ABOUT 22 KILLED AND 170000 RENDERED HOMELESS BY FLOODS IN INDIA

People travel on a horse drawn carriage through a flooded road on the banks of river Ganga in Allahabad of northern India Flash floods triggered by torrential rain have killed at least 22 people in India and forced more than 170,000 from their homes, officials said on Monday (July 11) , as forecasters predicted more downpours in coming days.

India's monsoon rains, though vital for agriculture, regularly bring death and destruction. The rain was 35 percent above average in the week that ended on July 6, the weather office said.

Twenty people were killed in the central state of Madhya Pradesh where 70,000 people were left homeless as water rose to dangerous levels along parts of the Narmada river.

Firemen waded through thigh-deep water to rescue women and children in flooded villages while rescue teams used inflatable boats to reach people stranded in urban areas.
'Thousands of people will be evacuated today. We are working on a war footing mode to set up relief camps,' additional home secretary Basant Singh said in Bhopal, the state capital.

'The health department is distributing medicines to prevent outbreak of water-borne diseases.'

Stormy weather also ravaged parts of the remote northeast.

Heavy rain pounded the tea-growing, oil-rich state of Assam killing at least two people. About 100,000 people were forced to take shelter on higher ground, officials there said.

The rain has also swelled the Brahmaputra river, which flows into Bangladesh, to dangerous levels.


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NEPAL SAYS INDIAN POLICE COUPLE FAKED EVEREST PHOTOS

This handout photograph released by Phurba Tenzing Sherpa on May 24, 2016, shows mountaineers as they walk from Camp 3 to Camp 4, as they push for the summit of Mount Everest on May 19, 2016

An Indian couple falsified photographs of themselves at the top of Mount Everest to get their feat certified by Kathmandu, Nepal said Wednesday (July 6), after earlier saying the climb was valid.

Dinesh and Tarakeshwari Rathod, both police constables, said they reached the top of the world's highest mountain on May 23 -- but fellow climbers cast doubt on their claim, saying their photos at the summit were doctored.

Nepal's tourism department initially certified the couple's climb after speaking to their expedition organisers and government officials stationed at Everest base camp.


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BANGLADESH REELS FROM NEW DEADLY ATTACK AT START OF EID

Suspected Islamists carried out another deadly attack in Bangladesh Thursday at the country's biggest prayer service for the start of Eid, days after a mass murder of hostages in the capital Dhaka.

Authorities said four people, including two policemen, had been killed after several explosions and gunfire near a prayer ground in Kishoreganj district as at least 250,000 people joined a post-Ramadan gathering.

'Two policemen, an attacker and a woman who was shot during the gunfight were killed,' national police spokesman A.K.M. Shahidur Rahman said.

Nine policemen were also injured. They are in a critical condition and have been shifted to a military hospital in Dhaka.


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JAMMU AND KASHMIR GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES BORDER TOURISM

A local in a Shikara at Dal lake which is the main tourist attraction in Jammu and Kashmir The rattle of guns was replaced by the excited noises of people clicking selfies and dancing to the beats of drums at the Border Out Post (BoP) in the India's northen state of Jammu and Kashmir as government launched its border tourism initiative.

Ahead of their departure to Amarnath cave shrine to pay obeisance at ice-lingam of Lord Shiva in South Kashmir Himalayan shrine, a group of nearly 100 pilgrims from various states of the country made a beeline at Octerio Border Out Post (BoP) along IB with Pakistan which has a three-tier border fencing.

Minister of State for Culture & Tourism, Priya Sethi led the group which traveled in a special tourism bus to Suchetgarh border belt in R S Pura tehsil of Jammu district. 'This is an effort by the government to promote border tourism in the state. After this, the next step of the government would be to promote cross-border tourism," the Minister told reporters.

"Tourists and pilgrims are ambassadors for our state and the government wants to send a message of peaceful atmosphere and cultural harmony across the country through them," she said, adding that such visits would become a routine exercise in the coming days.


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SANIA MIRZA-MARTINA HINGIS STORM INTO ROUND 3 IN A QUICK GAME

India's Sania Mirza and Switzerland's Martina Hingis pose with their trophy

Top seeds Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis breezed into the women's third round with a 6-3, 6-1 win over the Japanese pair Eri Hozumi-Miyu Kato at the Wimbledon championships in London on Sunday (July 3).

The Indo-Swiss were clinical in their approach and wrapped up the second round clash in 52 minutes on Court No.3.

The fancied duo served well besides converting five of the eight break points they earned in the match.

Sania and Martina's third round opponents will be Christina McHale and Jelena Ostapenko. The American-Latvian combine defeated 13th seeds Alla Kudryavtseva and Vania King 6-1 6-4 in their second round match.

Earlier today, the 10th seeded Finnish-Australian pair of John Peers and Henri Kontinen needed only 62 minutes to dispatch India's Leander Paes and his Polish partner Marcin Matkowski 6-3 6-2 in the second round.


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TATA, STARBUCKS TO BOOST SYNERGY WITH NEW GLOBAL INITIATIVES

A file pic of Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry with John Tulver, President of Star Bucks coffee (China and Asia Pacific)

Tata Sons and Starbucks have finalised multiple new joint initiatives to expand their collaboration at a global level, apart from building the iconic American coffee chains brand and business. The initiatives include sourcing Indian coffee for the US market, introducing the Teavana brand of specialty teas in Indian stores, expanding the market of the Tata-owned mineral water brand Himalayan and skilling over 3,000 youths, the companies said.Tata Sons Chairman Cyrus Mistry met Starbucks Chairman and Chief Executive Howard Schultz last week in Seattle and finalised these initiatives, which will be rolled out by the year-end, the companies said in a joint statement on Monday (June 27).


The two groups have been running Tata Stabucks coffee chain in the country since October 2012 as part of a joint venture.The JV operates 80 stores in six key cities, but that is way below the initial target as they had set a target of opening 50 stores in the first year itself. The company has been citing difficulty in getting the right retail location as the main reason for the slower expansion."Starbucks now spans over more than 80 stores across six Indian cities. As we continue on our journey with the Tatas, we are delighted to introduce the finest coffee from India to a new audience," Shultz said in the statement.

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INDIA'S FIRST INDIGENOUS COMBAT PLANE ENTERS SERVICE AFTER 33 YEARS

India's first locally-built combat aircraft officially took to the skies on Friday, 33 years after it was cleared for development, marking a long-held goal of cutting expensive imports to build a domestic defense-industrial base.

India's fighter aircraft fleet, made up of a mix of Russian, British and French planes, is down to 33 squadrons as against the air force's requirement of 45 to face Pakistan and China.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has nudged the military to accept the first version of the "Tejas" Light Combat Aircraft to make up for the shortfall while a more powerful subsequent model is under development.

Indian Air Force officers broke coconuts and priests held multi-faith ceremonies to mark the induction of two planes in the southern city of Bengaluru. Later, the aircraft took off in the colours of the air force as fire tenders sprayed water on he tarmac in a military ritual.

"Moment of national pride. Indigenously developed Tejas fighter jet inducted into Air Force. Tejas will take our air strength to new heights," Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar, who has led the drive for indignation, said in a Twitter post.

Early this month China said it is still testing its first stealth fighter, the J-20, but it would enter service soon.

The single-seat Indian fighter is considered superior to counterparts like the JF-17 aircraft jointly built by China and Pakistan. Tejas has had no accident in 3,000 hours of flying and its use of composites helps lower its radar signature, making it harder to detect early, air force officials said.


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