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.

2G court pulls up Bollywood producer for error in application

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A special court Friday pulled up Bollywood producer Karim Morani, accused in a 2G spectrum allocation case, for not filing an application in proper manner after observing typographical error in the plea.

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Special Judge O.P. Saini pulled up Morani while dismissing his plea seeking to travel Dubai from March 2 to March 9 as for finalizing locations for shooting and making all arrangements for shooting for film “Dilwale” of which is the creative producer.

The court observed that in the plea, the date mentioned are Sep 2, 2015 to Feb 2, 2015.

Sayeed stakes claim to power in Kashmir

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Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) patron, Mufti Muhammad Sayeed Friday staked claim to form the next government in the state.

“This followed his unanimous election as the leader of the PDP legislature party that emerged as the single largest party in the recent election. The meeting of legislature party was held here today. Senior leader Abdul Rehman Veeri presided over the meeting,” said a PDP statement.

The development followed the meeting Mufti had with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi earlier in the day, it added.

Third man arrested for complicity in Copenhagen attacks

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Danish police arrested another young man Friday for complicity in the twin shootings that occurred here two weeks ago.

The suspect, whose name will not be made public, is expected to be presented for a preliminary closed-door hearing on Saturday, Xinhua reported citing a police press release.

Police had arrested and charged two men for having assisted the alleged perpetrator in the Copenhagen attacks in mid-February.

The two men, aged 19 and 22, have denied the charges but their detention have been extended for another month, police said.

Sayeed meets Modi, to take oath as Kashmir CM Sunday

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PDP patron Mufti Mohammed Sayeed Friday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of his swearing-in Sunday as Jammu and Kashmir chief minister heading a government which, for the first time in the state’s history, will include the BJP. Modi is slated to attend the “historic” ceremony.

Sayeed’s meeting with Modi came about following successful conclusion of nearly two months of negotiations between their parties, which finished as the top two in the state assembly polls held November-December last year.

No incursions, only transgressions by China: Parrikar

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There have been no “incursions” by China into Indian territory, the government said Friday, adding that there were some transgression due to different border perceptions.

“There is no commonly delineated LAC (Line of Actual Control) between India and China. There are areas along the border where India and China have differing perception of LAC,” Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said in a written reply in Lok Sabha.

Cameron defends security services over ‘Jihadi John’

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British Prime Minister David Cameron has defended the country’s security services amid criticism they failed to stop Mohammed Emwazi, known as “Jihadi John”, from joining Islamic State (IS) in Syria.

Cameron Friday said the security services made “incredibly difficult judgments” on Britain’s behalf, BBC reported.

His comments came after it emerged Emwazi was known to authorities.

The prime minister said he would not comment on specific cases but urged the public to back the security services.

Scientists find 10,000-year-old woolly rhino carcass in Siberia

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The frozen remains of a baby woolly rhinoceros over 10,000 years old, with its fur, eyes and horns still intact have been discovered on one of the coldest parts of northern Russia, a media report said Friday.

The remains of the 18-month-old woolly rhinoceros christened “Sasha” was the first of their kind to be ever discovered, The Independent reported.

The remains were so well preserved in Siberia’s permafrost that most of the rhinoceros’s fur, an ear, an eye and a set of small horns were found intact, the report said.

Dissatisfied with railway budget, says Shiv Sena

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The Shiv Sena Thursday targeted the BJP-led NDA government, which it is part of, with a sharp criticism of the railway budget for 2015-16, saying it “completely ignored the aspirations and expectations of the people of Maharashtra”.

“We are totally dissatisfied with the railway budget. They have said so many things in the budget, but where will the funds come from?” wondered Mumbai North-West MP Gajanan Kirtikar wondered.

IS executor ‘Jihadi John’ identified

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The masked Islamic State (IS) militant known as “Jihadi John,” who has appeared in several execution videos, has been identified as Briton Mohammed Emwazi of London, according to people familiar with the matter.

Emwazi, a Kuwaiti-born Briton in his mid-20s from west London, was previously known to British security services, the Washington Post reported Thursday.

“I have no doubt that Emwazi is Jihadi John,” said one of his close friends who identified him in an interview with The Washington Post. “He was like a brother to me, I am sure it is him.”

Swine flu deaths crosses 250 mark in Rajasthan

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The swine flu epidemic continued to rage in Rajasthan with six more deaths reported Thursday taking the total death toll over the 250 mark since the start of this year, an official said.

“Six more deaths were reported across the state on Thursday. Total deaths reported till Thursday touched 251 from Jan 1 in the state,” a medical and health department official told IANS.

Total positive cases as of Thursday evening were 5,262, out of which 2,039 are from Jaipur alone, the official said.

Jaipur also accounted for the maximum deaths at 51 followed by Ajmer at 29 and Jodhpur at 28.

NHRC notice to Delhi Police chief over placement agencies

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Apex human rights panel, the NHRC has sought a report from Delhi Police Commissioner B.S. Bassi over steps taken to keep a check on the mushrooming placement agencies which are the “hubs and transit point for human trafficking”.

Taking suo motu cognizance of a media report that surging demand for domestic help in Delhi is encouraging human trafficking by unregulated placement agencies, the NHRC said that “hundreds of agencies are reportedly involved in the business of selling domestic workers”.

Mamata asks opposition to join her in meeting Modi

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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Thursday called upon the opposition to accompany her in meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to press the demand for a debt-waiver for the cash-strapped state.

Speaking on the governor’s address in the state assembly, Banerjee said she would be “happy” if the opposition parties joined her.

“I will be going with my MPs. If you, including the leader of opposition, join us, we will be happy,” she said.

SC reserves verdict on plea against IT act provisions

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The Supreme Court Thursday reserved its verdict on a batch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of section 66A of the Information Technology Act and other provisions of cyber law on the grounds of their misuse/abuse by the authorities.

A bench of Justice J. Chelameswar and Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman reserved its verdict after the central government told the court that a statutory provision could not be quashed just on the grounds of its misuse or abuse.

Ban on Togadia’s entry in Odisha’s Kandhamal

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Authorities in Odisha’s Kandhamal district Thursday banned the proposed entry of Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) chief Pravin Togadia on apprehensions that it might disturb peace in the area.

“He (Togadia) will not be allowed to enter the district. The ban is valid for next seven days,” Kandhamal’s Superintendent of Police Kanwar Vishal Singh told IANS.

Togadia is scheduled to address a gathering of VHP supporters at Phulbani, the district headquarters of Kandhamal Saturday. Singh said the organisers have been however given permission to hold the gathering but without Togadia.

Separatists find bodies of 30 Ukrainian soldiers

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Pro-Russian separatists have found at least 30 corpses of Ukrainian soldiers under the rubble of Donetsk airport, which was taken by the rebels last month after bloody fighting, according to the separatists’ DAN news agency.

“Forces of the ministry of emergency situations, militiamen and volunteers went to collect debris from the Donetsk airport, where they found at least 30 dead Ukrainian soldiers,” said a statement from the ministry of defence of the self-proclaimed People’s Republic of Donetsk, DAN reported.

Tension escalates between the White House and Netanyahu

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Tension between the White House and Benjamin Netanyahu escalated Wednesday as top administration officials condemned the Israeli prime minister’s plan to address Congress next week and Netanyahu accused six world powers, including the US, of “giving up on their commitment” to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

The unusually public spat marked one of the lowest points in a relationship that has long bonded the two countries, the Washington Post reported Thursday.

Delhi government announces Rs.1 crore for CRPF trooper

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The Delhi government Thursday announced Rs.1 crore as compensation to the family of a CRPF trooper killed by Maoists in Bihar’s Gaya district Tuesday.

Delhi resident Narottam Das lost his life in a land mine blast which also injured eight others at Domaria, around 120 km from Patna.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia attended the cremation of the trooper at his village in Najafgarh in north Delhi Thursday.

Pakistan army chief warns India ahead of talks

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Days before the visit of Indian Foreign Secretary S.Jaishankar, Pakistan Army Chief Gen.Raheel Sharif Thursday warned India of a “befitting response” to any provocation along the Line of Control (LoC).

“Let there be no doubt that any provocation along LoC and Working Boundary would meet a befitting response,” he said .

Prosecution evidence closed in 2G money laundering case

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A special court Thursday concluded recording statements of prosecution witnesses in the money laundering case related to 2G spectrum allocation case against former telecom minister A. Raja, DMK MP Kanimozhi and others.

Central Bureau of Investigation Special Judge O. P. Saini recorded the statement of Enforcement Directorate Deputy Director Rajeshwar Singh, testifying as a prosecution witness in the case.

Special Public Prosecutor N.K. Matta told the court that ED does not wish to examine further witnesses in the case.

India to have superior earth observation satellites: ISRO chief

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India will soon have satellites with superior earth observation capability, said space agency chief A.S.Kiran Kumar here Thursday.

“The future of earth observation relies on three factors – continuity and improvement of the operational constellation of satellites, sustained observation of all climate variables and global co-operation for comparing observation data,” the Indian Space Research Organisation chairman said while speaking at the International Conference on Climate Change and Disaster Management here at Kovalam.

Debate on Article 370 ploy to change Kashmir discourse: Malik

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Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman Yasin Malik Thursday termed the debate on the constitution’s Article 370, giving a special status to the state, a ploy to change the discourse while terming the 2014 assembly elections as “psychologically rigged”.

“For last three-four years, debate on Article 370 is raked up deliberately to change the Kashmir discourse of independence from India to centre-state relations,” he said at a press conference here.

Ebola cases rise again in Sierra Leone

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The chief executive of Sierra Leone’s National Ebola Response Centre has expressed his dismay at the rising number of Ebola cases in the country in the past couple of days.

Addressing the press Wednesday, Pallo Conteh noted that for the past days the rate of infection has risen with the country “recording double digits — 16, 15 and 14 for three consecutive days this week”.

This increase is coming at a time when the country had reached its lowest case numbers of two, four and five in the preceding week.

Court refuses to stay proceedings in Uber rape case

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A court Thursday refused to stay proceedings in the case of the rape of a woman executive by an Uber cab driver and heard final arguments in the matter.

Additional Sessions Judge Kaveri Baweja went ahead with the proceedings saying that any adjournment would be granted only if there is an order from the Delhi High Court, which is likely to pronounce its verdict on March 4 on accused cab driver Shiv Kumar Yadav’s plea for recall of prosecution witnesses.

Meanwhile, Yadav’s counsel began his final arguments in the matter.

Injustice to Pradesh in railway budget: Chandrababu Naidu

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Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu Thursday expressed his disappointment over the railway budget for 2015-16, saying injustice was done to the state in sanctioning new railway lines.

He told reporters here Thursday night that he had been fighting for many years to get justice to the state in the railway budget but it did not yield desired results.

Defence co-production pact backs Modi’s vision: US

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The US Thursday described the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) agreement with India for co-development and co-production of defence equipment as a “commitment to our shared future” in bilateral ties.

Senior Pentagon official Frank Kendall, during a talk here, said the DTTI would strengthen bilateral military-to-military ties, re-energize defense industrial partnerships and expand regional cooperation.