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.

Actor Kota Srinivasa Rao gets Padma Shri

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Veteran Telugu actor Kota Srinivasa Rao was Sunday named for the Padma Shri award on the eve of 66th Republic Day.

Born in 1947, Kota, who started his acting career in theatre, made his cinematic debut in 1978 Telugu film “Pranam Khareedu”.

Having started his career in brief character and comic roles, Kota went on to become one of the finest villains and supporting actor of Telugu filmdom.

He is popular for speaking Telugu in different dialects flawlessly.

Having starred in over 500 films in a career spanning over three decades, he has also worked in a few films in Tamil.

Filmmaker Jahnu Barua conferred Padma Bhushan

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Assamese director Jahnu Barua has been named for the Padma Bhushan honour, announced on the eve of the 66th Republic Day.

He will receive the award for his contribution to art over the years.

Barua, who has made National Award-winning films like “And the River Flows” and “Aparoopa” in his mother tongue, had earlier told IANS that he enjoys making Assamese films more as he “can concentrate on the content”.

Proud of his roots, the director who has been in the industry for over three decades, also wants fellow filmmakers to explore the northeast region for shooting purpose.

Chai pe charcha moment in Modi, Obama talks

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It was the “Chai pe Charcha” moment in Indian diplomacy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, known for his innovative and more personal approach to diplomatic engagements, Sunday took a stroll with US President Barack Obama in the neatly manicured lawns of Hyderabad House and also poured him a cup of tea – all without any aides.

Wrestling coach Satpal gets Padma Bhushan; Sardar, Sindhu Padma Shri

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Former Asian Games gold medal-winning wrestler Satpal, who also coached inspirational Sushil Kumar, was Sunday named for the prestigious Padma Bhushan award, while national hockey team captain Sardar Singh and two-time badminton World Championships bronze medallist P.V. Sinhdu were among the five sportspersons chosen for this year’s Padma Shri awards.

Mukherjee hosts Obama to sumptuous dinner

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A lavish and sumptuous menu with dishes reflecting a variety of Indian cuisine awaited US President Barack Obama at the banquet hosted by President Pranab Mukherjee Sunday evening.

The dinner had both non-vegetarian and vegetarian dishes.

The main course included mustard fish curry, chicken korma, gushtaba, roast leg of lamb, mutton rogan josh (all non-vegetarian dishes) and kadhi pakori, dal raisina, achari paneer, chhole, haak ka saag, chaunka matar and bedmi aloo (all vegetarian dishes).

Delhi turned fortress as Obama arrives for R-Day

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Over 20,000 policemen guarded the US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle on the first day of his three-day visit here, an official said Sunday.

Policemen, including paramilitary personnel, were deployed on the routes Obama’s 60-vehicle cavalcade took in the city.

Several roads leading to the ITC Maurya Hotel, where Obama will stay, and the Rashtrapati Bhavan remained out of bounds for public for several hours.

Padma Shri a pleasant surprise: P.V. Sindhu

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Top Indian shuttler P.V. Sindhu was happily surprised when she got to know that she will be conferred India’s fourth highest civilian honour – the Padma Shri — and said the award will only motivate her to do better in the future.

“It feels really good. I am really happy to get this award. This will further motivate me to do better and win more matches and tournaments. My family is also very happy. I really did not expect this honour and it comes as a very pleasant surprise,” Sindhu told IANS over the phone from Hyderabad.

Four spiritual leaders conferred Padma award

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Jagat Guru Ramanandacharya Swami Rambhadracharya and three other spiritual leaders, including a NRI in Portugal, were Sunday conferred with Padma awards.

Swami Rambhadracharya, from Uttar Pradesh, was among the nine awarded India’s second highest civilian honour, the Padam Vibhushan.

Swami Satyamitranand Giri from Uttar Pradesh, and Shivakumara Swami from Karnataka were among the 20 recipients of the Padma Bhushan, a home ministry release said.

Jagat Guru Amrta Suryananda Maha Raja, who is based in Portugal, was among the 75 recipients of the Padma Shri award.

(IANS)

India faces no pressure to curb carbon emission: Modi

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday said the US-China climate deal imposed no pressure on India to roll back its carbon emission, but described climate change as a “bigger pressure” that warranted action from all.

“It’s my feeling that the agreement, that has just been concluded between the United States and China does not impose any pressure on us,” Modi said in response to a question at a joint media meet with US President Barack Obama following their summit-level talks.

Borders sealed for R-Day in northern West Bengal

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Elaborate security arrangements have been put in place across northern West Bengal including sealing the international borders with Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh ahead of Republic Day.

To prevent any untoward incident including militant attacks, security personnel are keeping vigil, while quick response teams have been put on standby.

At least 100 vehicles mounted with thermal imaging cameras have been put into service while dog squads and CCTV cameras have been put up at strategic locations.

30 policemen killed in Philippines

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At least 30 Philippine policemen were killed in a gun battle with alleged members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and Moro Islamic Liberation Front in the province of Maguindanao Sunday.

Police said the clashes occurred in the early hours of the day in Mamasapano town.

Restituto Padilla, spokesperson of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said army soldiers were later deployed to retrieve the body of the slain policemen. He said the military retrieved bodies of “nine out of the more than 30 (policemen) killed”.

Pakistani militants may attack Odisha on R-Day: Officials

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Odisha has received intelligence inputs that Pakistani militants may attack the state on Republic Day, officials said Sunday.

“We have sounded a high alert in all districts after receiving intelligence inputs that Pakistani groups are trying to attack the state. We have asked all police superintendents to be on alert, while the coastal security has been strengthened,” said Director General of Police Sanjeev Marik.

Security has been beefed up across Odisha as Maoists decided to observe Jan 26 as a ‘black day’ in five districts, protesting the visit of US President Barack Obama.

Morocco to play friendly against Uruguay in March

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The Moroccan football team will play a friendly match with Uruguay March 28, the country’s football federation announced Sunday.

The match will be played in Agadir, a resort on the Atlantic coast, reports Xinhua. Morocco cancelled a friendly match with Brazil which was scheduled to take place next March in Agadir.

The match was cancelled because the Moroccan Royal Football Federation president Fouzi Lakjaa refused to pay the $4 million needed to bring the Brazilian team.

Obama visit: Officials too face security heat

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Common citizens were not the only ones who faced problems due to the unprecedented security net cast around Hyderabad House and areas near India Gate in the national capital before the India-US summit level talks.

Eyewitnesses said Indian Ambassador to the United States S. Jaishanker and Joint Secretary (America) Vinay Kwatra of the External Affairs Ministry had a tough time getting into the venue for the talks.

Jaishanker was heard telling police personnel that “the prime minister was waiting for me inside”, but to no avail.

Nine killed in Baghdad bomb attacks

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At least nine people were killed and 27 others wounded in bomb attacks Sunday targeting restaurants in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, police said.

In one attack, five people were killed and 12 others wounded when a bomb hidden in a plastic bag detonated in a restaurant in Bab al-Sharji area in Baghdad, Xinhua quoted a police source as saying.

Another bomb went off near a restaurant in al-Sibaa area, killing three people and wounding eight others, the source said.

A third bomb ripped through a restaurant in Habibiyah area, killing a civilian and wounding seven people.

Vote enthusiastically in Delhi polls: Najeeb Jung

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Hoisting the Tricolour on the eve of the 66th Republic Day, Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung Sunday appealed to the people of Delhi to participate enthusiastically in the Feb 7 Delhi assembly polls.

“We are at the cusp of welcoming a new elected government and I sincerely appeal to all the voters of Delhi to participate wholly and enthusiastically in the electoral process,” Jung said on this occasion at Chhatrasal Stadium.

Jung said Delhi was emerging as a healthcare hub and appealed to the residents to make the city friendly and secure for women.

Effort fails to raise AirAsia plane fuselage

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A fresh attempt to raise the fuselage of AirAsia flight QZ8501, which crashed into the Java Sea last month killing all 162 on board, failed Sunday after it was considered to be too fragile to be lifted, a media report said.

Rear Admiral Widodo, the Indonesian admiral in charge of operations to recover the crashed plane, said the bid to recover the wreckage failed as it kept breaking into pieces, BBC reported.

An initial effort to raise the fuselage, which is at a depth of 30 metres, failed Saturday after ropes around it snapped under the weight of water.

UP, Punjab aim to register first HIL win

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Uttar Pradesh Wizards are all geared up to face Punjab Warriors in a Hero Hockey India League (HIL) encounter at the Hockey Stadium here Monday.

In their opening matches, where Wizards met Delhi Waveriders and Warriors played against Dabang Mumbai, both the teams played draws, splitting the points with their respective opponents.

In the impending game Monday, both Wizards and Warriors will look to play their best, attacking the opponents’ goalpost while defending their own and register a win.

Andhra, USTDA sign MoU to develop Vizag as smart city

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The Andhra Pradesh government and US Trade Development Agency Sunday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the development of Visakhapatnam as smart city.

The MoU was signed in the national capital on the first day of US President Barack Obama’s three-day visit to India.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary I.Y.R. Krisha Rao and US Trade Development Agency (USTDA) director Leocadia I. Zac signed the MoU in presence of Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu and various officials of the US and Indian governments.

Shuttler Kashyap wins Syed Modi title

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India’s third seed Parupalli Kashyap defeated top seed and compatriot Kidambi Srikanth to win the men’s singles title of the $120,000 Syed Modi International Badminton Championships here Sunday.

Kashyap won the match 23-21, 23-21 in 52 minutes at the Babu Banarasi Das Indoor Stadium.

(IANS)

Telangana CM drops deputy, inducts Srihari

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In swift political developments, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao Sunday dropped his deputy T. Rajaiah from cabinet and inducted MP Kadiam Srihari in his place.

Rao dropped Rajaiah, who was holding the medical and health portfolio, from the cabinet in the wake of criticism that the health department failed to take immediate steps to check spread of swine flu, which has claimed over 20 lives so far. There were also allegations of corruption in the health minister’s office.

Mrs Obama Apart, Bibhu Mohapatra is a Favourite With Other Celebrities Too

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Michelle Obama thrilled India by arriving in New Delhi wearing Rourkela-born Bibhu Mohapatra. However, this isn’t the first time Mrs Obama has stepped out wearing the New York-based designer. She wore a spectacular pale yellow knee-length dress with navy brush strokes to The Jay Leno Show in 2012, as well as a floor-length white gown with black gauze and sequin detailing at the Black Caucus Foundation Annual Phoenix Awards dinner in September 2014.

Don’t make religion a cause for conflict: President

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President Pranab Mukherjee Sunday said political discourse that “cuts and wounds” people’s hearts was “abhorrent” to India’s traditional ethos.

In his customary address to the nation on the eve of Republic Day, Mukherjee said: “The freedom inherent in democracy sometimes generates an unhappy by-product when political discourse becomes a competition in hysteria that is abhorrent to our traditional ethos.”

“The violence of the tongue cuts and wounds people’s hearts,” he added.

Scientists find protein in coffee with effect like morphine

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Researchers at the University of Brasilia (UnB) and Brazil’s state-owned agriculture and livestock research company Embrapa have discovered a protein in coffee with effects similar to morphine.

Embrapa’s genetics and biotechnology resources division and the UnB successfully “identified previously unknown fragments of protein — peptides — in coffee that have an effect similar to morphine, in other words they have an analgesic and sedative activity,” a statement from Embrapa said Saturday.

Present Odisha sarees to Michelle Obama, Modi urged

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Senior Congress leader from Odisha, Niranjan Patnaik Sunday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to present Sambalpuri and silk sarees of the state to US First Lady Michelle Obama.

The former Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president has made the suggestion in his email to Modi.

“I have come across media reports that India will present about 100 elegant sarees and exquisite silk clothes from Banaras to the US first lady Michelle Obama. I suggest that the prime minister kindly consider including choicest fabrics from all across the country, including Odisha,” Patnaik said in his email.