News Digest

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Wednesday, April 16, 2014
		Today's Headlines

		India
		Sulking Advani, Sushma give Karnataka rallies a miss The absence of top BJP leaders L K Advani and Sushma Swaraj from Karnataka in the run-up to the April 17 elections has upset the state unit of the party. Five-hour wait for Jaya Prada, then disappointment Excited by the chance of getting a glimpse of the actress, villagers gathered early at the college where the rally was scheduled to be held. Congress sees plot to tarnish Gandhis as inconsistencies in book surface Smarting from PM’s former media adviser Sanjaya Baru’s allegations that Sonia Gandhi undercut Manmohan Singh’s authority , Congress leaders feel that glaring inconsistencies expose a deep set anti-Gandhi family bias. More India News»

		Business
		Diageo uncorks $1.9b offer to control USL British drinks giant Diageo Plc is for the second time, within 12 months, gunning for a majority stake in India's largest distiller, United Sprits Ltd (USL). Ben rejects Rajan's charge on QE impact Former chairman of the US Federal Reserve Ben Bernanke chose Mumbai to extensively rebut Reserve Bank of India governor Raghuram Rajan's charge that quantitative easing in the West was laying the seeds of another crisis by triggering a savings glut in emerging markets. Inflation surges to 3-month high of 5.7% Inflation rose to a three-month high in March on the back of rising food prices, reversing a trend of moderation and stoking fresh worries for policymakers battling to stamp out price pressures. More Business News»

		Environment
		Asian air pollution affecting Northern Hemisphere's weather patterns Air pollution in China and other Asian countries is generating sweeping impact on weather patterns across the Northern Hemisphere, it has been revealed. 15-ft-long king cobra caught in Andhra Pradesh released in forest The veterinarians, who examined the rare reptile, found it to be pregnant, forest officials said. China set to elevate environment over development in new law Smog-hit China is set to pass a new law that would give Beijing more powers to shut polluting factories and punish officials, and even place protected regions off-limits to industrial development, scholars with knowledge of the situation said. More Environment News»

		World
		West Africa Ebola outbreak death toll rises to 121 An outbreak of Ebola in West Africa has been linked to the deaths of more than 120 people, according to the latest World Health Organization count. Iraq shuts Abu Ghraib prison over security fears Iraq has closed Abu Ghraib prison, made infamous by Saddam Hussein's regime and US forces, due to security concerns following a mass breakout last year, the justice ministry said Tuesday. Mini-sub to search again for MH370 A mini-sub hunting missing Flight MH370 was set to sweep the Indian Ocean seabed again on Tuesday after cutting short its first mission, as Malaysia vowed to reveal any 'black box' data found. More World News»

		Entertainment
		One day Dad will be known as Alia Bhatt's father: Alia Bollywood newbies Arjun Kapoor and Alia Bhatt put on a show of fine camaraderie when they came to Jaipur. Bollywood actresses in see-through outfits Item girls slam politicians for comparing them to Arvind Kejriwal Recently, many politicians, for reasons best known to them, have compared Arvind Kejriwal with item girls More Entertainment News»

		Science
		Sperms carry stress from dads to kids: Study Men may not only pass traits to their offspring, but some stress too! Bye street light: Now, a road in Netherlands that glows in dark A first glow-in-the-dark 'smart highway' spanning 500 metres has been developed to replace street lights in the Netherlands. Has Saturn given birth to new satellite? Nasa's Cassini spacecraft has documented the formation of a small icy object within the rings of Saturn that may be a new moon probably no more than half a mile in diameter. More Science News»

		Sports
		Players happy with Dada owning team Players Syed Rahim Nabi and Ishfaq Ahmed welcomed Sourav Ganguly's decision to co-own the Kolkata franchise in anticipated Indian Super League. Lukas helps Arsenal regain top four spot Arsenal came from behind to keep alive their hopes of qualifying for Champions League as Lukas Podolski's double inspired a vital 3-1 win over West Ham United. 'Misbehave & you won't make WC squad' Italy coach Cesare Prandelli has warned that players won't be considered for the FIFA World Cup if they are sent off or caught misbehaving in club matches. More Sports News»

		Technology
		Samsung Galaxy S5 review: Good, but no wow factor Galaxy S5 has (almost) everything you can ask for in a smartphone. Yet, there is something missing. Infosys guides for lower growth in 2014-15 Infosys expects its dollar revenue to grow 7%-9% in the 2015 financial year, largely in line with market expectations. Amazon to unveil 3D smartphone in June: WSJ According to WSJ, this smartphone will have four front-facing cameras that will track the user’s retina to “make some images appear in 3D, similar to a hologram.” More Technology News»

		Education
		New courses for retiring defence personnel's second career New courses including management programmes to assist defence personnel adopt a second career after retirement have been started by the directorate general of resettlement (DGR). Private institutions welcome UGC order on new engineering colleges Private engineering colleges have welcomed the direction of the University Grants Commission which says that no new engineering colleges will be allowed to start in the coming academic year. IGNOU Nagpur triples enrolment over last year The Nagpur regional centre of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has tripled its enrollment compared to last year due to its expanding study centres and course innovations. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		Filmi Mahesh Manjrekar regales gathering with story Mahesh Manjrekar loves to add a dash of filmi masala to the otherwise dull proceedings of a campaign meeting Inspection of BHEL rakes to be sought After a TOI report about the frequent fire issues with Bharat Heavy Electrical Ltd (BHEL) rakes on Tuesday, the commissioner of railway safety (CRS), central circle, decided to take up the matter with the Central Railway (CR). Phase 2: Cong-NCP on back foot in Maharashtra  With the campaigning for the second phase of polling in the state for 19 Lok Sabha seats in Marathwada and Western Maharashtra ending on Tuesday, the Congress-NCP combine appeared to be demoralised in the wake of predictions that the NDA was headed for a clear majority and the sensational disclosures made by the Prime Minister's ex-media advisor Sanjay Baru and former coal secretary P C Parakh. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		Gas shortage cripples power plants in capital The Delhi government's 1500MW gas-based plant in Bawana has been in the news for the past few years because of the gas crisis. Govt school seeds its best in 'cloud' In a tiny room in a south Delhi government school, runs another school "in the cloud". 'Transgenders can enter mainstream' For long, transgenders have been an oppressed sexual minority in India. But the Supreme Court's landmark judgment on Tuesday is set to end the exploitation of the transgender community by giving them their most basic human rights. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		You will be inked on the left thumb Voters in Karnataka will be inked on their left thumb this Lok Sabha election. The state’s 28 constituencies will vote on Thursday. You will be inked on the left thumb Voters in Karnataka will be inked on their left thumb this Lok Sabha election. The state’s 28 constituencies will vote on Thursday. Transgenders celebrate Supreme Court verdict Transgenders in the city are an ecstatic lot.Welcoming the Supreme Court decision to recognize them as the third gender, they are now convinced of getting justice and more importantly, being treated as equals. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		Congress rebels face expulsion The stage is set for the suspension of Palvai Sravanthi, daughter of Congress Rajya Sabha member Palvai Goverdhan Reddy, who filed her nomination as a rebel candidate from Munugodu constituency in Nalgonda district.  Kanumuri Bapiraju faces uphill task in Narsapuram Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) chairman Kanumuri Bapiraju is seen more in Tirumala than in his hometown of Narsapuram in the last three years.  10 doctors in the poll fray from Mahbubnagar About 10 physicians are contesting this general elections from the backward district of Mahbubnagar where diarrhoea outbreaks and snakebites kill scores of people every year. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		Actress Ramya Krishnan gets Rs 5 lakh for defunct generator Raging arguments, rebuttal, struggle and finally victory. Actress Ramya Krishnan might have starred in several films with similar themes but this was a real-life win. Accident lands car thieves in police net A gang of four men, including an engineering college student, stole a car at a multiplex on ECR on Monday night and were trying to drive away when they were nabbed. Suspects in doctor murder to stay in jail for now Four suspects in the September 2013 murder of neurosurgeon Dr S D Subbiah were detained under the stringent Goondas Act on Monday hours before their bail petition was to be heard by a court in Saidapet. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		AAP's Patan candidate moves Gujarat high court Gujarat high court on Tuesday issued notices to the returning officer of Patan Lok Sabha constituency and chief election officer over a petition filed by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Atul Patel whose candidature was rejected during the scrutiny of forms. Did LeT approach jail official for Sabarmati tunnel? An FIR has been filed against four jail officials. Their conduct in trying to hide the real length of the tunnel, which was closed at 42 ft after detection, is suspect. Gujarat University sanctions additional section in science colleges Gujarat University (GU) has decided to allow science colleges affiliated to it to have an extra division each run on self-financed basis. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		Devotees throng temples on Hanuman Jayanti Hanuman Jayanti was celebrated with religious fervour in various temples of the city on Tuesday. North Central Railway observes Dr Ambedkar's birth anniversary North Central Railway observed birth anniversary of the architect of Constitution Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar at Arrawali gallery at NCR headquarters in Subedarganj. Nine contestants file papers for two Lok Sabha seats Nine contestants, including Congress, BSP and SP candidates, filed nomination papers at the district election office on Tuesday amidst tight security measures. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		Puri assembly candidates ignore tourism issue An unclean beach, the damaged Marine Drive and overflowing drains of seaside hotels cut a sorry picture of tourism hub Puri. Rahul Gandhi keeps mum on Posco Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Monday visited Jagatsinghpur for the first time since the Posco steel project was proposed in the district in 2005.But he did not utter a word on the proposed mill. Arjun Sethi eyes 8th win from Bhadrak When the BJD candidate from Bhadrak parliamentary seat Arjun Sethi went to file his nomination papers, only a handful of party workers accompanied him. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		Saffron surge causes cracks in palace, but royalty holds sway in Guna The royalty still holds a sway over large parts of Shivpuri and Guna even though the Scindia kingdom is history. Victory without sweat is a walkover: Priyadarshini Raje She was in Verve's best-dressed hall of fame. She also made it to Femina's list of top-50 most beautiful women. But Priyadarshini Raje, wife of Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, prefers to skirt the arc lights. Bargi MLA's son gets clean chit in pre-poll violence case "In fact Belkheda town inspector Rajak also confirmed that Neeraj was not part of the party campaign team that got into scuffle with the Congress workers on the day, but was 30 km away on a private errand. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		Buoyant INLD to go it alone in Haryana assembly polls Encouraged by the response in the Lok Sabha elections, INLD has decided to contest the upcoming assembly polls in Haryana on its own.  Miscreants open fire at Congress leader's office A few unidentified people opened fire at the office of Congress leader Karamjit Singh Rintu in Amritsar. Funny man gives AAP serious chance in Sangrur There are certain things some of us just can’t help. Bhagwant Mann, for instance, can’t help being funny. Even when he is dead serious. More Chandigarh News»

		To manage your newsletter subscription settings, click here	Other Newsletters from TOI : Movie Reviews | Life & Style | Top Headlines