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.

Modi visit underlines deep feelings for India

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From school children to the local taxi driver, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Bhutan has created a big splash in this small and quaint landlocked nation with the administration going all out to make the trip a major success.

Apart from lining up hundreds of schoolchildren to give a cheerful welcome to the Indian leader, who has embarked on his maiden overseas tour after assuming office last month, the Bhutan government imposed road restrictions on the entry and exit points of Thimphu as part of the security arrangements.

Kylie Jenner dating Lionel Richie’s son?

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Reality TV star Kylie Jenner was spotted getting cozy with singer Lionel Richie’s son Miles, sparking rumours that they are dating.

The 16-year-old was photographed here June 13, inside a Mercedes, being nuzzled by Miles. The duo have not commented about the pics, reports eonline.com.

They have been friends for a while and have hung out before. Two months ago, Miles had posted a photo of the two with other friends on Instagram.

Kylie was also linked to actor Jaden Smith and singer Justin Bieber.
(IANS)

Six killed in road accident in China

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At least six people were killed and six others injured when two vehicles collided Sunday in China’s Yunnan province.

A mini-bus and a truck crashed into each other on a highway in Shilin around 7 a.m., Xinhua reported citing the county’s press office.

The driver and five passengers in the mini-bus died at the scene. The injured people were taken to a local hospital.
(IANS)

Karachi airport attacks mastermind killed

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The mastermind behind the Karachi airport terror attacks was killed Sunday during air strikes carried out by Pakistan Air Force (PAF) in North Waziristan, a media report said.

Military sources told Dawn online that Abu Abdur Rehman Almani was a key commander of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), the militant group which along with the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility of the attack on Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport last Sunday night that killed 30 people, including 10 militants.

Bangladesh post 272/9 against India

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Bangladesh put up a challenging total of 272/9 in the first of the three One-Day Internationals (ODI) against India at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium here Sunday.

After electing to bat, the hosts reached the competitive score with good performances from the middle-order. Captain Mushfiqur Rahim (59) and all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan (52) scored half centuries while opener Anamul Haque and right-hander Mahmudullah chipped in with significant knocks of 44 and 41, respectively.

Indian pacer Umesh Yadav was the pick of the bowlers clinching 3/48 while leg spinner Amit Mishra took 2/55.

Female hormones may make males obese

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Female hormone estrogen benefits women but in men, an imbalance of female sex hormones may lead to obesity, especially if you are living in the western developed world.

Obesity among western men could be linked with exposure to substances containing the female sex hormone estrogen – substances that are more often found in soy products and plastic products like PVC.

Hormonally-driven weight gain occurs more significantly in females than in males in the developing world.

Israel arrests 80 Palestinians over missing teenagers

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The Israeli army has arrested about 80 Palestinians over the kidnapping of the three teenagers who have been missing since Thursday evening from the West Bank, a media report said Sunday.

Israel has said that an “intensive operation” is underway to find the two 16-year-olds and one 19-year-old, BBC reported.

According to sources, Palestinian officials are also cooperating with the search operations.

The teenagers have been identified as Naftali Frenkel, Gilad Shaar, 16, and Eyal Yifrach, 19.

I’d direct film in India instead of abroad: Uday Chopra

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Actor-producer Uday Chopra, who shifted his base from Mumbai to Los Angeles and is currently here to promote his Hollywood film “Grace Of Monaco”, has plans to direct a film, but on his home turf and not abroad.

Son of veteran filmmaker Yash Chopra, Uday’s elder brother Aditya is also a successful filmmaker. He had wielded the megaphone for “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge”.

When asked bout going behind the camera, Uday, who started his stint in showbiz as an actor with his brother’s directorial venture “Mohabbatein”, said: “At the moment I am not planning. It’s a thought in my head.”

Cowell was ‘supportive’ of record label move, says Lewis

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Singer Leona Lewis says music mogul Simon Cowell, who discovered her, was “supportive” of her decision to leave his record label.

The “Bleeding Love” hitmaker was signed to Cowell’s SyCo/Sony label after winning “The X Factor” in 2006. And now, she has signed a new deal with Island Records, part of rival music giant Universal. But she said there are no hard feelings between the two, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

Kidman, Urban perform for sick children

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Australian singer Keith Urban and his actress-wife Nicole Kidman sang “Amazing Grace” for sick children at Monash Children’s Hospital here.

The couple performed an emotional version of “Amazing Grace” in front of patients, their families and members of staff of the hospital June 13, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

The couple, who married in 2006 and have children – Sunday, 5, and Faith, 3 – had also performed earlier in 2010 at the G’Day USA ball and sang Men At Work’s “Down under”.
(IANS)

Talks welcome, but within framework of India’s statute: Jaitley

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Defence Minister Arun Jaitley Sunday said the central government is ready for dialogue with anyone who wants to talk, but within the framework of the country’s constitution and its sovereignty.

Addressing a media conference here Sunday at the conclusion of his two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir, Jaitley said: “We are prepared for a dialogue with anyone who is ready to talk to us within the framework of the Indian constitution and India’s sovereignty. These are two issues on which there can be no compromise.”

Fasting can lower diabetes risk: Study

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Do you know that 10 to 12 hours of fasting triggers body to begin scavenging for other sources of energy to sustain itself?

The body pulls LDL (bad) cholesterol from the fat cells and uses it as energy.

This natural biological process can help pre-diabetes combat risk for developing diabetes, a study says.

“Fasting has the potential to become an important diabetes intervention,” said lead researcher Benjamin Horne from the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Murray, Utah.

Syrian troops recapture key border town near Turkey

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The Syrian forces Sunday recaptured a northern border town near Turkey after eliminating large numbers of “terrorists,” media reported.

The government forces have restored security and stability to Kasab, a strategic town in the northern coastal province of Latakia on the borders with Turkey, SANA news agency reported.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Saturdat that the Al Qaeda linked Nusra Front and other terrorist groups pulled back as the Syrian troops, backed by the Lebanese Hezbollah group, advanced toward Kasab after recapturing areas adjacent to the town.

First MERS case confirmed in Bangladesh

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Bangladesh has confirmed the first case of the deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS) after a man returned from the US via Abu Dhabi was found afflicted with it.

Mahmudur Rahman, director of Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control & Research (IEDCR), said Sunday that the man was recuperating in a hospital, bdnews24.com reported.

“We have notified it to the WHO,” he said.

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause a range of illnesses in humans, from the common cold to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

My father was too versatile to establish poetic identity: Javed Akhtar

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Hindi film industry’s renonned lyricist Javed Akhtar remembers his father and poet Jan Nisar Akhtar on Father’s Day Sunday and says he learnt how to write lucid poetry from him, and added that his “father was too versatile to establish a poetic identity”.

The year 2014 also marks the 100th birth anniversary of Jan Nisar and Javed said: “It’s the centenary year of my father’s life. And as his proud son, it fills me with joy to see his birth anniversary being celebrated.”

Will no more tolerate political violence, BJP tells Mamata

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Claiming that over 150 political killings have occurred in West Bengal since the Trinamool Congress came to power in 2011, the BJP said Sunday it will no more tolerate political violence in the state.

A central BJP team, led by party vice president Balbir Punj, arrived in the city Sunday and headed towards Ilambazar in Birbhum district to meet the family members of party activist Rahim Sheikh who was killed allegedly by Trinamool goons June 7.

A book on Kerala’s legend by a veteran journalist

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When two legends from two of the four pillars of democracy join hands, the end result cannot but turn out to be better than just an interesting book and a pleasurable read.

Maverick Kerala politician K.M. Mani — state minister of finance and supreme leader of regional outfit Kerala Congress (Mani) — and veteran journalist K. Govindan Kutty have conjured up such a tome.

Nicotine gums too may cause cancer, shows Study

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Nicotine patches may have helped many to kick the butt, but these can be equally dangerous as smoking as nicotine itself is carcinogenic, a new study shows.

Nicotine is such a powerful carcinogen that nicotine-infused products designed to help people give up smoking may not be safe, the findings showed.

Nicotine is one of 4,000 chemicals found in cigarette smoke.

While many of these chemicals are recognised as carcinogens, nicotine has, until now, only been considered addictive rather than carcinogenic.

Uttarakhand disaster: Lessons not learnt, pain lingers

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Time, it is said, is a great healer. For the hundreds of villagers in Uttarakhand who lost their homes and livelihoods in the flash floods last June 16 and for the thousands all over the country whose loved ones were washed away by the swirling waters, the passage of time has brought no solace. It has, however, added to their pain and anguish for nothing has changed in the hill state, touted as “Gods Own Land”.

Known for its tea, Bengal forays into coffee cultivation

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Known worldwide for its Darjeeling tea, West Bengal is now making its first foray into coffee cultivation, courtesy a joint initiative by the state government and the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (IIT-KGP).

The brainchild of the West Bengal Comprehensive Area Development Corporation (WBCADC), with the IIT’s Science and Technology Entrepreneurs Park (STEP) providing the technical knowhow, the pilot project envisages tea and coffee cultivation on the picturesque Ayodhya Hills in Purulia district.

Better to keep children away from limelight: Akshay

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Akshay Kumar, a successful actor and filmmaker, is also a protective father. To ensure that his children have a normal life, he doesn’t expose them to the media.

Currently riding high on the success of “Holiday – A Soldier Is Never Off Duty”, Akshay is raising two children with wife and actress Twinkle Khanna.

When asked if he deliberately keeps his children away from the limelight, he promptly said: “Yes.”

“I think it is better to keep children away from being seen everywhere – in newspapers and all. I want to give them a normal childhood,” Akshay told IANS.

AK-47 ammo, 14 hand grenades found in Punjab village

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Some AK-47 rifle ammunition and 14 hand grenades were recovered during digging work under the employment guarantee scheme in a village pond Sunday near Punjab’s Jagraon town, police said.

The recovered hand grenades and ammunition were in a rusted condition, police said.

“The police have cordoned off the area and taken the grenades and ammunition into its possession,” Jagraon Deputy Superintendent of Police Naveen Kumar said.

The pond in village Sidhwan Khurd was being dug up by labourers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS).

Defence minister visits LoC in Kashmir

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Defence Minister Arun Jaitley Sunday visited the forward areas along the Line of Control and the India-Pakistan boundary in Jammu and Kashmir and said Indian soldiers are doing a commendable job in safeguarding the country.

“Visited the Army Posts at the LoC in the Haji Pir Area. Our soldiers are doing a commendable job in safeguarding the country,” Jaitley said in a tweet after the visit.

LoC – Line of Control – refers to the working boundary between the Indian and Pakistani-controlled parts of Kashmir.

Housing for poor: Delhi government asked to curtail project

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The Delhi government has been asked by the centre to curtail the housing projects for poor sanctioned under the UPA regime if it cannot complete them on time.

Under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) – the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government’s flagship scheme – the Delhi government had to complete 16 low-cost housing projects by June 30, 2015. But only six are complete, official sources told IANS.

The estimated cost of these projects was Rs. 3,244 crore. Fifty percent of the amount had to be borne by the central government.

Acting is over, says Uday Chopra

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There is nothing like self-realisation. And after 14 years and about a dozen films, Uday Chopra has realised that acting is not his cup of tea. He has decided to move on.

Currently he heads the international arm of Yash Raj Films and has shifted base to the Los Angeles from Mumbai.

Aked about his acting dreams, he said: “That’s over. My focus is not there. Also, I don’t have time to act.”

Last seen in “Dhoom 3”, he can bend rules for the next installment of the successful franchise being produced under his home banner.