News Digest: Congress firewalls Gandhis from blame game

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Friday, May 20, 2016
		Today's Headlines

		India
		Congress firewalls Gandhis from blame game Didi calls for a third front, but not all 'friends' are interested after her emphatic return to power in West Bengal, CM Mamata Banerjee renewed talk of a third front by listing her non-BJP and non-Congress friends that "she could do business with". 6 states lost since 2014, doubts over Rahul's role grow More India News»

		Business
		Infosys' crorepati club gets bigger HSBC to halve branches in India Apple leases 50k sq ft office space in Bengaluru More Business News»

		Environment
		Himachal propagating mahseer fish for conservation The population of the golden mahseer, hunted for sport and food, is declining in rivers of Himachal Pradesh, prompting the fisheries department to begin an artificial propagation programme for its rehabilitation and conservation. Vulture population on the rise in Madhya Pradesh Vulture census by state forest department for a second time this year shows a quantum leap in its population. At least 7,000 vultures were counted last Saturday, particularly in Panna, Neemuch and Mandsaur districts, which is 100 more than the last count held in January, 2016. French parliament adopts bill for Paris climate change  French parliamentarians adopted a bill to ratify the landmark climate agreement reached by 195 nations in Paris in December. The bill is expected to be taken up by the Senate for another vote before it is ratified by the government. More Environment News»

		World
		Trump more than happy to agree Sanders getting raw deal As Trump tries to make common cause with Sanders backers attacking their own party, Sanders' path to the nomination has narrowed to the nearly impossible and campaign donations have plummeted. Binali Yildirim set to be Turkey's new prime minister Turkey's governing party on Thursday formally tapped Binali Yildirim as its candidate to lead the party and become the country's next premier. Yildirim is Turkey's minister of transport, maritime and communication as well as a founding member of the AKP. Hong Kong stundent pro-democracy protesters detained Hong Kong student pro-democracy leader Joshua Wong was among five protesters detained on Thursday after they ran onto a motorway to intercept the motorcade of a top Chinese official Zhang Dejiang during a highly-charged visit to the city. More World News»

		Entertainment
		Fardeen Khan: Then and Now Fardeen Khan has shocked his fans, who may take some time to recognise the actor post his weight gain. Ranbir's rumoured girlfriend is committed? Ranbir Kapoor's rumoured girlfriend Bharti Malhotra's Delhi friend is shocked to see her pictures doing rounds on the internet. Rishi Kapoor to rise against wrongdoings The actor reacts to his tweets and the reaction they garnered online. More Entertainment News»

		Science
		High blood pressure raises risk of developing vascular dementia High blood pressure can significantly raise the risk of developing vascular dementia, a disease which affects around 7 lakh people in India, a new study found. High blood pressure was found to be associated with 62 per cent higher risk of vascular dementia between the ages of 30-50. Mars is within reach, says German tapped for space command Humans could set foot on Mars within decades if they wanted to, according to the German astronaut who has been tapped to become his country's first commander of the International Space Station. Alexander Gerst said the space station offers a unique opportunity to test the technology needed to explore other planets, especially if its lifetime is extended beyond 2020. US scientists say major earthquake likely in Jammu & Kashmir New geologic mapping in the Himalayan mountains of Kashmir suggests that the region is ripe for a major earthquake that could endanger the lives of as many as a million people, according to an Oregon State University statement. More Science News»

		Sports
		IPL 9: Gujarat Lions beat Kolkata Knight Riders by six wickets IPL debutants Gujarat Lions chased down the 125-run target with 39 balls to spare and jumped to the second spot in the points table by emerging victorious in the first ever match under floodlights at the venue. Injured Roger Federer pulls out of French Open Former champion Roger Federer withdrew from the French Open on Thursday, citing fitness issues. The 34-year-old world number three missed the recent Madrid Open with back problems and suffered an early defeat at the Italian Open. Nehra injured again, nursing retirement thoughts TOI has learnt that Nehra is already nursing thoughts of retirement. “Ashish was contemplating retirement just halfway through the IPL. After this injury, he will rework his plans a bit, weighing the options for life after retirement,” a source close to Nehra told TOI on Thursday. More Sports News»

		Technology
		7 hottest smartwatches available in India The smartwatch as a wearable device has been evolving over the past few years, and demand has risen in tandem. 5 must-have apps to manage your finances better Spend recklessly every month and then wonder where it all went at the end? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Here are 5 apps that will help you organize your finances and manage you budget better. Here's how to get the brand new Android N beta Starting today, anyone and everyone with a compatible Nexus device can download and install the new Android N beta. This means Android N beta is no longer developer-exclusive. More Technology News»

		Education
		Include yoga modules in physiotherapy courses: UGC to universities The University Grants Commission on Thursday asked central universities to include modules of yoga teaching and training in their bachelor's and master's courses in physiotherapy from the forthcoming academic session. Protests continue to rattle Doon University Students with duct tape on their mouths and placards in hand sat outside the administrative block at Doon University here, protesting against curbs on their “freedom of speech” on the fourth consecutive day on Thursday. Health dept looks at detailed health as subject in school Concerned about increasing lifestyle diseases, especially among youngsters, the health department is looking at introducing health as a subject for school children. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		Pratyusha kin move SC against bail to boyfriend Court Agrees To Hear Family's Plea A. R. Rahman presents three Berklee College of Music scholarships Mumbai, May 20 (IANS) Music maestro A.R. Rahman on Thursday presented three students scholarships named after him to study at the popular Berklee College of Music here. CNG, e-rickshaws may ply in Matheran soon E-rickshaws and CNG rickshaws may soon ply between Dasturi naka and Matheran, as the Konkan divisional commissioner has recommended an amendment to section 43 of Matheran Act 1959 and para ‘n’ of the 2003 notification of the Union ministry of environment and forests, which prohibits plying of vehicles in the hill station. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		Study team branded pro-Maoist says Chhattisgarh 'cooked up' case The three-member study team, comprising professors from Jawaharlal Nehru University and Delhi University, that visited four districts of Chhattisgarh from May 12 to 16 to investigate the condition of villagers is now caught in the crossfire between the state and Maoists Speeding car hits girl in east Delhi, driver escapes 16-year-old girl was severely injured after a speeding Woman kills sis-in-law's child as revenge for affair with husband A 22-year-old woman was arrested for strangling her niece and hiding the body in a bed box in her house in Mustafabad of northeast Delhi as she suspected her sister-in-law (bhabhi) of having an affair with her husband. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		6 months on, oil firms yet to take up safety measures It's been six months since the Uttara Kannada district administration issued directives to oil marketing companies (OMCs) to put in place safety measures to tackle emergencies arising out of road accidents involving tankers carrying petroluem products, but the companies are yet to respond Don't take any fee from RTE students, government tells schools A number of complaints from parents admitting their children to private unaided schools under the Right To Education Act quota has led the department of public instruction (DPI) to issue a circular which bans schools from extracting fees from RTE students under other heads. Alternative land for IIT gets nod of MHRD team OKs alternative land for IIT-Dharwad An expert team from the Union ministry of human resource development on Thursday accepted the Karnataka government's proposal for setting up the Indian Institute of Technology-Dharwad (IIT-D) at an alternative 470-acre land near Chikkamalligawad off Dharwad. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		Prove allegations or perish, KCR tells opposition Chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Thursday warned that his government will enforce a ‘prove or perish' policy with regard to allegations levelled against his government. Hyderabad-Ranga Reddy merger: No clarity on new districts? Bureaucrats, politicians and civic societies are in a state of flux over the Telangana government's move to carve out new districts from Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy districts. Over 200 colleges in Telangana found to be lacking basic infrastructure Officials conducting inspections in 6,832 private educational institutions across Telangana have found that several colleges lack basic infrastructure and other facilities. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		Girl who introduced friends to Alistair MacLean For the rest of Tamil Nadu, she's Amma.But, for her classmates Srimathi and Chandini, she's still Jaya - good friend, class topper. Vijayakant loses deposit, his DMDK to lose state party status Though projected as a chief ministerial aspirant and the leader of a six-party conglomerate, the results have put the political future of DMDK leader Vijayakant at stake. Contesting in Ulundurpet, he was placed a distant third and lost his security deposit. One in every 50 voters in Chennai preferred NOTA At least one in every 50 voters in Chennai chose None of The Above (NOTA) in the assembly election, according to data released by the Election Commission. The ratio across the state was almost half with one in 100 voters picking the option. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		HC orders 'no coercive action' against Kutch cops in sexual harassment case Gujarat high court on Thursday asked Kutch police not to take any coercive action against two police officials and a lawyer in Kutch district in connection with the charge of sexual harassment as leveled by a woman police sub-inspector against the superintendent of police of Kutch (East). 100 cameras installed for leopard and sloth bear census SPIPA wants more Gujarati aspirants in Centre recruitments More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		Allahabad University scholars turn catalysts for crop yield At a time when several parts of the country are battling severe drought conditions, a research by a team of Allahabad University's physics department comes in handy for farmers, especially those producing wheat, garlic and onion. Nano-particles developed by the team when injected in the crop, either through irrigation or fertilizers, reduced the water requirement of plants by 25-30%, besides enhancing the productivity. UP Board: Sanskrit, Pali find few takers Interest in regional languages in waning in intermediate and high school examinations of Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad, with Telugu, Malayalam and Assamese not finding a single examinee across the state. 13 injured in bus-truck collision Thirteen passengers sustained minor injuries when a Jaunpur-bound roadways bus collided with a truck in Daraganj area Monday. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		Cyclone Roanu unlikely to hit Odisha, landfall at Bangladesh coast Cyclone 'Roanu' formed over the Bay of Bengal is unlikely to hit Odisha and recurve towards Bangladesh coast. Odisha government asks officers to stay on alert in view of cyclone Roanu Odisha issues cyclone alert, prepares to face impact With the met office predicting Cyclone Roanu to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm, Odisha government on Thursday issued alert in at least 12 districts and asked authorities to be prepared to face eventualities. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		Online admission in Barkatullah University to begin from May 20 Barkatullah University has issued notification to start online admission process for admitting students in university teaching departments (UTDs). Tough road ahead for MP Cong after party's rout in Assam and Kerala After Congress debacle in Kerala and Assam, challenges for the party has increased in states where it is already in Opposition and with a ruling BJP government whether it be Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan or Gujarat. In a state like Madhya Pradesh, where the party has been out-of-power for three terms, the Congress’ shrinking electoral victories could become a major ordeal. No let up in heat wave as temp inches closer to 46 degree mark More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		Families of cops held for murder want case dropped Family members of two policemen, who were arrested after a farmer had consumed poison inside a police post, assembled at the residence of Barnala senior superintendent of police (SSP) on Thursday and alleged that both were falsely implicated, and the murder case against them be Punjab last hope for stumbling Congress After losing in Assam and Kerala, there is one state where the Congress has at least a flicker of hope of coming to power – Punjab. Congress down, but not out, says Captain Reacting to the results of five state assemblies on Thursday, Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh said: "Congress may be down, but it is certainly not out," adding that the party gracefully accepted the people's verdict. "Winning or losing doesn't matter. More Chandigarh News»

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