Your News Digest from Times of India

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Saturday, March 22, 2014
		Today's Headlines

		India
		RSS did not nudge Advani to revise decision on Lok Sabha seat RSS leadership kept itself at arm's length from the high-wattage drama in senior BJP leader LK Advani's abortive move to leave his Gandhinagar constituency for Bhopal. Satpal Maharaj shifts to BJP, puts Rawat on razor's edge Congress MP Satpal Maharaj joined BJP on Friday in a pre-election jolt to the ruling party that increased the vulnerability of its government in Uttarakhand. NK Singh parts ways with Nitish, set to join BJP Former JD(U) MP NK Singh who had parted ways with Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar is set to join BJP having quit his membership of JD(U). More India News»

		Business
		Govt raises Rs 5.6k cr from Axis stake sale The government raised nearly Rs 5,560 crore by divesting 9% of its stake in the leading private sector lender Axis Bank through block deals on the BSE on Friday morning. Food chains ride home on tweets, apps Mumbai/ About 5,000 registered customers tweet to order desi style wraps and rolls from fast food chain Faaso's.Domino's Pizza has had a million downloads of its delivery mobile app launched 24 months ago. Fate of 30,000 people hangs in balance Poongothai's (name changed) voice trembled when she was asked 'what's your April plan'. At 26, she is the only wage-earning member of her family of five. More Business News»

		Environment
		Madhya Pradesh's forest cover shrinking Decrease in dense forest has been reported from Sidhi, Mandla, Satna, Umaria, Jabalpur, Jhabua, East Nimar, Dewas, Chhindwara, Chhatarpur and Balaghat districts. Ginkgo plant on verge of extinction: Expert Sir Peter Crane, professor of botany at Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies in the USA, said here on Friday the popular Ginkgo plant, which dominated the earth from 250 to 70 million years ago, is on the verge of extinction. Kovai celebrates World Sparrow Day Various programmes were held and initiatives undertaken as part of the 'World Sparrow Day' in and around the city, including seminars and distribution of leaflets and nest boxes by several voluntary organizations. More Environment News»

		World
		China to raise monitoring in disputed islands China will enhance environmental monitoring of the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea and Sansha in the South China Sea, the government authorities said on Friday. EU to reduce energy dependency on Russia The European Union (EU) said on Friday that it would reduce Europe's high gas dependency rates to the external markets, notably on Russia. N Korea test-fired 30 missiles into sea: S Korea North Korea test-fired 30 short-range missiles into the sea on Saturday, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said, the latest in a series of launches that have provoked criticism from Seoul and Washington. More World News»

		Entertainment
		'Sex is one thing that is totally recession free' There is a lot of buzz surrounding Sunny Leone, but this sexy star is much more than what meets the eye. Sex for a cause: Ranveer Singh to endorse condoms Just couple of days we had made a list of actors who should endorse condoms to spread the social message of 'prevention is better than cure'. However, now our wishlist has turned reality as one of our top contenders Ranveer Singh has actually been signed on to endorse a leading condom brand. 'Bollywood is full of biggest cowards in the world' Actor, producer, director Kamaal R Khan of Bigg Boss and Desh Drohi fame doesn’t believe in mincing his words, even when he’s ready to don a politician’s cap and fight the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. More Entertainment News»

		Science
		Anti-anxiety drugs could help 'balance' the autistic brain New research in mice suggests that autism is characterized by reduced activity of inhibitory neurons and increased activity of excitatory neurons in the brain, but balance can be restored with low doses of benzodiazepines. Social groups reduce depression A new study from the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research says that building a strong connection with a social group helps clinically depressed patients recover and helps prevent relapse. Nasa finds glass-like sea on Titan New radar measurements of an enormous sea on Titan — Saturn's second largest moon — has shown a mirror like smoothness. More Science News»

		Sports
		India strangle Pakistan in opening game India won their ninth World Cup tie against Pakistan and the fourth in ICC World T20 when they emerged victorious in a opening Super-10 clash by 7 wickets. 'Won't change ODI rules till World Cup' "We wanted to create a more attacking 50-over game, one that could compete on the entertainment scales with T20 cricket," says ICC CEO David Richardson. Film stars and IPL teams keen on ISL Bollywood stars Abhishek Bachchan and Ranbir Kapoor and IPL teams in the fray to buy franchises in the Indian Super League (ISL) football tournament. More Sports News»

		Technology
		Microsoft admits to snooping on Hotmail to track leak Microsoft has acknowledged it had searched emails in a blogger's Hotmail account to track down who was leaking company secrets. Becoming Microsoft CEO beyond wildest dreams: Nadella Becoming Microsoft CEO was beyond his wildest dreams, Satya Nadella said in a recorded video telecast at a conference organized by the computing giant here on Thursday. Google enhances encryption technology for email Google has enhanced the encryption technology for its flagship email service in ways that will make it harder for the National Security Agency to intercept messages moving among the company's worldwide data centers. More Technology News»

		Education
		Indians No 2 users of MIT-Harvard e-courses The courses have been put together and are led by some of the finest professors in the world.Students require just an internet connection. Past record to be factored in for MBA admission at LU Admissions to management courses at Lucknow University will not purely be based on scores of Common Admission Test (CAT) or LU Management Aptitude Test (LU-MAT). Archives' book on Bihar in DU M Phil syllabus "Yes, the department of history of Delhi University has included the book in its regional studies section for M Phil syllabus. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		Have made final offer on wage hike: Toyota "I believe that we have made our final offer.We have given enough explanation, chapter and verse, on why we can't increase our offer. Govt raises Rs 5.6k crore from Axis stake sale The government raised nearly Rs 5,560 crore by divesting 9% of its stake in the leading private sector lender Axis Bank through block deals on the BSE on Friday morning. Mumbai university to seek exemption for its teachers from poll duty The Mumbai University will write to the election commissioner asking them to exclude their teaching and non-teaching staff. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		3 held at IGI with gold A new trend in gold smuggling may be emerging at IGI airport. Over the past few weeks, smugglers are using the airport as a transit point to exchange the cache among themselves. Dhananjay bail hearing today A trial court will hear on Saturday arguments on the bail plea of BSP MP Dhananjay Singh who, along with his wife Jagriti Singh, has been charged in connection with the murder of his maid. 4 held with fake currency The crime branch has arrested a two member gang of robbers from Jahangirpuri and recovered a mobile phone from them. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		'Ananth and Nilekani represent corrupt parties' Child rights activist Nina P Nayak is the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate from Bangalore South Lok Sabha constituency from where Nandan Nilekani and HN Ananth Kumar are the candidates from Congress and BJP, respectively. Summer to go through rain-shine cycle Already feeling the summer heat? But the days are only going to get hotter for at least 10-15 more days.Thankfully, relief is in the horizon as pre-monsoon showers are expected anytime thereafter. Striking a chord in Bangalore centre At ease in a pair of jeans, a shirt and chappals, Bala, as Balakrishnan is commonly known, hits the road at 9.15am for a door-to-door campaign in Shivajinagar. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		Three held with illegal weapons near court in Hyderabad Police on Friday arrested three persons for possessing illegal weapons near Nampally court. Hyderabad: Woman, driver held for murder An event manger and her driver were arrested on Friday by the Cyberabad police for their alleged involvement in the murder of a 90-year-old man. Fresh fire singes Seshachalam; Nallamala blaze rages A series of fire incidents in the picturesque Nallamala forest continue to threaten the flora and fauna in Srisailam and Mahbubnagar districts. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		Denied ticket, TN Congress leader goes on protest Aday after Congress released the first list of 30 candidates to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Tamil Nadu, there were protests by some ticket aspirants in Chennai and Cuddalore.  Working class can tip scales in North Chennai After the secretariat, the smooth six-lane Beach Road closes in on you. A few quick turns lead you to the Kasimedu fishing harbour where at least one lakh fishermen come ashore every morning with their catch. Why BJP front matters in TN The six-party BJP alliance in Tamil Nadu, though considered an opportunistic grouping trying to cash in on a perceived Narendra Modi wave, can pose a credible challenge to the bi-polar dominance of DMK and AIADMK in the state.  More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		Modi seeks young professionals for Kashi campaign Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi has planned to launch a door-to-door campaign in Varanasi through an 'army' of young professionals who have volunteered to canvass for the BJP's candidate for PM. Sex ratio, low registration reflect in voting figures The skewed sex ratio in Gujarat not only has an impact on the state's social fabric but also affects the overall voting percentage in elections. Two arrested for looting truck in Odhav A team of special operations group (SOG) of the city crime branch arrested two persons for looting a truck carrying goods worth Rs 18 lakh, from Amraiwadi on Friday. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha leader's murder: Cops still grope in dark However, police on Thursday claimed to have sped up investigation and said they hoped to crack the case soon. Girl gang-raped, two booked A girl was kidnapped by a youth and made hostage in Risia town, where she was raped for two days. Allahabad University apprehends students using unfair means during exams As many as 13 examinees were apprehended by the Allahabad University authorities for using unfair means during the ongoing final exams on the varsity campus on Thursday. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		India Surf Festival 2013 kickstarts at the Ramachandi beach near Konark in Bhubaneswar As the annual surfing carnival kicks off, TOI catches the action Conch debuts in Sambalpur This year BJD for the first time will fight elections in Sambalpur assembly segment on its own symbol.Due to coalition compulsion, it had left the seat to BJP in 2000 and 2004. Morning classes in state schools from April 2 In view of rising temperatures across the state, the school and mass education department has ordered morning classes in all schools from April 2."The classes will start from 6.30 and continue till 10.30. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		Kishor Dangle's painting exhibition held at the art gallery of Alliance Francaise in Bhopal The art gallery of Alliance Francaise de Bhopal recently witnessed many city-based artists and art lovers attending to take a look at Kishore Dangle’s artwork at the exhibition titled Bhav Anil Gulati exhibits his photographs titled Ode To Nature at Swaraj Bhawan in Bhopal Bhopalites got to witness various aspects of Mother Nature when Anil Gulati showcased his collection of photographs titled Ode To Nature at Swaraj Bhawan recently. Madhya Pradesh Human Rights Commission issues fresh notices to collector, SP Serving notices, the commission also sought a report of the programme within three days. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		'We are not just muscle, we can govern too' Fifteen under-30 citizens of Chandigarh joined the discussions on the second day of TOI's initiative under the I Lead India campaign to create a Youth Manifesto. Armed with vote, youth pledge to be changemakers Members of TOI's Youth Brigade, formed as part of the I Lead India campaign to motivate youth to exercise their franchise, got 125 youngsters to pledge to cast vote on April 10. HC asks UT to pay compensation every month The division bench headed by Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul also appointed maternal grandmother of the children, Saroj Devi, as the guardian who would be entitled to receive the compensation amount. More Chandigarh News»

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