News Digest: Anti-dowry law to be amended, will allow room for compromise

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Thursday, May 14, 2015
		Today's Headlines

		India
		Anti-dowry law to be amended, will allow room for compromise Government has made up its mind to make the cases of cruelty or harassment of women at the hands of husband and in-laws a compoundable offence. SC pulls up Centre, Assam, Guwahati HC on migrants issue All dragging feet on illegal migrant determination and boundary fencing, SC said. CBI questions Baidyanath promoters over coal block allotment The promoters of herbal drugmaker Baidyanath Ayurved Bhavan were examined by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in relation to a coal block allocation case on Wednesday. More India News»

		Business
		Modi will push China to cut trade deficit Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to pitch for concrete steps from China to check the growing trade deficit as India’s neighbour has failed to act on a series of measures it promised over the past few years. At $2.6bn, Tatas' R&D spend up 28% in 3 years In what could be the highest research and development (R&D) expenditure by an Indian conglomerate, the salt-to-software Tata Group spends Rs 16,000 crore, or $2.6 billion, on innovations as the Cyrus Mistry-led enterprise bets big on new technologies to boost growth. IOC, GAIL in gas deal with Adani Flagship oil refiner and marketer IndianOil and gas utility GAIL have inked a deal with an Adani Group firm for booking capacity at a liquid gas import terminal in Odisha, with the option of taking equity in the project at a later stage. More Business News»

		Environment
		UK set for war on NO2 emissions London and Delhi may be poles apart in character, but they have a common problem— deteriorating air quality. Congress to oppose NDA's move to change green laws Government may be in a hurry to bring changes in existing green laws to make them in sync with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s development goals, but its plan to bring amendments in environment laws will hit the opposition wall in Rajya Sabha where the NDA does not have numbers. Breakup fears for massive Antarctic ice shelf: study The largest ice shelf in the Antarctic peninsula is being thinned by warmer seas and air and could catastrophically break up, scientists said on Wednesday. More Environment News»

		World
		Army general in Burundi says president is ousted An army general said on a private radio station in Burundi on Wednesday that President Pierre Nkurunziza's mandate is over, however whether he had the support of the military was unclear as gunfire echoed in the streets. Dutch court clears man who helped his old mother die Judges in Arnhem said Albert Heringa should not be prosecuted for helping his mother die in 2008. Vatican recognizes state of Palestine in new treaty The Vatican has officially recognized the state of Palestine in a new treaty. More World News»

		Entertainment
		PIC: Ajay Devgn's first look from 'Shivaay' In Hollywood, it’s common for studios to release their first look much in advance. In a first in India, the savvy star Ajay Devgn has released his first look exclusively with the Bombay Times. Ranbir Kapoor thinks I am his toy: KJo Just like me, I am sure many of you may also have had difficulty in understanding how and why Anurag Kashyap could have chosen Karan Johar to play the main villain in his period romance Bombay Velvet. At that time, it seemed as Anurag’s height of imagination. However, people who have seen Karan in the role of Kaizad Khambatta, the man who is responsible for the rise and fall of Johnny Balraj (played by Ranbir Kapoor) are applauding Karan for his outstanding debut. Over a conversation with Bombay Times, he spoke about the influence of Shah Rukh Khan in his acting, his guilt towards Anushka Sharma and why he loves Ranbir Kapoor. Excerpts. Shahid Kapoor to play a singer in 'Udta Punjab'? Shahid is said to play the role of a singer in the film and has a very interesting look. More Entertainment News»

		Science
		Unsinkable boats now closer to reality Boats of the future may not sink despite damage to their structure, thanks to a new light weight composite material developed by researchers from Deep Springs Technology (DST) and the New York University Polytechnic School of Engineering, including one of Indian-origin. Breaking news: Weather updates for alien planets Scientists have uncovered evidence of weather cycles on six extra-solar planets, seen to exhibit different phases, using the Kepler space telescope. Have an iron grip? You may live longer A firm hand shake is often associated with a strong character. Researchers now say that it could also predict how long you will live. More Science News»

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		Technology
		11 likely features of next iPhone The next iPhone’s unveiling is more than a quarter away but that doesn’t stop the rumour mill from churning out new information related to Apple’s upcoming flagship(s). TCS, Wipro, Infosys face trouble in Europe Europe, widely seen as the next big frontier for India's $146 billion IT industry, is fast proving to be a vulnerable spot for the country's top software firms. Micromax YU Yuphoria first impressions We spent some time with the Yu Yuphoria and here are our first impressions of the phone… More Technology News»

		Education
		RTE admissions start in 110 schools after notice Tough talking by the Nagpur education department’s top boss seems to have done the trick for Right to Education (RTE) admission stalemate. PIL wants single window admissions under RTE Striking at the very root of the fundamental right of underprivileged children to free and compulsory education, an association of private schools has decided not to admit students under the RTE Act, a PIL said. It also wants RTE admissions to be made into a transparent online single window exercise. Visva-Bharati is B-grade: NAAC rating The Visva-Bharati of Rabindanath Tagore’s dreams is stumbling through a nightmare. The hallowed campus that once drew students and researchers from abroad has only managed a measly B-rating from National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). More Education News»

		Mumbai
		All new buildings in Maha may have wi-fi facility Following the Centre’s ‘Digital India’ lead, the Maharashtra government plans to make it mandatory for new residential buildings to provide wi-fi connectivity to all residents. Unique protest: Residents to host festival to save Aarey on May 24 As the municipal corporation busies itself correcting the development plan, residents around Goregaon have decided to keep Aarey at the centre of the agitation to make Mumbai a livable city. Month on, state yet to start electrical wire audit in buildings Even a month after the Centre directed all states to make audit certification of electrical wires by chartered safety engineers in every building mandatory, Maharashtra has neither issued a circular nor started the process of appointing the panels of chartered engineers. As a result, several old structures becoming potential fire hazards as old wirings and circuits remain neglected. More Mumbai News»

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		Bangalore
		Bengaluru's Kasturinagar residents smell a tender fraud in road work Residents of Kasturinagar, east Bengaluru, are puzzled why a newly blacktopped road in the area needs to be asphalted again, in less than a month. Kannada may be mandatory in four undergraduate semesters The state government is hell-bent on proving its pro-Kannada credentials. The higher education council on Wednesday approved a proposal to make Kannada a mandatory subject in the first four semesters of undergraduate courses. Karnataka still mulling over appeal in Jaya case Even as pressure mounts on Karnataka to file a an appeal in the Supreme Court against the high court verdict acquitting former Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa and three others in the disproportionate assets case, the state government is keeping its cards close to its chest. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		Poultry breeders rue delay in notifying diseases A day after authorities ruled out bird flu as the reason for the death of thousands of birds in a city farm, the poultry industry sought to blame the government for its delay in notifying emerging avian diseases. The mystery disease killed another 1,200 birds on Wednesday , taking the total death count to over 14,000 in the last 10 days at the farm in Injapur village, 2 km from Thorur village which was hit by bird flu. Former Eflu VC Maurya gets CBI clean chit Abhay Maurya, former vicechancellor of the English and Foreign Languages University (Eflu) was given a clean chit by a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after an inquiry into the faculty appointments conducted during his term. HC notice to unions for contempt of court Hours before the two state governments agreed to the demands of the RTC employees, leading to an end to the 8-day agitation, a special vacation bench of the Hyderabad High Court issued showcause notices to all RTC employee union leaders directing them to explain why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against them for willfully flouting the court's order. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		Manufacturing defect costs bike firm Rs 1.56 lakh Selling a bike with "inherent manufacturing defect" has cost Royal Enfield. A district consumer disputes redressal forum in Chennai has slapped the manufacturer and its city-based dealer with a fine of Rs 53,000, along with a direction to refund Rs 1.03 lakh as the cost of the bike. Repair work on New Avadi Road poses risk to Chennai's motorists Motorists on New Avadi Road are at risk of skidding and falling, as repair work over the past one week has left a 200m stretch in a mess. Slow train coming: Hold-ups cut express speed to 15kmph in Chennai Travelling by train into the city can be slower than a trip by car on the crowded roads of Chennai during peak hour. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		Govt sets up team for 11 new education channels The state government has set up a seven-member committee to air 11 new education channels which will be set up through BISAG (Bhaskaracharya Institute for Space Applications and Geo-Informatics) for long distance education. DGP stresses on cybercrime detection skills At a crime conference organized in the DGP office in Gandhinagar on Wednesday, DGP P C Thakur stressed on the development of detection skills in cybercrime. The DGP addressed police commissioners, SPs, Range IGPs and additional DGPs at the conference. Parties vie for best delimitation deal The Ahmedabad District Collectorate has finalized new delimitation proposal for Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) and has sent it to the State Election Commission for the necessary action. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		Construction of JK Institute annexe to start soon The incomplete annexe of JK Institute of Allahabad University may soon witness its completion. But the delay of four years has increased the cost of the project by around Rs 10 lakh. Arsenic found in tubewell water The onset of summer has led to depletion of ground water. However, the district administration is yet to devise a plan to keep a tab on tubewell borings in areas where it is banned. PCS re-exam papers transported in unprotected vehicle Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) again failed to make foolproof arrangements for sending question papers of the re-examination of leaked general studies I question paper of PCS (prelims)-2015. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		Cuttack turns blind eye to unsafe buildings Almost a year after the district and civic authorities identified nearly 500 unsafe government and private buildings here, the administration has done precious little to demolish them in the thousand-year-old city - and is thereby waiting for a disaster to happen. 29 Odisha colleges to offer teacher training The state government on Tuesday decided to increase the number of government colleges offering BEd and MEd courses from the proposed 14 to 29 after a meeting with university functionaries and college principals here. Scanned answer sheets for Plus II science students Students who appeared for the Plus II science examination this year can get scanned copies of their answer-sheets online for a fee, Council of Higher Secondary Education (CHSE) chairman Basudev Chhatoi said here on Tuesday. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		Father attacks kids with scissors, minors critical A 38-year-old man made a murderous assault on his children in Subhash Colony on Wednesday evening, but braveheart son saved his and sister's life from the man. Three killed in Madhya Pradesh cracker factory blast, 12 houses gutted At least three workers were killed and four injured in a blast which ripped through an illegal firecracker factory in Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday, police said. Counselling begins for hotel mgt, pharmacy & architecture Directorate of technical education will start counselling for admission to pharmacy, architecture and hotel management courses in state from Thursday. Counseling will end on June 10. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		Sidhu chosen for Swachh Abhiyan, Akalis go into a sulk The move by Punjab BJP minister Anil Joshi, whose brother was recently attacked by a group of Akali Dal workers in Tarn Taran, to nominate former cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu for the NDA government’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyan campaign hasn’t gone down well with its ally SAD. Sidhu is one of the nine nominees from Punjab. Crucial witness in Asaram son rape case shot at A key witness in the case of sexual abuse against religious preacher Asaram’s son Narayan Sai on Wednesday survived an attempt on his life by unidentified gunmen. Unidentified men shoot 26-yr-old youth in Barwala Unidentified armed men shot a 26-year-old youth in broad daylight at the bus stand in Barwala town of Hisar district on Wednesday. In protest, family members of the victim blocked Chandigarh-Hisar highway along with Barwala residents. They kept the body on the road and demanded action against the assailants. More Chandigarh News»

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