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.

Six arrested for lynching Bengal jute mill CEO

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Six people have been arrested for the lynching of the chief executive officer of a jute mill in West Bengal’s Hooghly district, police said Monday.

H.K. Maheswari, CEO of North Brook Jute Mill in Bhadreswa, was beaten to death by agitated factory workers demanding an increase in weekly working hours.

Following the orders of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who has alleged involvement of BJP and CPI-M affiliated trade union members in the attack, police have arrested six people since Sunday night.

Inflation soars to 6.01 percent on high food, fuel prices

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India’s wholesale price based inflation rose to a five-month high of 6.01 percent in May against 5.20 percent in the previous month due to a sharp jump in food and fuel prices, government data showed Monday.

The country’s key inflation based on the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) was recorded at 4.58 percent in May 2013.

Fuel and power inflation soared to 10.53 percent due to a 14.21 percent jump in diesel prices year-on-year during the month under review, according to data released by the ministry of commerce and industry. Petrol prices soared 12.28 percent.

India, Bhutan to boost hydropower cooperation

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India and Bhutan reiterated their commitment to achieving the 10,000 MW target in hydropower cooperation and not to allow their territories to be used for interests “inimical” to each other.

In a joint statement at the end of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to the Himalayan kingdom, the two countries also decided to strengthen cooperation in a host of fields including information technology and education.

They also decided to cooperate on multilateral and regional forums as well as promote trade and investment between them.

New board to oversee Kerala’s toddy industry

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Kerala toddy, popular among locals and tourists, will get a boost with the state government planning to set up a board to oversee the functioning of the traditional industry, a minister said Monday.

Kerala Excise Minister K. Babu said: “We have decided to set up a new Neera-Toddy Board that will look after the interests of the toddy industry. We will give preference to those toddy tappers, who are not having a job.”

App reveals if online information has ‘glitches’ or not

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What if you can find the information in an article or the story you are reading online is accurate and credible and not a “lift” from other sources?

Try Trooclick – a new automated fact-checking app from Paris-based developers that can help you separate the wheat from the chaff.

Trooclick is an internet browser plug-in that alerts you if an article you are reading has “glitches.”

A glitch could be an incorrect fact, information that conflicts with other media reports about the same topic.

Bayliss to be acting Australia coach for South Africa T20I series

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New South Wales Blues and Sydney Sixers coach Trevor Bayliss will step in as the acting Australia coach for the Twenty20 Internationals against South Africa later this year.

With the United Arab Emirates tour against Pakistan ending just days before the start of the Australian international summer in early November, regular coach Darren Lehmann will use the week away to prepare for the long summer ahead which includes Australia’s Test series against India and the 2015 ICC World Cup.

Rajnath assures Delhi Police of help in modernising force

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Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh Monday assured Delhi Police of providing all possible help to modernise the force.

“I discussed with the senior police officials about how can we modernise Delhi Police to tackle the law and order problems in the national capital,” Rajnath Singh told reporters after a meeting with Delhi Police Commissioner B.S. Bassi.

The home minister said the centre would provide all help to Delhi Police in its “modernisation programme”.

Modi gives primacy to Hindi in Bhutan

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Indian leaders conversing with foreign dignitaries have generally spoken in English and also addressed international gatherings in English, the country’s official language ever since its independence from British colonial rule in 1947.

But Prime Minister Narendra Modi has broken the custom and is increasingly resorting to Hindi, the national language and one that is spoken by the majority of the population in this polyglot nation, during talks with foreign leaders and in his official addresses.

Danish carpenter wins Mr World 2014 title

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Dane Nicklas Pedersen, a carpenter by profession, was announced the winner of Mr World 2014 pageant held in Torbay Sunday.

The 23-year-old, a qualified carpenter who hails from Brondby, a suburb of Copenhagen, aspires of starting his own carpentry firm someday. He would also like to try his hand at acting.

Pedersen defeated 45 other contestants including India’s Prateik Jain, who could only make it to top 10.

The second place went to Nigeria’s Emmanuel Ifeanyi Ikubese, who is an actor by profession and mostly known for starring in the award winning MTV series “Shuga”.

Bhutan remains a priority for India: Modi

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday assured Bhutan that the Himalayan nation remained a priority for his country despite the change in government and termed the relations between the two nations as “made for each other”.

Speaking at a banquet hosted by his Bhutanese counterpart Tshering Tobgay, Modi said India was committed to Bhutan’s happiness and progress.

Mourning for Mandela ends

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The six-month mourning period declared for former South African president Nelson Mandela, who died of lung disease last December aged 95, ended Sunday.

Family members gathered in Qunu, Eastern Cape Province to mark the end of the mourning period six months after Mandela was buried Dec 15, Xinhua reported. A cleansing ceremony was performed in Qunu, where Mandela was buried.

Traditional beet and meat were served during the ceremony, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) reported.

Man crossing LoC held by army, handed over to police

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The Indian army Sunday apprehended a man who crossed the Line of Control (LoC) into India in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir and handed him over to the police, an official said.

“A civilian named Muhammad Hussain Faryab crossed the LoC in Krishna Ghati sector into our side from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Alert troops arrested him at 9.30 a.m. today (Sunday). He was handed over to the local police,” defence spokesman Col. Manish Mehta told IANS.

Pakistani troops had last week violated the ceasefire in the same sector of the LoC.
(IANS)

Australia clinch third hockey World Cup

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Australia clinched their third hockey World Cup by successfully defending the title they had won four years ago in New Delhi when they thrashed hosts Netherlands 6-1 in the final at the Kyocera Stadium here Sunday.

Earlier, Matias Paredes scored a brace to help Argentina earn their maiden medal at the event when they defeated England 2-0 in the bronze medal playoff.

Arab League rejects interference in Iraq

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The Arab League (AL) Sunday strongly slammed the attacks committed by Jihadist-led militants in Iraq, but rejected any attempts of interference in the domestic affairs of the conflict-stricken country.

“AL denounces terrorist attacks that are being perpetrated by the group called ‘Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)’ against the Iraqi people,” Xinhua quoted an AL statement as saying following an extraordinary meeting of permanent representatives in Cairo.

AL also slammed the recent terrorist attacks that “aim to destabilise Iraq and harm its unity”.
(IANS)

Modi receives rousing welcome in Bhutan, stresses on B2B ties

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Bharat to Bhutan ties got a major fillip as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared his intent to expand “B2B” relations on his maiden visit abroad to the neighbouring Himalayan country with which India shares long-standing close and friendly ties.

Modi, who chose Bhutan as his first port of call to stress the importance accorded to the neighbourhood in the new government’s foreign policy, described relations between the two countries as “B2B” or “Bharat to Bhutan” ties.

India important for Bhutan’s happiness: Modi

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India as a friend in the neighbourhood is an important parameter of happiness for Bhutan, visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Sunday.

“It is good that while the entire world is looking towards GDP, Bhutan wants to increase its happiness index,” Modi said at an official banquet here.

“India is associated with the progress and happiness of Bhutan and will continue to be,” he said.

He said: “The kind of neighbour you have is also very important in the happiness parameter. Sometimes you get such a neighbour that despite having everything you can’t be at peace”.

Rajnath Singh to visit Delhi Police headquarters

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Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh will visit Delhi Police headquarters Monday, a police officer said here Sunday.

During the visit, the minister will meet senior Delhi Police officials and hold discussions about the capital’s law and order situation, the police officer said.
(IANS)

India beat Bangladesh by 7 wickets

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India beat Bangladesh by seven wickets (Duckworth-Lewis method) at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium to take a 1-0 lead in their three match One-Day International (ODI) series here Sunday.

While chasing Bangladesh’s total of 272/9, India were batting at 100/1 in 16.4 overs when the skies opened up.

After heavy showers, the target was revised and India were to chase 150 from 26 overs which they achieved with seven balls to spare.

Each minute, 2,500 Britons are making love!

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Each minute, 2,500 Britons engage in love amounting to a staggering 900 million encounters of the close kind a year — yet the activity results in barely 770,000 British births each year, a Cambridge mathematician has claimed.

The statistics, which apply to the entire population and have been adjusted for sleep, were revealed as part of an ongoing project to document how attitudes to sex and procreation have changed over the decades, Daily Mail reported.

Balotelli dedicates win to wife, friends

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Italy striker Mario Balotelli dedicated his goal, which secured a 2-1 victory over England in the World Cup Group D opener, to his wife and friends.

The AC Milan star said though the game was tough and they suffered because of the extreme weather conditions, he was very happy to grab the win, reports EFE.

The clash Saturday was a repeat of the 2012 European Championship quarterfinal and the Italians prevailed yet again.

The win pushed Italy to book second place currently in the group on goal difference from Costa Rica, who are on top, while England and Uruguay don’t have any points.

Hockey World Cup final classifications

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The following are the final standings of the hockey World Cup after Australia defeated the Netherlands in the final to defend the title at the Kyocera Stadium here Sunday. Argentina took home the bronze.

Standings:

1. Australia

2. Netherlands

3. Argentina

4. England

5. Belgium

6. Germany

7. New Zealand

8. Spain

9. India

10. South Korea

11. South Africa

12. Malaysia
(IANS)

India’s target revised to 150 from 26 overs

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India’s target has been revised to 150 from 26 overs after rain interrupted play in the first of their three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) against Bangladesh at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium here Sunday.

India were batting at 100/1 in 16.4 overs while chasing Bangladesh’s challenging total of 272/9 when heavy rain stopped play. Opener Ajinkya Rahana (46 not out) and Cheteshwar Pujara (yet to open his account) were at the crease when play was interrupted.
(IANS)

India, Bhutan to enhance economic ties as Modi pitches for ‘B2B’ links

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India and Bhutan Sunday focused on extensive development cooperation between the two neighbours and discussed measures to enhance economic ties as visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi described their close and friendly ties as “B2B” or “Bharat to Bhutan” relations.

Modi, who called on Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and later met the landlocked Himalayan nation’s premier, Tshering Tobgay, expressed satisfaction at India being considered a privileged partner of Bhutan, official sources said.

Beas tragedy: Himachal admits illegal sand mining at accident spot

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Himachal Pradesh Sunday admitted that illegal sand mining has been flourishing along the Beas river and the activity is to be partially blamed for the tragedy in which 24 students of an engineering college of Hyderabad lost their lives.

State Industries Minister Mukesh Agnihotri visited the accident spot and the directed the authorities concerned to close link roads along the river constructed for illegal mining.