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.

Rajasthan modifies wind energy policy to draw investment

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The Rajasthan government Tuesday cleared amendments to its wind energy policy with an aim to attract investment in the sector.

The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje.

“With the objective of promoting wind energy generation in the state and attract more investors in this sector, the cabinet gave its nod to the amendments in the wind energy policy,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rajendra Rathore told media persons.

The one that has the best content will succeed: Big B

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For Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who is entering the fiction space on TV with “Yudh”, no proposition is safer. He says it’s a “gamble you have to take when you are in this field” and that “only best content will succeed”.

In 2000, when the big screen’s big hero decided to descend upon the small screen as the host of “Kaun Banega Crorepati”, people were doubtful about his decision. But his risk paid off and over the years the game show’s popularity hasn’t diminished at all.

Now, once again his decision to do fiction show for TV is raising questions.

Local political leaders behind massacres: Kenya president

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Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta Tuesday blamed the local political network for overnight killing of over 60 people in the country’s coastal town in the last two days, denying any involvement of Somali militant group Al-Shabaab in the massacre, a media report said.

“Evidence indicates that local political networks were involved in the planning and execution of the heinous attacks,” the Daily Nation cited the president as saying during his televised address in Nairobi.

Army’s Northern Command celebrates 43rd Raising Day

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The Indian Army’s Northern Command, headquartered at Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir, Tuesday celebrated its 43rd Raising Day.

At a ceremony held at the Dhruva War Memorial, Lt.Gen. D.S. Hooda, commander of the Northern Command, laid a wreath as a mark of respect to martyred soldiers, according to a defence statement issued here.

The Northern Command – also known as the Dhruva Command – was raised June 17, 1972, after the 1971 India-Pakistan war and has the responsibility of guarding the borders with both Pakistan and China.

Uttarakhand to have central varsity for Himalayan technology

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Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani Tuesday announced the opening of a central university for Himalayan technology in Uttarakhand.

The minister said international faculty members will teach at the institute.

Expressing concern over the mushrooming of substandard institutes and universities in the country, Irani asked states to monitor such institutes to ensure that they conform to the standards.

Irani also said there should be a national framework of ranking of universities and colleges suited to the local conditions, circumstances and requirements.
(IANS)

Six killed in violence in Pakistan’s Karachi

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At least six people, including two suspected militants, were killed in incidents of violence in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi Tuesday, police said.

Nasir Aftab, senior superintendent police, said that two suspected militants were killed during a joint operation launched by Anti Violence Crime Cell (AVCC) and police in Sohrab Goth area of Karachi in the early hours of Tuesday morning, Xinhua reported Tuesday.

Iraq violence: Indians’ evacuation from Mosul, Tikrit possible

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As the situation in Iraq worsened, the Indian government called in the Iraqi envoy here to discuss ways of helping Indian nationals trapped in the affected areas of Mosul and Tikrit and also held a crisis management meeting.

The government is keeping its options open for possible evacuation if the situation demands, a source said.

The external affairs ministry Tuesday evening announced the setting up of a 24-hour control room to provide information to all concerned. The Indian embassy in Baghdad has also set up a 24-hour helpline.

2013 Uttarakhand disaster: Rajnath reviews restoration

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Home Minister Rajnath Singh Tuesday reviewed the progress of restoration work following the 2013 natural disaster in Uttarakhand, a home ministry statement said.

He reviewed the status in respect of the number of missing people and the progress in issuance of death certificates.

The minister laid emphasis on regular interaction among the stakeholders concerned and directed that all possible measures should be taken to avoid repeat of the tragedy.

UP governor quits; BJP, Congress in row over gubernatorial changes

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Uttar Pradesh Governor B.L. Joshi resigned Tuesday, as the Narendra Modi government’s apparent move to nudge some UPA-appointed governors to step down turned into a political confrontation, with the Congress terming the move “dictatorial” and “political vendetta”.

Joshi Tuesday submitted his resignation to President Pranab Mukherjee, according to officials at Raj Bhavan in Lucknow.

Joshi sent his resignation a day after the central government sought that some governors resign.

US captures Benghazi attack suspect in Libya

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The Pentagon confirmed Tuesday that the US forces have captured in a raid “a key figure” suspected behind the September 2012 attacks on the US diplomatic facilities in Libya’s second largest city of Benghazi.

The suspect, Ahmed Abu Khatallah, is in the US custody in a secure location outside of Libya, Xinhua quoted John Kirby, spokesman of the Defense Department, as saying.

There were no civilian casualties related to the operation over the weekend, and all the personnel involved in the operation have safely departed from Libya, Kirby stated.

Belgium survive scare, overcome Algeria 2-1

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Belgium survived a massive scare as they came back from a goal down to beat a very defensive Algeria 2-1 in a FIFA World Cup Group H clash at the Estadio Governador Magalhaes Pinto here Tuesday.

Sofiane Feghouli scored Algeria’s first World Cup finals goal in 28 years through a 25th minute penalty much against the run of play.

Substitute Marouane Fellaini levelled the scores with a bullet header in the 70th minute while another substitute Dries Mertens completed Belgium’s comeback 10 minutes later.

Edwards, Brathwaite win first session for West Indies

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An up tempo 93-run, third wicket stand between Kirk Edwards (55) and Kraigg Brathwaite (batting 48) won West Indies the opening session on day two of the second cricket Test against New Zealand here Tuesday.

Resuming the day tenuously placed at six for one, West Indies reached the lunch interval on 124 for three, only 97 runs behind the Black Caps first innings of 221, reports CMC.

Opener Brathwaite was eyeing his fifth Test half-century unbeaten on 48 while Darren Bravo was not out on 10.

Lendl Simmons is West Indies singles wicket champion

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West Indies opener Lendl Simmons is the new champion of single wicket cricket in the Caribbean.

Simmons defeated countryman and Mumbai Indians teammate Kieron Pollard to capture the second annual Single wicket title here Sunday, reports CMC.

In the one-on-one, two-over match with fielders assisting to make up the cricket regulations, Pollard cracked 29 in his two overs batting first.

He slammed two fours and two sixes, scoring 13 in the first over and 16 in the second.

In reply, Simmons raced to 21 after the first over, hitting three sixes.

Ex-guerrilla killed; Kashmir grenade blast injures two

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Guerrillas late Tuesday shot at and killed a former militant in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir while two people were wounded in a grenade blast in Baramulla district, officials said.

A police officer said guerrillas fired from close range at Munawar Zaman Malik, a former militant and shopkeeper, in Arwani village of Anantnag district late Tuesday.

“Malik received critical bullet injuries and was evacuated to a hospital for treatment. However, he succumbed to his injuries,” the officer said.

Kenyan Muslims urge authorities to foster unity

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Muslim leaders in Kenya have urged political parties to shun their tribal politics and forge unity across the country, a media report said Tuesday.

Abdullahi Abdi, chairman of the National Muslim Leaders Forum, said the leaders from the ruling Jubilee Alliance, and from the former prime minister Raila Odinga-led CORD coalition in the opposition should stop shifting blame on each other as it was fuelling communal tension, and instead form peaceful dialogues among themselves, Capital FM reported.

Give Rs.1 crore to dead constable’s family: AAP to Delhi LG

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AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal Tuesday requested Delhi Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung to give Rs.1 crore as compensation to the family of a police constable who was run over by a car while on duty in the capital.

Constable Manna Ram was run over by a car Saturday evening when he tried to stop it from entering a ‘no entry zone’ in west Delhi. The government had earlier announced Rs.10 lakh compensation to his family.

The former Delhi chief minister pleaded in a letter to Jung that Manna Ram’s family should be given an ex-gratia of Rs.1 crore.

Craziest ice cream flavours to try this summer

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If you want to cool down this summer with ice cream, chuck the usual and try strange varieties like jellyfish, avocado and mamushi snake.

Huffingtonpost.com shares a list of crazy ice cream flavours:

* Raw horse flesh ice cream: You can try a scoop of raw horse flesh at Ice Cream City inside Namja Town, an indoor amusement park in Tokyo.

* Gin ice cream: At Murphy’s in Ireland, you can get your kids hooked on the taste of gin early by treating them to ice cream flavoured with the hard stuff.

Golfer Vani favourite for Hero golf in Pahalgam

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Delhi’s Vani Kapoor has had a dream run so far this season in the Hero Women’s Professional Golf Tour with three victories and two runners-up finishes in five events.

Vani is the firm favourite for the sixth leg and will also look forward to consolidate her position at the top of the Order of Merit. The sixth leg will be played at the picturesque Lidder Valley Golf Course here June 17-20.

Russian deputy PM to meet Sushma Swaraj Wednesday

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Russia will establish its first high-level contact with the new Indian government when Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry O. Rogozin meets External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj Wednesday.

Rogozin’s meeting comes days after the US and China established their first high-level contact with the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Russian President Vladimir Putin had called up Prime Minister Modi to congratulate him after his government came to power.

The meeting between Rogozin and Sushma Swaraj will be their first interaction.

SRK’s Twitter family grows, crosses 8 million mark

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Bollywood ‘badshah’ Shah Rukh Khan’s family on microblogging site Twitter Tuesday crossed a staggering mark of eight million.

Now, the “Chennai Express” star, who was recently named the second richest actor in the world, is second to megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who has over nine million followers.

Shah Rukh joined the online platform in 2010, and his new benchmark has surpassed the followers of his contemporaries Aamir Khan (7.17 million) and Salman Khan (7.18 million).

Nothing wrong with Botox, says Kate Hudson

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Actress Kate Hudson has shared her opinion on anti-ageing and admits she wouldn’t say no to Botox.

The 35-year-old thinks it’s “great” that age-defying cosmetic injections are widely available to women and she can see herself resorting to the treatment to improve her complexion in the future, reports contactmusic.com.

India in touch with Iraq over help to Indian nationals

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The Iraqi envoy to India was called for consultations in the external affairs ministry in the wake of the worsening situation in violence-hit Iraq and ways of helping the Indian community there, including nurses, discussed, an official said.

“The situation in Iraq is receiving attention as a high priority. The External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is monitoring and reviewing the situation of Indian nationals,” said external affairs ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin at a briefing.

Anil Wadhwa, secretary (east) in the ministry, met Iraqi Ambassador Ahmed Derwari in South Block.

Israel army arrests 41 to trace missing teenagers

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Israeli security forces arrested 41 Hamas operatives in raids carried out in the West Bank Tuesday to trace three Israeli teenagers abducted by militants last week.

The Israeli military said that most of the arrests were made in the vicinity of the Palestinian city of Nablus, Xinhua reported.

Nearly 1,000 infantry troops entered the Balata refugee camp and the nearby town of Awarta, where weapons and explosives were also discovered and confiscated, Army Radio said.

Bangladesh bowl out India for 105

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Led by debutant Taskin Ahmed’s five-wicket haul, Bangladesh bowled out India for a dismal 105 in 25.3 overs at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium here Tuesday.

Put in to bat, the visitors only managed to scrape past the 100-run mark before being bowled out with only four batsman scoring in double-digits. Captain Suresh Raina was the top scorer with 27 before being run out.

Ahmed, 19, bowled brilliantly to end with figures of 8-0-28-5.

Earlier, the match was shortened to 41 overs per side after a rain delay.
(IANS)

15 militants killed in Pakistan airstrikes

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At least 15 suspected militants were killed during airstrikes in Pakistan’s North Waziristan region Tuesday, a media report said.

Gunship helicopters and jets targeted militant compounds in Dattakhel tehsil, Dawn online reported.

More than 187 militants have been killed since operation Zarb-i-Azb was launched in the tribal region, the report said.

The operation was launched against the foreign and local terrorists hiding in North Waziristan, a week after a brazen insurgent attack on Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport, officials said