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.

11 Maoist guerrillas arrested in Jharkhand

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A total of 11 Maoist guerrillas, including a zonal commander, have been arrested in Jharkhand, police said Wednesday.

The guerrillas have been arrested from Gumla district Tuesday night following a gun battle, a police officer said.

All the arrested guerrillas belong to People’s Liberation Front of India (PLFI), a splinter group of the Communist Party of India-Maoist. Police said PLFI zonal commander Rajan was among those arrested.

Ten rifles, 56 live cartridges, 16 mobile phones and other materials were also recovered from the site of gunfight.

Buffon, de Rossi back in Italy’s training

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Goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, midfielder Daniele de Rossi and defender Andrea Barzagli are back in Italy’s team training, leaving only Mattia de Sciglio in the injured list.

Barzagli and de Rossi, who over-exerted their muscles, trained Tuesday while Buffon trained with goalkeepers Mattia Perin and Salvatore Sirigu, reports EFE.

The Azzurri will face Costa Rica Friday after defeating England 2-1.
(IANS/EFE)

Spanish players’ mothers send them favourite dishes

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The mothers of Spanish players David Silva, Juan Mata and Javi Martinez cooked and sent them their favourite dishes to their camp, to help boost their morale ahead of their World Cup Group B clash against Chile Wednesday.

The mothers expressed their sadness after Spain were thrashed 1-5 by the Netherlands Friday. But they said that Spain were still a candidate for the title and they will travel to Brazil to support their sons if they reach the quarterfinals, reports EFE.

India has told Dhaka of murder suspect’s arrest: minister

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India has officially informed Bangladesh about the arrest of Nur Hossain, the prime suspect in the Narayanganj multiple-murder case, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, Bangladesh’s minister of state for home, said Wednesday.

“They (India) have given us the information in a note verbale,” bdnews24.com quoted Kamal as telling reporters.

Nur was arrested with two accomplices from an apartment in Kolkata Saturday.

UAE-based Indian’s debit card hacked in US

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A debit card belonging to an expatriate Indian in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was hacked into and used for unauthorised transactions in the US, media reported Wednesday.

Mohammed Anas, 34, was shocked to learn that the money was withdrawn from his debit card account thrice by an unknown hacker from Florida, who used precisely all of his account details efficiently, the Gulf News reported.

“A total of 2,700 dirhams was withdrawn in dollars from my account June 3 around 7 p.m. The amount was withdrawn from an ATM machine in Florida,” the news report quoted Anas as saying.

RJD to support JD-U in Rajya Sabha bypoll

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Ending days of speculation, Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad announced his party’s support to the ruling JD-U’s two candidates in the Rajya Sabha by-election Thursday.

“RJD will support JD-U’s two candidates in the Rajya Sabha by-election to defeat BJP’s game plan,” he said at a press conference after holding a meeting of the RJD legislature party here,

The former chief minister said his party decided to support JD-U to forestall any chance to communal forces to play their dirty politics.

Archaeologists to assess state of Kedarnath temple

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A team of archaeologists and officials left here Wednesday for the Kedarnath temple in Uttarakhand to assess the condition of the shrine that was badly damaged in flash floods a year ago.

The team from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the ministry of culture will do an on-the-spot assessment of the restoration work that has been in progress for months, the government said.

Saina, Jwala-Ashwini win, others ousted

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Top shuttler Saina Nehwal along with leading Indian doubles combine Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa notched up first round wins at the $750,000 Indonesia Open Super Series Premier here Wednesday.

However, World Championship bronze medallist P.V. Sindhu, Kidambi Srikanth and Parupalli Kashyap had to bite the dust as they were ousted from the competition at the Istora Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.

A three-time winner here, Saina needed only 33 minutes to ease past Thailand’s Porntip Buranaprasertsuk 21-15, 21-10 to take an amazing 7-1 lead in career meetings over the World No.9.

Sex! Rules make it a bit complicated in World Cup

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Costa Rica can’t have it before the second round of the FIFA World Cup, Brazilians can have it as long as it is not ‘acrobatic’, Nigerians can have it only with their wives while it is a big no for Russia, Chile, Mexico, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Yes, it is sex!

Most of the teams don’t have an official stance, but they all have their own taboos. In order to make sure that their players are not tired with their exploits in bed, coaches have laid down the law that will force the footballers to think twice before getting laid.

Experts seek alternative trade route for Afghanistan

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An alternative trade route for Afghanistan is needed to reduce its dependence on Pakistan to reach out to South Asia, experts said here Wednesday.

The experts were critical of what they said was lack of Indian interest in the Iranian port of Chabahar, while China has started taking interest in the port in recent months.

The experts were speaking at a round table discussion on “Future outcome in Afghanistan”. The Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) organised the round table.

India raises Russian decision to sell Mi-35 choppers to Pakistan; talks trade

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India raised the issue of Russia’s decision to sell Mi-35 attack helicopters to Pakistan during talks between visiting Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry O. Rogozin and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj here Wednesday that also saw both discuss a host of bilateral issues, including ramping up trade ties.

The meeting – Russia’s first high level contact with the new Indian government – lasted over four hours, officials said, in an indication of the importance of the talks.

Mexican singer Thalia proposes to Ochoa

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Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa got a marriage proposal from a famous singer of his country — Thalia — after his marvellous performance against Brazil in a FIFA World Cup Group A match that ended in a goalless draw Tuesday.

“Ochoa, Marry me!!” Thalia tweeted, also posting a photo of the 28-year-old keeper, reports EFE.

Ochoa was named the man of the match due to his fantastic show and was showered with praises for not conceding any goals to Brazil.

“Memo: We love you,” Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal tweeted.
IANS/EFE)

Iraq PM warns violence may spill over

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Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki vowed Wednesday to confront terrorism and warned that the latest escalation of violence will spill over to those countries which led a “conspiracy” against Iraq.

“We will face terrorism and we will bring down the conspiracy. But be sure they will flee to you and your countries will also be burned by sectarian wars,” Maliki said in his weekly televised speech, referring to the countries that Iraq earlier accused of supporting terrorist groups.

Tavleen, Smriti share lead in Hero golf

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Chandigarh’s Tavleen Batra surprised many at the Lidder Valley Golf Course here Wednesday as she led the field along with veteran Smriti Mehra in the sixth leg of the Hero Women’s Professional Golf Tour.

The Rs.7 lakh event saw Tavleen, an amateur who is playing her maiden event of the tour, displayed great temperament and skill in the first round to fire a three-under 68 to tie with Smriti.

Tavleen started her campaign with a bogey on the first and the 10th holes. However, she steadied quickly and displayed a good hold on her game, carding six birdies.

Telangana Film Producers’ Guild bats for small Telugu movies

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No tax on small-budget movies, medical insurance for technicians and subsidy for small films are some of the demands put forth by the Telangana Film Producers’ Guild (TFPG) in an effort to support the Telangana film industry.

On June 2 India’s 29th state Telangana was born and the producers guild has reportedly presented a list of 11 demands to the state government.

Enhance damages to patients who lost sight, Chhattisgarh told

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The NHRC Wednesday directed the Chhattisgarh government to enhance the monetary relief to Rs.1 lakh each to 16 people who lost their eyesight in cataract surgeries conducted at a community health centre in the state.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has said that the Chhattisgarh government should pay another Rs.50,000 each to the patients in addition to a similar amount it paid to the patients earlier.

The surgeries were conducted Dec 31, 2012, at the Bagbehra community health centre in Dhamtari district of Chhattisgarh.

Southern edition of Filmfare awards to take place July 12

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The 61st Idea Filmfare awards, south edition, will take place here July 12 in the presence of luminaries from Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam industries.

To be held at the Nehru Indoor Stadium of the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu, the event will celebrate and honour the best talent from all the four southern film industries.

“The Idea Filmfare awards South gives us a unique opportunity to connect with our millions of consumers with innovative marketing and engagement programs,” Rajat Mukarji, chief corporate affairs officer, Idea Cellular, said in a statement.

Five arrested for reselling World Cup tickets

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Three Frenchmen and two Colombians were arrested by the Brazilian police after they were caught reselling their FIFA World Cup tickets.

The five were taken into custody near the Mineirao Stadium here that hosted the Group H opening match between Belgium and Algeria Tuesday which ended 2-1 in favour of the former, reports EFE.

Selling World Cup tickets at a price higher than what is set by the FIFA is considered a crime.

The police have arrested several people since the start of the tournament for committing the illegal act. The authorities did not reveal the actual number though.

Delhi man, 68, jailed for 10 years in drug case

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A 68-year-old man was sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment here for possessing 300 grams of heroin.

Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Special Judge Umed Singh Grewal sentenced Delhi resident Mazhar Ali to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment after convicting him in a 2012 drug case. Ali has also been asked to pay a fine of Rs.1 lakh.

The court turned down Ali’s plea for leniency on the ground that he is 68 years old and that he has to look after his ailing wife, who is 65 years old, as his three married sons and three married daughters live separately.

Fan dies while celebrating Belgium’s victory

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A Belgian man fell off a statue here while celebrating his country’s 2-1 victory over Algeria in a FIFA World Cup Group H match.

The fan, whose identity has not been revealed, suffered a hard hit due to the fall and died of his wounds Wednesday, reports EFE.

Two other fans were rescued by firemen in Stabroek after they climbed to the top of a church tower and didn’t know how to get down.
(IANS/EFE)

‘Humshakals’: Bipasha ‘extremely disturbed’ by end result

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Bipasha Basu, who remained conspicuous by her absence during the promotions of her forthcoming Bollywood film “Humshakals”, finally broke her silence on the issue saying she is “extremely disturbed” by the film’s end result.

The actress took to Twitter to “put an end to all the discussions around my absence for ‘Humshakals’ promotions.”

“I take full responsibility of getting into a film only on the basis of trust. But after dubbing for my character in the film, as I had professionally committed to do so, I’m extremely disturbed by the end result of the same,” she posted Tuesday.

NIA gets custody of two IM operatives for Patna blasts

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A special court in the Bihar capital Wednesday granted 12 days’ police remand of two Indian Mujahideen (IM) operatives to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

The operatives – Haider Ali alias “Black Beauty” and Muzibillah Ansari – are both suspects in the Oct 27, 2013, Patna serial blasts.

The NIA team probing the blasts presented Ali, 26, and Ansari, 24, before its special court that remanded them in police custody.

The two are among the 13 arrested so far for the serial blasts at Narendra Modi’s Lok Sabha election rally here.

Heat in Kerala assembly as opposition names Vadra for influence peddling

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The Left and the government Wednesday engaged in a heated spat in the Kerala assembly when the former referred to Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra’s purported influence in a building complex in the state.

Seeking leave for an adjournment motion, CPI-M legislator P. Sreeramakrishnan said because of Vadra’s influence, all rules were being broken for an upcoming apartment complex of DLF Real estate company in Kochi.

Southwest monsoon arrives in Odisha

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The southwest monsoon arrived in Odisha Wednesday, bringing widespread rain in many parts of the state, an official said.

The monsoon has covered several coastal districts including of Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Balasore, Gajapati and Ganjam, an official of the Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre told IANS.

It also covered portions of Khurda, Cuttack, Jajpur, Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj and conditions are favourable for its further advance into remaining parts of the state during next two days, he said.

Monsoon finally hits Bihar

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Monsoon rains finally lashed parts of Bihar Wednesday, bringing respite to millions affected by the scorching and humid summer as well as hope for farmers in the drought-hit state.

Several parts of Bihar including the eastern parts of the state and Patna experienced moderate to heavy rainfall. The sky over Patna was partly cloudy since Wednesday morning and more rain is expected Thursday.