News Digest: Lower odds for El Nino effect brighten monsoon prospects

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Wednesday, April 19, 2017
		Today's Headlines

		India
		Lower odds for El Nino effect brighten monsoon prospects A drop in the probability of El Nino setting in during mid-2017 was a crucial factor behind the India Meteorological Department's forecast of a normal monsoon this year, although rains have still been pegged at the lower end of the range. Prescribing generic medicines already a must under MCI rules While PM Modi has said that “legal arrangements“ will be made to make prescription of generic medicines compulsory, the fact is that this is already mandatory . The Medical Council of India's ethics code for docs made generic prescription mandatory in October 2016, though it has never been enforced. Prevent train delays or face action: Railways Faced with public outcry over trains running late, railways has directed senior officials to monitor train operations and ensure they run on time or get ready to face action. More India News»

		Business
		Rupee falls by 11 paise against dollar on fund outflows The rupee fell for a second day as sluggish domestic equities along with continued selling by foreign investors kept pressure on the domestic currency. A broadly weak greenback overseas on the other hand cushioned the losses. Sensex surrenders early gains, sheds 95 points on global cues The 30-share index rose over 267 points in morning trade and shot up to 29,701.19, but later lost momentum to hit the day's low of 29,286.38. It finally ended 94.56 points, or 0.32 per cent lower at 29,319.10. The Sensex has slumped by 469.25 points or 1.58 per cent in four days. Tata Housing announces plan to expand to Africa More Business News»

		Environment
		Ban on plastic: NGT seeks status report from Delhi govt Environmental groups warn UK government on post-Brexit deals Greenpeace, WWF, and Friends of the Earth have signed a letter to Prime Minister Theresa May stressing that environmental protection must remain a priority after Britain leaves the European Union. They were joined by tennis star Andy Murray and singer Will Young. Zoo confirms April the giraffe's calf is a male Before an online audience of more than a million viewers, April the giraffe gave birth to a male calf on Saturday at a New York zoo, ending weeks of proverbial pacing by animal lovers in a virtual worldwide waiting room. More Environment News»

		World
		Female Ahmadi professor stabbed at home in Lahore A woman Ahmadi professor was found stabbed to death in her house in the residential colony of Pakistan’s top Punjab University (PU) in Lahore on Tuesday. Mummies discovered in ancient tomb near Egypt's Luxor Archaeologists, who have unearthed several mummies, colourful wooden sarcophagi and more than 1,000 funerary statues in a 3,500-year-old tomb near the city of Luxor, hailed it as an "important discovery". The 18th Dynasty tomb was discovered in the Draa Abul Nagaa necropolis. Donald Trump: Different strokes More World News»

		Entertainment
		The debate Sonu Nigam started: I wake up to... Salman's best dialogues in 'Hanuman Da Damdaar' Behind-the-scenes pictures of 'Baahubali 2: The Conclusion' While the first part was definitely entertaining, ‘Baahubali 2: The Conclusion’ seems to take the excitement of the audience to the next level. More Entertainment News»

		Science
		Glacier shape predicts risk of thinning: Study A glacier's risk of thinning can be predicted by analysing its shape, according to a new study that could help predict how much the Greenland Ice Sheet will contribute to future sea-level rise during the next century. New Google Earth to be launched on April 18 Here's how heavy drinking causes accidents People who are heavy drinkers, those that drink between 10 and 40 alcoholic drinks per week, may perceive that they can handle the alcohol, as it leads people to judge that they are not impaired. More Science News»

		Sports
		IPL: Gayle, Kohli star as RCB beat Gujarat by 21 runs Chris Gayle (77) and skipper Virat Kohli (64) hit fine half centuries as Royal Challengers Bangalore beat Gujarat Lions by 21 runs to register their second victory in the 10th edition of the Indian Premier League at the SCA Stadium in Rajkot on Tuesday. IPL: Chris Gayle first to 10,000 runs in T20s Chris Gayle has become the first batsman in the world to reach the landmark of 10,000 runs in Twenty20 cricket. The big-hitting West Indian achieved the feat during his ongoing innings for Royal Challengers Bangalore in game 20 of IPL 2017 versus Gujarat Lions Dhoni need not prove anything to anyone: Shane Warne Removed from captaincy before the start of the 10th edition of the IPL, Mahendra Singh Dhoni so far has had a quiet tournament for Rising Pune Supergiant by his standards, scoring 61 runs in five games. More Sports News»

		Technology
		iPhone 8's virtual home button could be another reason for its delay It has also been mentioned that the removal of fingerprint sensor in the iPhone 8 would affect consumer adoption. OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T get OxygenOS 4.1.3 with several improvements and fixes The OTA update is incremental so all the OnePlus 3 and the OnePlus 3T users might not receive the update at one go. Samsung Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+ will be available exclusively on Flipkart The teaser image on Flipkart shows the handset’s front panel with the text “Unbox your phone” which the company has been teasing on social media for the flagship smartphones. More Technology News»

		Education
		JNU, DU may get financial autonomy Top ranking educational institutions such as Jawaharlal Nehru University, Banaras Hindu University, Delhi University, Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) and Lady Shri Ram College which are funded by the Centre could get full operational autonomy including in financial matters. HRD Ministry launches app to track funding, progress of projects Higher education stakeholders will now be able to track the progress of projects under Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan with the HRD Ministry launching a 'Fund and reform' tracker. The Ministry has also signed a MoU with the Indian Space Research Organisation for geo-tracking of RUSA projects. IIT Kharagpur to introduce Vastu Shastra The country’s oldest and largest IIT will introduce the rudiments to first and second-year undergraduate architecture students this August, while those pursuing post-graduation or research scholars in infrastructure will get a detailed grounding on the subject. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		Woman from Uzbekistan arrested with fake Indian visa Immigration officials at the city's international airport caught an Uzbek who tried to fly back to her country with a fake Indian visa on April 15. Sahar police, who have taken custody of Rajabova Zebarjon (23), learnt that she got the visa through a travel agent in Kathmandu before flying to Delhi. Cases pile up as three FDA labs hit by staff crunch Three laboratories of the state Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are reeling under a huge pendency of cases owing to a large number of vacancies and an overwhelming flow of samples. Mumbai University examination fees to double from next year From the coming academic session, Mumbai University students will have to shell out at least 50-100% more money as examination fees owing to the increase in the remuneration of the examiners. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		Delhi: Betting rackets busted, nine arrested In the first incident in southeast Delhi's Greater Kailash area, three men - Manbirender Singh, Surender Singh and Monty Narula - were arrested. Police said they received an information about the racket on Tuesday. Delhi Metro pays home owners Rs 6 crore to raze top floor of 2 houses A deadline crunch for phase III has prompted Delhi Metro to think out of the box. To "acquire" a 714-square-metre plot, it has directly negotiated with house owners and paid Rs 5.91 crore for rights to demolish just the top floors of the two adjacent buildings. Arvind Kejriwal questions impartiality of EC, accuses LG office of leaks Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has said that he finds two of the three election commissioners biased because of what he claims to be the proximity of one of them to PM Narendra Modi and of the other to MP chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		Mallya arrest: A presser in 1985, a tweet in 2017 His reaction was uncannily similar to the stance he adopted a good 32 years ago, when he was arrested for violating Foreign Exchange Regulation Act in Bengaluru. In his late 20s then and new to his role as UB Group chairman, Mallya was arrested on his arrival on a late evening flight for financing Manu Chhabria family's acquisition of shares in Shaw Wallace & Co Ltd. Parts of city wake up to 10 seconds of tremors Students of premier law schools seek national importance tag More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		Gandhi doctors intensify stir as lack of promotions stings To Boycott OP Duties From May 16th No rival to KCR for TRS chief's post K Chandrasekhar Rao.Tuesday was the last day to receive nominations. Eco-Park will take off in Hyderabad soon Though the authority had prepared the concept plan for eco-park a year ago, the municipal administration and urban department has cleared the project recently. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		TN CM promises Rs 10cr for new hostel for Presidency college Revamped animal hosp in Adyar cheers pet owners No heat wave precaution for them, workers toil under the harsh sun More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		SC lets varsities give preference to own students on 25% of PG medical seats Vanzara to be feted at rally on April 24 Uproar over Rajya Sabha member's photo with lions More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		Devotees from Southern states show the way at Sangam Unrest continues at Allahabad University The Arts faculty of Allahabad University continued to witness unrest on the issue of conducting raids as scores of inmates from various hostel staged a demonstration at the VC office, on Monday. IITians set up start-up to wash cars,bikes Shwetank Agarwal, director and CEO of the company, told TOI that they had dreams to bring revolution in automobile sector."We were full of ideas but could not make it big initially due to financial crunch," he said. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		2 poachers held with sharp weapons The wildlife personnel on Monday night arrested two poachers for allegedly attempting to kill animals in Banogochha forest in Mahanadi wildlife division. A sharp weapon was seized from them. OMEGA initiative checks distress migration in Odisha Taking a cue from the central scheme, the Odisha government in 2012 launched its own initiative on similar lines -OMEGA programme -- with the support of DFID of the United Kingdom. BJP state executive in Baripada this week-end More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		Lack of medical shop ails Bhopal station 3 Bhopal youths in Forbes 30 under 30 Asia list Early summer break for schools in Bhopal More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		Ahead of Sajjan visit, Punjab cops arrest two terrorists Congress opposing Harjit Singh Sajjan to counter 'Genocide' motion : AAP Haryana hikes DA by 2% for state employees Installment of DA payable under these orders would be paid in cash to all its employees with salary for the month of April, 2017 to be paid in May, 2017, an official release said. More Chandigarh News»

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