News Digest: Bengal BJP lacks credible face

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Sunday, May 03, 2015
		Today's Headlines

		India
		Bengal BJP lacks credible face Enrolling party members by giving a missed call to BJP’s toll free number is much easier than getting votes. Bengal BJP has learnt the lesson the hard way in the recently concluded KMC and municipal polls. Buying spectacles online could be a shortsighted move Glasses ordered online sometimes come with incorrect measurements and the buyer is often responsible for giving wrong prescription. Legalize medical cannabis, activists say Viki Vaurora, a passionate campaign er for medical marijuana, says it is time to bust the myths around the much maligned weed. More India News»

		Business
		Gold skids below Rs 27,000 mark Gold prices plunged sharply and closed below the psychological Rs 27,000 benchmark on the bullion market here on Saturday following frantic unwinding by stockists and speculative traders marred by heightened global volatility. India's forex reserves touch record high at $345bn India's foreign exchange reserves rose $1.4 billion in the week ended April 24 to touch $344.6 billion, creating a new record, the Reserve Bank of India said on Friday. No new bailout needed if debt restructured: Greek FM Yanis Varoufakis insisted Saturday that Greece would not require a new bailout from its international creditors if they would simply restructure its debt. More Business News»

		Environment
		Larks killed in lakhs in Birbhum for delicious meat Bird lovers have sounded the alarm bell on large-scale poaching of a migratory bird in Birbhum. 'Large herbivores face extinction' As per a new study, populations of some of the world's large herbivores are dwindling, raising the threat of an "empty landscape." Environment minister wants green orders to be practical Speaking exclusively to ET, Javadekar refrained from directly commenting on the National Green Tribunal but called for greater consultation on critical issues. More Environment News»

		World
		Islamic State kills some 25 captive Iraqi Yazidis Islamic State group militants shot to death at least 25 captive Yazidis at a prison camp in northern Iraq, a Yazidi lawmaker said Saturday, the latest mass killing carried out by the extremists targeting the sect. 'Maldives democracy at risk after mass arrests' John Kerry said Saturday that democracy was in danger in the Maldives as police made nearly 200 arrests at a protest over the jailing of the paradise islands' ex-president. Suicide attack kills 6 in Baghdad A suicide car bomber today attacked Iraqi forces west of the capital, Baghdad, killing at least six troops, officials said, as the Canadian prime minister paid a surprise visit to Iraq. More World News»

		Entertainment
		Deepika: Thank God, my dad's not like this Shoojit Sircar’s film Vicky Donor touched hearts despite dealing with a quirky subject like sperm donation. Divyanka says no to dance at Karan's sangeet It was an evening filled with many performances as Ankita Bhargava and Karan Patel exchanged rings at their sangeet ceremony. Pak Film Fest cancelled, Bhandarkar upset Bollywood filmmaker, Madhur Bhandarkar, is upset as the Rafi Peer International Film Festival in Lahore has been cancelled. More Entertainment News»

		Science
		Scientists can foretell lightning Scientists can now estimate the months when lightning flashes are likely to be more frequent around Mumbai and Pune so that precautions can be taken to prevent loss of life and property. Extended cosmic ray exposure may leave Mars bound astronauts with dementia Astronauts who have extended mission on Mars may suffer dementia due to the exposure to galactic cosmic ray for long. Keen sense of touch allows bats to fly with precision Bats fly with breathtaking precision because their wings are equipped with highly sensitive touch sensors, cells that respond to even slight changes in airflow, scientists say. More Science News»

		Sports
		Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Chennai Super Kings by 22 runs Sunrisers Hyderabad registered their first victory against Chennai Super Kings at home when they beat the two-time champions by 22 runs in Hyderabad. Edgy Federer survives Schwartzman test in Istanbul Roger Federer survived a stern test from world No. 63 Diego Schwartzman to advance into the final of the Istanbul Open after a tense three set encounter. IPL 8: Mandeep wins an exciting match for RCB against KKR Mandeep Singh kept his cool under pressure as his breathtaking 18-ball-45 enabled Royal Challengers Bangalore pip Kolkata Knight Riders by 7 wickets. More Sports News»

		Technology
		15 accurate predictions Bill Gates made in 1999 In 1999, Bill Gates wrote a book titled "Business @ the Speed of Thought."In the book, Gates makes 15 bold predictions that at the time might have sounded outrageous. All-India MNP deadline delayed by 2 months The Department of Telecom (DoT) has extended the deadline to fully implement the mobile number portability (MNP) across the country by another two months. Wipro plans to cut costs by $300 million in FY16 At a recent Wipro executive meet, CEO TK Kurien articulated an ambitious plan to reduce $300 million from the company’s cost of operations in the current fiscal. More Technology News»

		Education
		Delhi board, separate syllabi for government schools soon: Manish Sisodia In a bid to make a complete overhaul of the school education in Delhi, the AAP government is working towards setting up a state education board. Railway minister Suresh Prabhu to award gold medals to VTU rank holders Visvesvaraya Technological University’s (VTU) 14th convocation is scheduled on 9th May at Jnana-Sangama campus of the varsity in Belagavi. 20 million students affected by teachers' strike in Bihar Nearly 20 million students in Bihar's government-run schools have been affected due to an indefinite teachers' strike in support of over 3.5 lakh contractual teachers, officials said here on Saturday. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		Mumbai in mess as BMC sits on Rs 41k cr cash A little-known secret of the city’s municipal corporation can now finally be told. Mumbai police inspector shot by junior dead In the drama that played itself out inside the Vakola police station premises on Saturday evening, ASI Dilip Shirke (55) shot at his senior inspector Vilas Joshi (53) and his orderly constable Babasaheb Aher with his service revolver before shooting himself dead. City in mess as BMC sits on 41k cr cash A little-known secret of the city’s municipal corporation can now finally be told. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), which daily touches the lives of over 12 million Mumbaikars in some way or the other, is currently sitting on bank deposits totalling a mind-numbing Rs 40,643 crore More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		Rahul homes in on middle class, takes up fight for flat buyers Rahul Gandhi said on Saturday he would support middle-class homebuyers just as he had stood by farmers, lending his voice to the cause of thousands of people in NCR cities plagued by inordinate delays in the delivery of flats. AIIMS exhibition for school kids Schoolchildren got a rare opportunity on Saturday to learn about essential topics of healthcare such as organ and blood donation at a two-day exhibition, Catalyst, organized by MBBS students of AIIMS. Street kids chip in for quake relief Street children have come together to do their bit for victims of the Nepal earthquake. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		Industries in Bengaluru's Whitefield likely to be shoved out An alleged misunderstanding between two government departments more than 60 years ago is threatening the operations of industries located across a vast area in Whitefield. Long weekend: All roads lead to Kodagu On Friday, all roads from Bengaluru and surrounding areas led to the picturesque town of Madikeri, with weekenders packing their bags to make the most of the extended holiday. Complaint filed against ITI principal Students of SEA Industrial Training Institute lodged a police complaint against their principal N Padma Raju on Saturday for allegedly giving corporal punishment to them. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		MLA attacks cops for pulling the plug on blaring baraat Mangalhat MLA Raja Singh allegedly attacked policemen on duty when they tried to stop blaring music, causing nuisance to locals, at Dhoolpet late on Friday night. Proposed EMC awaits nod from Centre At a time when the Andhra Pradesh government is trying to woo investors in the manufacturing sector, the districts of Chittoor and Anantapur in Rayalaseema seem to be stealing a march over the Port City as destinations for the electronics manufacturing sector. IAS officers pile up prime properties When it comes to acquiring immovable properties, IAS officers seem to have the knack of zooming in on upmarket areas or areas that have a near-guaranteed growth prospect. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		Outages unlikely this summer as TNEB bridges gap The city is set for another harsh summer. But, this summer might be the first in seven years without outages. Govt orders on disabled quota under HC scrutiny All government orders in Tamil Nadu allowing or disallowing disabled persons from applying for certain posts in government services have come under judicial scrutiny, with the Madras high court making it clear that it would go through all such orders and circulars to ascertain possible anomalies and discriminations. House painter dies in hosp, family alleges negligence Family members of a 22-year-old house painter who died at the Employee’s State Insurance Corporation hospital in K K Nagar on Saturday morning protested outside the hospital alleging that the hospital staff’s negligence led his death. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		Members oppose Gujarat University notification Some members of the board of studies of Gujarat University on Saturday registered their protest against the notification issued by the university giving powers to the vice-chancellor for appointment of four members to each board of studies. Will persuade Kashmiri Pandits to return: Mufti Jammu & Kashmir chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on Saturday said his government will persuade Kashmiri Pandits to come back and stressed that necessary actions will be taken against those who have unfurled the Pakistani flag in Kashmir Valley. Raids on vendors of plastic cups continue AMC health officials continued their raids on vendors selling plastic cups and poor quality plastic bags. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		NCC cadets prepare for International Yoga Day To celebrate the First International Yoga Day in a big way, at least 5,300 officers and cadets of National Cadet Corps (NCC) of all the universities, colleges and schools would be trained by yoga gurus for a massive exercise to be carried out on June 21. Karwarias' bail plea to be taken up today The bail application of former BSP MP Kapil Muni Karwaria and his brother MLC Suraj Bhan Karwaria in SP MLA Jawahar Yadav murder case will be heard by the additional sessions judge (ASJ) on Thursday. Interviews for principals' post from May 18 The long-awaited interviews for filling 900 vacant posts of principals in aided colleges across the state would start from May 18. More Allahabad News»

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		Bhopal
		Bride refuses to marry drunk groom in Madhya Pradesh's Singrauli district A bride in Madhya Pradesh has refused to marry a groom who reached the marriage venue in an inebriated condition on Friday night. 2 youths nabbed, 14 gold chains recovered in Bhopal Two youths were arrested on Friday and 14 gold chains worth Rs 4 lakh they allegedly looted from posh areas in capital were recovered from them. Coaching camp at Bhopal's BHEL Golf Club from May 4 Golf Club will organise a month long coaching camp from May 4 at golf course situated inside JP Narayanan sports complex. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		15 Punjab teachers to receive awards of Rs 1 lakh each Fifteen teachers – three each in Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, English and Social Science – from government higher secondary and high schools of Punjab have been selected for the Malti Gyan Peeth Puraskar 2015 for promoting quality teaching and encouraging education of girl child in Punjab. Moga teen's kin mourn over her drawings Tucked away in crumbling alley, deceased Moga teen's home in village Landeke was wrapped in an eerie silence on Friday. Punjab Congress to gherao Orbit buses in Mohali Demanding Union food processing industry minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal's resignation, Punjab Congress president Partap Singh Bajwa, on Friday, announced in Moga that Punjab Congress has decided to gherao Orbit company's buses at Mohali from 11am on May 4. More Chandigarh News»

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