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.

Five involved in snatching incidents in Gurgaon held

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Five people, involved in nearly two dozen cases of loot and snatching, were arrested here, police said Thursday.

Ashid and Rashid, both 21 from Alwar (Rajasthan) were arrested from Bilaspur here on Delhi-Jaipur national highway.

“They were arrested by a Crime Branch team headed by Anand Kumar. 17 mobile phones and a stolen bike were recovered from them,” Joint Commissioner of Police Vivek Sharma told reporters.

Also Mohammad Rais, 22, from Punahana, Mewat was arrested from near village Ghata here. He had managed to escape from Rajasthan Police’s custody May 2 near Nuh in Mewat.

Karnataka sets deadline to clear Bangalore garbage mess

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Waking up to the growing menace of garbage piling up across Bangalore for want of landfills, the Karnataka government has set a four-month deadline to the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to clear the mess.

“We have directed the civic body to clear the garbage mess in the next four months by allowing promoters to set up recycling units near the landfills, as they could not build them for want of its clearances,” state Chief Secretary Kaushik Mukherjee told reporters on the margins of a green summit here Thursday.

Stress on use of solar energy to protect the environment

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Increasing use of solar energy to protect environment and address the growing need for power across the country was stressed at a green summit here Thursday.

“It is time to use renewable energy like solar and wind for generating more power than depending on thermal and hydel energy, which impact the ecology and affect the people due to pollution and submergence of fertile lands,” Rajasthan Governor Margaret Alva said at the summit here on the occasion of World Environment Day.

Andhra governor invites Chandrababu Naidu to form government

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Andhra Pradesh Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan Thursday invited Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N. Chandrababu Naidu to form the government.

The governor extended the invitation a day after TDP Legislature Party (TDPLP) elected Naidu as its leader.

Earlier in the day, a delegation of TDP leaders met the governor and informed him about Naidu’s elections as the TDPLP leader.

Naidu, who was chief minister of undivided Andra Pradesh 1995-2004, was unanimously elected as the leader at the TDPLP meeting held at Tirupati Wednesday night.

Another senior Infosys executive exits

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Another senior executive of Indian IT bellwether Infosys Ltd, Prasad Thrikutam, the senior vice president and global head of strategic sales, marketing and alliances, quit the company Thursday, the company said.

“Prasad has decided to pursue interests outside of Infosys. In his 19 year journey with the company, he has managed many portfolios, including the hi-tech and discrete manufacturing, energy, utilities, and services,” a company spokesperson told IANS.

Kasturirangan report will make Goa secretariat no-development zone: Minister

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If the K. Kasturirangan report on Western Ghats is adopted by the Goa government, even the state secretariat would come in a no-development zone, said state Forest and Environment Minister Alina Saldanha Thursday.

“If we go by the report, then even the state secretariat will be a no-development zone. You have to take all stakeholders into confidence while taking such an important decision,” Saldanha told reporters on the sidelines of an Environment Day function organised by her department.

Steer Indian education out of mediocrity, urges President

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Observing that research in the higher education structure was a neglected domain, President Pranab Mukherjee Thursday called for transformative ideas to steer India’s educational institutions from the “muddy waters of mediocrity”.

Delivering the Sir Asutosh Mookerjee Memorial Lecture to mark his 150th birth anniversary celebrations organised by the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan and Asutosh Mookerjee Memorial Institute, Mukherjee lamented that India was lagging behind the US and China in filing patent applications.

Tharoor remarks on Modi personal views: Congress

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The Congress Thursday distanced itself from the adulatory remarks made by former minister Shashi Tharoor about Prime Minister Narendra Modi by stating that they were “his personal views.”

“The views expressed by Shashi Tharoor about Narendra Modi and his government are his personal views. We as a party want the government to function well and it is too early to express this view as far as the party is concerned,” said party spokesperson Shobha Ozha.

DU admission forms sale crosses two lakh

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The sale of online and offline Delhi University admission forms crossed the two lakh mark by the fourth day of the admission process Thursday, a varsity statement said.

According to official data, a total 216,048 (online and offline) forms have been sold by the varsity so far.

Starting Monday, 57,577 students have registered online and made payments for the optical mark registration (OMR) forms.

Meanwhile, 13,864 offline forms were sold from 18 centres across Delhi.

FIFA World Cup: John Abraham to share stage with Peter Crouch, Robbie Fowler

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Get ready to live the magic of the 2014 FIFA World Cup with Bollywood actor-producer and sports enthusiast John Abraham who will join a stellar line up of football icons – Peter Crouch, Robbie Fowler, Peter Shilton, Mikael Silvestre, Ellyse Perry and Sunil Chhetri – to reinvent primetime football viewing in India.

The FIFA mania is due to begin June 12 and it will go on till July 12.

Man’s body found on Gurgaon road

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The half-burnt body of an unidentified man, appearing to be in his 20s, was found here, police said, adding they suspect it to be a case of murder.

The body was found on the roadside near Ansal Institute on old Ghata road in sector 55 here, police said.

The body has tattoos on both hands. “Someone tried to burn the body to hide the dead man’s identity but could not succeed,” a senior police officer said.

The body did not bear any serious external injuries.
(IANS)

Ranjit Kumar appointed new solicitor-general?

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The Narendra Modi government is said to have appointed Ranjit Kumar as the solicitor general – the second highest law officer of the country after the attorney general – but the senior apex court lawyer Thursday said that he was awaiting the official notification.

Ranjit Kumar’s name is said to have been been cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Appointments (ACC) June 4, according to informed sources.

Anil Chopra to take over as Western Naval Command chief

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Vice Admiral Anil Chopra, the second seniormost officer of the Indian Navy, will Friday take over as commander-in-chief of the Western Naval Command, an official said.

Chopra was commander-in-chief of the Eastern Naval Command since October 2011 and oversaw the induction of major combat platforms, including three Shivalik Class stealth frigates, nuclear submarine INS Chakra, P-81 Long Range Reconnaissance Aircraft, Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer aircraft as well as other major growth in the force’s infrastructure.

No Change of Guard drill at Rashtrapati Bhavan on June 7

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The Change of Guard ceremony that takes place every Saturday at the Rashtrapati Bhavan will not be held June 7 due to full dress rehearsal by the President’s Bodyguards, it was announced.

“The Change of Guard ceremony will not be held on Saturday, June 7 due to the full dress rehearsal by the President’s Bodyguards in connection with the president’s address to both houses of the parliament on June 9,” said a statement from Rashtrapati Bhavan.

30 tourists injured in Kashmir road accident

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Thirty tourists were injured, two of them seriously, in a road accident in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district Thursday, police said.

A senior police officer told IANS that a tourist bus going to Shivkodi tourist resort met with an accident at Triyat, 50 km from Jammu city in Reasi district of Jammu region.

“Thirty tourists were injured in this road accident. Two critically injured tourists have been shifted to Government Medical College hospital in Jammu city for treatment,” the officer said.

Further details about the accident are awaited, he said.
IANS)

China, Russia hold security meeting

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China and Russia held their first meeting over institutionalised cooperation in law enforcement and security here Thursday.

The meet was attended by Meng Jianzhu, head of the commission for Political and Legal Affairs of Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev, Xinhua reported.

The cooperation mechanism on law enforcement and security is “an important step” to implement the consensus between the two heads of state, said Meng, also a politbureau member of the CPC central committee.

Delhi BJP to launch membership drive, target professionals

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The BJP’s Delhi unit will launch a 15-day membership drive targeting the city’s professionals, especially doctors, engineers along with youngsters and women, a statement said.

The drive will take place between June 15 and 30 across the national capital and will “try to connect” with all sections of the society.

“As part of the campaign, the party will try to connect with all the sections of society especially professionals like doctors, engineers, information technology experts, youth, women etc,” said a Bharatiya Janata Party statement.

World food prices falling as weather, geopolitical worries ease

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World food prices fell again in May, the second consecutive monthly drop, paced by reduction in worldwide prices for rice and other cereals and grains as good weather and easing geopolitical tensions helped increase supply.

The reduction in prices came across four of the five food commodity groups monitored by the Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the UN, Xinhua reported. The wider index was 1.2 percent lower than in April.

Grains and cereals, the largest component in the index, fell 1.2 percent in May and are now 13 percent below their levels a year ago.

No evidence against me in money laundering case: Raja tells court

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Former telecom minister A. Raja Thursday told a court here that there is no evidence against him in the 2G allocation money laundering case filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Raja, while advancing his argument on bail, told the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Special Judge O.P. Saini that the money laundering case filed against him by ED is “a case of no evidence”.

Raja with others including DMK chief M.Karunanidhi’s daughter and party MP Kanimozhi has been booked under various sections dealing with the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

First session of Telangana assembly from June 9

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The first session of the Telangana assembly will begin on June 9, Legislative Affairs Minister T. Harish Rao said here Thursday.

The pro-tem speaker will take oath on the first day. This will be followed by oath-taking by all 119 legislators including Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhara Rao.

Harish Rao told reporters that the speaker will be elected on June 10.

Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan will address the house on June 11.

The session will continue till June 13, during which various issues pertaining to welfare and development will come up for debate.

Jaitley to meet corporates Friday for budget views

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Finance minister Arun Jaitley will meet industry leaders Friday for their views on the budget, to be presented in July.

Jaitley began consultations Thursday with various stakeholders ahead of the final national budget to be presented next month, in the first such exercise both for him and the Narendra Modi government.

India Inc is keen that the new government take steps to boost the manufacturing sector, which has remained stagnant during the past two years. It wants policies to attract investments, and push infrastructure projects.

American Corner to be launched at Kottayam

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Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, in the presence of US Consul General Jennifer McIntyre, will inaugurate an American Corner on the premises of the Kottayam Public Library June 14, an official of the US consulate in Chennai said.

Public Affairs officer David J. Gainer made the announcement while interacting with the mediathrough Google Hangout.

He said that the Chennai consulate is setting up the American Corner in partnership with the Kottayam Public Library to further improve the people-to-people ties between the world’s oldest and largest democracies.

Heat wave intensifies in Punjab, Haryana

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Heat wave conditions intensified over most parts of Punjab and Haryana Thursday with temperatures ranging from 44 to 46 degrees Celsius at several places, Met officials said here.

Haryana’s Hisar town and Punjab’s Sikh holy city of Amritsar were the hottest in the region with temperatures of 46 and 45.6 degrees respectively.

Hisar was the hottest with the mercury touching 46 degrees, four degrees above normal.

The state’s Bhiwani recorded a high of 45 degrees while Ambala recorded 44.4 degrees.

Chandigarh recorded a high of 43.8 degrees, five degrees above normal.

OTA cadet dies during training

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A 24-year-old young cadet at Officers Training Academy (OTA) collapsed and died during training Thursday, police said.

“The cadet, Siddarth Raina was running the five km part of the cadet’s daily training schedule. Twenty metres before the finishing line, he fell down and died,” a police officer told IANS.

According to a defence ministry official, running is part of the cadet’s daily schedule in the 11 month-long training course.

The official told IANS the cadet perhaps died of cardiac arrest despite first aid.