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.

Sahara chief to remain in jail even as SC lifts freeze on assets

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Sahara group chief Subrata Roy will remain in jail even as the Supreme Court Wednesday lifted the freeze on the group’s moveable and immovable assets so it could raise Rs.10,000 crore for part repayment of investors money collected by two group companies.

A bench of Justice T.S. Thakur and Justice A.K. Sikri however said the money so generated will be deposited in an account opened by market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).

Red light-jumping cause most road accidents: Police

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Four people were killed every day in the national capital this year, police said, and in most cases motorists jump the red lights, leading to fatal road accidents, as was seen in union minister Gopinath Munde’s death.

“During investigation, we found that most of the accidents have taken place either late nights or in morning hours,” Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Anil Shukla told IANS.

India look for 1st win against Spain

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Late goal woes have stopped India from earning points in the ongoing hockey World Cup. However, it has not deterred the side which is determined to earn their first points when they take on Spain in their third Group A clash at the GreenFields Stadium here Thursday.

“Spain is a good team but we are fully prepared. We will keep a close watch on their forward Eduard Tubau who is known for creating chances and then scoring. With his 260-plus international caps, he is the most seasoned campaigner but we will not allow him to score against us,” India captain Sardar Singh said.

Kareena-Akshay team up for ‘Singh Is Bling’

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Kareena Kapoor has been offered the lead opposite Akshay Kumar in Prabhudheva’s much talked-about project “Singh Is Bling”.

The actress, who is also on the verge of signing films with Sujoy Ghosh (in the title role of Durga Rani Singh) and Bejoy Nambiar, says she is spoilt for choice.

Deepika Padukone brand ambassador of Axis Bank

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Bollywood’s blockbuster actress Deepika Padukone was Wednesday signed on to endorse Axis Bank. She will front the private sector bank’s new campaign ‘Badhne ke kai naam hai…’, and says she’s happy to be associated with a service so important to an individual’s progress.

“A bank plays a very important role in the progress of so many individuals and I’m proud to be a part of the Axis Bank team,” Deepika said in a statement.

Taliban kill two Pakistan army officers

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At least five people including two military officers were killed in a suicide attack in Pakistan Wednesday, the army said. Banned militant outfit Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack.

The two military officers — Lieutenant Colonels Zahir Shah and Arshad — were killed when a Pakistani Taliban suicide bomber hit their twin cabin vehicle on a road near Rawalpindi, Dawn quoted Pakistani army media wing’s chief Asim Bajwa as saying in a tweet. The other three were civilians.

Trinamool MP Derek O’Brien’s brother joins BJP

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Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member Derek O’Brien’s brother and country’s leading quizmaster Barry O’Brien Wednesday joined the BJP along with footballer Sasthi Duley and market analyst and actor Siddhartha Chatterjee.

Expressing happiness over the joining of the trio, West Bengal BJP president Rahul Sinha said a host of leading personalities besides the common man are joining the party.

“People have realised that led by our Prime Minister Narendra Modi only BJP can turn the fortunes of the common man and take the country towards development,” said Sinha flanked by the trio.

Argentina’s Demichelis cuts off hair for World Cup

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Argentine Martin Demichelis kept his promise to cut off his shoulder-length hair after being selected into the 23-man national team for the Brazil World Cup.

Coach Alejandro Sabella unveiled the final line-up Monday that had Demichelis, reports Xinhua.

Demichelis’ wife, Evangelina Anderson, uploaded a photo of her husband’s newly-shorn locks strewn over the wooden floor to her Twitter account, along with the message “promise kept!”

The former River Plate player and current defender for English team Manchester United had pledged to get a haircut if being named to the team.

Left asks governor to save Bengal from Trinamool’s ‘witch-hunt’

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Accusing the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government of launching a “witch-hunt to stop the voice of democracy” in West Bengal, the opposition Left Front Wednesday submitted a memorandum to Governor M.K. Narayanan seeking his intervention to save the state from the “emerging anarchic situation”.

The Left Front has also drawn the governor’s attention to several issues including the Saradha chit fund scam claiming the state government was “reluctant to hand over important documents” to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is probing the scandal.

Rahul will revive Congress, says Tharoor

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The Congress Wednesday said although its tally was reduced to a mere 44 MPs in the Lok Sabha, it had a presence in every village and every city in India and party vice president Rahul Gandhi will work to increase that base.

“One should not think that Congress is only about 44 MPs. The Congress is in every village, every town of this country wherever its ideology finds reflection in people’s belief,” Congress spokesperson Shashi Tharoor told the media.

Gandhi would be instrumental in reviving the party, he added.

Telangana to support fish ‘prasadam’

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Telangana has decided to extend all support to the Bathini Goud family for administering the fish “prasadam” (medicine) for asthma patients here June 8-9.

The family will start administering the fish ‘prasadam’ at 5.30 p.m. on June 8 at the sprawling Exhibition Grounds in Nampally in the heart of the city. The event will continue for 24 hours.

Chief Secretary Rajiv Sharma Wednesday directed various departments to make necessary arrangements for smooth conduct of the event.

KCR promises super-speciality hospitals in all Telangana districts

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Telangana Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhara Rao Wednesday announced that a super speciality hospital will be set up in each district of the state.

Speaking at his first public meeting after taking over as the first chief minister of Telangana three days ago, he said the proposed hospitals would be on the lines of Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) of Hyderabad.

KCR, as the chief minister is popularly known, was addressing the meeting on his first visit to his Gajwel constituency in his native Medak district.

Sumitra Mahajan likely to be new Lok Sabha speaker

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BJP’s Sumitra Mahajan, who is into her eighth term in the Lok Sabha, is likely to be the party’s choice for the post of speaker, party sources said.

The election for the speaker will take place Friday.

Mahajan, 71, is one of the most experienced parliamentarians in Bharatiya Janata Party and has risen through the ranks.

A corporator in municipal corporation of Indore during 1982-85, she has not lost a Lok Sabha election since 1989.

The BJP and National Democratic Alliance command majority in the Lok Sabha.
(IANS)

Obama condemns Russian aggression in Ukraine

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US President Barack Obama has condemned Russian “aggression” in Ukraine, BBC reported Wednesday.

“How can we allow the dark tactics of the 20th Century to define the 21st,” Obama said here.

While speaking in Poland’s capital city of Warsaw to mark 25 years since the fall of communism in Poland, he hailed Polish democracy as a beacon for neighbouring Ukraine.

Earlier Obama met Ukraine President-elect Petro Poroshenko, and pledged support for plans to restore peace to the country.

Heat wave conditions across Punjab, Haryana

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Heat wave conditions prevailed over most parts of Punjab and Haryana Wednesday with temperatures ranging from 42 to 45 degrees Celsius at several places, Met officials said here.

Hisar in Haryana and Bathinda in Punjab were the hottest with the mercury touching 45 degrees at both places.

In Haryana, Karnal and Bhiwani were equally hot at 44.2 degrees each while Ambala recorded 44 degrees.

In Punjab, Ludhiana and Patiala recorded 44 degrees while Amritsar was at 43.8 degrees.

Chandigarh recorded a high of 43 degrees Celsius.

Russia rejects returning to G-8, bilateral with Obama

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Russia Wednesday ruled out returning to the Group of Eight (G8), comprising seven most industrialised nations (G7) and Russia, but Kremlin said it was open to cooperation with major Western powers.

Kremlin has also denied possibility of bilateral meet between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Barack Obama in France, Xinhua reported.

Speaking about the G8, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told a radio station, “Such a format does not exist for now.”

ODI rankings: Sri Lanka replace India in second place

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Sri Lanka’s 3-2 series win over England helped it gain one ratings point to move up to 112 and replace India in the second place of the International Cricket Council (ICC) ODI team rankings.

Both Sri Lanka and India have 112 ratings but when calculated beyond the decimal point, Angelo Mathews’ side is ranked ahead of India, and now sits in second place.

England, on the other hand, dropped one ratings point to finish on 109, on par with South Africa. When ratings are calculated beyond the decimal point, Alastair Cook’s side is ranked behind South Africa, in fifth place.

Vishal Fashions teams up with ‘Holiday’

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Vishal Fashions, manufacturer of saris, dress materials and readymade garments, has associated with “Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty” as their fashion partner. The collection is available at all retail outlets across the country.

So go ahead and drape the piece of art to ape Bollywood diva Sonakshi Sinha’s look.

Inspired by Sonakshi’s character in the film, their ‘Holiday Collection’ is bold, unique and classy with elegant designs where vibrant patterns and bright colours come to life, said a statement.

Subsidised edible oil, pulses through PDS in Tripura

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The Left Front government in Tripura will provide subsidised edible mustard oil and masoor dal (red lentils) under the public distribution system (PDS), Chief Minister Manik Sarkar announced here Wednesday.

He also announced a new health scheme to provide financial aid up to Rs.125,000 for those families whose annual income does not exceed Rs.100,000.

“From now onwards, each ration card holder’s family, would get one litre edible mustard oil and two kg masoor dal per month with the subsidy of Rs.15 and Rs.10 respectively,” Sarkar told reporters.

Experts study underwater sounds that may belong to missing jet

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A team of experts from an Australian university are studying the recordings of a low-frequency underwater sound that could be linked to the Malaysian plane which disappeared March 8 with 239 people on board, local media reported Wednesday.

The investigators from the Curtin University said that the cadence of the sound could be of interest in the search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, local agency AAP said.

The sound signals are believed to be originating several thousand kilometres northwest from the search zone situated in the Indian Ocean.

Information blackout ahead of Tiananmen anniversary condemned

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Reporters Without Borders (RWB) has condemned the violation of freedom of information in the run-up to the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre in the form of detention of journalists, censorship on social media and rendering Google and other web services inaccessible.

“Journalists, bloggers and other news providers are being subjected to harassment that is increasing as the Tiananmen anniversary approaches,” RWB Christophe Delorie, secratary-general of RWB, said in a statement.

Brother, former husband arrested in Pakistan honour killing case

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The former husband and brother of the 25-year-old pregnant Pakistani woman, Farzana, who was brutally stoned to death for marrying the man of her choice, were arrested Wednesday, a media report said.

So far, 12 persons have been arrested in the brutal killing that took place in broad daylight in the centre of Lahore, Pakistan’s second largest city, triggering outrage around the world, Dawn online reported Wednesday.

Gadkari to be given charge of Munde’s ministries

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Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari will hold additional charge as minister of rural development, panchayti raj, and drinking water and sanitation, a Rashtrapati Bhavan statement Wednesday said.

“The president of India, as advised by the prime minister, has directed that Nitin Jairam Gadkari shall be given additional charge of the ministries of rural development, panchayati raj and drinking water and sanitation,” the statement said.

The ministries were held by Gopinath Munde, who died in a car accident Tuesday.
(IANS)

Rennovation is going to take longer than we thought: Boney Kapoor

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Filmmaker Boney Kapoor and his wife and actress Sridevi’s gutted home is gradually being restored. But the couple wouldn’t be able to move back until next year.

“Though the renovation has started, it’s going to take longer than we thought. The damage on the second floor that Sri, my two daughters and I occupy, is much more extensive than we thought,” said Boney.

“It wasn’t so much the fire that broke out, but the water that was used to extinguish the fire that completely destroyed all the furniture, property and material on our floor.”