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.

Ghosh files bail application in spectrum allocation case

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Former telecom secretary Shyamal Ghosh, accused in a case related to grant of additional spectrum to private operators, filed his bail application in a special court here Wednesday, which fixed Feb 3 for further hearing.

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Special Judge O.P. Saini posted the matter for hearing bail application of Ghosh for Feb 3.

The CBI filed a charge sheet Dec 21, 2012, accusing Ghosh and three telecom firms, Bharti Cellular Ltd., Hutchison Max Telecom Pvt. Ltd. (Vodafone India Ltd.), and Sterling Cellular Ltd. (Vodafone Mobile Service Ltd.)

Odisha to crack down on diversion of fertilizers

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The Odisha government Wednesday decided to crack down on the diversion of subsidised fertilizer for industrial purposes and black marketing in the state.

Agriculture department additional secretary Purushottam Sahoo directed officials of the Directorate of Agriculture and Food Production to take the necessary steps.

Relief for Vodafone in Rs.32,000 crore tax case

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The government Wednesday decided not to appeal against a Bombay High Court ruling that telecom service provider Vodafone was not liable to pay tax demand of Rs.3,200 crore in a transfer pricing case, Communications and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said here.

“The cabinet has decided not to move Supreme Court in this regard. This is an important decision,” he told reporters after a meeting here of the union cabinet presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Lyon knew about WC squad exclusion before Test series

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Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon Wednesday revealed he knew Cricket Australia’s decision of keeping him out of the World Cup squad even before the start of the Border-Gavaskar Test series against India.

“I basically got told before the Test series started (he wouldn’t be in the World Cup squad). So I didn’t have to worry about it – I’d known for a while,” Lyon was quoted as saying by espncricinfo.

Tejas starts after overnight soak in extreme cold

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In another landmark for indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, the aircraft was successfully started thrice after an overnight soak in the extreme cold of Ladakh, where the temperature dropped to minus 15 degrees Celsius.

“With three consecutive start-ups of its engine after overnight soak in extreme cold conditions of the Ladakh winter, that too without any external assistance, Tejas, the Indian LCA has achieved yet another and a rare distinction,” a defence ministry statement said here Wednesday.

Replace Mamata as Bengal CM: Saradha accused Kunal Ghosh

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Suspended Trinamool Congress MP Kunal Ghosh Wednesday said he will not get justice unless all those involved in the Saradha scam are arrested, and called for replacing Mamata Banerjee as the West Bengal chief minister.

Behind bars since November 2013 for his alleged complicity in the multi-crore-rupee chit fund scam, Ghosh, who has repeatedly alleged the involvement of his party leaders, called for their interrogation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) which is probing the scandal.

I’m scared of technology: Swift reacts to hacking

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Singer Taylor Swift has blasted hackers after finding out that her Twitter and Instagram accounts were hacked.

“Cause the hackers gonna hack, hack, hack, hack, hack…,” the 25-year-old, whose account was hacked Tuesday, tweeted, making a reference to the lyrics of her hit single “Shake It Off”.

“PS any hackers saying they have ‘nudes’? Psssh you’d love that wouldn’t you! Have fun photoshopping cause you got NOTHING,” she added.

Swift thanked her friend and singer Hayley Williams for alerting her that there was something off on her social media, reports aceshowbiz.com.

Indian luxury market to reach $18 billion by 2017: Study

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The Indian luxury market is expanding fast and would reach $18 billion mark by 2017 from its existing level of $14 billion, a joint study from an industry association and a private bank said Wednesday.

According to an Assocham and Yes Bank’s market study, increasing brand awareness among the Indian youth and rising purchasing power of the upper class in tier II and III cities would lead to consumer spending touching $4.2 trillion by 2017.

Fashion, fine dining and automobiles are the primary components which would register the highest growth in the luxury segment.

Fadnavis clinches business deals, investments in Davos

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Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis successfully clinched many key investment and corporate deals with multinationals in Davos, which are expected to generate more than 20,000 jobs in the state.

“We have handed over the allotment letter of land to Cognizant for their planned expansion in Pune, which will add 20,000 jobs over the next few years,” Fadnavis informed media persons on the outcome of his last week’s visit to the World Economic Forum summit in Davos, Switzerland.

President greets new Saudi king

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President Pranab Mukherjee Wednesday greeted the new king of Saudi Arabia, Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, on his accession to the throne.

“It gives me immense pleasure to extend warm greetings and congratulations on behalf of the government and the people of India and on my own behalf, to your majesty on your accession to the throne,” Mukherjee said in a message.

“Relations between our two friendly countries have historically been close, characterised by extensive people-to-people contacts and deep mutual respect.

Three get life term for raping minor in Bihar

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A court in Bihar Wednesday sentenced three people to life in prison for gang-raping an 11-year-old girl in Bhojpur district, a lawyer said.

First additional district and sessions judge of Ara civil court J.P. Mishra pronounced the order.

Nilnidhi Singh, his brother Jay Prakash Singh and Jaggu Pandit have been charged with raping six Mahadalit women, including the girl, at gun point in the district’s Kurmuri village Oct 8, 2014.

Police said the medical report only confirmed the rape of the minor girl.

Sunanda Pushkar murder: Amar Singh questioned

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Delhi Police Wednesday questioned former Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh as part of its ongoing probe into the murder of Sunanda Pushkar, wife of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor.

Amar Singh was questioned at south Delhi’s Vasant Vihar police station for about two hours.

Amar Singh told media that he was questioned by the Special Investigating Team (SIT) of Delhi Police for about two hours following his earlier statement.

Original preamble did not have ‘secular’, ‘socialist’: Minister

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The original preamble of the Constitution did not have the words “socialist” and “secular”, said Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore Wednesday.

The government has been criticised over a Republic Day advertisement, which showed the preamble without the two words.

The minister said a picture of the original preamble was used for the advertisement to “honour” it.

Kate Moss makes grand entrance at party

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When it comes to making a glamorous entry, supermodel Kate Moss doesn’t miss a chance. She arrived at a birthday party after splashing out 6,000 pounds on a private helicopter.

The model was cheered when she touched down at the Craigellachie Hotel in the Scottish Highlands with her husband Jamie Hince, celebrating nutritionist Rose Ferguson’s birthday Sunday, while fellow guests Noel Gallagher, Nick Grimshaw and Sadie Frost headed to the venue on budget airline flights from London’s Gatwick.

Interim report on MH370 to be published March 7

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Malaysian authorities will publish a preliminary report on the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 March 7, a day before the first anniversary of the incident, officials said Wednesday.

The report will be posted on the website of the department of civil aviation, said Deputy Transport Minister Aziz Kaprawi.

“We have not concluded on the status of the plane, as the search is still on-going,” the New Straits Times quoted him as saying.

Mick Jagger’s daughter makes Mulberry debut

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Model Georgia May Jagger, daughter of Rolling Stones rocker Mick Jagger, has made her first appearance for British label Mulberry in their new Spring campaign.

The 23-year-old has been unveiled as the face of the luxury label’s Spring advertisements which aim to give the impression of “an impromptu photo shoot set up in a country house”, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

She stuns in the photos from the campaign which sees her posing next to a silver tea set, ornamental arm chairs and carrying the brand’s Delphie bag in a traditional-looking British sitting room.

US state executes prisoner with reported mental disability

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The US state of Georgia has executed Warren Hill, a prisoner with reported intellectual disabilities who was sentenced to death for the murder of his cellmate in 1990.

Hill, a 54-year-old African-American, was executed with a lethal injection at Jackson prison Tuesday, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections.

Minutes before the execution, the US Supreme Court denied a stay of execution requested by the defence on grounds of Hill’s intellectual disability.

60 percent of type 2 diabetes preventable: Austrian experts

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Type 2 diabetes is preventable in up to 60 percent of cases if early signs are recognised and acted upon, experts have said.

“Eight percent of the Austrian population suffers from diabetes but only two-thirds know they have it,” Xinhua news agency quoted Vienna General Hospital’s Thomas Stulnig as saying in a press conference Tuesday.

He added that late diagnosis leads to enormous health costs and 20 percent of patients have long-term damage by the time of diagnosis.

Fairfax plans modernization of Secunderabad Railway Station

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Canada-listed Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd, which plans to invest around $1 billion in India, has prepared a plan for modernization of Secunderabad Railway Station here.

A delegation of Fairfax officials led by chairman and CEO Prem Watsa met Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao to discuss its plans for making Secunderabad Railway Station a world-class facility.

The firm also evinced interest in investing in other sectors in the newly-created state, said a statement from the chief minister’s office.

Armed group releases 280 children in South Sudan

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A group of 280 children, some formerly recruited by an armed group in South Sudan, were released Tuesday, the Unicef said.

“The first group of 280 children were released today, at the village of Gumuruk in Jonglei State, eastern South Sudan. Further phased releases of the other children will occur over the coming month,” said Unicef, which helped to secure the children’s release, according to Xinhua.

Delhi Police official booked for raping daughter-in-law

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An assistant commissioner of police posted in north Delhi was booked for allegedly raping his daughter-in-law here, police said Tuesday.

Police said a case was registered at south Delhi’s Vasant Kunj Police Station Monday, after the woman alleged that her father-in-law raped her in May last year. The accused official, who was not named in order to protect the victim’s identity, has not been arrested yet.

Iraq to probe massacre of 70 civilians

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The governor of Iraqi province of Diyala announced Tuesday that a high-level security committee will be formed to investigate what he called the human horrific massacre involving more than 70 civilians, including women and children, in a village.

Unidentified gunmen killed more than 70 unarmed civilians of Barwanah village in Diyala after they fled clashes with Islamic State (IS) militants, a source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The source added that it was too soon to draw conclusions and suggested IS could have been behind the deaths in the village.

Coal block case: Court allows CBI plea to delete witness name

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A Delhi court Tuesday allowed a plea of the CBI seeking deletion of the name of chartered accountant Navin Kumar Tulsyan as a prosecution witness in a coal block allocation case.

Special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Judge Bharat Parashar passed the order after the probe agency pleaded that since the court Jan 20 had summoned Tulsyan as an accused, his name was required to be deleted from the list of prosecution witnesses filed earlier.

Tulsyan was summoned as an accused along with former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda and others.

Fidel Castro cautiously backs normalisation of US ties

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Former Cuban president Fidel Castro has broken his silence for the first time on normalising ties with the US, supporting the development with a touch of caution.

In a message to students at the University of Havana, he said he did not trust US policy, although he supported negotiations and peaceful solution to conflicts in accordance with international standards, Efe news agency reported.

Would like to work on public health in India: Obama

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US President Barack Obama said Tuesday that that he and his wife Michelle would like to work on public health issues in India, including the issue of obesity.

Obama, who addressed a special episode of “Mann Ki Baat” radio programme here with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was answering a question on whether he and the US First Lady would like to work on health issues in India like philanthropist couple Bill and Melinda Gates.