A military jet taking part in a British airshow crashed into a busy main road, killing seven people and injuring more than a dozen others, police said today. 

"We only reiterated that Pakistan respect the spirit of the Simla and Ufa Agreements to which it was already committed," the MEA said. 

Ten people were killed while thousands fled to higher ground as powerful typhoon Goni brought torrential rains to the northern Philippines, triggering landslides and floods, officials said today. 

BJP chief Amit Shah met Prime Minister Narendra Modi tonight and both the leaders are believed to have discussed the NSA-level talks between India and Pakistan, whose fate remained uncertain with both the countries trading charges. 

At least 12 people including three NATO contractors were killed today when a suicide car bomber struck a foreign forces convoy, officials said, underlining the precarious security situation in the Afghan capital. 

The issue of Indo-Pak NSA level talks was trending on social networking sites with former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah drawing parallel with a tennis match having entered into a "tie- breaker" which will be completed "under lights". 

Separatist leader Bilal Lone was detained at Delhi Airport today and taken to his residence in Delhi. 

Officials say a suicide car bombing targeting a foreigners' convoy in the Afghan capital, Kabul, has killed three civilians. The attack today struck near the private Shinozada hospital in the capital's Macrorayan neighbourhood. 

Backing the recommendations made by a government-appointed committee to ban sale of junk food in school canteens, Centre for Science and Environment today urged the government to control availability of such items among children. 

Thai police hunting for the Bangkok shrine bomber have shown a copy of a Turkish passport to hotel staff and motorcycle taxi drivers and asked about visitors from Turkey, it has been reported.

The suspected gunman who wounded two during an attack aboard an Amsterdam-Paris train travelled from France to Syria, a Spanish anti-terror source said today. "He lived in (southern) Spain in Algeciras for a year, until 2014, then he decided to move to France," the source said. 

Pakistan Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid today said his country will go ahead with NSA- level talks unless India refused to host the meeting. 

TV reports say that Pakistan is likely to reject India's terms for the National Security Advisers' meet in New Delhi, scheduled for tomorrow. 

So are India-Pakistan talks on or are they called off? Well, we still do not have a clarity. But, toughing its stands further India through its External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has set a midnight deadline for Pakistan.

The ball is back in the neighbour's court. While Pakistan NSA says there will be no meaningful dialogue without talks on Kashmir, Sushma made it clear that come ahead for talks only and only if you want to discuss terror. Otherwise "no baat cheet".

According to CNN IBN, Pakistan is unwilling to keep Hurriyat away from talks and an official statement by Islamabad is expected later in the day.        

While Pakistan NSA Sartaz Aziz said that there would be no dialogue without Kashmir, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said, "India is not running away from talks on Kashmir, but this an issue to be discussed this time."

"Talks will be strictly between India and Pak, Hurriyat and other third parties not welcome. Shimla agreement says talks are between two countries only," she reiterated.

"India is not putting any pre-conditions. Only reminding there will be no talks on Kashmir now. It will be only on terror."

"It's completely wrong to say we're doing diplomacy through the media.We only issue statements after the high commissioner conveys them," she said.

Over and over the MEA emphasis: If Pakistan does not give an assurance by tonight, NSA talks will not happen.

"If Pakistan feels Indian positions are pre-conditions, then there will be no talks. Pakistan has time till 12 midnight to assure that the talks will be on terrorism," she says.

On the dossier against India, Sushma says, "Dossiers are not meant to be flashed around, they should be handed over officially."

So, once again the ball is in Pakistan's court. But External Affairs Minister has now set a deadline. "Pakistan has time till tonight if they want come ahead for talks," says Sushma Swaraj.

"Give us assurance that only terror will be discussed by tonight or there will be no talks... batcheet nahin hogi," Sushma says sternly. 

On reports on Dawood Ibrahim, Sushma Swaraj says, "No country will accept media reports as evidence."

The MEA says that Pakistan has only one night to answer whether they want to come ahead for talks. "If Pakistan wants to discuss Kashmir there will be no talks," the minister makes it clear.

On dossier against R&AW, she says, "What papers will Pakistan show? We have Naved (the terrorist caught in Udhampur), a living person as proof:    

Sushma Swaraj says," Pakistan carried out  90+ ceasefire violations. Then Gurdaspur and Udhampur. But the government resisted domestic pressure to call talks off."

"Dialogue can take place only in an atmosphere free from terror and violence. India is not avoiding talks."

"If there are talks it will be only between India and Pakistan. Please do not get a third party involved like the Hurriyat. There can be no 3rd party to talks, as per Simla Agreement," says MEA.

"Terror and talks are not possible. But talks on terror are desirable," he says." You are welcome to talks, but only on terror." 

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj slamming Pakistan says, "The neighbours took three weeks to respond to our proposed meeting draft agenda and added several issues to it. They did not respond to us for 22 days."

She says, "At Ufa, India and Pakistan have decided to tackle terror. The Ufa agenda did not entail Kashmir."

In a press conference clarifying India's stand on NSA-level talks Sushma Swraj says, "There have been several attempts to resume talks with Pakistan but there have been many obstacles. All talks stopped after 2012 beheadings along the LoC. Pakistan has repeatedly derailed composite dialogue."

"Composite dialogue ended after 26/11 attacks, when dialogue was resumed but Mumbai trial progress was added to discussion," 

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj addresses the media on India-Pakistan NSA talks. She begins saying that she will be visiting Egypt and Germany, ahead of which she wants to clarify India's stand on the ongoing controversy.

"India and Pakistan established composite dialogue in 1998. But every time we have talks with Pakistan it does not constitute a dialogue," she says.

Recounting history, she says composite dialogue was started Vajpayee. There were 8 points to the original composite talk held by the Vapayee govt with Pakistan."

"Composite dialogue ended after 26/11 attacks, when dialogue was resumed but Mumbai trial progress was added to discussion," she adds.
 

Coming up at 4 pm: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's press conference in New Delhi on NSA-level talks with India. 

Pakistan's NSA Sartaz Aziz said in a presser earlier in the day that he was ready to hold talks tomorrow and it was up to India to take a final call.

Read Sartaz Aziz's statement here   

Aam Aadmi Party MLA Surinder Singh was granted bail today in the alleged assault case by a Delhi court.

Arrested for allegedly assaulting an New Delhi Municipal Council worker, Singh today questioned jurisdiction of a court in Delhi to deal with the case lodged under the SC/ST Act as he sought bail.

Singh, his driver Pankaj and assistant Praveen, who were arrested yesterday, were produced before Metropolitan Magistrate Gomati Manocha. The police demanded that they be remanded to judicial custody in the case. The police alleged that Singh has misused his position and had assaulted NDMC beldar Mukesh and had also used casteist remarks against him.

The police said that the MLA and the two other accused be sent to judicial custody as witnesses in the case have been threatened and the allegations against them were grave and severe.

Senior advocate Ramesh Gupta, who appeared for Singh, questioned the jurisdiction of the court to deal with the case saying it did not have the power to hear the matter lodged under the provisions of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Gupta also alleged that the police was trying to find out grounds to arrest the MLA.

Alleging lack of sincerity on part of Pakistan, the Congress today said there is "no purpose" of going ahead with the NSA-level talks unless there are tangible deliverables.       

"We would advise the government... unless there are firm assurances of tangible deliverables and outcome, there is no purpose" in going ahead with the talks, senior party spokesman Anand Sharma told reporters. With Pakistan shifting focus from terror to Kashmir through the Hurriyat Conference, Sharma charged Pakistan with using the build up to NSA level talks for propaganda purposes against India's interests.    

Noting that "extraneous" issues are being used to throw spanner in the process of talks, he said that the exercise is being exploited by those who influence border issues in Pakistan against India. He warned the government against giving "a larger than life profile to Hurriyat", which he insisted has "no locus standi".  It (Hurriyat) does not represent people of J&K and is unrepresentative and unrepresentable," he said.   

Sharma said that India should have have seen through the Pakistani designs and wondered as to why New Delhi announced the dates of talks in a one way gesture, without Islamabad confirming it.

Pakistan NSA Sartaz Aziz says he is all set to come to India for a dialogue. Along with him, he will carry these three dossiers, which Islamabad claims, carries evidence of R&AW's involvement in Pakistan.

Is this a tit-for-tat over the Dawood report?

Photograph: ANI/Twitter   

There maybe uncertainty over NSA-level talks tomorrow, however, Pakistan's Sartaz Aziz said at the press conference that the meeting between military officers of India, Pakistan will take place in September as scheduled.

Pakistan has now put the ball in India's court with Aziz confirming that he will be heading to New Delhi tomorrow. "Since PM Modi has come to power they want dialogue on their terms and conditions without Kashmir which is not possible for us," said Aziz.

India with clarify its stance at a 4 pm this evening in a press conference to be held by External Affair Minister Sushma Swaraj.

Clearly, Pakistan's Sartaz Aziz has once again put the ball in India's court as far as the NSA-level talks are concerned. Claiming that he has dossiers of R&AWs involvement in Pakistan, Aziz says today, "If I don't get opportunity to hand over the dossiers to Indian NSA in New Delhi, I hope to give it to him in New York next month if he comes."

He also adds, "India and Pakistan have a collective responsibility to ensure peace.

On the difference over Kashmiri separatists, Aziz says, "It's strange that India will expect that discussion on meeting with Hurriyat will become part of agenda; its not a substantial item."

On the border issue, he says, "The escalations of tensions along LoC worrisome."

He also adds, "No meaningful dialogue with India possible without discussing Kashmir. India cannot wish it away."

Pakistan NSA says he is disturbed over reports of arrest of Hurriyat leaders. Earlier, in the day separtist leader Shabir Shah was detained as he arrived at Delhi aieport.

"Despite the atmosphere, if NSA talks lessen tensions, then they will be worth it," he says addressing a presser in Islamabad.

He further clarified, "We never expected any breakthrough in the meeting, but current issues could be resolved. India has not formally cancelled talks so we will go and make the best of it."  

Pakistan's Sartaj Aziz said, "The most important outstanding issue between India and Pakistan is Kashmir. India seems reluctant to recognise the most important outstanding issue -- the future of J&K."

Aziz said that he leaves it to India to cancel talks. "I am still prepared to go to New Delhi for NSA talks without any preconditions. It was India which introduced new condition with its advice that Pakistan could not meet Hurriyat leaders," he said.

He said he urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ponder over "collective responsibility" to maintenance of peace. "Our agenda is in line with Ufa statement and not deviating at all."

Aziz also said that he will carry dossiers carrying information of R&AWs involvement in Pakistan.

Addressing the media ahead of the talks with India, Pakistan National Security Advise Sartaj Aziz, said in Islamabad today, "It was India who cancelled the talks last year over the issue of separatist. If the talks are cancelled again by India it would be over the same issue."

"Will India cancel talks on such flimsy grounds," he asked.

"The Pakistan agenda was terrorism, reviewing progress of Ufa, activation of CBMs," he said. "The word K was part of Ufa statement, as it referred to all outstanding issues."

"Nothing could be further from the truth that Pakistan was not interested in talks."  

And here is what Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has to say minutes ahead of the crucial press conference by Pakistan NSA Sartaz Aziz. 

"India will firmly stick to its stand on agenda decided between PM Narendra Modi and Pakistan Premier Nawaz Sharif during Ufa meet," Rajnath said.

"Agenda for talks cannot be changed, our agenda is whatever dialogue is held, it should only be on terrorism," he added.

Coming up at 1.30 pm: The presser by Pakistan NSA Sartaz Aziz. Will Pakistan budge or will go ahead and meet Kashmiri separatist leaders? 

Just in: National Security Adviser Ajit Doval met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his 7 Race Course residence and briefed him ahead of tomorrow's talks with Pakistan. The duo reportedly discussed the agenda of the dialogue.

India and Pakistan talks are in jeopardy over Kashimiri separatists. As the suspense over the talks continue, Sartaj Aziz has called a media meet in Islamabad at 1 pm (local time). External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will meet the press at 4 pm.

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today suggested shifting the venue of Indo-Pak NSA-level talks from Delhi to Islamabad to call Pakistan's "bluff".

"Here's a thought -- why doesn't the Indian NSA call Pakistan's bluff & shift the venue to Islamabad since both sides are so keen to talk?" Omar wrote on Twitter.

Omar's suggestion came in the wake of uncertainty over NSA-level talks between India and Pakistan following latter's insistence on meeting Hurriyat leaders during Pakistan's National Security Advisor Sartaj Aziz's visit to Delhi tomorrow for talks with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval. India has said a meeting between Aziz and the separatists during his visit was not in the spirit of understanding reached between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif in the Russian city of Ufa.

The two leaders had agreed that the NSAs will meet in Delhi to discuss terror-related issues.

Just in: The Delhi police have detained separatist leader Shabir Shah. He has been taken into custody on his arrival at the airport. Shah came to Delhi to attend the reception to be held for Pakistan NSA Sartaz Aziz.

The top separatist leaders have received an invite from the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi for a reception being hosted in the honour of Aziz, who is scheduled to arrive in Delhi to hold talks with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval tomorrow.       

The Pakistan High Commission's invitation to Geelani and other separatist leaders has upset New Delhi but Pakistan has stuck to the line that such meetings were"routine". 

A 60-kg British-era copper chandelier at the main entrance of 17th century Taj Mahal crashed down recently, prompting the Archaeological Survey of India to initiate a probe into the matter.

The six-feet high and four-feet wide chandelier, gifted by Lord Curzon and installed at the Royal Gate of Taj Mahal in 1905, fell down on Wednesday, sources said. A probe under ASI's superintending archaeologist Bhuvan Vikram has been initiated into the matter, they said.

Though there was no official word as to what caused the chandelier to fall, the sources said it probably came down due to "aging and wear and tear". "Luckily, there was no one around or else it would have resulted in a major tragedy," a tourist guide Ved Gautam said.

On Thursday, Agra ASI chief Bhuvan Vikram Singh had said that the decision to fix the chandelier would be taken only after carefully examining its structure and its present state. Meanwhile, some tourist guides have accused the ASI officials of "gross negligence" and questioned their expertise in handling the monument's artifacts.

A Special Task Force official was killed and a jawan injured when Naxals ambushed a team of security forces in Chhattisgarh's insurgency-hit Bastar district today, police said.   

The attack occurred at 2.00 am when a contingent of STF was out for an operational task on NH30 in Darbha region of the district, notorious for Naxal violence. The location of the ambush is close to Jeeram Ghati area of Bastar where the top Congress leadership of the state was wiped out by Maoists in May, 2013, killing 31 people.   

Assistant Platoon Commandant, STF Krishna Pal Singhwas killed while a constable Santosh Yadav sustained minor injuries in the incident, Inspector General of Police Deepanshu Kabra told PTI.   

Following inputs that Naxals had blocked NH-30, which connects Jagdalpur to Sukma, by felling trees and digging roads near Totapara village, the STF squad was despatched towards the spot from Darbha. When the team reached near the village covering a distance of 3 km, a large group of armed Naxal opened indiscriminate firing at them, following which security personnel launched retaliatory attack, he said.

Image: Representation picture

As suspense mounted over holding of the Indo-Pak National Security Adviser-level talks after both sides hardened their positions on the issue of Kashmiri separatists, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today called a press conference in Delhi.          

A day before his scheduled departure for Delhi, Pakistan National Security Advisor Sartaj Aziz too has called a media meet in Islamabad at 1 pm (local time). Swaraj will meet the press at 4 pm.          

The Pakistan NSA is scheduled to hold discussions with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval tomorrow and day after. While India has made it clear to Pakistan that a meeting between the separatists and Aziz was not appropriate, Pakistan reacted strongly to insist that it would not depart from the "established past practice" of interacting with separatist Hurriyat leaders.          

India has described the invitation to Hurriyat representatives as a "provocative action" and accused Pakistan of trying to evade its commitment to engage in a substantive discussion on terrorism as had been agreed between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif in Ufa (Russia) last month.

Voting has begun to elect Bengaluru's civic body, amid major concerns of traffic and cleanliness faced by its residents, in a high prestige political battle. The election is being held after a prolonged court battle, as the Siddaramaiah-led government sought to defer it on grounds of trifurcating the civic body, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike.

The Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party and Janata Dal Secular had brought the government in the line of fire, calling its move on trifurcation as an attempt to put off the polls, as the ruling party was unsure of its victory. Amid resistance from opposition parties, the government has passed the bill trifurcating BBMP in the legislature; it is now before the governor for his assent.

Image: Former Indian cricketer Anil Kumble posts a picture with his daughter after casting his vote in the civic body polls. Photograph: @anilkumble10/Twitter

Separatist leader Shabir Shah said today that they will not back out of the talks between India and Pakistan.

The Hurriyat leader is on his way to Delhi to meet Pakistan National Security Adviser Sartaz Aziz. He is likely to be detained by the Delhi police, sources tell CNN IBN.

"We will meet Pakistan NSA Sartaj Aziz ji tomorrow at the Pakistan House in the evening," Shah told the media in Srinagar. "We have been going since 25 years to meet with Pakistan, be it, NDA government led by Atalji or UPA," he added.

India and Pakistan NSA-level talks scheduled for Sunday and Monday are in a jeopardy over Kashmiri separatist leaders. New Delhi is clear that a meeting between separatists and Pakistani officials in unacceptable.     

Just in: Separatist leader Shabir Shah has left for New Delhi. I will be Pakistan National Security Adviser Sartaz Aziz, he told CNN-IBN.

A deadlock over Kashmiri separatist leaders has cast a cloud of uncertainty over the upcoming Indo-Pak NSA-level meeting after the two countries engaged in strong exchanges but neither side was willing to blink.

India having made it clear that a meeting between the separatists and Aziz was not acceptable. But Pakistan insists that it will not depart from the "established past practice" of interacting with separatist Hurriyat leaders.

Image: Pakistan's NSA Sartaz Aziz    

India's most wanted man Dawood Ibrahim is in Pakistan, according to a report in The Hindustan Times. 

Documentary evidence available with Indian security agencies proves that Dawood, wife Mehjabeen Shaikh, son Moeen Nawaz and daughters Mahrukh, Mehreen and Mazia are based in Pakistan with the syndicate chief currently operating out of upscale Clifton neighborhood of Karachi, the report says.

The agencies are in possession of an April 2015 telephone bill in the name of Mehjabeen with D-13, Block-4, Karachi Development Authority, Sch-5, Clifton, as the installation address. Documents with the agencies show that the underworld don and his wife travelled between Pakistan and Dubai.

Pakistan has repeatedly denied giving shelter to Dawood. If the National Security Adviser talks between India and Pakistan, currently in limbo over Kashmir separatists go on as scheduled, Ajit Doval will confront his counterpart Sartaz Aziz on Dawood, the HT report claims.

Read the complete report here     

A massacre on a high-speed train in France was prevented Friday when two US marines in civilian clothing surprised an Islamist militant who was loading his automatic Kalashnikov rifle, a senior European counterterrorism official told CNN.

Fragments from an ISIS mortar fired on Kurdish forces near Makhmour, Iraq, earlier this month tested positive for sulfur mustard agent during a field test conducted by the U.S. military, a US general told reporters at the Pentagon Friday.

Amid reports that US President Barack Obama has invited Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for a meeting at the White House in October, a top American official has said this was "news" to him. The White House clarification over the Obama-Sharif meeting came amid media reports in Pakistan that the US is not happy with Islamabad's continued reluctance in taking action against the dreaded Haqqani network responsible for major attacks on American installations in Afghanistan. Media reports in Pakistan earlier had also said that Obama has invited Sharif for a meeting at the White House in October.

Balwant Kumawat, who had taken a vow two years ago to remain barefoot until he meets Narendra Modi, today met the Prime Minister here, and began wearing footwear after his meeting today.

An armed man has injured three people on a train between Amsterdam and Paris before being overpowered by two American passengers, officials say.

According to CNN, The ISIS' second-in-command, Haji Mutaz, is believed to have been killed in a drone strike this week in Iraq.

As the proposed talks between the National Security Advisers of India and Pakistan appeared deadlocked, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on the two sides "to return to dialogue" in the interest of their people and exercise maximum restraint.