Officials of the Indian Consulate General in Houston are in touch with the wife of Srinivas Kuchibhotla, an Indian engineer who was killed in a shooting incident in US' Kansas state, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Friday.

"I have received a report from Anupam Ray CGI Houston," Sushma Swaraj tweeted late Friday evening.

"Our mission staff hv met with Sunayna Kuchibhotla. Indian Government is with her in this hour of grief. We assure her of all our support," she said.

The Minister also said that Indian Ambassador to the US Navtej Sarna was also in touch with her and was her keeping her updated.

Kuchibhotla, 32, was killed and Alok Madasani was injured when Adam W. Purinton, a white who earlier served in the US Navy, shot them at the Austins Bar & Grill in Olathe, Kansas, on Wednesday night.

Purinton reportedly got into an argument with the victims and hurled racial slurs. He yelled "get out of my country", "terrorist" before shooting them.

Purinton, according to reports, provoked them into argument asking their presence and work in his country, and how they are better than him.

To avoid unwanted scuffle, the bar management asked him to leave the place, only to find him back at the bar later with gun when he fired at the Indians.

Ian Grillot, 24, an American who tried to save the Indians, was also shot at, media reports quoted police as saying. Grillot was recovering in a hospital while Madasani was discharged.

The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) called it a hate crime.

Police said Purinton, 51, fired multiple rounds and fled the bar. He was arrested on Thursday morning in Clinton city in neighbouring Missouri state when a bartender told police that he had bragged about killing "two Middle Eastern men", The Kansas City Star reported.

The US "strongly" condemned the shooting and said it has reached out to Indian consular officials to offer support.

The US Embassy in New Delhi expressed full faith in the US authorities investigating the matter. "We have full faith that US legal authorities will bring the case to justice," the statement said.

Purinton has been charged with first-degree murder.

"It was a tragic and senseless act of violence," Olathe Police Chief Steven Menke said.

Kuchibhotla hailed from Hyderabad while Madasani is from Warangal town in Telangana. They were aviation programme managers at Garmin, an electronics manufacturer.

President Donald Trump on Friday told his supporters that the US along with its allies would "eradicate" the evil of ISIS from the face of the earth as he vowed to "substantially upgrade" the country's military.

"As part of my pledge to restore safety for the American people, I have also directed the defence community to develop a plan to totally obliterate ISIS. Working with our allies, we will eradicate this evil from the face of the Earth," Trump told his cheering supporters at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) here.

US Defence Secretary Gen (retd) James Mattis is scheduled to submit his plan to defeat ISIS soon.

Trump said his administration is requesting the Congress a "massive budget" for the military.

"We will be substantially upgrading all of our military, all of our military, offensive, defensive, everything, bigger and better and stronger than ever before. And hopefully, we'll never have to use it, but nobody's gonna mess with us, folks, nobody," he said.

Trump asserted that this will "be one of the greatest military build-ups" in American history.

"No one will dare question as they have been because we're very depleted, very, very depleted. Nobody will dare question our military might again. We believe in peace through strength and that's what we will have," he said.

Referring to the series of terrorist strikes in various parts of the world, particularly in Europe, Trump said such a situation cannot be allowed inside the United States.

"Take a look at what's happening to our world, folks. And we have to be smart. We have to be smart. We can't let it happen to us. So let me state this as clearly as I can, we are going to keep radical Islamic terrorists the hell out of our country," he said amidst applause from the audience.

"We will not be deterred from this course, and in a matter of days, we will be taking brand-new action to protect our people and keep America safe, you will see the action. I will never ever apologise for protecting the safety and security of the American people, I won't do it," he said.

"Even if this means bad press, if it means people speak badly of me, it is OK. Doesn't bother me. The security of our people is number one, is number one," he said.

President Donald Trump on Friday told his supporters that the US along with its allies would "eradicate" the evil of ISIS from the face of the earth as he vowed to "substantially upgrade" the country's military.

"As part of my pledge to restore safety for the American people, I have also directed the defence community to develop a plan to totally obliterate ISIS. Working with our allies, we will eradicate this evil from the face of the Earth," Trump told his cheering supporters at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) here.

US Defence Secretary Gen (retd) James Mattis is scheduled to submit his plan to defeat ISIS soon.

Trump said his administration is requesting the Congress a "massive budget" for the military.

"We will be substantially upgrading all of our military, all of our military, offensive, defensive, everything, bigger and better and stronger than ever before. And hopefully, we'll never have to use it, but nobody's gonna mess with us, folks, nobody," he said.

Trump asserted that this will "be one of the greatest military build-ups" in American history.

"No one will dare question as they have been because we're very depleted, very, very depleted. Nobody will dare question our military might again. We believe in peace through strength and that's what we will have," he said.

Referring to the series of terrorist strikes in various parts of the world, particularly in Europe, Trump said such a situation cannot be allowed inside the United States.

"Take a look at what's happening to our world, folks. And we have to be smart. We have to be smart. We can't let it happen to us. So let me state this as clearly as I can, we are going to keep radical Islamic terrorists the hell out of our country," he said amidst applause from the audience.

"We will not be deterred from this course, and in a matter of days, we will be taking brand-new action to protect our people and keep America safe, you will see the action. I will never ever apologise for protecting the safety and security of the American people, I won't do it," he said.

"Even if this means bad press, if it means people speak badly of me, it is OK. Doesn't bother me. The security of our people is number one, is number one," he said.

Laughter is not just the best medicine, it’s good for one’s pocket too. The increasing band of stand-up comedians will vouch for this as big corporate houses and even start-ups are hiring them with good offers to lift employees' mood in their offices, besides creating brand value. 

Companies like Nestle India, Amazon, leading mobile and data solutions provider Matrix, Muthoot Group among others, are scouting for good comedians to promote their brand activities through television commercials and giving live performances at their corporate get-togethers. Besides stage shows, stand-up comedians are called for corporate events, dealer meetings, script and content development for brands, columns in magazines and even for weddings, house parties and bachelor parties.

Salaries offered to these comedians are attractive. Once established, a comedian can earn Rs 20-30 lakh a year. A little-known stand-up comedian can bill Rs 5,000-20,000 for a show, while a popular one can get corporates to cough up Rs 1 lakh or more.

Stand-up comedians such as Vir Das, Hussain Dalal, Angad Singh, Sorabh Pant, Rohan Joshi and Amit Tandon have been hired by companies for brand promotions, content development and script writing.

Probably, the best example of a company using a stand-up comedian for brand promotions was initiated by Nestle India in September 2014. It engaged Dalal to promote Nescafe Coffee, where he portrayed the role of a struggling stand-up comedian who stammers. "The biggest strength of a stammering comedian is…suspense,” Dalal said in the advertisement. The advertisement ends with, “Thank god for coffee. It kept me go..go…going and kept you a…a…awake.” The advertisement not only created laughter but also evoked empathy among viewers about mocking people who are speech-impaired.

Comedians bring out humour from day-to-day activities. They perform satire on politicians, technology, traffic, culture, and the like and use ‘Hinglish’ to create the punch in their performances. 

"Humour as a route to communicate the brand’s message makes a lasting impact. These comedian artists deliver the right message with the right humour," said Balbeer Singh, who conducts comedy shows in and around the Capital.  

 “It’s a tough job and doing public shows isn’t enough to sustain a family. One has to look for other day jobs," said Atul Khatri, who started doing stand-up comedy three years ago and quit his day job with an IT company in Mumbai. He now earns handsomely by doing shows for companies. 

Mumbai-based comedian Angad said, "We are constantly active on social networks. The more fans or followers we get provides an edge for casting directors to give us a break.”

Laughter is not just the best medicine, it’s good for one’s pocket too. The increasing band of stand-up comedians will vouch for this as big corporate houses and even start-ups are hiring them with good offers to lift employees' mood in their offices, besides creating brand value. 

Companies like Nestle India, Amazon, leading mobile and data solutions provider Matrix, Muthoot Group among others, are scouting for good comedians to promote their brand activities through television commercials and giving live performances at their corporate get-togethers. Besides stage shows, stand-up comedians are called for corporate events, dealer meetings, script and content development for brands, columns in magazines and even for weddings, house parties and bachelor parties.

Salaries offered to these comedians are attractive. Once established, a comedian can earn Rs 20-30 lakh a year. A little-known stand-up comedian can bill Rs 5,000-20,000 for a show, while a popular one can get corporates to cough up Rs 1 lakh or more.

Stand-up comedians such as Vir Das, Hussain Dalal, Angad Singh, Sorabh Pant, Rohan Joshi and Amit Tandon have been hired by companies for brand promotions, content development and script writing.

Probably, the best example of a company using a stand-up comedian for brand promotions was initiated by Nestle India in September 2014. It engaged Dalal to promote Nescafe Coffee, where he portrayed the role of a struggling stand-up comedian who stammers. "The biggest strength of a stammering comedian is…suspense,” Dalal said in the advertisement. The advertisement ends with, “Thank god for coffee. It kept me go..go…going and kept you a…a…awake.” The advertisement not only created laughter but also evoked empathy among viewers about mocking people who are speech-impaired.

Comedians bring out humour from day-to-day activities. They perform satire on politicians, technology, traffic, culture, and the like and use ‘Hinglish’ to create the punch in their performances. 

"Humour as a route to communicate the brand’s message makes a lasting impact. These comedian artists deliver the right message with the right humour," said Balbeer Singh, who conducts comedy shows in and around the Capital.  

 “It’s a tough job and doing public shows isn’t enough to sustain a family. One has to look for other day jobs," said Atul Khatri, who started doing stand-up comedy three years ago and quit his day job with an IT company in Mumbai. He now earns handsomely by doing shows for companies. 

Mumbai-based comedian Angad said, "We are constantly active on social networks. The more fans or followers we get provides an edge for casting directors to give us a break.”

Puducherry government on Friday asked students aspiring for medical courses to apply for the coming National Entrance cum Eligibility Test (NEET) as a matter of 'abundant caution' since the Centre was yet to respond to its demand for exempting the union territory from the exam.

A release from the Directorate of Health and Welfare Services here said that the territorial government had initiated steps to get the Centre`s nod for exemption of the Union Territory from NEET in the larger interest of students.

Keeping this in mind, the government got a resolution adopted unanimously in the assembly urging exemption of the union territory for five years from NEET and it was sent to the Centre for approval.

Chief Minister V Narayanaswamy Puducherry along with his cabinet colleagues had subsequently held talks with the Central Ministers for approval of the resolution.

"However, nothing has been heard so far from the Centre on the representation. But with the last date (March 1) to submit forms for NEET examination approaching fast the students of Puducherry have been requested to apply for the test before the last date as a matter of abundant caution`, the release said.

Puducherry government on Friday asked students aspiring for medical courses to apply for the coming National Entrance cum Eligibility Test (NEET) as a matter of 'abundant caution' since the Centre was yet to respond to its demand for exempting the union territory from the exam.

A release from the Directorate of Health and Welfare Services here said that the territorial government had initiated steps to get the Centre`s nod for exemption of the Union Territory from NEET in the larger interest of students.

Keeping this in mind, the government got a resolution adopted unanimously in the assembly urging exemption of the union territory for five years from NEET and it was sent to the Centre for approval.

Chief Minister V Narayanaswamy Puducherry along with his cabinet colleagues had subsequently held talks with the Central Ministers for approval of the resolution.

"However, nothing has been heard so far from the Centre on the representation. But with the last date (March 1) to submit forms for NEET examination approaching fast the students of Puducherry have been requested to apply for the test before the last date as a matter of abundant caution`, the release said.

The National Students Union of India (NSUI) on Friday urged President Pranab Mukherjee to intervene on the issue of the JNU Vice-Chancellor's "arbitrary" move to slash admission seats.

"The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Vice Chancellor (VC) is shockingly announcing arbitrary decisions and fundamental changes in JNU's admission policy and research programmes through press conferences refusing either to discuss these in JNU's decision-making bodies like Academic Council and Executive Council, or meet students' and teachers' representatives," NSUI, the students wing of Congress party, said in a statement. 

The complaint was against the adoption of a UGC notification by the university which imposed a cap on the intake of candidates in M.Phil. and PhD The university has justified the move saying they have to abide by the funding agency, that is UGC, and that the given student-teacher ratio is a universal norm for universities. 

However, the delegation led by senior Congress leaders, reasoned with Mukherjee that the move of capping the intake of students was against the egalitarian history of the JNU and the JNU Act which provisioned a fixed 54 per cent intake for OBC students in these course. 

"The present number of seats in JNU has been fixed as part of the implementation of OBC reservation and the concomitant expansion of seats, infrastructure and faculty (during 2008-10), mandated by the 93rd amendment of the Constitution," the student body said. 

It also alleged that the VC "bulldozed" the notification in the Academic Council without any discussion and demanded the the 142nd meet where it was passed be declared "annulled" and reconvened again. 

The JNU Students Union has been protesting against the notification ever since it was passed on December 26 last year. It has also rendered the administrative block of the varsity under a forced lock-down demanding its revocation.

Dismissing talk about corruption levels going up after demonetisation with tax officials allegedly asking for heavier bribes, Power Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday said that it is currency which is the source of black money generation.

"The flow of generation of black money begins with currency," Goyal said at the EY Enterpreneur of the Year Award ceremony here.

"It (black money) may go into other assets like real estate, gold, jewellery..but it begins with cash," he said referring the the government's recent demonetisation drive banning high value currency.

Declaring that he felt disappointed about the happenings in the chartered accountant profession that he himself was earlier part of, Goyal reminded the gathering about what Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had said on the aim of demonetisation.

"We have to decide whether wish to be a part of the new normal, or go back to the past. If we can get rid of the discretionary ways of the old system, then we can get more people into the nation's economy and become part of the new normal.

In this connection, Goyal said that in the very first auctions held to award wind power project contracts, a record low tariff of Rs 3.46 per unit had been discovered through the reverse bidding process.

"Wind power tariffs were earlier being decided by a negotiated contract to arrive at what is called a feed-in-tariff ranging between Rs.5-6 a unit," he said, and queried "where the arbitrage was going all these years."

The minister also pointed to the advantages of widening the tax base of the country.

"If everyone pays their taxes, income tax rates and even the GST (Goods and Services Tax) rates will come down," he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the earlier suspicious mentality about entrepreneurs in India had disappeared completely.

"The mindset of this government is that entrepreneurs are the engines of the Indian economy, generate revenue and give opportunities for livelihood," she said.

India's Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian on Friday said that after the attack on black money through demonetisation, the country should now focus squeezing its flow.

Delivered a talk on "The Surprise that is the Indian Economy" at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, he said the need was to adopt a carrot and stick approach to prevent the flow and generation of black money.

"Black money has two dimensions. One is generating money via prohibited illegal activities and another one involves not disclosing it to tax authorities," he said, adding that there is a need to find out what exactly is in the system, high taxes or regulations, that is prompting some to conceal their income.

Subramanian again advocated implementation of Universal Basic Income (UBI) scheme in India. 

"There is no scientific evidence to suggest that if you give money directly to poor, they would squander it. This is more of an elitist thought process," he said. "The big advantage is that you have no leakage in this scheme."

Subramanian, however, pointed out that for UBI to be implemented, other welfare schemes of the government would have to be withdrawn. "The UBI could cost anywhere around 5 per cent of the GDP and if we have to afford it, other schemes would have to go. That is the big challenge."

He asserted that despite opening of a large number of Jan Dhan accounts during the last two to three years, India was still far behind "perfect financial inclusion". 

"Now you have UBI where the mobile (phone) can become the real effective means of financial inclusion but the shocking statistics is that 350-400 million people in India neither have smartphones nor any phone," he said.

About the benefits of demographic dividend to India, he said the country could soon see this tapering off from 2020. "The window is closing fast and we need more migration within India as some states are ageing more than the others."

Subramanian told reporters later that the government was looking at initiating strong action on banks' bad debts.

"There has been a recognition that one of the major challenges of the macro-economy is the twin balance sheet problem. Many firms have unsustainable debt and that in turn affects the banks and hence both the balance sheets have debts. It is having an effect on the economy in terms of reducing private investment and growth. I think in the months to come, the government will take some good, strong action against this problem," he added.

With European games and cup ties swirling all around, it can get difficult to keep a track of what’s going on in the frenetic world of the English Premier League. And for the brave souls, who are deep in the cruel world of the Fantasy Premier League (FPL), nerve-racking stress comes with the job.

Each week, The Statesman will sort out the veritable sea of options that are available on FPL with a comprehensive article on who to buy for the coming gameweek.

The indicators are:

Teams in BOLD are top 4 contenders.

Prices marked with a (+) indicate an increase in Base Price.
Prices marked with a (-) indicate a decrease in Base Price.

Goalkeepers
Ben Forster
Team:  West Bromwich Albion
Fixtures: Bournemouth (H), Crystal Palace (H), Everton (A), Arsenal (H) and Man Utd (A)
Price: 4.7 (+) 
Score: 83
Ownership: 15.3%

Why yes: Among the top performing goalkeepers (FPL stats), Forster’s first two fixtures are at home and against relatively easy opponents. 

Why no: He isn't much of a differential and after Crystal Palace, the games get progressively tougher, making it unlikely to manage any clean sheets.

Defenders

Jan Vertonghen
Team: Tottenham Hotspur 
Fixtures: Stoke (H), Everton (A), Southampton (H) and Burnley (A)
Price: 5.0 (-)
Score: 72
Ownership: 3.6%

Why yes: Spurs have been knocked out of the Europa League and that is going to bode well for their Premier League. They need to make a statement after a slump of sorts and have the perfect opportunity to do so against Stoke at home.

Why no: Spurs don’t play in Gameweek 28 and Vertonghen plays in the back three, meaning the likes of Kyle Walker have better chances of assisting/scoring. 

Andrea Ranocchia
Team: Hull 
Fixtures: Burnley (H), Leicester (A), Swansea (H), Everton (A) and West Ham (H)
Price: 4.5
Score : 13
Ownership: 0.8%

Why yes: The big centre-back seems to have settled in well at Hull, who are in impressive form of late. The next couple of fixtures are probably the easiest they can expect, so a few clean sheets are in order.

Why no: Lumbering defenders can be exposed for pace in the Premier League and with Hull still very much in the relegation battle, don’t expect a barrage of shutouts. 

Midfielders

Robert Snodgrass
Team: West Ham
Fixtures: Watford (A), Chelsea (H), Bournemouth (A), Leicester (A) and Hull (A)
Price: 5.8 (+)
Score: 107
Ownership: 11.9%

Why yes: The Scot has been quietly impressive since his move from Hull and in a side that has considerably better players than his previous side, could just become they key playmaker. With some inviting fixtures barring the Chelsea game, Snodgrass can wreak havoc for an improving Hammers side. As a bonus, his set-pieces are excellent too.

Why no: Whether he is Dimitri Payet’s replacement or not, West Ham are missing the Frenchman’s talents for sure. Goals may be hard to come by with not much on stake except for pride, considering they are comfortably ensconced in mid-table.

Ross Barkley
Team: Everton
Fixtures: Sunderland (H), Spurs (A), West Brom (H), Hull (H) and Liverpool (A)
Price: 7.1 (-)
Score: 93
Ownership: 7.5%
Why yes: Everton are in good form of late as they push to make the top four and their talented midfielder has been shining in recent games as well. Expect a goal rush against lowly Sunderland.

Why no: He remains a frustrating talent, brilliant in one game and largely anonymous in the next couple. Romelu Lukaku up top is a safer alternative, considering Barkley’s often-fickle form.

Forwards

Diego Costa
Team: Chelsea
Fixtures: Swansea (H), West Ham (A), Stoke (A), Crystal Palace (H)
Price: 10.6 (+)
Score: 139
Ownership: 37.2%
Why yes: Chelsea drew their last game, which means by the law of averages they will most certainly win their next. The Blues have some easy fixtures ahead and he is a ready-made short-term alternative for Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Manchester United don’t play in Gameweek 26 on account of the EFL Cup final).

Why no: Expect zero differential from the Spaniard, as almost half the active FPL managers have him in their side. Costa is expensive and Chelsea don’t play in Gameweek 28 to complicate matters.  

Troy Deeney
Team: Watford
Fixtures: West Ham (H), Southampton (H), Crystal Palace (A) and Sunderland (H)
Price: 6.7 (-)
Score:  94
Ownership: 5.4%

Why yes: A huge differential, Deeney has been in impressive form of late. Against sides who don’t have stellar defences, a couple of goals can be expected.

Why no: Watford don’t play in Gameweek 28 and Deeney does have a tendency to go quiet for a couple of games after scoring, so this is definitely a risky pick.

PS: The Gameweek deadline is 2 pm GMT/7.30  pm IST, so make sure all transfers are completed before that!

President Donald Trump on Friday launched an unprecedented attack on the FBI for not being able to stop the leak of classified information and said it could have a "devastating effect" on the US.

"The FBI is totally unable to stop the national security 'leakers' that have permeated our government for a long time," Trump tweeted.

"They can't even find the leakers within the FBI itself.

Classified information is being given to media that could have a devastating effect on US. FIND NOW," Trump said, urging the FBI to act.

Trump's public criticism of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the country's top intelligence and investigating agency, was a rare one that has not been seen in the past.

It came after CNN reported that the FBI rejected a recent request by the White House to dispute media reports that Trump campaign officials had regular contacts with Russian intelligence officials before the election.

A furious White House has described the report as inaccurate and false.

"What you guys have done is indefensible and inaccurate," a senior administration official told reporters.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official gave a time line of the White House Chief of Staff, Reince Priebus, meeting with the FBI Assistant Director Andrew McCabe on February 15.

During a one-on-one meeting between the two, after the conclusion of their official discussions, McCabe reportedly said, "I want you to know (the) story" in The New York Times report about FBI investigating contacts between Trump campaign people and Russian intelligence "is BS".

According to the account of the senior administration official, Priebus asked "what can we do about this?" 

McCabe demurred and said he will get back to Priebus.

Later on, McCabe called back and told Preibus that the FBI cannot say anything.

"We'd love to help but we can't get into the position of making statements on every story," he was quoted as saying.

Preibus asked if he could cite "senior intelligence officials" as saying there's nothing to the New York Times story. McCabe said yes.

Later on, FBI Director James Comey himself called Preibus and reiterated much the same thing that the "story is BS but can't put out statement".

The AAP on Friday announced the names of 109 candidates in its first list for Delhi civic body polls to be conducted in April.

"This is the first list of 109 candidates for civic polls. The selection process of the names the candidates for the remaining wards is going on. Another list will be announced soon," said Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Delhi Convener, Dilip Pandey.

The selection procedure for the 109 candidates continued nearly for a month. Out of 109 announced candidates, 64 are youth and 49 are women.

The names were finalised in a meeting of the party's Political Affairs Committee (PAC) at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence on Thursday.

The AAP earlier this month had formed a 10-member screening committee to pick nominees for the 272 municipal wards in the national capital. 

The screening committee includes Pandey, Health Minister Satyendar Jain, Water Minister Kapil Mishra and all seven Vice Presidents of the Delhi unit.

The screening committee had shortlisted the names of two-three candidates from each ward out of which PAC finalised 109 candidates.

Pandey said that the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) corrupted all the three civic bodies in the national capital.

"I hope Delhi people will this time vote for AAP and free Delhi from corruption," he added.

A report expected to criticise Israel's prime minister and the armed forces command over their conduct in the runup to the 2014 Gaza war is to be released next week, officials said on Friday.

State comptroller Yossef Shapira's report, the result of a two-year inquiry, will be published on Tuesday, a spokesman for his office said.

Shapira, who is in charge of assessing state policies and use of public funds, opened his investigation soon after the July-August 2014 conflict between Israel and Hamas, the Islamist group which controls the Gaza Strip.

A draft released to senior officials reportedly condemns Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon for failing to prepare for the threat posed by Hamas tunnels from Gaza, despite alerts from the intelligence services.

Hamas and its allies used the tunnels to carry out cross-border attacks on Israeli territory.

The report also examines "the way in which decisions were made within the (security) cabinet before and at the start of Operation Protective Edge", Shapira's spokesman said, using Israel's codename for the assault.

The draft, released to ministers and military officials in November, says Netanyahu and Yaalon only partially informed the Jewish state's inner cabinet of the threat posed by the tunnels, according to leaks to local media.

A source close to Netanyahu has rejected the charge.

Destroying the tunnels and stopping Gaza-based Palestinian militants launching rockets into Israel were the key declared goals of Israel's third offensive in the coastal territory in six years.

The tunnels were among the Palestinians' most effective weapons during the 50-day conflict.

Israel's military found 32 tunnels, including 14 from the Gaza Strip into Israel, according to a UN inquiry on the conflict. Hamas says it has continued to dig new ones.

The war killed 2,251 Palestinians and left 100,000 homeless, according to the UN. On the Israeli side, 74 people were killed, all but six of them soldiers. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said Yoga can be the answer to the problems of the world and bring world peace as it can create the “spirit of oneness”.

Speaking in Coimbatore where he unveiled a 112-foot tall Shiva statue on the occasion of Maha Shivratri, Modi said: “Today whole world wants peace, not only from wars and conflicts but peace from stress, and for that we have Yoga. If the body is a temple of the mind, yoga creates a beautiful temple.”

“India has given the gift of Yoga to the world, by practising Yoga a spirit of oneness is created. The essence of yoga has not changed. Yoga is the catalytic agent for transformation,” he added.

Modi also warned against rejecting an idea just because it is ancient.

“Rejecting an idea just because its ancient, can be potentially harmful,” he said.

The statue dedicated to ‘Adiyogi’ (a form of Lord Shiva who according to the Hindu tradition is considered the first of yogis) has been funded by Isha Foundation, founded by the popular yoga guru Jaggi Vasudev.
 

Outgoing Indian Ambassador Ranjit Rae on Friday urged the Nepal government to take all the parties into confidence before going for polls.

At a farewell programme organised by the Reporters Club Nepal, Rae said: "India, as the largest democracy in the world, supports every move and effort made for strengthening democracy in Nepal. It has been our policy continuously over the period of time. 

"And it is my request to the government of Nepal to take all the political parties into confidence before going for the (local) polls which is going to take place on May 14."

India has consistently advocated — since the promulgation of Nepal's new Constitution — that all sections and stakeholders in the Himalayan nation should be onboard in the constitution-making process and Rae's statement, which echoed the same, was also the first official Indian reaction on the announcement of the local polls.

After completing his three-and-half-year-long term in Nepal, Rae is retiring from the Indian Foreign Service after he leaves Kathmandu on March 1. India has not announced his successor yet. 

"The diplomatic assignment in Kathmandu is a prize posting for any Indian diplomat whose job is challenging, complex and sometimes frustrating too," he said.

He said Nepal-India bilateral relations have always been positive, and both countries should seek to make them stronger in economic, social, cultural and other aspects.

He stressed on emphasising economic cooperation between the two neighbours to develop people-to-people connectivity.

Noting that a Rs 34 billion agreement has been reached for constructing the Mahakali bridge and 15 roads, he said that when the bridge is built, it will especially benefit people of Nepal's far western region and India's Uttarakhand state in various aspects. 

"Next project is the ongoing Pancheshwor Hydropower project. It is our target is to approve Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the project by June," he said.

Rae said that another issue is railway connectivity, adding that Indian Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu had announced that he wanted to build Kolkata-to-Kathmandu and Delhi-to-Kathmandu rail links.

He said a smooth outline for executing Indian projects in Nepal has been made and some positive progress will be seen soon.

Rae added that they currently had five connectivity projects, of which two — Jogbani to Biratnagar Railway and Janakpur-Jainagar-Bardibas Railway — were in rapid construction process.

He added that the third project was the Integrated Check Post (ICP) built on 165 acres separately in Raxaul and Birgunj, while another ICP was under construction in Biratnagar, and two more would be built in the near future.

He further said that the Hulaki Rajmarg and other bus services would also be helpful in establishing people-to-people connectivity. "There are bus services from Kathmandu to Delhi, Kathmandu to Banaras, Pokhara to Delhi, Mahendranagar to Delhi, which have positively impacted the people and the relations between the two countries."

"Another initiative is that the Indian cabinet has already approved a budget of $1 billion for the Arun III Hydropower Project. This project will gain rapid implementation from ground level very soon," he said.

He said India has also been taking the initiative to start work on the Koshi High Dam Project, noting that this will help in irrigation and flood control in Bihar, and Nepal will have direct access to sea.

Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Friday called for “coordinated efforts” between security forces to deal with the menace of stone pelting during counter-insurgency operations in Kashmir, officials said.

The army chief discussed the issue with local army officers during security review meetings at headquarters of counterinsurgency units.

Rawat arrived in Srinagar on Thursday and was briefed on the prevailing security situation and recent operations conducted by the security forces.

The Army chief’s statement comes close on the heels of former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah’s remark that the Kashmiri youth have picked up arms "for a cause" and cannot be intimidated with death threats.

Meanwhile, the army chief had on February 15 warned locals against supporting militants.