“The TOP scheme helped her a lot in getting world-class training and exposure,” he says. I wanted to popularise the sport and now I think I have somewhat succeeded it that.For the 23-year-old this is just the beginning and she would like to build on it with more success.“I still need to work a lot on my fitness to compete with the best (Chinese and Japanese).“I will stick to my coach for my further training as he knows me in and out. I want to fetch medals at the Asian Games, world championship and Olympics.“Winning four medals is just the beginning for me.”Gupta, who has coached Batra since she was a four-year-old, believes the government’s Target Olympic Podium scheme helped immensely. I don’t think anybody can better train me than my coach Sandeep sir.“We were in awe of players from China and Singapore but now I think I am more confident about facing them.

I have no plans to train abroad under a new coach.New Delhi: After bagging four medals — that included two historic golds — at the Commonwealth Games in Australia, life has been on the fast lane for paddler Manika Batra. My dream is to see this sport as popular at par with badminton and wrestling among others.The next challenge is the world team championships in Sweden from 29 April and the Asian Games in August. Then I would come under pressure.”.“My cheeks are aching after posing and smiling for the cameras, fans and selfies but I am enjoying it all,” said the soft-spoken Batra in a lighter vein at yet another felicitation.“When I started playing table tennis it was not a popular sport in India and I took it as a challenge. 4 and triple Olympic medallist Feng Tianwei of Singapore, twice in the tournament, gave Manika a confidence that she always lacked.”Beating world no.

I always dreamt food factory lighting that our flag would be on top and when it happened at Gold Coast, it was the best moment of my Commonwealth journey. 4. Suddenly she is the toast of the nation and the Delhi girl is enjoying every bit of it. In the last CWG, the Singapore flag was on top and then only I promised myself that in next Games I will make the tri-colour fly higher. I just played my game and gave my best. That training is now showing results. The game has become faster than ever,” she added.”Asked whether she thought of returning with such an exceptional medal haul, pat came the reply, “No… I never thought of winning medals or facing the world no. “We collected the data and went to Japan’s national training centre and visited top European centres as well. Batra credits her coach Sandeep Gupta and mother for her CWG feats

”Singing on the tunes of the China’s foreign ministry, Chinese daily blamed New Delhi for Sikkim provocation and urged India to withdraw its troops from alleged territory of China. For a long time, it has hyped that China is pursuing what is called the ‘String of Pearls’ to encircle India.Asking New Delhi to be careful, the editorial which is known for its harsh stance said, “India should be careful and not let religious nationalism push the two countries into war”.”The editorial said, “Modi on one hand, has enhanced his prestige and ability to control the country, but on the other, has made India more subject to the influence of conservatives, thus hampering reform.

Read: India poisoning atmosphere for bilateral talks: Chinese daily on Sikkim standoffSince June 2017, India and China’s military are on standoff in Sikkim over border dispute, wherein the tri-junction Doklam area between India-Bhutan-China which belongs to Himalayan state is allegedly claimed by China as their territory.An editorial piece in Global Times, a state-run Chinese daily, said “The election of Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has fuelled the country&led vapor tight fixture factory39;s nationalist sentiments and Modi took advantage of rising Hindu nationalism to come to power.Beijing: With the upsurge of nationalism, the anti-China sentiments are rising in India, Chinese daily on Thursday said, adding that Modi government is to be blamed for the border dispute at the Sikkim between neighbours.”Read: Sikkim standoff: US expresses concern over India-China border disputeThe Chinese daily also said the Modi government is a complete failure in curbing violent incidents against Muslims since he came to power in 2014.The daily said, the Sino-India 1962 war inflicted people are still lingering pain and have been stuck in a zero-sum mentality in dealing with China.

”India who has long # haul border dispute with Pakistan, the tougher foreign relations of New Delhi, has trained its guns to China and therefore, ‘the border row this time is an action targeted at China that caters to the demand of India's religious nationalists’. It considers China as a rival and a potential enemy. The faster China grows, the more fearful they are. Read: China tells India to stop using Sikkim standoff to achieve political targetsUnderestimating India, the daily claimed China to be superior in strength and wisdom, it said, “India is weaker than China in terms of national strength, but its strategists and politicians have shown no wisdom in preventing India's China policy from being kidnapped by rising nationalism”..Reiterating its reason for the standoff at Sikkim, it said, “China's development is seen as a misfortune to India.It said, “India harbours deep strategic suspicion toward China

. I love to flaunt that I am representing India. Delhi Common-wealth Games discus throw gold medallist Krishna Poonia pointed out that these activities display one’s confidence. I laud Manika for this and the cameraperson for highlighting it. Aruselvi, a former National Games champion and now a coach with the Indian table tennis team, said, “It is a way of showing patriotism and it is a unique idea. Earlier, however, players were told to only concentrate on the sport and nothing else. It always keeps me motivated. Today, they are considered a ‘winning attitude’.”N. Columnist and author Shobhaa De had tweeted enthusiastically, “See her nail polish. Tri-colour at her finger tips!!!”Manika, who had the Ashoka Chakra painted on, too, said, “The national flag is the biggest inspiration for an athlete.

They seem to be working because Mirabai has emerged as the most powerful woman at the Common-wealth Games after sweeping records in snatch (86kg), clean and jerk (110 kg) and total car park lighting (196kg) in the 48kg category. A lot of people have asked me why my nails are painted in the colours of the Indian flag and I tell them every time I was serving, I was getting inspired by my tri-colour.”For old school athletes, however, fashion statements on the field were regarded as distractions. Whenever I am down in a game, I see the flag and get immense energy and motivation from there.”She is by no means the first Indian athlete to show-off the flag colours while on the field. She said they are a reminder of her traumatic experience at the Rio Games when she failed to register even a single successful lift.Star gymnast Dipa Karmakar said, “I love wearing tri-colour clips during a competition.

“Some of the athletes showcase fashion through nail paint or hair colour.Even as 22-year-old top ranked table tennis player Manika Batra was smashing her opponent to second place at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games recently, all eyes were on her nails. This is a choice and helps them relax,” the athlete-turned-politician said.Weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu wears earrings in the shape of the Olympic rings to remind herself to aim for the top. Her top-notch performance notwithstanding, it was Manika’s saffron, white and green nails that had the nation riveted. The flag on my nails is an extension of the flag in my heart.“I started wearing them after the Rio Olympics to motivate me to bounce back,” she said. Sportspersons have been known to sport hair clips, hair colour, wrist bands and other paraphernalia in the flag colours

The Global Times editorial, Doval visit won’t sway China over border standoff, said Beijing would not talk until Indian troops were withdrawn.Doval’s visit is "hoped" to "carry on that slight shift in India’s previously bellicose stance", it said, referring to Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar’s recent comments that both the countries should not let their "differences become disputes".."New Delhi should give up its illusions, and Doval’s Beijing visit is most certainly not an opportunity to settle the standoff in accordance with India’s will," it said. He is expected to discuss the standoff with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi.The military standoff began on June led vapor tight fixture suppliers 16 after the Chinese army tried to build a road near the Bhutan tri-junction.India has maintained that both the countries withdraw troops from the disputed area and resolve the issue through talks."There are still hopes that the deadlock can be resolved peacefully, which serves both countries best interests," the China Daily said.Doval is to visit China for a meeting of NSAs from BRICS countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - on July 27-28.

In its editorial, It’s never too late for India to mend its way, China Daily pressed for exploring ways to avoid confrontation."As Doval is believed to be one of the main schemers behind the current border standoff between Chinese and Indian troops, the Indian media is pinning high hopes on the trip to settle the ongoing dispute," the daily said.Both officials are also the Special Representatives of their countries for the boundary talks. It would be damaging to both countries and regional stability if India cannot use its reason and wisdom to avoid the military collision both countries are currently on course for," it said.It added that India should not take lightly yesterdays comments by the Chinese Defence ministry that New Delhi should not "harbour any illusions" and withdraw troops.

The two editorials come a day after the Chinese Foreign Ministry hinted that a bilateral meeting between Doval and Yang could happen on the sidelines of a BRICS NSAs meet."The two sides need to explore ways to avoid confrontation.Beijing: Ahead of NSA Ajit Doval’s visit, Chinese state media struck two different notes with the China Daily hopeful of a peaceful resolution to the deadlock with India while the Global Times said the "main schemers" trip wouldn’t sway Beijing. India has protested the construction of the road, fearing it would allow China to cut India’s access to its northeastern states.But The Global Times, part of the Communist Party’s publication group, said in its editorial that Beijing will not "talk" until Indian troops were withdrawn

89 to below $440, before recovering slightly.Mr Wright told the Economist that he would exchange bitcoin slowly to avoid pushing down its price. “Indeed, it may never be possible to establish beyond reasonable doubt who really created bitcoin.He thanked all those who had supported the project from its inception.Bitcoin experts say that unmasking Nakamoto would be significant for the industry.The BBC reported on Monday that Mr Wright gave some technical proof demonstrating that he had access to blocks of bitcoins known to have been created by bitcoin’s creator.“If Mr Wright is in possession of Satoshi’s original nearly-one-million bitcoins, he will be for sure closely watched by investors trying to guess his future moves,” Tomas Forgac, who runs bitcoin startup Coin of Sale, said.

Bitcoin fell more than three per cent after news of Mr Wright’s claims, from $454. “I was the main part of it, but other people helped me,” the BBC quoted Mr Wright as saying. Not only would the proven founder likely hold some sway over the future of the bitcoin protocol, but Nakamoto may also hold enough bitcoin to influence its price.Researchers believe Nakamoto may be holding up to one million bitcoins, which if sold today would fetch about $440 million..But he declined requests from the Economist to provide further proof that he was Nakamoto.”The BBC said prominent members of the bitcoin community had confirmed Mr Wright’s claim.“Our conclusion is that Mr Wright could well be Mr Nakamoto, but that important questions remain,” the Economist said.

In a blog post dated Monday, Mr Wright appeared to out himself as bitcoin founder by posting a technical ip65 weatherproof batten explanation, including examples of code, of the process by which he created the currency.The Australian Tax Office (ATO) ruled in December 2014 that cryptocurrency should be considered an asset, rather than a currency, for capital gains tax purposes.Australian tech entrepreneur Craig Wright told the BBC that he was the creator of controversial digital currency bitcoin, after years of speculation about a person who until now has gone by the name of Satoshi Nakamoto.The treatment of bitcoins for tax purposes in Australia has been the subject of considerable debate.In December, the police raided Mr Wright’s Sydney home and office after Wired magazine named him as the probable creator of bitcoin and holder of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of the cryptocurrency, which has attracted the interest of banks, speculators, criminals and regulators

India thought that they had taken the lead in the first half, when Balwant Singh deflected the ball into the goal, but he was ruled offside.St Kitts began to find their feet after the hour-mark, and came close in the 70th minute when Carlos Bertie’s right footed shot was saved by Subrata Paul.India finally opened their account on the 38th minute, after Rowllin Borges&led vapor tight fixture suppliers39; cross from the right was met with a clean header by none other than the shortest player on the pitch – Jackichand Singh, who put India 1-0 ahead with a looping header.Jackichand Singh opened the scoring for India, while Amore Gvaune equalised for St.The equaliser came in the 72nd minute with Tiran Hanley providing the assist to Amory Gvaune. Jeje came close to doubling the hosts’ lead in the 42nd minute, but his shot was denied by Jamal.India made one changes to their starting XI with striker Balwant Singh starting in place of Robin Singh.

The Caribbean boys came close from the resulting corner as Benjamin Kevin's effort was tipped over the goal by the veteran keeper. This result helped India clinch the title after topping the points table with a win and a draw.While India came close with a couple of chances via Balwant, St Kitts’ Vinceroy Nelson tested India goalkeeper Subrata Paul, but his shot was easily collected by the veteran custodian.However, India head coach Stephen Constantine’s main focus will be the 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualifier against Macau, on September 5.India began the game strongly with forwads Balwant and Jeje Lalpekhlua putting pressure on theopposition defenders. Two minutes later, Narayan Das' shot was well saved by St Kitts keeper Jeffers Jamal. However, St Kitts’ defence managed to contain the Indian attack.The Blue tigers continued to dominate their opponents in the second half, after Balwant was replaced by Bengaluru FC striker Robin Singh.

Kitts.Although the Indians would be disappointed at not winning this match, the draw puts them on four points, two ahead of second placed St Kitts, who have drawn both their games. India started to push hard in search of the winning goal, but were unable to get the breakthrough. Robin had the best chance to double the lead in the 52nd minute, after he was put through on goal by midfielder Rowllin Borges, but the Jamal managed to save the shot.. India went into the break with a one-goal lead, thanks to Jackichand Singh's effort.Robin Singh was presented with the best chance of the game in during injury time, but his shot was deflected on to the crossbar, before Jamal managed gather it.Mumbai: India’s eight-match winning streak in international football came to an end on Thursday, when they were held to a 1-1 dray by St Kitts and Nevis, at the Mumbai Football Arena.Despite going ahead, India continued to press in # search of second goal

Besides the primary aim to “increase interoperability amongst the three navies as well as develop common understanding and procedures for maritime security operations”, the thrust of Malabar 17 would be on anti-submarine warfare (ASW), aircraft carrier operations, and joint manoeuvres among other procedures. Petersburg and Kaliningrad slated for later this month, underscoring closer Sino-Russian ties. The ‘Chongming Island’ submarine rescue ship is also likely to be present in the region during the time of the exercise. The Baltic Sea is one of the regions where the United States-led Nato countries are facing an increasingly assertive Russian Navy.This newspaper had earlier reported that PLAN has activated plans for a close monitoring of the exercise with its high tech “Neptune” (also known as Haiwangxing), reconnaissance ship and a ‘Yuan’ class submarine besides the military satellites in the sky.

According to Chinese media reports, very recently, People Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) destroyer Hefei, frigate Yuncheng and a supply ship Luomahu were refuelled by another supply ship Gaoyouhu near the Gulf of Aden, while they were en-route to the Baltic Sea via the Suez Canal, the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean before sailing north to the Baltic Sea.Japan: Helicopter carrier Izumo and Sazanami, a missile destroyer.New Delhi: As the three-nation Malabar naval exercise got underway in India’s eastern seaboard on Monday, Chinese warships and a supply ship are sailing to take part in the “Joint Sea 2017” Sino-Russian military exercise in St.Malabar-17 is taking place amid seething tension between India and led Tri proof lights China with troops of both the countries engaged in a standoff in a tri-junction near the Chumba Valley across Sikkim where the boundaries of China, India and Bhutan crisscross..The first phase or harbour phase will be held at Chennai from July 10-13, a “diverse range of operational activities” at sea will take place during the sea phase from July 14-17.

PARTICIPATING ASSETSIndia: Aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, guided missile destroyer Ranvir, indigenous stealth frigates Shivalik and Sahyadri, indigenous ASW corvette Kamorta, missile corvettes Kora and Kirpan, a Sindhughosh class submarine, fleet tanker INS Jyoti and Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft P8I.The exercise will also witness a separate interaction between Indian and US navies’ special forces and explosive disposal teams.While the two countries have been exercising toge-ther for “Joint Sea” since 2012, China, in 2016, invited Russia for the naval wargames in the troubled waters of the South China Sea — the first time China involved a second country in the region.US: Aircraft carrier Nimitz, Ticonderoga-class cruiser Princeton, Arleigh Burke-class destroyers Kidd, Howard and Shoup along with integral helicopters, a Los Angeles-class attack submarine and one Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft P8A.Meanwhile, in the latest edition of Malabar-17, the navies of India, US and Japan are together fielding 16 ships, two submarines and more than 95 aircraft

“This can be achieved only when the young people are provided vistas of opportunities to excel in academics, pursue their avocations in a peaceful atmosphere and by generating avenues of jobs for them,” he said. “How long shall the hostilities of past cast dark shadow on present and future in a fast changing global scenario”, he asked, asserting the people of this continent too have a right to grow in free and fearless environment.Strongly batting for good neighbourly relations between India and other countries in the region, he said there is urgent need of carving out a situation where people can move around freely like EU..Complimenting the people of Jammu and Kashmir for keeping the flame of secularism aloft during most testing times, he said this cherished ideal alone can lead the State to peace, progress and development. Mr Abdullah, who has served as chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir thrice, called for a sustained India-Pakistan dialogue, saying hostility between the two nations has impacted peace and tranquillity in the Himalayan state. “National Conference will stand like led vapor tight fixture suppliers a rock against those who will even think of polluting the composite culture of Jammu and Kashmir,” he pledged.

He hoped that the two countries will take concrete measures to continue the dialogue process for lasting peace, saying confrontations had no place in bilateral relations. He said the state would be the biggest beneficiary of peace in the region as it has witnessed a horrified saga of instability and bloodshed due to border tensions and the cult of militancy. He said unity in diversity has been biggest strength of the State and cautioned people against those who wanted to disturb this time-tested ethos. He asked, “If EU can do it, why not India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and other neighbouring countries ”Mr Abdullah in his key note address at a day-long conference held at Nagrota on the outskirts of Jammu said he hopes the South Asian nations would eschew myopic tendencies and hostilities and work for an enabling environment for generations to lead a peaceful and dignified life.He asserted the two nations cannot wish each other away and, therefore, New Delhi and Islamabad must seriously and purposefully get engaged to take the peace initiative forward.

He also called for a sustained India-Pakistan dialogue to address all issues that have caused straining of relations between the neighbours.Reiterating his ‘unflinching commitment’ to secularism, he said this has been cornerstone of the NC policies, which “hugely strengthened the bonds between the people of Jammu and Kashmir’s three distant regions-the Valley, Jammu and Ladakh.Former Union minister and National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah on Sunday made a strong pitch for emulating the European Union (EU) model in South Asia to make it a heaven of peace, prosperity and security. He said the era of mistrust and suspicion has retarded growth of sub-continent countries and this disgusting situation needs to end, sooner the better.Mr Abdullah squarely blamed Western powers for promoting terror scourge and said the world at large has suffered due to it hugely. While emphasising the need for strengthening this spirit, he called for channelising the energies of youth towards positive pursuits. The conference was organised by Bangladesh Bharat Pakistan Peace Forum (BBPPF) on the importance of peace and unity initiatives between tri-nations

"A lot of what we do on a daily basis is improving our health, such as walking to the mail box, strolling around the neighbourhood, folding clothes and straightening up the house," said Andrea LaCroix, from University of California San Diego in the US."Older people expend more energy doing the same kinds of activities they did when younger, so their daily movement has to accommodate for this," said LaCroix. IST Improving levels of physical activity both light and moderate could be almost as effective as rigorous regular exercise.The study also found that the benefit of light physical activity extended to all subgroups examined, including different racial/ethnic backgrounds, obese and non-obese women, women with high and low functional ability and women older and younger than age 80.The 6,000 women in the study, ages 65 to 99, were followed for up to four and a half years.

"We don&China food factory lighting manufacturers39;t have to be running marathons to stay healthy. The paradigm needs to shift when we think about being active," she said."Activities like these account for more than 55 per cent of how older individuals get their daily activity," said LaCroix.end-ofTags: health, longevity, daily choresRelated StoriesWant to live longer? Stay singleDrinking tea, tea help diabetic women live longer, says studyIndians could live longer if air quality improves: study."Improving levels of physical activity both light and moderate could be almost as effective as rigorous regular exercise at preventing a major chronic disease," said LaCroix."Our study # shows, for the first time using device- measured light physical activity in older women, that there are health benefits at activity levels below the guideline recommendations," she said.

We don't have to be running marathons to stay healthy (Photo: Pixabay)Los Angeles: Completing your daily "to do" list of chores and errands could provide a variety of health benefits and even help you live longer, a study has found.The study, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, found that women over age 65 who engaged in regular light physical activity had a reduction in the risk of mortality.The study found that 30 minutes of light physical activity per day lowered mortality risk by 12 per cent while an additional 30 minutes of moderate activity, such as bicycling at a leisurely pace or brisk walking, exhibited a 39 per cent lower risk.They wore a measuring device called an accelerometer on their hip around-the-clock for seven days while going about their daily activities