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.

Delhi HC grants three weeks’ interim bail to Chautala

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The Delhi High Court Tuesday granted three weeks’ interim bail to former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala to perform the last rites of his younger brother.

Pratap Singh Chautala died June 1.

A division bench of Justice Kailash Gambhir and Justice V.K. Shali, after going through the status report filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), allowed Chautala’s bail plea and asked him to furnish a personal bond of Rs.5 lakh and two sureties of like amount.

World’s most sensitive thermometer to precisely check temperature

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Have you ever seen a thermometer that uses light to measure temperature with a precision of 30 billionths of a degree?

Researchers from University of Adelaide have produced the world’s most sensitive thermometer – three times more precise than the best thermometers in existence.

“We have been able to measure temperature differences to 30 billionths of a degree in one second,” said project leader Andre Luiten.

The thermometer injects two colours of light (red and green) into a highly polished crystalline disk.

Brazilian President assures safety for World Cup visitors

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Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has reiterated her pledge to ensure the safety of competing teams, officials and fans during the FIFA World Cup starting next week.

The government earlier this year announced plans to spend $800 million on the largest ever security operation for football’s premier tournament, reports.

More than 170,000 soldiers, police and private security personnel are expected to be deployed in Brazil’s 12 host cities.

Lindsay in talks for ‘West End’ role?

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Troubled actress Lindsay Lohan is reportedly in talks to make her West End debut.

The “Mean Girls” star is rumoured to planning a permanent move to London after spending a lot of time in the city in the recent past, and now a new report suggests that Lohan is hoping to land a stage role, reports contactmusic.com.

Lohan is in talks to star in a West End revival of David Mamet’s play “Speed-the-Plow”. She is said to be in talks for the role of Karen, which was previously played by Madonna on Broadway in 1988.

28 Morsi supporters get life sentences in Egypt

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A court in Egypt Monday sentenced 28 supporters of deposed Islamist president Mohamed Morsi to life in prison in absentia after they were found guilty of violence in Fayyoum province, the media reported.

Egyptian prosecutors have accused the Morsi supporters of “harming the national unity, social peace, using violence, protesting without a police permit, and attacking public and private property,” Xinhua reported citing state news agency MENA.

They were also charged with belonging to Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood which has been banned by Egypt as a terrorist group.

Spain’s opposition party greets future king

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The Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) wished success to the future King of Spain, Felipe de Borbon, as the head of state after his father Juan Carlos de Borbon abdicated Monday.

Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba, secretary general of the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE), said this was the beginning of a new era and Felipe de Borbon represented the respect for the Spanish constitution, Xinhua reported.

Rubalcaba said that Felipe was the best guarantee for the new reign so that it can “be a new period of success in our collective life”.

Libya army chief survives assassination attempt

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Libya’s army chief Major General Abdulaslam Jadallah Obeidi Monday survived an assassination attempt in the capital Tripoli, an army spokesperson said.

Obeidi was subjected to heavy fire on a highway near the Tripoli coast. His guards fired back, forcing the attackers to flee, Xinhua quoted the spokesperson as saying.

No one was injured during the crossfire, and the gunmen’s identities are still not known.

Rs.12.5 lakh looted from executive outside Ghaziabad bank

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Unidentified armed robbers Monday looted cash amounting to Rs.12.5 lakh from a business executive while he was on his way to deposit it in a bank, police said.

The incident occurred in the Mohan Nagar area under Sahibabad police station, when Jitendra Kumar, the manager of a soft drink supplying firm, was on his way to deposit the money in the Mohan Nagar branch of Bank of India.

In the absence of a company employee, he asked Ranjit, the son of a logistic contractor, to accompany him to the bank.

Congress picks Kharge as its leader in Lok Sabha

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The Congress Monday appointed former railway minister Mallikarjun Kharge as the party’s leader in the Lok Sabha.

Party general secretary Janardan Dwivedi told IANS that Kharge “has been appointed as the leader of the Congress parliamentary party in Lok Sabha”.

Dwivedi added that it was up to the “speaker to decide (whether the) status of leader of opposition” would be granted in Kharge’s case as the party does not have enough numbers to claim the mantle of the main opposition party in the Lok Sabha.

Pope Francis condoles Indian Cardinal’s death

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Pope Francis condoled the death of Indian Cardinal Simon Lourdusamy, who passed away in Rome early Monday after being hospitalised with failing health, a media report said.

The funeral service of 90-year-old Lourdusamy, the former prefect of the Vatican Congregation for the Oriental Churches, will take place Thursday in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome at the end of which Pope Francis will conclude the last rites, the official broadcaster of the Roman Catholic Church, Vatican Radio reported Monday.

Naveen Patnaik calls on Modi, seeks special status for Odisha

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Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Monday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and sought special category status for his state.

Patnaik led a delegation of his party’s parliamentarians and discussed issues related to his state, including central assistance.

He later told reporters that he raised the state’s demand for special category status with the prime minister.

A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office described the meeting as a “courtesy call”.

“A delegation of 24 MPs from the state also met the prime minister,” it said.
(IANS)

Halep, Errani into French Open quarter-finals

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Simona Halep held off Sloane Stephens of the US 6-4, 6-3 to advance to the quarter-finals of the French Open Monday.

Halep, 22, will now appear in her first-ever French Open quarterfinal. She reached her first Grand Slam last eight at this year’s Australian Open, Xinhua reported.

“I managed very well the match. I opened the angles. I wanted to let her run a lot on court. I think I played aggressive and dominated the match,” she said.

The fourth-seeded Romanian, the highest-remaining seed, will play the winner between Svetlana Kuznetsova and Lucie Safarova.

CPI-M farmers wing opposes implementation of Gadgil report

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The CPI-M’s farmers wing Monday opposed the Narendra Modi government’s proposed decision to implement the recommendations made by the Madhav Gadgil-led Western Ghat ecological expert panel.

“AIKS cautions the government against rushing through its implementation without addressing serious concerns in the minds of the people in Western Ghats,” said a statement issued by All India Kisan Sabha, the Communist Party of India-Marxist’s farmers wing.

Portuguese president wishes football team success for World Cup

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Portuguese President Anibal Cavaco Silva Monday wished the national football team success in the FIFA World Cup starting June 12 in Brazil.

“I want to wish you all, players and technical team, the best success in Brazil, that you will give joy to the Portuguese,” Cavaco Silva told the players at the Presidential Palace, reported Xinhua.

“You should not have the smallest doubt that, despite the distance, the Portuguese will be by your side, with enthusiasm, joy and with strong hope, and with the conviction that you are giving the best of yourselves in the name of Portugal.”

Nadal crushes Lajovic to reach French Open quarters

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Top-ranked Rafael Nadal relentlessly continued his quest for a record fifth consecutive French Open tennis title as he dismantled unseeded Dusan Lajovic 6-1, 6-2, 6-1 to advance to the quarterfinals here Monday.

The 27-year-old left-hander, also seeking a record ninth French Open crown, used only 93 minutes to devastate the Serb, reported Xinhua.

The Spaniard, who is obviously in awesome form, will play countryman David Ferrer in the quarterfinal in a repeat of the 2013 French Open final.

Nadal said he needs to play well to beat Ferrer.

Heavy rains lash Bangalore, hit normal life

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Heavy rains lashed Bangalore late Monday after a hot day, throwing normal life out of gear and causing huge traffic jams across the city due to evening rush hour and congestion on many arterial roads.

According to the weather office, the city received 20 to 30mm rainfall in two hours from 6.30 p.m., inundating low-laying areas and heavy winds uprooted trees in many residential areas.

Modi meets council of ministers

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday met members of his council of ministers and is understood to have laid thrust on good governance and implementation of programmes.

In the marathon meeting that lasted for over three hours, ministers are also understood to have given their inputs and suggestions for inclusion in the address of President Pranab Mukherjee to the joint session of two houses of parliament.

The president’s address lists priorities of the government.

The first session of the 16th Lok Sabha will commence June 4.

Non-subsidised cooking gas rate cut by over Rs.23 a cylinder

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With a lowering of international crude oil prices and strengthening of the rupee, oil marketing companies (OMCs) Monday cut the price of non-subsidised cooking gas, which customers buy after using up their quota of 12 subsidised cylinders, by Rs. 23.50 per cylinder.

The price of a non-subsidised 14.2 kg cooking gas cylinder in Delhi is now Rs.905, down from Rs 928.50.

A subsidised gas cylinder costs Rs 414.

Indian Oil said losses on LPG have come down to Rs.432.71 per subsidised cylinder from Rs. 449.14 in the previous month.

Three held in Bengal gang-rape case, headman’s role being probed

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Three people – two of them minors – have been taken into custody for their alleged involvement in the gang-rape of a girl in West Bengal’s Birbhum district, with police reportedly looking into the role played by a kangaroo court led by a tribal headman to hush up the incident.

All three were picked up late Sunday by police probing the assault on a class 6 student at a village under Mohmmad Bazar police station last week.

“Two of those held are minors,” said a police officer.

Many Indians among 16 killed in Nepal bus accident

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At least 16 people were killed and 58 others injured Monday when a bus carrying Indian pilgrims swerved off the road and plunged into a river in Nepal, officials said.

The accident took place on the Madi river at Gothibang in Pyuthan district.

Chief District Officer Ram Bahadur Karumbang said most of the deceased were Indians, and were from the state of Uttar Pradesh.

Nine people died on the spot, two died on way to hospital and five succumbed to injuries at the Pyuthan district hospital, police said.

No discrimination between similarly placed kids in nursery admission: SC

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The Supreme Court Monday said that there could be no discrimination between similarly placed children seeking admission in nursery section as it issued notice to Delhi’s education department on a parent’s plea.

A bench of Justice J.S.Khehar and Justice C. Nagappan said this as counsel for the education department Rekha Pandey opposed the plea saying that there was an earlier order of the court that the benefit of admission to nursery classes would be limited to 24 children whose parents have moved the court.

Democratic order has collapsed in Bengal: CPI-M

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Alleging that the democratic system has collapsed in West Bengal, the CPI-M Monday accused the ruling Trinamool Congress of unleashing violence on workers of all opposition parties and common people and urged the masses to unite in protest.

In an appeal to the people, the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) state committee said eight workers of the Left Front – a coalition led by it – had died in attacks by the Trinamool backed goons since April 10.

It put the figure of the Left Front workers killed since the Trinamool came to power in 2011 at 154.

Sandstorm kills four in Tehran

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A sandstorm killed four people and injured many others here in the Iranian capital Monday, media reports said.

Based on preliminary reports, 27 people were injured as the massive sandstorm engulfed Tehran, Xinhua cited Iran’s emergency chief Amin Saberinia as telling ISNA.

“Three people died as an uprooted tree fell on them and another fell down from the rooftop,” he said.

The storm, estimated to have a speed of 110 km per hour, hit telephone and power lines in the city.
(IANS)