News Digest: Celebrity MPs are a rare sight in House

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Monday, July 21, 2014
		Today's Headlines

		India
		Celebrity MPs are a rare sight in House Celebrity MPs simply give a royal miss to Rajya Sabha - the upper House of Parliament - where they find place as 'nominated' members due to their outstanding performance in their respective professions. Online abuse, offline battles Women who are vocal about political and social issues often have to deal with online harassment, a lot of it sexual in nature. But getting cyber crime cells to chase a case is sometimes an even bigger ordeal. Camel milk: Can't get over the hump Globally, camel milk is getting superfood status. But back home, its sale is still illegal. Lifting the ban may be the only way to save the ship of the desert. More India News»

		Business
		Govt to debate special laws for SEZs Citing the Chinese model, the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government had originally proposed to exempt SEZs and units in these zones from the country’s labour laws. India stands alone at WTO talks The Indian stance has figured prominently in the general discourse in the run-up to the trade ministers’ meeting. India Inc gets relief under Companies Act The 1956 act stipulated mandatory government approval for contracts between a company and a related party if the paid-up capital of the company is not less than Rs 1 crore. More Business News»

		Environment
		Dutch govt to assist in comprehensive plan for Yamuna The Centre plans to create mega reservoirs by dredging the bed of the Yamuna for which the Dutch government has agreed to facilitate an action plan. Rare blue-colored red king crab caught in Alaska A rare blue-colored red king crab was part of a fisherman's catch earlier this month in Nome, Alaska. NGT concerned over rampant air pollution in Uttarakhand Concerned over rampant air pollution caused by industrial units in Uttarakhand, the National Green Tribunal has constituted an expert committee to look into violation of prescribed standards for emission by iron industries in the state. More Environment News»

		World
		Bloody Sunday as 100 Gazans, 13 Israeli soldiers killed At least 100 Palestinians and 13 soldiers were killed on Sunday as Israel ramped up a major military offensive in the bloodiest single day in Gaza in five years. Bodies from downed jet piled in boxcars in Ukraine Pro-Moscow rebels piled nearly 200 bodies from the downed Malaysian jetliner into four refrigerated boxcars on Sunday in eastern Ukraine, and cranes at the crash scene moved big chunks of the Boeing 777, drawing condemnation from Western leaders that the rebels were tampering with the site. Tobacco company told to pay $23bn for smoker's death A Florida jury awarded a staggering $23 billion in punitive damages to the widow of a chain smoker who died of lung cancer, socking it to RJ Reynolds, America’s second largest cigarette maker and the tobacco industry in general at a time of revulsion towards cigarette smokers. More World News»

		Entertainment
		6 hottest sex symbols of Bollywood Bollywood has been blessed with some of the most beautiful faces of the world. These actresses simply set the silver screen on fire with their sex appeal. Let's take a look at Bollywood's sex symbols. Jhanvi and Aryan in Aashiqui 3? PICS: Alia Bhatt and her hot onscreen kisses The actress showcased her acting prowess in films like Highway, Student of The Year and 2 States. More Entertainment News»

		Science
		That we use 10% of our brain is an urban myth? In a sombre and authoritative academic tone, Morgan Freeman's latest movie character delivers the following line: "It is estimated most human beings only use 10 per cent of the brain's capacity. Imagine if we could access 100 per cent. Interesting things begin to happen". Revealed: US thought of testing N-arms on moon On July 20, 1969, when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped on the surface of the moon they placed a plaque which declared: "Here men from Planet Earth set upon the moon. July 1969 AD. We came in peace for all mankind." 'Smart' car seats alert sleepy drivers The dangers of falling asleep while driving may soon become a thing of the past, thanks to new smart car seats which can detect when a driver is beginning to nod off and alert them. More Science News»

		Sports
		Rosberg coasts to first German GP win Mercedes' Nico Rosberg coasted to his first home German Grand Prix win to extend his lead over teammate Lewis Hamilton in drivers' championship. Golf: Rory McIlroy wins British Open The 25-year-old on Sunday held off the challenge provided by a red-hot Sergio Garcia and Rickie Fowler to record a 17-under-par total of 271. Caroline Wozniacki wins Istanbul Cup Caroline Wozniacki overpowered second-seeded Roberta Vinci 6-1, 6-1 Sunday to win the Istanbul Cup final and clinch her first WTA title of the year. More Sports News»

		Technology
		Facebook, WhatsApp keeping Indian teens up at midnight For a generation that chooses Snapchat over sleep, there's now a cool Twilight-inspired term called 'vamping' to describe night-time natter. Snowden aims to develop anti-surveillance tech Snowden intends to devote much of his time to promoting anti-surveillance technologies, including ones that allow people to communicate anonymously. Huawei Ascend G6 review: Good selfie phone, bad pricing Huawei Ascend G6's USP is its sleek design and 5MP selfie camera. More Technology News»

		Education
		Gender bender I carried out a study on abortion behaviour among vulnerable women in Mumbai slums and villages in Jalgaon district of Maharashtra. Taiwanese scholarships The Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre (TECC) in India organised an orientation programme for the Taiwan Scholarship and Huayu Enrichment Scholarship awardees, in Delhi on July 15. Empowering Indian youth More young Indians need the right infrastructure to develop skills. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		Metro feeder route buses ply empty Touted as the cash-strapped BEST’s “profitable venture”, the recently launched Metro Pheri bus service from Oshiwara goes practically empty, even during the peak hours. Babus in tow, Chavan pulls off 'sham' public hearings The Lokshahi Din (Democracy Day) organized by chief minister Prithviraj Chavan and women and child welfare minister Varsha Gaikwad has turned out to be a farce. While Chavan holds his Lokshahi meet on the first Monday of each month, Gaikwad looks at problems faced by women once in two months. Star mountaineer in global team to save Ganga The Centre’s mission to restore the Ganga to health has turned this river into the fountainhead of another ambitious plan. An international organization has invited women mountaineers from six continents to launch a water conservation initiative along the Ganga. India’s leading female mountaineer, Krushnaa Patil from Pune, has been drafted as well.In 2009, Patil was 19 when she became the youngest Indian woman to climb Mt Everest. Now 24, she will join seven mountaineers on an expedition along the Ganga beginning October. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		Electric car owners may get subsidy The Delhi government is mulling offering a subsidy to car owners choosing to go electric. High court dismisses AAP MLA's plea on installation of mobile towers Singh, who represents the Delhi Cantonment constituency in the assembly, said there are as many as four schools near the Jharera village and mobile towers are necessary for proper connectivity. Delhi govt reminded of pedestrian duty Increase in vehicular traffic and rampant encroachment of pavements have left very little space for pedestrians in the capital. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		Schools responsible for children's safety, says Siddaramaiah Chief minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday said school managements will be held responsible for crime against children on their campus and warned of action against institutions which fail to ensure safety of their students. Man harasses girl, thrashed by public In the wake of the outrage over crime against children and women, a man who harassed a girl was beaten black and blue in Shantinagar on Sunday morning.No police case was registered. Making Lalbagh see green Lalbagh, the lung space of Bangalore and home to 690-odd genera and 2,300 species of plants, is in news always for wrong reasons. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		Business honchos to select AP capital The Andhra Pradesh government on Sunday formed an advisory committee led by municipal administration and urban development minister P Narayana to zero in on the new capital city of the state. United AP recorded high death rate due to water-borne diseases As per the data, 100 persons succumbed to acute diarrhoeal diseases, 5 died from typhoid, 33 from viral hepatitis and three due to acute encephalitis syndrome. Parents throw 3-year-old into well In a shocking incident, parents of a three-year-old mentally challenged girl pushed her into an abandoned well near Rentachintala on Sunday. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		Karunanidhi defends move to drop action against some workers A day after the party decided to drop action against 32 functionaries including former union minister S S Palanimanickam, DMK chief M Karunanidhi on Sunday firmly defended the party's move asserting they were spared after accepting their explanations. Four die as car collides with truck in Chennai Four people, including two civil engineers from Singapore, died when the SUV they were travelling in collided with a lorry on GST Road on Sunday. Buyers form association to fight legal battle For those who invested all their life earnings to buy an apartment in The Faith, it seemed like the end of the road when the building collapsed on June 28. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		English-Gujarati dictionary now in braille The Braille Press at Blind People’s Association (BPA) has come up with the braille version of Oxford English-Gujarati Dictionary in 2013-14. Disabled kids nurture professional dreams at Apang Manav Mandal Rukhad Khimabhai, 20, is a third year BCom student, at RH Arts and Commerce College.He wants to be a banker because of his aptitude for maths. Now, merge plots to build bigger houses In a major relief to private plot owners in Gandhinagar, the new development plan now includes special provisions that will encourage owners to make their homes more accommodative and spatial dwellings. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		Birth place of Mahamana lies unclean The long and winding lanes and bylanes of historic locality of Malviyanagar presents festering picture of utter civic neglect. President to address students through video-conferencing President Pranab Mukherjee will address students and faculty members of all Central universities, Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and National Institutes of Technology (NITs) of the country. Streetlight out of order, commuters grope in dark The people are grappling with problems as fused streetlights are not being replaced.The problem accentuates at night when commuters have to traverse on roads that are dark. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		Baby's body found in box The body of a one-year-old baby, who was kidnapped by a miscreant 25 days ago from Kukudakhandi, has been found dead, the police said today. Orissa HC notice to Keonjhar on forest land use The Orissa high court has sought a reply from the Keonjhar district administration on why land allotted for a community centre in Atei Reserve Forest is being used as a parking lot. Sambalpur on the highway of development The state government has undertaken a mega Rs 2000-crore project to construct flyovers, water sports complex, ropeways and loop roads in the town, besides a new bridge on the Mahanadi. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		Expelled PMT students perform Sadbuddhi Yagna From last 18 days, expelled PMT students have been protesting at various places in the state capital.Recently, around 30 postcards written in blood were sent to chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Bhopal rail division wash hands off stale food on Shatabdi Bhopal railway division has washed its hands over stale food served on Shatabdi Express and forwarded the complaint from passengers to the Northern Railways citing that the matter does nor relate to its jurisdiction. 4-wheeler special numbers' e-auction set in motion Transport department has started e-auction of VIP special registration numbers for four-wheelers from Saturday, a week after the same had begun for VIP numbers of two-wheelers. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		Palampur woman's BITS batch to fund her life The agony and trauma of Seema Sood, an alumna of Birla Institute of Technology & Science (BITS), Pilani, who was afflicted by rheumatoid arthritis 21 years back when she was a student, has brought together her batch of 1985 scattered all over the world. HSGMC launches stir to throw out SGPC men Coming out to counter the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Commmittee (SGPC) strategy of positioning its task force at historic gurdwaras in Haryana, the ad hoc committee of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC) on Sunday started a state-wide agitation from Ambala for the ouster of armed supporters of SGPC from gurdwara premises. Athletes from Punjab, Haryana, HP raise medal hopes With India sending its second largest contingent ever for the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, hopes of landing up a sizeable number of medals at the marquee event have increased. More Chandigarh News»

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