Ali Khan

Railway police today recovered a live mortar shell near railway track in Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir, averting a possible tragedy.

“Last night, Railway Police personnel discovered a live shell of a mortar lying in the Balole Nallah which was not far away from the railway line,” SSP Railway Jammu Suram Singh said.

Singh said that he along with several other officers rushed to the spot and informed the army and other security agencies about the mortar shell.

The Punjab government today relaxed norms for shooters, who have made a mark in national and international championships, to get license for their weapons to be used in shooting events.

An official spokesman said that the government wanted to nurture shooting talent in the state as a number of professional marksmen from Punjab have won gold, silver and bronze medal in Olympics, Commonwealth Games and other prestigious championships.

Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) conducted a two-day search at the residences of the nine accused involved in the Maharashtra Sadan scam.

The searches were conducted on Friday and Saturday after senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal and 16 others, including the house of Information Commissioner of Aurangabad Division D B Deshpande, were booked for their alleged involvement in the Maharashtra Sadan scam.

At least two passengers travelling in a state-run bus died after a gigantic boulder came crashing down on the vehicle following heavy downpour in Malshej ghat near here today, police said.

Some other persons were also injured in the incident and a police team has been sent to the site for rescue operation.

Malshej ghat is located in Pune district near the borders of Thane and Ahmednagar districts in Maharashtra.

Egypt today referred to military court the trial of 58 defendants belonging to an outlawed group over charges of terrorism, espionage, attempted killings and damaging public property.

General Prosecutor Hesham Barakat said that the defendants committed terrorist acts in Giza following the dispersal of the two Muslim Brotherhood sit-ins in Rabaa and Nahda.

A former senior Chinese Communist Party official, Qiao Shi, died in Beijing today aged 91, state media reported.

Qiao, who joined the ruling party at age 15, headed China’s parliament in the 1990s and was a member of the party Politburo Standing Committee, the country’s most powerful body, for a decade, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

He also served as the nation’s security chief but retired from all his posts in 1998.

During the political turmoil of the 1966-76 Cultural Revolution, Qiao was persecuted and held in isolation for an unspecified duration, Xinhua said.

A Nobel Prize-winning British scientist says he was forced to resign after sexist comments drew widespread condemnation.

Tim Hunt told The Observer newspaper in a story published today that he had been “hung out to dry” after being forced out of an honorary post at University College London and losing his position with the European Research Council science committee.

The university and the research council didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

With the arrest of two persons, Haryana police today claimed to have busted an inter-state gang of poppy husk smugglers and recovered 48 kg of the drug from their possession.

The gang members had their links in Madhya Pradesh, police said.

The police have arrested a truck driver Budhraj, a resident of Rohtak district and Radheysham, a resident of Radaur town in this connection.

Acting on a tip-off, the police searched a truck bearing Haryana registration number at Pipli Chowk, they said.

Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) today announced to launch a state-wide agitation to demand loan waiver for farmers hit by natural calamities.

MPCC president Ashok Chavan made this announcement while talking to reporters in Nanded after chairing a meeting of party office-bearers and leaders from the district.

Chavan said the agitation would be launched from Yavatmal soon.

Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis said today that any withdrawal of the International Monetary Fund from negotiations on its bailout would not prevent Athens reaching a deal with European creditors.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if the IMF makes unacceptable demands that it well knows Greece cannot agree to in order to justify it leaving the negotiations,” Varoufakis said in an interview with Realnews.

The minister stressed however that this departure “would not prevent an agreement between only Athens and the Europeans”.

Sudan insisted President Omar al-Bashir’s visit to Johannesburg for a summit was proceeding normally and he would return after its main meeting, despite a court order today banning him from leaving South Africa.

The South African court issued the temporary ban after the International Criminal Court called for the arrest of Bashir, who is wanted over alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in the Darfur conflict.

Sepp Blatter was warned from within FIFA today not to attempt to backtrack on his pledge to quit as president.

Domenico Scala, who is overseeing the presidential election, said that a leadership change is an essential component of the far-reaching reforms required to overhaul FIFA amid deepening criminal investigations into soccer corruption.

Scala’s blunt comments came after Swiss newspaper Schweiz am Sonntag, citing unnamed sources, reported that Blatter is considering trying to retain the presidency after receiving support from Africa and Asia.

BJP today launched a cleanliness drive here as part of the Narendra Modi government’s ‘Swachh Bharat’ campaign.

Ahead of the auspiscious Hindu month which begins from June 17, and during which lakhs of pilgrims are expected in the region linked with Lord Krishna, party secretary Shrikant Sharma held meetings with locals, urging them to take measures to keep the town clean.

BJP also issued an appeal to the Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav-led state government, urging him to ensure round-the-clock supply of power and water besides mobile toilets to cater to pilgrims.

Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino’s upcoming film “The Hateful Eight” will see a limited release in 70 mm format this Christmas.

It will then expand in theatres nationwide on January 8, 2016.

“Our long relationship with Quentin Tarantino is one of the cornerstones of this company, so it’s incredibly special to us to be releasing his latest film in such a spectacular way on 70mm – we can’t think of a finer Christmas gift to be giving movie lovers and Tarantino fans this year,” The Weinstein Company President of Theatrical Distribution and Home Entertainment Erik Lomis says in a statement.

Actress Laura Benanti of TV series “Nashville” fame has got engaged to boyfriend Patrick Brown.

The 35-year-old “Gypsy” actress flaunts her engagement ring and shows a big smile with her new fiance in an Instagram picture, reported Aceshowbiz.

“And think not you can direct the course of love, for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course. -Kahlil Gibran,” she captioned the photo, to which her beau replied, “She said yes!! Happiest and luckiest guy in the world @laurabenanti.”

Actor Imran Khan, who was away from Bollywood for over a year, today said he does not regret the break that he took to spend time with his family.

Imran was last seen in ‘Gori Tere Pyaar Mein’ opposite Kareena Kapoor Khan.

Two members of a family were today murdered at their residence in Patel Nagar area of Delhi.

Sewa Ram (92) and his daughter-in-law Sasi (64) were found stabbed to death at their residence, police said.

Both of them had suffered multiple stab wounds.

The incident was informed to the police control room at around 6.30 pm by the woman’s husband, a police official said.

When cops from Patel Nagar police station reached the spot, the two were found dead, he added.

Two labourers were buried alive while a third was shifted to a hospital in a critical condition, after a large chunk of clay fell on them at a construction site here today, according to an emergency service official.

The landslide took place at a construction site near Khodiyar temple in Nikol area of city in the evening, an Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Service (AFES) official said.

The Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd (RINL) proposal for an IPO is not linked to raising resources for its corporate requirements, its CMD said today.

“There is a plan of the government to offload 10 per cent stake. That call has to be taken by the government taking into account market conditions. But we are not, at this point in time, looking for any additional funds,” RINL’s Chairman cum Managing Director P Madhusudhan said.

RINL has just completed its greenfield expansion that aims to take the hot metal capacity to 6.3 million tonne from 3.6 million tonnes now.

Special Service Bureau (SSB) guarding the Nepal border today said that human trafficking and smuggling from across the neighbouring country have witnessed a substantial rise.

The Director General of SSB, B D Sharma, said,”Human trafficking specially of young girls was rampant and SSB was trying to rescue and rehabilitate them with the help of NGOs.”

He was delivering a key note address at a national conference titled ‘Border Security: Challenges and Remedies’.

There was a quantum jump in seizure of gold in recent years, he said.

Forty-nine per cent of the electorate today cast their vote for the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation polls.

Voting took place for 111 seats while election in the remaining four wards was unopposed.

There were 6,87,639 registered voters, out of which 3,14,106 were women.

There were 367 candidates in the fray.

Counting of votes will be held on June 16.

Union Minister for Telecommunications and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad today said that the public telecom operator BSNL is putting up 5,000 Base Transceiver Station (BTS) towers across the country to provide better services to its customers.

“BSNL is putting up 5,000 BTS towers across the country to provide better services, of which 1,250 will be established in Bihar to improve the communications network in the state, especially in the interior areas,” Prasad told reporters.

John S Carroll, who led the Los Angeles Times to 13 Pulitzer Prizes during a five-year stint as editor, has died. He was 73.

Carroll died Sunday morning at his home in Lexington, Kentucky, where he was once editor of the Lexington Herald-Leader, said his wife, Lee Carroll.

He had been suffering from Creutzfeldt-Jakob (KROYTZ’-felt YAK-ohb) Disease, a rare and debilitating neurological disorder.

Prior to taking over at the LA Times, Carroll was editor and senior vice-president at the Baltimore Sun from 1991 until 2000.

A 20-year-old student from the city disappeared from a train on its way to Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh on June 10, a Government Railway Police (GRP) official said here today.

Vizag Government Railway Police (GRP) sub-inspector K Venugopal said that Praveen Kumar Das, a resident of KRM Colony area in the city is pursing second year of MTech in Gwalior and had come to the city a few days ago.

On June 10, he boarded Vizag-New Delhi (Samata) Express to reach Gwalior but he did not reach his college, the GRP official said.

The campaign logo is ready, so is the big speech, and his message is taking shape: Jeb Bush is about to join the crowded Republican field running for president in 2016.

Bush, 62, has run a de facto race for six months, raising money and increasing his travels, including a trip this week to Europe.

Today, his campaign released his logo. It reads “Jeb!” in big red letters on a white background, with 2016 in smaller blue lettering underneath the name.