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.

Voting concludes in Afghan presidential runoff polls

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Polling in Afghanistan’s presidential runoff election concluded Saturday evening and counting of ballots has begun, an official said.

“The polling, which began 7 a.m. Saturday has ended at 4 p.m.,” Xinhua quoted Independent Election Commission (IEC) commissioner Sareer Ahmad Barmak as saying Saturday.

The Afghan election officials said that the election was relatively peaceful, barring some attacks and complaints.

The officials said the IEC has taken note of allegations of fraud and all those allegations are being looked into.

Delhi Medical Association to felicitate Harsh Vardhan

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The Delhi Medical Association (DMA) will felicitate its former president, union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, on Sunday.

“Harsh Vardhan is one of the most distinguished past presidents of DMA and is well known for many of his stellar performances apart from his clean image and integrity,” a statement said Saturday.

“He is considered as father of polio-free India. We hope that good days are ahead for the health sector of the country and public health sector will definitely see a revival of fortunes,” it added.

Eager to tell CBI my story: Kunal Ghosh

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Suspended Trinamool Congress MP Kunal Ghosh Saturday said he was looking forward to his interrogation by the CBI, which has taken up the probe into the multi-crore rupee Saradha scam.

Facing prosecution in a number of cases relating to the scam, Ghosh also questioned the role of the West Bengal police in the wake of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) taking over the probe following a Supreme Court order.

Ghosh has repeatedly alleged the involvement of several of his party leaders in the scam.

Could have beaten Spain by eight goals: Van Persie

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Dutch captain and forward Robin Van Persie added insult to the Spanish team’s injury saying they could have beaten the defending champions by seven or eight goals in their World Cup opener here Friday.

The Manchester United forward expressed his happiness after his national team thrashed Spain 5-1 in the first round of the World Cup, noting that his side could have defeated the latter by “six, seven, or eight goals”, reports EFE.

“We never stopped going and in my opinion it could have been six, seven or eight goals,” Van Persie said.

India concerned about events in Iraq

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India is watching with concern and consternation events unfold in Iraq, the world’s newest violence hot spot where Al Qaeda-linked Sunni militants have overrun large swathes of area, even while it maintains flourishing trading ties with Baghdad.

“We are watching the events unfold in Iraq. But it is not our cup of tea (to get involved),” a senior official told IANS, not willing to be named.

Can India improve its standing by marketing hockey and football?

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One World Cup has just got under way and another is ending Sunday. Both football and hockey majors seem to mean much to India as well as the international federations governing the two popular sports.

One wonders why the chiefs of world football and hockey keep talking about India as a powerhouse in the foreseeable future – both on and off the pitch. Both are looking at India as a milch cow to market the sport!

Israeli fighters strike Hamas military site in Gaza

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An Israeli airstrike Saturday targeted an Islamic Hamas movement’s military site in southern Gaza Strip, security sources said.

The airstrike caused severe damage to the military site which is used by members of Hamas armed wing, security sources told Xinhua.

Witnesses said the airstrike caused a huge explosion and damaged neighbouring houses.

The airstrike came a few hours after a missile was launched from Gaza into Israel.

On Wednesday, a Palestinian militant was killed in northern Gaza in an Israeli drone attack after militants in Gaza carried out a rocket attack on Israel.

No need to panic over Iraq tensions: Finance secretary

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Finance Secretary Arvind Mayaram Saturday said there is no need for Indian investors to panic due to unrest in Iraq as the government is watching the situation.

Fears of a full-blown civil war in Iraq led to a sharp jump in crude oil prices putting pressure on currencies and equities markets globally.

The Indian stock market’s benchmark Sensex slumped by 348 points or 1.5 percent Friday, the biggest single day loss in four months, while the rupee slumped by 0.9 percent.

India beat South Korea, finish ninth in Hockey World Cup

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India put on an attacking display of hockey to beat South Korea 3-0 at the Kyocera Stadium and finish ninth in the FIH World Cup here Saturday.

Akashdeep Singh (6th, 50th) struck a brace while Rupinder Pal Singh converted a penalty corner in the 43rd minute as India finished ninth, one place below their FIH World Ranking and South Korea finished three places below their seventh place ranking.

Hardest loss of my career: Xavi

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Spanish midfielder Xavi Hernandez admitted that the 1-5 loss to the Netherlands Friday in the World Cup was the “hardest loss” of his career.

“It was a terrible match, a debacle. We did everything wrong,” the Barcelona playmaker said after the game, reports EFE.

The 34-year-old player also urged the fans to have faith in the defending champions when they face Chile Wednesday in what will be a must-win situation.

Forward Fernando Torres also admitted that Spain came up short on the night.

18 players for World team snooker

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India will field a 22-member contingent to the IBSF World team snooker (15 and 6 reds) championships to be held in Sharm El Sheik, Egypt, from June 19 to 29, according to a press release from the Billiards and Snooker Federation of India, here Saturday.

India who will be represented by 10 men and eight women players, besides four in the Masters category, have been given the maximum entries, considering the medal winners and due to BSFI’s efforts to send maximum number of players.

Alia on crutches, suffers calf muscle injury

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Actress Alia Bhatt is walking on crutches these days due to a calf muscle injury, but that’s not stopping her from promoting her forthcoming film “Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania”.

“For all those asking, thank you my leg is much better!! It’s a calf muscle injury… I will be back to normal in no time 😀 love you all,” she tweeted Saturday.

The actress was spotted on crutches when she stepped out to take a metro ride with her “Humpty Sharma…” co-star Varun Dhawan here earlier this week.

Alia reportedly injured herself while shooting a song.

Malaria death toll in Tripura rises to 21

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With the death of one more child the toll in the malaria outbreak in northern Tripura rose to 21, a minister said here Saturday.

Over 400 people have fallen ill due to the outbreak of malaria in the two sub-divisions of Gandachera and Longtharai Valley in the tribal dominated mountainous areas.

“Twenty one people, including 18 children and youth, died and more than 400 have fallen ill in the past one week in two sub-divisions of Dhalai district. All the affected have been admitted to various government hospitals,” Tripura’s Health Minister Badal Choudhury told reporters Friday.

Indian men and women’s squash teams lose in semis

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Both the Indian men’s and women’s teams lost to their Malaysia opponents in the semi-finals of the Asian team squash championship here Saturday, but will return home with a bronze medal apiece.

The Indian women were the underdogs and put up a gallant fight but were overpowered by the mighty Malaysians who boasted of World No.1 Nicol David in their ranks.

The Indian men’s team on the other hand were expected to go all the way, but Saurav Ghosal, their No.1 player was undone by former World No.7 Ong Beng Hee in the second singles.

Modi dedicates powerful warship to India, calls it historic

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday dedicated to the nation INS Vikramaditya, India’s largest and most powerful aircraft carrier, marking his first visit to a military facility after assuming office. He called it a “giant step in India’s naval prowess”.

Modi, who spent nearly four hours on the mighty INS Vikrmaditya off the Goa coast, said that the warship’s addition to the navy was “a historic step” and a golden chapter in the history of India’s maritime security.

“Addition of INS Vikramaditya will add tremendous might to our navy,” the prime minister said.

Beas tragedy: Water level lowered, but no bodies found

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The water level in the Beas river was lowered Saturday morning for the first time to locate the bodies of the still missing 16 students and one tour operator who were washed away in strong currents near here last week, rescue officials said. But no bodies could be traced for the second consecutive day Saturday.

In a massive operation, over 550 rescue workers continued their search for the sixth day. Over 50 divers of the NDRF, the Army, the Navy and the ITBP are involved in the search operation. Fifteen divers from Hyderabad also joined in Saturday.

India watching events in Iraq, but wants to keep distance

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India is watching with much concern and consternation events unfold in Iraq, the world’s newest hot spot of violence where Al Qaeda-linked Sunni militants have overrun large swathes of area, even as it is worried over its flourishing trade ties with that country.

“We are watching the events unfold in Iraq.. But it is not our cup of tea (to get involved),” a senior official told IANS, not willing to be named.

Robert Pattinson homeless again

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Actor Robert Pattinson says he doesn’t have anywhere to live after his parents moved into his house here while he was away filming his new movie “Life” in Toronto in March.

He says his parents had borrowed his house in his absence, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

In an interview on talk show “Jimmy Kimmel Live”, Pattinson said: “I’ve kind of found myself a little bit more at home in LA (Los Angeles). My parents borrowed my house, which I was borrowing off someone else and then they kicked me out of it when I came back from Toronto. So, that’s the end of that, so I’m now homeless again.”

Peralta strike gives Mexico narrow win over Cameroon

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Peralta’s 61st minute strike gave Mexico a 1-0 victory over Cameroon in the first round of FIFA World Cup Group A match here Friday.

Three goals from both sides in the first half were all ruled offside. Mexico attacked fervently and had two goals wrongly ruled out, reports Xinhua.

Latest misdemeanours by the referees comes a day after Japanese referee Yuichi Nishimura wrongly awarded Brazil a penalty that decided the opening match of the tournament against Croatia.

Will not send US troops back to Iraq: Obama

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US President Barack Obama said Friday he will not send US troops back to Iraq to help fight Islamist militants.

“We will not be sending US troops back into combat in Iraq,” Obama told reporters at the White House South Lawn, acknowledging “significant gains” made by the Islamic State, an offshoot of Al Qaeda also known as ISIL, in Iraq and Levant in the past few days.

He said he had asked his national security team to prepare “a range of other options” in support of Iraqi security forces, Xinhua reported.

“I’ll be reviewing those options in the days ahead,” he added.

Hungary’s greatest goalkeeper Grosics is no more

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Gyula Grosics, goalkeeper for the 1950s’ nearly unstoppable Hungarian football squad, dubbed the “Magical Magyars”, died Friday at the age of 88.

Grosics had suffered several heart attacks and lung problems, and was hospitalised earlier in the week for undisclosed reasons, reports Xinhua.

He played in 86 games for Hungary’s national side between 1947 and 1962, and was goalkeeper for Hungary’s Golden Team which didn’t lose a single game between 1948 and 1954.

Mexico edge past Cameroon 1-0

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Mexico opened their 2014 FIFA World Cup campaign with a narrow 1-0 win over African giants Cameroon in a Group A encounter at the Estadio das Dunas here Friday.

Former Tottenham Hotspur and Barcelona winger Giovanni Dos Santos was involved in the build-up as his low shot was saved by the Cameroon goalie but Oribe Peralta pounced on the rebound to fire Mexico into the lead.

It was a well-deserved win for the Mexican side after two goals were wrongly disallowed in the first half.

20 players to compete in FIFA Interactive World Cup

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After months of qualification 20 players who will represent their nations at the FIFA Interactive World Cup (FIWC) Grand Final have been named.

A total of 1,997,689 players from all round the world attempted to qualify for Rio de Janeiro’s Grand Final and 10 different countries will be represented on July 2-3, reports Xinhua.

Players from nations such as Brazil, Romania, France and Ireland will go head to head for the chance to be named FIWC World Champion and win $20,000.

Advise patients on rational use of drugs: Harsh Vardhan to doctors

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Doctors should advise patients on a healthy lifestyle and rational use of drugs to prevent diseases, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said Friday.

“The success of a doctor lies in ensuring that a patient does not return to the hospital after recovery. For this the doctor should educate the patient on the lifestyle to adopt in order to avoid falling ill again,” Harsh Vardhan told doctors and officials at the Safdarjung Hospital here.

Six Britishers jailed for killing Indian-origin man

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Six members of a gang in Britain, accused of killing an Indian-origin businessman, were sentenced to jail Friday.

Shammi Atwal, 45, was pushed into the path of an oncoming lorry outside his shop in Barking, East London when he tried to stop the robbers Oct 14, 2013, the Mirror reported.

Vidmantas Gorskoves, 26, Ayrimas Diliunas, 27, Farhan Sheikh, 39, Deibidas Sumskas, 25, Reiniks Kivers, 28, and Edgaras Balezantis, 25, were all found guilty last month of manslaughter and conspiracy to commit robbery.