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.

More than 10 killed in Haiti carnival tragedy

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More than 10 people were killed early Tuesday at a carnival here after their float made deadly contact with a power line.

Some 40 others were injured in the tragedy, which occurred at around 2:48 a.m. on the second day of the annual event, according to a statement from Haitian Communications Minister Rotchild Francois.

The exact number of casualties is yet to be known. Some earlier reports put it at at least 18 dead and some 60 injured, according to Xinhua.

Fire at Delhi’s Ansal Chamber, no casualties

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A major fire broke out at a building housing several offices of different departments here Tuesday evening, a fire service official said. No one has been reported injured.

The fire was reported from Ansal Chamber II, located at Bhikaji Cama Place in south Delhi’s R.K. Puram, around 7 p.m. and fire fighters took over one and half hours to douse the flames. A fire official, who initially told IANS that the incident occurred at Ansal Plaza shopping mall, later clarified that the incident was reported from Ansal Chamber-II.

Modi to flag off air show in Bengaluru Wednesday

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off South Asia’s biggest air show Wednesday on the city’s outskirts to showcase India’s air prowess and seek investments from global aerospace firms to realise his government’s ‘Make in India’ programme in the strategic defence sector.

Nadda reviews swine flu drug shortage, toll 624

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Union Health Minister J.P.Nadda Tuesday reviewed the drug shortage for swine flu patients even as the number of deaths due to the disease rose upto 624.

Nadda held a high-level meeting in which a committee was formed to visit hospitals and look into the drug shortage.

The committee will comprise of Additional Secretary A.K. Panda and Director General of Health Services Jagdish Prasad besides senior doctors, a senior health ministry official said.

East Bengal, Mohun Bagan finish with 1-1 draw

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Two first half headers produced a 1-1 draw in the season’s maiden I-League derby between arch-rivals East Bengal and Mohun Bagan before a huge crowd at the Salt Lake Stadium here Tuesday.

Cameroonian striker Pierra Boya gave Bagan the lead in the 24th minute which was nullified seven minutes later as Nigerian forward Ranti Martins headed the ball into the net.

Bagan broke the deadlock as Boya outjumped rival defenders in the box to head home a corner from Yusa. 1-0 up, Bagan sat back waiting to clear away any danger but had a difficult time doing so, as East Bengal stepped on the gas.

Welfare of Indian diaspora a top priority, says Sushma in Oman

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External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj Tuesday praised the Indian community in Oman for their hard work and said the welfare of the large Indian diaspora, especially in the Gulf, is one of the top priorities of the Narendra Modi government.

Sushma Swaraj, who arrived here earlier in the day on a two-day visit, said the government, in collaboration with the state governments, is “proactively devising ways and means to address the concerns of our nationals living abroad”.

Praising the 700,000-strong Indian community in Oman, she said they form the largest expatriate group in Oman.

Myanmar declares state of emergency in Kokang region

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The Myanmar government Tuesday declared a state of emergency in Kokang region of the northeastern Shan state and introduced martial law following week-long armed clashes between the government forces and the Kokang ethnic army.

The announcement, signed by President U. Thein Sein and broadcast through the state-run Myanmar Radio and Television, said armed clashes in the Kokang region were widespread, leading to the failure of the local government administration mechanism, Xinhua reported.

The state of emergency will be effective for 90 days, the announcement said.

Ashton Carter sworn in as Obama’s new defence secretary

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Ashton Carter was sworn in Tuesday as the 25th US defense secretary -the fourth in US President Barack Obama’s six years in office.

After taking the helm, he will have to tackle mounting issues, such as the fight against the extremist group Islamic State (IS) and a decision on whether to arm the Ukrainian forces with lethal weapons.

Carter’s inauguration also came at a time when the Yemeni government, a key US Middle East partner in fighting Al Qaeda, was on the verge of collapse, threatening US counter-terrorism strategy across the region, according to Xinhua.

HIL: Jackson’ hat-trick fires Ranchi Rays to top

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Captain Ashley Jackson successfully converted two penalty corners in the final minute to help Ranchi Rays beat Jaypee Punjab Wrriors 3-2 in a Hero Hockey India League match at the International Hockey Stadium here Tuesday.

With this win in their final league game, Rays went to the top of the pool standings with 35 points from 10 matches, while Warriors have 30 points from nine matches.

Both the teams had reached the semifinals before this match along with Uttar Pradesh Wizards and defending champions Delhi Waveriders.

NHRC asks DoT to probe delay in a retired employee’s payment

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Taking a “serious view” over delay in payment of retirement dues to a BSNL employee, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Tuesday directed the department of telecommunication (DoT) to thoroughly enquire the case and fix responsibility of the officials concerned.

“The Commission, taking a serious view of the delay in disbursement of retirement benefits, including pension and gratuity to a retired BSNL employee, has asked the DoT secretary to get this matter thoroughly enquired and fix the responsibility of delinquent officers,” a NHRC release said.

Government only can decide ‘how much, when and how’ publicity, SC told

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The government Tuesday told the Supreme Court that it was within its domain to decide how much and how it should spend on publicising its policies and programmes and it was answerable to parliament and no entity without a legal sanction can oversee it.

Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi gave the government’s stand to a bench of Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Pinkai Chandra Ghose as the court reserved its order after hearing submissions on the guidelines suggested by the apex court-appointed three member committee headed by eminent legal academician N.R. Madhavan Menon.

CBI files case against South Eastern Coalfields official

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A corruption case has been registered against a general manager rank official of South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL) and three others for their alleged role in manupulating the tender process and favouring a private company, a CBI statement said Tuesday.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said that the agency recently booked R.P. Singh, the then sub area manager of Beharaband coal mines at Anuppur district in Madhya Pradesh and five others. They have been charged under section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Prevention of Corruption Act.

Eight more swine flu deaths in Rajasthan, toll 183

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Eight more people died of swine flu in Rajasthan Tuesday, taking the toll this year to 183, an official said.

“Total number of swine flu deaths reported in the state since the start of this year touched 183 as at 9.30 p.m. on Tuesday. The total positive cases have also risen to 3,302 across the state as of today,” a medical and health department official told IANS.

Meanwhile, the National Law University in Jodhpur has been closed till March 1 as a student has tested postive for the disease.

Israeli PM accused of improper use of public funds

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Significant financial improprieties and excessive spending of public funds occurred in the two residences used by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu between 2009 and 2013, State Comptroller Yoseph Shapira said in a report published Tuesday.

The report came out exactly a month before national elections (due March 17). It was handed over to Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein to check if there was a need of a criminal investigation for improper use of public funds, Xinhua reported.

House of Lords speaker praises Modi’s women empowerment agenda

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday received praise from the speaker of Britain’s House of Lords for his agenda on women empowerment.

Addressing a session entitled “Striving for gender equality in politics”, Baroness D’Souza exuded confidence that Modi’s efforts on empowering women would yield tangible results shortly.

“I know your Prime Minister Modi is extremely interested in empowering women for very very good reasons. It is good for Mr Modi, wonderful. We are extremely supportive of his agenda on women empowerment,” she said.

Overcrowded ferry runs aground off Elephanta, passengers rescued

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At least 78 passengers, mostly tourists, were rescued from an overcrowded ferry which ran aground in the Arabian Sea off Mumbai coast Tuesday evening, official sources said.

The rescue operation was carried out by a hovercraft of the Indian Coast Guard near the world famous Elephanta Island when the regular tourist ferry, Navrang, suddenly ran aground.

The incident happened around 4.45 p.m. during its 11-km return voyage from the island to the Nhava village on the mainland.

While manoeuvering to leave the jetty, the ferry hit a submerged mud-patch rendering the engines dead.

Re-invest meet yields 260,000 MW commitment on green energy

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With commitments of 266,000 MW, including 10,000 MW from state-run NTPC, the three-day ‘First Renewable Energy Global Investors Meet and Expo (Re-Invest)’ concluded here Tuesday making it the “take off” conference towards revolutionising India’s energy sector.

“The commitment of 266,000 MW is far in excess of our plans,” Power and Renewable Energy Minister Piyush Goyal said in his address at the conference’s valedictory session.

Faster visa clearance project on mission mode: Rajnath

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The government has undertaken implementation of the Immigration, Visa, Foreigners Registration and Tracking (IVFRT) service, a faster visa clearance system, on a mission mode, union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said Tuesday.

The scope of the project covers 178 Indian Missions abroad and 13 Foreigners Regional Registration Offices (FRROs), 674 Foreigners Registration Offices (FROs) and 83 Immigration Check Posts (ICPs) within the country, he told the parliamentary consultative committee of his ministry.

James Franco to star in TV series ’11/22/63′

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Actor James Franco is set to make his television comeback with “11/22/63”, an adaptation of Stephen King’s novel of the same name.

“11/22/63” is about a high school English teacher Jake Epping, who travels back in time to prevent the assassination of US President John F. Kennedy, reports hollywoodreporter.com.

The thriller from J.J. Abrams will be a nine-hour miniseries and Franco will play the lead role of Epping in it.

The 36-year-old has previously appeared in TV shows like “Freaks and Geeks” and “General Hospital”.

(IANS)

UN chief condemns Shia mosque attack in Pakistan

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UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Friday condemned the terrorist attack on a Shia mosque in the Pakistani city of Peshawar, which killed at least 20 people and injured more than 50 others.

Ban said in a statement released through his spokesperson that he was deeply dismayed by the repeated targeting of innocent people on account of their religious beliefs and in their places of worship, according to a Xinhua report.

“There is no justification for such crimes,” Ban said in the statement.

Bangladesh ferry capsizes, seven bodies found

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At least seven bodies were recovered after an overcrowded trawler sank in a river in Bangladesh Friday with about 150-200 people on board, a fire brigade official said.

The ferry capsized in Payra river in Barguna district after developing cracks following a collision with a submerged island, Xinhua quoted the official as saying on condition of anonymity.

According to the official, many passengers were able to swim ashore after the accident at about 1.15 p.m. But the official could not tell the exact number of missing passengers.

Kuwaiti firm to build refinery, petro chemical complex in Andhra

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The government of Andhra Pradesh will sign a MoU with Kuwait-based Al Qebla Al Watya for a major refinery and petro chemical complex.

The MoU envisages development of petro-chemical complex and a refinery on the east coast for ensuring energy security and development of downstream and ancillary industries and employment, said a government statement.

Al Qebla Al Watya, part of Al Kharafi Group, has significant experience in oil and gas sector, including refineries and petro-chemical complexes.

SC notice to government on IOA plea opposing National Sports Code

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The Supreme Court Friday issued notice to the central government on a plea by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) challenging the enforcement of the National Sports Code (NSC) which prescribes the age and tenure of its office bearers as well as of the other national sports federations.

A bench of Justice Kurian Joseph and Justice C. Nagappan issued notice on the plea of IOA challenging the May 9, 2014 verdict of Delhi High Court upholding the code limiting the tenure of the office bears of the IOA and sports federations.

Plunging oil rates widens IOC Q3 net loss to Rs.2,637 crore

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With international crude oil prices plunging to a near six-year low in the period causing major inventory losses, state-run Indian Oil Corp (IOC) Friday reported a whopping 174 percent rise in net loss for the third quarter ended Dec 31 at Rs.2,636.80 crore.

The company had reported a net loss of Rs.961.45 crore in October-December 2013.

“We had an inventory loss of Rs.12,842 crore during the quarter as compared to an inventory gain of Rs.2,454 crore in the same period of last fiscal,” IOC chairman B.Ashok told reporters here announcing the results.