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.

Croatia name FIFA World Cup squad

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Croatian coach Niko Kovac named a 23-player squad for the World Cup in Brazil, leaving out injured Hamburg SV midfielder Milan Badelj.

The squad, reports Xinhua:

Goalkeepers: Stipe Pletikosa (Rostov), Danijel Subasic (Monaco), Oliver Zelenika (Lokomotiva Zagreb)

Defenders: Vedran Corluka (Lokomotiv Moscow), Dejan Lovren (Southampton), Danijel Pranjic (Panathinaikos), Gordon Schildenfeld (Panathinaikos), Darijo Srna (Shakhtar Donetsk), Domagoj Vida (Dynamo Kyiv), Sime Vrsaljko (Genoa)

Three dead, 12 injured in Delhi building collapse

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Two people were killed and 11 others injured when a three-storey building under construction here collapsed Sunday afternoon, police said.

The collapse took place around 12.30 p.m. in con gested Sadar Bazar area of old city.

Two male bodies were recovered from the debris.

“As the rescue operation is on, some more people are expected to be trapped inside the debris,” a police officer said.

The deceased, in their late 20s, looked like labourers, but their identity was yet to be ascertained.

Brussels Jewish museum shooter held in France

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French President Francois Hollande Sunday confirmed the arrest of a presumed perpetrator of Brussels Jewish museum attack.

“All government is mobilised to monitor the jihadis and preventing them from causing harm, especially when they return to France or Europe. It is a fight at all times,” Xinhua quoted Hollande as saying.

Three people were killed last week when a gunman opened fire at the museum in the busy Sablon area in Brussels. The victims were an Israeli couple, and a French woman.

A Belgian employee of the museum, was critically injured.

Krushna Abhishek determined to follow in Kapil’s footsteps

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Comedian Krushna Abhishek, who has dominated the small screen with his comic timing in “Comedy Circus”, says he will certainly come up with a show a la Kapil Sharma’s “Comedy Nights With Kapil”.

“I will definitely do a show like Kapil. Actually ‘Mad In India’ was first offered to me before Manish, but the thing is if I start taking interviews then it’s over. I want that lively energy on the sets.

India look for World Cup hockey win against England

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After losing 2-3 to fifth ranked Belgium in their World Cup opener Saturday, the Indian hockey team are ready to battle it out against England at the Kyocera Stadium here Monday.

Going by past records, India and England clashed twice in 2012. At the first meeting in the Champions Trophy in Melbourne, India registered a 3-1 victory but the second time they lost 1-2 at the International Super Series in Perth. Since then, they only met once at the World League Finals in January, where India lost 0-2.

Over 625,000 students in Himachal get mid day meal

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Over 625,000 students are benefiting from the central government-funded Mid Day Meal Scheme in 15,197 schools of Himachal Pradesh, an official said here Sunday.

A sum of Rs.100 crore has been earmarked for the nutrition scheme during this fiscal, state elementary education department director Ashok Sharma said in a statement.

He said, “About 80 percent of the funds for the scheme would be provided by the government of India.”

Artificial sunlight to test solar cell efficiency

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To help test solar cell properties and find ways to boost their efficiency, researchers have developed a laser-based instrument that generates artificial sunlight.

The device simulates sunlight well across a broad spectrum of visible to infrared light.

More flexible than conventional solar simulators such as xenon arc-lamps or light-emitting diodes (LEDs), the laser instrument can be focused down to a small beam spot.

Indian conman faces trial in Britain for fraud, blackmailing

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An Indian man, posing as a spiritual healer in Britain, is facing trial for blackmail and high-value fraud in the country, a media report said.

Mohammed Ashrafi, 49, who called himself Kamal-Ji, went missing from Leicester in England’s East Midlands, earlier this year and has been accused of defrauding a woman of 10,000 pounds ($16,764) through a healing and astrology service advertised in the city and to have obtained 50,000 pounds ($83,820) through blackmail, Leicester Mercury reported Saturday.

FICCI team meets Jaitley, makes pre-budget suggestions

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The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) has stressed on the new Finance Minister Arun Jaitley the need for a conducive tax regulatory environment, the industry chamber said Sunday.

“To support the forward looking development and delivery oriented agenda of the new government, a non-adversarial, conducive and fair tax regulatory environment is the need of the hour,” a statement here said after a FICCI delegation called on Jaitley with a pre-budget wish-list.

Iran announce final World Cup squad

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Iran’s football coach Carlos Queiroz here Sunday announced the final squad for the World Cup 2014 in Brazil.

The Portuguese coach selected 23 players, comprising three goalkeepers, eight defenders, six midfielders and six strikers.

Iran have been drawn in Group F along with Nigeria, Argentina and Bosnia and Herzegovina and will play Nigeria in Curitiba in their opening match June 16.

Iran will face Argentina and Bosnia and Herzegovina June 21 and June 25, respectively.

The final squad:

Goalkeepers: Daniel Davari, Alireza Haghighi, Rahman Ahmadi

Expert panel with Sreedharan to advise railways

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Railway Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda Sunday said an expert committee will soon be set up with former Delhi Metro chief E. Sreedharan on it to advise the Indian Railways on rapid expansion and modernisation.

“The committee will be constituted with experts like Sreedharan after consulting the prime minister, who has a great vision for the railways that daily carries 1.3 million people,” Gowda told reporters here.

American Embassy School reeling under crisis – Hopes pinned on Modi

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The American Embassy School (AES) in New Delhi’s plush diplomatic enclave is deep in crisis after nearly 40 teachers quit as a fallout of last year’s India-US diplomatic row.

The staff is hoping that with a new Indian government in place, matters would mend soon.

The school, one of the most elitist and expensive in the capital, is in the throes of a crisis after 40 teachers quit since March this year and more than a dozen were forced to return to the US to renew their visas, knowledgeable sources said.

When a nobody slapped somebody like Akshay Kumar

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If watching actor-producer Akshay Kumar getting slapped by a monkey in a sequence in “Housefull” was hilarious, the action star’s fans will now see a backup dancer leaving her hand’s print on his cheek in “Holiday”.

The actor, who has mostly beaten the bad guys black in blue on the big screen, gets slapped by a woman in his forthcoming film “Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty”, which also features Sonakshi Sinha. But he says it wasn’t anything serious.

Talking about the particular scene, Akshay said: “It was just a funny thing.”

Croatia beat Mali 2-1 in World Cup warmup

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Croatia snatched a 2-1 victory over Mali Saturday in their first friendly match in preparation for the World Cup in Brazil.

Ivan Perisic opened the scoring after 15 minutes and the Wolfsburg forward completed his brace midway through the second half, Xinhua reported.

Kalilou Traore pulled one back for the visitors in Osijek with 11 minutes remaining but Croatia held on for the win.

The team coached by Niko Kovac now heads to Brazil for a friendly match with Australia in Salvador on June 6.

Lebanon warns refugees against returning to Syria

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Lebanon’s interior ministry Saturday warned all Syrian refugees registered in the country not to go back to Syria as of Sunday, threatening that those who leave “will be deprived of their refugee status”.

The decision aimed to preserve “the safety of refugees” in Lebanon, Xinhua quoted the ministry as saying in a statement, adding that all concerned border authorities will be notified of this measure through the country’s General Security.

P.A. Sangma seeks Modi’s intervention in Meghalaya custodial deaths

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National People’s Party (NPP) supremo Purno Agitok Sangma Saturday shot off a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his intervention in the twin custodial death in Meghalaya.

Sangma, who is the lone NPP member in the Lok Sabha, has also asked National Human Rights Commission chairman K.G. Balakrishnan to institute an inquiry into the twin custodial death.

In his letter to Modi, the former Lok Sabha speaker highlighted the prevailing law and order situation and the violation of human rights in Garo Hills districts in western part of Meghalaya.

India must ensure fair share of Teesta water, says Hasina

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Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Saturday said her country needs Teesta river water and it is India’s duty to ensure a fair share of it, a media report said.

“It is the Indian government’s responsibility. This is not my headache, but theirs. Talks will continue. I need that water,” Hasina said, reported bdnews24.com.

In a press briefing at her official residence, Hasina hinted at other options, if a treaty was not signed.

“We are the lower riparian country. The water has to come. If it (the deal) does not happen, then we have alternatives,” she said.

Take action against attackers or face consequences, BJP tells Mamata

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Describing the attacks on its party activists allegedly by West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress as “acts of terror”, the BJP Saturday warned the Mamata Banerjee government to take action against the perpetrators or face consequences.

A five-member team of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led by party vice presidents S.S. Ahluwalia and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi Saturday visited Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district, where over two dozen party workers were injured after they were “fired upon by Trinamool patronised goons”.

Sudan to free woman on death row for apostasy

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Authorities in Sudan have agreed to release a woman, sentenced to death for abandoning the Islamic faith, after world leaders added their voices to the campaign to free her, the media reported Saturday.

Meriam Ibrahim, 27, who was held with her two young children after giving birth in shackles this week, was sentenced to 100 lashes for adultery and to death for apostasy by a court in Khartoum, The Guardian reported, adding that Ibrahim was raised a Christian by her mother and refused to renounce the faith.

Suspended Trinamool MP Ghosh alleges police harassment

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Suspended Trinamool Congress MP Kunal Ghosh, now behind bars for his alleged complicity in the Saradha scam, Saturday accused the West Bengal Police of harassing him and bringing fresh cases against him despite the CBI taking over the probe in the matter.

Facing prosecution in several cases related to the scam, Ghosh, who was arrested November 2013, said he has many things to reveal that might help in investigation of the scam but the state police have not been allowing to speak and instead harassing him by registering new cases against him.

China urges Abe not to stir up enmity

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China Saturday refuted Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s recent comments regarding maritime disputes by urging the Japanese side to respect the truth and not to stir up enmity.

“We have taken note of Japanese leader’s recent comments in which he has insinuated other countries,” Xinhua quoted Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang, as saying Saturday.

Qin’s comments came in response to a question regarding Abe’s speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore Friday.

Pattanaik takes over as navy’s deputy chief

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Vice Admiral R.K. Pattanaik Saturday took over as the deputy chief of the Indian navy from Vice Admiral P.K. Chatterjee who has been appointed as commander-in-chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command, an official release said.

Commissioned into the Indian Navy Jan 1, 1978, Pattanaik is an an alumnus of the National Defence Academy. A specialist in gunnery and missile warfare, he is a graduate of Defence Services Staff College, Wellington; Army War College, Mhow and National Defence College, New Delhi.

Raj Thackeray projects himself as CM candidate in Maharashtra

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Undaunted by the political drubbing in the recent Lok Sabha elections, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray projected himself as a chief minister for the ensuing assembly elections in Maharashtra.

Thackeray, 45, declared that he would not only contest the assembly elections, but also head the government, if his party was voted to power.

The development – which was greeted with scorn by the Congress – came even as the Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiv Sena were still debating over who should be projected as the chief ministerial candidate.