An ambulance driver was shot at and injured allegedly by security forces in Safakadal area of downtown Srinagar while he was ferrying a patient from Ganderbal district to Shri Maharaja Hari Singh hospital.

The driver Ghulam Ahmad Sofi was shot with a pellet gun at Safakadal crossing, a police official said.

He was on his way to SMHS hospital with a patient from Kangan area of Ganderbal district, the official said. He said Sofi, even after being shot in the arm, drove the ambulance to the hospital where he was also later admitted for treatment.

Congratulations poured in for P V Sindhu on ensuring another medal for India in Rio 2016.

President Pranab Mukherjee tweeted, 'Hearty congratulations #PVSindhu, well played, all the best for the finals.'

'Superb performance @PvSindhu1. You make India proud! Best of luck for the finals,' tweeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

'Congratulations #PVSindhu! What a fantastic win to take India to the badminton finals at #Rio2016! All the best!' tweeted Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted, 'The people of India should feel proud of their daughters. First Sakshi Malik and now PV Sindhu has made history in #Rio2016.'

'PV Sindhu's performance today has kindled the hopes for a Gold medal to #IND. Congratulations to her on reaching the Olympic final,' he said in another tweet.


'Congratulations PV Sindhu. Whole nation is proud of ,' tweeted Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

The toll in the hooch tragedy in Bihar's Gopalganj district has risen to 16 on Thursday, even as Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced tough action against those responsible for it, including manufacturers of liquor banned in the state.

Around 300 youth hailing from various parts of Jammu and Kashmir were today inducted as soldiers in the army after completing one-year strenuous training. 

Prachanda is likely to visit India on his first official foreign trip as Nepal's prime minister, in a departure from his earlier practice when he visited Beijing ahead of New Delhi in 2008.

 Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of Bengal, said  that she was shocked by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's "hurtful tweet" on legendary freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, who is believed by many to have lived even after the reports of his death in an air crash in Taiwan in 1945.

In the wake of Army Chief General Dalbir Singh alleging victimisation by Union minister V K Singh when he was heading the army, the Aam Aadmi Party said the minister has now become a "national liability" and demanded his sacking. 

Olympic bronze medal winning wrestler Sakshi Malik is all set to be conferred with country's highest sporting honour Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award as per policy decision by the government. 

A Qatar Airways plane has made an emergency landing in Istanbul after one of its engines reportedly caught fire.  

Maharashtra Navnirma Sena chief Raj Thackeray expressed reservations over the Supreme Court banning participation of minors in the 'Dahi-Handi' festival, saying that courts should refrain from meddling in matters of tradition and culture. "The courts should not interfere in festivals, which have been happening for years together. The courts are taking all the decisions. If this goes on, why have the Assembly or Lok Sabha elections? Let the courts decide on everything," Thackeray said.

MEA statement on Pakistan.

MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup says the Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar had underlined to Pakistan that it has no locus standi on Jammu and Kashmir which is an integral part of India.

On being asked if finance minister Arun Jaitley would be part of the SAARC meeting in Islamabad, Swarup said, "As of now, no decision has been taken yet on the level of participation."

Vikas Swarup said the NSG issue was discussed in considerable detail by Chinese Foreign Min Wang Yi and EAM Swaraj meet.

On Pakistan Occupied Kashmir: MEA will do whatever it has to do, after all people of of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir are also our people. Pakistan not allowing UN human rights team to visit PoK is I think a message in itself. "


Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh momentarily referred to Jammu and Kashmir as India-occupied Kashmir in his remarks to the media, before he clarified when queried by a reporter.

MoS Home Kiren Rijiju flew to Arunachal Pradesh with a legend...

The legend tweeted, @ashabhosle  In helicopter with Minister of State for Home Affairs Shri. Kiren Rijiju going to Arunachal Pradesh.

Union minister Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday lashed out at the Congress over former Home Minister P Chidambaram's remarks on the Kashmir unrest and said that his remarks showed the level of inconsistency of the Congress.

"The only consistency in the Congress is its inconsistency," said Naidu in New Delhi.

"The statement of the former Home Minister P Chidambaram shows the casual and reckless manner of the Congress when discussing Kashmir," he further said.

"Congress has once again displayed its insensitivity on the Kashmir issue. Its own leaders are not in consonance... One day, Kapil Sibal says something. The next day, Congress disowns it," he said.

"These statements and contradictions show lack of maturity and signs of political opportunism," Naidu said, referring to how the Congress distanced itself from Chidambaram's remarks."Their utterances are totally out of sync with the mood of the country," Naidu further said.

"Why is Congress trying to exonerate Pakistan? I appeal to these parties to be realistic and understand the sentiments of the people."

Naidu's reaction came a day after Chidambaram had blamed the PDP-BJP government for the unrest in Kashmir Valley and said the statements of Prime Minister Narendra Modi have "exacerbated" the crisis.

This is the picture which shows the horror of the civilian suffering in Aleppo, and has shocked even hardened observers of the conflict.

Shared widely on social media, it displays five-year-old Omran Daqneesh dazed and bloody after a bombing by government or Russian planes on the Qaterji neighbourhood, in rebel-held eastern Aleppo, writes the Independent.

The district has been heavily hit recently by air strikes as government forces fight to secure control over the embattled city from rebel factions.
A video shot by media activists showed Omran being lifted from a house, covered in grey dust, and placed on a seat in an ambulance, before rescuers leave him to go back to the scene. Omran is left alone in the chair, staring blankly, before rubbing his bloodied head.

Shortly after, two more children are seen in the ambulance. In total, four children, two men and a woman were reportedly hurt in the explosion.

Omran was taken to the M10 hospital in the city and later discharged. Another photo of him was taken after he had been seen by doctors.

The images of the child struck a chord on social media. We can get numb seeing dead and injured children remotely day after day, said journalist Anne Barnard on Facebook, but some pictures particularly get to the mom in me and this is one. The orange chair. The expression. I want to give him a hug.

Just in: Mumbai Kidney racket: Bail granted to all 5 doctors, including the CEO of Hiranandani by Andheri magistrate court for a surety of Rs 30,000.

At least 3 killed, more than 50 wounded in a car bomb attack on a police station in Elazig, Turkey, says sources: Reuters

Case registered against NCP MLA Suresh Lad for threatening violence and disturbing work process at a government office.

Team of Delhi Anti-Corruption Branch is conducting a raid at Delhi Commission of Women office based on complaint-related to recruitment.

ANI: Hindu Jagran Vedeke activists beat up two people for allegedly transporting two cows in a tempo, last night at Hebri, Karnataka. One of the victims succumbed to his injuries.

A Chetak helicopter carrying out routine practice at the Advanced Landing Ground near Uran had to undertake a precautionary landing due to a technical problem, Commander Rahul Sinha, Chief PRO, Defence, says.
"There is no damage to the aircraft, and the personnel are safe too.  A support helicopter has been sent to provide assistance. The helicopter will fly out of the location shortly," he said.

Legendary Ranthambore tigress 'Machhli' died on Thursday. She was 19 years old. Machhli had not eaten for five days and is believed to have died of age-related issues.

Also referred to as T 16 , Machhli was probably the world's most photographed tigress. She was named Machhli because of the marks on her face that resemble a fish. She had contributed more than $10 million a year to the economy of Ranthambore over the last 10 years.


Image: Machhli at Ranthambore National Park. Picture courtesy: Anurag Sharma/Tigerwalah.com

Indo-US cooperation in defence technology and trade initiatives will be the focus of the US Air Force Secretary's upcoming visit to India during which she will also discuss with top Indian officials proposals to co-produce aircrafts in India. Deborah Lee James will travel to India later this month as part of a maiden visit to four Asian countries that would also take her to Indonesia, Singapore and the Philippines and will discuss the situation in the South China sea as well as the growing threat of terrorism.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah laid the foundation stone for the party's new office in a compound measuring 8,000 square feet on the leafy Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg in central Delhi today. The ruling BJP party will have a new address before the next Parliamentary election. Currently operating out of a bungalow in Ashoka Road.

When Syed Haider Raza's family moved to Pakistan after the 1947 Partition, the iconic painter chose to stay back, not just for the sake of his loyalty for his motherland, but for his admiration for Mahatma Gandhi.

The veteran artist, who passed away last month at the age of 94 revealed this to writer and poet Ashok Vajpeyi who recollected the tidbit about Raza last evening at a function organised at the Indian Women Press Corps here to remember the artist. Raza was merely eight, when he first saw the 'Father of the Nation' at a public meeting in Mandla in Madhya Pradesh.

"He used to say, 'This is my country. Where would I go from here?' But, I was never convinced with this argument. After lots of pestering, he once told me, 'When the Partition happened, my family left. But I used to feel that if even I leave, I would be betraying the man who I saw at the age of eight for the first time," Vajpeyi recalled.

A lecturer was killed and 18 others were injured in clashes between security forces and protesters who were opposing a search operation in Khrew area of Pulwama district in Kashmir where curfew and restrictions remained in force for the 41st day today.

Shabir Ahmad Monga, a contractual lecturer, died when he and several others were beaten up at Khrew late last night, a police official said.

He said 18 other persons, mostly youths, have been admitted to a hospital here. According to the locals, army conducted house to house searches for the youths who were leading protests in the area late last night which was resisted by the residents of Khrew. In the ensuing clash, 30-year-old Monga died.

President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi today congratulated female wrestler Sakshi Malik for winning a bronze medal in the Rio Olympics, saying that she has done the country proud with her historic feat. "Hearty Congratulations to #SakshiMalik for winning a medal in women's wrestling in #Rio2016 and doing India proud," President Mukherjee said in his official Twitter handle.

"One of the first things beginners in chess are told to avoid is the "Copycat Trap'. In copycat play, you 'mirror' each of your opponent's moves, in the hope that it will eventually frustrate the opponent into defensive play or making a wrong move. With his gambit from the ramparts of Red Fort, Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems to be trying to mirror Pakistan on Kashmir with his mention of Balochistan and the need for international intervention. He must step lightly now, if he is to avoid a similar trap in foreign policy strategy."

Suhasini Haider on the PM's Pak policy. Read

In the first instance of a serving Army chief speaking out against a predecessor and a serving minister, General Dalbir Singh, Chief of Army Staff, has accused General (retired) V K Singh, Minister of State for External Affairs, of trying to stall his promotion "with mysterious design, malafide intent and to arbitrarily punish' him for "extraneous reasons'.

In an affidavit submitted in his personal capacity to the Supreme Court Wednesday, General Dalbir Singh has said that in 2012 "I was sought to be victimised by the then COAS' General V K Singh "with the sole purpose of denying me promotion to the appointment of Army Commander'."False, baseless and imaginary allegations of lapses were levelled against me in the show cause notice' of May 19, 2012 and consequent imposition of an "illegal' discipline and vigilance (DV) ban, the Army chief has stated in his affidavit.

Read the story here

Congress president Sonia Gandhi was admitted to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in New Delhi for a pre-scheduled check up on Wednesday evening. Congress sources said that she would remain hospitalised for at least two days. After being operated for a shoulder injury, doctors had advised her to continue with her medication and visit the hospital for further evaluation.

The 69-year-old Congress chief had been hospitalised for over 11 days before being discharged on Sunday. She had fallen ill during the Varanasi roadshow on August 3 and had dislocated her left shoulder during the rally. Following the incident, she was immediately taken to the Army Research and Referral Hospital. Later, she was shifted to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in the national capital and underwent surgery on the same day.


Image: Sonia Gandhi at the Varanasi road show on August 3 where she fell ill

Targeting Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump over rejigging of his campaign for the second time in two months, his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton has said the move will not change his personality.

"I think it's fair to say that Donald Trump has shown us who he is, he can hire and fire anybody he wants from his campaign. They can make him read new words from a teleprompter," Clinton said at an election rally in Cleveland yesterday.

"But he is still the same man who insults Gold Star families, demeans women, mocks people with disabilities, and thinks he knows more about ISIS than our generals," she said amidst laughter from the audience.

30-year-old lecturer from Khrew killed in protests, death toll in Kashmir climbs to 66.

Three killed, 40 wounded in PKK car bomb attack in eastern Turkey, reports AFP.

Haryana government announces Rs 2.5 crore and a government job for Rio 2016 Bronze medallist wrestler Sakshi Malik. As Rajya Sabha MP and 2012 London Olympics bronze medallist boxing Mary Kom said, it is only after you win that the government opens up its coffers. Almost every single sportsperson at the Olympics has reached Rio through their own effort, without government help.

Meanwhile, in Sakshi's village in Rohtak, Haryana, her parents say the celebrations will begin today and continue till she reaches home. Her mother said Sakhshi is an example of what a woman can achieve and she believed that PM Modi's Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao could make a difference in changing mindsets. "A daughter has made a difference to India today," she said proudly.

Sakshi Malik got the better of Aisuluu Tynybekova of Kyrgyzstan in the 58kg freestyle bronze medal play-off to earn India its first medal at the Rio Olympics on Wednesday night.

The Indian wrestler, who stormed into the bronze medal play-off match with a dominating 12-3 victory over Purevdorjiin Orkhon of Mongolia in her Repechage bout earlier in the day, fought back from 0-5 down in the first round to emerge triumphant.

Malik scored four straight points in the second round to reduce the deficit to 4-5 and then with seconds ticking away on the clock drew abreast 5-5 before sealing the contest 8-5 and ending the country's agonizing wait for a medal on Day 12 of the Games.

Tynybekova asked for referral, but the decision stayed in favour of the Indian.

The 23-year-old from Rohtak is only the fourth woman athlete from India to win an Olympic medal.

3 dead & 3 injured after a blast in an oven in a factory near Khureji area of East Delhi

Russia has dismissed a suggestion from Washington that Moscow is violating a United Nations Security Council resolution by using an Iranian air base for its bombing raids on Syria.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday denied that Moscow could be in breach of a ban on supply or transfer of warplanes to Iran without prior approval of the UNSC.

There are no grounds to suspect Russia of breaching the resolution, Lavrov said at a news conference in Moscow.

Russia on Tuesday began flying warplanes from an Iranian airbase in a major switch in its bombing campaign in Syria that the United States condemned as unfortunate.

Washington responded to Lavrovs latest statements on Wednesday, saying it is evaluating Russias actions.

Russian forces took off from the Iranian base to carry out a fresh round of strikes on Wednesday morning.

Russia has previously flown raids only out of its bases in Syria and Russia.

The man who made the hoax call about the bomb planted at the Red Fort on Tuesday which sent the police and security agencies in a tizzy has been detained by Delhi Police.

The accused Hanuman Singh, 22, was detained from his home town Alwar in Rajasthan by a police team. He lived in Delhi in east Delhis Jwala Nagar area close to Shahdara and prepared for competitive examinations, said a senior police officer.

The hoax call of bomb planted at Red Fort was received by the police control room on Tuesday evening. Immediately, police and security personnel rushed to the fort and evacuated it for a massive combing operation which went for several hours and no explosive material was found.

Although the accused prepared for competitive examinations he appeared to be mentally sick and was involved in mischievous activities in the past also, said the officer.

The accused was grilled by Delhi Polices Special Cell and other agencies and it was revealed that he was involved in previous cases of prank calls. The details of such cases are being verified.

The phone number used by him to make the hoax call was registered in the name of some other person. After making the call he had run away to Alwar as he started receiving calls from the police.

Three persons were killed and six others injured when a storm accompanied by rain hit the city and coastal areas of the state on Wednesday.

Three persons were killed -- two in Jadavpur in southern part of the city and one at Beliaghata in northern part of the metropolis, Kolkata Police officials said.

In Jadavpur two persons were killed when an uprooted tree fell on them near Jadavpur 8B bus stand, the sources said adding one of the deceased was identified as Madhumita Hembram.

In Beliaghata, a pedestrian Amar Mukherjee was fatally injured when a tree branch fell on him when he was passing by Beliaghata Main Road at around 7.18 pm and was declared brought dead at N R S Hospital nearby, they said.

At least six persons were injured in different localities in the storm.

The condition of one of the injured was critical, the sources said. A major part of the city witnessed a massive traffic snarl along with water logging in some places in the evening causing inconvenience to home-bound commuters.

Kolkata Mayor Sovan Chatterjee said the municipal corporation has deployed 22 teams to clear the uprooted trees from the roads.

As overhead wires snapped, train services in Sealdah section were disrupted for hours. The MeT department has forecast heavy rain in most districts of south Bengal, including the metropolis, till Thursday as result of a deep depression near the coastal town of Digha in the southern tip of West Bengal.

Most of the districts in south Bengal experienced moderate to heavy rains and gusty wind having speed upto 70 km/hour owing to the deep depression, Regional MeT Director G C Debnath said.

Image for representation only.

A district level Bharatiya Janata Party leader Ashok Jaiswal was shot dead by unidentified gunmen at Danapur area in the district on Wednesday evening.

The assailants pumped four bullets in the body of Jaiswal in Gola Road area, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Danapur, Rajesh Kumar said, adding he died in a private hospital.

Two persons have been taken into custody in connection with the killing, he added.

Union Minister of State Ramkripal Yadav, who visited the home of the deceased, said the murder was a reflection of deterioration in law and order situation in Bihar.

The party has called Danapur bandh in protest against the murder, he said.

"Murder of Jaiswal in a busy place is enough to prove that criminals do not have any fear of law in the state under the Grand Secular Alliance government," he said.

Yadav, BJP MP from Patliputra, Danapur MLA Asha Devi and Digha MLA Sanjeev Chaurasia hit the streets in protest against the killing of Jaiswal.

Soaring temperatures worldwide made July the Earths hottest month in modern times, setting a new high mark for global heat in 137 years of record-keeping, United States government scientists said on Wednesday.

The report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration came just two days after the US space agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration released its climate data, which also found July was a record-breaking month.

July is typically the hottest month for the globe, and last month didn't disappoint, said a summary of the monthly report by NOAA.

July 2016 was 1.57 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th-century average, breaking last years record for the warmest July on record by 0.11 degrees.

Scientists say the heating trend is being driven by fossil-fuel burning, and is made worse by the ocean warming phenomenon known as El Nino, which came to an end last month.

Julys global average of temperatures taken over land and ocean surfaces was the highest for any month in the NOAA global temperature dataset record, which dates back to 1880.

July also marks the 15th consecutive month of breaking monthly temperature records, the longest such streak in the 137-year record, NOAA said.

The report found above average warmth across most of the Earth, with new records observed in parts of Indonesia, southern Asia, and New Zealand.

Places that saw near average or cooler than normal temperatures last month included the northwestern United States, eastern Canada, southern South America, southwestern Australia, north central Russia, Kazakhstan, and India.

Temperatures were record high even though El Nino has ended, and neither the warming trend of El Nino or the cooler La Nina prevailed across the tropical Pacific Ocean during
July 2016.

Ties with China a 'mixed picture': Foreign secy

Omar Abdullah seeks judicial probe on Kashmir unrest

Ready for talk on terror but not Kashmir: India tells Pak

In dry state of Bihar, spurious liquor kills 12

Constitution bench to examine if SC exempted under RTI Act

Stalin, all DMK MLAs thrown out of TN assembly

Read yesterday's commentary HERE