Press Trust of India

Press Trust of India (PTI) is India’s premier news agency, having a reach as vast as the Indian Railways. It employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.

Warm Sunday in Delhi, cloudy Monday expected

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Delhi experienced a warm Sunday as the maximum temperature settled a notch above the season’s average at 35.1 degrees Celsius. The Met office has forecast cloudy sky with possibility of rain Monday.

“The sky will remain cloudy tomorrow (Monday). There is possibility of rain or thunderstorm,” said an official of the India Meteorological Department.

The maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to hover around 35 and 21 degrees Celsius Monday.

Sunday’s minimum temperature was recorded 20 degrees Celsius, average for this time of the season.

BJP manifesto blackout in northeast areas voting Monday

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Electors in Assam and Tripura, voting in Monday’s first phase of polling for the Lok Sabha, will cast their ballot unaware of the BJP’s unified vision of development and prescription for economic revival, differences over which have reportedly delayed the party manifesto’s release.

Chief Election Commissioner V S Sampath told the media in Kolkata that while there was no link between the release of election manifesto and the polling date, the media could not carry details of the manifesto in those areas where campaigning has ended.

Delhi event discusses poll questions

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‘Hum Dekhenge: Looking Back’ – an event to help voters get answers to some questions ahead of the Lok Sabha election was organised here Sunday.

Questions such as “What do we want to vote for”, “What does the future hold for us if we do not vote wisely” and “what is really at stake in these elections”, were addressed through a series of panel discussions.

The event was meant to help voters, who are seeking a “change” with these elections, understand the meaning of “change”.

After verbal fireworks, Jaitley, Amarinder greet each other (Poll Diary)

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They have been at war with each other. But when the rival contenders in Amritsar came face to face Sunday, Arun Jaitley of the BJP and former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh of the Congress greeted each other as they met briefly at a park in Amritsar.

Both leaders, who are pitted against each other in the high-decibel contest for the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat, happened to meet at the Company Bagh in the heart of the Sikh holy city.

Sailors, bodies from sunken ship handed over to north korea

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South Korea handed over to North Korea three sailors and two bodies, rescued two days ago from its waters, after a Mongolia-flagged cargo ship sank in open waters off South Korea’s southern coastal city of Yeosu Friday, Xinhua reported.

While three crew members were rescued and two bodies recovered from the waters, 11 others from the cargo vessel “Grand Fortune 1” have remained missing, South Korea’s unification ministry said.

The ministry said that the three rescued sailors and the two bodies were handed over to North Korea at 2.05 p.m. Sunday through the border village of Panmunjeom.

British pets turning as obese as their owners

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For a long time, many may have been aware that Britons were turning fatter — but it seems now their pets too are following their masters.

Nearly half of Britain’s dogs and cats are now regarded by vets as obese, a new report has revealed — and the epidemic is costing owners 215 million pounds ($3.5 million) a year.

The number of overweight animals in Britain has greatly increased during the last five years, with up to 45 percent of all pets seen by vets now classed as obese, the study by the Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association (PFMA) has shown.

14 lakh take JEE (Main) exam

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About 14 lakh students appeared for the Joint Entrance Examination (Main) 2014, conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Sunday.

Students who clear the exam will be eligible to take admission in the undergraduate engineering programmes in NITs, IIITs and other centrally funded technical institutes in India.

The exam was held at 150 centres across the country and the result will be declared May 3.

It was paper-based and held offline. The online examination will be held April 9, 11 and 12.

2014 Lok Sabha Election – Some facts

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Following are some facts about the nine-phase Lok Sabha elections that begin Monday

* Total electorate – 81.4 million (814,591,184)

* Male voters – 42.6 million (426,615,513), Female – 38.7 million (387,911,330) and Others – 28,341

* First time voters – over 2.3 million (23,161,296)

* Polling stations – 930,000

* 8 million civilians and 3 million security personnel deployed

* NOTA (None Of The Above) option will be used for the first time in a parliamentary poll

* India is the 12th country to use NOTA

* A voter can get enrolled at one place only

Delhi HC refuses to quash FIR against AAP leader

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The Delhi High Court has refused to quash a police complaint filed against an AAP candidate in the Delhi assembly election who was allegedly involved in a scuffle with a police constable at a polling booth.

In a recently delivered order, Justice Veena Birbal dismissed the plea of Aam Aadmi Party leader Rajan Prakash saying the case “does not fall within the parameters set down for quashing of FIR”.

Will come down heavily in cases of partiality or inaction: CEC

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In a strict warning to officials, Chief Election Commissioner V.S. Sampath Sunday said it will “come down heavily” on them in cases of “partiality”, “partisan conduct” or “inaction.

Addressing the media after the full bench of the commission held a series of meetings with the political parties, bureaucrats, police officers and income tax officials in West Bengal, Sampath said officials have been asked to take serious view of breach of the Model Code of Conduct in force for the polls.

Where is BJP manifesto, asks Rahul

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Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi Sunday hit out at the BJP over the delay in releasing its manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls and said the party was only blowing balloons into the air that will soon burst.

Addressing election rallies at Sirsa and Delhi, Gandhi compared the elaborate process followed by the Congress in finalising its manifesto to the inability of the Bharatiya Janata Party to release its manifesto.

Six injured in Gurgaon factory fire

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Six people were injured in a fire in a sprawling factory at the Industrial Model Township (IMT) in Manesar, near here, Sunday.

Half-a-dozen people, including fire fighters, were injured in the blaze with smoke rising that could be seen at a distance. So far, no casualty has been reported, a senior fire officer said adding that the blaze was still not doused even after more than six hours of battling the flames.

An explosion in a hydrogen cylinder is believed to be the cause of the fire at Frigoglass India Pvt Ltd in IMT’s Sector 3.

Israeli diplomats booked for assaulting Delhi airport official

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Three Israeli diplomats were booked for slapping and thrashing an immigration official at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport here, police said Sunday.

A case under section 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions) and 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty) of the Indian Penal Code was registered against the three Israeli diplomats, who enjoy diplomatic immunity, said a senior police officer.

Fire on naval tug in Mumbai dock, no casualties

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A minor fire broke out Sunday on INS Matanga, an ocean-going tug while it was undergoing repairs in the Naval Dockyard here Sunday but was soon extinguished, an official said. There were no casualties or damage to the vessel.

The incident occurred when steel welding work was going on in the sewage treatment compartment around 3 p.m. and some insulating material in an adjacent compartment started smoldering and emitting thick smoke.

This was immediately detected by the duty personnel on site and the Naval Dockyard Fire Brigade was summoned.

BJP promises to improve economy, end slowdown

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Improving India’s economy and infrastructure and fighting corruption are among the main issues outlined in the BJP manifesto set to be released Monday, party sources said Sunday.

The manifesto, which is being released on the first day of polling, will not be telecast on television channels as per the directive of the Election Commission.

Indian-origin businesswoman to appear in court for assaulting sister

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An award-winning Indian-origin businesswoman in Britain will appear in court Monday for assaulting her younger sister at a market place.

Sharon Kaur, 46, a high-profile entrepreneur, allegedly attacked her younger sister Kulvinder by grabbing her hair from behind, spitting at her and clawing at her face outside a shop in Ilford, East London, which left her battered and bruised, the Daily Mail reported Sunday.

As a crowd gathered, Kaur left the scene.

She will appear before magistrates Monday.

Kaur is the managing director of Sahara Homes care home empire.

Himachal Congress questions BJP for supporting cricket body

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Himachal Congress chief Sukhvinder Sukhu Sunday questioned the opposition BJP for defending the state cricket association, which he said was a “private company”.

“There is something fishy the way the BJP is protecting the private company,” the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee president told reporters here.

He said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) must come clear on its involvement with the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA).

Sri Lanka elect to field against India in World T20 final

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Sri Lanka’s stand-in captain Lasith Malinga won the toss and elected to field against India in the final of the World Twenty20 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium here Sunday.

Earlier, light showers delayed the start of the proceedings by almost 40 minutes. The toss took place after the rain stopped.

Squads:

India: Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Amit Mishra, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohit Sharma.

EC draws media’s attention to exit poll ban

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With the nine-phased Lok Sabha polls beginning Monday, the Election Commission Sunday drew the attention of the media to its notification on the ban on exit and opinion polls till the conclusion of voting.

The poll panel, which had issued a notification April 3, released advertisements in some dailies Sunday about the ban.

Keanu Reeves joins psychosexual thriller’s cast

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ACtor Keanu Reeves has joined the cast of Eli Roth’s upcoming psychosexual thriller “Knock Knock”.

The actor will star in the lead role and he will also serve as executive producer on the project, which enters production later this month, reports digitalspy.co.uk.

According to Deadline, filming on the movie will begin on April 14 in Santiago, Chile.

Reeves will star as a married man who is left alone for the weekend, when two young girls arrive at his home and seek to destroy his life.

Trinamool launches mobile app, IIM grads to write blogs

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In a bid to expand its digital presence, the Trinamool Congress Sunday launched a new customised mobile app and introduced a “Didi Direct” section on its website highlighting party chief Mamata Banerjee’s campaign for the Lok Sabha polls.

West Bengal’s ruling party has also got two Indian Institute of Management-Calcutta, graduates to write blogs showcasing the development world of the state government.

Indian-origin businessman to face murder trial in South Africa

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An Indian-origin businessman in Britain, accused of arranging the murder of his wife during a honeymoon trip to Cape Town in 2010, is being extradited to South Africa Monday to face trial.

Shrien Dewani, 33, of Bristol city, has denied being involved in the murder of his Swedish wife, Anni, 28, in November 2010. He will reportedly fly from London Heathrow Airport Monday night, Daily Mail reported Sunday.

His lawyers have fought against his extradition to South Africa, where he faces charges of murder and conspiracy.

70 percent polling in Andhra rural local body polls

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Over 70 percent voting was recorded Sunday in the first phase of rural local body elections in Andhra Pradesh. Barring minor incidents, the polling across the state was peaceful, poll officials said.

Polling ended at 5 p.m. for 557 Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies (ZPTCs) and 8,250 Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituencies (MPTCs) across the state.

Enthusiasm among first-time voters and women was marked as the elections were held after a gap of seven years.

A lot rides on Manik Sarkar as Tripura goes to polls

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Tripura, the country’s last red stronghold, goes to the polls Monday and a lot is riding on Chief Minister Manik Sarkar who leads the Left Front government.

“I have not seen such a politician and chief minister in my life. His honesty, sincerity, and competence are unrivalled with the present-day politicians in India,” said 101-year-old freedom fighter Jitendra Paul.

“I have closely witnessed many politicians and chief ministers in Tripura and elsewhere. Manik is truly a different politician,” Paul, who founded northeast India’s first Bengali daily newspaper 60 years ago, told IANS.

Voting starts Monday from northeast in India’s staggered election

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India’s general election, to elect 543 members to the 16th Lok Sabha, or the House of People in the bicameral parliament, kicks off Monday, with balloting starting from two states in the northeast, Assam and Tripura.

The nine-phase voting, that will be done in 930,000 polling stations across the length and breadth of this huge nation with a staggering 814 million electorate, will be spread over 36 days from April 7 to May 12.