The Week That Was - August 16 : Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli announces shock retirement

India’s frontline submarine INS Sindhurakshak sinks

After 36 hours of continuous diving effort by Navy divers, disfigured bodies of four personnel were extricated from INS Sindhurakshak, with slim hope of finding any survivors.

18 Navy personnel – including three officers – had gone down with the submarine after it exploded and burst into flames early Wednesday.

DNA sampling would be carried out for identification a Navy press release said. The bodies are being preserved at the naval hospital INS Ashwini.

"The state of the bodies and condition within the submarine leads to firm conclusion that finding any surviving personnel within the submarine is unlikely," the release said.

The diesel-electric submarine was commissioned into the Indian Navy in 1997 at a cost of around Rs 400 crore and had gone through a Rs 450-crore extensive upgrade in Russia.

The 2300-tonne Kilo class submarine, powered by a combination of diesel generators and electric batteries, had potent weapons package including the anti-ship `Club` missiles.

PM Vs Narendra Modi on Independence Day

In his 10th consecutive Independence Day address and his last before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday addressed the nation from the Red Fort.

On the occasion of 67th Independence Day, the PM spoke on various issues ranging from inspiring growth in the country to killings of Indian soldiers by Pakistani troops along the Line of Control.

The Indian government will take "all possible steps" to prevent further killings of its soldiers by Pakistani troops in Indian territory, the PM said. Referring to the recent "dastardly attack on our jawans on the Line of Control with Pakistan" in Jammu and Kashmir, the PM said, "We will take all possible steps to prevent such incidents in future."

Pakistan has to prevent the use of its territory for "any anti-India activity", PM Singh said.

The Prime Minister assured the nation that the Indian economy will again witness rapid growth, thanks to the steps taken in recent months for speedier industry clearances, building infrastructure and boosting inflow of overseas capital.

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, on his part, described the Prime Minister`s Independence Day speech as disappointing.

After unfurling tricolour at Lalan College in Bhuj, Modi reviewed the PM`s speech intricately, slammed the United Progressive Alliance`s policies and hailed Gujaratis.

Hitting out at the PM`s speech, Modi said that he was `disappointed` with the address. "I am very disappointed with the PM`s speech. There was no message. Not just me, the whole country is disappointed," he said.

"I am wondering that despite your name being included among those people who has unfurled the tricolour on the maximum occasions, you are saying the same things which were said by Pandit Nehru in his first address to our nation."

Modi said the same problems and concerns are highlighted by Singh today were mentioned by Nehru in his first speech.

Parliament passes anti-Pak resolution, LoC remains tense

The Lok Sabha on Wednesday unanimously passed a resolution against Pakistan, condemning the recent Pakistani aggression on the International Border and the Line of Control (LoC).

Reading out the resolution, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar said India’s is not a threat to Pakistan.

“India is not a threat to Pakistan or its people, but terrorists nurtured by Pakistan are,” the Speaker said.

The resolution goes on to say that Jammu and Kashmir, including parts forcibly and illegally occupied by Pakistan, is an integral part of India.”

“We hope Pakistan will abide by the ceasefire commitment on the LoC and International Border in letter and spirit,” Meira Kumar added.

Curfew in Kishtwar

Union Home Secretary Anil Goswami on Friday visited the border area in R S Pura Sector in Jammu and reviewed the security situation after the recent firing along the Line of Control (LoC).

Goswami, who visited the Octroi post at the International Border in R S Pura Sector, said the soldiers are vigilant and there are no successful infiltration attempts.

Meanwhile, curfew continued for the eighth day on Friday in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar town.

Three persons were killed and a total of 68 shops, seven hotels and 35 vehicles damaged during the communal violence in Kishtwar.

Egypt stares at abyss, hundreds die in violence

Deeply polarised Egypt braced for renewed confrontation on Friday after the Muslim Brotherhood called for a nationwide march of millions to show anger at a ferocious security crackdown on Islamists in which hundreds were killed.

Defying criticism from major Western allies, Egypt`s Army-backed government warned it would turn its guns on anyone who attacked the police or public institutions after protesters torched a government building in Cairo on Thursday.

At least 623 people died and thousands were wounded on Wednesday when police cleared out two protest camps in Cairo set up to denounce the military overthrow on July 03 of Egypt`s first freely-elected president, Islamist leader Mohamed Morsi.

It was the third mass killing of Morsi supporters since his ouster. The assault left his Muslim Brotherhood in disarray, but they warned they would not retreat in their showdown with army commander General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

Catch me if you can, I will visit India: Hafiz Saeed

Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, who is wanted in India for the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, has said he was not a terrorist, and asked for an independent probe by judges from India and Pakistan to find out whether he was guilty.

"You (India) are continuously calling me a terrorist. But I am not a terrorist, and if you are not satisfied, an independent judicial commission comprising senior lawyers and judges from India and Pakistan should investigate whether I am guilty," the Dawn quoted Saeed as saying.

"Whatever verdict the commission announces I will accept that," he said.

Saeed addressed a meeting in Lahore on Pakistan`s Independence Day Wednesday, where he rejected India`s demand to Pakistan to hand him over.

The daily said participants at the rally raised slogans against India.

Sensex crashes 769 pts; Rupee at record low

It was bloodbath in markets on Friday with Sensex crashing 769.41 points, the biggest fall in 4 years, to end at 18,598 on fresh concerns about US stimulus withdrawal and rupee plunging to record low of 62, draining investor wealth by Rs 2 lakh crore.

Rupee also hit record low of 62.03 against dollar on heavy US currency demand supported by growing expectations that Fed may withdraw its bond buying programme by the end of this month amid growing signs of recovery in US Job market.

After gaining 703 points in the last four sessions, the Sensex plunged 769.41 points, or 3.97 percent, to 18,598.18 on all-round selling. Consumer durables, realty, banks and metal sector took major beating.

The broad-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty nosedived by 234.45 points, or 4.08 percent to 5,507.83, after touching day`s low of 5,496.05. Also, SX40 index, the flagship index of MCX-SX, closed at 11,083.52, down 428.63 points or 3.72 percent.

Previously, rupee had hit all-time low of 61.80 on August 6.

The rupee had lost 24 paise to close at an all-time low of 61.43 against he US currency in the previous session on Wednesday after July inflation rose to a five-month high. Forex market remained closed yesterday on account of Independence Day.

Gold price hits 2-year high; reclaims Rs 31,000-level

Gold on Friday surged by Rs 1,310 per 10 gram here, the highest in two years, to Rs 31,010 on strong demand from stockists ahead of festive season, after government increased import duty on the metal to 10 percent.

A sharp fall in Sensex and rupee against dollar and strong global cues also contributed to the upsurge in gold price, which posted the biggest single-day gain after August 19, 2011. Interestingly, the metal had shot up by Rs 1,310 on August 19, 2011 as well.

Gold has regained Rs 31,000 level after a gap of six months. An all-time high was Rs 32,975 per 10 gram on November 27, 2012, in Delhi bullion market.

Silver followed suit and spurted by Rs 3,270 to Rs 49,320 per kg, its biggest single day gain this year on rising demand from industrial units and coin makers.

June industrial output contracts by 2.2%

Dashing hopes of a recovery, industrial production contracted 2.2 percent in June, the second straight monthly drop, on account of a poor show by the manufacturing, mining and power sectors and a decline in production of capital goods.

Factory output measured in terms of the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) had contracted 2 percent in June last year, as per the data released by the Central Statistical Organisation.

Meanwhile, factory output for May was revised downwards to a decline of 2.82 percent from a provisional 1.6 percent dip in production.

During April-June this year, factory output contracted 1.1 percent, down from a decline of 0.2 percent in the same period last fiscal.

Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Chennai Express’ creates history!

Rohit Shetty’s ‘Chennai Express’ starring Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone that released this Eid has created history by minting Rs 100 crores in just three days! Shah Rukh Khan hasn’t had a thumping success before this movie at the Box Office for long. But with hit-maker Rohit Shetty, King Khan has conveniently managed to keep the cash registers ringing.

Salman Khan blocks next year`s Eid for `Kick

Salman Khan’s movie `Kick` has been locked for release on Eid next year on July 27. `Kick` marks producer Sajid Nadiadwala`s debut as a director. The shooting for the film has begun in Glasgow. Eid has always proved lucky for Salman, as he delivered four back-to-back blockbusters - `Wanted`, `Bodyguard`, `Dabangg` and `Ek Tha Tiger` - on the auspicious day.

`Dhoom 3` launches first look, motion poster

Directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya, the first look of the YRF film shows 2013 Chicago in the backdrop, helicopters flying as Aamir looks out of a glass pane of a high rise building. Wearing a hat and jeans, the actor shows off his lean physique. Abhishek Bachchan and Uday Chopra will reprise their previous roles of Jai Dixit and Ali in the movie. The ‘Dhoom’ series is famous for its suave villains. The earlier two films saw John Abraham and Hrithik Roshan play the antagonists.

England win 4th Ashes test after Broad sparks Australia collapse

Australia, with victory in sight, collapsed from 120 for one to 224 all out in a crazy post-tea spell as England won the fourth test by 74 runs to clinch the Ashes outright and go 3-0 up in the five-match series on Monday.

A pugnacious innings from David Warner (71) put Australia in complete control but Tim Bresnan produced a peach of a delivery to remove the opener and that seemed to sap all the confidence out of the tourists as they lost eight wickets for 56 runs.

Stuart Broad (6-50) picked up his second five-wicket haul of the match with another dynamic burst of fast bowling as he and Bresnan (2-36) ripped the heart out of the Australian batting.

Indian Badminton League: Saina defeats Sindhu 21-19, 21-8

In a much-awaited match of the Indian Badminton League (IBL), ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal defeated PV Sindhu 21-19, 21-8.

The first game was a closely fought contest where Sindhu impressed everybody with her aggressive play. Sindhu was leading 7-3 in the first game, but Saina used all experience to bounce back and dominated the rest of the match.

The 18-year-old however seemed to have lost some concentration in the second game where she was almost a no show.

Usain Bolt regains world 100m title in emphatic style

Jamaican sprint star Usain Bolt lifted track and field out of the doping doldrums as he reclaimed his world 100m title in emphatic style on Sunday.

Bolt clocked a season`s best 9.77 seconds in heavy rain at the Luzhniki Stadium, with American Justin Gatlin claiming silver in 9.85sec and Nesta Carter, also of Jamaica, taking bronze in 9.95sec.

Athletics` credibility had again been called to account in recent weeks, notably after American sprint rival Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell tested positive for drugs.

Once again it was Bolt, the powerfully-built 26-year-old world record holder in both the 100 and 200m, who came to the rescue, at least in the short term.

Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli announces shock retirement

Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli shocked the tennis world on Wednesday by announcing her retirement from the sport at the age of 28.

After a second round loss to Romanian Simona Halep at the Western and Southern Open, the Frenchwoman walked into the media room and said: "I just can`t do it anymore".

Her surprise announcement comes just six weeks after she beat Germany`s Sabine Lisicki in the Wimbledon final to claim her first and only grand slam title.