February 28, 2014: The day in news

News happened as you were on the go. News is happening even as you read this. Here is how HT ensures that you do not miss anything. Visit Hindustan Times — your one-stop destination for the day's wrap-up of news.

Sahara chief Subrata Roy sent to police custody till March 4
Sahara Group chief Subrata Roy was on Friday sent to police custody till March 4 after he surrendered following a Supreme Court order that directed police to arrest him. Subrata Roy turned himself in a day after the police failed to trace him to execute the Supreme Court's arrest warrant. Soon thereafter, the apex court in New Delhi declined to revoke the warrant.

Maoists kill 5 cops in Chhattisgarh
Five Chhattisgarh policemen were killed and three others injured in an attack by Maoists in Chhattisgarh on Friday. Twelve policemen riding six bikes were on way to offer protection to the workers constructing a road between Kuakondo and Bacheli in Shyamgiri area of Dantewada district, 450km south of Raipur, the police said.

Judicial probe into Somnath Bharti's raid gives clean chit to police
The judicial probe report into the midnight raid allegedly led by former Delhi law minister Somnath Bharti against a few African women in Khirki Extension on January 15 and 16 has virtually given a clean chit to the Malviya Nagar police. The report has been submitted to Lt Governor Najeeb Jung on Friday, according to sources. The probe has prima facie put the blame on Bharti for creating a controversy over the raid.

Dearness allowance hiked by 10%
Just a few days before imposition of the model code of conduct by the Election Commission, the government on Friday announced a 10% increase in dearness allowance that will benefit nearly eight million employees and pensioners. With effect from Jan 1, 2014, dearness allowance of the central government employees is increased to 100% from the earlier 90%.

Tejpal, six others booked for using mobiles in prison
Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal has been booked for possession of a mobile phone inside prison premises, an official said Friday. Tejpal is one of the seven inmates at Vasco's Sada sub jail, located 35 km from Panaji, who were found with a mobile phone during a surprise raid Sunday (February 23).

GDP disappoints with 4.7% growth in Dec quarter
India's economy grew a slower-than-expected 4.7% in the three months through December, dragged down by a contraction in manufacturing and mining, the last GDP data released by the government before a general election showed on Friday. December's figure was the seventh successive quarter of economic growth below 5%.

Karunanidhi praises Modi, adds grist to speculation mill
Substantial grist was added to the political speculation mill when DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi praised BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, though party leaders said not much should be read into it. Tamil newspaper Dinamalar quoted 89-year-old Karunanidhi saying Modi was a "proven administrator, hard worker and my good friend".

Decision on IPL after election dates are out: BCCI
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Friday decided to adopt a wait-and-watch approach towards moving the Indian Premier League (IPL) out of the country due to the upcoming general elections. After a working committee meeting in Bhubaneswar, BCCI president Narayanaswami Srinivasan said a decision on staging the IPL will be taken after the general election dates are out.

Ukraine retakes Crimea airports after Russian 'invasion'
Ukrainian authorities said on Friday they had regained control of two Crimean airports seized during an "armed invasion" by Russian forces that prompted the country's new pro-EU leaders to appeal for protection from the West. The head of Ukraine's security and defence council said Russian soldiers and local pro-Kremlin militia were responsible for the dawn raids on Crimea's main airport and another base on the southwest of the peninsula where pro-Moscow sentiment runs high.

Facebook buries Messenger for Windows
Facebook has announced end of Windows support for its messenger app. The social networking giant announced the end of support in the form of a notification to users within the app, saying it would stop working on March 3, 2014.

Movie review: Shaadi Ke Side Effects is not as much fun as Pyaar ke Side Effects
Vidya Balan and Farhan Akhtar, two of our most talented actors, sync up as a married couple in Shaadi Ke Side Effects. Their talent and charm should have been a laugh riot but the movie quite doesn't work. Debutant director Saket Chowdhary falls notches short of making a total fun riot. The movie - a sequel to much-appreciated Pyaar Ke Side Effects - has it's high points and the actors (Vidya, Farhan, Vir Das, Ram Kapoor and Ila Arun) do impress with their performances. However, the punches and the desperate effort to fuse comedy and philosophy fall flat.

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