News Digest: PDP leader's video embarrasses Mufti govt

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Tuesday, May 26, 2015
		Today's Headlines

		India
		PDP leader's video embarrasses Mufti govt A video clip in which PDP general secretary Nizamuddin Bhat is seen advising women from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir married to former Kashmiri militants to seek financial help from separatist leader and Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has embarrassed the PDP-BJP government in Jammu and Kashmir. 4 soldiers among 7 killed in Valley At least seven people, including four soldiers and two terrorists, were killed in separate attacks in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday. On Modi anniv, trade unions set to announce nationwide strike against labour law changes Eleven trade unions, including RSS-affiliated BMS, are set to announce a nationwide general strike on Tuesday when the Narendra Modi government celebrates its first year in office. More India News»

		Business
		Jaitley to taxmen: Squeeze parallel economy, but be fair Finance minister Arun Jaitley on Monday asked the country’s top income tax officials to squeeze the parallel economy in a free and transparent manner that did not impact the honest taxpayer, and promised to lower taxes to global levels over the next four years and phase out exemptions for the corporate sector. Bank staff to get 15% wage hike as IBA inks pact Around one million employees of 43 banks, including state-owned ones, will get a 15% hike in salaries as the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) on Monday signed a wage agreement with unions and officers’ associations that will impose an additional burden of up to Rs 8,370 crore on lenders. Genpact eyes Syntel acquisition Genpact’s principal shareholder Bain Capital has evaluated the acquisition of Nasdaq-listed IT services firm Syntel, triggering speculation about another billion dollar consolidation move in the IT services industry. More Business News»

		Environment
		Smuggled spotted turtles land in international pet markets The spotted pond turtle also known as black pond turtle (geoclemys hamiltonii) seized in the recent past in Mumbai and various other parts of the country, are in demand in local and international pet markets. Pench villagers build waterhole for wildlife In a unique gesture to celebrate International Biodiversity Day, nine villagers from Turia adjoining Pench Tiger Reserve, constructed a waterhole for wildlife. Project to restore habitat for sloth bears in Jessore Gujarat government has taken up a project to provide better habitat to sloth bears by restoring the ecology of Jessore wildlife sanctuary, where more trees will be planted and unwanted vegetation removed. More Environment News»

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		Entertainment
		B'wood mysteries that remain unsolved even today International hunks & their model girlfriends If you still haven’t come across PDA-packed pics of Bradley Cooper and supermodel Irina Shayk, surely you live on another planet! 6 times when Bollywood handled 'sex' smartly More Entertainment News»

		Science
		Created: First artificial molecular pump Scientists have developed the first man-made molecular pump, which transports key proteins that cells need to function, that could be used to power artificial muscles. 'Antarctic ice loss altering earth's gravity' A sudden and massive ice loss in a previously stable region of Antarctica is causing small changes in the gravity field of the Earth, a new study has found. Brain size influences survival The ones with the biggest brains could indeed be the fittest to survive in this world as researchers have found that in times of crisis, even fish with larger brain sizes have an advantage over their peers. More Science News»

		Sports
		Team India coach to be announced by June 6: Anurag Thakur After a meeting at Jagmohan Dalmiya's residence, Anurag Thakur said Indian team's support staff and Team Director will be announced by June 6. Mumbai Indians celebrate their second IPL triumph A triumphant Mumbai Indians team celebrated their second IPL title at the Wankhede stadium as scores of fans thronged to stadium to cheer for the winners. French Open: Maria Sharapova wins, jeered off court Defending champion Maria Sharapova reached the French Open second round but was jeered by fans after she refused to carry out an on-court interview. More Sports News»

		Technology
		6 tech skills you need to know in 2015 Here are the top six tech skills that Pluralsight has identified as not just “nice to know,” but “need to know,” in 2015. 'Android factory reset doesn't fully erase data' Android’s factory reset option does not let you get rid of all your personal data. Infosys creates healthcare unit HILife In what appears to be an effort to increase its focus on healthcare, Infosys will transfer the healthcare business of its US-based, wholly-owned subsidiary Infosys Public Services to itself. More Technology News»

		Education
		'Elite club' of high scorers shrinks in Mumbai Several city CBSE schools saw their elite club of high scorers shrink in the Class XII exams. 100 Ryan kids results pending Results of 100 students of Greater Noida's Ryan International School who had appeared for CBSE's class XII physical education paper were not declared on Monday. T'puram tops all-India CBSE class XII results Thiruvananthapuram region, which comprises Kerala and Lakshwadeep, achieved the highest pass percentage in CBSE’s class XII board exams with 95.41%. The national pass percentage is 82%. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		25-year-old woman dies in road mishap in Mumbai The D B Marg police booked a female doctor for rash and negligent driving causing the death of a 25-year-old woman, Komal Singh, working in a private firm, while she was going on a bike along with her younger brother. 'Elite club' of high scorers shrinks in Mumbai Several city CBSE schools saw their elite club of high scorers shrink in the Class XII exams. 10 of Surat family die in Mum-Ahmedabad road mishap Ten members of a Surat family, including two minors, were killed when the driver of their minibus fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into a luxury bus on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway at Talasari, around 178km from Mumbai. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		Delhi sizzles at 45.5 deg C as heat pumps into India from Pak Super-hot winds from Pakistan are giving a killer edge to the heat wave which has claimed more than 500 lives across India. Sisodia hails govt's anti-corruption drive Deputy CM Manish Sisodia rates the anti-corruption drive, starting with the crackdown on the “transfer-posting industry”, as a key achievement of the AAP government. He claimed on Monday that the government’s anti-corruption crusade had resulted in higher tax collection in the first 55 days of the current fiscal compared to last year. BJP indicates court order doesn't mean fight is over The AAP government might feel vindicated after the Delhi high court criticized the home ministry’s notification on Monday, but BJP indicated that the fight was far from over. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		No relief, Karnataka students must write 2 tests - CET & ComedK It's official. Second-year PU students aiming to enter private professional colleges will have to continue to write two entrance tests - CET and ComedK. Karnataka CBSE class 12 results drop, fourth in Chennai zone Karnataka's pass percentage in CBSE class 12 exams has slipped this year. Results show the state managed a pass percentage of 95.45 this year, down from 97.5 last time. CID will take lottery inquiry to other states, grill kingpin The criminal investigation department (CID) is examining whether the lottery scam in Karnataka was just one arm of an inter-state racket. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		100 more succumb to sunstroke in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, toll nears 600 About 100 more heat-related deaths were reported from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana on Monday, even as the two states continued to reel under temperatures above forty. Burglar held; Rs 23 lakh worth booty seized The Cyberabad police have arrested a notorious inter-state burglar and recovered Rs 23.63 lakh worth stolen property from his possession. 7 pilgrims killed as car rams into house Seven pilgrims were killed in a road accident at Peddabodnam village of Chagalamarri mandal on National Highway 44 in the wee hours of Monday. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		Five Kasimedu fishermen feared killed at sea Five fishermen who left Kasimedu harbour on Friday afternoon on a fishing trip are feared dead. It is suspected that their boat developed engine failure and they could have drifted away. Chennai to soon sport standard signages Neighbourhoods along the two metro rail corridors will be the first to get standardized signage. Man hit by fleeing killers of VCK man battling for life K Manoharan of Ashok Nagar is unlikely to forget May 20 when VCK chief Thirumavalavan’s personal secretary S Vetriselvan was murdered. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		In rare act, man donates kidney to step-daughter In a rare instance, a man has donated his kidney to his step-daughter. And, with his gesture, Dilip Jain, 52, who runs a grocery business at Nandurbar in Maharashtra, has shed the prefix ‘step’ from the word ‘father’. Sai gets temporary bail from HC Self-styled godman' Asaram's son Narayan Sai, jailed in a rape case, was granted three weeks' temporary bail by Gujarat High Court on Monday to attend to his ailing mother who is scheduled to undergo a surgery later this month. Water park death: Postmortem says youth died of drowning The primary postmortem report of the youth who died in Jal Dhara Water Park cited drowning as the reason behind his death.Tanveer Vandaliya and his friends from Viramgam had come to Jal Dhara Water Park at Kankaria. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		3 killed as train derails near Allahabad Three people were killed and eight others were injured when nine coaches of Jammu-bound Moori Express derailed on the busy New Delhi-Howrah route in Uttar Pradesh on Monday. CBSE class XII results allahabad region Lucknow boy Anirudh Deb of Delhi Public School, Eldeco, bagged first place from Allahabad region in class XII CBSE results by securing 98.4% marks. Of 492 marks out of 500, Aniruddh scored a centum in mathematics, 99 in physics, chemistry and computer science and 95 in English. Allahabad reaches boiling point as mercury touches 47 degrees C Citizens reeled under blistering heat and heat wave as temperature soared to 47 degree Celsius, highest of the season so far, on Sunday. More Allahabad News»

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		Bhopal
		RGPV goes for recheck of OBC students' documents Trust Rajiv Gandhi Proudyigiki Vishwavidyalaya (RGPV) to act in a bizarre manner. Former dalit woman sarpanch refuses to give up fight for school A former dalit woman sarpanch of a panchayat in Morena continues to fight for her dream project- a middle school, proposal for which was passed in a gram sabha on August 15 in 2012, when she was at helm of Purwas Kala panchayat in Morena district. Prime Minister repackaging UPA schemes, says Congress If Congress party is to be believed, Narendra Modi may be the Prime Minister (PM) but his policies are still those formulated by former PM Manmohan Singh. Over past five days, several Congress leaders came to Madhya Pradesh to claim that first-year of NDA government has been “nothing more than repackaging of Dr Manmohan Singh’s policies.” On Monday, AICC spokesperson Rita Bahuguna Joshi claimed that even the Modi Centre’s Jan Dhan Yojana was launched by erstwhile UPA government. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		Punjab hopes for Rs 490 cr from diesel cess may go up in flames Punjab government's move to impose extra cess on diesel to mop up additional Rs 490 crore could be in keeping with its "myopic" approach of losing out on long-term revenue growth vis-à-vis its neighbour Haryana. Accused in fake degree scam were planning their own varsities A month after Mansa police busted a fake degree racket being run by a Nagaland-based university, it emerged on Monday that two of its Punjab-based conduits were vying to start two new universities of their own and even applied for the same to Nagaland government in 2013. No HC relief for govt guest teachers The Punjab and Haryana high court on Monday dismissed the guest teachers' plea against termination notices issued to them by the Haryana government. More Chandigarh News»

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