News Digest: Rs 100cr likely to be allocated for virtual classrooms

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Thursday, July 03, 2014
		Today's Headlines

		India
		Rs 100cr likely to be allocated for virtual classrooms The Modi government’s first budget is likely to provide for a virtual class room project to provide quality education to students in schools and colleges in villages and small towns. The project is planned with an initial funding of Rs 100 crore. Tar balls hit beaches, fauna and Goa tourism The pre-monsoon churning of currents on the high seas throws up sticky and oily tar balls, which turn people away from Goa’s pristine beaches annually. This May to October menace has grown in magnitude over the last four decades since it was first noticed in the 1970s. NHAI pans UPA over road woes Road transport ministry issued a “whitepaper” on the dismal performance of NHAI while putting all blames on other line ministries during UPA regime. More India News»

		Business
		Ford, Renault hike prices by 1% The excise cut may continue but will your dream car still get a price mark-up soon? So far, Ford and Renault have gone in for a hike — Ford has taken a “marginal increase” of up to 1% on the EcoSport effective July 1, and Renault has announced a 1% price hike across its range. Govt looks at opening coal mining to global competition The government is looking at opening up coal mining to international competition with a proposal to price domestic output on a par with imports ? a move that will increase the cost of power. Apollo Hospitals rejigs management In a surprising development, India’s largest hospital chain Apollo Hospitals said it has elevated two of its founder’s daughters – managing director Preetha Reddy and executive director Shobana Kamineni – to the number two position in the hospital chain by designating them as executive vice-chairpersons. More Business News»

		Environment
		Bor wildlife sanctuary to become country's 47th tiger reserve Bor Wildlife Sanctuary in Maharashtra will become the country's 47th Tiger Reserve with Environment Ministry notifying it as a tiger reserve with an aim to strengthen the conservation efforts of the national animal. Video games may help curb climate change! Video games have the potential to educate public and encourage development of creative solutions to social, economic and environmental problems, according to a new study. Caribbean corals could vanish over next 20 years: Report In the past 40 years alone, 50 Caribbean reefs have been wiped out, a study showed, adding that "most Caribbean coral reefs may disappear in the next 20 years". More Environment News»

		World
		Economist to help UK fight superbug British prime minister David Cameron has warned that the world could be "cast back into the dark ages of medicine" where people die from treatable infections because deadly bacteria are becoming resistant to antibiotics. US discloses secret Somalia military presence US military advisors have secretly operated in Somalia since around 2007 and Washington plans to deepen its security assistance to help the country fend off threats by Islamist militant group al Shabaab, US officials said. US storm Arthur to pack hurricane winds by July 4 Tropical Storm Arthur threatened to douse some July 4 holiday plans on the US East Coast as officials in several states closed beaches and tourist sites and delayed fireworks shows in anticipation of heavy rain and fierce winds. More World News»

		Entertainment
		Varun & I fight because we love each other: Alia Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania, helmed by first-time director Shashank Khaitan, has caught the attention of the audience with its entertaining promos and melodious songs. 'I came close to selling my car' Arif Ali, 39, is the younger brother of the romantic filmmaker Imtiaz Ali. He is curious, experimental and secure. He believes in family and human beings and is not in a hurry to do things. Exclusive: Deepika's first look from Finding Fanny Deepika Padukone’s first look from Homi Adajania’s Finding Fanny. More Entertainment News»

		Science
		Exclusive: Controversial US scientist creates deadly new flu strain for pandemic research A controversial scientist who carried out provocative research on making influenza viruses more infectious has completed his most dangerous experiment to date. Frozen testicle tissue test in mice raises fertility hope For the first time, scientists have produced live offspring from deep frozen testicle tissue in mice, a breakthrough that could pave the way to preserve fertility of men left infertile by childhood cancer treatment. Nasa gets new eye in sky to track carbon pollution Nasa on Tuesday launched a flight dedicated to studying atmospheric carbon dioxide, the leading human-produced gas driving changes in the earth’s climate. More Science News»

		Sports
		Andy knocked out of Big W by Dimitrov Andy Murray's reign as Wimbledon champion came to an end as Grigor Dimitrov clinched a sensational 6-1, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 victory over Murray in the quarterfinals. Can Brazil win the WC without Neymar? Neymar will be fit for Friday's quarterfinal against Colombia, the Brazilian Football Federation have confirmed despite injuries to his thigh and hamstring. Federer in semis after Wawrinka scare Federer avoided joining Wimbledon's growing list of Centre Court casualties as he hit back to reach semis with a 3-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4, 6-4 win over Wawrinka. More Sports News»

		Technology
		We look to India to contribute to our global business: Facebook COO Sounding bullish on India, which is already second biggest market for Facebook with over 100 million users, Sandberg said that the country is one of the “biggest bets” for the social media site. BlackBerry Z3 review: Strictly for messaging junkies Can BlackBerry Z3 be the ailing tech giant's saviour? We try to find out in our review. Indian IT companies may lose high-value projects For Indian software companies, which are recovering from the global economic slowdown, the next big worry could be customers eating the best portion of their lunch. More Technology News»

		Education
		All DU colleges to stay open for second cutoff First the good news. All DU colleges will figure on the second cutoff list to be issued on Thursday. Plus, there will be a significant decrease in cutoffs in the three programme courses— BA, BSc and BCom—restored under the three-year degree programme, as admissions have been slow for them in all colleges. Disabled happy with help at hand Decentralizing the admission process for disabled candidates seems to be going well this year. More line up for admissions The rush at North Campus colleges continued on the second day of admissions. There were more admission-seekers on Wednesday compared to the previous day. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		Shopping site to pay for unwanted gifts n online shopping website has been directed to pay Rs 13,000 compensation to a Parel resident, after it refused to refund Rs 13,499 swiped by its executive for goods that he never ordered. 200 buildings near Juhu airport: PIL questions AAI's nod for building heights Based on International Civil Aviation Organisation standards, the DGCA regulations say a residential building within a radius of 4km of an international airport should be 56.27 m high and that within 2.5 km of the Juhu Airport should be 49.87 m or 15-floor high. Dog in Mulund proves 'Danger'ous to leopard A nine-year-old pet dog, Danger, ferociously fought off a leopard that pounced on him near Mulund Colony on Monday night. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		Govt to clarify officer's rank The Delhi high court on Wednesday asked the Centre to file an affidavit on the plea of a Delhi Police additional DCP against Sanskriti School after the admission of his son was cancelled on the grounds that his father was in Class B service and not Class A service. Court seeks govt, DDA reply on hospital's plea The Delhi high court on Wednesday issued notice to Delhi government and DDA on a plea filed by Rockland Hospital asking the court not to take any coercive steps against it for not providing free treatment to poor patients. Bangalore cop on run after raping Delhi woman A sub-inspector with the Cubbon Park traffic police has been absconding after being accused of raping a woman from Delhi. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		Murder convict got away with 21 killings After allegedly committing 21 murders in Maharashtra, Chandrakant S Sharma migrated to Bangalore where he killed his next victim, helped by his wife and two sons. Congress MLA slaps cops, threatens to strip them For the second time in less than a week, conscientious policemen were at the receiving end of highhanded politicians in their line of duty. Get ready for 7-month vehicle ban on Shiradi Ghat The Shiradi Ghat stretch on the Mangalore-Bangalore National Highway will be blocked for all vehicles for about seven months from October to April to facilitate ugradation of 47 kms at a cost of Rs 152 crore. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		Ailing affair Relations between doctors from Andhra and Telangana are no longer as healthy as they used to be. United till August A month after the official division of the now erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, the AP State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) continues to remain united. Friends, finally? Amid soaring tension between two states, Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu has offered an olive branch to his Telangana counterpart K Chandrasekhar Rao. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		VCK may break away from DMK alliance Ending a eight-year honeymoon, VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan on Wednesday indicated that his party was not likely to continue in the DMK alliance. 19 teams to inspect highrises under construction in Chennai Big tragedies call for big steps-and the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) has just taken one. A Chenda artiste who can play hushed notes 'Chenda' was always known for its loud noise, but when he created peaceful sounds from it, many couldn't believe it. It was a bold step without deviating much from tradition. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		Sanand: Vroom town to boom town Sanand may have shot to fame after Tata Motors drove in its project here. B Abducted minor girl rescued from Vapi, 1 held Fifty-year-old Badiyo Tejaji who had kidnapped an 11-year-old girl from Sardarnagar to marry was arrested from Vapi on Sunday night.The girl is in trauma and trembling at the sight of Badiya. Over 47% fail test for car driving license Those taking driving lessons would do well to concentrate on mastering the more difficult skills as over 47% people appearing in the practical exam for four-wheeler driving license in June this year failed the test. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		'Taraweeh' namaz is a special feature of Ramzan As the holy month of Ramzan has commenced, special arrangements have been made at all mosques of the city for offering 'Taraweeh' prayers. Roads choked as cops go missing Commuters were caught in traffic jams on different routes of the city on Tuesday.In fact, a massive jam was witnessed at Tashkent Marg and adjoining streets on Tuesday morning once St Josephs College was over. Saints' condemn protests by Sai devotees The saints' fraternity in the city has condemned the undemocractic way of protest by Sai devotees in Varanasi.The fraternity said the devotees are taking a healthy debate related to Sai Baba towards an ugly end. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		'Engage students in academic activities' "If you keep the students occupied with academic and extracurricular activities, they won't get time to indulge in unnecessary agitation, the VC told us. Monsoon maladies: Diseases lurk around It may cause rashes and fungal infections.Other diseases that spread during monsoons are gastro-intestinal problems, flu, viral fever, diarrhoea, dysentery and chickenpox as germs grow fast in the humid air, doctors said. Rath row: Minister Rout, outfits back Shankaracharya Senior minister Damodar Rout on Tuesday joined the chorus of protest against the state government's restriction on Shankaracharya disciples' access to chariots on June 29 Rath Yatra in Puri. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		Will retire from politics if proved guilty in MPPEB scam: Chouhan Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday denied any involvement in Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board scam saying he would retire from politics if allegations against him are proved. FM gives party manifesto on houses for poor a miss Seven months ago, BJP in its election manifesto promised 15 lakh new houses for rural and urban poor if it came back to power for a third term. FM spares common man of new taxes Shivraj Singh Chouhan led government in Madhya Pradesh began its third term without levying any new tax on common man in its budget for 2014-15. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		Police collect record of troublemakers The police have begun to chalk out a plan for Panjab University (PU) to check violence in the run-up to the student body elections normally held in September. 32-year-old electrocuted in Sector 21 A 32-year-old servant, Ajay Prakash Shukla, was electrocuted while drilling a hole to drain water from a balcony of his employer's house in Sector 21 on Wednesday. Court drops 'murder attempt' charge against 2 accused Meanwhile, the Chandigarh Police have also not applied for production warrants for Rinku and Gosha until now, claiming that they would procure them on Thursday. More Chandigarh News»

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