News Digest: Indian fishermen head to Colombo for talks

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Monday, May 12, 2014
		Today's Headlines

		India
		Indian fishermen head to Colombo for talks After the first round of talks between Indian and Sri Lankan fishermen in Chennai failed to yield a breakthrough in January, a second round of talks begins in Colombo on Monday. Election Commission to allow govt to appoint next Army chief  The Election Commission is understood to have decided to allow the government initiate the process for appointing the next Army chief. Exit polls results only after 6.30pm on May 12: EC The Election Commission on Sunday said exit poll results can be disseminated only after 6.30pm on May 12, the last lap of the nine-phase Lok Sabha polls. More India News»

		Business
		Sahara may exit finance business by '17 Faced with a tight cash flow, Sahara is contemplating to exit its finance business by December 2017 and focus on retail, real estate, life insurance and mutual fund, its chief Subroto Roy has said in a letter to Prime minister Manmohan Singh. Snapdeal to go public in 1-2 years: Co-founder Bahl Kunal Bahl and Rohit Bansal, co-founders of online marketplace Snapdeal, have been the typical nimble-footed entrepreneurs not wary of changing business models. Infosys hives off products business into separate unit Infosys has hived off its products, platforms and solutions (PPS) business into a wholly-owned subsidiary called Edgeverve Systems. More Business News»

		Environment
		Great Himalayan National Park nominated for World Heritage status The Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) of Himachal Pradesh has been nominated along with 11 other conservation sites from across the globe for the natural World Heritage site status. Lion cub run over by train in Gujarat The seven-month-old male cub was found lying besides the track between Bherai and Pipavav port. Some villagers spotted the body and called forest department officials. Forest staff killed by elephant in Bandipur tiger reserve A forest staff has been killed by wild elephant inside the Bandipur tiger reserve on Friday night. More Environment News»

		World
		EU moves cautiously to raise pressure on Russia over Ukraine The European Union is set to step up pressure on Russia on Monday by taking a first cautious step towards extending sanctions to companies, as well as people, linked to Moscow's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region. 39 injured in anti-pollution protests in China Chinese authorities have offered to shelve a huge waste incinerator project after anti-pollution protestors clashed with the police leaving 39 people including 10 policemen injured. Pak tribals worried after govt's talks with Taliban stalled The people living in Pakistan’s volatile tribal regions on the border with Afghanistan have given up hope of some kind of semblance of normality returning to their motherland, which has almost been turned into a no-go area for non-tribal people. More World News»

		Entertainment
		Rhea rents out apartment given to her by Sanjay? According to the grapevine, the socialite who is embroiled in a legal separation battle with tennis-ace Leander Paes is reportedly managing with the rent that comes to her from the flat in a Bandra building. Bebo burst out laughing seeing Saif in woman's clothes Saif Ali Khan features in a triple role in Humshakals. For one scene, he, Riteish Deshmukh and Ram Kapoor had to be in drag. Sanjay Dutt's twins are B'town's youngest swimmers One heard from a swimming instructor in Bandra that Sanjay Dutt’s three-year-old twins Shahraan and Iqra, who were initiated into the sport by their father, are now expert swimmers. More Entertainment News»

		Science
		Worms linked to HIV infection in African women While around the world a vast majority of people with AIDS are men, Africa has long been the glaring exception: Nearly 60% are women. Electrical stimulation of brain alters dreams: study Scientists on Sunday said they had used a harmless electrical current to modify sleep so that an individual has "lucid dreams," a particularly powerful form of dreaming. Unique enzyme discovered by CSIR institution to increase shelf life of fruits and vegetables The CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bio-resource Technology (CSIR-IHBT), Palampur has signed a MoU with its industry partner, Phyto Biotech, Kolkata, to formalize technology transfer for production of unique enzyme which may be used in developing anti-ageing cream. More Science News»

		Sports
		Manchester City win Premier League title Manchester City beat West Ham United 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday to win the English Premier League title for the second time in three seasons. Maria Sharapova wins Madrid Open title Maria Sharapova, the Russian eighth seed, fought back to defeat Simona Halep 1-6, 6-2, 6-3 to win her second clay title of the season at the Madrid Open. Reds win in vain as title dreams dashed Liverpool's bid to snatch the Premier League title on the final day of the season ended in frustration despite a 2-1 victory over nine-man Newcastle on Sunday. More Sports News»

		Technology
		Shootout of top smartphones: HTC One (M8) vs Samsung Galaxy S5 vs Sony Xperia Z2 If you're in the market for a new smartphone and want nothing but the best, Sony Xperia Z2, HTC One (M8) and Samsung Galaxy S5 are the best options. We pit the three against each other to see how they fare on different parameters. Camera Shootout: HTC One (M8) vs Samsung Galaxy S5 vs Sony Xperia Z2 The battle of the three biggest contenders for the crown of the best smartphone comes to the imaging arena! Oracle wins copyright ruling against Google The case, decided by the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, is being closely watched in Silicon Valley. More Technology News»

		Education
		Tamil Nadu engineering colleges sell hard to fill seats With more seats than students in the state’s engineering colleges, the colleges have learned the business of hard sell — and the benefits of getting an early start and a jump on the competition. IIT Bombay launches its first MOOCs Further to its collaboration with EdX, a massive open online course (MOOC) platform, last year, IIT Bombay (IIT-B ) recently launched its first three MOOCs. No UG entrance test at Jamia Hamdard Jamia Hamdard has no undergraduate entrance test, switched to decentralised, e-enrolment, and changed the exam system to allow student-faculty interface regarding marking, this year. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		Differential fees for same courses in FYJC As if the race to get into Class XI wasn’t intense enough, enrolling in a junior college just got more so. Most right to education admission forms 'invalid' in Mumbai Only 1,791 of the 6,557 forms filled for Right To Education (RTE) online admissions have turned out to be valid. Earlier, more than 1,500 seats went unclaimed till May 5, the deadline for entry-level admissions. The total number of seats available across 309 schools was 8,234. Spy cameras game changers in rounding up scamsters The anti-corruption bureau (ACB) intelligence wing has ferreted out instances of graft due to the use of sophisticated gadgets and by cutting red tape. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		After mild weekend, more rain in Delhi After a pleasant weekend, Delhiites can expect more mild weather in the next few days. The Met office says the capital could get the odd thundershower till Wednesday which would help keep temperatures well below normal. Court: Forced sex in marriage not rape A court has acquitted a man accused of raping his wife, stating that forced intercourse with a woman does not amount to rape if she is married to the accused. Dance guru held for torturing wife National award-winning dancer Guru Syed Salauddin Pasha was arrested on Sunday after his wife lodged a case of domestic violence, dowry and unnatural offences against him. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		Siddaramaiah supporters ransack venue after artiste's jibe Noted theatre personality ‘Master’ Hirannaiah found himself at the centre of a raging controversy on Sunday. Woman gang-raped, pushed from second floor in Bangalore Four men allegedly gang-raped a Mumbai-based woman and pushed her from the second floor of a lodge in HSR Layout here on Saturday night. Illegal borewell irks residents A 1,300-feet borewell in Maithri Layout near Whitefield has left residents fuming.Water from it, they say, is being illegally drawn to fill up tankers and then sold at exorbitant rates. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		Build new capital city for Andhra: Experts At a time when the Sivaramakrishnan committee is touring various cities in Seemandhra to find one suited to be the capital city, town planners are in favour of developing a new capital rather than anointing an existing city. Hyderabad universities to join 'Chalo Eflu' protest today Hundreds of students backed by some political parties and human rights groups will march to English and Foreign Languages University (Eflu) to protest against the rustication of three students as pressure mounted on the varsity from all corners to overturn the order. Delay in sanctions jacks up Krishna phase-III cost The delay in getting road-cutting sanctions for the laying of pipelines has escalated the cost of the Krishna Drinking Water Supply phase-III by at least Rs 200 crore. The delay is also likely to have a cascading effect on the project deadline. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		Jayalalithaa offers woman Rs 5 lakh, treatment after husband wants her euthanized Chief minister J Jayalalithaa on Sunday set up a special medical team to take care of a patient who is in coma for two months and announced Rs 5 lakh assistance to the family. Indian fishermen head to Colombo for talks After the first round of talks between Indian and Sri Lankan fishermen in Chennai failed to yield a breakthrough in January, a second round of talks begins in Colombo on Monday.  Bangladeshi man arrested at Ennore Port Police arrested a Bangladeshi national, who apparently believed he could swim 2,000km across the Bay of Bengal to his hometown, after paramilitary guards found him in the water at the wharf at Ennore Port past midnight on Saturday. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		Chief minister to kick off Morbi's Krishi Mahotsav? The annual Krishi Mahotsav will be kicked off by the chief minister on May 26. New trash skimmer machine for riverfront In response to allegations by various political parties regarding the increasing garbage in the Sabarmati river, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) recently procured the floating trash skimmer machine for the Sabarmati Riverfront Development Corporation Limited (SRFDCL). Rise of English medium schools in rural Ahmedabad The march of English medium schools in the city is unstoppable.In Ahmedabad, applications for 72 English medium schools have been received by the district primary education office. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		Curb noise pollution: HC to Noida authorities The Allahabad High Court has directed the NOIDA authorities, SSP Gautam Budh Nagar and Regional Pollution Control Board to ensure that the noise pollution in NOIDA should not cross the permissible limit. Take action against misappropriation of funds by colleges: HC The Allahabad high court, on Friday, directed the state government to initiate proceedings against the colleges alleged to be misappropriating fund provided under Zero Fee Scheme. Allahabad HC reserves order on Talwars' bail plea The Allahabad high court on Friday reserved its order on the bail application of dentist couple in the criminal appeal filed by them in Aarushi Talwar murder case. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		Honour killing in Odisha In a case of honour killing, a 20-year-old girl and her 22-year-old boyfriend were killed allegedly by her brothers here today just hours before she was to be married off to the man chosen by her family. Electric bill shock for village in dark Biri Majhi, a BPL card-holder of Karnibahal village, 47 km from here in Thuamul Rampur block of Kalahandi district, had dreamt of getting power connection under Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY). Row over honorary wildlife wardens The state government is allegedly flouting norms to appoint honorary wildlife wardens (HWLWs) in the state. According to an official report, 70% appointments are renewed without performance appraisal. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		Another jilted lover sets woman afire; three held In another incident of a jilted lover turning violent, a 23-year-old pharmacy student was set afire by her three classmates, including one who allegedly had an affair with her, after she resisted an alleged bid to rape her at her home at Ozhara village here, police said today. MANIT students to pay more fee Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology (MANIT) on Saturday revised fee structure for academic session of 2014-15.Students will have to pay almost double fee as compared to present structure. 65 illegal houses on government land razed near Mandideep In a major anti-encroachment drive, district administration demolished 65-odd houses on nine acres of government land in presence of strong police force at Samardha village near Mandideep on Saturday. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		100 people fall ill after drinking contaminated water Around 100 villagers including women and children were hospitalized after drinking contaminated water from a canal containing effluents from a beer factory in Rewari district of Haryana. Slum demolition clears way for Vikas Marg makeover With razing of the leftover slum colonies along Vikas Marg on Saturday, the administration has taken a step towards developing the stretch as the key artery of the city, in some ways better than Madhya Marg. Disco drug ring busted as 2 Nigerians among 3 held Crime branch in-charge Inspector Ranjodh Singh said, "Thakur was the link of the two foreigners for supplying narcotics to disco-goers.He was in contact with over two dozen bouncers. More Chandigarh News»

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