News Digest: NTPC rings alarm bell: Less than 2 days of coal stock left

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Friday, July 18, 2014
		Today's Headlines

		India
		NTPC rings alarm bell: Less than 2 days of coal stock left As electricity demand peaks due to sub-normal monsoon, state-owned NTPC has warned that power plants are running on very low coal stock of less than two days, prompting government to take steps to fix the crisis. Dam levels in Tamil Nadu up as Karnataka, Kerala get rain With the southwest monsoon picking up pace, catchments in Tamil Nadu received good rains, raising water levels in reservoirs and dams in the western belt. Proxy euthanasia common in India Law or no law, euthanasia in a surrogate form is practised in India. Instances of doctors scaling down medical intervention where patients have no chance of recovery aren't unheard of. More India News»

		Business
		Govt plans selloff in over 12 PSUs Apart from SAIL, Coal India and ONGC, there are several mid-rung PSUs, including five from the power sector where the government is eying a possible stake sale. Govt unlikely to junk FDI in multi-brand retail Officially, however, the window remains open and foreign players who want to enter the market can seek permission from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board to set up an Indian venture. TCS posts strongest growth in 3 years Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has once again put in a remarkable performance. More Business News»

		Environment
		Book on reptiles of Nilgiris released In a first of its kind, a book on snakes and other reptiles of Nilgiris, authored by P Kannan, assistant professor of Ooty Government Arts College, was released on Thursday at the college premises. Nagoya Protocol to help conserve biodiversity: Javadekar The Nagoya Protocol, which will create incentives to conserve biodiversity, has received the required 50th instrument of ratification on July 14. Dams reducing Indus river dolphin numbers Removal of river water for irrigation and habitat fragmentation by irrigation dams are decreasing the number of Indus river dolphins, says a study. More Environment News»

		World
		40 injured in TGV train crash in France Forty people were injured, four of them seriously, in a collision between a high-speed TGV and a regional train near the southwest French city of Pau on Thursday, authorities said. UN chief Ban urges Israel to spare civilians in Gaza UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged Israel to "do far more" to spare Palestinian civilians after it launched a ground offensive in Gaza on Thursday. Chinese president woos Latin America with deals President Xi Jinping was greeted with a military honor guard in Brasilia by President Dilma Rousseff before overseeing the signing of a raft of agreements during a state visit. More World News»

		Entertainment
		Ileana D'Cruz: Marriage is definitely on the cards Ileana D’Cruz made her Bollywood debut with a heart warming role in Barfi and went on to play the typical college girl opposite Varun Dhawan in Main Tera Hero and Phata Poster Nikhla Hero toplining Shahid Kapoor. Ajaz Khan: Kapil Sharma is very insecure guy Hate Story 2: Why it is hotter than the first part! More Entertainment News»

		Science
		Asteroids key to future Mars missions: Nasa Near-earth asteroids provide a unique opportunity to test the new technologies and capabilities we need for future human missions to Mars, Nasa has said. Asthma inhalers make children half a centimetre shorter Common inhalers used by millions of children have now been found to curtail their height, stunting growth by around half a centimetre. Sunflowers track sun due to internal clock, not sunlight, says new research Everybody knows that sunflowers track the Sun as it rises in the east every morning and sets in the West every evening. More Science News»

		Sports
		Fifa red card for Nico World Cup helmet Nico Rosberg has had to abandon plans to wear a special helmet decorated with WC trophy at German GP due to copyright issues after Fifa intervened. I won't rule United with iron fist: Louis Louis van Gaal insists he will rule Manchester United democratically as the new boss bids to restore "the biggest club in the world" to their former glory. WC winner Toni Kroos joins Real Madrid Germany World Cup winner Toni Kroos on Thursday agreed a deal to join Real Madrid from Bayern Munich on a six-year deal, the Spanish giants announced. More Sports News»

		Technology
		Microsoft announces biggest-ever job cut, to layoff up to 18,000 CEO Satya Nadella said these layoffs are part of Microsoft's efforts to realign its workforce and move towards being a productivity and platform company. For Flipkart, sexual wellness is big business When asked about the scope of this segment in India, a Flipkart spokesperson said that sexual wellness is a Rs 1,000 crore category and is growing in double digits. Vishal Sikka is good for Indian IT: iGate CEO Igate has a new logo in blue, and with the 'i' now upper cased. It has also dropped the tagline 'iToPS for business outcomes'. More Technology News»

		Education
		Delhi University students denied degrees, meet VC A change in rules for passing or failing students in post graduate programmes, enforced by Delhi University in 2009 has resulted in a large number of MSc physics students being refused their degrees. Gujarat University to admit 5,000 left-out students offline Gujarat University (GU) has decided to conduct offline admission for 5,000-odd commerce students who were left without admissions after the completion of second round of the online procedure. Engineering admissions: Admission Committee for Professional Courses to declare seat allotment on July 21 The Admission Committee for Professional Courses (ACPC) has said that the admission procedure for the engineering courses will begin according to the original programme and it will declare the seats allotment on July 21. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		Management students take lessons from FIFA Could Lionel Messi and team have won the World Cup if he had some valuable lessons from Indian epic Mahabharat? Or could the story of Arjuna have inspired him? It's raining in the lakes, but your water cuts will stay Rainfall has improved in the catchment areas and, in the last 24 hours, added water to the lakes enough for 10 days’ stock. In fact, following the monsoon’s revival, nearly 80% of the state is likely to receive rainfall by the month-end. Poll-bound state in a rush to push Rs 800cr small dams In an unusual rush in the run-up to the state assembly elections, the Congress-controlled water conservation department floated tenders for minor irrigation projects worth about Rs 800 crore on just two days last month. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		Delhi man 'thrown out of train' by TTE, dies A businessman from Tughlaqabad in Delhi, who was travelling by the Delhi-Lucknow Shatabdi Express, died yesterday after allegedly being pushed from the moving train by a lady TTE near Aligarh. High court asks Gymkhana Club to pay 1.45 crore The Delhi high court on Thursday asked Delhi Gymkhana Club to pay Rs 1.45 crore, out of total Rs 2.92 crore for three accounting years since 2009, as luxury tax to the city government. Packed Delhi Metro train runs with all doors open Delhi Metro earned a dubious first on Thursday morning when a rush-hour train packed with commuters ran for 2.40 minutes with all its doors open. The train operator was suspended after the trip. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		Blue book gives citizens blues again Dr Tabrez Ahmed has just one month to take up a new job in Saudi Arabia. An assistant professor in pedodentistry at the city's Oxford Dental College, Dr Ahmed got the job offer in May and he promptly applied for his passport. But he is yet to get the little blue book in hand. Rail projects: Govt ready to share cost Chief minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday ended uncertainty over the fate of railway projects whose costs are shared equally by the state and the Centre. He said the state government will continue to provide 50% financial assistance to the ongoing projects. Nun, 15, raped in Hennur seminary A 15-year-old girl undergoing training to become a nun was allegedly raped by two strangers in a seminary at Hennur Bande, northeast Bangalore, on Wednesday. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		GHMC gives nod for road widening works The GHMC standing committee gave its nod for widening of roads in the city at the committee meeting on Thursday. Now drunk drivers can't pay their way out If you are caught driving under the influence of alcohol, be prepared to cool your heels in the cooler. GHMC gives nod for road widening works The GHMC standing committee gave its nod for widening of roads in the city at the committee meeting on Thursday. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		Boys more likely to be breastfed than girls India’s missing girls shocked the world, but now research has more devastating news — pro-male gender bias continues in breastfeeding practices with boys more likely to be raised exclusively on their mother’s milk than girls. Local crunchies make cracking good business Sundried in courtyards or Madras terraces and stored in cool dark spaces, vadams and vathals once formed a ready stock of meal accompaniments for the rest of the year. 'Massive project needed to reveal hidden histories in temple inscriptions' It would be a fallacy to say Indians don’t value history. Our ancients left detailed records. Tamils not only recorded events in palm-leaf manuscripts and copper plates but also on temple walls. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		Vidit falters at final hurdle City tennis player Vidit Vaghela has had a good run on tennis court recently. The hard-working player, along with his partner Maharashtra's Kunal Vazirani, recorded some impressive wins in the men's doubles category of CLTA-AITA Men's Tennis Tournament played in Chandigarh. Caution! 'High' tyre pressure can kill you on the expressway Think twice before you unleash the speed demon on the Ahmedabad-Vadodara Expressway (NE-1). Burning rubber on this stretch could cost your life if you choose to ignore the correct tyre pressure. Crocodile in court: Judge vexed by 'muddamaal' A magistrate at the metropolitan court was bewildered when the forest department presented a crocodile in his courtroom on Thursday afternoon, along with two accused who had sold reptiles to a city-based doctor. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		To improve image, cops reach out to students In the backdrop of bad image among the masses owing to deteriorating law and order situation, the police have come up with ‘know your police’ plan to apprise youngsters about the working of police department and its various wings. Rains not good for musical instruments Monsoon may be harbinger of fine and pleasant weather for many but fr percussion artistes, it adds to their woes. With cultural programmes lining up in the city, the tabla, pakhawaj and dholak artistes are facing a problem of the instruments developing cracks due to fungus or ants eating up the shells. Gen X more keen on bikes than horses The unique Ekka race still draws thousands of spectators but the tradition is slowly dying away. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		Primary teachers oppose education rules Primary teachers of the state on Wednesday opposed the recently-announced elementary education rules 2014, saying that the new rule will affect career prospects of about 75% teachers. Odisha asks Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences, SUM to reserve seats for domiciles Both the medical colleges, however, disapproved of the government diktat.A spokesperson of KIMS described Samanta's meeting with Mohapatra "cordial". Odisha govt green lights to sand park on sea beach In a belated move, the state government has decided to create a sand art park in Puri. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		Nine juvenile inmates flee Jabalpur rehabilitation home In a sensational act, nine juvenile inmates, including three booked for murder and two for rape, escaped from a reformatory in Jabalpur early Wednesday morning.All escapees are teenagers aged 15 and 16. Another dengue death in Bhopal Another person succumbed to deadly dengue in Bhopal here on Wednesday, taking the toll to two this month with over 31 others detected positive for the disease in Bhopal. 18 school vehicles fined for flouting rules Regional transport officer (RTO) has made it clear to school vans that drive against them will continue and no compromise on safety of children will be tolerated. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		Engineering students develop cheap ride-on lawn mower Pruning larger landscapes could be cheaper in future.A group of students from the Tricity have created the low-cost version of an existing machine used for mowing large lawns. 28-year-old gang-raped on job pretext A 28-year-old woman was allegedly gang-raped by three youths in Naya Gaon on the pretext of providing her a job. Counselling for engineering, architecture courses ends in Chandigarh colleges Thursday was final day of counselling for admission to Bachelor in Engineering (BE) and Bachelor in Architecture (BArch) courses under six Punjab University affiliated engineering colleges. More Chandigarh News»

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