Two days after serial blasts targeted Narendra Modi's Patna rally, UP police today said they had received intelligence inputs about terrorists plotting to attack the leader's October 19 rally in Kanpur.    

 

"Three days before Narendra Modi's rally here, the police had received an alert from IB that three terrorists were present in the city and were planning to attack the rally. They could have used rocket launcher and IED," Kanpur SSP Yashaswi Yadav told reporters today.        

 

The SSP claimed that the terrorists had reached the city and even recced the venue of the rally.

The Students' Joint Action Committee for a "united" Andhra Pradesh has decided to constitute "self immolation groups" to prevent the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.

Representatives from nine universities in Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema atended the JAC meet at the Nagarjuna University campus, near here today and chalked out a programme which includes padlocking offices of the CPI and the BJP, for supporting a separate Telangana state as well as laying siege to houses of MLAs, MPs and ministers.

The meeting criticised the Centre for speeding up the process of bifurcating Andhra Pradesh, ignoring the widespread agitation in Coastal Andhra. "We condemn the intransigence of the Centre," a resolution said.

A court in Odisha's Kandhamal district today acquitted 54 people who were arrested for their alleged involvement in the 2007 riots in the communally sensitive district.

Additional district and sessions judge, Phulbani, Rajendra Kumar Tosh, acquitted them them due to lack of proper evidence against them in the case.

The prosecution alleged that the arrested persons had allegedly set on fire an Odia Baptist church and 14 houses at Barkhama village in the district on December 25, the X-Mas Day, in 2007.

Dismissing Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's comments that Narendra Modi needs to have "patience", BJP today said there would have been "mayhem" at the Patna rally had the latter not shown maturity.

"Nitish Kumar says Modiji needs to have patience if he wants to become Prime Minister. If Narendra Modiji had not shown his maturity in Patna and even remotely from the stage had leaked that bombs are blowing all around you, there would have been a stampede in the crowd. There would have been mayhem in the crowd. Thousands may have been killed," BJP General Secretary Rajiv Pratap Rudy said.

Modi did not let the people feel that there is danger looming around, he told reporters. Alleging that the protocol was not followed as no senior police official was present at the time of Modi's arrival in Patna for the rally on Sunday, he said the BJP's prime ministerial candidate still chose to go ahead with his participation as its cancellation would have led to deterioration in the situation.

Slamming Kumar for his comments that there was no intelligence input about possible explosions at the Gandhi Maidan, Rudy said the visit by Modi, a Z-plus protectee, would have been good enough to make the entire area sterile.

The Bihar Government was "callous and lackadaisical" in providing security to the event, he alleged. The former Union Minister expressed confidence that BJP would win majority of the Lok Sabha seats in Bihar in 2014 general elections and also 2015 Assembly polls.

Charging that JD-U leader Shivanand Tiwari was shouted down for appreciating Modi at a party convention in Bihar, Rudy alleged that it reflected "political intolerance" of the partymen.

The government has put on hold a proposal for meeting between the DGMOs of India and Pakistan to discuss the issue of ceasefire violations on the Line of Control and the International Border.

The decision was taken by the Government in view of the advice by the armed forces that the Pakistan side was not showing much interest in having any such meeting, official sources said here.

In view of this, the Government will not pursue the proposal of meeting between the two sides and decided to put it on hold, they said. The DGMO-level meeting was first proposed during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's talks with his Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif in the US.

The CBI will question at least twoformer officials of the Prime Minister's Office who were involved in the processing of the file related to coal block allocation to Hindalco.

Agency sources said the two senior officers would be examined for understanding the reasons which resulted in changing the decision on Hindalco, whose application for Talabira coal block was rejected by the 25th screening committee.

Refusing to give names, the sources said the agency would soon serve them notices for questioning.

CBI sources said they have received the file related to Hindalco from the Prime Minister's Office which is crucial to understand the public good cited as the reason for reversing the decision.

Here's the full text of the PM's speech at the inauguration of the renovated Sardar Patel museum in Ahmedabad. Read

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said Mahatma Gandhi was a source of eternal inspiration and his life and work will continue to inspire the world for generations to come. Singh, who is on a visit to Gujarat, went to Sabarmati Ashram, a place near Ahmedabad, which is closely associated with the Father of the Nation.

"A visit to Sabarmati Ashram is a source of eternal inspiration," the Prime Minister wrote in his message in the visitor's book at the Ashram.

Singh was accompanied by Gujarat Governor Kamla Beniwal, Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) chief Arjun Modhwadia, Leader of Opposition in Assembly Shankarsinh Vaghela and senior Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil.

Against the backdrop of serial bomb blasts that rocked its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi's meeting in Patna, the BJP today said the leader would address a rally in the city on November 17 and urged the Congress government of the state to arrange adequate security to it.

Speaking to reporters, party spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said, "We hope that the state government takes necessary precaution."

Noting that Sunday's serial blasts in Patna, Javadekar also said, "We cannot forget the bomb blasts near BJP state office (in Bangalore) in April.

Some members of the Coimbatore module were arrested in Puttur who planted these bombs as well as carried out targeted killings of five BJP leaders in Tamil Nadu and attacked L K Advani's rally in Coimbatore."

PM quotes the Cabinet on Sardar Patel: "He fixed his goal, a united India, and set about to achieving it with skill and determination."

Interestingly, Nehru and Patel both offered to resign from their respective positions, while insisting at the same time that the other should stay. In the end, the differences were not resolved because of the assassination of the Mahatma on January 30, 1948. The murder devastated the two leaders. They were stricken that they were quarrelling while the country badly needed them to stay united. Read more

So, who's won this 'face-off'? We believe the PM has won this round for staying with protocol, yet appropriating Sardar Patel for the Congress.

Incidentally, it wasn't the PM, but Modi who was booed for his remark on Patel should have been the 1st PM.

While on Patel and Nehru, read  the opinion piece on the Hindu on October 4. 

The PM quotes the Cabinet resolution on Sardar Patel: "A great Indian and an unmatched warrior in the course of freedom... a lover of India."

PM quotes Patel on Nehru: We have always respected each others advice and only people who have faith in each other can do this.

"We are here to honour a proud son of India and Gujarat. He was among India's biggest leaders. I am proud to belong to the Congress party," says the PM.
"Patel was secular and is considered to be one of the greatest leaders of this country. Patel and Nehru respected each other," says the PM.

The PM is heckled as he approaches the lectern and before he begins his speech. Shame!

Modi also touched upon India's internal threat -- Maoism. "Maoism and terrorism are challenges to our unity and it is the need of the hour that we leave the path of the bomb and the gun join the mainstream to the path of development. Violence neither helps society nor helps the nation, nor does it give anything to future," says Modi.

Possibly the only contentious statement was that he said Sardar Patel should have been India's first PM. Congress likely to take that up.

However, he did praise the PM for starting awards for performing states. 

"If Sardar Sahab was PM desh ki takdeer aur tasveer alag hoti," says Narendra Modi in Ahmedabad. Modi sticks to protocol and restrains himself from lashing out at the Congress, knowing full well there would be various opportunities for poll rhetoric.

"I wish Sardar Patel was our first PM, the destiny of this nation would have been different," says Modi.

Welcoming the PM to Gujarat, Narendra Modi says he thanks the PM that it was during his tenure that Gujarat has won several awards in the field of good governance. "We have got awards from various ministries -- over 90 such awards -- and I thank you for that," says Modi.

Heavy Industries Minister Praful Patel of the NCP is present at the occasion.
Narendra Modi speaking now.

PM Manmohan Singh and Gujarat CM Narendra Modi share a dais at Ahmedabad. The PM is there to inaugurate a museum on Sardar Vallabhai Patel museum. PM is flanked by Modi and the Gujarat governor Kamla Beniwal, who Modi doesn't see eye-to-eye with.  

PM looks uncomfortable, and has barely looked at the Gujarat CM since he stepped on to the dias.

Benchmark share indices ended at their highest level in 2013 so far led by bank shares after the RBI at its second Quarter Review of Monetary Policy 2013-14 today announced a hike in repo rate by 25 bps which was on expected lines. Read

Narendra Modi and the Calculus of Tea: Read

BJP leader Sushma Swaraj today said that the onion price rise issue was a case of "divine justice" as it would lead to the "downfall" of the Congress government which had used an earlier jump in the prices of the vegetable to oust the saffron party from power in Delhi.

"During her campaign against me (Chief Minister) Sheila Dixit would wear onion garlands. Congress made it a big issue.

"The same onion issue is now becoming the cause of the downfall of the Congress government," Swaraj said at the launch here of a book authored by the BJP's prime ministerial candidate for Delhi, Harsha Vardhan.

Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh pays tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Sabarmati Ashram. The inauguration of the Sardar Patel museum is at 6 pm.

Doing business in India appears to have got tougher with the country slipping to 134th place on this front in a global list compiled by World Bank, which ranks neighbours like China, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh at better positions and is topped by Singapore.

The annual Doing Business report, released today by World Bank and International Finance Corporation (IFC), comes at a time when economic scenario is subdued and regulatory frameworks in India are already facing criticism from domestic industry leaders and international investors.

PM Dr Manmohan Singh's convoy on its way to the Gujarat Congress headquarters in Ahmedabad. The PM was greeted by Gujarat governor Kamla Beniwal and chief minister Narendra Modi on his arrival at Ahmedabad airport.

The prime minister is scheduled to inaugurate a museum dedicated to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's life in Ahmedabad at 6 pm today.

The invitation card of the function says that the prime minister will be the chief guest and the Gujarat chief minister will be the special guest.

The CBI today registered a fresh Preliminary Enquiry (PE) related to Radia tapes against a senior Income Tax officer who was trying to get a transfer by allegedly offering bribes to CBDT officers.

The sources said a senior IT officer and an alleged middlemen having links with the officer and others have been named in the PE as accused.

"This is to verify the allegations that the said officer while posted in Income Tax Appellate Tribunal was trying to get transferred to Delhi by allegedly paying illegal gratification in CBDT," CBI sources said.

CBI has so far registered 13 PEs on the direction of the Supreme Court which had asked on October seven to probe into the issues related to intercepted phone calls of corporate lobbyist Niira Radia with politicians, corporate top shots, bureaucrats and businessmen.

Wary of cybersnooping, the government could ban e-mail services such as Gmail and Yahoo for official communications by December this year in a move to safeguard its critical and sensitive data. 

Scenic Sikkim has been named as the best region to visit in 2014 by a leading global travel guide, with Brazil emerging as the top destination in terms of countries.

Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2014 has come out with a list of top 10 destinations in different categories such as best countries to visit, best regions to visit, best cities to visit and many more such guiding lists for travel next year.

In Pictures: When Rahul Gandhi challenged Narendra Modi to a cricket match. See

Congress President Sonia Gandhi and her son, party vice-president Rahul Gandhi, are apparently not on the same page with regard to the tone and tenor to be adopted for the ongoing election campaign.

Sonia was not happy with Rahul's recent remark about Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence luring Indian Muslim youth and would like the party to go in for a positive approach by focusing on the United Progressive Alliance government's inclusive agenda, especially the recently-enacted food and land bills.

Read Anita Katyal's report on Rediff.com

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Balbir Punj on Tuesday said Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari suffers from a fascist mindset like rest of the Congressmen, because for them, everything in this country belongs only to the 'nakli' Gandhi family. Read

Just in: The Supreme Court has dismissed a petition seeking a probe into the PM's role in coal block applications. The SC says it is not inclined to the let the PM be investigated in the matter.

Advocate M L Sharma, who was one of the petitioners on whose PIL the apex court is monitoring the probe in the coalgate, filed an application in the wake of statement by former Coal Secretary P C Parakh that the Prime Minister knew of the coal blocks being allocated to companies like Hindalco and he too should be named as a "conspirator" and made an "accused.

The application said "Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was in  direct charge of the coal ministry as coal minister in 2005 and had decided to allot the coal block to various allottees including Hindalco".

Commerce minister Anand Sharma writes to Gujarat CM Narendra Modi on the Sardar Patel issue. Modi had invited Sharma to inaugurate the national memorial of Sardar Patel in Ahmedabad today. Sharma said misusing the name of Sardar Patel for political propaganda was disrespectful. Sharma has declined the invite.

Sharma wrote to Modi saying that those who initiated such grand projects must have clean intentions and should be guided by clear motives.

The Congress today accused Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party of trying to appropriate Sardar Patel's legacy, which "belongs to Congress", and reminded that Patel had said that it was the "communal poison of RSS" which killed Mahatma Gandhi.

The party hit out at Modi on the Patel issue on a day, when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is sharing dais with him in Ahmedabad at a function to inaugurate a museum dedicated to life of India's first Home Minister and freedom fighter.

Read more on the Cong-BJP-Sardar Patel issue.

Law Minister Kapil Sibal today slammed BJP for adopting "double standards" in dealing with corruption, saying the Narendra Modi government in Gujarat is trying to keep the proposed state Lokayukta in its "clutches".

Sibal's remarks came days after the Gujarat Assembly passed a new Lokayukta bill establishing the primacy of the Chief Minister and the government in the appointment of the anti-corruption watchdog.

"BJP has a double face. They want something else for their state and something different for the central government. In Gujarat, it is completely opposite from what they propose for central government. This clearly shows their double standards in politics," Sibal said.

Nitish Kumar at Rajgir: I never sold chai at the railway station, but I too come from a humble family. They (BJP) includes Lord Rama in their party. Then they engulf Lord Krishna in caste politics. He (Modi) comes here to talk casteism. 

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar's prediction for Narendra Modi, "Your Red Fort dream, will remain a dream." At the chintan shibir at Rajgir Nitish also asked why Modi was sweating so much at the rally on Sunday in Patna. "Somebody aspiring for the top post should be cool-headed. The PM's post is for 130 crore Indians, somebody aspiring for that should be patient. Why was he sweating so much?"

Aam Aadmi Party today announced the names of five probables for Kasturba Nagar Assembly constituency which include an IIM graduate, a chartered accountant and a former Congress activist.

The Arvind Kejriwal-led party released the list of probables which include Kailash Chandra Jain, a Chartered Accountant and social activist.

Jain, a resident of East of Kailash, had been organising medical camps in the area and motivating people to donate eyes, an AAP statement said.

The party has shortlisted Nipun Vij, an IIM Kolkata graduate, as its another probable. Former Congress activist Ravi Bajaj has also made to the list of probables. He had participated in Janlokpal agitation after formally resigning from Congress, the statement said.

Nitish Kumar's attempt to be witty: Gujaratis love sweets, but there is nothing sweet about Narendra Modi's speeches. He said he had told LK Advani that nobody listens to him in the party. "When we were allies, Modi used to praise me, now he criticises me," says Nitish.

Problems at Kingfisher continues to weigh down on Vijay Mallya with his net worth dipping by USD 50 million in the past one year to USD 750 million, pulling down his position in India's 100 richest list by 11 places to 84th.

In Forbes latest list of 100 richest released today, Mallya is ranked at 84th position in 2013, a drop from 73rd place in the preceding year.

Last year, Mallya had a fortune of USD 800 million. Earlier in March this year, Mallya was dropped from Forbes global rich list, while he had moved out of the billionaire league last year itself.

Burdened with huge losses and large debts, Kingfisher Airlines stopped flying in October 2012 and its flying licence also lapsed about two months later.

A stake sale in his group firm United Spirits to Diageo and rising shares of United Breweries, a beer venture with Heineken "have kept this one-time billionaire afloat," Forbes said in its latest list.

Nitish Kumar at the chintan shinir in Rajgir takes on Narendra Modi saying a man dreaming of the PM's post should be sober, so why the excitement. He says you can create hype about an individual but can't make him win.

Just in: India's treasure hunt at Unnao draws to a close. The ASI stops excavation at the site after it finds living quarters and pottery from the Buddhist era.

The much-hyped excavation was being carried out by the ASI after a seer, Shobhan Sarkar, dreamt that 1,000 tonnes of gold were buried in the fort of Raja Rao Ram Bux Singh, a 1857 war of Independence martyr, in Daundia Khera village.

Sarkar has claimed that treasures were also hidden at many other places in UP. His claim was not taken seriously by the local administration and the state government.

However, a Union Minister later visited the area and met Sarkar. The minister then directed ASI to work on it, which began on October 18.

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar speaking at the chintan shibir now. He says it is not our (JD-Us) fault that the old association with the BJP has broken down. BJP is responsible for breaking our alliance.

Shivanand Tiwari's comments praising Modi invited heckles from the assemblage and chaos ruled for a while. The JD-U is holding its chintan shibir in Patna now.

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar addressing the rally now. 

JD-U spokesperson Shivanand Tiwari addressing a rally in Patna now. Bihar CM Nitish Kumar squirms as Tiwari praises former ally-turned-bitter enemy, Narendra Modi. Tiwari questions why Nitish Kumar was jealous of Modi.

He says he has no interest in being PM or CM and therefore he has no hesitation in praising the Gujarat CM. Tiwari also praised Modi for rising from his moderate background to be the BJP's PM candidate.

He also said that the demand for a special package for Bihar was HIS idea. Nitish listens in quietly at the same dais, but he is expected to address the gathering shortly. This promises to be an exciting poll campaign.

Patna police have recovered one more live bomb from Gandhi Maidan in Patna. The bomb disposal squad is at the Maidan to defuse the bomb.

The Bihar police and the National Investigation Agency are probing the angle of a human bomb in the serials attacks in Patna ahead of Narendra Modi's rally on Sunday.

The police suspect that one of the persons who died in the attack had a bomb wrapped around his waist which was set with a timer.

So far, the Patna police have recovered four more live bombs from Gandhi Maidan, where six bombs had exploded in the morning before Narendra Modi's rally.

Air Marshal Arup Raha, an ace fighter pilot, will be the next Air Force chief succeeding incumbent Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne who is retiring on December 31.

Born on December 26, 1954, 59 year-old Raha is expected to have a tenure of three years as the Chief of Air Staff.

"The Government has decided to appoint Air Marshal Raha, who is at present the Vice Chief of Air Staff, as the next Chief of the Air Staff after the retirement of Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne," a Defence Ministry release said.

Commissioned on December 14, 1974 in the fighter stream of the IAF, Raha has held various command, staff and instructional appointments in his 39-year-old career. He has also served as Air Attache at the Embassy of India in Ukraine.

Kashmir was the place I knew it would be. Delightful. Unforgettable. It is also a place all of us Indians need to experience, says Vaihayasi Pande Daniel after a recent visit to the state. Read

The elite National Security Guard or NSG commandos have also reached the spot.

Pakistani Army today again violated the ceasefire by firing on forward areas along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district, prompting Indian troops to retaliate.

Pakistani troops opened fire with automatic weapons and small arms on forward areas along LoC in Gambhir area in Bhimbher Gali sub-sectors from 0510 hours this morning, Defence Spokesman Col R K Palta said here.

Indian troops guarding the borderline retaliated with equal calibre weapons, triggering exchanges which ended around 0700 hours, he said.

"There was no loss of life or injury to anyone in the firing and shelling by Pakistan", the spokesman said.

Pakistani Rangers had yesterday targeted an Indian border outpost along the IB in Kathua district, drawing retaliation from BSF troops.

There have been nearly 150 ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops along the Indo-Pak border in Jammu and Kashmir this year, the highest in the past 8 years.

Pune Municipal Corporation says scanty nightwear increases chances of getting bitten by dengue mosquitoes. (Incidentally, dengue mosquitoes bite only in the day.)  Read

Nitin Gokhale tweets: As expected Air Marshal Arup Raha, currently Vice Chief will be the next Chief of Air Staff after ACM Browne retires on 31st December.

Home minister Sushilkumar Shinde today said that the Centre had sent an alert to Bihar about possible terror attack on Narendra Modi's rally in Patna.

Yesterday, Arun Jaitley, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, said that the Bihar chief minister cannot shy away from the responsibility of Sundays serial blasts in Patna by just saying that he did not receive any alert from any security agency.

It seems that we are living into a vulnerable security environment. On Sundays blasts, Chief Minister claimed that he did not receive any prior alert neither from the Central intelligence agencies nor from those of the State. I have seen a news report on a TV channel which tells that the Chief Ministers claims are wrong.

"The report suggests that the State police was given prior terror alert from Intelligence Bureau with regard to terror threat during Hunkar rally, Jaitley said, adding that deployment of anti-sabotage forces was not adequate in the State capital during BJPs Hunkar rally.

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar will head to Delhi to meet home minister Sushilkumar Shinde in the wake of the Patna serial blasts.  Shinde will not be visiting Patna today as announced earlier. The Union Home Secretary will be visiting the city instead.

Shinde had on Monday said that he would visit Patna today to asses the situation there."I will review the situation in Patna tomorrow. It is premature to say anything about the blast now as investigation is still going on," he had said.

The Congress is upset about lotuses in full autumn bloom in water bodies of Mahakaushal, Malwa and Bundelkhand regions in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh.

The party on Monday wrote to the Election Commission to "hide" the national flower from public view so that voters aren't unfairly drawn to the BJP symbol. Read

Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, who was kept under observation in hospital for injuries sustained during stone pelting by suspected LDF workers in Kannur, was today discharged.

Emerging from the Medical College Hospital, Chandy thanked workers of the Congress and its UDF allies across the state for conducting their protests over the incident in a peaceful manner.

A 15-month-old baby girl discovered filthy and naked in south-west France had spent her entire life in the boot of her mother's car, police believe.

"The baby was completely hidden away, apparently since birth. It's a situation that defies belief," the local prosecutor said. Read

India's central bank raised its policy interest rate for the second time in as many months on Tuesday, warning that inflation is likely to remain elevated for the rest of the fiscal year, and rolled back an emergency measure put in place to support the slumping rupee. TV reports suggest EMIs will go up.
Read more

Sahara seeks modification of the Supreme Court order restraining Subrata Roy from leaving India with immediate effect. SC agrees to consider Sahara's plea on the issue.

Yesterday, the SC held that Sahara was playing 'hide and seek' and cannot be trusted any more. The Supreme Court directed the Sahara group to hand over title deeds of its properties worth Rs 20,000 crore to SEBI warning that failure to comply would mean Subrata Roy cannot leave India.

International roaming rates are headed south with Vodafone, the country's second largest mobile operator, slashing charges for pre- and post-paid customers by up to 78% for calls and 95% for data.

Although other operators did not comment on their response, executives say companies will unveil revised rates shortly. Idea Cellular, the third-biggest GSM player, already offers highly competitive packages for countries like the US. Read

Hours ahead of a function that would bring Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Narendra Modi together in Gujarat to pay tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, their parties sparred over the legacy of India's iron man.

As the PM and Mr Modi share the stage at the launch of a museum dedicated to India's first home minister, many expect them to deliver politically-charged messages ahead of state polls and the national election due by May. Read

Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, criticised by the BJP for attending a Bollywood event hours after multiple blasts killed six people in Patna on Sunday, has found support from External Affairs Minister and fellow Congressman Salman Khurshid. Khurshid has argued that "Mr Shinde has a life beyond Patna." Read more

The iPhone 5C's cheaper price point was expected to lure price-sensitive customers, a tactic which likely did not work.

 

Read more on The Guardian

A United States military strike has hit a car carrying senior members of the al-Shabab armed group in Somalia, killing at least two people including the group's top explosives expert, a rebel and a US intelligence official said.

 

The senior US official told the Associated Press news agency that there was a US strike against a target in Somalia on Monday but would give no further details. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because there was no authorisation to discuss the strike publicly.

 

Read the full report on Al Jazeera

Dozens of people traversing the Sahara desert on their way to Europe are feared to have died of thirst in Niger, officials say. Five bodies have been found, while a further 35 are missing after their vehicle broke down and they set off to seek help, said the Agadez governor.

 

Agadez lies on one of the main migrant routes from West Africa to Europe. Hundreds of migrants have died this month when their boats sank as they tried to cross the Mediterranean Sea. Agadex mayor Rhissa Feltou said two vehicles had left the town of Arlit, north of Agadez, earlier this month, carrying "at least" 60 migrants.

 

Read more on BBC

Spain has urged the US to give details of any eavesdropping, amid reports it monitored 60 million Spanish telephone calls in a month. The US ambassador to Spain, who had been summoned by its EU minister, vowed to clear the "doubts" that had arisen about his country's alleged espionage.

 

The minister, Inigo Mendez de Vigo, said such practices, if true, were "inappropriate and unacceptable". An EU delegate in Washington said there had been "a breakdown of trust".

 

Read more on BBC

Union Minister Salman Khurshid today criticised BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi for going ahead with the  Patna rally yesterday despitethe blasts, saying "after an event like this happens, you should give up whatever happens".      

 

He also defended Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde for attending a Bollywood film music launch a few hours after the blasts.        

 

Criticising Modi for going ahead with the rally, the External Affairs Minister said "after an event like this happens, you should give up whatever happens. The script was not changed. Was the rally suspended or given up?"        

 

The Union Minister slammed Modi saying that instead of attending to those injured in the blasts he went ahead with the rally.        

 

"Should you not attend to people who were hurt? Should you not try to find out what has happened? He continued with his speech ....much worse....much worse," he said.

PHOTOS: Massive storm 'St Jude' wreaks havoc in Britain

Pak shows white flags but doesn't turn up for flag meet

Patna blasts: Cong tries to blame 'Modi's negative politics'

Narendra Modi was the target of Patna blasts: Sushil Modi

Centre had alerted Nitish govt about threat to Mod rally: BJP

Andhra Pradesh CM tours rain-hit areas; toll mounts to 53

Court frames defamation charges against Kejriwal

Indian Mujhaideen's new Ranchi module conspired Patna blasts

Was a human bomb used in Patna blasts?

Attack on Chandy: CPI-M workers held, blame game on

ATS arrests fugitive IM man Afzal Usmani from UP

BJP complains to EC against Rahul Gandhi's 'communal' speech

Patna blasts: 'We cried for help but the cops ran away'

 

Click here for yesterday's LIVE NEWS UPDATES!