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.

‘Vote for party committed to communal amity, food security’

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The Forum for Democracy and Communal Amity, an organisation that includes some noted citizens, Thursday appealed to the people of Delhi to vote for a party committed to maintaining communal harmony and providing food security.

In a release, the forum, which has former foreign secretary Muchkund Dubey as its president, said social and economic rights earned by people after long struggle were in the process of being diluted and abrogated.

The signatories to the appeal included Justice (retd) Rajinder Sachar, journalist Kuldip Nayar and activist Swami Agnivesh.

Swine flu kills five more in Rajasthan, toll now 73

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Five more deaths due to swine flu were reported in Rajasthan Thursday, taking the toll since the beginning of the year to 73, officials said.

“The deaths were reported from Jaipur, Dausa and Jodhpur. Besides, 19 more people tested positive Thursday for swine flu,” a health department official said.

The disease has created panic in the state, and over 270 people Thursday reached the state’s largest government-run SMS Hospital in Jaipur for swine flu tests.

An official said that till Wednesday, 437 people tested positive for the H1N1 virus, with the maximum of 152 from Jaipur.

Jamia Nizamia to mark centenary death anniversary of founder

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Jamia Nizamia, south India’s biggest seminary, will organize a series of programmes from Feb 15 to mark 100th death anniversary of its founder Moulana Hafiz Anwarullah Farooqui.

The 144-year-old institution located in the old city of Hyderabad will organize seminars, public meeting and other events highlighting the educational services of Farooqui, who also served as minister of religious affairs in Nizam’s government.

JD-U calls Bihar legislators’ meeting, CM refuses to resign

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JD-U president Sharad Yadav Thursday called a meeting of party legislators Feb 7, amid speculation that Jitan Ram Manjhi will be removed as the Bihar chief minister and replaced by Nitish Kumar. Manjhi refused to resign and termed the meeting “illegal”.

Manjhi openly revolted against his party, questioned the decision and refused to resign as chief minister. He said he will not attend the meeting called by Yadav as it was “illegal”.

“Reports of my likely tendering resignation are baseless,” he said in a press statement.

Nitish Katara murder case: Delhi HC verdict on punishment Friday

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The Delhi High Court will Friday deliver its judgment on the punishment to be awarded to three convicts in Nitish Katara murder case.

A special bench of Justice Gita Mittal and Justice J.R. Midha will decide whether to uphold the earlier sentence of a life term for Vikas Yadav, brother of Katara’s friend Bharti, Vishal Yadav, Bharti’s cousin, and contract killer Sukhdev Pehalwan or give the death penalty.

The bench April 2, 2014 had upheld the 2008 trial court judgment that sentenced the three to life imprisonment and termed the case as of “honour killing”.

Looking forward to France visit, Modi tells Fabius

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday told visiting French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius that he was “looking forward” to his France visit in April.

In a meeting with Fabius, Modi conveyed his condolences to the victims of recent terror attacks in that country and expressed India’s solidarity with the people of France, a statement said.

The prime minister recalled his meeting with President Francois Hollande on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Brisbane last year.

Top official visits USP facility in Hyderabad

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A senior official from India’s department of pharmaceuticals Thursday visited US Pharmacopeia’s (USP) facility here.

Sudhansh Pant, joint secretary in the department, went around the facility and met scientists.

“The purpose of this visit was to better understand the efforts USP is making in India to create standards for medicines, ensure full safety and quality of medicines and bring to India international standards in drug manufacture,” said a statement by the organisation.

Coping with WC conditions big challenge for Sri Lanka: Dravid

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The challenge for Sri Lanka in the World Cup will be how they cope with conditions in Australia and New Zealand, former Indian captain Rahul Dravid said Thursday.

“The last two World Cups have been in the West Indies and India, so the conditions have suited them a little bit more. I think this could be their big challenge, the conditions and how they cope with it,” Dravid was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

Singapore president to visit India from Feb 8

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Singaporean President Tan Keng Yam will be on a state visit to India from Feb 8-11 to mark the 50th anniversary of bilateral ties.

External affairs ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin, announcing this at a briefing here, said this presidential visit comes nine years after the last such visit between the two countries.

Then president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam visited Singpore in February 2006.

The two countries have seen a spate of high level visits between them since August last year, he said. Singapore is participating in the development of a smart capital city for Andhra Pradesh.

Bad day for Trinamool: Party loses RS MP, actress

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In a fresh jolt to West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress, Rajya Sabha member Srinjoy Bose quit as member of parliament and also left the party Thursday, a day after getting bail in a case related to the Saradha chit fund scam.

The Trinamool pointed fingers at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), saying Bose was under “tremendous pressure” from the “party in power at the centre”. Doing her bit to hit back at the BJP, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee appealed to the people of Delhi to vote for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Saturday’s assembly election.

When Anupamaa Dayal showed some ‘masti’ on ramp

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She loves to spread happiness and joy with her clothes and keeping continuing the trend, designer Anupamaa Dayal showcased a collection titled “Masti” at the opening day of the debut edition of Gionee Smartphones India Beach Fashion Week (IBFW).

The three-day event, that is taking place at Hotel Grand Mercure here, started with Dayal’s designs that was surely a perfect amalgamation of bright colours and exotic prints.

Removal of stumbling blocks on Agra-Lucknow expressway ordered

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The Uttar Pradesh chief secretary Thursday issued instructions to district officials to ensure that stumbling blocks like handpumps, water lines, electric poles and transformers on the route of the proposed six lane Agra-Lucknow expressway are removed on priority basis.

Chief Secretary Alok Ranjan Thursday held a high-level meeting with officials concerned with the expressway.

Goswami steps down as home secretary, Goyal replaces him

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Home Secretary Anil Goswami resigned Wednesday after he was told by the government to put in his papers over his alleged role in trying to stall the arrest of former Congress minister Matang Sinh in the multi-crore-rupee Saradha scam. The government appointed L.C. Goyal as his replacement a few hours later.

Official sources said Goswami handed over his resignation to Home Minister Rajnath Singh. It was subsequently accepted by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC).

Seven dead in New York train crash

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At least seven people were killed when a commuter train heading north from New York City slammed into a jeep that apparently stalled on the tracks in the Westchester county town of Valhalla, officials said Wednesday

Officials of the Metropolitan Transport Authority and the county where the accident occurred said seven to twelve other people were injured, some of them seriously.

The Cherokee jeep was astride the track when the accident happened.

The driver of that vehicle was killed, along with six passengers who were travelling in the train’s first coach.

L.C. Goyal is new home secretary

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The government Wednesday appointed rural development ministry Secretary L.C. Goyal as the new home secretary in place of Anil Goswami who resigned.

A home ministry release said Goyal’s term will be for two years.

“The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of L.C. Goyal, IAS, secretary, department of rural development, ministry of rural development as home secretary, ministry of home affairs for a period of two years from the date of taking over charge as home secretary vice Anil Goswami,” the release said.

Ismail Darbar, son arrested for assault, granted bail

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Acclaimed music director Ismail Darbar was arrested in connection with an assault case and later secured bail from a local court, police said Wednesday. Darbar’s son Zaid was also arrested for allegedly assaulting an assistant director over a monetary dispute and is now out on bail.

Darbar’s arrest came a day after his son Zaid and two friends – Mohsin Khan and Nishant Singh – were arrested in the same case involving an assault on an assistant director, Prashant Choudhary, in suburban Oshiwara late Monday.

US chamber ranks India 29th on IP Index

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The US Chamber of Commerce has ranked India 29th among 30 economies in its annual International IP Index even as it acknowledged that it has made “measurable and sustainable progression” on intellectual property rights.

The Index released by the chamber’s Global Intellectual Property Centre (GIPC) Wednesday found that 20 of the 30 economies improved their scores from last year with India moving up one notch from its position at the bottom.

Arrest those responsible for youth’s death: Mamata to police

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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Wednesday visited the house of a college student who died after being beaten up for allegedly protesting the harassment of women, and ordered police to arrest the guilty.

The 20-year-old youth, Arup Bhandari, who slipped into coma after being beaten up for protesting the harassment of women during an idol immersion procession in Howrah district, succumbed to his injuries Monday.

The incident led to an outcry by opposition parties against the Banerjee government over its law and order record and “patronage of criminals”.

EVMs can’t be tampered with: Poll panel

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The Election Commission Wednesday allayed fears about tampering of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the Feb 7 Delhi assembly polls, saying it has put in place elaborate administrative measures.

“It is reiterated that the commission has put in place elaborate administrative measures and procedural checks and balances aimed at prevention of any possible misuse of procedural lapses,” the commission said in a statement.

Karnataka beckons China to invest in infrastructure

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Karnataka Wednesday invited Chinese enterprises to invest in infrastructure projects in the state.

“As Karnataka needs to build strong infrastructure, China could be the best bet. With a view to taking bilateral ties to a new high, we favour expansion and deepening of exchanges and cooperation in all areas and settle questions left over by history,” Chief Minister Siddaramaiah told Chinese Ambassador to India Le Yucheng here.

Lung cancer kills more women than breast cancer in rich countries

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Lung cancer has surpassed breast cancer as the leading cause of cancer death in females in developed countries and the change reflects the tobacco epidemic in women, according to a report released Wednesday by the American Cancer Society and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

Lung cancer has been the top cancer killer for men for decades in developed countries. It is also the leading cancer killer in men in developing countries, where breast cancer still kills more women than lung cancer, Xinhua news agency cited the report as stating.

Rajasthan government defends ‘Surya Namaskar’ in schools

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The BJP-led Rajasthan government Wednesday defended its move to implement ‘Surya Namaskar’ (Sun worship) in schools across the state.

“Surya Namaskar, yoga and meditation are good for physical and mental development of a child,” Minister of State for Primary and Secondary Education Vasudev Devnani told IANS.

The minister said the sun is not of any religion but it is the one which gives “Urja” (Energy) to all.

“Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje has already given her consent on this directive and we are not the only state as Madhya Pradesh has already implemented it.”

India-US meet on legal assistance begins in Delhi

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A three-day India-US international cooperation workshop on mutual legal assistance and extradition began here Wednesday.

The workshop, being jointly organised by the Central Bureau of Investigation, ministries of home affairs and external affairs and the US Department of Justice, was inaugurated by CBI director Anil Sinha.