News Digest: Why Kerala pays wages for looking?

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Monday, April 13, 2015
		Today's Headlines

		India
		Why Kerala pays wages for looking? To avoid paying "nokkukooli", an absurd unionist wage ritual practised in Kerala, an American artist recently trashed a part of his work. But this practice of all-pay-no-work seems unlikely to end. MPs must practice Yoga and popularise in their countries, says World Bank director In a Global Parliamentary Conference at World Bank headquarters on Sunday BJP MP Tarun Vijay raised the issue of Yoga as an effective instrument of preventive health care. Jaitapur nuclear project makes headway After PM Narendra Modi’s recent visit to France, the controversial and trouble-ridden Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project in Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri district moved a step forward. More India News»

		Business
		Indian IT companies may outdo MNCs in $13bn renewals Indian IT is gearing for a slugfest with global peers like IBM and HP as mega billion-dollar IT contracts come up for renewal. London-based IT research firm Ovum estimates that contracts worth $13 billion will be up for renewal this fiscal year. Aviation minister wants states to reduce ATF tax Union civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said he has written to all the chief ministers including Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah to reduce taxes on aviation turbine fuel (ATF) and remove impediments that have dampened the prospects of the aviation industry. Companies queue up for IPOs as markets rally With the stock markets remaining on a strong wicket, companies are finally getting into IPO (initial public offering) mode. More Business News»

		Environment
		Now, eco-friendly cars for tourists in Darjeeling hills Aimed at providing better infrastruture to the tourists to the hills, the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) today introduced three battery powered cars. Greenpeace activists leave Arctic-bound oil rig Six Greenpeace activists who scaled an Arctic-bound Shell oil drilling rig in the middle of the Pacific Ocean abseiled down on Saturday. 10 air pollution monitoring stations in city exceed national average Silk board junction most polluted in city. Exceeds national average by 146 %. More Environment News»

		World
		Bomb alert forces evacuation of Germanwings flight Passengers and crew on a Germanwings flight from Cologne to Milan were on Sunday ordered to evacuate the plane as it prepared to take off due to a bomb alert. Thousands of Brazilians march against Rousseff govt Hundreds of thousands of Brazilians took to the streets on Sunday, venting anger over government corruption and a souring economy a month after protests gathered more than a million people. Police video shows killing of black Oklahoma suspect Authorities have released video showing the fatal encounter of a black suspect with a white reserve sheriff's deputy who police said thought he was holding a stun gun instead of his handgun when he shot the man during a recent arrest in Tulsa, Oklahoma. More World News»

		Entertainment
		Amitabh and Irrfan in Piku: What's the joke? Shoojit Sircar was shooting a scene in Piku where Mr Amitabh Bachchan is supposed to offer bananas to Irrfan and he is supposed to take one and eat. Ranbir and Anushka in Mohabbat Buri Beemari We bring you the first look of the song Mohabbat Buri Beemari from Anurag Kashyap’s Bombay Velvet SRK's famous controversies When the badshah of Bollywood made headlines. More Entertainment News»

		Science
		5-year-old boy finds rare dinosaur fossil in US A five-year-old boy has discovered the fossil of what scientists believe could be a 100-million-year-old dinosaur behind a shopping centre in Texas. Smartphones can give early warning of quakes Sensors in smartphones and other similar devices could be used to detect early ground movement to warn people about a potential earthquake, according to a new study, led by scientists at the US Geological Survey (USGS). Signs of alien life will be found by 2025: Nasa scientists Signs of alien life will be detected by 2025, while "definitive evidence" of extra-terrestrial beings may be found within the next 20 to 30 years, top Nasa scientists say. More Science News»

		Sports
		Sania Mirza becomes world number one in doubles Sania Mirza created history by becoming the first female player from India to achieve top rank in doubles, following her Family Circle Cup win. Bailey, Johnson help Kings XI Punjab beat Mumbai Indians Mitchell Johnson took two wickets after George Bailey's unbeaten half-century as Kings XI Punjab beat Mumbai Indians by 18 runs in their IPL match. India beat Korea to win bronze in Azlan Shah Cup India ended their campaign in Azlan Shah Cup on positive note as they won bronze medal after beating Korea 4-1 on penalties in third-fourth place playoff. More Sports News»

		Technology
		Fight for net neutrality unites internet For once, the constant bickering on the internet and social media has been put aside. People of all beliefs and affiliations have come together to unite on the net neutrality issue, campaigning, persuading, and getting more people involved. 10 good smartphones you've probably never heard of Each phone in the list has a major unique selling point included to prove why we think it’s worthy of its position. First impressions: Asus Zenfone 2 with 4GB RAM We spent some time with the silver coloured variant of the Zenfone 5 powered by an Intel Atom Z3580 quad-core processor and 4GB RAM. More Technology News»

		Education
		IIM-A getting younger professors  The age gap between a faculty member and a student seems to be closing at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM- Colleges get 6 hours to get BTech approval In a fresh twist to the stand-off between the Delhi University vice-chancellor and the HRD ministry over the four-year undergraduate programme, many colleges were left dumbfounded over an order of AICTE asking them to submit an affidavit within “six hours” to get approval for its BTech courses. Framing syllabi in a sarkari daftar Most things that University Grants Commission (UGC) says are not said very memorably. They are taken seriously only because they emanate from the premier regulatory body of higher education in India. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		Waive toll or we hike fee by 500: School bus operators The School Bus Owners Association has demanded relief in toll tax for school buses across the state. Boy scales school wall to look for ball, drowns in swimming pool A 10-year-old boy died after entering the swimming pool of an international school located in Borivli (west) on Saturday evening. Central government yet to issue final notification for SGNP green zone The Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) has notified an Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) up to 12 sq km around the Vidarbha Tiger Reserve but has not given the final notification for expansion of the zones around Sanjay Gandhi National Park and Karnala Bird Sanctuary. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		Man freed in rape case as wife turns hostile A man, accused of raping and threatening a woman, has been acquitted by a court on the grounds that she was happily married to him and had lodged a false case under pressure from her parents. Make E Corporation, tenants pay if old building falls: Owners The owners of a 100-year-old building in Delhi have approached the Delhi high court seeking its structural inspection by the municipal corporation. Mika slaps doc at event, case lodged An FIR has been registered against singer Mika Singh for allegedly beating up a doctor during a live event in southwest Delhi’s Inderpuri area on Saturday night. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		Power plays truant in some Bengaluru pockets Truant power could have made Sunday a nightmare, if not for the cool breeze and light showers that lasted most part of the day. 3,000 cyclists happily hold sway It was four hours of fun and excitement on the roads around Allalasandra Lake, Yelahanka New Town, as 3,000 cyclists pedalled away on Sunday morning to mark Cycle Day, supported by The Times of India. Old guard sees red The growth of mobile-based cabs has upset autorick shaw and taxi drivers. Bangalore Tourist Taxi Own ers' Association (BTTOA) general secretary Radhakrishna Holla pointed out that the high court's directions to the state government to bring taxi aggregators under a regulator have not been followed. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		130 sanders woodcutters arrested in Nellore, Kadapa As many as 130 woodcutters, mostly from neighbouring Tamil Nadu, were arrested in Nellore and Kadapa districts of Andhra Pradesh on Sunday. Home-grown terrorists give cops a headache After the recent encounter of two Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) activists in Alair in neighbouring Nalgonda district, Telangana police are in hot pursuit of three of their associates. Heavy rains kill 11 in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Eleven people were killed as heavy rains triggered by cyclonic conditions wreaked havoc in several parts of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh on Sunday even as the Met department in Hyderabad sounded an alert for isolated heavy rain and hailstorms in both the regions. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		TN toddler falls into 300-ft borewell, dies A two-and-half-year-old boy accidentally fell into a 300-ft open borewell in a village in Vellore district and was pulled out dead after more than seven hours of rescue operations on Sunday. 50 years later, it's happily Everest after It’s 50 years since the first Indian-led expedition summited Mount Everest, and the class of 1965 is set for a reunion. Students discover pre-historic site in Kaveripattinam In a rare feat, school students have discovered a pre-historic site near Penneshwaramadam, a 12th century old Chola temple situated by the bank of the south Pennar river, 5km from Kaveripattinam in Krishnagiri district. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		Over 200 birds found dead, injured across Ahmedabad Sunday's hailstorm killed a large number of birds. Parrots, kites and crows were among the 217 birds which died or were found critically injured at Vasna barrage, in Paldi and other parts of new west zone. Clouds still loom over Ahmedabad The weather continued to be tempera mental for the second day, on Sunday, with most parts of the city experiencing heavy winds with hailstorm and rains in the afternoon. Hailstorm, rain cool Ahmedabad; civic deficiencies heat up woes Heavy downpour accompanied by hailstorm threw life out of gear in many parts of Ahmedabad. In just two-and-half-hours, many areas in the rain-lashed city had literally become inaccessible for commuters. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		Impersonator held in SSC exam A youth appearing in place of an aspirant in Combined Graduate Level-2014 (Tier II) exams conducted by Staff Selection Commission (SSC) was arrested at Government Inter College in Lucknow on Sunday. Two dozen schools get notice for fee hike District inspector of schools (DIoS) has sought clarification from over two dozen schools affiliated with ICSE and CBSE for charging exorbitant tuition fee and selling school stationery and dresses from the school premises. Rural women's anti-liquor crusade hits bull's eye Male members returning home drunk was a routine affair. Women of the house had to bear the brunt and ignominy silently. They were told that it was their fate. They also gave in. But then things changed. One sleepy cold morning, a few women of Khapatiya village decided that they would no more bear the ignominy any more. They decided to take the bull by its horn and launched a ‘Sharab Chodo, Ghar Jodo’ campaign. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		Three women die at VSS after C-section delivery Three women died six hours after Caesarean section deliveries at VSS Institute of Medical Sciences and Research in Burla around the same time on Friday night. Ganjam hoarders warned of action Ganjam district administration on Saturday warned wholesalers and retailers of action if it found any hoarding and abnormal price rise of pulses and wheat products in the wake of strike launched by Federation of All Odisha Traders' Association. MGNREGS: State seeks Rs 2,300cr from Centre The state government moved the Centre for Rs 2,300 crore under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) for 2015-16. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		Journalist found dead in MP's Singrauli A local journalist was found dead under suspicious circumstances near a private power plant here today, police said. Not so incredible Madhya Pradesh A temple of goddess off-limits for women, 450 km from state capital may be an oddity for some in this age and time. But for scores of regulars, temple in Hirdenagar village of tribal-dominated Mandla district, there’s nothing strange. And popularity of the temple has gone far and wide and devotees from others districts reaching the area only attest to it. 2 ex officials of MP Assembly remanded to police custody A special court in Bhopal on Friday sent two former senior officials of Madhya Pradesh legislative assembly who were arrested in connection with alleged fraudulent appointments of 17 people in the assembly between 1993 and 2003 on April 9, to police remand till April 15. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		Sikh preacher Daduwal gets back gurdwara Ending the nearly eight-month tussle over the control of a gurdwara in Kot Shamir village between Sikh preacher Baljit Singh Daduwal and Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak committee (SGPC) member Amrik Singh, the latter has finally relinquished the possession of the site and has handed it over to three brothers, who own the property. Bhai Baldeep raises question over party functioning Aam Aadmi Party's suspended leader Bhai Baldeep Singh has raised questions about the functioning of Punjab unit in his reply to the show cause notice served to him for his utterings about the goings-on in the central leadership. Government college in woman naval officer Kiran's name in Mewat The Haryana government will set up a government college in Mewat in the name of Lieutenant Kiran Shekhawat of the Indian Navy who was killed during a training sortie of a naval aircraft off the Goa coast on March 25. More Chandigarh News»

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