News Digest: Centre issues guidelines on sustainable sand mining, proposes crackdown on illegal miners

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Thursday, September 10, 2015
		Today's Headlines

		India
		Centre issues guidelines on sustainable sand mining, proposes crackdown on illegal miners Similar provisions have also been suggested for those miners who indulge in mining more sand than the permissible limit (authorized quota) within the leased area. Red beacon a feudal relic, do away with it, FM suggests Will it be the end of road for Red Beacons? Almost two years after the Supreme Court had asked the government to end the menace, government sources said that finance minister Arun Jaitley has suggested to do away with red beacons in vehicles altogether. Bar set too high, 70% out of Rajasthan, Haryana rural polls With the introduction of a minimum educational qualification to contest panchayat elections, an overwhelming majority of the rural population in Haryana and Rajasthan rural population has been effectively barred from contesting. More India News»

		Business
		'Indirect tax numbers suggest economy recovering' Indirect tax collections rose 36.5 per cent in April-August to over Rs 2.63 lakh crore, suggesting that the underlying momentum in the economy is strong, the finance ministry said on Wednesday. Rs 1L cr committed for TN at investors' meet Investment of over Rs 1 lakh crore was committed for Tamil Nadu at a maiden Global Investors Meet that began here on Wednesday, chief minister Jayalalithaa said as she made a strong pitch for pushing the infrastructure sector. Lockheed to cut about 500 jobs in IT services unit Lockheed Martin Corp, the maker of F-35 fighter jets, said it would cut about 500 jobs in its IT services unit by mid-November. More Business News»

		Environment
		Ahmedabad air judged among most dusty in the country Of the 13 cities in the country whose air quality index (AQI) is measured daily by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), five— including Ahmedabad — face a severe problem of suspended particulate pollution. Himalayas under threat, say experts The fragile Himalayan ecosystem is in poor health. Hundreds of scientists and students raised concern about the impact of climate change, urbanization, deforestation and other threats to the mountains at the first Himalayan Conclave on Wednesday at Delhi University. Cabinet approves off-shore wind power generation policy The central government on Wednesday approved a policy framework for promotion of off-shore wind power generation. More Environment News»

		World
		Migrant crisis: Denmark-Germany train traffic halted All train services were halted between Germany and Denmark on Wednesday after Danish police stopped hundreds of migrants arriving by train across the border, Danish railway company DSB said. Republican dispute delays US Cong vote on Iran N-deal A rebellion by conservative Republicans in the House of Representatives on Wednesday delayed the first congressional vote on the nuclear agreement with Iran and raised the possibility that lawmakers might never vote on a resolution disapproving of the pact. US judge rules Republicans can pursue Obamacare lawsuit A US judge said on Wednesday congressional Republicans could move forward with parts of a lawsuit that alleges executive overreach by President Barack Obama's administration in implementing his signature healthcare law. More World News»

		Entertainment
		Salman fans want Sooraj to go shirtless One thing every Salman Khan fan looks forward to in any of his movies, is for him to go shirtless. And when that happens, his followers welcome it with hoots and applause. It’s also said that baring his muscular torso brings the superstar luck, proven by his blockbuster records. I can die for Salman Khan: Sooraj Pancholi Sooraj Pancholi, 24, has inherited his mother Zarina Wahab’s mind and father Aditya Pancholi’s heart. Anees Bazmee out of Welcome franchise? Anees Bazmee, the director of Welcome and Welcome Back has been, reportedly, excluded from the third part of the franchise. More Entertainment News»

		Science
		To save the Great Barrier Reef from starfish, a bot designed to kill them Australian researchers have developed the world's first robot designed to seek out and eliminate crownof-thorns starfish (COTS) that are wreaking havoc on the Great Barrier Reef 's coral. Helmet 'sensor' to help see extent of injury in athletes When the Steelers and Patriots clash on Thursdayin the foot ball's season opener, you'll see 250-pound men slam into each other, head o head, at high speed. And get concus sions? There's no easy way to tell. Artificial 'plants' could fuel future cars Scientists have taken a big step towards creating artificial 'plants' that can use only sunlight to make gasoline and natural gas to run future cars without polluting the environment. More Science News»

		Sports
		Don't want to answer anything on Ishant, captaincy: Virat Kohli The Indian cricket team's new-found aggression which has resulted in a few on-field altercations has drawn criticism but Virat Kohli refused to be drawn into the brouhaha surrounding the approach. Live scorecenter: US Open 2015, Day 10 Live scorecenter: US Open 2015, Day 6 Infographic: Rooney becomes England's top scorer More Sports News»

		Technology
		iPhone 6S: Siri dropping new 'hints' ahead of Apple's big reveal Apple’s Siri is dropping new hints ahead of the iPhone 6S event this week — though they’re mostly frustrating jokes. Call drops among top issues worrying India's consumers Complaints relating to telecom sector, including call drops, is the second biggest concern of consumers, according to data provided by the National Consumer Helpline (NCH). This 'new' feature of iPhone 6S may cause problems Apple’s new pressure-sensitive screens will be able to sense “three dimensions” of touch, according to reports. More Technology News»

		Education
		Gujarat to rope in experts to address education related issues Gujarat Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama today said that his department has taken a "serious" note of the rising number of suicides by school children. Education minister says he will make available his marksheets Maharashtra school education minister Vinod Tawde said he will make available his Std X and XII mark sheets to all those who are seeking it. IIT study on merging arts, heritage with science In a bid to merge science with heritage, IIT Kharagpur has started a new project in which various themes of fine arts, meditation and social work had been merged with science to find out that the analytical mind and intuitive mind are complimentary to each other. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		Jains to mark Paryushan with new age lectures starting today From being secular and absorbing the good from every religion to sewing in stories of the lives of great men and women, and running classes in English to using tools like flash cards and animation to teach, new-age Jain lectures are boasting of not just increasing enrolment, but also higher attendance. Police refuse cover for attacked activist At a court hearing of a criminal case involving an attack on two TOI journalists, Viju B and Jagatdeep Singh, environmentalist Sumaira Abdulali and local activist Naseer Jalal, one of the accused in the attack attempted to engage in a conversation with Abdulali and this reporter while others hung around her car. Day after, Maria says he won't monitor Sheena murder probe Rakesh Maria, who was shunted out as police commissioner on Tuesday, has since indicated his unwillingness to oversee the investigation into the Sheena Bora murder case, which he was personally frontlining. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		AAP Lokpal N Dilip Kumar quits Aam Aadmi Party's Lokpal and former IPS officer N Dilip Kumar has quit from the post citing “personal reasons” and other engagements, but ruled out any differences with the party leadership. Women gave no name in FIR Navdeep Singh Virk, the Gurgaon police commissioner, told TOI on Wednesday the police was moving with abundant precaution because of the sensitivity of the case and a second medical examination was conducted on the two Nepalese women because of that. Excerpts. Condo under watch to track diplomat's friends Diplomatic immunity may have given a protective shield to the Saudi diplomat accused of raping his two Nepalese maids in his Gurgaon flat. But he was not alone. His friends, too, came often to his flat and raped them as well. Since it is not likely that they, too, enjoy diplomatic immunity, why aren’t the cops arresting them? More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		Customs official held for taking bribe at Bengaluru airport A local court granted remanded the accused to three-day police custody. Divorce is still not an option A couple of months ago, a woman who murdered her techie husband with the connivance of her parents and lover, made headlines in the city . This week, citybased techie Gokul Macheri's elaborate plotting to get back together with his old flame is in the news. Why would they choose the complicated option of killing, rather than the prolonged but less gruesome divorce? Mobile store staff identify Gokul A few employees of the mobile shop in HSR Layout Sector 6 were back at work on Tuesday, after a day of police drilling.It was from this mobile store, Venkateshwara Enterprises, that Gokul had purchased the sim card and brand new mobile phone used to send messages to KIA, investigation into which opened up a Pandora's Box. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		Singaporean startup mulls India office in Hyderabad Singapore-based startup Vansh Games Pte Ltd, which brings Indian mythological characters across traditional and modern gaming platforms, is mulling setting up its India office in Hyderabad, said a top official of the company here on Wednesday. Ramky Infra prunes headcount by 30% in 2014-15 City-based infrastructure player Ramky Infrastructure Limited has slashed 30% of its workforce during 2014-15, revealed its latest annual report. Tenant farmer commits suicide A tenant farmer committed suicide at Dandepally village of Navipet village of Nizambad mandal on Wednesday. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		Madras HC to measure man's chest in SI selection row Perhaps having had the measure of law and government, Madras high court has now set out to measure the chest size of a youth aspiring to become a police sub-inspector. Priests welcome Pope's move to fast-track marriage annulments With annulments of Catholic marriages taking more than two years in Chennai most reverends and canonists in the city have welcomed Pope Francis's announcement to fast-track the process. Plea wants ASI takeover of Srirangam temple, cites shoddy rejig Centuries-old paintings have been washed out and idols have been “beheaded” during the ongoing renovation of Sri Ranganatha Swamy temple in Srirangam, reminding devotees of Moghul raids on Hindu temples, said a PIL filed in the Madras high court. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		Ahmedabad: Suspect support for history Banned T-girders may prop-up culture icons GSHSEB ask DEOs to verify functionality of 1,700-odd schools The Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB) has asked District Education Officers (DEOs) to find out whether around 1,700-odd schools affiliated to the board are operational or not. 2 women held with gold worth Rs 55L at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport The Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Customs department caught two women smuggling 2.05 kg of gold worth Rs 54.47 lakh at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Wednesday morning. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		Underground power cables in Bahraich soon Power cables in Bahraich would be laid underground. The state government has granted Rs 100 crores for the project. Railways invites ideas on cleanliness In a fillip to 'Swachh Bharat', Indian Railways has sought suggestions from passengers on upgradation of cleaning system to give a cleaner look to trains and stations. Allahabad High Court quashes appointment of 3 HESC members The Allahabad High Court on Monday quashed the appointment of three members of Uttar Pradesh Higher Education Service Commission while declaring it as illegal. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		Odisha government to introduce master course in Urdu language in three varsities Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday approved a proposal of the higher education department to introduce master course in Urdu language in three state-run universities. Odisha: 151 infants die in Kendrapara hospitals in 4 months As many as 151 infants died in different hospitals here between April and July, reflecting a grim infant and child health care situation in Odisha which recently reported an alarming rate of deaths of newborns in Cuttack and Kandhamal. Odisha Govt admits administrative lapses at Sishu Bhavan Admitting administrative "shortcomings" at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Post Graduate Institute of Paediatrics (SVPPGIP) in Cuttack after a series of infant deaths, the Odisha government today transfered its superintendent and two other senior doctors. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		Traffic diversion in place, avoid roads connecting venue Roads in state capital, especially those connecting or passing through the World Hindi Conference venue at Lal Parade ground would resemble a curfew like situation due to multi-level security arrangements made for visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other dignitaries. 6 members of slingshot gang arrested A gang armed with slingshots and desi weapons, which unleashed terror around Kaliasot Dam Road recently was busted by police on Monday. Six of its members, all relatives, were arrested. However, three others are still on the run. Hindi takes centre-stage with security for Modi Special Protection Group (SPG), responsible for Prime Minister's security on Tuesday held meetings with local police, health department officials and organisers of 'Vishwa Hindi Sammelan', More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		Ex counter-terror cop joins Capt; loses gunmen, house Punjab government on Wednesday ordered a full withdrawal of security to its former counter-terror officer and retired IG Khubi Ram. This happened a day after he joined Congress Party’s Amritsar MP Captain Amarinder Singh as his security liasioning officer. Haryana's move to prescribe Education qualification for Panchayat Polls under HC lens A day after the notification of Haryana Panchayat polls, a petition has been filed before the Punjab and Haryana high court challenging the Haryana Panchati Raj (amendment) bill 2015 through which the state had prescribed educational qualification for the candidates. Chemical engg students seek opt-out from BE-MBA Students of the integrated BE-MBA course at Panjab University (PU)'s Dr SSB University Institute of Chemical Engineering and Technology (UICET) on Tuesday protested outside the PU vice- chancellor's office, seeking the option of leaving the course after completing the bachelor's part of the integrated programme. More Chandigarh News»

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