Evening digest: St Stephen's principal Valson Thampu offers to resign

GN Bureau | July 6, 2015



Facing criticism over handling of the research scholar molestation case, St Stephen's principal Valson Thampu today said he would resign if it was proved that "he was a cause of embarrassment to the institution". Thampu, who is facing demands for resignation for allegedly pressurising the victim to withdraw the complaint, said he had full faith in the Delhi police and slammed the "extra-judicial pressure". "If I am a cause of embarrassment to the institution and it is objectively proved, I will put in my papers that very moment," Thampu, who has been embroiled in controversies ever since he took over as college's principal in 2008, said. Scores of students, teachers and women rights activists today took to the streets demanding his resignation over the issue.

Sensex Shrugs Off Greece Referendum Results; Nifty Settles Above 8,500
The BSE benchmark Sensex advanced 116 points to close at 28,208.76 and the Nifty advanced 37 points to shut shop above its crucial psychological level of 8,500 on the back of broad-based buying. In the morning trades, the Sensex fell over 300 points to hit intraday low of 27,774.80 and the Nifty slipped below 8,400 after Greece voted against the austerity measures proposed by its creditors raising fears that it could go out of the Eurozone.

Maggi fiasco, sales of instant noodles crash 90%
One month after the ban of Maggi, instant noodles sales in India have crashed by over 90 per cent to just about Rs 30 crore from Rs 350 crore a month earlier. With the key category facing an uncertain future, food processing industry players are worried that this could have an impact on their overall investment plans, while companies are now facing 'increased harassment from safety inspectors', according to a senior official of industry body Assocham.

IT jobs at risk and salaries may take hit
IT jobs, once considered to be a stepping stone towards a rewarding career, have steadily lost their charm because of increasing automation and oversupply of qualified manpower, according to a report by Kotak Institutional Equities. IT salaries will continue to remain under pressure because of oversupply of manpower. According to Kotak, 1.3 million engineers graduated in 2014-15 as against net hiring of just 2.5 lakh engineers (including lateral hiring) last year.

Vyapam scam: Only courts can order CBI probe, says Rajnath Singh
Backing Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's stand that only the courts can decided on a CBI probe into the Vyapam scam, union home minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said it is for the Madhya Pradesh high court and the supreme court to decide on the matter.“All cases related to Vyapam are not under the supervision of the state government but the high court. It is for the high court to decide on a CBI enquiry into the case,” Singh said.  Meanwhile, the Congress party has demanded a supreme court-monitored CBI investigation into the case even as the court agreed to hear a petition seeking removal of Madhya Pradesh Governor Ram Naresh Yadav over his alleged involvement in the scam.

Food inflation not much correlated with monsoon but to income levels
Rise in inflation cannot always be correlated with deficient rains as major foodgrain producing states of India are not entirely dependent on monsoon and have proper irrigation facilities in place, says a study by industry body PHD Chamber. According to the industry body, the time series analysis of last 25 years (1990-2015) explains that among the various demand and supply side factors, it is the increasing income that explains the food inflation in India. Rising per capita income during the last many years and diversification of diet towards high-value food products like milk, eggs, meat, fish, pulses, vegetables and fruits is one of the reasons for rising inflation.

SpiceJet rolls out yet another discount scheme after AirAsia
SpiceJet on Monday rolled out another discount scheme with the ticket fares starting as low as Rs 1,899 for flights across western and southern domestic network. The bookings would remain open till midnight, July 8 and the travel period is July 15 to September 30. The SpiceJet offer came after its rival AirAsia India introduced a promotional scheme. AirAsia under its promotional scheme is offering fares from Rs 999 on Bengaluru-Goa, Bengaluru-Kochi, Bengaluru-Pune and Guwahati-Imphal routes on bookings till July 19 and applicable on travel period between February 15, 2016, and August 31, 2016.

Bangalore ranks 12th in list of world's top 20 tech-rich cities
Bangalore has been ranked 12th in the list of top 20 technology-rich cities in the world, according to a survey conducted by global property consultant Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL). London, San Jose and Beijing are top three cities on the list.

IndiGo hikes salaries of pilots by 8 per cent, cabin crew by 16 per cent
IndiGo has raised the salaries of its pilots by 8 per cent and that of its cabin crew by 16 per cent. An IndiGo captain will now earn Rs 6.01 lakh every month for 70 hours of flying and over Rs 7 lakh for 90 hours.The first officer will be earning Rs 2.61 lakh for flying 50 hours. He can earn Rs 3.3 lakh if he logs in 90 hours of flying time. For a senior officer, the salary will be Rs 3.75 lakh a month for 70 hours, going up to Rs 4.3 lakh for 90 hours. A lead cabin attendant's salary has been raised to Rs 60,000 while that of the check crew will earn Rs 90,000 for 40 hours of flying time. If the cabin crew logs in 90 hours of flying time, they will be entitled to a bonus ranging between Rs 45,000 and Rs 1 lakh.

Constable shot at after ramming car into building gate
Constable Ankit Kumar of Delhi police was shot at by the security at All India Radio building near Mall Road in the Timarpur area of north Delhi after he rammed into its gates during the wee hours of Monday. Initial probe has also indicated that Kumar was drunk at the time of the incident and was on a joyride in a Maruti Suzuki Swift car with a friend. Police officers said there would be clarity on this only after medical test reports arrive.

A spectrometer that fits inside smartphones and detects diseases
MIT scientists have created a spectrometer small enough to fit inside a smartphone camera that could enable the devices to diagnose diseases, especially skin conditions, or detect environmental pollutants.Spectrometers measure the properties of light and are widely used in physical, chemical, and biological research. A spectrometer could be used to diagnose skin conditions or analyse urine samples and to track vital signs such as pulse and oxygen level, or to measure exposure to different frequencies of ultraviolet light, which vary greatly in their ability to damage skin.

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