News Digest: 'India plans to build loos but has no plans to treat waste from them'

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Sunday, October 11, 2015
		Today's Headlines

		India
		'India plans to build loos but has no plans to treat waste from them' Chandran, 41, an associate professor at Columbia University, uses microbes -the oldest form of life on earth -to turn harmful waste into biofuel, fertilizers, and clean water. Shalini Umachandran talks to the man who's been trying to turn poop into fuel. Returning awards inappropriate, say some writers as stir continues Writers P K Parakkadvu and P K Ravikumar also said they were quitting as members of the Akademi general council. Amid farmers' agitation, Punjab CM removes 3 top cops Punjab government on Saturday transferred all top three police officers in the Badal bastion of Bathinda. More India News»

		Business
		Obama jabs at China as he defends TPP trade deal US President Barack Obama took a dig at China Saturday as he defended the new TPP Pacific Rim free-trade deal, which excludes Beijing. 'India's current account deficit down to 1.3% of GDP' Finance minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday said the country's current account deficit has come down substantially to around 1.3 per cent of GDP in 2014-15, as against around 4.8 per cent two years earlier. Nokia India served tax notice for AY 2010-11 dispute The tax demand arose from the assessment order passed in August 2015 and it is being considered under the Mutual Agreement Procedure (MAP) of the India-Finland tax treaty. More Business News»

		Environment
		No Gangetic dolphin in Ramganga Not a single dolphin was found in Ramganga during the recent census of Gangetic dolphin conducted by forest department, WWF-India along with other NGOs and community leaders. California agency votes to ban SeaWorld orca breeding The California Coastal Commission on Thursday approved a $100 million expansion of the tanks SeaWorld uses to hold killer whales in San Diego — but it banned breeding of the captive orcas that would live in them. 'US to cooperate with India in dealing with climate change' India has pledged to curb its greenhouse gas emissions by up to 35 per cent from the 2005 level. It announced that it aims at achieving around 40 per cent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by 2030. More Environment News»

		World
		US to make 'condolence payments' to Kunduz victims It says 33 people are still missing after the October 3 attack, in addition to 12 MSF staff and 10 patients already confirmed dead. Palestinians stab Israelis in two Jerusalem attacks Jerusalem has seen a wave of stabbing attacks linked to tensions over a sensitive holy site in the Old City that is sacred to Jews and Muslims. Turkish editor jailed pending trial for insulting Erdogan A newspaper close to an Islamic cleric foe of Tayyip Erdogan said its editor had been remanded in custody ahead of trial on charges of insulting the Turkish president, fueling fears of a media clampdown ahead of a Nov. 1 election. More World News»

		Entertainment
		Meghna: Reality more disturbing than Talvar To those who say Talvar might be too ‘disturbing’ to watch, Meghna Gulzar, the film’s ‘invisible’ director, says that being cocooned might not be the answer SRK floors Mahira Khan with his charm Shah Rukh Khan floors Mahira Khan with his charm Monologue in 'Pyaar Ka... 2' is a must-watch One person doing all the talking in the normal course sums up what a monologue means. But Kartik Aaryan’s monologue in Luv Ranjan’s upcoming romantic comedy Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2 sums up the thoughts of millions of men across the world. More Entertainment News»

		Science
		Mars mission expert believes space travel will be affordable one day Dr Amitabha Ghosh's thoughts on the discovery of liquid water on Mars and if life is a possiblity on the planet. There is a type of fungus that can instantly induce orgasms in women with its smell The medicinal qualities of certain plants and herbs are well known, and these types of natural remedies been used to heal people for thousands of years. We could be living on Mars 'within decades': Nasa Mission to Mars will be conducted in three stages, and require huge new discoveries, Nasa said. More Science News»

		Sports
		Vijender wins pro debut, knocks out Britain's Sonny Whiting A flurry of punches from Vijender left Whiting unable to continue in the third round Tough to play Rahane in current scenario: Dhoni Dhoni said the Mumbai batsman should only bat at the top of the order and not at five or six. Mirza, Hingis win China Open women's doubles title Extending their incredible unbeaten record, Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis lifted their eighth trophy of the season and fourth in a row, winning the WTA China Open More Sports News»

		Technology
		Meet the first sub-Rs 10K smartphone with fingerprint sensor We went hands-on with the Coolpad Note 3 to find out if it lives upto the company’s promise of a offering a feature packed device at an affordable price. Read on to find out our first impressions of the phone… Elon Musk: Apple is a 'graveyard' for staff who 'don't make it' at Tesla Speaking to German paper Handelsblatt, Elon Musk hit back at claims that many of his high-ranking staff were recruited by Apple. Here's why PC makers can 'thank' Microsoft In recent years, Microsoft has taken the once-unthinkable step of competing with its hardware partners, like Dell and HP, by making its own computers, starting with its Surface tablet. More Technology News»

		Education
		Gujarat may do away with compulsory JEE Gujarat government is mulling doing away with the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) which is mandatory for candidates seeking admission in engineering and pharmacy. Telangana, Andhra Pradesh see steep dip in IIT-ians The two states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh could still be national ‘rank-holders’ in IIT admissions, but their ‘in-house’ count of IIT-ians has slipped drastically over the years. SKMU headquarter set to become wi-fi enabled The Sido Kanho Murmu University (SKMU) headquarter is set to be equipped with a wi-fi facility with financial assistance from the University Grants Commission (UGC). More Education News»

		Mumbai
		Now, Sena threatens to disrupt ex-Pak min's book launch function in Mumbai A Sena delegation led by Chemburkar handed over the letter to the Centre's authorities on Saturday afternoon. EVMs, 500 officials for big, fat Parsi polls in Mumbai According to the editor of the Parsi Times Freyan Bhathena, “The fate of this community depends on these elections.” Only in Mumbai: 17-hr-queue for Western classical music But Audience For Zubin Mehta Event Suffers Culture Shock At Box Office More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		FMT eases pain. Ask an ex-boxer! His experience as a former professional athlete in the US gives Yoshinobu Fujii a special insight and edge using Functional Manual TherapyTM(FMT) techniques at VARDAN Gifts for girls born today In a unique initiative, the social welfare department will give gifts to all girls born in government hospitals on Sunday. Tremors felt but many missed it An earthquake with NCR as its epicenter would have ordinarily sent the capital into panic mode but the rumble that occurred at 1.40am on Saturday was missed by many. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		K'taka waives interest on crop loans, announces relief package The government would also increase monthly widow pension from Rs 500 to Rs 2,000 and bear educational expenses of children up to post-graduation level in the families of farmers who had committed suicide, chief minister Siddaramaiah said. Rahul spends emotional morning in Mandya For AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi, it was an impromptu visit to Sanabana Koppal vil lage in Pandavapura taluk on Friday . RaGa offers solace to farmers, lashes out at divisive politics Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, after labelling the NDA government a “suit-boot ki sarkar'', continued his tirade and on Friday said Prime Min ister Narendra Modi and the BJP have a penchant for pitting one community against the other during elections but in the same breath talk about tolerance and plurality . More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		Capital construction in Andhra Pradesh hits NGT hurdle Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to lay the foundation stone for Amaravati on October 22. Government sources said the NGT’s order will not affect the grand ceremony in any way. The never-ending agonies of Indian workers in Gulf The agonising stories of the Indian workers in Gulf countries have hardly been narrated. Qazis in Hyderabad slam govt move on new MWD rules Qazis unhappy with the move sought refuge in the Qazis Act. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		Indian agents to blame for maids' plight in Gulf nations Unscrupulous Indian recruitment agents are primarily responsible for the plight of Indian maids, who get ill-treated by their employers in the Gulf Co-operation Council countries. Beef festival in Chennai to protest Dadri murder A one-day beef festival was held here on Saturday to condemn the murder of Mohammad Akhlaq in UP’s Dadri was held in here on Saturday.  Babies need exposure to sunlight: Docs Let your baby soak up some sun, city paediatricians are advising mothers in an effort to tackle Vitamin D deficiency that is showing an alarming rise. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		Gujarat may do away with compulsory JEE Gujarat government is mulling doing away with the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) which is mandatory for candidates seeking admission in engineering and pharmacy.  Blind man uses RTI to expose land scam Just how large block of pastoral land meant for cattle feed is written off by the state government for private mining purposes has been exposed by a visually-challenged RTI activist Ratna Ala from Rangpur village in Junagadh. Female medicos at BJ not behind boys in ragging juniors BJ Medical College authorities are not only grappling with ragging by males but also females. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		European, US tourists skip Sangam city Sangam city is not the favourite destinaton of the tourists coming from European and North American countries, claims tourism department. Navratra Mela: Several trains to halt at Vindhyachal North Central Railway is making extensive arrangements at Vindhyachal, the abode of Goddess Vindhyavasini, for the upcoming Navratra Mela beginning October 13. Devotees from across the country visit the place to pay obeisance at the shrine of Vindhyavasini Devi. Rahman restrained from functioning as PSC secy The Allahabad high court on Friday restrained Rizwanul Rahman from functioning as the secretary of Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC). More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		'Declare wild boar, monkey vermin' Amid increasing reports of man-animal conflict, the Berhampur forest division has sent a proposal to the chief wildlife warden to recommend to the Centre to declare wild boars and monkeys as vermin in three blocks of Ganjam district. 2 Naxalites surrender in Berhampur Berhampur/ In a blow to the Maoists, two women cadres, including a top rebel, surrendered in the state on Friday.Maoist leader Jyoti Madkami, alias, Susmita of Chhattisgarh surrendered at Boudh on Friday. Naveen joins the padayatra in Bhubaneswar Amid growing infighting in the party, BJD supremo and chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday joined the padayatra in the city. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		Kaliasot green belt: NGT Bhopal lifts 200 m rider Now, construction activity would be restricted only in the green belt area, which is 33 metres on either side from the river bank. I-T searches on AISECT varsity, Madhur courier services Income tax on Friday carried out search on seven premises in the state capital including AISECT University and Madhur courier services. Modi, Amit Shah to join Shivraj 10-year tenure celebration In a state where chief ministers have lasted in office for as short a period as 12 days and 26 days, the Madhya Pradesh BJP is making tall arrangements to celebrate Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s tenure to have completed a decade without a break. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		BJP Kisan Morcha turns heat on Punjab intelligence chief Punjab BJP leader and BJP Kisan Morcha national secretary Sukhminderpal Singh Grewal has sought Punjab Police intelligence chief Hardeep Dhillon's resignation for security related lapses. NGO launched in Chandigarh for welfare of special children The objective of EmPOWER is not to get charity or sympathy but organise recreational activities for the children. Protesting farmers to meet Punjab CM on Oct 12; Rail Roko to continue today Rail services continued to remain paralysed for the fourth consecutive day today with a large number of farmers participating in Rail Roko agitation in support of their various demands. More Chandigarh News»

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