News Digest: Keep your no-booze gyan, get us jobs: Voters to Soren

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Sunday, April 20, 2014
		Today's Headlines

		India
		Keep your no-booze gyan, get us jobs: Voters to Soren It’s among the worst kept secrets in state politics — almost everybody, from polling officials to the district administration, knows of the ‘covert’ mutton-and-mahua feasts that parties organize here in the run-up to elections. In Mandi, a race to prove common man credentials In the country’s largest Lok Saha constituency after Barmer, the battle is between a commoner running down royalty and a ‘rani sahiba’ donning the commoner tag. BJP’s ‘aam admi’ Ram Swaroop Sharma misses no opportunity to point an accusing finger at opponent, Congress’s Pratibha Singh, daughter of long-gone Keonthal state’s royal family.  When netas use disability as abuse Political correctness is not the strong point of public discourse in India. Politicians are usually the worst offenders.  More India News»

		Business
		Documents detail another delayed GM recall General Motors waited years to recall nearly 335,000 Saturn Ions for power steering failures despite getting thousands of consumer complaints and more than 30,000 warranty repair claims, according to government documents released Saturday. Beijing auto show opens amid market slowdown Global and Chinese automakers are looking to the Beijing auto show to help boost sales in a slowing, intensely competitive market. Karnataka govt asks Toyota to restore operations Although the lockout was lifted on March 24, employees have not resumed work. More Business News»

		Environment
		42% of urban, 60% of rural Indian houses getting contaminated water: Study A small study of water samples from urban and rural households declared as getting drinking water from “improved” sources has shown that about 42% of urban and 60% of rural households were actually getting contaminated water. 3-million-year old green landscape found beneath ice sheet There was a green and forested landscape prior to the time that the ice sheet began to form in Greenland and scientists have now discovered that the three-million-year-old landscape still exists beneath the Greenland ice sheet. 15 Indian bird species among globally endangered Fifteen Indian bird species are part of a list of avians which are evolutionarily distinct and globally endangered. More Environment News»

		World
		US planning military drills in east Europe The US plans to carry out small groundforce exercises in Poland and Estonia in an attempt to reassure Nato’s eastern European members worried about Russia’s military operations in and near Ukraine, Western officials said on Friday. 10 more bodies found inside South Korean ferry Divers recovered 13 bodies from inside a ferry that sank off South Korea, pushing the confirmed death toll to 46, officials said on Saturday. Ukraine PM blasts anti-Jewish leaflets, demands justice Ukraine's prime minister voiced outrage at reports masked men in east Ukraine's main city handed out demanding Jews register or be expelled, demanding "these bastards" be brought to justice. More World News»

		Entertainment
		Ameesha Patel mobbed, slaps a man for groping her Bollywood actress Ameesha Patel got the shock of her life recently when she got mobbed during the launch of a jewellery showroom in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh. Certified copy of Chitrangda 's divorce decree Here’s putting all the rumours around the Chitrangda Singh and Jyotinder Singh Randhawa divorce to rest. Delhi Times has a certified copy of their divorce decree. Why did Vir Das steal Kangana's metallic bra? When Kangana Ranaut and Vir Das came to the Delhi Times office on Friday, they spoke about their outrageous characters in Revolver Rani, the ephemeral love of the audience and the tussle between critical acclaim and mass popularity. More Entertainment News»

		Science
		US scientists make embryonic stem cells from adult skin For the first time, US researchers have cloned embryonic stem cells from adult cells, a breakthrough on the path towards helping doctors treat a host of diseases. British men get dadism at 38 It’s a startling moment in any man’s life. You’re on the sofa scrutinizing the money pages, looking forward to a good lawn-mowing and finding yourself excited about an upcoming sale at B&Q, when it hits you: you’ve turned into your dad. Does a brain workout work? Do brain training apps really sharpen those grey cells? Yes, say avid gamers but neuroscientists are not so sure. More Science News»

		Sports
		Mourinho's superb unbeaten streak ends Jose Mourinho suffered his first home league loss as Chelsea coach in 78 matches after bottom of the table Sunderland stunned them 2-1 at Stamford Bridge. Rafael Nadal seeks homeground solution World No. 1 Rafael Nadal targets a 9th Barcelona Open title this week desperate to prove his shock Monte Carlo Masters quarters exit is not a bad sign. Cavani brace helps PSG win League Cup Paris Saint-Germain won France's League Cup on Saturday, beating Olympique Lyon 2-1 at Stade de France to secure first leg of a likely domestic double. More Sports News»

		Technology
		Amazon smartphone: 5 likely features Amazon is planning to launch a smartphone. This has prompted industry analysts and tech blogs to muse about what the device might offer. Nokia X vs Nokia Asha 502, 503 vs Nokia Lumia 520 Realizing that mobile phone sales in India are largely concentrated at the bottom of the pool, Nokia has provided three new options. One in 4 Wipro staff to get up to 20% salary hike Wipro will give double-digit salary hikes to top performers and to those with hot skills, mainly big data and analytics specialists who are in short supply. More Technology News»

		Education
		Universities need to challenge frontiers of knowledge: DRDO chief India's universities and institutions should be able to challenge the frontiers of knowledge, Avinash Chander said. 500 PG students of Gujarat University get zero marks About 500 students of Master of Arts, Gujarati Literature students received a shock when all of them found that one of the paper all the students were marked zero. Vigorous efforts needed to make Indian varsities world class: Lord Swraj Paul NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul on Friday underlined the need for vigorous efforts to make Indian universities world class More Education News»

		Mumbai
		Oxygen therapy breathes new life into woman in a coma When Sonabai Morasker boards a bus for Shippur village near Kolhapur on April 25, she will leave without the memory of four days she spent in a state of unconsciousness—or coma— in a city hospital. Maharashtra chief minister's convoy in minor accident on Western Express Highway Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan’s convoy was involved in a minor accident on Western Express Highway at Kandivli (east) on Saturday. Chavan was not injured. Mumbai man steals to fund medical treatment, arrested The Kandivli police arrested a man on Thursday for committing several burglaries to allegedly support his health expenses. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		Delhi Congress hints at secular ties Delhi Congress on Saturday hinted at exploring the possibility of an alliance with “secular” parties for elections for mayors and deputy mayors’ post in all the three municipal corporations in the capital. Rs 2 lakh damages for illegal detention The Delhi high court recently ordered the Centre and the governments of Delhi and Jammu & Kashmir to pay a man Rs 2 lakh as compensation for illegally detaining him. These teachers show how ideas make all the difference One day in northeast Delhi’s Seelampur, teacher changemaker at Madrasa e-Jadeed Shaheen Saifi realized that her Class III students were not paying attention during her lessons. So she came up with a trick. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		Anti-Naxal Force guns downs cattle trader by mistake Anti-Naxal Force personnel allegedly shot dead Kabeer, 29, a resident of Krishnapura, in what police top brass maintain is a case of mistaken identity. Bid to reverse promotion of staffers after 18 years quashed These officials are on the verge of retirement.But the government wants to revert them to a junior position now. Couple dies after their scooter hits truck While HV Srinivas and Lakshmi alias Padmavathi, 30, died when their customized Honda Activa crashed into a parked truck. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		Huge poll spend in AP worries Election Commission Staggering amounts of cash being spent by contestants in Andhra Pradesh during this election has the Election Commission of India worried. Heritage of negligence The International Council on Monuments & Sites (ICOMOS) adopted 'Heritage of Commemoration' as the theme for this year's World Heritage Day celebrations. Hafiz Baba Nagar sees no development in years Slums on either side of potholed-ridden narrow bylanes reminds one how basic civic amenities having been missing in the area for years. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		Chennai high court denies bail to doctor who arranged accident to kill wife Two patients changed the life of Dr Selvaraj forever - one was Ginnett, who became his wife and later divorced him; the other was Velayutham, whom he engaged to murder Ginnett. Metrowater pumps to conserve water in Chennai Every day, one million cubic feet of water is lost to evaporation from each of the four reservoirs that quench the city's thirst. Dark days: Power fluctuations trip up schedules in Chennai The days are sultry and hot, and residents in many parts of the city have also started to face power fluctuations.Voltage has started to dip at night as airconditioners are used non-stop. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		4 schoolteachers arrested for gambling on IPL Five persons, including four schoolteachers were arrested by Tharad Police on Friday evening for gambling on IPL-7. 'Entrepreneurs create and multiply wealth of society' The 15{+t}{+h} convocation of Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDI) on Saturday saw an emotional keynote address by the GMR Group chairman G M Rao. Firm owner charged with kidnapping An executive working with a finance firm was kidnapped in Sector 20 of Gandhinagar and Sector 21 Police have registered a complaint. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		Candidates bank on poll managers in campaigning The teams of all the candidates campaigning behind the scene are busy these days and handling the entire election management. 23 candidates file their nomination on last day 14 candidates from Allahabad parliamentary seat and 9 candidates from Phulpur parliamentary seat filed their nomination papers at the district collectorate on the last day on Saturday. SP women wing holds puja and yajna The women party workers also prayed for the victory of all the party candidates in 2014 parliamentary polls.  More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		State voter count rises by 40 lakhs Odisha saw a massive surge of over 40 lakh more voters taking part in voting this time, estimates made after the completion of the two-phase twin elections in the state has revealed. Parties flash victory sign before results The three major political parties - BJD, Congress and BJP - in the state on Friday claimed they would do exceedingly well in the just-concluded twin elections. Missing names, false voters cause low polling Several people complained that they had to return from the polling booths without casting votes, as their names were missing in the voters' list. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		Silver lining in cloud: More educated from state may go to Parliament 2014 could be a game-changer. Lok Sabha representatives from the state are likely to be more qualified than their predecessors. Crorepati LS candidates double in MP  In five years, the net worth of candidates contesting from Madhya Pradesh has more than doubled. Out of the total 370 candidates in fray from the 29 constituencies in state, 20% (75) are crorepatis. Assets of LS candidates spiral by 200% since last LS poll The average asset of contestants has escalated by more than 200% since the last elections in 2009. In this election, 370 candidates have average assets of Rs 2.24 crore while in 2009, 420 candidates had average assets of a mere Rs 65.82 lakh. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		Captain has run out of steam, is a mere bully: Majithia Punjab revenue minister Bikram Singh Majithia on Saturday said that Congress candidate from Amritsar, Captain Amarinder Singh, had "run out of steam" even before the campaign entered the last phase. SAD-BJP, Congress playing ping-pong with people: Gul Panag Exhorting people of Amritsar to "vote for themselves" as they were the aam adami, AAP's candidate from Chandigarh, Gul Panag, held a road show in Amritsar, along with party's candidate Dr Daljit Singh. Captain slams Akalis over drug legalisation issue Amarinder said that this only vindicated his stand that the drug trade was being run under the nose of Akalis."Now an Akali MP has confirmed it herself," he pointed out. More Chandigarh News»

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News Digest: SP supremo 'mulayam' on rapists, Modi says

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Saturday, April 19, 2014
		Today's Headlines

		India
		SP supremo 'mulayam' on rapists, Modi says Mulayam Singh Yadav had recently triggered a controversy when he said “boys will be boys, they make mistakes” while commenting on the death sentence of three men convicted of gang-raping two women in Mumbai last year. RTI activist shot dead in UP, police gives security to family A 70-year-old RTI activist was shot dead by three unidentified assailants outside his house here on Monday, prompting authorities to transfer the probe to Special Task Force and provide security to his family. On a war footing for peaceful polls How planners got together & fixed glitches to mobilize 2 lakh troops for smooth elections in Naxalite-hit areas. More India News»

		Business
		Glenmark recalls ulcer drug in US Glenmark Pharma is recalling 2,900 bottles of its stomach ulcer drug ranitidine in the US after a foreign tablet was found in one of the bottles. One in 4 Wipro staff to get up to 20% hike Wipro will give double-digit salary hikes to top performers and to those with hot skills, mainly big data and analytics specialists who are in short supply. Payment banks: RBI governor, deputy differ Outgoing Reserve Bank of India deputy governor K C Chakrabarty has questioned the viability of payment banks and has said that they do not serve the purpose of financial inclusion. More Business News»

		Environment
		Leopard found dead on Manesar golf course The body of a female leopard with deep injury marks was found on the golf course of a luxury resort on the foothills of the Aravallis in Manesar earlier this week. Six more tigers found in Sunderbans Tigers are burning bright in the Sunderbans. After detecting the presence of two new big cats outside the reserve area last month, the camera traps have captured images of six new tigers in the reserve area itself giving enough signs that the number of the big cats in the mangroves is stable. One-fifth of Chinese farmland is polluted The soil survey was conducted from 2005 until last year, and showed contamination in 16.1 per cent of China’s overall soil and 19.4 per cent of its arable land. More Environment News»

		World
		Obama signs bill aimed at blocking Iran's UN envoy President Barack Obama signed legislation Friday aimed at blocking Iran's chosen ambassador to the United Nations because of his ties to the 1979 takeover of the US Embassy in Tehran. But the president says he is only treating the legislation as guidance. Pope Good Friday service underscores plight of the suffering The plight of immigrants, the poor, the sick, the elderly, unemployed and prisoners dominated Pope Francis' Good Friday service at Rome's Colosseum as he led Catholics around the world in commemorating the day Jesus died. In UK, foreign doctors may face tougher tests British researchers have called for making tests taken by foreign doctors who want to work in the NHS to be made harder to pass as half of all foreign doctors in Britain do not have the necessary skills to work here. The University College London has said they found a performance gap between international and UK medical graduates and has suggested raising the pass marks from 63% to 76%. More World News»

		Entertainment
		I went and sat in a whorehouse: Mahesh Bhatt Mahesh Bhatt is extremely proud of his upcoming production City Lights directed by the National award-winning director of Shahid, Hansal Mehta. Excerpts from a conversation with Bhatt sahab, where he talks about his decision to back the film and its filmmaker Hansal Mehta. Kapil Sharma does a belly dance Mithun will make an appearance on the show. Chitrangda and Jyoti divorced last year, Zorawar to stay with mom All protestations and denials notwithstanding, it now appears that Chitrangda Singh and Jyoti Randhawa did get divorced in November 2013 at the Gurgaon Family Court More Entertainment News»

		Science
		SpaceX making Easter delivery of station supplies A SpaceX supply ship rocketed toward the International Space Station on Friday, setting the stage for an Easter morning delivery and urgent spacewalking repairs later in the week. Earth's twin where life can exist found Earth’s twin – a habitable planet with its own atmosphere and solid surface where liquid water and possibly life can exist has been found outside our solar system. Bullying affects health and wealth even after 40 years The negative impact of childhood bullying has now been found to impact people well beyond their teens. It is even evident nearly 40 years later, according to a new King’s College London research. More Science News»

		Sports
		Djoker sets up Federer clash in Monaco Defending champion and world No. 2 Novak Djokovic defeated Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 to reach Monte Carlo Masters semifinals on Friday. CR7 back in training before Bayern clash Cristiano Ronaldo returned to training with his team mates on Friday as he battles to regain fitness before Wednesday's Champions League semifinal, first leg. 'Deception life blood of Indian hockey' Jude Felix, ex-India captain and now coach, says he is as much a student of game that has dramatically changed since his playing days as he is a master. More Sports News»

		Technology
		Forcing Steve Jobs out of Apple was a mistake: John Sculley Ex-Apple CEO John Sculley tells TOI that he regrets the decision taken in 1985 by the Apple board of directors to move Jobs out of the company. Reliance Jio to roll out 4G services soon: Mukesh Ambani Reliance Industries has "accelerated efforts to rollout state-of-the-art 4G services across the country. FaceTime not working on iOS 6, complain users A number of iOS 6 users are reporting problems while using FaceTime, Apple’s free video chat service. More Technology News»

		Education
		Vigorous efforts needed to make Indian varsities world class: Lord Swraj Paul NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul on Friday underlined the need for vigorous efforts to make Indian universities world class DU rejects 'quota' for Delhiites Delhi University has rejected the Delhi government’s proposal for reserving 85% of seats in state government-funded colleges for students from the city, citing its central character. 'Going Global' conference in Miami to focus on higher education in large system countries The annual conference -- ‘Going Global’ --- will discuss higher education in large system countries. More than 70 countries, including India, the UK, the US and China, will participate at the event. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		Mumbai candidates better off with their better half  Despite the cynicism about politicians all around, the fact is, they do have their better halves. And almost all of Mumbai’s Lok Sabha candidates are vouching for their spouse’s support during the strenuous election campaign.  Charter pilots irked by rule making them check netas' luggage Unlike previous election campaigns, the ongoing one has been rather stressful for charter aircraft pilots, especially those flying helicopters, since the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has revised norms and introduced surprise checks Housing society office-bearers to assist as booth-level volunteers This Lok Sabha election is the first poll in the state in which cooperative housing societies (CHSs) and resident welfare associations can double up as booth-level volunteers and provide assistance to booth-level officers at polling stations. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		ASI Heritage Day show a hit at Purana Qila At least 12,000 visitors thronged the Qila on Friday to witness the ongoing excavation project by Archaeological Survey of India and the artifacts discovered that have been put on public display for the first time. Lotus Temple on Unesco's tentative list Delhi's Lotus Temple or more traditionally known as Bahai House of Worship is now on Unesco's tentative world heritage list alongwith 14 other sites across India. ASI offers sneak peek into Red Fort mosque, hammam The scrollers project and a month-long exhibition of photographs of forgotten monuments in Delhi were inaugurated by ASI director-general Praveen Srivastava on Friday. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		Speeding BMTC bus mows down passengers at bus stop A BMTC bus ploughed into a crowd of early morning passengers at Suddaguntepalya bus stop, near Byappanahalli, Bangalore East, at 7.50am on Friday. Irish tourist sexually assaulted in Bangalore railway station She was molested by a senior citizen when she was half asleep on a couch in the waiting room. Guard arrested for trying to rape minor A security guard who allegedly tried to rape a seven year old girl on Friday morning, is in the police net. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		Lok Sabha polls in Andhra:Youth gung ho over April 30 Miles away from Hyderabad, which goes to polls a week and half from now, a group of youngsters in Gurgaon are absorbed in intense discussions these days, on the social change that might happen in the city post elections. 34-year-old Esther Lepcha batting for change “Politics, like cricket, is an unpredictable game and one never knows how it may turn around at the last moment.” That’s the mantra this 34-year-old, who has thrown her hat in the electoral ring from the Vizag East Assembly constituency, lives by.  Congress's flight of fantasy in Andhra At least so it appears from its ambitious (infeasible?) 10-point programme to transform residuary Andhra Pradesh into a ‘Navyandhra’ Pradesh.  More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		Dogs shortage in police department The city police could soon be all bark and no bite.A shortage of police dogs is affecting investigation of cases and detection of crime. Fake income tax officer who conned politicos held For close to 14 years, posing as an income tax officer, he conned politicians and businessmen across the state.On Friday, Murugan, 59, was nabbed along with two associates at a restaurant in Panaiyur on ECR. Security guard found dead in Velachery canal A 60-year-old security guard was found dead in a canal in Velachery on Friday evening. Police said Selvaraj was employed by a land owner to look after a vacant plot at Ram Nagar, Velachery. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		'Poll terror strike planned by Nagori from Sabarmati jail' A terror plan by Indian Mujahideen to trigger a series of bomb blasts across the country ahead of elections was hatched from within the Sabarmati Central Jail in Ahmedabad under the supervision of SIMI leader Safdar Nagori. Lalbhai Dalpatbhai museum to get ASI loan The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has recognized LD Museum as fit to receive long-term loans of sculptures. IITians' app can guide you to best street food joints in city When they joined Indian Institute of Technology in Gandhinagar (IIT-Gn), there was no one to tell them which joints offered good food.So, often their experiments resulted into an upset stomach. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		North Central Railway felicitates employees Allahabad division of North Central Railway organised Railway Week function at North Central Zone Cultural Centre to felicitate employees. Railways earmarks Brahmaputra Mail seats for city passengers The railway administration has decided to provide seats for people of Allahabad travelling in Brahmaputra Mail running between Delhi and Dibrugarh. HC seeks DM reply in Karwariya case The Allahabad HC on Friday directed the Allahabad DM to file reply (counter affidavit) in response to a writ petition filed by former BJP MLA Uday Bhan Karwariya seeking the facility of super class in Naini Central Jail. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		Women voters outnumber men in K'mal, Gajapati Female voters outnumbered their male counterparts in the tribal dominated Kandhamal and Gajapati districts which went to the polls on April 10. Facilities make voting enjoyable for disabled For visually-impaired Subhalaxmi Das, voting turned out to be a memorable experience.The 29-year-old went to a polling booth at Khapuria and exercised her franchise in a Braille ballot paper. 'Others' hold heads high as they cast votes Encouraged by the Supreme Court recognizing trans-genders as a third gender and giving them the right to have families on Tuesday, several hijras on Thursday cast their votes here. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		5 wedding party members charred in bus fire Five members of a marriage party, including three children, were electrocuted when the bus in which they were travelling came in contact with a high tension wire in Ater tehsil of Bhind district Braille Boon for Blind in Bhopal To facilitate voting among the blind, polling booths at Shivaji Nagar area of Bhopal were made Braille-enabled on Thursday. Names of all candidates and their parties were scripted in Braille on the right side of EVMs. Candidates kept in police control room to prevent violence Congress, BJP and BSP candidates from Madhya Pradesh’s Morena were kept in police control room there amid intelligence inputs that they may trigger violence or capture booths during polling on Thursday. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		Convicts' kin manhandle mother, sister, hurl abuses Around 1.30 pm, additional district and sessions judge Atul Kasana stepped out after hearing the arguments of prosecution and defense counsels. Sectors gear up to choose their king FOSWAC sitting president P C Sanghi and businessman-cum-president of Sector 21 Resident Welfare Association Baljinder Singh Bittu will battle it out for chairman's seat. Golf Club: 2 top guns duck fire Two top guns, Col H S Baidwan (retd) and Group Captain Anil Singha 'Charlie' (retd), have withdrawn from elections to managing committee of Chandigarh Golf Club at the last moment. More Chandigarh News»

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