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Sun, 07 August 2016

Islamic State claims responsibility for Belgium machete attack

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21:22 Intercaste marriages can end casteism: Athawale

Blaming casteism for the recent incidents of atrocities against Dalits in the country, Union Minister Ramdas Athawale today said intercaste marriages should be encouraged for better integration of the society.

"I feel the government's encouragement money to the couple marrying outside the caste should be enhanced," the Union Minister of State for Social Justice and RPI (A) leader said.

"Central government's intercaste marriage encouragement money, Rs 2.50 lakh now, should be increased to Rs 5 lakh. I am going to take up this issue," said Athawale, a prominent Dalit leader from Maharashtra, speaking to reporters here.

The district with maximum number of intercaste marriages should be given Rs 10 crore by way of grant, he said.

"The politicking over the recent attacks on Dalits should end. Rather emphasis should be laid on eliminating casteism. I strongly feel that intercaste marriage is the answer to the casteism which was the cause of recent violence against Dalits," he said.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility on Sunday for an attack that wounded two policewomen in the Belgian city of Charleroi, saying the machete-wielding assailant was a "soldier" of the group.

Quoting an unidentified source, the IS-linked Amaq Agency said Saturday's attack came "in response to calls to target citizens" belonging to countries in a United States-led coalition bombing Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.

The assailant died after being shot by officers. The police said that he was a 33-year-old Algerian with the initials K B.

Belgium has opened a terrorism probe into the attack, the latest in a string of jihadist assaults in Europe.

"We have been informed by federal prosecutors that an investigation has started for attempted terrorist murder... given certain elements (in the case)," Prime Minister Charles Michel told reporters.

Michel, who saluted the courage of the police victims, was referring to the attacker's cry of "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest) during the assault in front of a police station.

In a politically significant statement, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao today praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for providing "corruption-free" governance in the last two years of the NDA rule and termed him as "most popular" leader in the country.

While returning the compliment, Modi, who was on his maiden visit to the youngest state, said the Telangana CM has always been concerned about the development of his state.

Stating that the Central government under Modi's leadership was running "100 per cent corruption free", Rao said, "The credit for running the corruption-free government goes to Modi. This will go down in history."

While welcoming the PM on his home turf, Rao termed him as "Bharat desh ke atyant lokpriya neta (very popular leader in India)".

The CM represents Gajwel assembly constituency in the state.

"We (Telangana State) are getting good cooperation from you (Modi) and also from your ministers," Rao said while noting that the BJP had also played a role in formation of the state in 2014, when it was carved out of Andhra Pradesh.

To this, Modi said, "Whenever the chief minister (Rao) has met me, he has spoken about the state's development and about water related issues."

He is "emotional" on the water issue and appeared to have taken it as a mission, Modi said.

The PM said TRS had solidly backed the GST bill, passed by Rajya Sabha recently.

Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad today arrested one more person for his alleged links with the terror outfit Islamic State from Parbhani district of the state.

This is the third such arrest in the district in the last one month.

Shaikh Iqbal Shaikh Kabeer Ahmed (24) was arrested early this morning from Madina Nagar locality in Parbhani , ATS sources said.

On July 14, Naser bin Yafai Chaus (31), a suspected IS operative, was arrested in the city. He was allegedly in touch with another wanted accused, Farooque, based in Syria, and was trying to influence the youth through social networking sites using different handles and profiles.

It led to the arrest of 24-year-old Shahid Khan from the district on July 24 on the charge of having links with the Islamic State.

A relative of one of the jihadist killers of journalists at French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo has been arrested in Turkey on his way to Syria, a judicial source said today.

Mourad Hamyd, brother-in-law of Cherif Kouachi who was behind the January 2015 attack in Paris that killed 12, was detained in Turkey last month on suspicion of seeking to enter Syria, the source said.

Hamyd, wrongly identified on social media in the aftermath of the attack as being one of three Charlie Hebdo killers, was denied entry to Turkey and sent to a detention centre in Bulgaria on July 28, the source added in confirming a French media report.

The source said French anti-terrorist investigators are preparing a European arrest warrant for Hamyd, whose sister was Cherif Kouachi's wife.

Kouachi carried out the Charlie Hebdo killings with his brother Said.

Hamyd came under initial suspicion of acting as the brothers' getaway driver and he was briefly detained before being released without charge.

The Opposition today termed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement against cow vigilantes as "absolutely humbug", alleging that his ideological co-travellers were perpetrating "terror" in the name of cow protection.

Congress leader Manish Tewari questioned Modi's "silence" on the Dadri lynching incident last year and alleged that the PM was selective in his outreach.

"..why does he not prevail upon RSS to disband the VHP, why does he not take action against the office bearers of Bajrang Dal?

"Therefore it is his ideological co-travellers who have been perpetrating this spectre of uncertainty and terror in the name of cow lumpenism across the country, thereby whatever the Prime Minister says today is absolutely humbug and completely sanctimonious," Tewari said.

Echoing similar sentiments, JD-U leader Pavan Verma said had the PM given a stern message earlier, the "menace" of gau rakshaks could have been prevented.

"If the Prime Minister had given the same message earlier, we would not have seen this menace of gau rakshaks spreading pan India. But he choose to keep silent although he tweets on any other subject under the sun. Breaking the silence is welcome, the only question is why so late," he said.

An incredibly rare copy of a comic book, which marked the first appearance of Superman, has sold for nearly $1 million at an auction in the US.

Action Comics #1, which was published in 1938, is considered a gem among comic book fans, according to Dallas-based Heritage Auctions.

The comic book was expected to sell for $750,000 but fetched $956,000 instead.

About 100 copies of the comic book, which marks the first appearance of Superman, are believed to exist decades after production.

"Few copies of this comic survive, let alone come to auction with such a bright cover," Lon Allen, managing director of comics and comic art at Heritage Auctions was quoted as saying by CNN.

When it first came out in 1938, Action Comics #1 cost 10 cents.

The Supreme Court verdict on BCCI reforms today came under a sharp attack from former apex court judge Markandey Katju, who termed the reforms as "unconstitutional and illegal."

Katju, who has been appointed by the BCCI to advice on SC verdict on implementation of Justice Lodha committee recommendations, also advised the board to file a review petition before a larger bench of the apex court

and not to meet the committee as scheduled on August 9 terming the panel as "null and void".

"What the Supreme Court has done is unconstitutional and illegal. There has been violation of principles of the Constitution. Under our Constitution, we have legislature, executive and judiciary. There is broad separation of

functions. It's the legislature's prerogative to make laws. If judiciary starts making laws, one is setting a dangerous precedent," Katju said at a media conference.

"I have advised them (BCCI) to file a review petition before a larger bench. In this case, the Supreme Court outsourced a committee (referring to Lodha Committee) to decide on BCCI's punishment," he said.

BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke however said that the BCCI will study the interim report prepared by Justice Katju and then take a call.

"The Supreme Court had appointed the Lodha Committee to find the defects in working of BCCI. That was okay. When the Lodha Committee Report was submitted to the Supreme Court, it should have been forwarded

to Parliament and State Legislatures. It then should have been left to legislature to accept or not to accept the recommendations. Judiciary is not supposed to legislate," Katju said, elaborating his viewpoint.

He gave examples of cases where a larger bench with four or five judges have handled serious issues.

Iran confirmed today that it has executed an Iranian nuclear scientist who gave the US intelligence about the country's contested nuclear programme.

The official IRNA news agency quoted a spokesman for Iran's judiciary, Gholamhosein Mohseni Ejehi, confirming the execution of Shahram Amiri, an Iranian nuclear scientist caught up in a real-life US spy mystery who later returned to his home country and disappeared.

He did not say where or when the execution took place, but said Amiri's initial death sentence had been reviewed by an appeal court and that he had access to a lawyer.

Amiri "provided the enemy with vital information of the country," Ejehi said.

Amiri, who worked for a university affiliated to Iran's defence ministry, vanished in 2009 while on a religious pilgrimage to Muslim holy sites in Saudi Arabia, only to reappear a year later in a set of online videos filmed in the

US. He then walked into the Iranian interests section at the Pakistani Embassy in Washington and demanded to be sent home, returning to a hero's welcome in Tehran.

In interviews, Amiri described being kidnapped and held against his will by Saudi and American spies, while US officials said he was to receive millions of dollars for his help in understanding Iran's contested nuclear programme.

Now, a year after his country agreed to a landmark accord to limit uranium enrichment in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions, he has reportedly been hanged without any official word on his case.

17:48 Pregnant woman burnt alive in Pakistan

In a horrific incident, a 23-year-old pregnant woman was burnt alive by her former fiance in this Pakistan city after she married his younger brother.

Sidra was previously engaged to Waris Ali, but when he left for Saudi Arabia last year for work her family married her off to his younger brother Waqas, police said.

"Waris worked in Saudi Arabia and learnt about the marriage only when he returned. The suspect had developed a grudge against his former fiancee for marrying his younger brother," senior police officer Muhammad Naveed said.

He said that the accused had also business dispute with his younger brother.

On Saturday Sidra was sleeping in her room while the other family members were away.

Ali came there with a container of petrol and set her on fire. He locked the room and fled. Police said neighbours alerted firefighters who reached the spot and put off the fire and recovered her charred body.

Sidra's family told police that she was a few months old pregnant. A murder case has been registered against Ali and his other family members on the complaint of Sidra's father. Police are conducting raids to arrest the suspect. Some family members of Ali have also been taken into custody for interrogation.

17:00 Beware of fake cow vigilantes, says Modi

Continuing his attack against gau rakshaks, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday asked people to beware of 'fake' cow vigilantes and asks state governments to take action against them.

"Some people want 'tandav' (tension) in the society in the name of 'cow protection," said Modi.

"I want to tell the state governments to act against fake gau rakshaks," he added.

On Saturday, duing his first-ever townhall speech, Modi criticised vigilantes who portray themselves as protectors of cows.

"I get so angry at those who are into the Gau-Rakshak business. A Gau-Bhakt (cow devotee) is different, Gau Seva (cow protection) is different. I have seen that some people are into crimes all night and wear the garb of Gau Rakshaks in the day," PM Modi said, answering a question at the interactive session to mark two years of his MyGov initiative.

A school in Allahabad has refused to allow recital of the national anthem by students and staff members on Independence Day, claiming that its words violated the tenets of Islam, following which eight teachers, including

the principal, have quit in protest against the diktat.

Authorities said that a probe has been launched against M A Convent School based in Baghara locality of the city in the matter and maintained that it was not recognised by the education department.

Zia-ul Haq, the school manager, told the teachers that singing of the national anthem could not be allowed as the phrase 'Bharat Bhagya Vidhata' in its first stanza went against the tenets of Islam, according to the teachers who resigned two days ago.

The manager said that if they were not in agreement with this "policy" of the school, they could leave.

"Most of us have been working here for not a very long time. We were shocked to learn from the management that the school has never allowed the singing of national anthem in the last 12 years.

"Since we had been asked to fall in line or leave, we chose a decision based on our conscience," Ritu Tripathi, who was the principal, said.

The school has around 300 students.

She said, "Seven of my colleagues have put in their papers in protest against this attitude of the school management".

Haq, on his part, stuck to his guns asserting "only Allah can be the Bhagya Vidhata, which means the one who decides our destiny. How can we call Bharat our Bhagya Vidhata?"

As many as 25 blackbucks were found dead after having reportedly consumed pesticide and fertiliser used for maize crop in Mahabubnagar district of Telangana.

Villagers of Gummadam, on the banks of river Krishna in Mahabubnagar district, yesterday noticed the blackbucks dead and informed the matter to forest officials.

"As per preliminary inquiry, we suspect that the blackbucks consumed pesticide and fertiliser used for maize crop. Some farmers had illegally grown the crop on the land belonging to revenue department, which is a submerged area of Srisailam reservoir," Mahabubnagar District Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) C Ganga Reddy said.

"A total of 25 blackbucks have died...we took samples from every carcass and will send it for forensic examination to know the exact reason of their deaths," Reddy told PTI over phone, adding all preventive and precautionary measures have been undertaken to ensure that such incidents do not recur.

The maize crop has been destroyed, he said. A case has been registered against two farmers, who had illegally taken up sowing of maize crop on the government land, under relevant sections of the Wildlife Act, the DFO added.

Ibtihaj Muhammad is Team USA's first Olympian to wear a hijab.

The 30-year-old is gearing up to represent her home country at the Rio Olympics in the sabre fencing competition.

Muhammad has captured attention since qualifying for the games in February and was voted second by her fellow American athletes to carry the flag during the Opening Ceremony. She was narrowly pipped to the post by the record-bolding swimmer Michael Phelps.

Nobel-winning US economist Joseph Stiglitz and Swiss anti-corruption expert Mark Pieth have said that a dispute over transparency had prompted them to quit a panel on reforming Panama's finance sector.

The pair resigned on Friday from the committee, which the Panamanian government set up in a declared bid to reform the country's tarnished financial services after the "Panama Papers" scandal erupted in April.

Stiglitz, a professor at Columbia University in New York who won the Nobel Prize in 2001, told AFP yesterday that he was "shocked" and "very disappointed." The pair had been "very reluctant to resign," he said.

"In our first meeting we made it clear that we couldn't proceed unless there was a commitment from the government to make our report public and it refused to make that commitment," he said.

"We were just shocked. How could you have a committee on transparency that itself was not going to be transparent?"

In a statement, Stiglitz and Pieth said they believed restrictions on defining the scope of their work, on speaking freely and on guarantees that the report would be released were "tantamount to censorship."

In April, media outlets published details of murky offshore financial dealings gleaned from 11.5 million leaked documents from a Panamanian law firm -- the so-called "Panama Papers."

15:01 Tendulkar meets IOC president Bach in Rio

Sachin Tendulkar has met International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach on the sidelines of the Rio Olympics herein Brazil, which the Indian cricket icon termed as "wonderful".

Tendulkar, who is in Rio de Janeiro as a goodwill ambassador for the Indian contingent, sat alongside Bach as the two watched the opening day of rugby sevens, which has made an Olympic return after a 92-year-absence.

"Wonderful spending time with Mr Thomas Bach, IOC president at #Rio2016 @olympics," tweeted Tendulkar after meeting the IOC chief yesterday.

Tendulkar is keenly tracking the performance of the Indian athletes in Rio and was seen supporting tennis players Sania Mirza and Prarthna Thombare from the stands.

He watched the women's doubles match alongside Leander Paes, who had lost his men's doubles first round match partnering Rohan Bopanna yesterday.

South African Paralympic gold medallist Oscar Pistorius, serving a six-year jail term for killing his girlfriend, was rushed to hospital on Saturday with cuts to his wrists, City Press newspaper said on Sunday, quoting prison officials.

A prison service spokesman confirmed the athlete had been treated for wrist injuries, which he said were "minor".

But he said reports Pistorius had hurt himself on purpose were "speculation".

Pistorius had his jail term for killing Reeva Steenkamp increased from five to six years in July, less than half the 15 years sought by prosecutors.

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan today wished his friends from the film industry, Dharmendra and Shatrughan Sinha, a Happy Friendship's Day.

The 73-year-old "Piku" star shared a few pictures of himself along with the two veteran actors on his Twitter page, captioning it, "Happy friendship day... ever."

Bachchan and Dharmendra, 80, redefined the bond of friendship on screen with the 1975 blockbuster "Sholay", where they played best friends and partners-in-crime Jai and Veeru.

Bachchan posted a shot in which he is holding a photoframe having his and Dharmendra's still from "Sholay".

"Kuch pal yadgar ho jaate hain... Humesha ke liye... (Some moments become memorable forever) Happy Friendship Day."

He shared another picture, showing him greeting his "Dostana" co-star Sinha, 70, with a bouquet. Referring to Sinha's famous dialogue 'Khamosh', Bachchan wrote, "Aye dost teri dosti ki kami, Har pal mehsoos hoti hai... Jab sunte hai KHAMOSH! lafz kisiki juban se. Tumhari yaad aapne aap aajati hai..."

People who are lazy spend more time engaged in thought, leading them to be more intelligent than their active counterparts, a new study suggests.

Active people are more physical as they need to refresh their minds with external activities, either to escape their thoughts or because they get bored easily, researchers from Florida Gulf Coast University in the US said.

People with a high intelligent quotient get bored less easily, leading them to spend more time engaged in thought, they said.

Researchers gave a classic test -- which dates back three decades -- to a group of students. The 'need for cognition' questionnaire asked students to rate how strongly they agree with statements like "I really enjoy a task that involves coming up with new solutions to problems", and "I only think as hard as I have to".

Assam terror attack: CM Sarbananda Sonowal to review situation in Kokrajhar

From the candidates, researchers led by Todd McElroy, selected 30 'thinkers' and as many 'non-thinkers.'

For the next one week, both groups wore a device on their wrist which tracked their movements and activity levels, giving a constant stream of data on how physically active they were, 'The Independent' reported.

The results showed that the thinking group were far less active during the week than the non-thinkers, researchers said.

Indians are more prone to oesophageal and other types of cancer due to obesity resulting from sedentary lifestyle and improper food habits as well as alcohol intake, according to medical experts.

Increase in the population affected by obesity, coupled with enhanced intake of alcohol by Indians is now posing a serious health hazard with people suffering from various forms of cancer, according to Dr M G Bhat, Bangalore-based doctor specialising in Bariatric surgery and Surgical Gastroenterology.

"Obesity is associated with increased risks of various types of cancers such as oesophagus, pancreas, colon and rectum, breast (after menopause), endometrium (lining of the uterus), kidney, thyroid and gallbladder and many more possibly," said Bhat, who is also associated with Manipal Hospital and Apollo Spectra Hospitals in Bangalore.

Dr Shashank Shah, noted Laparoscopic and Bariatric Surgeon attached to Hinduja Healthcare here, said obesity is rising in India as a part of global epidemic, however, Indians being more obese, the abdominal obesity is more prevalent.

"Habits like tobacco and spices can add to reflux. The association of reflux and obesity is on rise in India and diagnosis is frequently done with endoscopy available. Hence, the treatment algorithm for reflux disease in obese people is changing to aggressive treatment of obesity since obesity is known to be the major contributory factor," he said.

12:42

Vijay Rupani sworn in as the Chief Minister of Gujarat.

12:38 Thailand votes in referendum on new junta Constitution

Thais on Sunday voted in a referendum on a new junta-backed Constitution that could pave the way for polls next year even as critics feared it would strengthen army's grip on power.

About 50 million voters will answer 'yes' or 'no' to the question -- Do you accept the draft constitution? They are also being asked a supplementary question, whether or not the appointed senate should be allowed to join the lower house in selecting a Prime Minister.

If the majority of voters say 'yes', the draft becomes the Constitution, enhancing the military government's legitimacy in the run-up to an election which Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who led the 2014 coup, has promised will happen next year.

Results of the referendum will soon be announced after voting closes.

Prime Minister Prayut and other key government figures openly announced a couple of days back that they would vote "Yes" in the referendum.

The military junta which took power after a coup in 2014 called for the Constitution to be rewritten to ensure "clean politics" in the country. The referendum is likely to be a judgement day in Thai politics.

Not only will the fate of the new draft Constitution will be determined, but the outcome could also be significant for entities such as the military-created National Council for Peace and Order and politicians from different parties.

If the Constitution does not pass, what will happen is uncertain, but the military government will remain in control.

The way this referendum has been run by the military authorities has been widely condemned by human rights groups because of the ban on campaigning, which has seen dozens of people detained and charged.

As a result, public knowledge of the draft Constitution is limited.

Major tax reform--GST bill--will be taken up by Lok Sabha on Monday, with virtually all political parties backing this legislation.

GST, the biggest economic reform since 1991, is likely to sail through smoothly in the Lower House. It will replace a raft of different state and local taxes with a single unified value added tax system to turn the country into world's biggest single market.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to intervene during the debate on the bill in Lok Sabha.

The bill was passed by Lok Sabha last year and now it has to go back to the Lower House for incorporating the amendments approved by Rajya Sabha.

Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia today said the party will support GST Constitutional Amendment Bill and has issued whip to all its MPs to be present in the House tomorrow where it is scheduled to be taken up for passage.

Aiming for early implementation of the Goods and Services Tax, senior Union ministers have spoken to chief ministers of NDA-ruled states to ensure that the constitutional amendment is ratified by state assemblies at

the earliest.

11:51

Senior BJP leader LK Advani, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley arrived in Ahmedabad for Vijay Rupani's oath taking ceremony as Gujarat CM in Gandhinagar.

11:18 Mumbai: Constable shoots self inside local train

A police constable allegedly committed suicide by firing himself from his service rifle inside a local train today, police said.

Amar Gaidwad, who was on railway patrolling duty at Mumbai Central, was travelling in a second class compartment of a Churchgate-bound train from Borivali when he allegedly shot himself from his rifle at around 5:30 am, a Railway Protection Force official said.

Gaidwad was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared brought dead by doctors, the official said, adding the exact cause behind the death was yet not known. Further investigation into the matter is on, he added.

A stray bullet cut through the plastic roof of the equestrian media centre on Saturday, alarming journalists and underlining concerns about the host city's ability to guarantee security at the world's biggest sporting event.No one was injured in the incident. The equestrian venue is sited next to a military complex, though police are still trying to discover who fired the bullet and from where, a spokesman for the Rio 2016 organising committee said."It was a stray bullet and has nothing to do with the Games," Mario Andrada said at a news conference, adding that security around the venue had been increased as a precaution.

Defence Minister Raul Jungmann was in the area accompanying the investigation and would return there on Sunday, a spokesman said.Dozens of police and troops patrolled the streets en route to the equestrian complex. The area was not evacuated.

Read this story HERE

Bhiwandi (Maharashtra) building collapse UPDATE: 4 people rescued, many still feared trapped.

09:41 Vijay Rupani to take oath as Gujarat CM today

Vijay Rupani to take oath as Gujarat CM today, preparations underway in Gandhinagar.

In a dramatic turnaround the BJP central leadership on Friday decided on Rupani, an Amit Shah loyalist and state party chief, to replace Anandiben as the chief minister, instead of Nitin Patel who was the front-runner till the last moment.

Anandiben had insisted on Nitin Patel as her successor, while Shah stood firm by Rupani. As a compromise formula, Patel was elevated to be deputy chief minister after intervention of the central leadership, including Modi.

Barely days after a bridge on the Mumbai-Goa highway collapsed killing at least 24 people, a building has collapsed in Maharashtra on Sunday.

As per the report, a three-storey building collapsed in Hanuman Tekri area of Bhiwandi in Mumbai today morning. At least nine people are feared to trapped under the debris.

Trial court judges are expected to "remain sensitive" while recording statements of children and required to take active part within the boundaries of law to elicit truth, the Delhi high court has said.

Justice S P Garg observed this while dismissing an appeal filed by a man challenging a judgement passed by a trial court last year which had sentenced him to five-year jail under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act for sexually assaulting a five-year-old girl. "The presiding officer is expected to remain sensitive particularly when a child of tender age is under examination.

While conducting trial, court is not required to sit as a silent spectator but to take active part within the boundaries of law to bring on record the relevant facts for the purpose of eliciting truth," the court said. The court said that sentence awarded to the 42-year-old man was based upon "fair reasoning" and the crime committed by him was "horrible" as he had "ravished" the child who was like his own daughter.

"The accusations are very specific, certain and clear. What else can be expected from a child aged around five years? Her statement on material and vital facts remained unchallenged," the judge noted in his order.

08:46

JUST IN: Media reports are now saying that members of about 4 families are buried under the debris of the 23-storey building that collapsed this morning in Bhiwandi near Mumbai.

More details are awaited.

08:28

"My wife and daughter are not well, will go to Lucknow straight away, to meet my family," said expelled Bharatiya Janata Party leader Dayashankar Singh, who was released from Mau jail.

A court in Mau on Saturday granted bail to Singh, arrested for making derogatory comments against Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati.

08:20 Bhiwandi: Many feared buried under debris after a 2-storey building collapse

Many feared buried under debris after a two-storey building collapsed in Hanuman tekri area of Bhiwandi.

More details are awaited.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Saturday said that she has directed the Indian envoy in Islamabad to seek consular access to an Indian national lodged in a jail in Pakistan's Peshawar following reports of repeated attacks on him.

"I am very much disturbed to read about repeated attacks on Hamid Ansari who is detained in Peshawar jail since 2012. It is inhuman," she said in a series of tweets.

"I have asked our high commissioner in Pakistan to seek Consular access to Hamid Ansari in hospital/Jail and report," she said.

World No 1 doubles player Sania Mirza's campaign in the women's event came to an end as she and her partner Prarthana Thombare lost their first round match against the Chinese pair of Shuai Zhang and Shuai Peng. Zhang and Peng won a closely contested match 7-6 (8-6) 5-7 7-5 that lasted two hours and 44 minutes as the Indian duo did put up a stiff resistance. Indian challenge in tennis now remains confined to Sania and Rohan Bopanna in the mixed doubles -- the only event where they are supposed to have realistic medal chance.

Had his partner been close in terms of quality, Sania would have taken India home as she shouldered bulk of the responsibility.

Prarthana, considered to be the weak link, showed fighting skills but the quality was simply not there. It was her poor service that cost India the match as she lost her serve on multiple occasions.

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