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.

Pele’s son jailed for 33 years

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The son of football legend Pele has been jailed for 33 years for laundering money from drug trafficking.

Edson Cholbi do Nascimento, known as Edinho, was one of five people found guilty of related charges by a court in Sao Paulo, according to news portal G1 Saturday, reports Xinhua.

Currently a goalkeeping coach with Brazilian Serie A club Santos, Edinho is expected to appeal the verdict.

The 43-year-old pleaded not guilty to the trafficking charges but has admitted to a drug addiction.

Yingluck sends first message to supporters after coup

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Thailand’s former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra Sunday thanked her supporters via Facebook for their support.

“In the past week, many changes took place in our country. Many of you have expressed concern and asked what I have been doing. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your messages via Facebook and other channels,” she wrote on her Facebook.

This was Yingluck’s first message to the people after the coup May 22, Xinhua reported.

Murray wins epic match to reach quarters

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Andy Murray held off Philipp Kohlschreiber 12-10 in the fifth and final set to reach the men’s singles quarterfinals of the French Open here Sunday.

The match resumed at 7-7 after it was suspended Saturday due to fading light and the seventh seed went through with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 12-10 victory. In the final eight, Murray will face Spain’s Fernando Verdasco, who beat Frenchman Richard Gasquet 6-3, 6-2, 6-3, reports Xinhua.

In NDA rule, Badal softens stand on diesel price hike

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A few months back, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had described the UPA’s 50 paise hike in diesel prices as a “criminal conspiracy” but when the price was hiked by the same amount Saturday by the NDA government, he just batted for cheaper prices.

Reacting to the latest hike in diesel prices, Badal Sunday said diesel should be included in the list of essential commodities as it would directly help in reducing inflation across the country.

Bouchard eases into French Open quarters

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Eugenie Bouchard booked a women’s singles quarterfinal spot at the French Open after beating eighth seed Angelique Kerber 6-1, 6-2 here Sunday.

The 18th seeded Canadian needed only 52 minutes to hold off her German rival to make her second successive Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance, reports Xinhua.

The first set took only 23 minutes as Bouchard, 20, raced away to a 5-0 lead and broke Kerber’s serve at will during the win.

Mishra asks CPI-M workers to resist Trinamool attacks

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CPI-M politburo member Surjya Kanta Mishra Sunday urged his party supporters to resist the attacks of ruling Trinamool Congress-sponsored assailants, saying everybody had the right to defend themselves.

Addressing party activists at Bohula village of Burdwan district, where Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Asmira Begum was killed May 21 — allegedly by Trinamool activists, Mishra called upon the people of the village to rally together.

Saha powers Kings XI to 199/4

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Wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha powered Kings XI Punjab to a challenging total of 199/4 with a brilliant century in the Indian Premier League (IPL) final against the Kolkata Knight Riders here Sunday.

Saha slammed an unbeaten 115 from just 55 deliveries which included 10 boundaries and eight sixes. He was given good support in the middle by Manan Vohra (67) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Leg spinner Piyush Chawla clinched two wickets for the Knight Riders but in return went for 11 per over from his quota of four overs.
(IANS)

Assam issues white paper on wildlife conservation

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Assam Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain Sunday issued a white paper on wildlife conservation in Assam, saying his department has been working seriously to stop the menace of rhino poaching.

A total of 18 one-horned rhinos have been killed since January this year, including 17 in Kaziranga National Park. A total of 42 rhinos were poached in Assam last year which included 27 in Kaziranga.

“We have been taking steps to stop the poaching. When our government came to power in Assam there was lack of manpower in Kaziranga. We have increased the manpower strength to 1,200 inside the park.

Ex-ACP’s son arrested for trying to abduct Afghan woman

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A 28-year-old man, the son of a former senior Delhi police official, was arrested here for trying to abduct a married Afghan woman, police said Sunday.

Amit Singh, a former national-level basketball player, was arrested from a hideout Saturday.

The incident took place near a flyover in south Delhi’s Ashram area May 27 night when the woman, in her 20s, and her husband were going to a medicine store in Lajpat Nagar market, police said.

No friends in the industry, says Sonakshi Sinha

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Sonakshi Sinha is a well-known actress in Bollywood, but she says she doesn’t have any friends in the industry as she has not worked with actresses.

“I don’t think I have any friends in the industry. If you look at my films, I have done only solo roles and I have not worked with any other actresses in the films. So, I don’t interact much with others. If at all we meet, we meet at award functions,” said the “Dabangg” star.

Asked if she would like to do a multi-starrer film, she said: “Why not? Of course, I would like to and my next film ‘Action Jackson’ is a multi-starrer film.”

Coming soon: 3D-printed blood vessels

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One of the major challenges in building lab-grown organs out of a patient’s own cells has been making blood vessels that deliver essential nutrients and dispose of hazardous waste from the system to keep our organs working properly.

This obstacle may soon wither away as researchers have made significant headway towards fabricating blood vessels using a three-dimensional (3D) bio-printing technique.

Kendall Jenner to quit family show?

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Model Kendall Jenner has hinted she plans to quit her family’s reality TV series “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” in the near future as she wants to focus on her modelling career.

The show no longer interests the star and she admits she wants to focus on her modelling career, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

Asked about her success on the catwalk, the 18-year-old said: “I get more and more comfortable with everything. It’s fun though, it’s the world I want to be living in, so it’s awesome.”
(IANS)

Dubai beckons movie-makers, offers top class production services

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Pocket friendly, state-of-the-art Dubai Studio City and world-class infrastructure – all this and more is turning Dubai into a favourite destination among Indian filmmakers and others. Discounts, soft incentives and flexible rules are on offer, says an official, but adds that one thing that can’t be allowed is nudity.

From south Indian budget movies to Hollywood biggies, the Dubai Film and TV Commission (DFTC), which has partnered with Dubai Government entities, has opened the door for everyone and tried to simplify the filmmaking process.

Vidarbha farmers plan ‘Chai Pe Charcha – Aur Chinta’

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Three months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched “Chai Pe Charcha” (Discussion over Tea) from a Maharashtra village as part of his protracted election campaign, farmers of Vidarbha will now ring a reminder to highlight their issues.

“We have organised a ‘Chai Pe Charcha – Aur Chinta’ (Discussion over Tea – and Despair) for farmers Monday,” the organiser of the programme and Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS) chief, Kishore Tiwari told IANS. The meet will be held at Dabhadi village in Yavatmal district, he added.

Deportivo La Coruna return to Spanish Primera Liga

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Deportivo La Coruna assured their return to the Spanish BBVA Primera Liga thanks to a 1-0 win at home to Jaen.

A goal from veteran defender, Carlos Marchena after 29 minutes Saturday, gave Deportivo, who won the league in the 1999-2000 season, a victory which sees the side from the north-west of Spain return to the top flight after just one season in the second division, reports Xinhua.

Meanwhile, with just one game left to play, the four play-off places are still up for grabs, while eight sides are still in battle to avoid relegation.
(IANS)

Injury plagued Suarez included in Uruguay World Cup squad

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Liverpool striker Luis Suarez, who is injured, has been included in Uruguay’s final 23-man squad for the World Cup.

Suarez was doubtful after injuring himself in team training and is currently in rehabilitation following arthroscopic surgery on the mensicus in his left knee, reports Xinhua.

But coach Oscar Tabarez named Suarez as one of his final 23 for Brazil, alongside forwards Edinson Cavani, Diego Forlan, Abel Hernandez and Cristhian Stuani.

Ray J arrested after spat, released

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Singer-actor William Ray Norwood Jr., known by his stage name Ray J, was arrested at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills here and later released.

The R&B star reportedly got into a violent confrontation and spat in a police officer’s face at the hotel. The arrest happened May 30 night, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

According to a law enforcement source, the police were initially called to the scene because the 33-year-old made contact with an unidentified woman’s bottom in the bar.

Put narcissists in others’ shoes to arouse empathy

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People with narcissistic tendencies can feel empathy for another person’s suffering if they are persuaded to take that person’s perspective.

“If we encourage narcissists to consider the situation from their teammate or friend’s point of view, they are likely to respond in a much more considerate and sympathetic way,” said Erica Hepper from University of Surrey in Britain.

The researchers studied participants in three different situations and found that individuals high in narcissism were capable of higher empathy when instructed to take that person’s perspective.

Few protestors join anti-coup rallies in Bangkok

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Few protestors appeared at anti-coup rallies planned at eight major spots in Thai capital Bangkok Sunday.

A group of 200 protestors gathered at the Asoke intersection from around 12 noon with banners and three-finger signs as a symbol for anti-coup, Xinhua reported.

A woman was arrested after standing silently at the Ratchaprasong intersection wearing a mask in a protest the coup.

CPI-M meeting in Kolkata from Monday

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Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar and CPI-M leaders Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechury will attend the party’s West Bengal state committee meeting in Kolkata beginning Monday.

The agenda include discussions on the outcome of the Lok Sabha election and finalising the party’s strategies, informed sources said here Sunday.

“This is the first time Manik Sarkar will attend a West Bengal state committee meeting,” a party leader told IANS.

Help Assam overcome power crisis: State minister to centre

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Assam Power Minister Pradyut Bordoloi Sunday asked the BJP-led central government to restore the state’s power supply as before May 26, and appealed to union minister Sarbananda Sonowal, from Assam, to follow up on the issue.

Addressing media persons here, Bordoloi said the National Load Dispatch Centre (NLDC) May 26 restricted the ER-NER corridor from 720 MW to 500 MW, on which the state was solely dependent for power, when the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi took oath.

Vir Das’ surreal moment

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From one scene to lead role – life has come full circle for Vir Das.

The stand-up comedian Vir Das’s Bollywood entry was not so glorified – he started off with doing one scene in 2007 hit “Namastey London”.

However, the interesting part was that he shot his first scene with Rishi Kapoor, in which he played a prospective groom for Katrina Kaif (who played Rishi’s on-screen daughter). And that was his only scene in the film.

Why most doctors wish to die ‘in peace’

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Unlike what they actually practice – pursuing aggressive, life-prolonging treatment for terminally-ill patients – most physicians would like to forego it for themselves, a new study reveals.

Most physicians would choose a do-not-resuscitate or “no code” status for themselves when they are terminally ill, according to a study from Stanford University School of Medicine.

“Why do we physicians choose to pursue such aggressive treatment for our patients when we would not choose it for ourselves?” asked V.J. Periyakoil, lead author of the study.

Mahindra’s Oliveira misses podium, finishes 4th

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Mahindra Racing’s Miguel Oliveira displayed all his skills to claim a resounding fourth place in an extremely close Moto3 Italian Grand Prix at the Mugello Circuit here Sunday.

The result equals the Portuguese rider’s best finish of his second season with the only Indian team on the grid. Oliveira had also finished fourth at the season opening Qatar Grand Prix.

The teenager started 19th and picked his way through a huge brawling group to finish a 10th of a second off the top-3 podium and a mere 0.121 seconds behind winner Romano Fenati of KTM.

Oil Minister defends diesel price hike

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New Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan Sunday defended the fresh hike in diesel prices saying the fare for bulk consumption has come down.

“We don’t want to take any step which will send a negative signal to investors. Don’t see the things in isolation. Today the diesel price for bulk consumption has also decreased by Rs.1.24. We are also responsible towards welfare of the people,” Pradhan told a television news channel here.