News Digest: Foreigners pick India for bargain sex-change operations

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Sunday, August 02, 2015
		Today's Headlines

		India
		Foreigners pick India for bargain sex-change operations In August 2014 she got an official diagnosis but the earliest she could have undergone sex reassignment surgery (SRS) under UK’s perennially overbooked National Health Service was four years later. Families worried as two Indians still in IS custody The Indian government continued its efforts for the release of the two men – Balram Kishan and T Gopikrishna. Minister gheraoed over MP minor rape Hundreds of women on Saturday gheraoed Madhya Pradesh minister Rajendra Shukla in Satna with buckets of kerosene and threatened immolation if six accused in the gang-rape of a minor were not arrested immediately. More India News»

		Business
		Gold, silver rebound on good buying, global cues Gold prices rebounded smartly at the bullion market here today following good buying by stockists as well as local consumers amid bullish global cues. Bombay HC concludes hearing Maggi noodles case The Bombay High Court has concluded hearing a case filed by Nestle India challenging a local regulator's report that Maggi instant noodles contained excess lead, a lawyer for the company said. Utensils, wooden furniture to cost cheaper in Delhi Utensils and wooden or timber furniture will now cost cheaper in the national capital with the Delhi government implementing more than seven per cent reduction in the Value Added Tax (VAT) imposed on such items. More Business News»

		Environment
		Children take pledge to protect tigers in Madhya Pradesh Children living in buffer zone of Kanha Reserve Forest took an oath for conservation of tigers and their natural habitats by creating awareness about disadvantages of deforestation . Butterfly-inspired trick to make solar energy cheaper Mimicking the v-shaped posture adopted by a butterfly species to heat up its flight muscles before take-off, the amount of power produced by solar panels can increase by almost 50 percent, a study led by an Indian-origin scientist has found. Vadodara lawyer turns to energy conservation Amid the growing popularity of initiatives to conserve energy, a lawyer from the city has taken to energy and water conservation in a unique way. More Environment News»

		World
		Biden mulling White House run: NYT Traditionally, a Democrat would not take on a fellow party member who was leading the field decisively — and Biden has not done so officially. Man who studied Cecil the lion for 9 years talks impact Conservationists decided the most natural thing was to leave the bones where they were for hyenas to finish off, said Brent Stapelkamp, a lion researcher and part of a team that had tracked and studied Cecil for nine years. Over one lakh hit by floods in Myanmar A total of 114,845 people were affected by severe floods across Myanmar and 27 people lost their lives, a media report said. More World News»

		Entertainment
		Promising actresses: Why did they disappear? Supermodel Diana Penty became an instant star with her to-die-for looks and natural acting skills. Bollywood celebs who threw tantrums on flight Here are some of the instances when celebs threw tantrums while in a plane... Bollywood stars and their less famous spouses From arranged marriages to meeting through common friends, these celebs have married non famous partners, who do not belong to B-town. More Entertainment News»

		Science
		Cauliflower rice: New superfood or just a fad? If you take even the faintest interest in healthy eating, then you'll already know about the rise of cauliflower rice, mash, couscous, pizza bases, and flour (cauliflour, if you will). Addressing metabolic diseases, breast cancer through gene therapy Several emerging techniques in the field of genomics are making doctors take more notice of them. The ones being seen as the more exciting are addressing potential metabolic diseases right at birth, and ensuring women with breast cancer get cured of the disease. Gout drugs can treat alcohol-induced liver disease Two commonly used gout medications may offer protection from alcohol-induced liver disease and inflammation, a study says. More Science News»

		Sports
		IPTL gets bigger with Nadal vs Federer show-stopper With multiple Grand Slams champion and former world no.1 Rafael Nadal set to make his debut, founder of IPTL Mahesh Bhupathi is optimistic that the event this year will be bigger and better. Historic silver for Rajat in World Archery Championship Rajat Chauhan earned India its first-ever individual medal in the World Archery Championships when the compound marksman bagged a silver. Young gun Bhupender helps U Mumba maintain dream run Bhupender Singh turned out to be the hero for U Mumba as he powered his team to a thrilling 27-22 win over Dabang Delhi in the second edition of Pro Kabaddi on Saturday. More Sports News»

		Technology
		5 high-end features missing in OnePlus 2 After months of teasing, OnePlus has finally announced its new smartphone OnePlus 2. HP Omen laptop review: Back in the game? If you’ve been following the PC market, you may have heard of Voodoo, a boutique PC-maker that used to sell, high-end machines. $10 billion wiped off Samsung's market value Sluggish sales of Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S6 smartphones helped trigger a share decline that wiped more than $10 billion from its market value in July More Technology News»

		Education
		Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) goes to Berhampur Odisha government on Saturday picked Berhampur as location for Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISER). Few takers for engg seats, worst year for pvt colleges in Odisha Private engineering colleges in the state may face its worst year yet of vacancies this session. 3,200 engineering seats vacant, govt makes Rs 14 crore A fundamental faux in this year's admission to elite Indian engineering colleges has resulted in 3,200 spots lying vacant at the end of the admissions process. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		Bar raided for 3rd time in six months The social service branch of Mumbai police on Friday raided a Santacruz (W) bar and arrested 27 persons, including the owner and manager, for allegedly indulging in indecent behaviour. Cong ridicules Yuva Sena chief's tweet on meeting PM, tablet project for civic schools Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray on Saturday tweeted about meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday and informing him about Shiv Sena's pet project - distribution of tablet PCs to civic authority run school students to reduce burden of their schoolbags. Mumbai must do more to draw tourists visiting state: Data The Buddha Circuit of Ajanta Ellora, the fort of Daulatabad and the Lonar crater nearby seem to be topping the list of domestic and international tourists visiting the state. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		Job racket victims get 4 accused arrested A gang involved in a job racket was busted when their victims nabbed them red-handed on Thursday. Four of the gang members were arrested from Daryaganj for cheating over 13 people on the pretext of getting them jobs in Kuwait by charging them between Rs 80,000 and Rs 1 lakh. Mercury down, rain likely today It was a humid day in the national capital even as scattered rainfall pushed mercury a notch below the season's average. Woman molested in car, accused kin allege extortion A 30-year-old woman on Friday registered a case with Delhi Police alleging molestation and theft in a moving car by three men. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		'Saw our students among militants' A day after they were abducted, the four Indians were shifted to another camp. Vijay Kumar said he saw his former students among the terrorists. This app will help measure teachers' skills Around 400 school owners, principals and teachers turned students on Saturday and got an opportunity to rate the teachers. Hospital administrator arrested for negligence The administrator of Fortis Hospital, Praveen Vali, was arrested by Jnanabharathi police in connection with the death of retired engineer Sachidananda Murthy, 80. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		Intl status for Gannavaram airport: AP sends report to Centre Paving the way for ‘international status’ for Vijayawada airport, Andhra Pradesh government has sent a report to the Centre on the market feasibility for international air traffic. Saline water invasion looms large for AP capital city Groundwater table becoming salty due to sea water ingress Naidu to step up offensive on Telangana govt According to sources, a report on the names of Telangana officials involved in the phone tapping exercise and their AP targets were submitted to the Union home ministry about 10 days ago. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		37% rural homes in Tamil Nadu use LPG, highest in country Tamil Nadu has the most number of rural households in the country using LPG for cooking. Chennai to get 5th reservoir before north-east monsoon As the city braces for a severe water crisis, the government is pushing hard to provide it yet another drinking water reservoir – at Thervoikandigai in Thiruvallur district– before the onset of the northeast monsoon in October. Activist death bolsters prohibition call The death of Gandhian activist Sasi Perumal during a protest seeking closure of a Tasmac liquor outlet near Marthandam in Kanyakumari district on Friday has triggered protests across the state with many political parties raising the pitch for total prohibition. DMK demanded a judicial inquiry into Perumal’s death. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		Pen pals made him globetrotter Aditya Desai, 34, today technical director of a city-based firm, started writing to the teens of his age around the country to exchange postal stamps, inspired by his philatelist father Dhananjay Desai. After wife and kids suicide, man kills self A man, who had lost his wife and two children two months ago, hanged himself at his home near Shahpur Darwaja on Friday. Police suspect depression is the reason. Booked rooms twice to rape girl In the incident of the gang rape of a minor dalit girl, who is 17, the accused booked rooms in the same hotel twice to partake of the devilish crime. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		Online Vedic astrology classes for PIOs Foreigners, especially of Indian origin, are turning to Vedic Astrology in large numbers. Unable to find a competent teacher in the land of work, these foreigners have turned to astrologists in India for classes. Farmers in a fix over Kisan Call Centre's tech language Kisan Call Centre-a dedicated service by the Central Government to solve the problems of farmers by advising them in their own local dialect seems to be of least help for the farmers of trans-Ganga and trans-Yamuna region of the district. AU fails to implement sports draft For the last three years, Allahabad University has failed to implement regulations governing sports activities on the campus. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		Geographical Indication tag sparks a bittersweet debate on rasgulla The iconic rasgulla finds itself at the centre of a bitter debate as to where it originated with Odisha seeking a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for it. Woman fights back crocodile in Odisha, survives A 37-year-old woman from Singiri village under Rajkanika police station limits has shown exemplary courage in staving off an attacking crocodile. Berhampur erupts in joy The state government's decision to set up Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) here has brought cheers to the people. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		It is for NDA to end House logjam: Scindia Congress MP and chief whip in Lok Sabha, Jyotiraditya Scindia, said it's up to NDA government to end logjam in Parliament as even after assurance, no one from the government reached out to them to resolve the stalemate. Former ministers, Sangh leaders' sons could get place in Chouhan cabinet Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will expand his cabinet nearly 20 months after the BJP came back to power for a third term in state. Bhopal Municipal Corporation 'smart card': Swipe and pay for services In a first in the country, Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) would soon introduce 'smart cards' for city residents that will enable them to make payments against services just by swiping the card. Much like a pre-paid card it could be used to swipe and pay for the services provided by the civic body. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		Deadly weekend for Mohali It was a deadly weekend for Mohali, as the town witnessed three hit-and-run incidents within 24 hours, killing two children, a man, and a woman. Man flees Mohali bank with salon owner's bag containing Rs 1.40L An unidentified man fled with a salon owner's bag containing Rs 1.40 lakh from Axis Bank in Phase 7, Mohali, on Saturday.Gurjant Singh said in his police complaint, "I had gone to the bank to deposit cash at 11.30am. TV shopping company fined Rs 7,000 District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, Panchkula on Friday fined TV18 Home Shopping Network Limited Rs 7,000 as compensation for mental agony, harassment and cost of litigation along with pay courier charges amounting Rs 597. More Chandigarh News»

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