News Digest: Under Maneka Gandhi, WCD gets a promotion to cabinet rank

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Wednesday, May 28, 2014
		Today's Headlines

		India
		Under Maneka Gandhi, WCD gets a promotion to cabinet rank In the new BJP-led government at the Centre, the women and child development ministry was upgraded to cabinet rank. This was a long-standing demand of activists so that the ministry can be involved in policy decisions and play a pro-active role. New doctor in town promises health insurance for all Health insurance for all would be the top priority of the Modi government, said Dr Harsh Vardhan, who took charge as Union health minister on Tuesday. Probe role of cops in Meerut riots: BJP leader Alleging "slow" pace of investigation in the riots which took place here earlier this month, chief of BJP's UP unit Laxmikant Bajpai met Meerut SSP Omkar Singh on Tuesday and asked him to probe the role of policemen in the violence. More India News»

		Business
		Rajan likely to stay on as RBI governor RBI governor Raghuram Rajan is expected to stay in his job with the NDA government willing to work with him, sources said. Top 10 highest paid CEOs of 2013 10 highest-paid CEOs of 2013, as calculated by The Associated Press and Equilar, an executive pay research firm Jaitley gets set for balancing act Finance minister Arun Jaitley has asked his officials to identify three-four key issues on which action can be initiated over the next few months, signalling the government’s intent to move swiftly on restarting the economy. More Business News»

		Environment
		Forget gases, carbon in deeper soil threatening our climate Deep soils can contain long-buried stocks of organic carbon which could, through erosion, agriculture, deforestation, mining and other human activities, contribute to global climate change. Poachers kill tigress with GPS collar in Madhya Pradesh Poachers killed yet another tigress - fourth in the last two years - with an electric trap at the buffer zone of Bandgavgarh National Park (BNP) in Umeria district of Madhya Pradesh late on Sunday night. How will climate change affect livelihoods in South Asia? In semi-arid regions, for example in Madhya Pradesh, where there is relatively high temperature and the rainfall hovers between 300-700 mm a year, rise in temperature can badly hit cropping patterns. More Environment News»

		World
		Obama plans to end US troop presence in Afghanistan by 2016 US President Barack Obama on Tuesday outlined a plan to withdraw all but 9,800 American troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year and pull out the rest by the end of 2016, ending more than a decade of military engagement triggered by the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States. Boko Haram attack kills 31 security personnel Boko Haram gunmen attacked a Nigerian military base and adjacent police barracks in the northeastern town of Buni Yadi, killing 31 security personnel, security sources and witnesses said. 21 dead in South Korea hospital fire A fire swept through a hospital in South Korea early Wednesday, killing 21 people and leaving six others in a critical condition, according to a report. More World News»

		Entertainment
		OMG: Shanti Dynamite gets her nipples pierced! Porn star Shanti Dynamite, who was in the news recently for walking the red carpet at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in a navy strapless gown, is also making her Bollywood debut in producer Rupesh Paul's next. Alia's underwear revealed, thanks to Varun Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan were present at the trailer launch of Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania. The actors were excited about their film, but Alia Bhatt suffered an oops moment. Why Dharmendra, Michael Jackson convert to Islam? More Entertainment News»

		Science
		Isro scientists hope for a better future with Modi Narendra Modi as India’s PM will command Isro to higher orbits as he has always been a strong supporter of the country’s space programme, according to scientists and engineers of the Indian space agency. In a first, robot makes repairs at ISS A robot is replacing a faulty camera on the International Space Station’s Canadian robotic arm, marking the first time a job done by spacewalking astronauts is being carried out robotically. Wikipedia: New medical reference for patients Scientists have warned against a dangerous new trend where patients check on Wikipedia for information on their health conditions, instead of going to a doctor. More Science News»

		Sports
		Li crashes out of French Open first round Chinese second seed Li Na crashed out of the French Open first round in a 7-5, 3-6, 6-1 defeat against world no. 103 Kristina Mladenovic of France on Tuesday. Wozniacki loses on return after break up Wozniacki's return to tennis after her breakup with golfer Rory McIlroy ended in more pain when she was knocked out in the French Open first round. Sudha's Asian silver upgraded to gold Long distance runner Sudha Singh's silver medal in the 3000m steeplechase event at 2013 Asian Athletics Championships is to be upgraded to gold. More Sports News»

		Technology
		HP Omni 10 review: A tablet for working men HP Omni 10 promises consumers full Windows functionality in a form factor that offers the ease and convenience of a tablet. Iran court summons Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg A judge in southern Iran has ordered Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg to appear court to answer complaints by individuals. Apple to unveil smart home platform at WWDC 2014: Report According to a Financial Times report, Apple will announce its smart home platform at WWDC on June 12, 2014. More Technology News»

		Education
		IIT-B student's film on acid attack wins laurels An animation film by an IIT-Bombay student on the last year's acid attack at Mumbai's Bandra railway station has won the Best Short Film Award at Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2014 and also a nomination at the World Festival of Animation, Croatia. Have a flair for foreign languages? Watch new doors open up for you Our trade links are expanding across the world and several multi-national companies have simultaneously set up base in India over the last decade. Maharashtra board outnumbered Rajasthan at JEE (Advanced) Few candidates from Maharashtra have performed well in a grueling exam like the IIT-JEE. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		Jawan guns down 2 mates, injures 2 others A lance naik gunned down two colleagues with his service rifle at an Air Force signal station in Santa Cruz (E) on Tuesday before making an unsuccessful attempt on the lives of three others. His bid to flee was thwarted by the police as he reached Goregaon. MSRTC to pay arrears by raising fares from June 1 Sources said that a part of the revenue will be used to pay salary arrears to employees, who have threatened to go on strike in June Short-circuit sparks blaze in office near Vashi station Several employees were evacuated from the office complex by security personnel. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		Signature Bridge delayed, LG slams tourism agency Work on the Signature Bridge at Wazirabad has been delayed further. As per current estimates, the project , which was initially to be completed before the 2010 Commonwealth Games, will be in place only by September 2015. Protest against lawyers for assaulting Naga woman Hundreds of students, activists and people from the Northeast protested on Tuesday against lawyers of the Tis Hazari court who allegedly assaulted youths from the region and a woman lawyer recently. Murdered man was harassed by cops, allege kin Delhi Police transferred the case of alleged murder of a 30-year-old man by five policemen to the crime branch on Tuesday evening. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		Common Entrance Test: Bangalore corners 45 ranks; 2 students top 4 streams Except in BTech (Food), Bangalore students have secured the first rank in all streams in the Common Entrance Test (CET). Bangalore developer sells buffer zone plot to IIM director When Gautam Sinha, director, IIM (Kashipur) in Uttarakand, put down a substantial amount of his life savings in a plot in Bangalore South, he wasn't playing the realty stakes. Fair price shops not audited: PAC A mere 7% of users are aware of some monitoring systems while only 4% know about the toll-free number. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		Crossing swords over Polavaram They speak of cooperation, yet waste no opportunity to hit out at each other. Even before taking over as chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana respectively, Chandrababu Naidu and K Chandrasekhar Rao have been engaged in a war of words and sparring over tricky issues arising out of bifurcation. Fishing in troubled Krishna waters In a sign of things to come, the first episode of inter-state dispute between Telangana and residuary Andhra Pradesh has already broken out in the bordering Nalgonda and Guntur districts, where officials have locked horns over sharing of territorial water rights. Seemandhra Inc has eye on the sky Trade and industry in Seemandhra finally has its fi ngers crossed that TDP supremo Chandrababu Naidu will wave his magic wand in the region and replicate his success in making Hyderabad a global investment destination. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		Man held for forcing women from Andhra Pradesh into prostitution A 26-year-old man from Karaikudi who cheated several women from Andhra Pradesh by promising to marry them and then forcing them into prostitution was arrested by anti-vice squad police near Saligramam on Monday. Madras stock exchange to end down shutters on trading South India's fountainhead equity house, The 76-year-old Madras Stock Exchange (MSE) will lose its licence to trade in stocks and shares after post May 30. Tamil Nadu CM promises no power cuts from June 1 Dark days could be a thing of the past for Tamil Nadu — at least for the immediate future. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		Two arrested for Saraspur murder A team of city crime branch arrested two accused in connection with a youth's murder in Saraspur on Monday afternoon.Police claimed that the duo was planning to flee from the state to evade arrest. Youth caught for harassing teenager A 29-year-old youth was caught by police on Tuesday for allegedly harassing a 14-year-old girl.The police acted on a complaint filed by the girl's parents. Molestation case: Satellite girl alleges inaction by police A Satellite resident has written to the city police commissioner seeking justice in a molestation case. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		Several trains diverted, helpline numbers issued Several trains have been diverted.The railway authorities have issued helpline numbers. Error in Inter marksheets stumps students Hundreds of students, who appeared in Intermediate examination of UP Board, were on Monday shocked to find that one of the subject in which they had appeared is replaced by another one. Allahabad high court rejects bail plea of Pradeep Shukla The Allahabad High Court on Monday rejected the third bail application of former principal secretary (health) of UP Pradeep Shukla, who is under judicial custody in National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) scam. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		CamEra takes visitors on a trip through Odisha's cultural landscape The diverse and multi-faceted cultural heritage of Odisha was captured and displayed during CamEra - the first-ever public place photography exhibition that concluded in the city on Monday. Jual Oram, Dharmendra Pradhan boost for Odisha unit of BJP Sundargarh MP Oram, a BJP national vice-president, said though as a Union minister he would give importance to projects all over the country, Odisha would have special focus in his plans. 20 juveniles flee home At least 20 juvenile delinquents fled a government-run observation home here on Monday afternoon after attacking its staff, including superintendent Sanjay Kumar Mohanty. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		Woman withdraws complaint against additional district magistrate Forty eight hours after filing complaint of sexual exploitation against additional district magistrate BS Jamod, the 30-year-old woman took it back on Monday. Three faces from Madhya Pradesh make it to Modi's Cabinet Three faces from Madhya Pradesh got a berth in Narendra Modi cabinet including Sushma Swaraj MP from Vidisha, Narendra Singh Tomar MP from Gwalior and Thavar Chand Gehlot a Rajya Sabha member. CBI initiates probe against I-T officials in LNCT graft case This is first inquiry after recent Supreme Court ruling that prior sanction is not mandatory for initiating probe against senior government officials.Case is being investigated by the CBI's Bhopal branch. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		With 5 ministers from Haryana at Centre, BJP takes aim at assembly polls The party had ended up with four MLAs and a vote share of 12% in the 2009 assembly polls.State BJP leaders have termed the move as party's signal to voters in the state, especially the non-Jat communities. Drug menace spread fast in Punjab in last 5-6 years: Akal Takht jathedar "There was a serious crisis staring at the next generation as majority of Punjabi youth were turning impotent due to drug addiction," he observed. BJP rejects Anil Joshi's resignation for Jaitley loss "Joshi alone cannot be blamed for the loss.His resignation was never demanded by the party.We have set up a committee which will introspect into key issues which led to the disaster in Amritsar. More Chandigarh News»

		To manage your newsletter subscription settings, click here	Other Newsletters from TOI : Movie Reviews | Life & Style | Top Headlines