News Digest: Naidu for amending municipal laws to hold local officers accountable for building collapse

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Friday, July 04, 2014
		Today's Headlines

		India
		Naidu for amending municipal laws to hold local officers accountable for building collapse The Center and state governments also unanimously agreed to work together to provide housing for all by 2022. The meeting came out with a national declaration on this. Singapore offers help in Modi's smart city project In an exclusive conversation with TOI, Shanmugam said, "Singapore wants India to succeed. A strong and vibrant India is essential for peace and stability in Asia.” Army Chief holds talks with China's military top brass Army Chief General Bikram Singh today held wide-ranging talks with China's military top brass on issues like measures to increase mutual trust, implementation of the new border defence mechanism and maritime cooperation. More India News»

		Business
		Sahara gets Rs 4,860 crore tax demand The income tax department on Thursday raised an interim demand of Rs 4,860 crore on the Sahara group even as it is busy selling off assets and mopping up bank accounts to arrange for Rs 10,000 crore to secure the release of chairman Subrata Roy and two directors, detained in jail since March 4. Tech glitch shuts down BSE for 3 hours A three-hour long tech glitch on Thursday stopped trading on the Bombay Stock Exchange as the problem prevented a large number of members from logging onto the bourse's servers. Barclays India back in black with Rs 382cr profit UK lender Barclays Bank has finally turned the corner in India with a net profit of Rs 382 crore for FY14 as compared to a loss of over Rs 56 crore. More Business News»

		Environment
		Dudhwa's cameras click endangered birds, King Cobra Dudhwa tiger reserve is not just home to tigers but other endangered species as well. The cameras installed inside the reserve to capture pictures of tigers have also recorded two pairs of Bengal Floricans in Sonaripur grasslands. Smuggled elephant ivory price triples: Conservationists The price of ivory taken from African elephants slaughtered for their tusks has tripled in the past four years in China, the world's biggest market, conservationists said on today. 65 nesting sites of crocodiles spotted in Odisha Around 65 nesting sites of estuarine crocodiles have been spotted in Bhitarkanika National Park in Odisha's Kendrapara district and the number is likely to increase as the counting process was still on, officials said. More Environment News»

		World
		Overpass collapse kills two in Brazil An unfinished overpass being built for the World Cup crashed down on several vehicles in Brazil's southeastern city of Belo Horizonte on Thursday, killing at least two people and injuring 19. UK had plan to train Syrian rebels: BBC Britain had planned to train and equip a 100,000-strong rebel army to defeat Syrian President Bashar al-Assad before it was deemed to be too risky, BBC Newsnight reported on Thursday. Bolivia congress allows child labour from age 10 Bolivian lawmakers have approved child workers as young as 10 years old, under a new law that lays out specific conditions for employing children. More World News»

		Entertainment
		Accident on the sets of Diya Aur Baati Hum Mishaps on the sets during monsoon is not new for the tellyworld. Last monsoon it was the sets of Comedy Nights with Kapil that turned into ashes followed by a fire on the sets of FIR. And this time its on the sets of Diya Aur Baati Hum. 'I was touched by Yuvraj's fight against cancer' After his autobiographical play Kucch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai completed 300 shows, Anupam Kher is now set to host a chat show highlighting the trials and triumphs of celebrities. 'Walking to a set in a short skirt is difficult' Riteish Deshmukh has always been a dependable actor, but his portrayal of the meek mannered psychotic killer in Ek Villain ranks among the best in recent times. More Entertainment News»

		Science
		Two 'Earth-like' planets don't exist: Study US scientists said on Thursday two distant Earth-like planets, which some believed might be able to harbor life, do not actually exist and that astronomers were confused by a star's sunspots. Facebook test can help decipher human behaviour better Facebook’s disclosure last week that it had tinkered with about 700,000 users’ news feeds as part of a psychology experiment conducted in 2012 inadvertently laid bare what too few tech firms acknowledge: that they possess vast powers to closely monitor, test and even shape our behaviour. Our brains grew on insect diet Foraging for lean-season diet such as ants, slugs and bugs may have spurred the development of bigger brains and higher-level cognitive functions in early humans and other primates, a new study suggests. More Science News»

		Sports
		Paes-Stepanek in Wimbledon semifinals Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek moved into the semifinal of the men's doubles at Wimbledon with a hard fought win over Nenad Zimonjic and Daniel Nestor. Sex is good for footballers in this WC! All eight of the teams through to quarters allowed their players to have sexual relations with partners during down time, according to Brazil's Lance! newspaper. Uruguay appeals Suarez's 4-month ban Uruguay on Thursday lodged an appeal against the four month football ban imposed on star striker Luis Suarez for his World Cup bite, a top FIFA official said. More Sports News»

		Technology
		Review: Evolutionary Advances in new smartwatches New Android wristwatches from Samsung and LG make a few evolutionary advances. Vishal Sikka top-paid professional CEO in India Infosys CEO designate Vishal Sikka will be the highest paid professional CEO of an Indian company. The bright side of Facebook's social experiments on users Facebook and much of the rest of the web are thriving petri dishes of social contact. More Technology News»

		Education
		High grades, but no easy admission in DU If you think the youngsters who made the dizzying grades for DU’s first list are having it easy, think again. It takes two, sometimes three days, for the papers to move in colleges. Confusion as extracurricular activity trial timings clash Amid complaints of clash of timings, extracurricular activity trials got off to a chaotic start in several colleges of DU on Thursday. Common Law Admission Test-2015 may go online The Common Law Admission Test — which is taken by about 40,000 students a year — might now be conducted online, with the Ram Manohar Lohia National Law University, which will conduct it in 2015, considering for a paperless test. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		Self-financed seats may go up There's some good news for students still seeking admission to undergraduate programmes of their choice. A recent government resolution has allowed all state universities to give permissions to colleges seeking a 10% increase in intake capacity across courses. Prime 5.3-acre Prabhadevi plot freed from CRZ norms A developer of a prime Prabhadevi plot is the first major beneficiary of the state coastal authority’s intriguing redefinition of the Mahim shore as a bay. Degree college seats set to rise by 13,000 There’s some good news for students still seeking admission to undergraduate programmes of their choice. A recent government resolution has allowed all state universities to give permissions to colleges seeking a 10% increase in intake capacity across courses. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		Monsoon reaches Delhi, rain to pick up pace next week The southwest monsoon registered a muted arrival in Delhi with 5.5mm rainfall being recorded till 5.30pm. Several parts of the city remained dry though a maximum temperature of 32.7 degrees Celsius, three degrees below normal, resulted in pleasant weather. We removed silt well in advance, met target: Corporation The recent CAG report dismisses Delhi’s desilting and flood control measures as a fraud. The corporations, however, reject the claim and have once again passed the blame on to other civic agencies. '590 drains need regular desilting' Under the watchful eye of LG Najeeb Jung—who has held close to 15 meetings on desilting of drains—PWD claims to have finished the first round of cleaning its drains and is hopeful that waterlogging problems will reduce this year. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		MLA told constables: Cops are like my boots Congress MLA Vijayanand Kashappanavar, accused of abusing and manhandling two constables who tried to stop him from partying beyond the stipulated hours in an upmarket lounge bar on Tuesday night, is missing since Wednesday night, police said. Slap gate: Incident minor, says George as BJP stalls House Two days after two police constables were slapped and abused by a Congress MLA and his aides for doing their duty, home minister K J George termed the incident as a "minor one" on Thursday. After slapping cops, MLA flees Congress MLA Vijayanand Kashappannavar, accused of chasing, abusing and manhandling two constables who tried to stop him from partying beyond the stipulated hours in an upmarket lounge bar on Tuesday night, is missing since Wednesday night, police sources said. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		Tit-for-tat? Telangana govt reclaims land given to APNGOs In a move that could trigger a controversy, the Telangana government has taken back 189.11 acres of prime land allotted to the AP Non-Gazetted Officers Association (APNGOA) housing society at Gopannapalli in Hyderabad citing various irregularities. It's a toss-up for All India Services officers A toss of a coin will eventually seal the fate of hundreds of All India Services (AIS) officers serving in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana after the Centre ruled out allotting them to the two states on the basis of the officers’ nativity or local considerations. I-T department order foxes NGOs in state Activists are flummoxed at a new missive which the office of the director of income tax (exemptions) has sent to various non governmental organisations (NGOs) with no religious affiliations directing them to register themselves under the AP Charitable and Hindu Religious Institutions and Endowments Act (APCHRIEA) of 1987. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		3-year-old may lose a leg after car rams him, mom A woman, her three-year-old son and a three-year-old girl sustained grievous injuries when a car hit them near a primary school on Kalathiappan Street in Choolai on Thursday afternoon. Remove adverse remarks against cop, govt told The Chennai bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal has directed the state government to remove adverse remarks made in a police officer's annual confidential report (ACR) as it was communicated to him after a delay of five years. Slain psychologist nephew arrested for forging will Police on Thursday arrested a nephew of psychologist Emma Gonsalvez, who was strangled in her apartment in Egmore on June 13, and charged him with forging a will to grab her property. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		HC sets deadline for removal of unauthorized beacons The Gujarat high court has once again asked the state government to act in strict manner to remove beacons from top of the vehicles belonging to people who are not entitled to use them. Violent crimes on the rise In 2013, Gujarat reported a 21% rise in the number of crimes committed in the state. Ahmedabad couple stunned as their love clip hits porn site A couple living in a posh area in the city was recently astounded to see their own lovemaking video recorded six years ago on a porn website. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		Roads in UP most unsafe in country: National Crime Bureau Record The roads of Uttar Pradesh account for more deaths than any other state in the country. Slow pace of repair work irks Mayor Mayor Abhilasha Gupta along with senior corporators on Wednesday inspected Buxi Bandh and sewage treatment plant, located on the banks of Ganga. Locals press for recovery of missing boy Residents of Chota Baghara and adjoining areas on Wednesday urged senior police officials to look into the case of a teenager missing since Monday evening. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		Polythene waste chokes drains The onset of monsoon brings back not so happy pictures of overflowing drains and people wading through waterlogged streets in the city. Crime branch arrests cop for harassing colleague The Crime Branch (CB) on Wednesday arrested police inspector Ajit Swain. Rath row: Seer sees conspiracy Shankaracharya of Puri Swami Nischalananda Saraswati on Wednesday dropped a bombshell and accused the state government of having conspired to keep him away from Rath Yatra. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		Madhya Pradesh lokyukta traps PHE clerk accepting bribe The Lokayukta’s special police establishment (SPE) on Thursday arrested a clerk posted at Public Health Engineering (PHE) department in an alleged bribery case. Guns and poses rock Inder Guwalani's birthday party at a city hotspot in Bhopal The friends of city-based couple Priyanka and Inder Guwalani flocked to a city hotspot to celebrate Inder’s birthday. Congress taken aback as CM swiftly agrees to debate MPPEB scam There was no turning back for Congress, which found itself walking a tight rope for nine hours, after leader of opposition Satyadev Katare requested Speaker Sitasharan Sharma, as House gathered in state assembly on Wednesday morning, for a discussion on Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board scam allegations. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		Haryana has right to create separate gurdwara body: Phoolka Phoolka said incorporation and regulation of religious bodies is part of the state list under the seventh schedule of the Constitution of India."As such, the subject is under the domain of the state legislature. Prices of onion, potato surge in Amritsar as buyers panic Despite the Centre's move to put stock limit on onion and potato to check rise in their rates, prices of these two essential kitchen commodities surged in Amritsar on Thursday. Virbhadra rubbishes Sukhu seeking explanations from ministers, MLAs Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh on Thursday disagreed with the stand taken by state Congress president Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, seeking written explanation from ministers and MLAs on the defeat of party candidates in the parliamentary elections. More Chandigarh News»

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