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.

Large cache of explosives seized in Varanasi

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A large cache of explosives was recovered in Varanasi, the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Saturday, police said.

The haul comprised 145 kg of ammonium nitrate concealed in a car. Ammonium nitrate is commonly used in fertilisers but also acts as an oxidising agent in explosives.

Following a tip-off, policemen from the Lanka police station intercepted the vehicle in the Ramnagar area. However, upon spotting the police, the car passengers escaped leaving behind the vehicle.

Minor fire at Shastri Bhawan

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A minor fire broke out on the sixth floor of Shastri Bhawan which houses the information and broadcasting ministry. The fire was doused soon after and nobody was injured, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar tweeted.

Seven fire tenders were rushed to Shastri Bhawan after a call about the fire was received at 6.40 p.m.

The fire was in the electrical wires inside the building.

“My alert staff informed me about the #fire in I & B ministry. Nobody is injured and all are safe. Presently I am in Pune,” Javadekar tweeted.

Beas tragedy: ISRO, NASA’s help may be sought to locate bodies

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Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister N. Chinna Rajappa Saturday said his government was trying to establish contact with ISRO and NASA to locate the bodies of 16 missing students who were swept away when water was released into the Beas river here without warning last week.

“We are trying to establish contact with organisations like ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) and NASA (US space agency)…we will trace all the bodies,” Rajappa, who is also Andhra Pradesh’s home and disaster management minister, told reporters here.

14 civilians killed in polling centres across Afghanistan

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Over 14 civilians were killed and 41 injured in Afghanistan in attacks targeting polling centres across the country Saturday, sources said.

“A total of 14 civilians were killed and 41 civilians wounded during attacks launched by Taliban insurgents on polling centres during presidential election runoff held Saturday,” Xinhua quoted the deputy interior minister in charge of security, General Mohammad Ayoub Salangi, as saying Saturday.

The Afghanistan presidential election runoff started Saturday morning and concluded at around 4 p.m..

Murthy credits prodigal son for smart moves by Infosys

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Infosys’ co-founder and outgoing chairman N.R. Narayana Murthy Saturday credited his prodigal son Rohan Murthy for all the smart initiatives the troubled IT bellwether took in the last 12 months to revive its sagging fortunes.

Rohan, 31, joined the $8.3-billion global software major as executive assistant to his illustrious father, who returned from retirement as executive chairman June 1 2013 for steering the company in troubled times.

Idol resembling Pala dynasty sculpture found in Bengal

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A stone idol of a Hindu deity, resembling idols from the 12th century Pala dynasty, was discovered in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district Saturday, an official said.

The idol of lord Vishnu, carved out of a metamorphic rock, was found by locals while digging up a field in Beldanga area.

While a detailed analysis of the 4.5 feet high and 2.7 feet wide idol is yet to be done, deputy director of directorate of archaeology and museums, Amal Ray, said preliminary examination suggests it to be an imitation of a Pala idol.

Create inclusive organisation, Modi to Goa BJP volunteers

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday appealed to Goa BJP “karyakartas” or volunteers to create an “organisation” where everybody has a rightful place.

“Told ‘karyakartas’ that we should create an organisation where every person feels – yes, there is a place for me here. That will be our success,” Modi tweeted, after holding a meeting with Bharatiya Janata Party volunteers in Goa.

Modi told BJP volunteers they must be proud of the government at the centre which will take strong decisions in favour of national interest.

Sporadic showers bring joy to Delhiites, more expected Sunday

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Pleasant weather continued in the national capital Saturday as sporadic rain and cool winds kept the mercury down, providing relief from the heat. The Met office has forecast more showers Sunday.

The city received 2.6 mm of rainfall between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.

The skies remained cloudy for a major part of the day Saturday and the maximum temperature settled at 37.1 degrees, two notches below the season’s average.

As the city received a brief spell of early morning showers, the minimum temperature too settled two notches below the average at 25.5 degrees.

Ghosh leads after Gill docked road penalty

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Last year’s National champion Amittrajit Ghosh (co-driver Ashwin Naik) was elevated from second to first with a 52-second lead after team-mate Gaurav Gill (Musa Sherif) was docked a road penalty of one minute and 40 seconds in the Mahindra Adventure Rally of Maharashtra, the first round of the FMSCI Indian Rally Championship, here Saturday.

Five Yemeni troops killed in suicide bombing

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At least five Yemeni soldiers were killed and 10 injured Saturday in a pre-dawn suicide car bomb attack in Yemen’s Abyan province, a security official said.

“A suicide bomber detonated an explosive-packed vehicle near an army outpost in Abyan’s district of Mahfad around 2.30 in the morning. As a result, five army personnel were killed and 10 others injured,” Xinhua reported citing the official.

Suspected members of the Yemen-based Al-Qaeda offshoot were behind the large explosion in Mahfad town of Abyan, he added.

Paedophile jailed in Britain at 94

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A man who sexually abused a schoolgirl of his granddaughter’s age in a bus driver’s shack has been jailed for a year in Britain at the age of 94.

He is believed to be the oldest sex offender ever to be jailed in Britain.

Frederick Smith, a retired travel agent, admitted four offences of indecent assault between 1972-1982 and an offence of indecency with a child between 1972-76, Daily Mail reported.

Sentence has been adjourned to see if the prison service could accommodate his “extensive personal needs”.

Congress leaders protest against power, water crisis in Delhi

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Delhi Congress chief Arvinder Singh Lovely and 150 supporters were detained Saturday morning and later released for protesting against power outages and water scarcity in the national capital, police said.

Many Congress workers led by Lovely, Sajjan Kumar and Mukesh Sharma staged a demonstration in west Delhi’s Nangloi area starting at roughly 10 a.m., as the party continued its protest against power outages and water scarcity in Delhi.

Water cannons were used to disperse a mob of protestors who tried to break police barricades on National Highway-10.

Bengal to expedite land mutation for industrial purposes

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With a view to expedite and aid mutation and conversion of land for industrial purposes, the West Bengal government will be setting up a Unique Clearance Centre (UCC) in several districts, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said Saturday.

“Our focus is to set up a true investor-friendly ambience in the state. On experimental basis, we had set up a single window synergy for convenience of industries where all departments concerned sit together and clear mutation and conversion of land for industrial purposes.

Murali Kartik retires from cricket

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Former India left-arm spinner Murali Kartik Saturday announced his retirement from all forms of cricket, bringing down the curtains on a career that spanned more than 17 years.

The 37-year-old Kartik played eight Tests, 37 ODIs and one Twenty20 international for India. He made his first class debut with Railways in 1996.

Iraqi PM vows to defeat insurgent groups

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Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki vowed to defeat the insurgent groups as troops and volunteers gathered in Samarra city to fight the militants trying to march toward capital city Baghdad.

“Samarra is not the last line, but it will be a gathering point and a launch pad to clear all areas,” Xinhua quoted Maliki as saying in a speech broadcast Saturday, made during his visit to Samarra late Friday.

Bihar couple nabbed for kidnapping businessman’s son

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A couple from Bihar, who kidnapped their employer’s minor son and demanded Rs.2 crore as ransom, was arrested here, police said Saturday.

Girish and Anamika, who worked as driver and receptionist in the hotel of an affluent businessman of Bihar, kidnapped his 14-year-old son in February from Bihar’s capital Patna, police said.

“The couple, who demanded Rs.2 crore for the safe release of the businessman’s son, were hiding in Delhi along with the victim to evade arrest by Bihar police,” said Additional Commissioner of police Ashok Chand.

Improve infrastructure to tap Goa’s tourism potential: Modi

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday said Goa has enormous potential for tourism and infrastructure must be improved to tap it, a statement from the prime minister’s office said.

“Goa is one of the key areas for development of tourism in India. And the first requirement for developing tourism is good infrastructure. Good infrastructure can boost the Indian economy,” Modi said, while laying the foundation stone for the new Mandovi bridge in Goa.

He said his government is committed to increasing investment in infrastructure.

NDA will form next government in Bihar: Paswan

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Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief and union minister Ram Vilas Paswan Saturday said the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance will form the government in Bihar after the next state assembly polls.

“I am confident and sure that the NDA will form the next government if polls for state assembly are held either by the end of this year or next year,” he said at a party function here.

Paswan said the people of Bihar had voted in favour of the NDA in the Lok Sabha election and they would support the alliance in the assembly polls too.

England’s coach surprised by Spain’s humiliating defeat

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England coach Roy Hudgson was surprised with defending champions Spain’s 1-5 thrashing by the Netherlands in their opening Group B game at the 2014 World Cup in Salvador.

Hudgson said that the “fall” of the reigning world champions was not expected at all, reports EFE.

The Englishman was leaving the hotel along with the team for a pre-match press conference Friday when both Spain and Netherlands were sharing a 1-1 draw. But later Hodgson was surprised to hear that Spain had conceded four goals in the second half.

2,900 fined for rash driving on Shab-e-Barat

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As many as 2,900 people were fined in the national capital for rash driving and performing stunts on the occasion of Shab-e-Barat on the intervening night of Friday-Saturday, police said.

Several bikers performed wheelies on roads and also pelted stones when police tried to stop them from performing stunts. The police, however, said it was all peaceful.

The 2,900 tickets were issued to scooter and motorcycle riders who indulged in reckless driving, stunts, riding without a helmet or other traffic violations. In addition, 853 two-wheelers were also impounded, police said.

CBI is overburdened: Minister

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Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Jitendra Singh, Saturday said the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was overburdened due to the large number of vacant posts.

“The CBI is facing a number of problems, including poor infrastructure, which will be taken up one by one,” Singh, who is the minister of state for personnel, public grievances and pensions, told the media after visiting the CBI headquarters here.

President to visit Maharashtra Sunday

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President Pranab Mukherjee will Sunday visit Pune, Maharashtra to address the convocation of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Rashtrapati Bhavan said in a statement Saturday.

“The President will deliver the third convocation address of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research,” the statement said.

“He will also inaugurate the academic complex of the institute and an innovation exhibition,” it added.
(IANS)

Iraqi forces retake three towns in northern province

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The Iraqi security forces Saturday re-took control of three towns in Salahudin province lying north of capital Baghdad, while troops were also being deployed in the south of the provincial capital city of Tikrit for a military offensive later, a provincial police source said.

The troops backed by the residents of the town of Ishaqi, 90 km north of Baghdad, clashed with the militant groups and recaptured the town earlier seized by them, Xinhua quoted a source as saying Saturday.

Police again summon Bengali filmmaker Suman Mukhopadhyay

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The West Bengal police have again summoned filmmaker and theatre director Suman Mukhopadhyay for questioning in connection with the alleged suicide bid by Bengali actress Swastika Mukherjee, police said Saturday.

Suman, said to be close to the actress, was questioned for over 22 hours in May.

“In pursuance of our investigation regarding the alleged suicide attempt by the actress, we have come across some more evidence and have served a notice of appearance on Mukhopadhyay,” an officer of the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate said.

Balochistan minority leader shot dead by guard

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A minority member of Pakistan’s Balochistan assembly was shot dead by his own guard in provincial capital Quetta Saturday, a media report said.

Balochistan government spokesperson Jan Muhammad Buledi told Dawnonline that Handery Masieh’s security guard opened fire at him outside his residence in Nawan Killi near Quetta in south-western Pakistan leading to severe injuries.

“Masieh succumbed to his injuries in the hospital,” the report quoted Buledi as saying.