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.

Four more die of swine flu in Telangana, Andhra

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Four more people died of swine flu in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Saturday, officials said.

While three people died at the government-run Gandhi Hospital here, one woman succumbed at Ongole in Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh.

With this, the toll in Telangana rose to 27 and in neighboring state to three this month.

Three people including two women died at Gandhi Hospital, which is the state nodal centre for swine flu in Telangana. The deceased include a 35-year-old pregnant woman.

Doctors said 35 people including 12 children are undergoing treatment at the hospital.

Australia edges out South Korea in Asian Cup final

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It was a game where both sides deserved to win but it was Australia which triumphed 2-1 in extra time to win the country’s most prestigious football trophy since entering international matches in 1922.

And the coaches — South Korea’s Uli Stielike and Australia’s Ange Postecoglou — aired expected disappointment and joy when the Asian Cup final finally ended here Saturday evening. The heart-stopping match saw South Korea snatch a draw just 90 seconds from full time at Stadium Australia.

Devolve functions, funds for Smart Cities initiative, states told

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Union Minister of State for Urban Development Babul Supriyo Saturday urged the state governments to devolve necessary functions, funds and functionaries to the urban local bodies to enable them to take up the challenges under Smart Cities initiative.

Supriyo was speaking at the conclusion of the two-day Consultation Workshop of States and Stakeholders on Smart Cities, which was held on the direction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take the states on board before proceeding with a the launch of the Smart Cities initiative.

Bengal to compensate kin of workers killed in Tamil Nadu

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The West Bengal government Saturday announced a compensation of Rs.2 lakh to the families of the nine labourers from the state who were killed when an effluent treatment tank burst in Tamil Nadu’s Ranipet town.

Of the 10 people who died, nine hailed from the state’s West Midnapore district.

“The government has announced a compensation of Rs.2 lakh each for the families of the nine people who died in the accident. We are also working to bring their bodies to their native places at the earliest,” said Minister for Disaster Management and Fire and Emergency Services Javed Ahmed Khan.

Uber rape case: Prosecution completes recording of evidence

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In just 17 days, the prosecution in the Uber rape case Saturday completed recording of evidence in a court here.

The prosecution, which had in its chargesheet cited 44 witnesses, examined 28 of them, including the woman victim who identified the accused cab driver, Shiv Kumar Yadav, as the one who raped her.

Dropping 16 witnesses saying they were not relevant, the prosecution closed the evidence with the recording of the statement of the investigating officer of the case, Delhi Police Sub Inspector Renu.

Pawar, Dalmiya urged to take over BCCI mantle

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Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB) secretary Aditya Verma Saturday called upon veteran administrators Jagmohan Dalmiya and Sharad Pawar to cleanse the Indian cricket board that has been “vitiated” by sidelined president N. Srinivasan.

Verma also rejected reports that Srinivasan, barred by the Supreme Court from contesting the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) polls, was making efforts to sell off Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings to enable himself to contest the polls.

Farha Khan says replacing Salman on ‘Bigg Boss’ signalled women’s empowerment

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The fact that she has stepped into the shoes of one of Bollywood’s Khans to host “Bigg Boss Halla Bol”, is a sign of women’s empowerment, says filmmaker Farah Khan.

The “Dabangg” star Salman Khan handed over the baton of hosting “Bigg Boss Halla Bol”, an extension of “Bigg Boss 8” to Farah.

“I think a lot of people are undermining the fact that a woman replaced one of the biggest stars of the industry. It says something for women empowerment,” Farah told IANS over phone from Lonavla, where the “Bigg Boss” set has been housing celebrity contestants since four months.

Sachin steals the show at National Games

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The biggest cheers as always were reserved for cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar who was one of the chief guests at the opening ceremony of the 35th National Games that got underway here Saturday night.

Tendulkar was roped in by the Kerala government as the goodwill ambassador for the Games and even while Malayalam superstar Mohanlal came under flak from certain quarters for allegedly collecting money to stage his nearly four-hour-long musical show, those who found fault with him looked at Tendulkar who has not charged anything.

Tribal leader killed by suicide bomber in Iraq

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A suicide bomber killed a prominent Sunni tribal leader and four of his guards in an attack in Iraq’s western province of Anbar, a security source said Saturday.

The incident occurred late Friday night when a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden tanker truck into the house of Sheikh Lorens al-Hathaal in Nekheib area, some 400 km south of the provincial capital city of Ramadi, the source told Xinhua news agency on condition of anonymity.

65 husbands jailed In Saudi for violating court orders

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Courts in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh have sentenced more than 65 men to prison terms ranging from two days to three months for their refusal to implement court rulings in favour of their former wives, the ministry of justice said.

The rulings said that the men either refused to pay alimony or prevented children from visiting their mothers, the Arab News reported citing the ministry Saturday.

Some men were jailed for delay in applying for official documents for their sons and daughters in accordance with the law, it said.

Railways growth to fuel country’s GDP: Prabhu

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Railway Minister Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu Saturday called for greater investment in the sector which will help it grow and in turn increase the gross domestic product (GDP) by 2-3 percent.

“Development of railways is on the priority list of our Prime Minister. If the railways develop, the economy will also be strengthened. GDP will also rise by 2-3 percent,” Prabhu said.

“Though our GDP is growing today, with a much more efficient railway system it will grow rapidly.”

Three-year-old raped in Bihar, one arrested

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A man was arrested in Bihar’s Madhubani district Saturday for allegedly raping a three-year-old girl and then hanging her naked from a tree, police said.

This shocking incident occurred at a village near Keoti in Madhubani, about 200km from here.

The victim suffered serious injuries in her private parts and is battling for her life in Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital, a family member said.

According to police, the victim along with her mother Thursday visited a private nursing home near their village to inquire about her grandmother, who was undergoing treatment there.

Sergio Mattarella elected Italian president

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Constitutional judge Sergio Mattarella was elected Italy’s new president Saturday, in the fourth round of balloting held by the Italian parliament in a joint session.

Mattarella, 73, is a member of Italy’s Constitutional Court since 2011. He had entered politics as a Christian Democrat in the 1980s after his brother was killed by the Sicilian mafia, and served as minister in several cabinets.

Mattarella received over 505 votes out of an assembly of 1, 009 lawmakers and regional representatives, Xinhua news agency reported.

Egypt court lists Hamas’ armed wing as terrorist group

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An Egyptian court Saturday banned Palestinian group Hamas’ armed wing, al-Qassam Brigades, and listed it as a terrorist organisation.

“The court decided to ban the al-Qassam Brigades and to list it as a terrorist group,” Xinhua news agency quoted a judiciary official of the Cairo Urgent Matters Court as saying.

Since the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013, Egyptian authorities have been working to fight against Islamist militants based in the restive Sinai Peninsula, some of whom allegedly colluded with the Hamas movement.

Former union minister Matang Sinh arrested in Saradha scam

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The CBI Saturday arrested former union minister and Congress leader Matang Sinh in the multi-crore rupee Saradha chit fund scam.

Sinh, a former minister of state for parliamentary affairs in the P.V. Narasimha Rao government (1991-96), was arrested after several hours of grilling.

“Matang Sinh has been arrested in the Saradha reality case on charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating and misappropriation of funds,” said a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) official.

IS militants seize 15 oil workers in Iraq

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Islamic State (IS) militants seized 15 employees after they temporarily seized an oil facility near the city of Kirkuk in northern Iraq, while Kurdish troops freed seven villages in the area, a security source said Saturday.

The workers were taken Friday when the IS militants attacked the oil facility of Khubbaz, some 25 km southwest of Kirkuk, which itself is located about 250 km north of Iraq’s capital Baghdad, the source told Xinhua news agency on condition of anonymity.

Himachal clash: Virbhadra Singh’s son gets anticipatory bail

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Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh’s son Vikramaditya Singh, who is among those accused of rioting and trespassing, obtained anticipatory bail from a court here Saturday, police said.

At least 12 activists of both Youth Congress and Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) were injured Thursday in a clash during a demonstration here against the central government’s land acquisition ordinance.

The Youth Congress activists, led by Vikramaditya Singh, have been accused of smashing the windowpanes of BJP’s party office.

279 Indians died in Qatar in 2014

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A total of 279 Indians died in Qatar in 2014, up from 241 deaths in 2013, according to data released by the Indian embassy.

The mission recorded 237 deaths in 2012 and since January this year, the number of deaths has reached 33, indicating a further increase, The Penimnsula Qatar reported Saturday.

The embassy data, however, did not provide details about the causes of deaths.

There were 87 Indians at the Central Prison, serving terms for offences and 113 were awaiting deportation at the Search and Follow Up Department.

10 die as effluent treatment tank bursts in Tamil Nadu

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Ten labourers drowned to death in sludge Saturday when an effluent treatment tank burst in Tamil Nadu’s Ranipet town, officials said.

Nine of the dead hailed from West Bengal and one person was from Ranipet, about 120 km from here. All were sleeping in a room adjacent to the unit that operated the CETP (common effluent treatment plant) tank.

The tank burst around 3.30 a.m. Saturday and the workers drowned to death in the thick slimy effluent, an official told IANS.

The unit was operating the CETP for 86 tanneries. The huge tank was at a height of around 10 feet.

Sardar Singh suspended for one game

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Delhi Waveriders captain Sardar Singh was Saturday handed a one-match suspension for “inappropriate physical contact with the opponent player” during a Hockey India League (HIL) match.

HIL’s disciplinary committee met Saturay morning to discuss Sardar’s conduct in Friday’s match against Jaypee Punjab Warriors at the Major Dhyan Chand Stadium here.

Plan weekend getaway for V-Day

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Unwinding and relaxing with your beloved after a week of hectic work can be a great way to make your Valentine’s Day special, especially when the occasion falls on a Saturday this year!

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, couples have started to pre-book their holidays. While India offers a plethora of options to choose from, online travel site Expedia has offers for romantic escapes to hotels. Here are some suggestions of where you can travel to pamper yourself and your Valentine:

From Delhi:

Farhan Akhtar’s Twitter family crosses 4.5 mn

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Multi-faceted Bollywood talent Farhan Akhtar, who has been active on Twitter since 2009, has amassed over 4.5 million followers on the social networking platform. He has sent out a “virtual hug” to his Twitter family.

“Crazy!!…touched 4.5 million followers on Twitter…Well not literally touched…That would be creepy & very exhausting. Big virtual hug,” Farhan tweeted Saturday.

Gurinder Chadha thanks Big B for ‘Desi Rascals’ cameo

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Gurinder Chadha, the co-producer of “Desi Rascals”, has thanked Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan for “playing along” a cameo in the TV show.

“@SrBachchan legend makes a special appearance on @DesiRascals that was quite a surprise eh…thank you sir for playing along,” tweeted the British film director of Sikh origin, who is currently in India to scout locations for her next film.

The Big B is said to have shot for the cameo when he was in London to promote his forthcoming film “Shamitabh”. His special appearance on the real-life drama series was aired on Sky Living Friday night.

Housewives set world record with marathon bhajan singing

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A group of Maharashtrian women, mostly housewives settled in Chhattisgarh, have a created a new world record of marathon singing of bhajans (devotional songs) for a staggering 27 hours and 45 minutes, a member said here Friday.

The record performance – ‘Longest Spiritual Songs Marathon’ – included bhajans in nine Indian languages rendered continuously by nine members of the Shri Samarth Swardhara group Dec 24-25 last year.

Mitt Romney not to seek presidency in 2016

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Republican Mitt Romney, who had lost to Democrat Barack Obama in the 2012 US presidential election, Friday said he would not seek nomination from his party to run for the presidency in 2016, media reports said Friday.

The former Massachusetts governor shared his decision on a conference call with a small group of advisers, The New York Times reported.