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Monday, April 13, 2015

News Digest: Fears over EU plan for strict drug patent regime

THE TIMES OF INDIA
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Today's Headlines

Fears over EU plan for strict drug patent regime
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Markel are set to discuss the India-EU free trade agreement, public health groups and Indian pharmaceutical companies are concerned that the European Commission may push for stringent patent regime for cheaper medicines manufactured at home.

Congress to play Ambedkar card to win back dalits
Congress would launch an “aggressive campaign” on social media and internet to project how closely it worked with BR Ambedkar and espoused his policies, a belated bid to undo the perception that the Nehru-dominated outfit was antagonistic to the foremost intellectual and dalit emancipator.

Economic gap between upper castes and dalits persists
Despite more access to education, better household amenities and increased incomes, the economic gap between upper castes and dalit and tribal communities continues unchanged over the years, according to latest economic data from the NSSO.

More India News»

No arbitration in RIL gas row: Centre
The Centre on Monday told the Supreme Court that its dispute with Reliance Industries (RIL) over domestic gas pricing could not be subject to arbitration since it was an economic decision taken by the government.

S&P warns of fiscal hurdle to infra push
The Indian government may find it difficult to sustain the increase in public investment without further fiscal reforms, Standard & Poor's (S&P) said on Monday.

Superbike market vrooms at 50% growth
The Indian superbike market — comprising motorcycles of 500cc and above displacement — will more than double in the next five years to hit over 20,000 units by 2020.

More Business News»

China to surpass US as top cause of modern global warming
China is poised to overtake the United States as the main cause of man-made global warming since 1990, the benchmark year for U.N.-led action, in a historic shift that may raise pressure on Beijing to act.

Nano ultrafine particles in Lucknow's air attacking lungs
Your lung is an easier prey to pollution now. Thanks to the presence of nano pollutant called PM1 in city's air which has worried health experts as well.

12 panchayats all set to make a difference in Kozhikode
People in 12 grama panchayats here are set to adopt a participatory waste management scheme, which would make it zero- waste generating areas.

More Environment News»

Russia lifts ban on supplying S-300 missiles to Iran
President Vladimir Putin on Monday lifted a ban on supplying Iran with sophisticated S-300 air defence missile systems after Tehran's landmark outline deal with the West over its nuclear programme.

Iran suspends hajj trips to Saudi Arabia amid spat
Iran suspended all minor hajj trips to Saudi Arabia on Monday amid growing diplomatic tensions between the two countries, state television reported.

Violence escalates in east Ukraine ahead of talks
Ukraine's military accused pro-Russian rebels on Monday of using heavy weapons that were meant to have been withdrawn under a ceasefire deal, after one Ukrainian serviceman was killed and six wounded in rebel-held territories.

More World News»

Veerappan's wife to share infor with RGV
Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has gotten in touch with slain sandalwood smuggler Veerappan’s widow, Muthulakshmi to gather details for his upcoming film, Killing Veerappan.

Amyra Dastur: Emraan has the bitchiest sense of humour
Amyra Dastur, 21, is honest, sensitive and simple. She dislikes confrontation and still carries the remnants of rejection she faced in school, due to her boyish looks.

Sushmita Sen is mesmerised by Kangana Ranaut
Bollywood actress and former beauty queen Sushmita Sen is all praise for her contemporary Kangana Ranaut.

More Entertainment News»

Spider silk may help grow human hearts
A new study has revealed that spider silk may help grow new human hearts in the future.

Last days for ship that links St Helena to the world
Recalling a bygone era of stately passenger liners and quaint colonial traditions, the RMS St Helena is making its last journeys before weekly flights to the far-flung South Atlantic island are introduced.

Now, condoms that deliver Viagra doses?
A group of scientists in Australia is developing a series of condoms which it claims could feel even better than wearing nothing at all.

More Science News»

Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Royal Challengers by 8 wickets
Openers David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan laid a solid platform as Sunrisers Hyderabad eased to a eight-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Sania tweets 'on top of the world' after she is crowned no. 1
Sania Mirza on Monday tweeted she was 'on top of the world' after she was officially crowned world no. 1 in the latest WTA ranking for women's doubles.

Lucky to play alongside a legend like Virender Sehwag: Maxwell
There aren't too many better exponents of explosive batting than Glenn Maxwell but he himself feels that he is lucky to be playing with Virender Sehwag in IPL.

More Sports News»

10 good smartphones you've probably never heard of
Each phone in the list has a major unique selling point included to prove why we think it’s worthy of its position.

Net neutrality: Trai receives 1 lakh emails to save the internet
The chief bone of contention nowadays against net neutrality is Airtel’s Zero plan, which aims to give higher bandwidth to apps and websites whose owners are paying it extra money.

Indian IT companies may outdo MNCs in $13bn renewals
Indian IT is gearing for a slugfest with global peers like IBM and HP as mega billion-dollar IT contracts come up for renewal. London-based IT research firm Ovum estimates that contracts worth $13 billion will be up for renewal this fiscal year.

More Technology News»

Premji varsity introducing new syllabus
The way Indian students are introduced to economics needs a lot of improvement and there has to be a contextualization before jumping into theories and tools of economics, says Venu Narayan, director of the School of Liberal Studies and Strategic Development at Azim Premji University.

AICTE breather for DU colleges seeking nod for B.Tech courses
In a breather for 27 DU colleges who have been seeking AICTE nod for running B.Tech courses, the regulator has agreed to take a fresh view of the case.

Raichur is govt's first choice for IIT, says minister
Raichur is government’s first choice to set up the proposed Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Karnataka, medical education minister Sharanprakash Patil said on Monday.

More Education News»

Happy new year, solar calendar way
Several communities that observe new year by the solar calendar are preparing to celebrate April 14-15 amid feasting and festivity.

HC puts on hold govt move to regularize Mumbai's illegal buildings
In a setback to the Maharashtra government, the Bombay high court on Monday restrained the state and BMC from taking a final decision on regularizing over 56,000 illegal structures in the city.

'Accused was in cop's home at time of crime'
The first defence witness in 2010 Kurla minor rape and murder case told a sessions court Monday that the accused Javed Sheikh, a cable man, was attending to a repair call at the home of a police constable in Nehru Nagar at the same time the prosecution claimed he had carried out the gruesome act.

More Mumbai News»

Regularize illegal colonies or prepare for protests: Congress
A day after chief minister Arvind Kejriwal promised to regularize unauthorized colonies, Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president Ajay Maken accused him of misleading people, and challenged him to an open debate.

Crackdown on ration shops for diverting stock
Delhi government has launched a crackdown on ration shops siphoning off supplies meant for registered consumers under the public distribution system.

'Uncle' takes boy fishing, sodomizes him
A 40-year-old man was arrested for sodomizing a 10-year-old boy in southwest Delhi’s Raj Nagar area on Sunday. He also tried to kill the child but he was rescued.

More Delhi News»

SSLC students will get four grace marks
lose on the heels of the PU Education Board granting grace marks for blunders in the second-year English and maths question papers, the Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board (KSEEB) has taken the same route to neutralize a gaffe in its Kannada-medium maths paper in the SSLC exam.

KMF tanker topples, driver drowns in milk
The driver of a KMF tanker lost control of his vehicle while negotiating a sharp curve near Mavinahole village in Shivamogga district on Monday and the tanker toppled into a roadside ditch.

BMTC bus ploughs into military colony wall
Fifty passengers of a BMTC bus had their hearts in their mouth on Monday as the vehicle jumped a median and rammed the compound wall of a military facility.

More Bangalore News»

Rains heap misery on Andhra Pradesh and Telangana farmers
Unseasonal rains and hailstorms caused widespread damage to crops in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Cops make 'tunnel' out of bounds for experts
It was an ‘encounter’ of a different kind. The ‘killing’ of what could have possibly been an important archaeological find.

More rains may lash Hyderabad, warns Met
A day after six centimeters of rainfall, which brought down billboards and uprooted trees in several parts of the city on Sunday, Met officials warned that the worst is yet to happen and issued yet another storm warning.

More Hyderabad News»

Tamil Nadu puts up poor show at UPSC exam
Tamil Nadu has registered a below-average performance at the UPSC (Main) examination, with only 263 from the state among the 3,308 candidates who have qualified for the final round of personal interviews.

Four held for throwing bomb at retail outlet
Four functionaries of Naam Tamilar Iyakkam were arrested for hurling petrol filled bottles at the Heritage Fresh outlet in Ayanavaram on Sunday night. No one was injured, but one of the glass doors was damaged, said a police officer.

Woman from West Bengal held for trying to kidnap 4-yr-old girl
Police arrested a 25-year-old woman from West Bengal on charges of kidnapping a four-year old girl at Ashok Nagar on Sunday. Thanks to the alert neighbours, the child was rescued before the woman could take her away.

More Chennai News»

Village gets Narmada water but dalits don't
Urmila Parghi, a dalit girl from Choki village of Limbdi taluka of Surendranagar district, cannot fetch water from a Narmada water sump in her village as she is shooed away by women from other castes.

Agents take bachelors for a ride with 'cheater' brides
Six months ago, a family approached Jhaghadia police in Bharuch stating that the bride for their three sons fled with gold ornaments worth Rs 1.5 lakh hours after wedding.

State BJP members resolve to forgo LPG subsidy
As many as 370 members of the Gujarat BJP's executive committee have resolved to surrender their LPG subsidies in line with the call of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the citizens to give up subsidized gas connections.

More Ahmedabad News»

Rural women script success story
Male members returning home drunk was a routine affair. Women of the house had to bear the brunt and ignominy silently. They were told that it was their fate.

Two-dozen schools asked to explain steep fee hike
District inspector of schools (DIoS) has sought clarification from over two dozen schools affiliated with ICSE and CBSE for charging exorbitant tuition fee and selling school stationery and dresses from the school premises.

Impersonator held in SSC exam
A youth appearing in place of an aspirant in Combined Graduate Level-2014 (Tier II) exams conducted by Staff Selection Commission (SSC) was arrested at Government Inter College in Lucknow on Sunday.

More Allahabad News»

New cell to handle water supply
The state government has mooted a project management unit (PMU) to ensure effective implementation of Odisha Urban Water Supply Policy by strengthening institutional capacity of Public Health Engineering Organization (PHEO).

VSS deaths: Probe team gets Thursday deadline
Official sources said the panel is waiting for laboratory test results of the medicines, administered to the women. They died between 10.30pm and 11pm, six hours after undergoing Caesarean section (CS) in the hospital.

Past full of hope and vibrant future ahead
The city turned 67 on Monday.It was on this day 66 years ago that then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru laid the foundation stone of the capital city of Odisha.

More Bhubaneswar News»

Miraculous escape for 70 flyers at Khajuraho airport
Around 70 people on board a Jet Airways' flight had a narrow escape when the aircraft's main landing gear broke after landing at Khajuraho on Monday.

No eligible PM from Nehru clan: Jethmalani
Talking about issue of alleged snooping of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s family members by late Jawaharlal Nehru, former law minister and lawyer Ram Jethmalani said, “Country did not get even a single eligible prime minister from Gandhi-Nehru family.”

Satpura power engineers up in arms
Madhya Pradesh Vidyut Mandal Abiyanta Sangh, body of engineers of state power companies, will launch protests against ‘proposed sale of two units of Satpura Thermal Power Station (STPS).

More Bhopal News»

PU syndicate meets on April 20
Students from Jammu and Kashmir educational institutions and Kashmiri migrants are likely to get additional seats and concessions in admission to Panjab University (PU) from the coming session.

Rastogi is PGI resident doctors' body president
It's been after two decades that the presidential post for Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) at PGI has been won by a non-clinician.

50 kg poppy husk recovered from three people
Three people were arrested by police from three different locations with possession of poppy husk amounting to 65 kg on Sunday.

More Chandigarh News»

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Sunday, April 12, 2015

News Digest: Why Kerala pays wages for looking?

THE TIMES OF INDIA
Monday, April 13, 2015
Today's Headlines

Why Kerala pays wages for looking?
To avoid paying "nokkukooli", an absurd unionist wage ritual practised in Kerala, an American artist recently trashed a part of his work. But this practice of all-pay-no-work seems unlikely to end.

MPs must practice Yoga and popularise in their countries, says World Bank director
In a Global Parliamentary Conference at World Bank headquarters on Sunday BJP MP Tarun Vijay raised the issue of Yoga as an effective instrument of preventive health care.

Jaitapur nuclear project makes headway
After PM Narendra Modi’s recent visit to France, the controversial and trouble-ridden Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project in Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri district moved a step forward.

More India News»

Indian IT companies may outdo MNCs in $13bn renewals
Indian IT is gearing for a slugfest with global peers like IBM and HP as mega billion-dollar IT contracts come up for renewal. London-based IT research firm Ovum estimates that contracts worth $13 billion will be up for renewal this fiscal year.

Aviation minister wants states to reduce ATF tax
Union civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said he has written to all the chief ministers including Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah to reduce taxes on aviation turbine fuel (ATF) and remove impediments that have dampened the prospects of the aviation industry.

Companies queue up for IPOs as markets rally
With the stock markets remaining on a strong wicket, companies are finally getting into IPO (initial public offering) mode.

More Business News»

Now, eco-friendly cars for tourists in Darjeeling hills
Aimed at providing better infrastruture to the tourists to the hills, the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) today introduced three battery powered cars.

Greenpeace activists leave Arctic-bound oil rig
Six Greenpeace activists who scaled an Arctic-bound Shell oil drilling rig in the middle of the Pacific Ocean abseiled down on Saturday.

10 air pollution monitoring stations in city exceed national average
Silk board junction most polluted in city. Exceeds national average by 146 %.

More Environment News»

Bomb alert forces evacuation of Germanwings flight
Passengers and crew on a Germanwings flight from Cologne to Milan were on Sunday ordered to evacuate the plane as it prepared to take off due to a bomb alert.

Thousands of Brazilians march against Rousseff govt
Hundreds of thousands of Brazilians took to the streets on Sunday, venting anger over government corruption and a souring economy a month after protests gathered more than a million people.

Police video shows killing of black Oklahoma suspect
Authorities have released video showing the fatal encounter of a black suspect with a white reserve sheriff's deputy who police said thought he was holding a stun gun instead of his handgun when he shot the man during a recent arrest in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

More World News»

Amitabh and Irrfan in Piku: What's the joke?
Shoojit Sircar was shooting a scene in Piku where Mr Amitabh Bachchan is supposed to offer bananas to Irrfan and he is supposed to take one and eat.

Ranbir and Anushka in Mohabbat Buri Beemari
We bring you the first look of the song Mohabbat Buri Beemari from Anurag Kashyap’s Bombay Velvet

SRK's famous controversies
When the badshah of Bollywood made headlines.

More Entertainment News»

5-year-old boy finds rare dinosaur fossil in US
A five-year-old boy has discovered the fossil of what scientists believe could be a 100-million-year-old dinosaur behind a shopping centre in Texas.

Smartphones can give early warning of quakes
Sensors in smartphones and other similar devices could be used to detect early ground movement to warn people about a potential earthquake, according to a new study, led by scientists at the US Geological Survey (USGS).

Signs of alien life will be found by 2025: Nasa scientists
Signs of alien life will be detected by 2025, while "definitive evidence" of extra-terrestrial beings may be found within the next 20 to 30 years, top Nasa scientists say.

More Science News»

Sania Mirza becomes world number one in doubles
Sania Mirza created history by becoming the first female player from India to achieve top rank in doubles, following her Family Circle Cup win.

Bailey, Johnson help Kings XI Punjab beat Mumbai Indians
Mitchell Johnson took two wickets after George Bailey's unbeaten half-century as Kings XI Punjab beat Mumbai Indians by 18 runs in their IPL match.

India beat Korea to win bronze in Azlan Shah Cup
India ended their campaign in Azlan Shah Cup on positive note as they won bronze medal after beating Korea 4-1 on penalties in third-fourth place playoff.

More Sports News»

Fight for net neutrality unites internet
For once, the constant bickering on the internet and social media has been put aside. People of all beliefs and affiliations have come together to unite on the net neutrality issue, campaigning, persuading, and getting more people involved.

10 good smartphones you've probably never heard of
Each phone in the list has a major unique selling point included to prove why we think it’s worthy of its position.

First impressions: Asus Zenfone 2 with 4GB RAM
We spent some time with the silver coloured variant of the Zenfone 5 powered by an Intel Atom Z3580 quad-core processor and 4GB RAM.

More Technology News»

IIM-A getting younger professors 
The age gap between a faculty member and a student seems to be closing at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-

Colleges get 6 hours to get BTech approval
In a fresh twist to the stand-off between the Delhi University vice-chancellor and the HRD ministry over the four-year undergraduate programme, many colleges were left dumbfounded over an order of AICTE asking them to submit an affidavit within “six hours” to get approval for its BTech courses.

Framing syllabi in a sarkari daftar
Most things that University Grants Commission (UGC) says are not said very memorably. They are taken seriously only because they emanate from the premier regulatory body of higher education in India.

More Education News»

Waive toll or we hike fee by 500: School bus operators
The School Bus Owners Association has demanded relief in toll tax for school buses across the state.

Boy scales school wall to look for ball, drowns in swimming pool
A 10-year-old boy died after entering the swimming pool of an international school located in Borivli (west) on Saturday evening.

Central government yet to issue final notification for SGNP green zone
The Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) has notified an Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) up to 12 sq km around the Vidarbha Tiger Reserve but has not given the final notification for expansion of the zones around Sanjay Gandhi National Park and Karnala Bird Sanctuary.

More Mumbai News»

Man freed in rape case as wife turns hostile
A man, accused of raping and threatening a woman, has been acquitted by a court on the grounds that she was happily married to him and had lodged a false case under pressure from her parents.

Make E Corporation, tenants pay if old building falls: Owners
The owners of a 100-year-old building in Delhi have approached the Delhi high court seeking its structural inspection by the municipal corporation.

Mika slaps doc at event, case lodged
An FIR has been registered against singer Mika Singh for allegedly beating up a doctor during a live event in southwest Delhi’s Inderpuri area on Saturday night.

More Delhi News»

Power plays truant in some Bengaluru pockets
Truant power could have made Sunday a nightmare, if not for the cool breeze and light showers that lasted most part of the day.

3,000 cyclists happily hold sway
It was four hours of fun and excitement on the roads around Allalasandra Lake, Yelahanka New Town, as 3,000 cyclists pedalled away on Sunday morning to mark Cycle Day, supported by The Times of India.

Old guard sees red
The growth of mobile-based cabs has upset autorick shaw and taxi drivers. Bangalore Tourist Taxi Own ers' Association (BTTOA) general secretary Radhakrishna Holla pointed out that the high court's directions to the state government to bring taxi aggregators under a regulator have not been followed.

More Bangalore News»

130 sanders woodcutters arrested in Nellore, Kadapa
As many as 130 woodcutters, mostly from neighbouring Tamil Nadu, were arrested in Nellore and Kadapa districts of Andhra Pradesh on Sunday.

Home-grown terrorists give cops a headache
After the recent encounter of two Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) activists in Alair in neighbouring Nalgonda district, Telangana police are in hot pursuit of three of their associates.

Heavy rains kill 11 in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh
Eleven people were killed as heavy rains triggered by cyclonic conditions wreaked havoc in several parts of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh on Sunday even as the Met department in Hyderabad sounded an alert for isolated heavy rain and hailstorms in both the regions.

More Hyderabad News»

TN toddler falls into 300-ft borewell, dies
A two-and-half-year-old boy accidentally fell into a 300-ft open borewell in a village in Vellore district and was pulled out dead after more than seven hours of rescue operations on Sunday.

50 years later, it's happily Everest after
It’s 50 years since the first Indian-led expedition summited Mount Everest, and the class of 1965 is set for a reunion.

Students discover pre-historic site in Kaveripattinam
In a rare feat, school students have discovered a pre-historic site near Penneshwaramadam, a 12th century old Chola temple situated by the bank of the south Pennar river, 5km from Kaveripattinam in Krishnagiri district.

More Chennai News»

Over 200 birds found dead, injured across Ahmedabad
Sunday's hailstorm killed a large number of birds. Parrots, kites and crows were among the 217 birds which died or were found critically injured at Vasna barrage, in Paldi and other parts of new west zone.

Clouds still loom over Ahmedabad
The weather continued to be tempera mental for the second day, on Sunday, with most parts of the city experiencing heavy winds with hailstorm and rains in the afternoon.

Hailstorm, rain cool Ahmedabad; civic deficiencies heat up woes
Heavy downpour accompanied by hailstorm threw life out of gear in many parts of Ahmedabad. In just two-and-half-hours, many areas in the rain-lashed city had literally become inaccessible for commuters.

More Ahmedabad News»

Impersonator held in SSC exam
A youth appearing in place of an aspirant in Combined Graduate Level-2014 (Tier II) exams conducted by Staff Selection Commission (SSC) was arrested at Government Inter College in Lucknow on Sunday.

Two dozen schools get notice for fee hike
District inspector of schools (DIoS) has sought clarification from over two dozen schools affiliated with ICSE and CBSE for charging exorbitant tuition fee and selling school stationery and dresses from the school premises.

Rural women's anti-liquor crusade hits bull's eye
Male members returning home drunk was a routine affair. Women of the house had to bear the brunt and ignominy silently. They were told that it was their fate. They also gave in. But then things changed. One sleepy cold morning, a few women of Khapatiya village decided that they would no more bear the ignominy any more. They decided to take the bull by its horn and launched a ‘Sharab Chodo, Ghar Jodo’ campaign.

More Allahabad News»

Three women die at VSS after C-section delivery
Three women died six hours after Caesarean section deliveries at VSS Institute of Medical Sciences and Research in Burla around the same time on Friday night.

Ganjam hoarders warned of action
Ganjam district administration on Saturday warned wholesalers and retailers of action if it found any hoarding and abnormal price rise of pulses and wheat products in the wake of strike launched by Federation of All Odisha Traders' Association.

MGNREGS: State seeks Rs 2,300cr from Centre
The state government moved the Centre for Rs 2,300 crore under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) for 2015-16.

More Bhubaneswar News»

Journalist found dead in MP's Singrauli
A local journalist was found dead under suspicious circumstances near a private power plant here today, police said.

Not so incredible Madhya Pradesh
A temple of goddess off-limits for women, 450 km from state capital may be an oddity for some in this age and time. But for scores of regulars, temple in Hirdenagar village of tribal-dominated Mandla district, there’s nothing strange. And popularity of the temple has gone far and wide and devotees from others districts reaching the area only attest to it.

2 ex officials of MP Assembly remanded to police custody
A special court in Bhopal on Friday sent two former senior officials of Madhya Pradesh legislative assembly who were arrested in connection with alleged fraudulent appointments of 17 people in the assembly between 1993 and 2003 on April 9, to police remand till April 15.

More Bhopal News»

Sikh preacher Daduwal gets back gurdwara
Ending the nearly eight-month tussle over the control of a gurdwara in Kot Shamir village between Sikh preacher Baljit Singh Daduwal and Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak committee (SGPC) member Amrik Singh, the latter has finally relinquished the possession of the site and has handed it over to three brothers, who own the property.

Bhai Baldeep raises question over party functioning
Aam Aadmi Party's suspended leader Bhai Baldeep Singh has raised questions about the functioning of Punjab unit in his reply to the show cause notice served to him for his utterings about the goings-on in the central leadership.

Government college in woman naval officer Kiran's name in Mewat
The Haryana government will set up a government college in Mewat in the name of Lieutenant Kiran Shekhawat of the Indian Navy who was killed during a training sortie of a naval aircraft off the Goa coast on March 25.

More Chandigarh News»

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