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India-Turkey hold bilateral talks today

  India will have extensive bilateral talks today with Turkey. Talks will be on a range of bilateral and regional issues which may include deliberations on situation in West Asia and ways to counter threat of terrorism as well as multilateral and regional issues are likely to be discussed during the talks. “Strengthening bridges with Ankara. EAM @SushmaSwaraj receives FM of Turkey, @MevlutCavusoglu in Delhi,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu will hold wide-ranging talks.    This is the first official visit to India of Cavusoglu who was in India on a transit halt last year when he met Sushma Swaraj. “The entire gamut of bilateral relations as well as multilateral and regional issues are likely to be discussed during the talks,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said. “We hope the visit of the Turkish Foreign Minister will further strengthen our bilateral ties,” he added. Mr Cavusoglu will also call on Vice President Hamid Ansari today. During his three-day visit, the Turkish Foreign Minister is also scheduled to visit Hyderabad on August 20 to open the Turkish Consulate building.

Sindhu will be playing for Olympic Gold!

  PV Sindhu made history for Indian badminton when she reached the final of the women’s singles event after beating Nozomi Okuhara 21-19, 21-10 in the semi-final and assure herself and country of a silver medal. This will be the first time India will have a silver place finish in badminton after Saina Nehwal had notched a bronze in the London Olympics four years back. Celebrations broke out at Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy in Hyderabad on Thursday night as P.V. Sindhu's parents, relatives and friends erupted in joy after the Indian badminton star created history by storming into the women's singles final at the Rio Olympics.   Elated over the powerful performance of their daughter, especially in the second set, the couple is confident that she will bag the gold medal. "If she plays like this in the finalshe will definitely bring the gold medal," said a beaming Ramna amid loud cheers by budding players at the academy. "Weknow how Gopichand worked hard and always encouraged her. His only ambition was that we have to win a medal better than what others have won so far," said Sindhu's father. She will take on world No 1 Carolina Marin in the final clash on Friday.

Sonia Gandhi Hospitalized again

  Just two days after she was discharged following treatment for illness and a shoulder injury, Congress President Sonia Gandhi has been admitted to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital again for a medical check-up. According to reports, hospital sources said there is nothing serious. "She is here for a check-up and review of the procedure conducted recently for her dislocatedleft shoulder,". The 69-year-old leader who was admitted to the Hospital on August 3 after she fell ill and injured her shoulder during a road show in Varanasi, came for removal of her stitches from the surgery. ``It was a routine check-up as had been advised when she was discharged last week," the source added and said that she is likely to stay at the hospital for a couple of days. The Congress chief was shifted to the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital from the Army Research and Referral Hospital, where she was rushed soon after her arrival from Varanasi around midnight of August 2.  She was discharged from SGRH on Sunday after spending 11 days there.

Digvijay Singh calls J&K as 'India occupied Kashmir'

  In a huge embarrassment to the congress party, the senior leader of the party, Digvijay Singh  referred to Jammu and Kashmir as ‘India-occupied Kashmir’ in his remarks to the media, before he clarified when queried by a reporter. Making controversial statements or remaining in the news for wrong reasons is nothing new for Congress leader. Digvijaya later clarified that he meant to say PoK and that "Kashmir is an integral part of India."  he said first: “Narendra Modi thinks more about Pak-occupied Kashmir. He congratulates people from Balochistan. But he is not ready to talk to the people of Kashmir in India. First, we have to create confidence in Kashmir, be it India-occupied Kashmir or Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. If we have to build trust in people, then it is only possible through talks. The situation will not improve with this confrontationist remarks of the Prime Minister. It will only worsen.” And then, just as he was about to leave, a reporter questions him as to why he said ‘India-occupied Kashmir.’ Realising the faux-pas, he clarified, “No, I meant the Kashmir in India. I said he does not think about the Kashmir in India, only about Pak-occupied Kashmir. Kashmir is an integral part of India.”

PM attends Bhumi Puja of new BJP headquarters

  Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah today attended the ‘Bhoomi Poojan’ for the new Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office at a two-acre plot on Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, near the busy ITO cross-junction., saying the "sacrifice of generation of party workers inspires us to work". "Sacrifice of generations of karyakartas (workers) inspire us to work," Modi said after laying the foundation stone of the new party office. It will be a 70-room building. The new headquarters is being built barely 5 km from the party’s present national headquarters, at 11 Ashoka Road in Lutyens’ Delhi, which the BJP leadership feels is now inadequate for a rapidly growing organisation.   The new building is expected to be inaugurated in another two years on Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s birthday  December 25. Apart from offices for important leaders of the BJP organisation, the new office will have two conference halls, eight small halls with video-conferencing facilities to connect the headquarter with BJP’s state offices. Moreover, there will be a cafeteria serving cuisine from across the country. As per layout, all rooms of the new BJP headquarter will allow maximum entry of natural light and solar panels will be installed on the terrace. There will also be rain water harvesting facility.

Most photographed tigeress dies at Ranthambore

  India's most famous tiger, photographed by thousands of tourists over the years at Ranthambore National Park, died on Thursday, days after the ageing animal stopped eating. She was 19 years old. Machli, the longest surviving tigress in the wild, died on Thursday after being critically ill for more than a week. Machali had been the star attraction of Ranthambore National Park for years because of her seemingly calm nature and penchant for posing for cameras, and she even had her own Facebook page. Often touted as the ‘Queen of Ranthambore’, the tigress was hardly moving or eating anything during the last few days. According to reports, a team of veterinary doctors and forest officials were “monitoring” her condition for the past week.   "We were trying to provide her treatment but she died. It was a natural death linked to her age," Ranthambore tiger project director Yogesh Kumar Sahu said. The tigress, who reportedly gave birth to eleven tiger cubs in her lifetime, was confined to a small section of the Ranthambore park during her last few days. Machli crossed the average life expectancy of tigers which stands at 12-13 years.  She was also famous for her  fight with a 14-foot-long crocodile that has become one of the most remembered and memorable incidents.

Smriti Irani in a new controvery

  Smriti Irani seems to be controversy's favorite child. The BJP leader who was on 5 July moved from the Human Resource Development ministry to the Textiles ministry as part of the cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seems to be at loggerheads with a senior bureaucrat in her new Ministry. The situation involving her and her most senior bureaucrat Rashmi Verma is so huge that with even the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) stepping in to resolve the differences. According to sources, she has issued more than two dozen notes overthe last two days, seeking Textiles Secretary Verma’s response on a range of issues from the procedural and the administrative to those related to policy.   Sources said Irani was, for instance, upset with a file not being sent directly to her but being routed via Verma. According to another report, Irani has differences with Verma over aspects of the Rs 6,000-crore apparel and textile package cleared bythe Cabinet on 22 June. They also disagreed on the preparations for a textile summit which was scheduled to be held in October. When contacted, Verma denied any conflict with the minister. Asked about the notes issued by the Minister, she said, “I do not want to comment on this. It is usual communication. She has sought briefing on certain programmes.”

VK Singh victimised me says Army Chief

In a startling revelation,the current Army chief Dalbir Singh Suhag has accused Union minister VK Singhof imposing an “illegal ban” under “false, baseless and imaginary allegations” when the latter was heading India’s army in 2012. This is the first instance of a serving Army chief speaking out against a predecessor and a serving minister. In his affidavit, Suhag alleged that VK Singh victimised him. Singh had slapped a ban on Suhag in 2012 for allegedly botching up an operation in Assam's Jorhat in 2011. Suhag's charges come a day after Singh's wife, Bharti, filed a police complaint against a man, alleging that he has been trying to extort Rs 2 crore by blackmailing her with "doctored" audio-video clips to defame her husband. In an affidavit submitted in his personal capacity to the Supreme Court Wednesday, General Dalbir Singh has said that in 2012 “I was sought to be victimised by the then COAS” General V K Singh “with the sole purposeof denying me promotion to the appointment of Army Commander”. Dalbir Singh's promotion was finally cleared by General Bikram Singh who reversed the ban after taking over from VK Singh in 2012.

Paralyzed bride dances on her Wedding day

Jaquie Goncher, was just 17 years old when she broke her neck in an accident at a friend's swimming pool and was left paralyzed. "I never accepted the doctor's reports," she told, referring to the reports which said that she will never be able to walk again. Things changed when she became engaged to Andy Goncher, her boyfriend of two years. "I really wanted to enjoy my wedding without the wheelchair," she said. Through intense physical therapy over the years, Goncher had regained some movement in her limbs. She had gotten to the point where she could stand and walk around a bit if she held onto a wall.   But about four months before her wedding she wanted to be able to do more. She not only wanted to walk down the aisle but also wanted to dance with her husband. The newlywed stunned her wedding guests when she walked down the aisle and danced on her wedding night, nearly eight years after being paralyzed in a swimming pool accident. This did not come easy as she went through a really hard and grueling physical therapy for an entire year to turn her dream into a mesmerizing reality. Doing planks and lifting weights, crunching abs and pushing leg machines and learning to maintain the balance, this is everything Jaquie did to walk again.

Taking selfies in train?You could be jailed for 5yrs

  Are you one of those people who loves clicking selfies? Especially while your train speeds past some spectacular landscape? then you might need to curb your passion soon. As this could now earn you five years behind bars. It's time to give up the habit for they may end up paying a hefty penalty. Indian Railways has identified selfie-taking and cards as a major nuisance, and is proposing to make these offences punishable with jail term or a penalty. For this, railway authorities are proposing amendment in the Railway Act so that violators can be dealt with strictly. In recent times a number of deaths have been reported while people trying to click selfies.   It was noticed that the victims either fell down the moving train or were run over by approaching trains while taking a selfie. As per the proposal, violators can be booked for endangering public life or causing nuisance on railway premises. To begin with, prosecution against selfies will start in Gujarat and later it will be implemented in other railway divisions. As a long-term measure, existing laws will be amended to deal with the nuisance. The proposal will shortly be sent to the Home Ministry for approval.

World's largest aircraft takes off

  The Airlander 10, the world's longest aircraft has made its maiden voyage from Cardington Airfield in Bedfordshire.  The 302-foot (92-meter) Airlander 10 rose slowly into the air from Cardington airfield, 45 miles (73 kilometers) north of London. The Airlander 10 was first developed for the US government as a surveillance aircraft but the project was shelved amid defence cutbacks. British firm Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV) launched a campaign to return the Airlander 10 to the skies in May last year.   The aircraft's maiden flight was originally scheduled for Sunday, but was postponed due to a technical problem.   The Airlander, made by British company Hybrid Air Vehicles, has four engines and no internal structure. It maintains its shape thanks to the pressure of the 38,000 cubic meters of helium inside its hull, which is made from ultralight carbon fiber. The Airlander is designed to use less fuel than a plane, but carry heavier loads than conventional airships. Its developer, Hybrid Air Vehicles, says it can reach 16,000 feet (4,900 meters), travel at up to 90 mph (148 kph) and stay aloft for up to two weeks. The Airlander has a significantly lower carbon footprint than other forms of air transportation, and the team behind it hopes it will be used in a wide range of commercial jobs. They said the aircraft could carry communications equipment or other cargo, undertake search and rescue operations, or do military and commercial survey work.

Sakshi wins India's first Medal at Rio Olympics

  Ending the country's drought at the medal's tally at the ongoing Rio Olympics, wrestler Sakshi Malik made history yesterday when, with her bronze medal win in the women’s 58kg freestyle wrestling, she became the first Indian female wrestler to win an Olympic medal. In the bronze medal match, Sakshi was up against Aisuluu Tynybekova of Kyrgystan, who seemed to be the toughest opponent yet. Sakshi was thoroughly outplayed. She conceded a one-point penalty for not being able to complete a takedown and then conceded four more by being forced off the mat. Down 0-5 at the start of the second period, Sakshi had a mountain to climb.   But suddenly, she looked like a changed wrestler. Being 0-5 down was not the first time she had been the underdog. “You have to fight, fight, fight, if you want to achieve something”, she had once said and she did just that. The scoreboard had changed within a minute from 0-5 to 7-5. From being the second best in her country till three months ago, from being overshadowed even in the Olympics, from a deficit of 0-5 down, this 23-year-old Rohtak girl had found it in herself to fight back. Sakshi Malik had clinched the bronze medal with a 8-5 scoreline. The Haryana government has also announced a cash prize of 2.5 Cr and also a government job for Sakshi.

No more new liquors shops in Delhi

Arvind Kejriwal, the Delhi Chief Minister today announced that no new liquor shop with a government licence will be opened in the national capital this year. "No new liquor shops will be opened in Delhi this year. As far as the existing shops are concerned, the Mohalla Sabhas will take the final call if a particular shop needs to be relocated," Kejriwal said in a press conference.At these meetings, there should at least be 15 per cent neighbourhood voters and a third of the gathering should be women. A decision needs to be backed by a two-thirds majority. "Many people are troubled by liquor vends in their localities as people drink publicly, create nuisance. Women feel unsafe to venture out as they feel unsafe in such an environment.   So we have taken these two decisions," Kejriwal said. He also said that owners and managers of liquor vends would be acted against if there are reports of nuisance in the vicinity of their stores. The Delhi government approved the formation of 2,972 mohalla sabhas in June, describing it as a step towards strengthening local governance. AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, conspicuously silent ever since returning from his vipassana, has broken his silence and unleashed a verbal assault on the Modi government and the Adani group. Congress was in Ambani's pockets and the Modi government is in Adani's pocket, he said.

Team India is now World No.1 in Tests!

  The Indian Test team, has displaced Australia as the table toppers in the latest Test cricket rankings. The Indian cricket team has moved back to No 1 on the ICC table for Test teams on Wednesday, following Sri Lanka's 163-run win over Australia in Colombo. India can hold onto their numero uno status with victory over West Indies in the fourth and final Test starting tomorrow in Port of Spain, which would give them a 3-0 series win and keep them on 112 points. Australia had arrived in Colombo in number-one position on 118 points.   But following losses by 106 runs in Pallekele, 229 runs in Galle and 163 runs in Colombo, They have joined England on 108 points but ranked above Alastair Cook’s side, while Sri Lanka have jumped to 95 points. Australia’s drop means India have become the number-one ranked side on the ICC Test Team Rankings, while Pakistan have moved into the second position  just one point behind.  For Pakistan, this is the second time in less than a year that they have peaked to number-two position. After defeating England by 2-0 last year in the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan had risen to second position for the first time since the current rankings system was introduced in 2003.

For brilliant Olympic show, Dipa to get Khel Ratna

  Owing to her splendid show at the Rio Olympics, Gymnast Dipa Karmakar is most likely to be conferred with the country's highest sporting honour, Khel Ratna. Dipa created history last week when she became the first Indian gymnast to qualify for the final of the women's vault final. Opinions were divided after she broke the barrier - many thought she had already done enough but others still felt she had a genuine shot at a medal. Up against American Simone Biles and other top gymnasts from the world, Dipa held her nerves and procured 15.266 points when she pulled off the produnova in front of an awestruck audience. She was third on the table but Biles' remarkable effort saw the Indian slip down to fourth.   According to reports, she will be receiving the award from President Pranab Mukherjee on National Sports Day. Shooter Jitu Rai, who qualified for the 10m air pistol event and finished eighth, has also been recommended for the Khel Ratna. Indian vice-captain and middle-order mainstay Ajinkya Rahane will be the only cricketer to get an Arjuna Award this year. Dipa's childhood trainer Bisweshwar Nandi is likely to get the Dronacharya Award, the highest honour for coaches. "Dipa has made India proud and brought glory to its name. She has achieved the feat through her determination. Lack of resources never came in her way," said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

89 DMK MLAs suspended from TN assembly

  In a shocking incident in the Tamil Nadu assembly, all the 89 DMK MLAs were evicted and suspended for a week from the assembly by the Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal for continuous disruption of proceedings.The party alleged biased action by the Speaker who ordered the eviction of the DMK members and accused Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa of creating conditions similar to the Emergency of the 70s. "Opposition members need to be treated with respect and decorum, these are people's elected representatives," said DMK spokesperson Manu Raj Sundaram. Various television channels have been playing visuals of DMK treasurer MK Stalin being carried out of the Assembly by marshals, in what looks like scenes of high drama. The Leader of the Opposition M K Stalin and all DMK legislators, who attended the Legislative Assembly session on Wednesday, were en masse evicted from the House following a commotion over a mocking remark made by an AIADMK legislator on Mr Stalin’s Nammaku Naame road show.    Following their eviction, Finance Minister and Leader of the House O. Panneerselvam moved a resolution seeking the suspension of all DMK legislators alleging that they were disrupting the proceedings. Stalin told reporters that the eviction and suspension of the DMK MLAs was a planned action to prevent them from raising issues during the demand for debate for grants to the Home Department, which is being handled by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.

Sri Sri's event destroyed Yamuna riverbed:Experts

  In yet another set back to the Art of Living foundation, a National Green Tribunal (NGT) appointed committee of experts said that the cultural festival hosted by the spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's organisation completely destroyed the riverbed of Yamuna. "The committee observes that entire floodplain area used for the main event site i.e. between DND flyover and the Barapulla drain (on the right bank of river Yamuna) has been completely destroyed, not simply damaged. The ground is now totally levelled, compacted and hardened and is totally devoid of water bodies or depressions and almost completely devoid of any vegetation,"  the report submitted on July 28 said.   The committee headed by Justice Swatanter Kumar noted that due to the three-day event, the floodplain has lost "almost all its natural vegetation" like trees, shrubs, tall grasses, aquatic vegetation including water hyacinth, which provides habitat to large number of animals, insects and mud-dwelling organisms. Speaking to the newspaper, The Art of Living has refuted the report and said that the NGT is yet to hear their application for reconstitution of the commitee and the allegations of environmental damage are unscientific, biased and unsustianable. The NGT will hear the matter next on September 28.

British era bunker found in Raj Bhavan

  A 150-metre British-era Bunker spread over 5,000 square feet and has 13 rooms of different sizes has been discovered at Raj Bhavan. Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao has discovered the underground British era bunker inside the Raj Bhavan complex at Malabar Hill. Officials from Raj Bhavan said the bunker had been closed for several decades. Between 1820 and 1885, officials said, Britishers used the place as a hunting lodge. The bunker has a passageway that runs till the jetty at Raj Bhavan. They said they will need to dig into the history of the Raj Bhavan to cull out more information about it. The bunker opens with a 20-foot-tall gate and a ramp on the western side. There are long passages and small to medium rooms on either side.   There are also rooms bearing names like shell store, gun shell, cartridge store, shell lift, pump and workshop.  The Governor, who visited the bunker along with his wife and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis Tuesday, has decided to consult experts from various fields regarding its preservation. “About three months ago, when the Governor was informed by old timers that a tunnel exists inside Raj Bhavan, the Governor asked to have it opened,” said an official. On August 12, the staff of the Public Works Department at Raj Bhavan broke open a temporary wall that closed the entrance to the bunker on the eastern side, the official said in a statement.

Army canteens are the biggest retailers in India

  Leaving the bigger brands like Future group (of which even Big Bazaar is a part of), and Reliance Retail far behind, the Army canteens have become the most profitable retailers in the country. The Canteen Stores Department (CSD), which, incidentally, is a not-for-profitorganisation, earned Rs 236 crore during FY14-15, according to a Right to Information query. Comparatively, Avenue Supermart, which runs D'Mart stores, made a profit of Rs 211crore that year, Future Retail made Rs 153 crore and Reliance Retail Rs 159 crore. CSD's operating margin is 1%, which it claims on its website is lowest for any retailer in the world. For most consumer product and liquor companies, CSD accounts for 5-7% of their total volume sales.     It is the biggest customer across South Asia for Hindustan Unilever, the country's largest FMCG company, and United Spirits Ltd. A spokeswoman for USL, India's largest liquor company, said CSD is very important, especially for premium scotch brands such as Johnnie Walker and Black Dog. "For any company, a channel as big as CSD is surely their first priority and the company would want to stock its products immediately," said the company's senior official.