The group calling itself the Islamic State (also ISIS or ISIL) has released a video purporting to show the execution of American journalist Steven Sotloff, according to the Site Intelligence Group.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly boasted that his country's forces could conquer the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, in two weeks if he were to order such an offensive.

Lawyers defending the prime suspect in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings have requested that his trial, due to start in November, be delayed until at least September next year. 

Five policemen, including a Station House Officer (SHO), were injured as they came under attack by an irate crowd in northeast Delhi's Karawal Nagar today. Trouble started in the area around 9 am when a group of locals objected to two minor girls visiting some male friends instead of going to school. 

The Army has issued a circular to its units and personnel cautioning them against using the caller identification smart phone application 'Truecaller' in the backdrop of cases where suspected Pakistani spies have allegedly used it to establish the identity of its officers. 

Saudi Arabia announced today that it executed another four people it says were found guilty of trying to illegally smuggle large quantities of pills and hashish into the kingdom. 

International medical agency Medecins sans Frontieres said today the world was "losing the battle" to contain Ebola and called for a global biological disaster response to get aid and personnel to west Africa. 

Narendra Modi government today told the Supreme Court that it is committed to clean Ganga, which was its pre-poll promise, and steps would be taken to prevent any pollution going into the holy river. 

Ahead of his visit to India, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott today strongly supported sealing of the much-awaited uranium export deal with the country under "suitable safeguards".

"I make the point if we are prepared to sell uranium to Russia, and we've been prepared to do that in the past, surely we ought to be prepared to provide uranium to India under suitable safeguards," Abbott said.

"India is a full functioning democracy with the rule of law," he said, adding that his government was working with India to put suitable safeguards in place. He said Australia should be prepared to provide "support" and that is what his upcoming visit would be all about.

The Centre and Maharashtra government today informed the Bombay high court that they had taken adequate measures to prevent the spread of Ebola virus in the wake of a large number of Indians fleeing the West African countries to return home.

However, the bench headed by Justice Abhay Oka, after hearing the Centre and going through the affidavit filed by the state government, asked whether the authorities were medically screening the passengers arriving from the Ebola-hit countries.

To this, the lawyers of both the governments said they had no instructions as of now and would inform the court about this later.

NDTV reports: Manmohan Singh is the first former prime minister to be a member of a parliamentary standing committee.

He is on the finance panel, headed by fellow Congressman M Veerapa Moily, who was a minister in Dr Singh's government. A parliamentary committee on Information Technology will be headed by young BJP lawmaker Anurag Thakur.

Read the full report here

Indian batsman Cheteshwar Pujara is all set to represent Derbyshire in the ongoing English County season after he was given a UK work visa today. "We've completed all formalities regarding Cheteshwar's contract and also received necessary documents from Derbyshire County Cricket Club,' the middle-order batsman's father and coach, Arvind Pujara, a former Ranji Trophy cricketer, told Rediff.com earlier today.

Former attorney general Goolam Vahanvati passed away on Tuesday following a massive cardiac arrest. Vahanvati was solicitor general in the UPA-I government from 2004-2009 and was attorney general from 2009 to 2014 under UPA-II.Vahanvati had a lung infection. He was 65.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today broke the security cordon and mingled with a crowd of Indian admirers, shaking hands and giving autographs. Modi was coming out of the Indian Embassy after inaugurating the Vivekanand Centre when he saw a crowd shouting slogans for him outside the complex.

Instead of sitting in his car, he decided to walk out of the complex and meet the people. He shook hands with them and gave autographs to some, giving a personal touch to the event.

The Prime Minister also had a chat with two young siblings. He enquired from them about whether they fight with each other and also who wins in that.

Earlier in the day, when Modi visited Sacred Heart University, a few Indians were waiting outside to see him. He obliged them by posing for a selfie with them.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrapped up a busy day in Tokyo on Tuesday with an interaction with the Indian community in Japan.

PM Modi urged Indians to work for their country and use what it takes to spread the message back home. "So if you write to your folks back in India... I know you don't write letters anymore... You must be connected on WhatsApp or have made friends on Twitter, it is important to get the message across, no matter what the medium," he said, speaking about a "Clean India" mission to honour Mahatma Gandhi.

Pic: PM reaches out to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's oldest living associate in Japan the 99 year old Saichiro Misumi 

The Central Bureau of Investigation is likely to interrogate actor-turned Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Mithun Chakraborty as well as West Bengal Transport Minister Madan Mitra over their alleged links in the Saradha scam.According to sources, the CBI has drawn up a list of assets of the duo.

Former foreign secretary A P Venkateswaran is dead. He was the foreign secretary during Rajiv Gandhi's prime ministership, and was famously sacked by the PM in a nationally televised press conference...

PM Modi defends gifting a copy of the Bhagwad Gita to Emperor Akihito. "Bhagwad Gita is India's biggest gift to the world," he says.  "I don't have anything better to gift than the Bhagwad Gita and the world can get nothing bigger than the Gita. The world has nothing better to receive.  I brought the Bhagwad Gita to be gifted to PM, but seculars in India might be debating that Modi has made Bhagwad Geeta also communal."

Speaking to the NRI community, Modi urges them promote tourism to India. "Through your efforts, you should inspire five Japanese families to visit India," he said.

Prime Minister Modi is addressing the Indian community in Japan. "We want to accomplish the mission of 'Clean India' as a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. In fact we hear the Indians are simple, they contribute to the growing economy too. Credit for this goes to you all. Wherever the Indian community went there has been no complaint from society there. This is not a small thing. In 2019 we will celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, who never compromised on cleanliness. The biggest mission undertaken by me is of 'Clean India'. Though it is difficult but somebody had to begin working towards it." 

When India's No.1 English news TV anchor and Editor-in-Chief gets stuck in a traffic jam in Delhi, it's news. @churumuri.

See

Sensex up 151 points to close above 27,000-mark for first time; Nifty soars 55.35 points to end at new peak of 8,083.05.

It's a book that's meant to be a bestseller. Sachin Tendulkar tells his own story and a remarkable story it is. From playing in the bylanes of suburban Mumbai, to his first Test cap at the age of 16 to his 100th international century and the emotional final farewell that brought his country to a standstill.

"I knew that agreeing to write my story would need me to be completely honest, as thats the way I have always played the game. It would require talking about a number of aspects I have not shared in public before. So here I am, at the end of my final innings, having taken that last walk back to the pavilion, ready to recount as many incidents as I can remember since first picking up a cricket bat as a child in Mumbai thirty-five years ago," said Tendulkar.

His autobiography is called Playing it may way.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday underwent a planned diabetes management surgery at a private hospital in New Delhi and was recovering well. 61-year-old Jaitley was admitted to the hospital in Saket last evening and today an elective laparoscopic procedure was carried out on him.

"Arun Jaitley underwent a planned elective laparoscopic procedure for diabetes management on Tuesday. The procedure has been performed successfully,' a statement issued by the hospital said. Jaitley has been a diabetic for last few years.

"It was a planned surgery. He was admitted at around 6 pm yesterday. The surgery is done in an uncontrolled diabetic situation,' Dr Pradeep K Chowbey at the hospital said.

As much as 40 per cent of Mumbai was hit by power cuts today due to a technical snag at Tata Power Company Limited electricity generation unit. Tata Power said that at 9:45 am the power supply was affected due to tripping of Unit #5 of Trombay Power Station. The company said this led to power cuts in areas including Parel, Mahalaxmi, Dharavi, and Chembur. The power supply is now back in place in most parts.

As Modi conquers Japan, a peek into history.

1958: The Governor of Tokyo presenting the Golden Key of Tokyo to President Rajendra Prasad as a token of respect and honour

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt always said that they would get married when their children asked them to.So it comes as no surprise that their six-strong brood played an integral part of their wedding day on August 23 at their French estate Chateau Miraval.

Indeed, the blushing bride took the unusual measure of letting her kids decorate her wedding dress, walking down the aisle in a gorgeous yet simple white satin gown and long veil that featured colourful drawings all over, as seen on the cover of this week's People magazine. See the pics

Delicious sampling coming up... The Vanilla Fudge Room is from an early draft of Roald Dahl's most famous novel. With new illustrations by Quentin Blake. Read

The moral and practical imperatives of creating an equitable world and a sustainable planet have increasingly become inescapable. These are not unattainable ideals either. This optimism is foregrounded in a blueprint produced by the United Nations Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals. Read

Terrible Tuesday for commuters, it seems.

Delhi Metro commuters faced a harrowing time today when train services on one of its lines were affected for over an hour.

The operations on the Blue Line (Dwarka sector 21 to Noida/Vaishali) were affected from 8.30 am to 9.47 am, an official said. "There was some problem in the over-head electricity (OHE) wire between the Uttam Nagar East and Janak Puri West stations. The problem has been rectified now," a Delhi metro official told IANS.

In a single stroke, the Narendra Modi administration has underscored its seriousness in taking indigenisation of military hardware to the next level, and signalled its intent to end the drought in military procurement, which had begun to affect defence preparedness.Read more

Compounded by the OHE failure in Vikhroli, Ghatkopar in suburban Mumbai, a technical problem at an unit of Tata Power also led to power outage in some parts of Mumbai this morning.

The power cut that started around 9.30 am affected areas in Dadar, Sewri, Prabhadevi, Mahim, Worli. Details awaited. 

Usain Bolt, the world's fastest man, the face of a sportswear company, is in Bangalore, India, to promote the brand.  

Commuters in Mumbai using the Central Railway faced a nightmarish journey this morning after services on slow corridors were suspended after a Over Head Equipment (OHE) broke near Vikhroli.

With one fast train every 30 minutes, it was impossible for most commuters to get a foothold in the overcrowded compartments. Some commuters used the harbour or the transharbour line to get to work.

The OHE broke at 7.15 am and consequently, services on the slow corridor were diverted on to the fast track between Mulund and Matunga.

Commuters at Kanjurmarg, Nahur and Vidyavihar stations, which do not have halts for fast trains, were stranded. Services were delayed between 30 minutes to an hour. 

Former industries minister Anand Sharma on the 100 days of the Modi government.

"Achche din sirf BJP ke aaye hain. Modi talks against corruption, but 13 ministers in his government face serious criminal charges," he said, addressing a press conference.

On Modi's decision to end the planning commission, Sharma said, "There is a lack of respect for institutions and constitutional institutions. The decision on the planning commission was arbitrary. Modi declared dissolving of Planning Commission without consulting states," said Sharma.  

"My question is if a silent shift is being made where only one office and one person is material, the Prime Minister did not even allow the Home Minister to appoint his own secretary. Ministers in the Modi government have been belittled.  Secretaries of different ministries are reporting directly to PM, and not their own ministers," he said. 

On the fourth day of Narendra Modi's visit to Tokyo today, the PM reiterated the "Come, Make In India" call he first made in his Independence Day speech.

He told a packed house at the Nikkei stock exchange, "Please come and manufacture in India. We will ensure you face a red carpet, not red tape." Yesterday, Japan pledged US$ 350 billion towards defence, strategic and business projects in India.

Pic: PM Modi meets Japan emperor Akihito.

Just in: Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott to arrive in New Delhi tomorrow, nuclear deal between India & Australia on the cards: Sources

A 24-year-old woman software engineer, who was apparently suffering from depression, allegedly committed suicide at her house in Indore, police said Tuesday.

Deepa Radariya, originally from Mumbai and working at a software firm here for the last six months, yesterday hanged herself at her apartment in Ahinsa tower on MG Road, Tukoganj police station in-charge Dilip Singh Choudhary said.

The woman used to live in the apartment along with her colleague Sneha, he said.

Deepa used to get depressed even over small issues, the police officer said quoting her friend.

She was not keeping well for the last three-four days. Sneha wanted to stay at home to take care of her, but Deepa forced her to attend office, he said.

Yesterday, when Sneha called Deepa from office, the latter did not respond.

Later, Sneha reached home and when her friend did not open the door even after repeated knocking, she called the neighbours who broke open the door and found Deepa hanging, Choudhary said.

The software professional was immediately rushed to hospital where she was declared dead, he said.

The Supreme Court Tuesday held that in the cases where the death sentence has been upheld by the apex court, the death convict will have a right that his petition seeking review of the verdict upholding death sentence will be heard by the three judges bench in an open court and he will be accorded half an hour hearing.

The apex court constitution bench headed by Chief Justice RM Lodha said that in the review petition that have already been decided and rejected, but the death sentence has not been carried out, the convict may come back seeking the open court hearing of a review petition by a three judges bench and he getting half an hour to address the court.

However, in the cases, where the curative petition has already been decided, the death row convict will not have this opportunity to avail.

The constitution bench verdict came on a batch of petitions seeking that their plea for the recall of verdict upholding their death sentence should be heard in the open court by a three judges bench.

As of now the review plea of death row convicts were being considered by the judges in their chambers through circulation.

Turkey's new president says his country will only approve of a deal to reunify Cyprus if it enshrines breakaway Turkish Cypriots as equal partners in a federation with the internationally recognized Greek Cypriot government. 

Israel has faced increasing pressure, including from the United States, after saying it plans to expropriate 400 hectares (988 acres) of Palestinian land in the Bethlehem area in the south of the occupied West Bank. 

East Ukraine's Russian-backed rebels now say they are willing to talk with Kiev about a political settlement that would keep Ukraine united but would grant sweeping autonomy to their war-torn regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is "alarmed" by Israeli plans to expropriate 400 hectares of Palestinian land in the Bethlehem area in the south of the occupied West Bank, his spokesman said today. 

Cuban ex-president Fidel Castro lashed out at the United States and Europe yesterday, accusing them of war-mongering and comparing the NATO military alliance's representatives to the Nazi SS. 

Russia has "effectively severed its partnership" with Europe and wants to establish a new order, German President Joachim Gauck said today. 

The United States carried out another round of air strikes today against militants from the so-called Islamic States battling Iraqi and Kurdish forces near a major dam in northern Iraq. 

Sanjay Dutt's wife introspects how her husband's incarceration has made her aware of the true meaning of freedom.

The United Nations agreed on Monday to send investigators to Iraq to examine crimes being committed by Islamic State militants on "an unimaginable scale", with a view to holding perpetrators to account.

Chancellor Angela Merkel has told lawmakers that it's in Germany's interests to arm the Kurdish fighters who are battling Islamic extremists in Iraq. The government decided yesterday to send 16,000 assault rifles, hundreds of tank-busting weapons and several armored vehicles to forces fighting the Islamic 

Police today included "terrorism and blasphemy" charges in the FIR registered against Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, his brother Shahbaz and senior officials for their alleged role in the killing of 14 supporters of fiery cleric Tahirul Qadri. 

Pakistan army today dismissed charges that it was backing Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and Pakistan Awaami Tehreek in anyway in the current political standoff. 

100 days of NDA: Rise in communal incidents a worry, says Cong
Ebola: Six 'high risk' passengers from WAfrica quarantined
NO nuke deal, but PM says understanding with Japan improved
Left without food, Bihar's flood victims loot food grains from state godown
Imran Khan, Qadri booked under anti-terrorist act
Who are Modi's ministers with criminal cases against them?
Centre's move on Teachers' Day comes under attack
Tatra deal: Lt Gen Tejinder Singh arrested
Modi plays flute, narrates story of Lord Krishna at Japanese school
Assam gas pipeline fire kills 2, injures 10