, 'unicorns' may have walked Earth at same time: study
Washington, March 29, 2016 (AFP) -A long-extinct animal known as the Siberian unicorn -- which was actually a long-horned rhinoceros -- may have walked the Earth 29,000 years ago, at the same time as prehistoric humans, researchers say.

GMSH to get platelet separation machine
Shimona.Kanwar@timesgroup.Soon, the only government hospital in the city, Government Multi Specialty Hospital, Sector 16, which did not have the facility of separation of platelets, will be equipped with a cell separator.

Many in US ignorant of key facts on Zika virus: study
Miami, March 29, 2016 (AFP) -Many Americans are unclear on key facts about the mosquito-borne Zika virus, which has been linked to birth defects and is of particular concern to pregnant women, US researchers said Tuesday, warning of a race against time.

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World T20: India favourites, but Gayle backs West Indies for 'upset'
Speaking to the media at the CCI on Tuesday, the West Indian opener said he was ready to attack India on Thursday.

Flawless NZ face resurgent England in WT20 semi-final
Following New Zealand's blueprint, England have undergone a resurgence in their limited-overs cricket and will aim to beat them at their own brand of cricket when they meet in the first semi-final of the World T20 on Wednesday.

Horses for courses key to New Zealand success
Unbeaten New Zealand have played smart cricket at the World T20 and at the heart of it is their young skipper Kane Williamson who has seamlessly taken charge from Brendon McCullum.

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10 things to know about Google's biggest business
Here are 10 things you probably don't about Google's search division, its biggest business...

Oculus Rift review roundup: High-end VR is finally here
They've been a long time coming -- the Rift started life as a Kickstarter project back in 2012, and showed promise when it blew past its $250,000 goal in under 24 hours.

Samsung Galaxy A7 review: External beauty is what this phone is all about
Launched at Rs 32,500, the Samsung Galaxy A7 smartphone picks up a lot of characteristics from the Galaxy S6. We reviewed the handset to find out where it stands in the Indian smartphone market.

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Fees upfront, no-refund policy play spoilers
'Fees once paid will not be refunded' in fine print on the admission forms of most coaching classes deters most parents and their wards from withdrawing their applications.

Delays in RTE admission creates problems for stakeholders
Admissions under the Right To Education (RTE) Act seem to be heading for yet another controversial year.

Delhi University sets admission process in motion, likely to go online

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Manish Malhotra opens LFW with ‘elements' of glamour, opulence
Mumbai, Mar 29 () With young stars Arjun Kapoor and Jacqueline Fernandez as his muses, ace designer Manish Malhotra today raised the curtains on the Lakme Fashion Week, showcasing his beguiling spring summer collection “Elements”.

Quite averse to this word 'bold': Patralekha
Mumbai, March 29 (IANS) "Citylights" actress Patralekha, who will be seen in an opposite role in her next movie - Vikram Bhatt's "Love Games", says she is reluctant to call herself a bold actress.

Judicial process must be speeded up: Victims' kin
The constant refrain among victims and observers of the 2002-03 blasts was that the judicial process must be expedited so that justice is not only served but is seen to be served.

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Heard at ICHR event: Bharat Mata ki jai, quotes from Vedas
While the nation is still debating 'Bharat Mata ki jai', the slogan made its way to the Indian Council of Historical Research foundation day function on Tuesday addressed by RSS historian Satish Chandra Mittal.

Madrassa boys thrashed for not saying 'Bharat Mata ki jai'
Three madrassa students have alleged that they were beaten up by a group of men in outer Delhi's Ramesh Enclave for refusing to chant 'Bharat Mata ki jai'.

Delhi Assembly faces uproar; Oppn stages walk-out
New Delhi, Mar 29 () The Delhi Assembly today witnessed uproar after MLAs from Opposition BJP attacked Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over some civic projects and the AAP leader's accusation that Prime Minister Narendra Modi "surrendered" to Pakistan by allowing its investigators to probe the

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Nasscom lauds conditional foreign equity in e-tail segment
Bengaluru, March 29 (IANS) Indian IT industry's representative body Nasscom on Tuesday welcomed the opening up the retail e-commerce segment to 100 percent foreign equity through the clause of automatic route.

Government passes four major Bills amidst chaos

BJP claims Guv has directed govt to table Waqf properties misuse report

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Hyderabad varsity: Arrested accused asked to furnish Rs 5,000 surety each

Farmer burns self after crop loss
A farmer allegedly committed suicide by setting himself ablaze after losing agricultural crop, at Raghunathapalli village of Siddavatam mandal in Kadapa district late on Monday night.

Depressed cop ends life, takes friend with him
A head constable of the excise department died after consuming drinks spiked with pesticides at a wine shop in Sullurpet on Tuesday.

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Singer makes Guiness record
Playback singer P Susheela Mohan has entered the Guiness Book of World Records and Asia Book of Records for singing more than 17,000 songs in 12 Indian languages over a five-decade long career.

Summer rain brings relief to south TN, city remains dry
Summer rain greeted parts of southern Tamil Nadu on Tuesday, with Tuticoring in the deep south recording 30mm.Rainfall may continue on Wednesday but will not persist longer, weathermen have predicted.

3 panchaloha idols stolen from temple
Police are hunting for a burglar or burglars suspected of making away with three panchaloha idols from a Murugan temple near Ayanavaram on Monday evening.

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Ahmedabad will have only 3% green cover by 2030: Study
In 1990, the built-up area in Ahmedabad and within 10km of its entire periphery was 7.13% of the total area.

HC orders "independent probe" of alleged assault by Radadiya
Ahmedabad, Mar 29 () The Gujarat High Court today ordered an "independent investigation" by police into an alleged assault by BJP MP from Porbandar Vitthal Radadiya and others of a shop-owner at Dhoraji in Rajkot district last year. Police are accused of not registering an FIR in the case.

NGO blames govt, police for 2015 riots in Bharuch
Ahmedabad, Mar 29 () Inaction of the state government and police on complaints against illegal shrimp ponds at Aliabet in Bharuch district led to communal riots in the area in January 2015 in which three persons were killed, an NGO said in a report today.

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Verdict in terror attack on Ayodhya temple on April 12
special court hearing the case of terrorist attack on the makeshift Ram temple at Ayodhya in Faizabad will pronounce its judgement on April 12.

Widow dead, kin say in-laws 'murdered' her
A 32-year-old widow was allegedly killed by her in-laws at Kukudhi village in the early hours of Tuesday.Initial police investigation revealed property dispute as the reason behind the killing of Sushma Devi.

Chaitra Navratra: More booking counters, trains for pilgrims
Preparations are on in full swing ahead of Chaitra Navratra being celebrated from April 8 to 19.Extra booking and enquiry counters have opened up at Vindhyachal station.

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Farmers launch civil disobedience stir, court arrest
Bhubaneswar, Mar 29 () A number of farmers today courted arrest, while participating in a civil disobedience stir demanding pension for them and asking the government to admit farmers suicide due to crop loss and loan burden.

Opposition attacks Odisha government over ration card irregularities

BJP, Cong demand FIR against sub-collector for farmer's suicide

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Bhopal's dark truth: Green cover has shrunk to 22%
Bhopal's tree cover has shrunk from 66% to 22% over a two-decade span, says a new study by Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.By 2018, it will be 11% of city's area and might go to just 4.10% till 2030.

Rape accused assaulted two more minors

Chouhan bats for annual health check-up of MLAs
Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday recommended annual health check-up for all legislators under the aegis of the state assembly.

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882 students receive degrees at MCM DAV
Degrees were awarded to 882 first division holding students at the 44th annual convocation of MCM DAV College for Women, Chandigarh.

Errors in electoral rolls to be rectified

Clamping down the greens
Chandigarh, which is known for its lush greenery may lose much of it to iron clamps around trees.The clamps are suffocating the trees they were supposed to protect.

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