BJP is the only party based on ideology, says Amit Shah

The BJP is the only political party in India that has been consistently growing on the basis of its ideology, while others have slid into becoming “family concerns” rather than political parties, BJP president Amit Shah said on Saturday. Addressing a National Writer’s Meet organised by the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Research Foundation (SPMRF) affiliated to the Sangh Parivar, for bloggers and writers here, he gave an overview of the growth of...

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Protests manufactured, alleges U.P. BJP chief

Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Keshav Prasad Maurya has described reports of BJP leaders being asked to leave the public meetings of the Dharma-Dhamma Chetana Yatra, following former state BJP office bearer Daya Shankar Singh’s objectionable remarks about Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati, as a manufactured event. BJP national president Amit Shah had to cancel his appearance at one of these meetings, scheduled for Saturday, fearing a backlash....

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Siddaramaiah’s son dead

Rakesh Siddaramaiah (in picture), eldest son of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, died of multi-organ failure on Saturday at the Antwerp University Hospital, Belgium. Rakesh, who celebrated his 39th birthday earlier this month, was hospitalised last Sunday after he developed severe pain in the abdomen that was a result of liver and pancreatic complications. He was on dialysis. He is survived by wife Smitha, son Dhyan (8) and daughter Thanmayee...

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Mistress-dispelling is a booming business in China

When Wang, a 39-year-old woman from Shanghai, discovered texts on her husband’s phone that suggested he was having an affair with one of his employees, she was distraught but decided to take action. She searched online for a “mistress dispeller.” Mistress-dispelling services, increasingly common in China’s larger cities, specialize in ending affairs between married men and their extramarital lovers. Typically hired by a scorned wife, they...

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Tamil-American is youngest delegate to attend DNC

Sruthi Palaniappan, whose parents immigrated to the United States in 1992 from Chennai, was the youngest delegate to the Democratic National Convention (DNC) that ended on Thursday night. The 18-year-old high school graduate is set to join the Harvard University to study government. She spoke on behalf of the Iowa state delegation during the voting process for presidential nomination. Her father Palaniappan Andiappan also attended the convention...

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Pak model Qandeel Baloch killed by brother

A Pakistani social media celebrity whose selfies and videos were deeply polarising in the nation has been murdered by her brother in what police suspect was a so-called "honour killing", officials said Saturday. "Qandeel Baloch has been killed, she was strangled to death by her brother, apparently it was an incident of 'honour' killing," Sultan Azam, senior police officer in Multan, told AFP. Baloch, believed to be in her twenties, had travelled...

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Thousands of Venezuelans enter Colombia for food, medicine

Tens of thousands of Venezuelans poured into neighbouring Colombia to buy food and medicine on Saturday after authorities briefly opened the border that has been closed for almost a year. A similar measure last weekend led to dramatic scenes of the elderly and mothers storming Colombian supermarkets and highlighted how daily life has deteriorated for millions in Venezuela, where the economy has been in a freefall since the 2014 crash in oil...

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Vijender becomes WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight champion

A packed Thyagraj Stadium got more than it had bargained for as Vijender Singh became the WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight champion with a convincing win over Australian Kerry Hope here on Saturday even as pro boxing made a rousing start in the country. Vijender remained unbeaten, this time by unanimous decision, even though his reputation as the ‘Knockout King’ took a backseat. It was also his toughest fight yet, stretching to the maximum...

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Vijender aims for seventh knockout

Aiming for his seventh knockout win in as many fights, local favourite Vijender Singh has admitted this would be the toughest test yet when he faces off against Australian Kerry Hope for the WBO Asia Pacific super middleweight boxing championship title here on Saturday. Fighting his first bout at home since turning professional last year, Vijender is confident of continuing his reign as the ‘knockout king’. “It’s the Asia-Pacific title — we...

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Girl gives up medical seat for classmate

An act of selflessness by a medical aspirant on Monday warmed the hearts of all who witnessed it. At the Government multi-super speciality hospital in Omandurar Estate, where counselling for the academic session 2016-17 began for special category on Monday, a candidate gave up her medical seat in Madras Medical College for her friend and classmate. K. Varshini, with a cut-off of 199 marks and N. Janani with 198.75 marks, were ranked first...

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Over 250 die in failed Turkey coup

Turkish authorities wrested back control of the country on Saturday, after crushing a military coup by discontented soldiers seeking to seize power from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that claimed more than 250 lives. After facing down the bloodiest challenge to his 13-year rule, Mr. Erdogan triumphantly addressed thousands of supporters in his home Istanbul district after Friday’ s chaos in the strategic NATO member of 80 million people. The...

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evisiting the golden age of Indian hockey at the Olympics

Having put up sterling performances at the Sultan Azlan Shah hockey tournament and Champions Trophy, the Indian men's team is embarking on another Olympic voyage at Rio. India has a painfully glorious past in Olympic hockey. India has won eight gold medals at the Olympics, between 1928 and 1980. After that it has been a dry spell. Rio is also an opportunity to prove themselves for the Indian women’s team as well. The have qualified for Olympics...

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Usain Bolt’s torn hamstring raises Rio doubt

Usain Bolt confirmed suffering a grade one hamstring tear at Jamaica’s Olympic trials on Friday but the star sprinter expects to secure his place at the Rio Games by proving his fitness at the London Anniversary Games later this month. Bolt withdrew from the final of the men’s 100 metres after Friday night’s semifinals as Yohan Blake went on to win the trial in 9.95 seconds. Bolt had clocked 10.04 seconds to win his semifinal after a poor start. “After...

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Connectivity aims to spur travel, airport usage

The civil aviation ministry released the draft regional connectivity scheme on Friday in a bid to make flying affordable and to revive dormant airports. Once the scheme is implemented, passengers will be able to fly an hour’s journey (of about 500 km) for an all-inclusive fare of Rs 2,500. The passenger service fee and user development fee will not be applicable on this fare. However, the cap on the airfares will be applicable only to a limited...

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Gold prices likely to remain high in the current year due to Brexit

Gold prices likely to move up further in the current calendar year owing to uncertainties in the global markets as U.K. voted to exit from the European Union. Gold prices shot up to its highest level in three years, in the aftermath of the Brexit referendum, on last Friday, as investors rushed to grab safer assets, leaving equities and other risk assets, which were already facing selling pressure. Sluggish purchases The prices of gold hit...

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Eleven dead, 17 missing as heavy rain lashes Uttarakhand

At least 11 persons were killed and 17 went missing when heavy rain triggered landslips and flash floods in Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh and Chamoli districts on Friday. Several people were buried in sleep, under the debris of collapsing houses, when disaster struck in the early hours. After the deluge, eight bodies were recovered from Pithoragarh’s Didihat and Thal tehsil, where at least 12 families were affected. While three persons who were...

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President inaugurates smart model village pilot project

President Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday inaugurated a smart model village pilot project at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The President said in the last four years of his presidency this was the first time that he was having the privilege of interacting with several sarpanches and village-level functionaries at Rashtrapati Bhavan. He called it a landmark initiative to replicate the experience in transforming the President’s estate into a smart model township...

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Dhaka restaurant siege — As it happened

Bangladeshi police stormed a restaurant in the capital Dhaka and rescued up to 10 hostages on Saturday, one official said, after an attack claimed by Islamic state. Gunmen attacked the upscale cafe in the diplomatic area of Dhaka late on Friday and had been holding about 20 hostages, including foreigners, before police poured into the building to try to free those stuck inside. At least two police were killed. Live updates 10.40 am: According...

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New Taliban leader tells U.S. to end Afghan 'occupation' in first message

New Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhundzada tells U.S. on Saturday to end its "occupation" of Afghanistan in his first message since being appointed the militant group's chief in May. "Admit the realities instead of useless use of force and muscle... and put an end to the occupation," Akhundzada said in a speech on the eve of Eid-al-Fitr, the Muslim festival marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. "Our message to the American invaders...

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Hillary’s automatic green card proposal to benefit Indian students

Indian science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) students in the U.S could be the biggest beneficiaries of a proposal in Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s ‘Initiative on Technology and Innovation’ released this week. Ms. Clinton has promised automatic ‘green card’ or permanent residency to students who complete a master’s degree or a PhD from a U.S university. Indian students mostly in STEM  There are...

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