News Digest: Twist to award wapsi: Writers retrace their steps

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Saturday, January 23, 2016
		Today's Headlines

		India
		Twist to award wapsi: Writers retrace their steps Some writers and cultural figures, including author Nayantara Sahgal, who took part in the “award wapsi” protest against alleged growing intolerance are learnt to have retraced their steps and have agreed to accept the Sahitya Akademi awards that they had given up. Government plans discounted e-books to woo readers In an effort to broaden the audience for publications division, the information and broadcasting ministry announced new policy changes including discounted digital versions. The ministry plans to streamline business practices in line with contemporary trends prevailing in the publications industry. Centre draws up stricter 'water use' norms for sugar industry Aiming to minimize water pollution and stop wastage of resources, the Centre has notified “stricter” environmental and usage standards for sugar industries operating in different parts of the country. More India News»

		Business
		Auto companies tweak engines to beat ban Mahindra & Mahindra, the country's largest SUV maker, has found a way to get around the Supreme Court ban on sale of new diesel vehicles above 2-litre engine capacity in Delhi-NCR: It has marginally trimmed the size of the 2.2-litre engines of its best-selling off-roaders Scorpio and XUV500 to 1.99 litres. Paytm says its payments biz has made operational profit Paytm's payments business has recorded profits on an operational basis, founder and CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma told TOI. Sharma said the Noida-based company became ebitda-positive at the end of 2015, but didn't give details. Govt in no rush for fresh curbs on steel imports There may not be an immediate respite for companies lobbying for a minimum import price (MIP) for steel coming from China with the government weighing the impact of the move on downstream industries. More Business News»

		Environment
		Archaeologists discover dinosaur fossils in Gujarat A team consisting of a German archaeologist and two Indians discovered dinosaur fossils during an ongoing research in Gujarat. New bird species in India, first in a decade The find of a new species of bird in northeastern India and adjacent parts of China has marked the first discovery in a decade and the fourth since 1949. Carcasses of over 150 Olive Ridley turtles found Carcasses of over 150 Olive Ridley turtles and a bottlenose dolphin washed ashore were on Wednesday recovered by Forest department officials here, a top official said. More Environment News»

		World
		Syrian opposition sharply divided ahead of talks One senior Kurdish official denounced the negotiating team announced in Saudi Arabia last week as a "delegation of jihadis.". France plans to prolong state of emergency over terror threat President Francois Hollande has announced that the French government will ask parliament to approve a three-month renewal of the state of emergency put into place after the Nov.13 Paris attacks that killed 130 people. 45 migrants drown as 2 boats sink off Greece At least 45 people, including 17 children, drowned Friday in the Aegean Sea as two smuggling boats sunk off different Greek islands.A search-and-rescue operation was underway for others feared trapped in the wreckage. More World News»

		Entertainment
		Movie Review: Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3 Wish the makers, who have invested so much in locations and item songs, had invested in a tighter screenplay because India is ready for a smart sex comedy. Dignified goodbyes in Bollywood If stars crack up under pressure of box-office numbers, they live through far greater stress of keeping their relationships going. In recent times, celeb couples have been dignified about their separation. Whether it is for the sake of their children or reasons best known to them, they continue smiling through the pain. Katrina Kaif to Big B: Actors who played God Playing God ain't easy. You have to be perfect in everything that you do and maintain and calm demeanour throughout. More Entertainment News»

		Science
		Unearthed: Oldest dinosaur species in UK A new carnivorous dinosaur species unearthed in the Wales, dating back 200 million-years, is possibly the oldest known Jurassic dinosaur from the UK, according to a new study. Ideal number of sex partners to have: 10 Ten is the ideal number of lovers to have had for both men and women, researchers have claimed. More than 1,000 people took part in the online survey for Britain’s biggest extra-marital dating site IllicitEncouters.com, being asked how many lovers they would want a new partner to have had. Zika causing rare paralysis disorder too? The mosquito-borne virus, Zika, that has been linked to severe brain damage in infants may be causing another serious health crisis as well, Brazilian officials and doctors warn: hundreds of cases of a rare syndrome in which patients can be almost completely paralysed for weeks. More Science News»

		Sports
		Not mentally bogged down, would like to win next 4 games: Kohli A defiant Virat Kohli insisted that the Indian team is "not mentally bogged down" and said it would like to win the next four matches, including Saturday's final ODI, to cap the tour of Australia on a positive note. 10 famous father-son pairs in Test cricket As Stephen Cook completed the second father and son combination to represent South Africa in a Test match, here's a look at other notable related pairs. Roger Federer makes 'Baby Fed' his 300th victim Roger Federer swept aside Grigor Dimitrov to become the first man to reach 300 Grand Slam wins and join Maria Sharapova in Australian Open fourth round . More Sports News»

		Technology
		53 Android apps and games you shouldn't download Anti-virus maker AVG recently released a list of apps and games that slow down the performance of Android smartphones, take too much space or guzzle a little too much battery. 4-inch iPhone 6c's design leaked in new video A YouTube video posted by M.I.C Gadget is adding more fuel to the fire that Apple will be releasing a new 4-inch iPhone, rumored to be called the "iPhone 6c" or "iPhone 5e." 10 hot Android apps for Google Cardboard VR experience The Google Cardboard is probably the easiest and the most affordable way to experience virtual reality today. We tried it out, and compiled a list of apps that you must download to get the best virtual reality experience: More Technology News»

		Education
		AIIMS Bhubaneswar to admit PG students beginning 2016 AIIMS Bhubaneswar will admit post graduate students starting from this year. The admission will be done on the basis of entrance tests organized by AIIMS New Delhi, dean Vikas Bhatia said here on Friday. IIT E-summit to promote Make in India E-Summit'16, an event to promote entrepreneurship being organized by Centre for Entrepreneurship, IIT Bhubaneswar begins here on Friday. Consulting, tech firms hire big at IIT-M, take 42% The first phase of the IIT Madras placements that concluded last week was clearly dominated by consulting companies and the core engineering sector with 28% of students placed under each of these categories. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		Superstars & super bands to light up blues fest in Bandra Most times, when you turn the ignition key, you know where you want to go, the journey is planned. And then there are times when you just want to drive, feel the breeze, taste the sunshine. In the case of the latter, quite often you end up some place nice. That was pretty much the case with the Mahindra Blues Festival. We simply wanted to end up some place nice. High court refuses to stay release of film The Bombay high court on Friday rejected a plea to stay release of the film, Kya Kool Hai Hum 3, and rapped the petitioner for approaching the court at the “eleventh hour”. BJP worker booked for attacking restaurateur A Bharatiya Janata Party leader from Ambernath, Birju Jaiswal, and 10 of his associates have been booked for allegedly attacking workers of a restaurant with a swords and revolvers and forcefully taking possession of the place on Thursday. Jaiswal, whose family owns the restaurant, had let it out on a 10-year lease to the complainant, Subhadar Shetty. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		'Missing' file on riots SIT found When a file pertaining to the constitution of an SIT to investigate the 1984 anti-Sikh riots reportedly went missing, the home department issued a circular to all the Delhi government departments, asking them to look for it. As the matter stirred a political storm, the government on Friday said that the file had been located Chaos marks car-spree day The city's fourth Car-Free Day turned out to be a damp squib with drivers flouting norms within the first hour of the event on the busy Mall Road in north Delhi on Friday morning. Sisodia raps traffic cops for lack of effort The fourth Car-Free Day in north Delhi started with the deputy CM Manish Sisodia ticking off the traffic police for not doing their bit to make the event a success. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		Bengaluru college sets Guinness record, most drink cans opened Seeking a slot in the Guinness Book of World Records, more than 900 students of a prestigious women's educational institute here simultaneously opened most drink cans today. GE healthcare designs molecular imaging machine BENGALURU: With molecular imaging becoming the core of healthcare imaging technologies, here is an Indian made PET- CT machine, stemming from Bengaluru, designed by GE healthcare. NGO raises fund to feed undernourished kids with cancer In order to provide holistic nutritional support to undernourished cancer afflicted children, Cuddles Foundation, a Mumbai-based non-profit organisation held their first fundraiser in Bengaluru. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		Telangana plans massive budget, aims to leave Andhra Pradesh behind The Telangana government, in its continuous endeavour to be seen as doing better than the Andhra Pradesh government, has decided to present a staggering budget of about Rs 1.40 lakh crore for 2016-17.  Many tainted candidates enter poll fray The ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and Congress party have fielded the maximum number of candidates with criminal antecedents in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections. 1,333 candidates to battle it out With 1,333 candidates in the fray , the February 2 election to the GHMC council is set to witness an interesting poll battle with as many as 644 independents and 693 nominees of recognized parties trying out their luck at the hustings. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		Cong replaces rebel women's wing chief in TN In a setback to dissidents seeking removal of TNCC chief E V K S Elangovan, the party's mahila congress president S Vijaydharani was sacked from the post and replaced by a little known women's wing district president M Jhansirani appointed by her. Arcot prince & German envoy meet German Ambassador to India Dr Martin Ney and his wife made a courtesy call on the Prince of Arcot, Nawab Mohammed Abdul Ali, at his ancestral home, Amir Mahal, on Friday. They were accompanied by Achim Fabig, German Consul General. Young Risso's dolphin washes ashore dead A baby Risso's dolphin was washed ashore n Alambarakuppam village near Marakkanam on Friday. Volunteers of TREE Foundation got an alert from he locals and found it dead. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		Excise intelligence dept issues over 100 notices to Gujarat firms The Ahmedabad zonal unit of Directorate General of Central Excise Intelligence (DGCEI) has sent more than 100 notice to various firms in Gujarat over last one years over non-payment of service tax on external commercial borrowing (ECB). The demands for service tax range from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 5 crore. Social justice dept, GFSU tie-up to address children's issues The officials of Gujarat Forensic Sciences University (GFSU) will collaborate with the state government's department of social justice and empowerment to understand children-related issues for their better inclusion in society. Liquor kills six Thakore youths annually in villages On an average six youths of the Thakore community settled in the state die every year before they cross the age of 45. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		Hostellers fight over cricket, escape cops Residents of Holland Hall and Sir Sunder Lal hostels clashed over petty issues during a cricket match at SSL ground here on Friday.The players hurled bombs and even started pelting stones at each other. PIL against IAS officer's appointment: HC seeks reply The Allahabad High Court on Friday gave last opportunity to senior IAS officer and principal secretary (appointment and personnel) Rajeev Kumar to file his reply (counter affidavit) in response to a PIL challenging his appointment on the said post in spite of fact that he was being convicted in a corruption case by CBI court under Prevention of Corruption Act. AU denies permission to symposium on campus As the `hostage-like situation' continued for half an hour, police were summoned to safely escort Varadarajan and Singh out of the campus. The activists and students were protesting against Varadarajan's entry on the campus. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		State plans to open 58 Chicken Fresh outlets by 2017 Minister Bishnupada Sethi said the state government would set up five outlets in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack within six months and the rest would be constructed in public private partnership (PPP) under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) by the end of the year 2017. Odisha finance minister suggests state-level CSR body Finance minister Pradip Amat on Friday asked corporates to adjust their corporate social responsibility (CSR) works in sync with the state government priorities under a state-level CSR-body. Govt to set up disaster mgnt training school For better training in disaster training, the state government on Thursday decided to set up an institute with international standards infrastructure at Gothapatna, on the outskirts of the city. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		Man, daughter killed as tanker hits bike in Ratlam A 25-year-old man and his daughter died after their bike was hit by a water tanker on Khachrod road in Makshalvasa village of Ratlam on Friday afternoon. Shivraj Singh to soon carry out cabinet expansion Amid speculation of a cabinet expansion on cards by the month end, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that expansion of his cabinet is a secret and could not be disclosed yet. Suspended Dalit woman IAS threatens suicide if justice not done Even as NDA-Centre grapples with the suicide of a Dalit student in University of Hyderabad and protests all across the country, a senior woman IAS officer in Madhya Pradesh hailing from the same community sent a letter to chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday threatening to commit suicide if justice is not meted out to her. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		CM Badal rushed to hospital, nebulized, better Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal was rushed to a private hospital here in the late evening on Friday after he complained of congestion in chest. Living on bare hope & whisper Families Of 7 US-bound have not heard from youth since 2010 Murder case of national shooter Sippy Sidhu transferred to CBI The sensational murder case of national shooter and advocate Sippy Sidhu has been transferred to CBI on Friday. The role of a daughter of sitting Punjab and Haryana high court Justice is under the scanner in murder of Sidhu. More Chandigarh News»

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