President Pranab Mukherjee today hit out at "self-styled Cassandras' for their prophecies of doom for the Indian economy and asserted that nothing can be more dangerous to it than "negative" sentiments in the industry. 

A CRPF jawan has been killed in a grenade attack in Guwahati's Paltan Bazaar.

In two separate incidents, alleged activists of Shiv Sena and a little-known outfit Swaraj Sena have attacked the offices of Colors channel in suburban Andheri and Vile Parle, objecting to its new musical reality show featuring Pakistani artists.

Dr Singh's visit will take place at an appropriate time, when he thinks the atmosphere is right and feels something worthwhile will come out, said Krishna

"We will build the Indo-Pak relationship on convergences and will not brood on divergences," said Khar. 

Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan was today questioned by the Enforcement Directorate sleuths in connection with an alleged hawala transactions case the agency has been probing against him. 

India and Pakistan also signed MoUs about cultural exchanges.

"We both agreed that terrorism threatens our region," said Khar.

"There is immense potential for India, Pakistan to move forward," said Khar. She added that the Indo-Pakistan joint commission has been revived after seven years.

In a joint briefing, Foreign Minister S M Krishna and his Pakistani counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar said that the delegations from the two nations had held frank discussions on a lot of issues.

All Indian fishermen in Pakistani jails have been released with immediate effect, Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said. 

India and Pakistan today signed a agreement on new liberalised visa regime. The new pact will replace the existing regime that began in 1974.

The pact was signed by External Affairs Minister S M Krishna and Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik.

The pact sets up new visa categories to benefit various sections of society. New pact includes multiple visa entries for diplomats and separate visas for pilgrims, businessmen and for transit. 

Visa-on-arrival will be available for anyone who is above 65 years of age. 

Rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt, who is travelling with External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, reports that the new visa agreement is not radical. It is only expected to benefit rich businessmen

Read full report here

The viscera report of Fiza alias Anuradha Bali, the ex-wife of former Haryana deputy Chief Minister Chander Mohan, has found traces of poison in her body.

The doctors say that the poison is suspected to be rat poison, that mainly consists of aluminum phosphate, reports CNN-IBN.

Fiza's body was found in a highly-decomposed state in her apartment in Chandigarh on August 6. While initial reports claimed it to be a suicide, the Mohali police refrained from using the term.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray reiterated his anti-North Indian stand and attributed the rising crime rate in Mumbai to the migrants, mainly north Indians.

In an interview to Times Now, he said there was always a constant pressure on the police to solve these criminal cases and then people blame police for not being efficient. "Every day 48 trains come to Maharashtra from UP, Bihar and Jharkhand. Who are these people, Where do they go? Then you will blame police for not being to control the crime in the state,'' he said.

Read full interview here

The National Human Rights Commission has issued notice to the Tamil Nadu government and sought a report on the explosion in the Sivakasi fireworks factory that killed 38 people.

"Notice has been sent to chief secretary, government of Tamil Nadu, calling for a report within four weeks on the Sivakasi fireworks explosion that took place September 5," said the commission.

The explosion killed over 38 people and injured more than 50.

An explosion has killed four people and injured four more near the headquarters of the Nato-led international coalition in Kabul, police say.

There were no reports of casualties among  International Security Assistance Force troops, the coalition media service said. A suicide attacker on a motorbike blew himself up near the entrance, an ISAF spokeswoman told Reuters news agency.

Security has been tightened as supporters of an anti-Taliban warlord mark 11 years since his assassination.

The Central Bureau of Investigation will quiz Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member Vijay Darda, his brother Rajendra Darda, education minister in Maharashtra and businessman Manoj Jaiswal in connection to the coal scam, said sources.  

The CBI will question Dardas and Manoj Jaiswal next week, said sources.  

The CBI has alleged that Vijay Darda and his brother, were actively involved in the affairs of the JLD Yavatmal, one of the firms accused in the Coalgate scam.  The others who have been named in the FIR are Congress MP's son Devendra Darda, Manoj Jaiswal, Anand Jaiswal, Abhishek Jaiswal who were closely linked to JLD Yavatmal.

Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on Saturday expressed concerns over national security, saying that terror groups would try to use sea route to come into the country.

Speaking at the Annual Conference of DGPs and IGPs from across the country, the PM underlined that infiltration attempts along Line of Control and International Border in Jammu and Kashmir are on the rise.

Lauding improvement in security, the PM said the Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed not just a successful Amarnath Yatra but also conducted Panchayat elections. He further commented on internal security, saying that intelligence collection has languished in some places. "We need to fully understand how new media is being used by miscreants, need to know how to counter this propaganda."

External Affairs Minister S M Krishna pushes for justice for 26/11 victims during his meeting with  his Pakistani counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar in Islamabad today. 

A liberalised visa agreement and some cross-LOC Confidence Building Measures or CBMs for Jammu and Kashmir are expected to come through in the meeting.

Official sources have told NDTV that the CBMs will look at increased trade, group tourism, better communication facilities, and multiple entry permits.

Krishna and Khar are expected to address a joint press conference at 5 pm. Read full report here

A case has been filed against Congress' Odisha in-charge Jagdish Tylter and seven others for Thursday's violent protests in the state. The Congress leader has been booked for criminal conspiracy.

A policewoman, who was beaten up by a mob on the rampage during a protest by party workers in Bhubaneswar on Thursday, said that she was attacked after Tytler called for barricades to be broken. "They attacked me as soon as Jagdish Tytler called on party workers to break the barricades," the woman cop reportedly told the Press Trust of India.

A crowd of more than 25,000 protestors -- who Congress MLA Bhupinder Singh now says were not all party workers but also "included unemployed youth, agitating teachers and auto-rickshaw drivers unhappy with new rules" -- tried to storm the Assembly on Thursday to demand the resignation of Chief Minister Navin Patnaik for what they allege is his involvement in the coal block allocation scam that has rocked Parliament as well.       

Following an outrage over remarks made by a judge of the Karnataka high court on women in an open court, all family court matters, including child custody and guardianship, have been taken away from him and another judge. Justice Bhakthavatsala had said it was okay for a man to beat his wife.   

The matters have been shifted to the court of justices KL Manjunath and V Suri Appa Rao from the court of Justice Bhakthavatsala and Justice BS Indrakala. There was no other change in the subjects listed against the name of Justices Bhakthavatsala and Indrakala. The changes will come into effect from September 10, official sources said.

At least 56 people rescued after boat carrying north African migrants to Lampedusa capsizes in Mediterranean Sea.

 

Read more on Al Jazeera

Two bombs, one of which struck a mosque at the end of crowded Friday prayers, have exploded in Syria's capital, leaving at least five people dead.

 

Read more on Al Jazeera

Canada is closing its embassy in Iran and expelling the remaining Iranian diplomats in Canada, Foreign Minister John Baird has said in a statement.

 

The Canadian government cited Iran's support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and failure to comply with UN inspectors as the reason for the move.

 

Read more on BBC

US labels Pakistan-based Haqqani group terrorists

Zardari assures India on Sarabjit Singh case

Narendra Modi announces yatra ahead of Gujarat polls

Cong's violent rally in Odisha: Tytler's name comes up

Dynastic rule a curse for political system: Kejriwal

Shashi Tharoor: We are all minorities in India

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