India and Bangladesh have agreed to set up a Joint Technical committee for optimum utilisation of Ganges water as being received by Bangladesh under the Ganga Water Sharing Treaty 1996. 

After the Secretary-level meeting in Dhaka yesterday, both the countries also agreed to prepare a framework for interim water-sharing agreement for eight rivers including Feni, Gumti and Teesta. Both the countries also discussed issues related to pollution of trans boundary rivers.

The Secretary-level meeting was held after a gap of more than 8 years. It is an important step in enhancing bilateral cooperation in the water resources sector between India and Bangladesh.

Water Resources Secretary Upendra Prasad Singh led the Indian delegation in the talks while the Bangladesh side was led by his counterpart Kabir Bin Anwar.

The Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna mega-basin is the second largest hydraulic region in the world. 

Within this basin, fifty-four rivers cross the border between upstream India and downstream Bangladesh. 

The World Archery (WA) today suspended the Archery Association of India (AAI) for defying its guidelines by electing two parallel bodies, asking the federation to put its house in order by the end of this month.

The decision is effective from Monday and the last event in which the archers can participate under the Indian flag is the World Archery Youth Championships in Madrid from 19th to 25th of this month.

World Archery Secretary General Tom Dielen said in a statement that it is implementing the decision taken in June by suspending the Archery Association of India. 

The AAI had to find a solution by the end of last month as per the deadline given by WA's executive board and since no progress has been made, the world governing body implemented the suspension order.

Olympic quota places will be up for grabs at the Asian Championships and Asian Para Championships, to be held in Bangkok in November. India so far have three men's places secured for the next Olympics but has yet to win a women's spot.

The Virasat-e-Khalsa museum in Punjab’s Anandpur Sahib town is all set to find a place in the Asia Book of Records for becoming the most visited museum in the Indian sub-continent on a single day.

The Asia Book of Records has confirmed the record of ‘maximum footfall in a museum in a day’ in the name of Virasat-e-Khalsa, which will feature in the next edition of the Asia Book of Records, a senior official said on Wednesday.

“The museum had witnessed a record footfall of 20,569 visitors on a single day on March 20, becoming the most visited museum in the Indian sub-continent on a single day,” Vikas Pratap, Secretary, Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs (Punjab), told The Hindu.

The awards will be given away on August 29, the birth anniversary of hockey wizard Major Dhyan Chand which is celebrated as the National Sports Day.

"This year we are trying out a new idea of one selection committee for all the awards. We feel too many committees are unnecessary as they only make things difficult and create controversies," a Sports Ministry said.

The 12-member committee is headed by Supreme Court judge Justice (Retd) Mukundakam Sharma and comprises Sports Secretary Radhey Shyam Jhulaniya, Sports Authority of India Director General Sandeep Pradhan, Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) CEO Commander Rajesh Rajagopalan, Mary Kom, Bhutia, women's cricket team captain Anjum Chopra, celebrated former long-jumper Anju Bobby George and table tennis coach Kamlesh Mehta among others.

Besides, the committee also features two media persons in Chief Editor of Times Group (Digital) Rajesh Kalra and renowned sports commentator Charu Sharma.

Unlike previous editions, this committee will handpick all the winners of National Sports Awards, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Arjuna Award, Dronacharya Award (for coaches), Dhyan Chand Award (lifetime achievement) and Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Award. After considerable delay, the selection committee was finalised on Wednesday. "

Despite decrease in the intensity of rainfall, the flood situation in western Maharashtra remains grim, with nine persons drowning when a rescue boat capsized in Sangli district on Thursday.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis conducted an aerial survey to review the flood situation in Sangli and Kolhapur, which are the worst hit following heavy rain in the area where the Krishna and Panchganga rivers are in spate.

Nine persons drowned and five were missing after a boat engaged in rescue work overturned in Sangli, said Deepak Mhaisekar, Divisional Commissioner of Pune. “Nine persons died and five are still missing when the private boat they were travelling in overturned at Bramhnal village in Sangli’s Palus taluka. The deceased include seven women, one man and one child,” he added.

The Reserve Bank on Wednesday announced creation of a central payments fraud information registry, which could ensure a quick and systemic responses in cases of financial frauds.

At present, there is a mechanism in place for banks to report all banking frauds to the Central Fraud Monitoring Cell of the Reserve Bank and the proposed dedicated registry will further enable this process.

The central bank said with the digital payment ecosystem making substantial progress in terms of growth of the payment infrastructure as well as volume and value of digital payment transactions, fraud risk monitoring and management by the stakeholders have assumed added importance.

"It has always been the endeavour of the RBI to improve the confidence of customers in the payment systems. To carry forward these efforts and ensure quick and systemic responses, it is proposed to facilitate the creation of a central payment fraud registry that will track these frauds," RBI said.

Harley Race, a professional wrestler who overcame serious injuries from a car accident to become a mainstay of the wrestling circuit, winning numerous individual and tag-team titles in the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s, died on Thursday. He was 76.

The cause was lung cancer, the wrestling organization WWE said on its website. It did not say where he died.

Race was pitted in high-profile matches again Dusty Rhodes, Ric Flair, Andre the Giant, Hulk Hogan and other marquee names. In his heyday he was such a name himself, personifying toughness but serving as a transitional figure who helped bring the sport from an era of brawn to one of character-driven performance.

Legendary Uruguay striker Diego Forlan, who had won the Golden Ball award after being adjudged the best player of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, has announced his retirement from professional football on Wednesday. Forlan was the guiding force of Uruguayan football in the new century, taking them back to the glory days of the past, when they became world champions twice in 1930 and 1950.

“After 21 years I made the decision to end my career as a professional footballer. A beautiful stage closes full of great memories and emotions but another of new challenges will begin. Thanks to all who in one way or another accompanied me on this path!” Forlan tweeted. 

Hundreds of people, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah and veteran party leader L K Advani, bid farewell to former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj as her mortal remains were consigned to flames in Delhi yesterday. 

Swaraj, who also served as the Leader of Opposition and chief minister of Delhi, was given full state honours after which she was cremated at the Lodhi Road crematorium. 

Bhutan's former Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, several leaders from the NDA as well the opposition, were also present. 

The 77th anniversary of the August Kranti Din, which is considered as one of the important milestones in the history of freedom struggle of our country, is being observed today. 

On this date in 1942, Mahatma Gandhi gave a clarion call to end the British rule and launched the Quit India Movement at the session of the All-India Congress Committee in Mumbai. 

After the failure of Cripps Mission, Gandhiji gave the call to Do or Die in his Quit India speech delivered at the Gowalia Tank Maidan in Mumbai. 

The grateful country is today paying homage to the freedom fighters and remembering the supreme sacrifices of the martyrs during the freedom struggle.