Indian home minister Rajnath Singh will be travelling to Pakistan as per schedule, sources at the ministry of external affairs said today. This is despite Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed&#39;s warning of a countrywide protest by his outfit. 
 
Singh is scheduled to visit Pakistan on August 3, to attend a SAARC ministerial conference. 
 
Accusing Singh of being &quot;responsible for the killings of innocent Kashmiris&quot;, JuD chief Hafiz Saeed has warned of a countrywide protest in Pakistan if the Indian minister travels to the country.&nbsp;Sources, however, said, &quot;The visit is on track. India attains highest priority to SAARC. The visit is strictly to abide by our SAARC commitments.&quot;&nbsp;They also said that the host country (Pakistan) is responsible for the home minister&#39;s security. 
 
The alleged mastermind of the 2008 terror attack in western city of Mumbai in a statement said, &quot;If Singh comes to Islamabad on August 3, the JuD would hold countrywide protest to tell the world that the Pakistani rulers might have compulsions to receive Kashmiris&#39; killers, but the people of Pakistan are siding with oppressed Kashmiris.&quot; 
 
&quot;I want to ask the Pakistani government will it add insult to injury to the wounds of Kashmiris by welcoming Rajnath who is responsible for the killings of innocent Kashmiris,&quot; he said.&nbsp;&quot;It will be ironical, as on the one hand the whole Pakistani nation is protesting against the Indian atrocities in Kashmir, and on the other hand the Pakistani rulers will be garlanding Singh,&quot; said the statement . 
 
External affairs ministry has also made it clear that there will be no bilateral meeting between Singh and Pakistani leaders during his visit on August 3 and 4. 
 
India and Pakistan are witnessing growing bitterness after Pakistan and its Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif made provocative statements on the Kashmir situation in the wake of Hizbul Mujahideen leader Burhan Wani&#39;s killing on July 8. 
 
Not only did Sharif praise Wani but he also remarked that &quot;Kashmir will one day become Pakistan&quot;, a comment which evoked a sharp reaction from External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, who said his dream of the state becoming a part of his country &quot;will not be realised even at the end of eternity&quot;. 
 
Further needling India, Pakistan has demanded an independent inquiry into the &quot;extrajudicial&quot; killing of Wani, and claimed that the denial of &quot;plebiscite&quot; to Kashmiri people was behind the flare-up in the Valley. 
 
(DNA)

Singh will be travelling to Pakistan as per schedule, despite JuD chief Hafiz Saeed's warnings of a countrywide protest by his outfit

Indian home minister Rajnath Singh will be travelling to Pakistan as per schedule, sources at the ministry of external affairs said today. This is despite Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed's warning of a countrywide protest by his outfit. Singh is scheduled to visit Pakistan on August 3, to attend a SAARC ministerial conference. Accusing Singh of being "responsible for the killings of innocent Kashmiris", JuD chief Hafiz Saeed has warned of a countrywide protest in Pakistan if the Indian minister travels to the country. Sources, however, said, "The visit is on track. India attains highest priority to SAARC. The visit is strictly to abide by our SAARC commitments." They also said that the host country (Pakistan) is responsible for the home minister's security. The alleged mastermind of the 2008 terror attack in western city of Mumbai in a statement said, "If Singh comes to Islamabad on August 3, the JuD would hold countrywide protest to tell the world that the Pakistani rulers might have compulsions to receive Kashmiris' killers, but the people of Pakistan are siding with oppressed Kashmiris." "I want to ask the Pakistani government will it add insult to injury to the wounds of Kashmiris by welcoming Rajnath who is responsible for the killings of innocent Kashmiris," he said. "It will be ironical, as on the one hand the whole Pakistani nation is protesting against the Indian atrocities in Kashmir, and on the other hand the Pakistani rulers will be garlanding Singh," said the statement . External affairs ministry has also made it clear that there will be no bilateral meeting between Singh and Pakistani leaders during his visit on August 3 and 4. India and Pakistan are witnessing growing bitterness after Pakistan and its Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif made provocative statements on the Kashmir situation in the wake of Hizbul Mujahideen leader Burhan Wani's killing on July 8. Not only did Sharif praise Wani but he also remarked that "Kashmir will one day become Pakistan", a comment which evoked a sharp reaction from External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, who said his dream of the state becoming a part of his country "will not be realised even at the end of eternity". Further needling India, Pakistan has demanded an independent inquiry into the "extrajudicial" killing of Wani, and claimed that the denial of "plebiscite" to Kashmiri people was behind the flare-up in the Valley. (DNA)

SAARC summit: 'Pakistan responsible for Indian home minister Rajnath Singh's security'

Indian railway minister Suresh Prabhu on Sunday laid the foundation stone of a new rail link connecting Bangladesh to the northeastern state of Tripura. 
 
Prabhu along with his Bangladeshi counterpart, Mujibul Haque, laid the foundation stone of the 15 kilometre long India-Bangladesh rail link in Tripura&#39;s capital Agartala.&nbsp;After laying the stone, the railway minister said they were also finding out a way to connect India to Chittagong, Bangladesh&#39;s financial centre. 
 
&quot;We will have a more detailed discussion to bring in these two friends even closer to one another to benefit from each other&#39;s connectivity. So this is part of a Trans-Asian railway network and I am sure in the next few years time we will be able to connect more. In fact, we just discussed, we are also finding out how we can have a small little connectivity that is missing to bring this part of India, connecting directly to Chittagong,&quot; said Prabhu. 
 
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had discussed the railway project with his Bangladeshi counterpart, Sheikh Hasina, during his visit to Dhaka in June 2015. 
 
The Indian government would bear the entire expenditure of the railways project.&nbsp;Reportedly, on the Indian side, some portion of the track would be elevated to avoid farm land and habitations.&nbsp;Currently, India and Bangladesh have four rail links with West Bengal. 
 
(Reuters)

The 15 kilometre-long rail link will connect India's northeastern state of Tripura to Bangladesh

Indian railway minister Suresh Prabhu on Sunday laid the foundation stone of a new rail link connecting Bangladesh to the northeastern state of Tripura. Prabhu along with his Bangladeshi counterpart, Mujibul Haque, laid the foundation stone of the 15 kilometre long India-Bangladesh rail link in Tripura's capital Agartala. After laying the stone, the railway minister said they were also finding out a way to connect India to Chittagong, Bangladesh's financial centre. "We will have a more detailed discussion to bring in these two friends even closer to one another to benefit from each other's connectivity. So this is part of a Trans-Asian railway network and I am sure in the next few years time we will be able to connect more. In fact, we just discussed, we are also finding out how we can have a small little connectivity that is missing to bring this part of India, connecting directly to Chittagong," said Prabhu. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had discussed the railway project with his Bangladeshi counterpart, Sheikh Hasina, during his visit to Dhaka in June 2015. The Indian government would bear the entire expenditure of the railways project. Reportedly, on the Indian side, some portion of the track would be elevated to avoid farm land and habitations. Currently, India and Bangladesh have four rail links with West Bengal. (Reuters)

Indian railway minister lays foundation stone of rail link with Bangladesh

A northern Indian state will soon begin a multi-million dollar search in the Himalayas for a mythical plant believed to hold life-saving properties, a local minister said today. 
 
Uttarakhand will spend 250 million Rupees ($37 million) of state money hunting the herb Sanjeevani Booti, which is credited in the ancient Hindu text Ramayana with restoring life to the brother of a god. 
 
While many wild plants with medicinal properties grow in the Himalayas, there is scant evidence that the plant ever existed, with sages and modern researchers failing for centuries to find it. 
 
&quot;We have to try and it will never go to waste. If we are determined we will certainly find it,&quot; Surendra Singh Negi, the state&#39;s minister for alternative medicine, told AFP. 
 
The minister said the search will focus on the Dronagiri range of Himalayas near the Chinese border, one mountain of which is mentioned in the epic Ramayana as being the site where the magical herb grows. 
 
&quot;We have set an initial budget of 250 million Rupees ($37 million) for the project,&quot; Negi said. 
 
Scientists will start work in August, the minister said, adding that the central government has refused to fund the project. 
 
Ancient texts say the plant has life-restoring properties, grows in the high mountains of the Himalayas and glows in the dark. 
 
According to Ramayana, the monkey god Hanuman was tasked by the god Rama with fetching the herb after a healer said it would cure his dying brother Laxman. 
 
But Hanuman failed to identity the plant, instead uprooting the entire mountain and carrying it thousands of miles to treat the mortally injured prince during a war with demons in what is now Sri Lanka. 
 
India&#39;s 5,000-year-old medicine system Ayurveda uses herbs to cure ailments and has seen a revival under Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s government. 
 
(AFP)

The herb Sanjeevani Booti is credited in the ancient Hindu text Ramayana with restoring life, but there's scant evidence it exists

A northern Indian state will soon begin a multi-million dollar search in the Himalayas for a mythical plant believed to hold life-saving properties, a local minister said today. Uttarakhand will spend 250 million Rupees ($37 million) of state money hunting the herb Sanjeevani Booti, which is credited in the ancient Hindu text Ramayana with restoring life to the brother of a god. While many wild plants with medicinal properties grow in the Himalayas, there is scant evidence that the plant ever existed, with sages and modern researchers failing for centuries to find it. "We have to try and it will never go to waste. If we are determined we will certainly find it," Surendra Singh Negi, the state's minister for alternative medicine, told AFP. The minister said the search will focus on the Dronagiri range of Himalayas near the Chinese border, one mountain of which is mentioned in the epic Ramayana as being the site where the magical herb grows. "We have set an initial budget of 250 million Rupees ($37 million) for the project," Negi said. Scientists will start work in August, the minister said, adding that the central government has refused to fund the project. Ancient texts say the plant has life-restoring properties, grows in the high mountains of the Himalayas and glows in the dark. According to Ramayana, the monkey god Hanuman was tasked by the god Rama with fetching the herb after a healer said it would cure his dying brother Laxman. But Hanuman failed to identity the plant, instead uprooting the entire mountain and carrying it thousands of miles to treat the mortally injured prince during a war with demons in what is now Sri Lanka. India's 5,000-year-old medicine system Ayurveda uses herbs to cure ailments and has seen a revival under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government. (AFP)

Indian state to spend $37 million hunting mythical 'life-saving' plant

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on Monday gave a rousing send-off to the Rio-bound contingent at an event in New Delhi. 
 
The show was attended by several dignitaries including IOA President Narayana Ramachandran, Secretary General Rajeev Mehta and Indian Sports Minister Vijay Goel. 
 
Goodwill ambassadors for Rio, Indian actor Salman Khan and musician AR Rahman, were also present. 
 
The event marked the unveiling of the official Olympics kit of Team India. 
 
Officials interacted with the Rio-bound athletes and wished them luck in their endeavour. 
 
&quot;The fact that 121 athletes have qualified for the Rio 2016 Olympics, nearly one-third more than what was qualified for the last Olympic Games, that itself is a clear indication that Indian athletes have started to perform and they will perform well,&quot; said Ramachandran. 
 
Also part of the send-off was Dipa Karmakar, the first Indian female gymnast to qualify for the Olympics in 52 years. She expressed hope of bagging a medal at the mega event. 
 
&quot;Preparations are going very well. Before the qualifiers, our preparation was strong and now my target is to replicate the performance which I have been doing and learnt here,&quot; said Karmakar. 
 
The Indian contingent for Rio is the country&#39;s biggest ever for any Olympic games. The previous highest was 83 that the country sent to the 2012 Olympics in London. 
 
The Summer Olympics this year will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from August 5 to 21. 
 
(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

121 athletes have qualified for Rio 2016, nearly a third more than the number that qualified for the last Games

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on Monday gave a rousing send-off to the Rio-bound contingent at an event in New Delhi. The show was attended by several dignitaries including IOA President Narayana Ramachandran, Secretary General Rajeev Mehta and Indian Sports Minister Vijay Goel. Goodwill ambassadors for Rio, Indian actor Salman Khan and musician AR Rahman, were also present. The event marked the unveiling of the official Olympics kit of Team India. Officials interacted with the Rio-bound athletes and wished them luck in their endeavour. "The fact that 121 athletes have qualified for the Rio 2016 Olympics, nearly one-third more than what was qualified for the last Olympic Games, that itself is a clear indication that Indian athletes have started to perform and they will perform well," said Ramachandran. Also part of the send-off was Dipa Karmakar, the first Indian female gymnast to qualify for the Olympics in 52 years. She expressed hope of bagging a medal at the mega event. "Preparations are going very well. Before the qualifiers, our preparation was strong and now my target is to replicate the performance which I have been doing and learnt here," said Karmakar. The Indian contingent for Rio is the country's biggest ever for any Olympic games. The previous highest was 83 that the country sent to the 2012 Olympics in London. The Summer Olympics this year will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from August 5 to 21. (Reuters)

India?s Rio contingent given rousing send-off in Delhi

The Delhi High Court has said it was &quot;unfortunate&quot; that India was still following British era recruitment process and selecting police personnel on basis of only physical strength and fitness, and advised devising of a procedure which would include criteria like emotional maturity and psychological tests. 
 
&quot;What we find in India is that the only screening done is with respect to the moral character and integrity, physical strength and (that the person is) free from medical disease.&nbsp;No evaluation pertaining to the emotional maturity, ability to remain calm in emotionally charged situations, ability to handle difficult situations and be responsive and the ability of initiative in work is conducted,&quot; a bench of justices Pradeep Nandrajog and Pratibha Rani said. 
 
The bench said it was &quot;unfortunate&quot; that India was &quot;not marching ahead in the comity of nations&quot;, where psychological tests are also conducted to ascertain suitability of a candidate commensurate to the nature of job they are being inducted to. 
 
It advised the Centre to devise a selection procedure under which those who are desirous of joining police forces would be tested with regard to not only their integrity, physical strength and fitness but also with respect to their emotional maturity, ability to be calm in charged situations, ability to exercise initiative in their work, dependability and good judgement. 
 
The observations came on a man&#39;s plea challenging the order withdrawing his appointment to post of constable in the CISF on the ground that he was an accused in a criminal case, even though he was acquitted by the trial court. 
 
It noted there were &quot;no rules to guide the authorities in Delhi Police as to in what cases despite acquittal, the person can be kept out of service or can be deprived of employment&quot;. 
 
With regard to the criteria of criminal background of a candidate, the court said it would be a violation of the Constitutional right of a person if &quot;trivial offences&quot; by him would justify the government &quot;shutting its eyes and denying employment&quot;. 
 
It said it was &quot;high time&quot; that the executive made a policy for not treating summary or ordinary conviction as a bar to entry or retention in government service, including the police force. 
 
Noting that his acquittal was &quot;honourable&quot; as it came after the prosecution led all its evidence, the high court set aside his rejection and directed that he be inducted into service as a Constable with Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). 
 
It also said that &quot;he would be entitled to all benefits of seniority and continuity into service with effect from the date the person immediately beneath the petitioner in the empanelled list was made to join&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
(PTI)

The Delhi High Court said it was 'unfortunate' India still followed British era recruitment, selecting police only by strength and fitness

The Delhi High Court has said it was "unfortunate" that India was still following British era recruitment process and selecting police personnel on basis of only physical strength and fitness, and advised devising of a procedure which would include criteria like emotional maturity and psychological tests. "What we find in India is that the only screening done is with respect to the moral character and integrity, physical strength and (that the person is) free from medical disease. No evaluation pertaining to the emotional maturity, ability to remain calm in emotionally charged situations, ability to handle difficult situations and be responsive and the ability of initiative in work is conducted," a bench of justices Pradeep Nandrajog and Pratibha Rani said. The bench said it was "unfortunate" that India was "not marching ahead in the comity of nations", where psychological tests are also conducted to ascertain suitability of a candidate commensurate to the nature of job they are being inducted to. It advised the Centre to devise a selection procedure under which those who are desirous of joining police forces would be tested with regard to not only their integrity, physical strength and fitness but also with respect to their emotional maturity, ability to be calm in charged situations, ability to exercise initiative in their work, dependability and good judgement. The observations came on a man's plea challenging the order withdrawing his appointment to post of constable in the CISF on the ground that he was an accused in a criminal case, even though he was acquitted by the trial court. It noted there were "no rules to guide the authorities in Delhi Police as to in what cases despite acquittal, the person can be kept out of service or can be deprived of employment". With regard to the criteria of criminal background of a candidate, the court said it would be a violation of the Constitutional right of a person if "trivial offences" by him would justify the government "shutting its eyes and denying employment". It said it was "high time" that the executive made a policy for not treating summary or ordinary conviction as a bar to entry or retention in government service, including the police force. Noting that his acquittal was "honourable" as it came after the prosecution led all its evidence, the high court set aside his rejection and directed that he be inducted into service as a Constable with Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). It also said that "he would be entitled to all benefits of seniority and continuity into service with effect from the date the person immediately beneath the petitioner in the empanelled list was made to join". (PTI)

Indian police recruitment to vet for emotional maturity, other psychological tests

Vice President Hamid Ansari today left for Mongolia leading an Indian delegation to the 11th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit.&nbsp;The two-day ASEM Summit will be held in Ulaanbaatar, capital of Mongolia from tomorrow. 
 
The theme for the Summit is &quot;20 Years of ASEM: Partnership for the Future through Connectivity&quot;.&nbsp;At the Summit, India&#39;s efforts would be inclined towards more successful outcomes and the building of a resilient and multidimensional web of interconnectivity between the two continents - Asia and Europe, officials said ahead of the meeting. 
 
ASEM comprises of 53 entities - 51 countries from Asia and Europe and two regional bodies - the European Union and the ASEAN Secretariat.&nbsp;It represents around 62.3 per cent of the world&#39;s population, 57.2 per cent of the global GDP and almost 60 per cent of the world&#39;s trade. 
 
ASEM is a unique platform that serves to bridge the two continents of Asia and Europe for constructive partnership and exchange, under the three key pillars of political dialogue, economic collaboration and socio-cultural exchanges, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. 
 
The 11th ASEM Summit assumes special importance in view of the fact, that 2016 marks the 20th anniversary of the dialogue forum, officials said.&nbsp;Since the Summit is the first ever international event of such stature that Mongolia is hosting, the participation of Vice President Ansari signifies the importance India attaches to its strategic partnership with Mongolia, they said. 
 
Ansari will also hold bilateral meetings with a few other participating leaders on the sidelines of the Summit. 
 
(PTI)

India signals the importance it attaches to its partnership with host Mongolia by sending its VP

Vice President Hamid Ansari today left for Mongolia leading an Indian delegation to the 11th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit. The two-day ASEM Summit will be held in Ulaanbaatar, capital of Mongolia from tomorrow. The theme for the Summit is "20 Years of ASEM: Partnership for the Future through Connectivity". At the Summit, India's efforts would be inclined towards more successful outcomes and the building of a resilient and multidimensional web of interconnectivity between the two continents - Asia and Europe, officials said ahead of the meeting. ASEM comprises of 53 entities - 51 countries from Asia and Europe and two regional bodies - the European Union and the ASEAN Secretariat. It represents around 62.3 per cent of the world's population, 57.2 per cent of the global GDP and almost 60 per cent of the world's trade. ASEM is a unique platform that serves to bridge the two continents of Asia and Europe for constructive partnership and exchange, under the three key pillars of political dialogue, economic collaboration and socio-cultural exchanges, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. The 11th ASEM Summit assumes special importance in view of the fact, that 2016 marks the 20th anniversary of the dialogue forum, officials said. Since the Summit is the first ever international event of such stature that Mongolia is hosting, the participation of Vice President Ansari signifies the importance India attaches to its strategic partnership with Mongolia, they said. Ansari will also hold bilateral meetings with a few other participating leaders on the sidelines of the Summit. (PTI)

Indian Vice President heads to Mongolia for 11th Asia-Europe Meeting Summit

Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has convened a special Cabinet meeting in Lahore on Friday to discuss the &quot;deteriorating situation&quot; in violence-hit Kashmir and chalk out a &quot;future course of action&quot; on the issue. 
&quot;The Cabinet will discuss the oppressive actions of Indian security forces against innocent civilians and the overall situation in Kashmir after the brutal assassination of Burhan Wani,&quot; the Prime Minister&#39;s Office said in a statement. 
The meeting at Governor House in Lahore will discuss the &quot;rapidly deteriorating situation&quot; in Kashmir and the Prime Minister will chalk out a &quot;future course of action&quot; on the issue, it said. 
The statement also noted that on the directions of the Prime Minister, the foreign office summoned the Indian high commissioner to the foreign office and conveyed the &quot;strong concerns of the Pakistani government and people on rapidly deteriorating human rights situation in Kashmir and increasing oppression by Indian security forces.&quot; 
It said that a detailed briefing was also given to ambassadors of all permanent members of UN security council of UN &quot;regarding atrocities of the security forces.&quot; 
India had asked Pakistan to refrain from interfering in its internal affairs after Sharif issued a statement expressing &quot;shock&quot; at the killing of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani. 
Sharif today said the &quot;voice and struggle&quot; of the people of Kashmir cannot be suppressed through use of &quot;brutal force and human rights abuses&quot;. 
He said this during a meeting with PoK Parliament Special Committee Chairman and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazal (JUI-F) President Maulana Fazlur Rehman in Lahore. 
During the meeting, Rehman apprised the Prime Minister on his recent talks with separatist leaders over the &quot;human rights violations&quot; by Indian military and paramilitary forces in Jammu and Kashmir. 
Rehman said the &quot;Kashmiri leadership looks towards Pakistan in difficult times&quot;, according to an official statement. 
Sharif said, &quot;The government and people of Pakistan respect the sentiments of their Kashmiri brethren and will continue to support the Kashmir cause at each and every forum internationally come what may.&quot; 
&quot;The resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute is only possible by the realisation of the right to self-determination of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, as per the UNSC resolutions, through a fair and impartial plebiscite under UN auspices,&quot; Sharif said. 
Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary also briefed the Islamabad-based Ambassadors of the member countries of the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir (Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Niger) over the situation in the Valley. 
In the meeting, Pakistan called on the OIC member states to raise their voice against &quot;the blatant human rights violations&quot; of Kashmiri Muslims. 
The Foreign Secretary also briefed the Ambassadors of the European Union over the situation and emphasised the need for a fair and transparent inquiry against individuals responsible for these killings.&nbsp; 
 
(PTI)

It will discuss the 'oppressive actions of Indian security forces' and the overall situation after the 'brutal assassination of Burhan Wani'

Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has convened a special Cabinet meeting in Lahore on Friday to discuss the "deteriorating situation" in violence-hit Kashmir and chalk out a "future course of action" on the issue. "The Cabinet will discuss the oppressive actions of Indian security forces against innocent civilians and the overall situation in Kashmir after the brutal assassination of Burhan Wani," the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement. The meeting at Governor House in Lahore will discuss the "rapidly deteriorating situation" in Kashmir and the Prime Minister will chalk out a "future course of action" on the issue, it said. The statement also noted that on the directions of the Prime Minister, the foreign office summoned the Indian high commissioner to the foreign office and conveyed the "strong concerns of the Pakistani government and people on rapidly deteriorating human rights situation in Kashmir and increasing oppression by Indian security forces." It said that a detailed briefing was also given to ambassadors of all permanent members of UN security council of UN "regarding atrocities of the security forces." India had asked Pakistan to refrain from interfering in its internal affairs after Sharif issued a statement expressing "shock" at the killing of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani. Sharif today said the "voice and struggle" of the people of Kashmir cannot be suppressed through use of "brutal force and human rights abuses". He said this during a meeting with PoK Parliament Special Committee Chairman and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazal (JUI-F) President Maulana Fazlur Rehman in Lahore. During the meeting, Rehman apprised the Prime Minister on his recent talks with separatist leaders over the "human rights violations" by Indian military and paramilitary forces in Jammu and Kashmir. Rehman said the "Kashmiri leadership looks towards Pakistan in difficult times", according to an official statement. Sharif said, "The government and people of Pakistan respect the sentiments of their Kashmiri brethren and will continue to support the Kashmir cause at each and every forum internationally come what may." "The resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute is only possible by the realisation of the right to self-determination of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, as per the UNSC resolutions, through a fair and impartial plebiscite under UN auspices," Sharif said. Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary also briefed the Islamabad-based Ambassadors of the member countries of the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir (Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Niger) over the situation in the Valley. In the meeting, Pakistan called on the OIC member states to raise their voice against "the blatant human rights violations" of Kashmiri Muslims. The Foreign Secretary also briefed the Ambassadors of the European Union over the situation and emphasised the need for a fair and transparent inquiry against individuals responsible for these killings. (PTI)

Pakistan PM calls special Cabinet meeting on Friday to discuss Kashmir situation

Mumbai: Cotton stocks in India, the world&#39;s biggest producer, are likely to fall by a third to 4.3 million bales at the end of 2015/16 season as drought slashes output to the lowest level in six years, a senior government official said. 
 
Lower stockpiles will limit India&#39;s exports in the next marketing year starting from Oct. 1 and support global prices that have risen to a two-year high on Wednesday. 
 
India&#39;s production fell 12.4 percent from a year ago to 33.8 million bales in the in the current year, the lowest level since 2009/10, Textile Commissioner Kavita Gupta said on Wednesday following a meeting of the state-run Cotton Advisory Board. 
 
Stockpiles were depleted after drought and pest attacks reduced yields, while exports rose 17.8 percent to 6.8 million bales, she said. 
 
The country mainly exports the fibre to Pakistan, Bangladesh, Vietnam and China. 
 
Local cotton prices have jumped 32 percent in just two months due to dwindling supplies, forcing India to import cotton from Pakistan. 
 
&quot;A large amount of imported cotton is expected to land in July. It will help in moderating prices,&quot; Gupta said. 
 
For 2016/17 marketing year Indian farmers have cultivated cotton on 6.79 million hectares as at July 8, down 23 percent from a year ago, farm ministry data showed. 
 
Gupta said sowing is likely to pick up in coming weeks as monsoon rains have covered the whole of India. 
 
Cotton planting in India is likely to fall to the lowest in seven years in the 2016/2017 marketing season as farmers switch to other crops. 
 
(1 Indian bale = 170 kilograms) 
 
(Reuters)

Drought this year has slashed output to the lowest level in six years

Mumbai: Cotton stocks in India, the world's biggest producer, are likely to fall by a third to 4.3 million bales at the end of 2015/16 season as drought slashes output to the lowest level in six years, a senior government official said. Lower stockpiles will limit India's exports in the next marketing year starting from Oct. 1 and support global prices that have risen to a two-year high on Wednesday. India's production fell 12.4 percent from a year ago to 33.8 million bales in the in the current year, the lowest level since 2009/10, Textile Commissioner Kavita Gupta said on Wednesday following a meeting of the state-run Cotton Advisory Board. Stockpiles were depleted after drought and pest attacks reduced yields, while exports rose 17.8 percent to 6.8 million bales, she said. The country mainly exports the fibre to Pakistan, Bangladesh, Vietnam and China. Local cotton prices have jumped 32 percent in just two months due to dwindling supplies, forcing India to import cotton from Pakistan. "A large amount of imported cotton is expected to land in July. It will help in moderating prices," Gupta said. For 2016/17 marketing year Indian farmers have cultivated cotton on 6.79 million hectares as at July 8, down 23 percent from a year ago, farm ministry data showed. Gupta said sowing is likely to pick up in coming weeks as monsoon rains have covered the whole of India. Cotton planting in India is likely to fall to the lowest in seven years in the 2016/2017 marketing season as farmers switch to other crops. (1 Indian bale = 170 kilograms) (Reuters)

Indian cotton stockpiles to fall by a third as output plunges

India&#39;s Anirban Lahiri has targeted a top 10 finish at next week&#39;s British Open at Royal Troon as the reigning Asian Tour number one gears up for a bumper month of golf that ends with the Rio Olympics in August. 
 
Lahiri, who turned 29 last week, finished tied for 31st in his British Open debut in 2012 and will make his fourth appearance at the championship at the Scottish links from July 14-17. 
 
&quot;The Open is truly a special tournament,&quot; Lahiri told the Asian Tour. &quot;I&#39;ve had a couple of decent outings but feel like I missed out both times on a top-10 finish. 
 
&quot;Hopefully Troon suits my eye and I can play consistently throughout the week. A top-10 or better would be my goal this year. 
 
&quot;I like playing links courses,&quot; Lahiri added. &quot;You have to be creative and strategically efficient to play well on them. Also I am comfortable flighting down my ball-flight, which is a must in windy conditions. 
 
Lahiri, whose tied fifth finish at the PGA Championship last year is the best by an Indian golfer, feels consistency has been lacking from his game in his first full season on the PGA Tour. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s been a very slow and sluggish season. I have been inconsistent and have got off to good starts on a few occasions only to have a disappointing weekend. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s frustrating when your &#39;A&#39; game feels right around the corner but does not show up as frequently as you would like. 
 
&quot;In any case the first season on a new tour is always the toughest and I&#39;m satisfied that I am in a good position to keep my playing privileges for next year.&quot; 
 
While a number of top-ranked male golfers have withdrawn from the Rio Games due to Zika fears, Lahiri, ranked 62nd in the world, is excited at the prospect of representing India at the Aug. 5-21 Games, which will see the sport return to the Olympics after a 112-year gap. 
 
&quot;Managing energy levels and conditioning are a big challenge this season,&quot; Lahiri added. &quot;I will look to skip a few events leading up to the big ones if I feel like I need to take a break. 
 
&quot;My coach will be here in America for two weeks to work on all aspects of the game and sharpen it up for the majors and the Olympics. 
 
&quot;Hopefully I can pace myself just right to peak during the majors and Olympics. That&#39;s the goal.&rdquo; 
 
(Reuters)

Lahiri finished tied for 31st in his British Open debut in 2012 and will make his fourth appearance at the championship

India's Anirban Lahiri has targeted a top 10 finish at next week's British Open at Royal Troon as the reigning Asian Tour number one gears up for a bumper month of golf that ends with the Rio Olympics in August. Lahiri, who turned 29 last week, finished tied for 31st in his British Open debut in 2012 and will make his fourth appearance at the championship at the Scottish links from July 14-17. "The Open is truly a special tournament," Lahiri told the Asian Tour. "I've had a couple of decent outings but feel like I missed out both times on a top-10 finish. "Hopefully Troon suits my eye and I can play consistently throughout the week. A top-10 or better would be my goal this year. "I like playing links courses," Lahiri added. "You have to be creative and strategically efficient to play well on them. Also I am comfortable flighting down my ball-flight, which is a must in windy conditions. Lahiri, whose tied fifth finish at the PGA Championship last year is the best by an Indian golfer, feels consistency has been lacking from his game in his first full season on the PGA Tour. "It's been a very slow and sluggish season. I have been inconsistent and have got off to good starts on a few occasions only to have a disappointing weekend. "It's frustrating when your 'A' game feels right around the corner but does not show up as frequently as you would like. "In any case the first season on a new tour is always the toughest and I'm satisfied that I am in a good position to keep my playing privileges for next year." While a number of top-ranked male golfers have withdrawn from the Rio Games due to Zika fears, Lahiri, ranked 62nd in the world, is excited at the prospect of representing India at the Aug. 5-21 Games, which will see the sport return to the Olympics after a 112-year gap. "Managing energy levels and conditioning are a big challenge this season," Lahiri added. "I will look to skip a few events leading up to the big ones if I feel like I need to take a break. "My coach will be here in America for two weeks to work on all aspects of the game and sharpen it up for the majors and the Olympics. "Hopefully I can pace myself just right to peak during the majors and Olympics. That's the goal.” (Reuters)

India's Anirban Lahiri targets British Open top 10

Eleven Indians who had been languishing in a Nigerian prison for two years have been released, confirmed India&#39;s external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj. 
 
Employees of a Indian merchant navy firm, the crew&#39;s ship got stranded in Nigeria and the entire crew was arrested for violating laws of international waters in 2014. 
 
In a tweet, Swaraj also appreciated the efforts of Indian high commissioner in Nigeria B N Reddy for expediting their repatriation. 
 
Meanwhile, Swaraj has said that the government is making all efforts to secure the release of two Indians abducted from Gboko, a town in the Benue state of north-central Nigeria. 
 
The abducted men are Anish Sharma from Karnataka and &nbsp;Mangipudi Sai Srinivas from the southern Indian state of Andhara Pradesh. 
 
Both were travelling to Dangote Cement Plant in a car from their residential quarters last Wednesday, when a group of armed men kidnapped them at a traffic signal. 
 
Swaraj said that she spoke to Anish Sharma`s wife and assured her that the Government is doing its best to secure their release from abductors. 
 
In a tweet she said she has deputed a senior officer to update the family regularly.External affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup had on Friday described the abduction as &quot;nothing surprising or new in that area&quot;, saying such incidents keep happening there. 
 
&nbsp;(ANI)&nbsp;

Employees of a merchant navy firm, their ship got stranded, and the crew was arrested for violating laws of International waters in 2014

Eleven Indians who had been languishing in a Nigerian prison for two years have been released, confirmed India's external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj. Employees of a Indian merchant navy firm, the crew's ship got stranded in Nigeria and the entire crew was arrested for violating laws of international waters in 2014. In a tweet, Swaraj also appreciated the efforts of Indian high commissioner in Nigeria B N Reddy for expediting their repatriation. Meanwhile, Swaraj has said that the government is making all efforts to secure the release of two Indians abducted from Gboko, a town in the Benue state of north-central Nigeria. The abducted men are Anish Sharma from Karnataka and Mangipudi Sai Srinivas from the southern Indian state of Andhara Pradesh. Both were travelling to Dangote Cement Plant in a car from their residential quarters last Wednesday, when a group of armed men kidnapped them at a traffic signal. Swaraj said that she spoke to Anish Sharma`s wife and assured her that the Government is doing its best to secure their release from abductors. In a tweet she said she has deputed a senior officer to update the family regularly.External affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup had on Friday described the abduction as "nothing surprising or new in that area", saying such incidents keep happening there. (ANI)

11 Indians released from Nigerian prison

An Indian teenager was among 20 foreigners who were killed after being taken hostage by a group of attackers at an upmarket cafe in Bangladesh capital Dhaka, a government minister said Saturday. 
 
Tarushi Jain, 19, was caught up in the horrific 11-hour siege at the Holey Artisan Bakery, a Western-style cafe popular with foreigners located in the diplomatic quarter of the capital. 
 
&quot;I am extremely pained to share that the terrorists have killed Tarushi, an Indian girl who was taken hostage in the terror attack in Dhaka,&quot; India&#39;s Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj posted on Twitter. 
 
Swaraj said she had spoken to the girl&#39;s grief-stricken father and conveyed her condolences to him. 
 
&quot;The country is with them in this hour of grief,&quot; she tweeted. 
 
Jain had finished her schooling from the American School in Dhaka and was pursuing her studies at the University of California, Berkeley, Swaraj added. 
 
WION sources say she was on vacation in Dhaka, where her father has run a garment business for the last 15-20 years. India is assisting family members travelling to Bangladesh. 
 
Sources also revealed that an Indian man, Dr Satyapal, was among the hostages rescued Saturday morning. Being fluent in Bengali, he was able to pass off as Bangladeshi and was safely released Saturday morning.&nbsp; 
 
The Bangladesh army said most of the slain civilians were either Italian or Japanese, and that many had been hacked to death with sharpened weapons. 
 
WION sources said that of the 20 victims, seven to 10 were Italian, and an unconfirmed number include Japanese and South Koreans. Of the people rescued Saturday morning, seven are Bangladeshi and one is an Indian, Dr Satyapal. 
 
In the hospital undergoing treatment are two Sri Lankans, a Japanese and an Italian.&nbsp;Of the terrorists, six have been killed and one was apprehended alive.&nbsp; 
 
About 10-12 Bangladeshi restaurant staff were rescued in the morning, and have been segregated by police for interrogation. 
 
?The Italian embassy is not releasing the identity of the Italian victims at least until their families reach Dhaka. 
 
But another Italian named&nbsp;Jacopo Bioni, a 34-year-old from Verona, managed to escape with an Argentinian chef named Diego Rossini. Rossini moved to Dhaka only in January, and was only working in the restaurant Friday because another Argentinian chef was on leave. 
 
Rossini told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica that in the rush to flee he left his mobile phone and wallet in the restaurant, and went on to describe his harrowing escape: 
 
&quot;I was working in the kitchen when a group of Italian friends came. They are wholesalers in clothes, fabrics and garments. And they are usual customers of the restaurant.&nbsp;I went to speak with the Italian fellas sitting there. They asked for a special pasta, so I had to go to the kitchen. Then I heard people shouting and some shooting, and while I tried to get out of the kitchen I saw a young man with an automatic weapon who was walking towards the table where my Italian friends were sitting. So I ran away together with Diego and other colleagues to the opposte direction to the backdoor of the kitchen where there is an emergency stairs that goes to the roof on the second floor. Then they started shooting in our direction and they launched grenades. That was the moment when we decided to jump down from the second floor.&quot; 
 
They reached a nearby building to safety. 
 
India&#39;s Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly condemned the attack in a post on Twitter. 
 
&quot;The attack in Dhaka has pained us beyond words. I spoke to (Bangladesh) PM Sheikh Hasina and strongly condemned the despicable attack,&quot; the Prime Minister tweeted.&nbsp; 
 
(AFP and WION)

Amid all the tragedy, an Argentinian chef describes his escape from IS attackers

An Indian teenager was among 20 foreigners who were killed after being taken hostage by a group of attackers at an upmarket cafe in Bangladesh capital Dhaka, a government minister said Saturday. Tarushi Jain, 19, was caught up in the horrific 11-hour siege at the Holey Artisan Bakery, a Western-style cafe popular with foreigners located in the diplomatic quarter of the capital. "I am extremely pained to share that the terrorists have killed Tarushi, an Indian girl who was taken hostage in the terror attack in Dhaka," India's Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj posted on Twitter. Swaraj said she had spoken to the girl's grief-stricken father and conveyed her condolences to him. "The country is with them in this hour of grief," she tweeted. Jain had finished her schooling from the American School in Dhaka and was pursuing her studies at the University of California, Berkeley, Swaraj added. WION sources say she was on vacation in Dhaka, where her father has run a garment business for the last 15-20 years. India is assisting family members travelling to Bangladesh. Sources also revealed that an Indian man, Dr Satyapal, was among the hostages rescued Saturday morning. Being fluent in Bengali, he was able to pass off as Bangladeshi and was safely released Saturday morning. The Bangladesh army said most of the slain civilians were either Italian or Japanese, and that many had been hacked to death with sharpened weapons. WION sources said that of the 20 victims, seven to 10 were Italian, and an unconfirmed number include Japanese and South Koreans. Of the people rescued Saturday morning, seven are Bangladeshi and one is an Indian, Dr Satyapal. In the hospital undergoing treatment are two Sri Lankans, a Japanese and an Italian. Of the terrorists, six have been killed and one was apprehended alive. About 10-12 Bangladeshi restaurant staff were rescued in the morning, and have been segregated by police for interrogation. ?The Italian embassy is not releasing the identity of the Italian victims at least until their families reach Dhaka. But another Italian named Jacopo Bioni, a 34-year-old from Verona, managed to escape with an Argentinian chef named Diego Rossini. Rossini moved to Dhaka only in January, and was only working in the restaurant Friday because another Argentinian chef was on leave. Rossini told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica that in the rush to flee he left his mobile phone and wallet in the restaurant, and went on to describe his harrowing escape: "I was working in the kitchen when a group of Italian friends came. They are wholesalers in clothes, fabrics and garments. And they are usual customers of the restaurant. I went to speak with the Italian fellas sitting there. They asked for a special pasta, so I had to go to the kitchen. Then I heard people shouting and some shooting, and while I tried to get out of the kitchen I saw a young man with an automatic weapon who was walking towards the table where my Italian friends were sitting. So I ran away together with Diego and other colleagues to the opposte direction to the backdoor of the kitchen where there is an emergency stairs that goes to the roof on the second floor. Then they started shooting in our direction and they launched grenades. That was the moment when we decided to jump down from the second floor." They reached a nearby building to safety. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly condemned the attack in a post on Twitter. "The attack in Dhaka has pained us beyond words. I spoke to (Bangladesh) PM Sheikh Hasina and strongly condemned the despicable attack," the Prime Minister tweeted. (AFP and WION)

Indian teenager among 20 victims in Dhaka cafe siege

The raging feud between two former Indian captains today turned uglier after Sourav Ganguly lashed out at Ravi Shastri saying the Mumbaikar was &quot;living in a fool&#39;s world&quot; if he held him responsible for not getting the coveted India coach&#39;s job. 
 
Being pipped by Anil Kumble for chief coach&#39;s post, Shastri created a controversy when he said that, Ganguly, part of the three-member high-powered Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) was not present during his interview which he found to be &quot;disrespectful&quot;. 
 
Not one to pull back punches, a furious Ganguly today gave it back to Shastri questioning the former India all-rounder&#39;s &quot;seriousness&quot; while giving an interview while &quot;holidaying in Bangkok&quot;. 
 
&quot;I just feel his (Shastri) comments are very personal. If Ravi Shastri feels that Sourav Ganguly was responsible for him not being the India coach, he is living in a fool&#39;s world,&quot; an angry Ganguly told TV channels today. 
 
One of India&#39;s most celebrated captains was even more terse while rebutting Shastri&#39;s suggestion that next time, he should be &quot;present&quot; when an interview is being conducted. 
 
&quot;It angers me that he gave a suggestion that I should be available for such meetings. I have been a part of BCCI meetings for some time and I have always been available. My advice to Ravi is that when the coach of India is selected and one of the most important jobs, he should be in front of the committee and not sit in Bangkok and give a presentation while being on a holiday,&quot; Ganguly said. 
 
Taking a a dig at Shastri&#39;s casual approach, Ganguly said that the former Team Director could have been present in person &quot;especially when one of India&#39;s greatest cricketers of all time spoke for two hours. I am hurt because of personal attacks. 
 
&quot;I read in a couple of newspapers and chose to ignore it. I am extremely saddened that he went on air to express his view. Specially someone who has been in every BCCI committee for the last 20 years. He has been in my position for selecting the coach 10 years back. He is aware of everything. I informed BCCI on June 19th and I have got official mails. I will circulate those mails once I get a clearance from BCCI,&quot; Ganguly said. 
 
Ganguly then went onto add,&quot;I don&#39;t know whether he is serious or not serious, but I hope he was if he wanted one of the most important jobs in the game. But if he is talking about respect, then he should have been here as well.&quot; 
 
&quot;When you have a three-member committee and important people are involved in the decision making, then it is not just about Sourav Ganguly, so these personal remarks have been very saddening.&quot; 
 
On Shastri making comments on public domain against him, Ganguly said: &quot;He should have shown a bit more maturity, especially for someone who has been in such committees for more than 10 years.&quot; 
 
On Anil Kumble starting his stint as Indian coach, Ganguly said: &quot;I wish him all the luck. As I said he is the best in the world. He is one of the champions of Indian cricket and he will take this team forward.&quot; 
 
Ganguly did not give a direct answer to the queries about it his animosity with Shastri being an open secret in Indian cricket. 
 
&quot;From my side, I have never gone on to make any comments to the media.&quot; 
 
Ganguly then also gave his account of the itinerary of that day. 
 
&quot;I had informed BCCI that there was a CAB Working Committee meeting that day. Being a president of CAB, I had to chair the meeting.&nbsp;Also the notification for a Working Committee is always given 14 days in advance whereas this meeting was fixed two days in advance.&nbsp;Ravi&#39;s meeting was scheduled at 4:15 pm, and I guess Ravi has got that received as well. BCCI had sent him the time. 
 
&quot;Now while interviewing other candidates, it went past 5 pm and I came out of the meeting. Then Mister (Ajay) Shirke (BCCI secretary) called me and said that others (Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and co-ordinator Sanjay Jagdale) are requesting if they can continue (with the interviews). I said &#39;fine, let&#39;s do that as it happens everywhere in the world&#39;. That&#39;s exactly what happened and I feel comments are very personal in nature.&quot; 
 
(PTI)

Sourav Ganguly lashed out at Ravi Shastri saying he's 'living in a fool's world' if he held him responsible for not getting coach job

The raging feud between two former Indian captains today turned uglier after Sourav Ganguly lashed out at Ravi Shastri saying the Mumbaikar was "living in a fool's world" if he held him responsible for not getting the coveted India coach's job. Being pipped by Anil Kumble for chief coach's post, Shastri created a controversy when he said that, Ganguly, part of the three-member high-powered Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) was not present during his interview which he found to be "disrespectful". Not one to pull back punches, a furious Ganguly today gave it back to Shastri questioning the former India all-rounder's "seriousness" while giving an interview while "holidaying in Bangkok". "I just feel his (Shastri) comments are very personal. If Ravi Shastri feels that Sourav Ganguly was responsible for him not being the India coach, he is living in a fool's world," an angry Ganguly told TV channels today. One of India's most celebrated captains was even more terse while rebutting Shastri's suggestion that next time, he should be "present" when an interview is being conducted. "It angers me that he gave a suggestion that I should be available for such meetings. I have been a part of BCCI meetings for some time and I have always been available. My advice to Ravi is that when the coach of India is selected and one of the most important jobs, he should be in front of the committee and not sit in Bangkok and give a presentation while being on a holiday," Ganguly said. Taking a a dig at Shastri's casual approach, Ganguly said that the former Team Director could have been present in person "especially when one of India's greatest cricketers of all time spoke for two hours. I am hurt because of personal attacks. "I read in a couple of newspapers and chose to ignore it. I am extremely saddened that he went on air to express his view. Specially someone who has been in every BCCI committee for the last 20 years. He has been in my position for selecting the coach 10 years back. He is aware of everything. I informed BCCI on June 19th and I have got official mails. I will circulate those mails once I get a clearance from BCCI," Ganguly said. Ganguly then went onto add,"I don't know whether he is serious or not serious, but I hope he was if he wanted one of the most important jobs in the game. But if he is talking about respect, then he should have been here as well." "When you have a three-member committee and important people are involved in the decision making, then it is not just about Sourav Ganguly, so these personal remarks have been very saddening." On Shastri making comments on public domain against him, Ganguly said: "He should have shown a bit more maturity, especially for someone who has been in such committees for more than 10 years." On Anil Kumble starting his stint as Indian coach, Ganguly said: "I wish him all the luck. As I said he is the best in the world. He is one of the champions of Indian cricket and he will take this team forward." Ganguly did not give a direct answer to the queries about it his animosity with Shastri being an open secret in Indian cricket. "From my side, I have never gone on to make any comments to the media." Ganguly then also gave his account of the itinerary of that day. "I had informed BCCI that there was a CAB Working Committee meeting that day. Being a president of CAB, I had to chair the meeting. Also the notification for a Working Committee is always given 14 days in advance whereas this meeting was fixed two days in advance. Ravi's meeting was scheduled at 4:15 pm, and I guess Ravi has got that received as well. BCCI had sent him the time. "Now while interviewing other candidates, it went past 5 pm and I came out of the meeting. Then Mister (Ajay) Shirke (BCCI secretary) called me and said that others (Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and co-ordinator Sanjay Jagdale) are requesting if they can continue (with the interviews). I said 'fine, let's do that as it happens everywhere in the world'. That's exactly what happened and I feel comments are very personal in nature." (PTI)

Former India captains engage in war of words

India&#39;s pistol ace Jitu Rai clinched the silver medal at the ISSF Shooting World Cup after posting a score of 199.5 in the finals of the 10m air pistol event today. 
 
The 28-year-old, who won his sixth World Cup medal, finished second behind Brazillian Felipe Almeida Wu, who shot 200 to claim the gold medal. 
 
Jin Jongoh of South Korea settled for bronze with a score of 178.8.With the silver podium finish, Jitu has reaffirmed faith that he is in good shape ahead of the 2016 summer Olympics in Rio de Janerio, Brazil starting from August 5. 
 
On Friday, the world number one in 50m pistol had finished tenth in the qualification round of the event in Baku. Last September, he had become the first Indian shooter to earn a Rio quota with a second place finish at the World Championships in Spain. 
 
(ANI)

The 28-year-old won his sixth World Cup medal, finished second behind Brazillian Felipe Almeida Wu

India's pistol ace Jitu Rai clinched the silver medal at the ISSF Shooting World Cup after posting a score of 199.5 in the finals of the 10m air pistol event today. The 28-year-old, who won his sixth World Cup medal, finished second behind Brazillian Felipe Almeida Wu, who shot 200 to claim the gold medal. Jin Jongoh of South Korea settled for bronze with a score of 178.8.With the silver podium finish, Jitu has reaffirmed faith that he is in good shape ahead of the 2016 summer Olympics in Rio de Janerio, Brazil starting from August 5. On Friday, the world number one in 50m pistol had finished tenth in the qualification round of the event in Baku. Last September, he had become the first Indian shooter to earn a Rio quota with a second place finish at the World Championships in Spain. (ANI)

Indian shooter Jitu Rai bags silver in Baku World Cup

Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has sparked controversy in India by saying his heavy training schedule for an upcoming film left him feeling &quot;like a raped woman&quot;. 
 
Khan made the comments in an interview to promote his latest Bollywood movie Sultan, which tells the story of an ageing wrestler trying to make a comeback. 
 
&quot;When I used to walk out of the ring, after the shoot, I used to feel like a raped woman. I couldn`t walk straight,&quot; 50-year-old Khan said in an interview with local news site Spotboye.com published on Monday.&nbsp; 
 
In the same interview, Khan said he had been able to quit every &quot;vice&quot; except women, saying that he had given up cigarettes, coffee and alcohol, but not female company.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;There`s nothing left to quit anymore,&quot; he told the site. 
 
Social media users slammed the actor&#39;s comments. 
 
&quot;If you are a Salman Khan fan, it&#39;s good, but if you support his pathetic statement, you are nothing but a disgusting creature,&quot; wrote Twitter user @gautamverma23.&nbsp; 
 
Shaina NC, a spokeswoman for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in Maharashtra state, tweeted: &quot;Rape is an exercise of power to destruct a woman&#39;s self esteem, (from what) I (know) of @BeingSalmanKhan he respects #women so he must apologise&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
Khan&#39;s personal life has also been dogged by controversy. 
 
Last year he was cleared of killing a homeless man in a hit-and-run crash, and he is battling allegations he used unlicensed arms to shoot antelopes in western India.&nbsp; 
 
Bollywood films are notorious for their sexism and Khan in particular is accused of having weaker female parts in his movies. 
 
While several Indian filmmakers are breaking with stereotypes to produce women-oriented films, these are still few and far between. 
 
More recently, in April, India&#39;s sports stars reacted with dismay after Khan was appointed goodwill ambassador for the Olympic team in the Rio Games later this year. 
 
His appointment, by the Indian Olympic Association, triggered a row over whether an actor was best suited to promote athletes. 
 
Khan is one of Bollywood&#39;s biggest box-office draws, starring in more than 100 films and television shows since his first hit &quot;Maine Pyar Kiya&quot; (I Fell in Love) in the 1980s. 
 
(Reuters)

Khan made the comments in an interview to promote his latest Bollywood movie 'Sultan'

Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has sparked controversy in India by saying his heavy training schedule for an upcoming film left him feeling "like a raped woman". Khan made the comments in an interview to promote his latest Bollywood movie Sultan, which tells the story of an ageing wrestler trying to make a comeback. "When I used to walk out of the ring, after the shoot, I used to feel like a raped woman. I couldn`t walk straight," 50-year-old Khan said in an interview with local news site Spotboye.com published on Monday. In the same interview, Khan said he had been able to quit every "vice" except women, saying that he had given up cigarettes, coffee and alcohol, but not female company. "There`s nothing left to quit anymore," he told the site. Social media users slammed the actor's comments. "If you are a Salman Khan fan, it's good, but if you support his pathetic statement, you are nothing but a disgusting creature," wrote Twitter user @gautamverma23. Shaina NC, a spokeswoman for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in Maharashtra state, tweeted: "Rape is an exercise of power to destruct a woman's self esteem, (from what) I (know) of @BeingSalmanKhan he respects #women so he must apologise". Khan's personal life has also been dogged by controversy. Last year he was cleared of killing a homeless man in a hit-and-run crash, and he is battling allegations he used unlicensed arms to shoot antelopes in western India. Bollywood films are notorious for their sexism and Khan in particular is accused of having weaker female parts in his movies. While several Indian filmmakers are breaking with stereotypes to produce women-oriented films, these are still few and far between. More recently, in April, India's sports stars reacted with dismay after Khan was appointed goodwill ambassador for the Olympic team in the Rio Games later this year. His appointment, by the Indian Olympic Association, triggered a row over whether an actor was best suited to promote athletes. Khan is one of Bollywood's biggest box-office draws, starring in more than 100 films and television shows since his first hit "Maine Pyar Kiya" (I Fell in Love) in the 1980s. (Reuters)

Indian Actor Salman Khan under fire for 'raped woman' comment

China&nbsp;said&nbsp;on Monday that India&#39;s inclusion in the&nbsp;NSG was not&nbsp;even on the agenda of the group&#39;s meeting in Seoul this week and there were differences among the existing members over the inclusion of new countries.&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 
This statement comes just a day after&nbsp;India&#39;s external&nbsp;affairs&nbsp;minister&nbsp;Sushma&nbsp;Swaraj asserted that Beijing was not opposing India&#39;s entry&nbsp;to the Nuclear&nbsp;Suppliers&#39; Group&nbsp;(NSG).&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We have stressed that the&nbsp;NSG&nbsp;is still divided about non-NPT countries&#39; entry into the NSG,&nbsp;and under the current circumstances we hope that NSG will make thorough discussions to make a decision based on consultation,&quot; Chinese&nbsp;foreign&nbsp;ministry spokesperson Hua&nbsp;Chunying&nbsp;told a media briefing.&nbsp; 
 
Answering questions about&nbsp;foreign&nbsp;secretary S&nbsp;Jaishankar&#39;s&nbsp;visit here on June 16-17 and Swaraj&#39;s remarks, Hua said India&#39;s admission into NSG is not on the agenda of the Seoul meeting of the 48-member elite club to be held on June 24.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;As we understand&nbsp;the annual conference in Seoul this year also has no such topic. We understand that non-NPT countries are concerned about their entry into the NSG. But since NSG is still divided about the issue, so it is still not mature to talk about the entry issue in the annual conference in Seoul,&quot; she said.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;I want point out that the NSG agenda has never covered any issue concerning the non-NPT countries joining the NSG,&quot; Hua asserted.&nbsp; 
 
China,&nbsp;along with some other nations,&nbsp;has effectively blocked India&#39;s entry to NSG that trades in advanced nuclear material and technology.&nbsp; 
 
Swaraj&nbsp;had&nbsp;made the comments on China at a news conference held to highlight her government&#39;s achievement in their two-years of rule&nbsp;on Sunday.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;As far as China is concerned, they are not opposed to India&#39;s membership into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) but is talking about criteria procedure,&quot; she said.&nbsp; 
 
India had spoken to 23 nations on India&#39;s membership to NSG, out of which 21 had extended support while the remaining had raised questions.&nbsp; 
 
India already enjoys most of the benefits of membership under a 2008 exemption to NSG rules granted to support its nuclear cooperation deal with Washington, even though India has developed atomic weapons and never signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the main global arms control pact.&nbsp; 
 
Swaraj was optimistic that China would agree on India&#39;s entry into NSG.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
&quot;When foreign secretary went to China, he said during the talks that India&#39;s credentials should be discussed instead of criteria. I believe that there is still time and we are hopeful that we will be able to convince China as well,&quot; Swaraj said.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Opponents argue that granting India membership would further undermine efforts to prevent proliferation. It would also infuriate India&#39;s rival Pakistan, an ally of China, which has responded to India&#39;s membership bid with one of its own.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Swaraj also took questions on Pakistan&#39;s bid to join the NSG and said that India was not against the entry of any country into the non-proliferation body.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
&quot;As far as Pakistan&#39;s entry is concerned, we are not yet members of the NSG, so we cannot be a part in the decision-making process regarding their membership. We are not opposed to the entry of any nation into the NSG. We would want any application to be considered on its own merits,&quot; she concluded.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Membership of the 48-nation club would bring India into the nuclear fold 41 years after it tested its first nuclear bomb, and give the nation of 1.25 billion a vested interest in curbing the world&#39;s most dangerous regional arms race.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
A seat at the NSG would strengthen India&#39;s geopolitical clout and help it&nbsp;capitalise&nbsp;on nuclear trade and technology transfer opportunities.&nbsp; 
 
(Agencies)&nbsp;

The statement comes after Indian external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj's comment that China was not blocking India's entry into NSG

China said on Monday that India's inclusion in the NSG was not even on the agenda of the group's meeting in Seoul this week and there were differences among the existing members over the inclusion of new countries. This statement comes just a day after India's external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj asserted that Beijing was not opposing India's entry to the Nuclear Suppliers' Group (NSG). "We have stressed that the NSG is still divided about non-NPT countries' entry into the NSG, and under the current circumstances we hope that NSG will make thorough discussions to make a decision based on consultation," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing. Answering questions about foreign secretary S Jaishankar's visit here on June 16-17 and Swaraj's remarks, Hua said India's admission into NSG is not on the agenda of the Seoul meeting of the 48-member elite club to be held on June 24. "As we understand the annual conference in Seoul this year also has no such topic. We understand that non-NPT countries are concerned about their entry into the NSG. But since NSG is still divided about the issue, so it is still not mature to talk about the entry issue in the annual conference in Seoul," she said. "I want point out that the NSG agenda has never covered any issue concerning the non-NPT countries joining the NSG," Hua asserted. China, along with some other nations, has effectively blocked India's entry to NSG that trades in advanced nuclear material and technology. Swaraj had made the comments on China at a news conference held to highlight her government's achievement in their two-years of rule on Sunday. "As far as China is concerned, they are not opposed to India's membership into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) but is talking about criteria procedure," she said. India had spoken to 23 nations on India's membership to NSG, out of which 21 had extended support while the remaining had raised questions. India already enjoys most of the benefits of membership under a 2008 exemption to NSG rules granted to support its nuclear cooperation deal with Washington, even though India has developed atomic weapons and never signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the main global arms control pact. Swaraj was optimistic that China would agree on India's entry into NSG. "When foreign secretary went to China, he said during the talks that India's credentials should be discussed instead of criteria. I believe that there is still time and we are hopeful that we will be able to convince China as well," Swaraj said. Opponents argue that granting India membership would further undermine efforts to prevent proliferation. It would also infuriate India's rival Pakistan, an ally of China, which has responded to India's membership bid with one of its own. Swaraj also took questions on Pakistan's bid to join the NSG and said that India was not against the entry of any country into the non-proliferation body. "As far as Pakistan's entry is concerned, we are not yet members of the NSG, so we cannot be a part in the decision-making process regarding their membership. We are not opposed to the entry of any nation into the NSG. We would want any application to be considered on its own merits," she concluded. Membership of the 48-nation club would bring India into the nuclear fold 41 years after it tested its first nuclear bomb, and give the nation of 1.25 billion a vested interest in curbing the world's most dangerous regional arms race. A seat at the NSG would strengthen India's geopolitical clout and help it capitalise on nuclear trade and technology transfer opportunities. (Agencies)

India?s entry into Nuclear Suppliers' Group not on Seoul meet agenda: China

<div>Reserve Bank of India chief Raghuram Rajan on Monday defended his record in fighting inflation, and made a case for the&nbsp;monetary policy reforms he has championed, in his first public appearance since announcing that&nbsp;he will step down at the end of his tenure in September. 
 
In a speech, the outgoing&nbsp;governor of India&#39;s central bank, Reserve Bank of India,&nbsp;addressed critics who have accused him of keeping interest rates too high, saying they cannot &quot;have it both ways, want lower inflation as well as lower policy rates.&quot; 
 
 
&quot;The fact that inflation is fairly close to the upper bound of our target zone today suggests we have not been overly hawkish&nbsp;and were wise to disregard advice in the past to cut more deeply,&quot; Rajan said.</div>

<div> 
Consumer inflation hit a near two-year high of 5.76 per cent in May, or the upper end of the central bank&#39;s inflation target of 2 per cent to 6 per cent. 
 
Rajan also strongly defended the upcoming introduction of a monetary policy panel to set interest rates,&nbsp;a policy he has championed,&nbsp;saying &quot;the rewards will be many&quot;, including a more stable policy framework. 
 
(Reuters)</div>

Tells critics of his monetary policy reforms they can't have it 'both ways'

Reserve Bank of India chief Raghuram Rajan on Monday defended his record in fighting inflation, and made a case for the monetary policy reforms he has championed, in his first public appearance since announcing that he will step down at the end of his tenure in September. In a speech, the outgoing governor of India's central bank, Reserve Bank of India, addressed critics who have accused him of keeping interest rates too high, saying they cannot "have it both ways, want lower inflation as well as lower policy rates." "The fact that inflation is fairly close to the upper bound of our target zone today suggests we have not been overly hawkish and were wise to disregard advice in the past to cut more deeply," Rajan said. Consumer inflation hit a near two-year high of 5.76 per cent in May, or the upper end of the central bank's inflation target of 2 per cent to 6 per cent. Rajan also strongly defended the upcoming introduction of a monetary policy panel to set interest rates, a policy he has championed, saying "the rewards will be many", including a more stable policy framework. (Reuters)

Out not down: Indian central bank governor Raghuram Rajan defends his record

Indian manufacturers increased activity for a fifth consecutive month in May, but the pace of expansion was weak as output growth softened for the second month in a row, a&nbsp;business&nbsp;survey showed on Wednesday.

The Nikkei Manufacturing Purchasing Managers&#39; Index, compiled by Markit, rose to 50.7 in May, from 50.5 in April. A reading above 50 indicates expansion.

Input prices rose at their fastest rate in 14 months but manufacturers absorbed much of the increase. The output price index, which offers clues on inflationary pressures, remained in expansion above 50 but fell from April.

The output sub-index declined to a five-month low, as foreign demand contracted, albeit marginally. Domestic demand appeared to have picked up.

&quot;Signs of challenging economic conditions in the Indian manufacturing sector were evident in May, with output losing further growth momentum,&quot; said Pollyanna De Lima, an economist at Markit.

&quot;So far, there is little evidence that the latest cut in the benchmark rate acted to significantly improve&nbsp;business&nbsp;conditions for manufacturers. Therefore, further stimulus may be necessary to shift the economy into a higher gear.&quot;

The Reserve Bank of India cut its benchmark repo rate by 25 basis points in its April meeting to 6.50 percent, the lowest in more than five years.

But India&#39;s central bank is seen as unlikely to ease again at its June meeting after April retail inflation rose to a faster than expected pace of 5.39 percent, the first pickup in retail inflation since January.

India&#39;s economy grew at a faster-than-expected pace of 7.9 percent in the January-March quarter from a year earlier, which could further persuade the RBI to hold steady.

Indian manufacturers increased activity for a fifth consecutive month in May, but pace of expansion slowed as output growth softened for second month in a row

Indian manufacturers increased activity for a fifth consecutive month in May, but the pace of expansion was weak as output growth softened for the second month in a row, a business survey showed on Wednesday. The Nikkei Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index, compiled by Markit, rose to 50.7 in May, from 50.5 in April. A reading above 50 indicates expansion. Input prices rose at their fastest rate in 14 months but manufacturers absorbed much of the increase. The output price index, which offers clues on inflationary pressures, remained in expansion above 50 but fell from April. The output sub-index declined to a five-month low, as foreign demand contracted, albeit marginally. Domestic demand appeared to have picked up. "Signs of challenging economic conditions in the Indian manufacturing sector were evident in May, with output losing further growth momentum," said Pollyanna De Lima, an economist at Markit. "So far, there is little evidence that the latest cut in the benchmark rate acted to significantly improve business conditions for manufacturers. Therefore, further stimulus may be necessary to shift the economy into a higher gear." The Reserve Bank of India cut its benchmark repo rate by 25 basis points in its April meeting to 6.50 percent, the lowest in more than five years. But India's central bank is seen as unlikely to ease again at its June meeting after April retail inflation rose to a faster than expected pace of 5.39 percent, the first pickup in retail inflation since January. India's economy grew at a faster-than-expected pace of 7.9 percent in the January-March quarter from a year earlier, which could further persuade the RBI to hold steady.

Indian factory growth picks up slightly in May - PMI

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