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.

Mufti Sayeed allots portfolios to council of ministers

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Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on Tuesday assigned portfolios to his council of ministers, ending the suspense over sharing of portfolios between the ruling alliance partners PDP and BJP.

Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh (BJP) has been assigned the important portfolio of power development, housing and urban development.

Abdul Rehman Veeri (PDP) got horticulture, Hajj and Auqaf while Haseeb Drabu (PDP) got finance, labour and employment.

Chander Prakash (BJP) got industries and commerce.

National electoral roll purification programme launched

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The Election Commission (EC) on Tuesday launched the National Electoral Roll Purification and Authentication Programme (NERPAP) to create a “totally error-free and authenticated electoral roll”.

During the programme, the data of voters will be linked with Aadhar for the purpose of authentication.

The NERPAP will focus on improving the image quality of electors (by borrowing better photos from the UIDAI database) along with sorting out issues like rectifying errors, an official statement said.

12 fresh swine flu cases in Bengal

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Swine flu is on the rise in West Bengal, as 12 fresh cases have been detected, taking the total number of positive cases to 146, an official said on Tuesday.

So far, the H1N1 influenza has claimed eight lives in the state.

“Twelve fresh cases have been detected. The total number of cases has reached 146 while there have been no deaths since Saturday,” principal secretary for health and family welfare Malay Kumar De told IANS.

He said 83 patients have been discharged from various hospitals in Kolkata.

BSF recovers 10 kg heroin in Punjab

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Border Security Force (BSF) troopers recovered 10 kg of heroin along the India-Pakistan border in the Amritsar sector, a BSF spokesman said on Tuesday.

He said that the heroin, in 10 packets, was found near Border out Post (BoP) Tota in Amritsar sector, 280 km from here.

The packets were buried in fields before the electrified fence along the border.

The heroin recovered is valued at Rs.50 crore in the international market.

The packets were found following a tip-off about heroin being smuggled into India from Pakistan.

Lok Sabha passes changes to Mines and Minerals Act

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The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2015, seeking to introduce the system of auction of mines to enhance transparency in mineral allocations was passed in Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

The bill, which will replace an ordinance promulgated in January, was passed amidst vociferous protests by opposition members from the Trinamool Congress, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the RSP.

Introduced last week in the Lok Sabha, it seeks to introduce a system of auction in granting prospecting licences.

Netanyahu slams ‘a very bad deal’ with Iran

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In a defiant speech before a joint session of Congress, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday slammed the deal the US and its allies are negotiating with Iran over its nuclear programme as “very bad”.

“This is a bad deal “a very bad deal. We’re better off without it,” he said, directly challenging President Barack Obama’s argument that a diplomatic accord would be more effective than additional sanctions or military action.

Andhra forms women’s empowerment corporation

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The Andhra Pradesh government on Tuesday constituted a women’s empowerment corporation as part of its efforts to eliminate poverty and improve the human development index of the state.

The Andhra Pradesh Mahila Sadhikara Samithi (APMSS), as the corporation will be known, will work on programmes, schemes and activities for poverty elimination in both rural and urban areas.

The APMSS has been registered with a corpus of Rs.1 crore and will be anchored in the department of rural development, which will be reconfigured as the department for empowerment and poverty elimination.

Former female rebel arrested in Sri Lanka

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Police in Sri Lanka have arrested a former top female Tamil Tigers leader who headed a naval unit of the rebels, officials said on Tuesday.

Police spokesman Ajith Rohana said women’s wing leader Murugesu Bairahi was arrested at Colombo’s main international airport while she was about to leave the country, Xinhua news agency reported.

Rohana said the Terrorist Investigations Division (TID) of police had launched a probe over reports that the rebel leader had arrived in the country.

The 41-year-old was arrested by the TID when she was preparing to leave for France.

India flags concerns over cross-border terror, 26/11 trial with Pakistan

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India on Tuesday flagged its concerns over cross-border terrorism and the slow-moving Mumbai terror attack trial to Pakistan as Indian Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar met his Pakistani counterpart here.

In talks that Jaishankar said were “held in a constructive and positive atmosphere”, both countries agreed that maintaining peace and tranquillity on the border was vital.

Syed Mushtaq Ali T20: Kanishk Seth, Amit Kulia in Bengal squad

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The uncapped duo of left-arm pacer Kanishk Seth and Amit Kulia were brought into the 15-member Bengal squad on Tuesday for the upcoming East Zone leg of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Twenty20 cricket tournament to be staged in Cuttack, Odisha.

However, veteran fast bowler Ashok Dinda was rested for the tournament.

The 2010-11 champions will take on Assam to begin their campaign in the East Zone leg and will be led by Laxmi Ratan Shukla.

Bengal will also have the services of wicket-keeper batsman Wriddhiman Saha and middle-order mainstay Manoj Tiwary.

Chinese team scouts for business with India

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A visiting delegation from China’s Tianjin region, located near Beijing, is exploring opportunities to do business with Indian firms in diverse sectors.

“We want to strengthen cooperation with India by participating in each other’s trade fairs and exchanging delegations,” Li Fuming, a senior official of the delegation, said at a symposium on India-China trade and investment promotion here Tuesday.

The symposium was jointly organised by the Tianjin Commission and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

Akali Dal to oppose land acquisition without farmers’ consent

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The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Tuesday said it will oppose any move by the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government which will seek to allow land acquisition without the consent of farmers or landowners.

The Akali Dal, a partner in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, adopted a resolution in this regard during its core committee meet convened in the national capital Tuesday.

Delhi government to revamp anti-corruption helpline

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The AAP government in Delhi on Tuesday decided to revamp its anti-corruption helpline, which was launched during its earlier 49-day stint.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said the decision was taken at a cabinet meeting held at the Delhi Secretariat.

“We will revamp the anti-corruption helpline. The operators of the helpline will undergo a 15-day training,” Sisodia told reporters.

The anti-corruption helpline is aimed at trapping government employees who demand bribes.

Due process to be followed to arrest Khaleda Zia: Awami League

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Bangladesh’s ruling party Awami League on Tuesday said “proper legal procedure” will be followed for the arrest of former prime minister Khaleda Zia.

Party spokesperson Mahbub-Ul Alam Hanif, who is also the joint general secretary, said in a programme in Chandpur district that they expected law enforcers to complete due process and arrest her at the appropriate time, bdnews24.com reported.

I&B ministry asks channels not to air BBC documentary

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The information and broadcasting ministry on Tuesday asked news channels not to air the BBC documentary carrying an interview of one of those convicted in the December 16, 2012 gang rape.

The ministry has asked the channels not to air the documentary “India’s daughter” by British filmmaker Leslee Udwin, sources told IANS.

The documentary includes an interview of Mukesh Singh, who is among the six men who raped the 23-year-old trainee physiotherapist on December 16, 2012 on board a moving bus. The convict said the woman should not have “resisted” while being raped.

(IANS)

BBC interview of December 16 rapist kicks up storm

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A BBC documentary carrying an interview with Mukesh Singh, one of those convicted in the December 16, 2012 gang rape, justifying the brutality of the crime, triggered a furore on Tuesday as Delhi Police said it will move court against its airing and registered a case.

The dead victim’s parents reiterated their demand for hanging the rapists even as protesting women’s rights groups termed the interview “totally unacceptable” and “very disturbing”.

Terrorist in FBI’s list arrested in Somalia

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One of the most wanted terrorists on the list of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been arrested in Somalia, the country’s intelligence agency said on Tuesday.

Liban Haji Mohamed, a Somali-born US citizen and former taxi driver in Washington, was captured while he was travelling from the Somalian city of Juba to its capital Mogadishu, Xinhua reported citing the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) statement.

The FBI had placed a $50,000 bounty on the arrest of Mohamed, who left the US in 2012 for Somalia and allegedly supported the Al-Shabaab militant group.

Swine flu toll in Rajasthan now 286

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The toll due to swine flu in Rajasthan touched 286 on Tuesday, health officials said.

“The number of positive cases have started to slow down. The total positive cases as of today (March 3) was 5,782 from January 1. Only 67 new positive cases were reported from across the state today (Tuesday),” a health department official said.

Nine deaths were reported on Tuesday, taking the total due to H1N1 virus to 286, he said.

The highest number of deaths at 57 has been reported from Jaipur, followed by Ajmer at 32 and Jodhpur at 30.

Eight Congress MLAs suspended from Rajasthan assembly

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The Rajasthan assembly on Tuesday witnessed uproarious scenes on the issue of baton charge on Congress workers while they were protesting the new land acquisition bill, following which eight Congress MLAs were suspended.

Speaker Kailash Meghwal suspended nine opposition MLAs — eight from the Congress and one independent MLA – for rest of the budget session of the assembly.

Earlier, Congress MLAs led by opposition leader Rameshwar Dudi raised the issue of the baton charge by police on Congress workers outside the state assembly.

TCS unveils business process innovation as service

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Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) on Monday unveiled its business process innovation and simulation and visualisation as a service (VaaS) in partnership with iRise, a leader in enterprise visualisation and simulation software.

“The partnership will help enterprises achieve business agility through integration of simulation and visualization capability into our software development processes,” the software major said in a statement.

The new service will also enable customers relies business solutions faster by accelerating time to value.

Barred from exam, Kolkata students protest with slit wrists

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Five students of a college here took part in a demonstration with slit wrists to protest against the authorities’ decision to disqualify them from appearing in an examination on account of low attendance, police said on Monday.

Around 65 first-year students of Khudiram Bose Central College in north Kolkata were barred from their exams due to their attendance dropping below the 75 percent mark as mandated by Calcutta University. The college is affiliated to the university.

Delhi HC notice on plea of professors against UCMS transfer

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The Delhi High Court on Monday issued notice to the central and city governments and Delhi University on a plea by a group of professors seeking to quash a decision to transfer the University College of Medical Sciences (UCMS) to the Delhi government.

Justice Rajiv Shakdher sought response from the ministry of health and family welfare, ministry of human resources and development, Delhi government, Delhi University and UCMS, and posted the matter for May 25.

The UCMS was given a six-month deadline to end dual administration and give all control to the Delhi government.

US, Israel disagree on Iran’s n-programme

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The US and Israel disagree on how to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons but their alliance is stronger than ever, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said here Monday.

The deal on Iran’s nuclear programme that world powers and Iran were negotiating “could threaten the survival of Israel”, Xinhua news agency quoted Netanyahu as saying at the annual policy conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee here.

But Netanyahu emphasised on the US and Israel’s strong relations in an effort to playdown the rift between the longtime allies.

21 task forces to implement AAP’s 70-point agenda

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The AAP government will set up 21 task forces to give specific recommendations for implementing its 70-point agenda, party leader Ashish Khetan said on Monday.

“These task forces will talk to experts and interact with the public and incorporate their suggestion in their reports,” said Khetan after the first meeting of the Delhi Dialogue Commission.

The commission was set up by the Delhi government to implement the Aam Aadmi Party’s key promises with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal as its chairman. Khetan is the vice chairman.