News Digest: Gujarat Inc embarks on African safari

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Tuesday, April 28, 2015
		Today's Headlines

		India
		Gujarat Inc embarks on African safari Gujarat-based firms are going all out to tap the growing African markets. Mumbai: 8 Pak nationals caught with drugs in police custody The Yellow Gate police produced eight Pakistani nationals, arrested with 232 kg heroin worth Rs 6.93 crore, before a court on Monday. The magistrate remanded them in police custody till May 5. Maharashtra plans world-class water sports facility at Versova A water sport facility along the lines of international standards could come up at Versova beach, if things go to plan. More India News»

		Business
		Govt set to simplify new I-T return form The government is set to rework the controversial tax return form, which requires disclosure of details of personal spending during overseas trips and local bank accounts. Fix call drop and billing problems: Govt to telcos The government on Monday told the telecom operators to improve service, address the problem of frequent call drops and bring in transparency in billing. FIIs seek MAT clarity on non-treaty nations Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) have raised fresh doubts over implications of minimum alternate tax (MAT) even as the government takes measures to allay their fears on these controversial claims. More Business News»

		Environment
		'Strange govt not accepting studies linking mortality to pollution' A house panel on Monday said it was "strange" that environment ministry was not ready to "accept" studies linking mortality with air pollution as it recommended restricting use of personal vehicles through an efficient and cost effective public transport system. Relocation of villages: Tiger population up in ATR Tiger population in Achanakmar Tiger Reserve (ATR) has gone up from a dozen in 2011 to 28 now, following successful relocation of half a dozen villages from core area of the reserve. Scientists find 13 exotic freshwater species in Tamil Nadu A recent survey conducted to explore the fauna of aquatic Oligochaeta (freshwater worms) has identified 13 species from a few districts of Tamil Nadu, pointing to the need for further study of the species which is considered a bio-indicator. More Environment News»

		World
		Maryland governor declares state of emergency The governor of Maryland has declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard to help with the violence and rioting in Baltimore. World 'closer than ever' to Iran nuclear deal: John Kerry The world is "closer than ever" to reaching a comprehensive nuclear deal with Iran but the work is far from over, with key issues unresolved, Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday told a global gathering on nuclear disarmament, where he and Iran's foreign minister met on the sidelines. 'Germany knew Ukraine flight dangers before MH17 crash' Berlin knew the risks of flying over war-torn east Ukraine before Flight MH17 was shot out of the sky last year but did not inform German airlines, local media reported. More World News»

		Entertainment
		Virat tops Times 50 Most Desirable Men The Times 50 Most Desirable Men, in association with SRM Sivaji Ganesan Film Institute, is India’s pick of the men who have it all — the looks, the bodies and the charm. For Virat, Anushka is the most desirable woman India has voted and chosen the Times 50 Most Desirable Men of 2014. The 20.3 lakh votes received online on www.itimes.com/polls along with our vote decided the winners. There are no surprises for guessing that this time the winner is the cricket run-machine for India, the young man with the swagger Virat Kohli. Is Sana Saeed faking an affair on 'Nach Baliye'? The current buzz in the television industry is that Sana Saeed, who's a part of Nach Baliye, is faking a relationship with her dancing partner Dipesh Patel. More Entertainment News»

		Science
		Obesity in pregnancy puts child at diabetes risk: Study Women who are obese while pregnant may put their offspring at risk of childhood diabetes, a condition that requires lifelong insulin therapy, Swedish researchers said Tuesday. Want to print the internet? You need 136bn sheets of paper UK scientists have calculated that the entire internet can be printed on 136 billion sheets of standard 8-by-11 paper.  First HIV self-test kit on sale in UK The world’s first legally approved HIV self-test kit that reveals results in 15 minutes has gone on sale in Britain. More Science News»

		Sports
		Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Kings XI Punjab by 20 runs Trent Boult took three wickets for 19 runs to help Sunrisers Hyderabad defend a 150-run total and register a 20-run victory against Kings XI Punjab. Anurag Thakur slams N Srinivasan on bookie issue Anurag Thakur took to twitter to defend himself against the charges and wrote a letter to Srinivasan regarding the ICC advisory based on 'unverified information'. India not to bid for 2024 Olympic Games: IOC chief International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach has put an end to the speculation that India might bid for 2024 Olympics after meeting PM Narendra Modi. More Sports News»

		Technology
		5 smart ways to identify hackers Read on for the most common methods used by hackers along with tips on how to avoid being duped.. Capgemini buys Igate for $4.04 billion French IT giant Capgemini is acquiring Nasdaq-listed Igate for $4.04 billion -- in one of the biggest M&As in the IT services space to take on rivals like IBM and Accenture. Trai website down, Anonymous India claims responsibility In a series of tweets, Anonymous India claimed responsibility for bringing down train.gov.in and also warned that the site will soon be hacked. More Technology News»

		Education
		Schools can cancel this year's RTE admission to pre-primary section: Maharashtra edu dept In yet another change of decision, the state school education department has allowed schools to cancel admission of Right to Education (RTE) seats in the pre-primary section. 'Check tricks schools use to achieve 100% Class X result' With annual examination results being announced, academicians and mental health experts are worried about schools holding back students in large numbers after Class IX to ensure a perfect result in the board exams. Mumbai: For JEE (Main) state 'top scorer', it's pure sciences Sankalp Gaur from DAV Public School, Pune, probably the highest scorer from the state in the JEE (Main) exam, the results of which were announced on Monday, wishes to pursue pure sciences and aims to get into the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, and not the IITs like his colleagues. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		MET trustee urges HC to let SIT probe property misuse by Bhujbal Sunil Karve, co-founder trustee of Chhagan Bhujbal’s Mumbai Education Trust (MET) in Bandra, urged the Bombay HC through his counsel to let the court-appointed special probe team investigate allegations of misuse of trust property by the NCP man. SC accepts settlement in Parsi 'renegade' priests' case On Monday, the Supreme Court accepted a compromise reached by the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) and two prominent Parsis, Jamsheed Kanga and Homi Khusrokhan, in the matter of the “renegade” priests, Framroz Mirza and Khushroo Madon. 'Green' buses to give Bandra-Kurla Complex services a lift Environment-friendly hybrid buses will operate in the Bandra-Kurla Complex by early next year. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development (MMRDA) has floated tenders for 25 air-conditioned electric or hybrid diesel-electric buses. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		Helpline plea on burning waste An additional affidavit was filed on Monday in Vardhaman Kaushik’s application against high air pollution levels in the city. Wi-Fi in 1,000 places by February The Aam Aadmi Party government on Monday said that it would provide 1,000 Wi-Fi hotspots by February 2016 across the capital city. Woman found hanging, note blames stalker The body of a 35-year-old woman was found hanging at her home in southeast Delhi's Badarpur area. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		Bengaluru-Ernakulam Express accident case: Three months on, no action against guilty It's almost three months since nine passengers were killed when the Bengaluru-Ernakulam Express derailed near Bidiragere in Anekal. Yet no one has been brought to book in what was a textbook case of dereliction of duty. Basketball champion from slum to get helping hand Karnataka State Basketball Association secretary K Govindraj, MLC, promised help to Nasreen Makandar, a 14-year-old slum girl from %Vijayapura. JEE results out, cutoff dips by 10 marks The cutoff marks for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main, the entry point for admission to IITs, NITs and other centrally funded institutes, have come down by 10 marks this year. From 115 last year, it has slipped to 105 out of 360 marks. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		HC sets Dec. 15 deadline for GHMC polls Elections to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) should be held by December 15 this year, the high court directed the Telangana government on Monday. Parking contractors looting motorists A special drive conducted by the Hyderabad traffic police found GHMC contractors are collecting in an arbitrary manner parking fees from people, who are kept in the dark about the official fee. RR dist tops, Nalgonda at bottom Intermediate second year pass percentage in Telangana marginally increased to 61.41%, compared to the previous year’s 60.14%, as authorities declared the results on Monday. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		Ex-policeman's wife robbed of 8-sovereign gold In a case of attention diversion, a young woman stole an eight-sovereign gold chain from a retired policeman’s wife in an MTC bus near Royapettah on Monday morning. Deserted by jumbo herd, calf fights odds A six-month-old calf that an elephant herd abandoned in the Kanyakumari forests late last year and rejected again a few months later when foresters attempted to reunite them is battling multiple health complications in a rare display of survival instinct in the city’s zoo. HC rejects VHP demand to stay Kamal movie The Madras high court has quashed a petition by Vishwa Hindu Parishad which sought a ban on Kamal Hassan Starrer ‘Uthama Villain’ on the grounds that one of its songs belittled Hindu religious sentiments. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		Wait for kesar to get longer Mango lovers will have to wait a little longer to savour kesar from Junagadh as the arrival of the fruit has been delayed by a fortnight in the main Talala market. Granny helps cancer survivor meet Kohli Standing on the terrace of his house in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, Siddhant Dubey was low-spirited after being diagnosed with cancer. At 60, it's time to travel for Gujarat retirees Dr Pravin Chauhan, 67, and his wife, Kiran, 60, just returned from an adventure trip to Antarctica and South America. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		Lichchavi passengers looted near Manauri Armed dacoits looted passengers travelling in Lichchavi Express between Manauri and Bamrauli railway stations on Kanpur-Allahabad route of North Central Railway on Friday morning. Allahabad University student sculpts 3,000 kgs hammer Son of a poor peasant of a small village at Nagaipur of Baheria block in Allahabad proved his mettle in the first sculpture that he has made. He and five others have made a hammer weighing over 3,000 kgs. Free wi-fi facility at Civil Lines Bus Depot soon The Civil Lines Bus Depot of the city would become the first public place to be equipped with wi-fi services. Uttar Pradesh Road Transport Corporation, in collaboration with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has came out with the proposal to equip the depot for better internet connectivity. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		Extra safety shield for the elderly The commissionerate of police have decided to strengthen the "senior citizen security cells" (SCSCs) in police stations here.At present, the SCSCs function in 10 police stations. NDRF ready for Ground Zero duty Over 150 personnel of 3rd National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) battalion at Mundali in Cuttack district are ready to join the relief and rescue operations in earthquake-devastated Nepal. Lens on illegal constructions Only last week, the state government asked the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) to act against unauthorized constructions, keeping in mind the hazards during natural calamities. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		MPPEB scam: Delhi high court stays arrest of Mr X by Madhya Pradesh STF In a new twist in Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board (MPPEB) scam investigations, Delhi high court has on Monday stayed arrest of scam whistle-blower Prashant Pandey . Brace for searing heat, temp likely to go up 2 degrees Summers in state capital will get harsher by month-end. Temperature is expected to rise by at least two degrees from current mark and is likely to stay at that level. Hospital on Wheels to roll into city in May Lifeline Express, a hospital on wheels, will pull into the city on May 9 to render free healthcare service to patients. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		Belgian Scholar delivers historic note on Sikh soldiers' role in World Wars A renowned scholar and researcher from Belgium Dominiek Dendoovan gave presentation on the `Role of the Sikhs in World War I’ at Khalsa College of Education (KCE) here on Monday. Medical college students protest shift of exam centre to Patiala Students from the Gian Sagar Medical/Dental College and Hospital on Monday morning held up the traffic on Chandigarh-Patiala Highway, causing hundreds of transport and civil vehicles to be stuck on the route for a couple of hours. Tricity Nepalese collect funds, relief material A day after thousands of people lost their lives and lakhs their houses and businesses after a massive earthquake in Nepal, 12 members of Nepali Welfare Society gathered in their Manimajra office to discuss the relief fund to be sent to the country. More Chandigarh News»

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