8 MARCH 2014

Ø  The Supreme Court on Friday refused to stay bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh but decided to refer the matter to Chief Justice P. Sathasivam for posting before a five-judge Constitution Bench.

Ø  Nine days after a submarine accident triggered the resignation of Navy Chief Admiral D.K. Joshi, a naval officer was killed in a gas leak on board INS Kolkata , officially known as Yard 701, while undergoing delivery trials at the Mazagon Dock.

Ø  The USS Truxtun, a guided missile destroyer crossed the Bosphorus Straits on Friday for joint training with the Romanian and Bulgarian Navies in the Black Sea. The ship is armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles and has a crew of about 300. The Pentagon is also sending 12 F-16 fighter jets and 300 service personnel to Poland for a training exercise next week in response to the Ukraine crisis.

Ø  IT firm Infotech Enterprises, on Friday, said it would acquire the U.S.-based Softential for over $17 million (Rs.104 crore) in an all-cash transaction to strengthen its telecom and enterprise solutions portfolio. Infotech’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Infotech Enterprises America, will acquire Softential, which offers service management and service assurance solutions for telecommunications and cable operators, enterprise customers and the public sector.