In Meet with Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley, PM Modi Discusses US Visit

New Delhi:This evening, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley reportedly to discuss his visit to the USA later this year and other foreign policy matters.

Sources said the date for Mr Modi's visit to Washington, and also beginning to draw up a blue print for it, was on the agenda. (Grand Reception Awaits Narendra Modi in US)

This is the first such meeting called by the Prime Minister.

Earlier this month, Mr Modi accepted a formal invitation from President Barack Obama to visit the US in September. The invitation was handed over by visiting US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns. (PM Narendra Modi Accepts Obama's Invitation To Visit US In September)

Mr Burns said President Obama looked forward to meeting Prime Minister Modi and that it would be a "valuable opportunity" to renew the strategic partnership and spur trade between the two countries.  "America has a deep stake in India's success and PM Modi's success," he had said. (PM Modi Very Impressive, Visa Controversy in the Past, Top US Official Tells NDTV) | ('Barack Obama Looking Forward to Meeting PM Modi in September')

This week, another high ranking US official John Kerry visits New Delhi to co-chair the fifth India-US Strategic Dialogue with Ms Swaraj, on July 31. Ahead of his visit, Mr Kerry said the US and India have reached a "transformative moment" in their relations. (What's Riding on This Week's India Visit by John Kerry)

Mr Kerry described revitalising ties as a "strategic imperative." Mr Kerry's trip will mark the first US cabinet-level visit to New Delhi since Mr Modi took office in May this year. ('Transformative Moment in Ties', Says John Kerry Ahead of India Visit)

President Obama was one of the first few global leaders to call up Mr Modi after the general elections results revealed that he had won a massive mandate. It was the first high-level contact between Mr Modi and the US leadership ever since Washington denied him a visa in 2005, citing the 2002 riots in Gujarat, of which Mr Modi was chief minister till he took over as the country's Prime Minister two months ago.

Flipkart Gets Record Funding, Aims to Become $100 Billion Firm

On Tuesday, Flipkart, India's biggest e-commerce player,  announced it has raised $1 billion or Rs 6,000 crore ($1 = Rs 60) in fresh funding, the biggest ever by an Indian internet company in a single round. And it is aiming much higher.

Young IITians Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal, who set up Flipkart in 2007 with an investment of four lakh rupees, announced the new funding in Bangalore today, saying, "India can produce a 100 billion dollar company in five years - we want to be that company." (Watch video)

IT major TCS is India's highest valued firm with market capitalisation of nearly $83 billion, or Rs 5 lakh crore.

Flipkart is now expected to be valued at $5 billion (Rs 30,000 crore), according to some estimates. The company has seen a turbo-charged growth, hitting an annualised sales mark of $1 billion (Rs 6,000 crore) in 2014 - a year ahead of its target.

Co-founder Binny Bansal said that the company is not contemplating an initial public offer (IPO). "With this fund raising, our IPO plans have been put on the back burner," he told NDTV.

Flipkart said said Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC participated in the fundraising along with existing investors Tiger Global Management LLC and the South African media company NaspersLtd.

Flipkart co-founder Sachin Bansal said the funding would help the e-tailer to invest more into e-commerce ecosystem like logistics and payment systems. Sachin Bansal is also optimistic that India can produce dozens of billion dollar internet companies. "India's internet ecosystem is going to be one of the most vibrant in the world in the future with half a billion internet users," he told NDTV. (Watch video)

The company had earlier raised over $700 million (Rs 4,200 crore) in previous rounds. In May this year, Flipkart had raised $210 million (Rs 1,260 crore) in funding from a group of four investors led by internet-focused investment group DST Global.

Besides looking at fresh acquisitions, Flipkart could use the fresh funding for expanding its operations. Also in May this year, Flipkart acquired the country's biggest fashion portal Myntra for around $300 million (Rs 1,800 crore). "Acquisition will be an important part of our growth strategy," Binny Bansal told NDTV.

For Flipkart, the competition is also hotting up. Besides Amazon's expanding presence in India, world's largest retailer Wal-Mart too has begun online sales in the cash-and-carry segment in some cities. Reliance Retail, India's largest retailer by revenues, is also expected to significantly increase its online presence.

The Indian e-commerce market was worth $13 billion (Rs 78,000 crore) in 2013, with online travel accounting for over 70 per cent of consumer e-commerce transactions. Online sales of retail goods totaled $1.6 billion (Rs 9,600 crore) in 2013, according to research firm Forrester, and are expected to reach $76 billion (Rs 4.5 lakh crore) by 2021, Technopak said.

U.S. Could Help Ukraine Target Rebels' Missiles

The U.S. and Pentagon  intelligence agencies are developing plans that would enable the Obama administration to provide specific locations of surface-to-air missiles controlled by Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine so the Ukrainian government could target them for destruction, American officials said.

But the proposal has not yet been debated in the White House, a senior administration official said. It is unclear whether President Barack Obama, who has already approved limited intelligence sharing with Ukraine, will agree to give more precise information about potential military targets, a step that would involve the United States more deeply in the conflict.

Already, the question of what kind of intelligence support to give the Ukrainian government has become part of a larger debate within the administration about how directly to confront President Vladimir Putin of Russia and how big a role Washington should take in trying to stop Russia's rapid delivery of powerful weapons to eastern Ukraine.

At the core of the debate, said several officials - who, like others interviewed, spoke on the condition of anonymity because the policy deliberations are still in progress - is whether the U.S. goal should be simply to shore up a Ukrainian government reeling from the separatist attacks, or to send a stern message to Putin by aggressively helping Ukraine target the missiles Russia has provided. Those missiles have taken down at least five aircraft in the past 10 days, including Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. (Britain Says Highly Likely MH17 Shot Down by Russian-Supplied Missile)

Since the downing of Flight 17, a civilian jet, the flow of heavy arms into eastern Ukraine has drastically increased, the Pentagon and the State Department said Friday, citing U.S. intelligence reports. The Obama administration is already sharing with the Ukrainians satellite photographs and other evidence of the movement of troops and equipment along the Ukrainian-Russian border. But a senior administration official acknowledged late Friday that the data were "historical in nature," hours or even days old, and not timely enough to use in carrying out airstrikes or other direct attacks.

"We've been cautious to date about things that could directly hit Russia - principally its territory," but also its equipment, the official said. A proposal to give the Ukrainians real-time information "hasn't gotten to the president yet," the official said, in part because the White House has been focused on rallying support among European allies for more stringent economic sanctions against Moscow, and on gaining access for investigators to the Malaysia Airlines crash site.

But the official added that the decision on whether to provide targeting information would soon become "part of the intel mix."

The debate over providing information about potential military targets gives the first insight into the Obama administration's thinking on long-term strategies to bolster Ukraine, counter Russia and reassure nervous Eastern European nations, some of which have joined NATO in recent years.

Plans to share more precise targeting information with Ukraine have the strong backing of senior Pentagon officials and would fit broadly into Obama's emerging national security doctrine of supporting allied and partner nations in defending their territory without direct U.S. military involvement.

Several senior U.S. military and intelligence officials are arguing that if Putin does not encounter significant resistance to Russia's moves in Ukraine, he may be emboldened to go further. And a senior State Department official said Saturday that Secretary of State John Kerry supported sharing intelligence on the locations of surface-to-air missiles that Russia has supplied the separatists.

Providing the location of weaponry and military equipment for possible destruction - something the United States does for Iraq in its battle against Islamic extremists, for example - would not be technologically difficult. "We think we could do it easily and be very effective," a se

Saharanpur: Political Blame Game Over Clashes, 38 Arrested

Saharanpur:A day after violent clashes between two groups that killed three and injured 33, including policemen,curfew is still on in saharanpur.

38 people have been arrested in connection with the incident and nine FIRs registered, Saharanpur District Magistrate Sandhya Tiwari said today.

"No major incident has taken place today. We will hold a meeting in the evening to decide on relaxing the curfew. Schools will be closed for the next three days," Ms Tiwari added.

The clashes broke out in the wee hours on Saturday after members of the Sikh community began construction on a disputed piece of land on Friday evening, which was opposed by local Muslims.

Both sides indulged in arson and opened fire. Police had to fire rubber bullets to rein in the rampaging mobs.

Around 2000 paramilitary personnel are on the ground. Unmanned aerial vehicles have also been deployed to keep a close watch on the situation.

Political parties, meanwhile, blamed each other for the violence. "In UP, there is no place for communalism, anti-social elements... if Opposition tries to politicise this, then law will take its own course," said Rajendra Chaudhary, the spokesperson of the ruling Samajwadi Party.

"Akhilesh Yadav has failed to run a good government... they have developed a habit of blaming BJP," retorted the party's Shahnawaz Hussain.

The disagreement over the land began over four years back. Sikhs living in the area wanted to extend the area of their gurudwara. But Muslims, living just 200 metres away from the spot, claimed a mosque was situated at the site 10 years ago.

The case reached the local court which recently ruled in favour of the Sikhs. Members of the Muslim community then moved the Allahabad High Court against the verdict, but later withdrew the case.

On Friday evening, the Sikhs started construction on the land. That set off the trigger, with mounting tension in the area finally leading to the early morning clash.

The residents caught in the cross fire allege that the clash was a result of police and intelligence failure. They also accuse the police of being slow. But sources in the administration say their priority now is to normalise the situation before Eid on Tuesday.

Top Things India's Super Rich Spend on

According to a kotak wealth management report ,India's super rich spend most on jewellery, clothes and accessories and then leisure travel,

"Last year ultra HNIs (high networth individuals) spent most on jewellery, apparel and accessories followed by leisure travel, reflecting that they spend a significant part of their expenses suiting the entire family," the report said.

According to the report, put together by the Kotak Group and Ernst & Young (EY), the number of super rich in the country saw an increase of 16 per cent in 2013-14. The Kotak report counts 1,17,000 Indians as super rich and defines the term to mean any household worth over  $250 million or Rs 1,500 ($1=60).

While they spent an average 16 per cent of their money on jewellery, they spent 15 per cent on apparel & accessories and 14 per cent on holidays.

"While jewellery displays the ultra HNI's interest in exclusivity and exquisite craftsmanship, it is also a useful mode of investment. Besides gold, there is a great deal of interest in precious stones as well, due to their high returns," the report titled 'Top of the Pyramid 2014' said.

The super-rich rely on family jewelers, and are largely indifferent to brands in this space, it said. High duties on imported jewelry has made them deal mostly with domestic jewellers.

While clothes have always been an area of spending for the ultra-rich, a new trend according to the report is the emergence of designer clothing for children. "This has been further boosted by the launch of designer lines for kids, such as Young Versace and Baby Gucci, leading to high spends on the apparel category," the report said.

Favoured destinations for holidays in the fiscal year gone by were Singapore and Dubai, which doubles up as a luxury shopping haunts as well.

BJP leader says that Sania Mirza Is Pakistan's Daughter-In-Law'

Hyderabad: Tennis star Sania Mirza is "Pakistan's daughter-in-law" and has incorrectly been designated the brand ambassador of India's youngest state, professes a BJP leader from Telangana, inciting strong political reactions. ('She is the Pride of India': Reactions on BJP Leader's Remark on Sania Mirza)

K Laxman, a legislator from the BJP in Telangana, says that the state government broke basic protocol by picking Ms Mirza, 27, as its brand ambassador because she is married to Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik and is not local enough - he says she was born in Maharashtra and her family moved later to Hyderabad.

While announcing she would serve as its brand ambassador, the Telangana government led by K Chandrasekhar Rao sanctioned a crore on Monday for her training and coaching. (Sania Mirza Appointed Brand Ambassador of Telangana)

She had tweeted, "Honoured and humbled to be the first brand ambassador for the state of Telangana :) #blessed."

In defense of her father's decision, KCR's daughter, K Kavitha pointed out that Gujarat has Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan as its ambassador, though Big B as he is known was not born or brought up in the state.

Criticizing Mr Laxman's comments, senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi said, "This sort of comment only reflects the culture of the person."   But the party's Subramanian Swamy stood in solidarity with Mr Laxman, stating, "Well this is a point. The BJP's stand is well taken."

Hanumantha Rao of the Congress, a parliamentarian from Telangana, is among those who disagree with Ms Mirza's new post. "She hasn't worked in Telangana before.  It's not about being married to a Pakistani player, it is because she hasn't worked in Telangana," he said.

INDIAN FLAG FLUTTERS HIGH AT GLASGOW IN THE CWG OPENING CEREMONY

With the Indian flag in his hand, Olympics Silver Medallist shooter Vijay Kumar led the Indian contingent at the colourful opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games 2014 at Glasgow