Seven-time champion Roger Federer produced a brilliant performance to beat Britain's Andy Murray and reach his 10th Wimbledon final.

President Vladimir V Putin of Russia called on Friday for an end to the use of punitive financial and economic sanctions around the world, saying they should be "excluded from the international economic vocabulary.'

Dylann Roof, the man accused of killing nine people in a Charleston church last month, should not have been able to buy a gun, the FBI has now determined, contradicting earlier assertions that a background check was done properly, the FBI's director says.

Just in: India's PSLV-C28 carrying five British satellites on board lifts off from Sriharikota. This is Indian space agency's heaviest commercial launch ever.

The satellite weighs around 1,440 kg

More details awaited

The Mumbai police has arrested a person for allegedly defaming Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis recently, by tweeting his family photograph.

The accused, who has been identified as Ajay Hatekar, was arrested by the suburban Oshiwara police, senior police inspector of the Oshiwara police station, Subhash Khanvilkar told PTI.

Hatekar had allegedly posted a photograph of the Maharashtra CM's family enjoying a vacation in Goa, in 2011-2012, on Twitter, and suggested that it is a photograph of the CM's family holidaying in the USA at present, the police officer said.

According to the police officer, Hatewar allegedly posted the photo on social networking site Twitter at 8.30 am on July 2, by linking it to the Maharashtra CM's recent visit to the USA. Later, a police complaint was lodged by Sanjay Pandey, a BJP worker, alleging that Twitter had tried to malign the Maharashtra Chief Minister, the officer said.

Two hotels have been attacked in the Somali capital Mogadishu, followed by a sustained exchange gunfire, BBC reports.

A police officer said four people had been killed.

Islamist militant group al-Shabab has reportedly said it was behind the attack.

Just in: Leander Paes and Martina Hingis stun top seeds Mike Bryan-Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-3, 6-4 to enter the finals of Wimbledon.

Hingis along with her women's doubles partner Sania Mirza will also play the finals in that category. 

Just in: After a successful trip to Russia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived at Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. This is the fourth leg of his six-nation tour.

"I leave Russia, fully satisfied with the ground covered during the @BRICS2015 & SCO Summits. The meetings & talks have been productive," he tweeted before leaving for Turkmenistan.

Photograph: ANI/Twitter 

The Enforcement Directorate, which has registered two cases against former Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbal, today conducted searches at the offices of a firm which was involved in the construction of Maharashtra Sadan in Delhi.

"We have conducted searches at two premises of Prime Builders and Developers who were the financial partners of Chamankar Associates (which constructed Maharashtra Sadan)," said an ED official. Earlier the ED had conducted searches at the offices of Chamankar Associates too.

The contract awarded to Chamankar Associates has been questioned for alleged irregularities. According to the Maharashtra anti-corruption bureau, after the contract for Maharashtra Sadan was granted to Chamankar, a huge amount of money was allegedly transferred from the partners of Chamankar Associates to firms directly or indirectly controlled by Bhujbal or his family members.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has sought Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian award, for Savitribai and Mahatma Jyotirao Phule for their "extraordinary" contribution to the society.

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Fadnavis said "Savitribai and Mahatma Jyotirao Phule had played an important role in the development of the county. Considering the extraordinary work they have done, they deserve to be honoured with Bharat Ratna".

"Mahatma Jyotirao Phule occupies a unique position among social reformers of Maharashtra. In the 19th century, Phule revolted against the unjust caste system under which millions of people had suffered for centuries. In particular, he courageously upheld the cause of untouchables and took up cudgels for the poorer peasant," he said.

He also said women have secured top position and are playing an important role in the development of society.

"All this is due to the efforts made by Savitribai Phule, one of India's foremost educationalist and social activist. Savitribai's work in the field of education and her contribution to the 'Satyashodhak movement' is well known," Fadnavis said.

As many as 111 passengers on board a Jet Airways flight from Leh to Delhi had to face breathing problem momentarily as the pilots allegedly failed to switch on the auxiliary power unit which led to drop in cabin pressure.

The airline had grounded the commander and the first officer, who were operating the flight, till a probe by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation was over, sources said, adding that acting tough, the civil aviation regulator had withdrawn the trainership of the commander.

The incident took place on July 7, when Jet Airways flight 9W-2369 from Leh was getting ready to depart for Delhi. The pilots allegedly forgot to switch on the APU, which is mandatory for flights operating from Leh, resulting in sudden drop in cabin air pressure which led to deployment of oxygen masks for the passengers, they said.

When contacted, a Jet Airways spokesperson confirmed the grounding of the two pilots but did not comment on the DGCA action against the commander. "The matter is currently under DGCA investigation. As per standard procedure, the crew (does not undertake flying duties) to facilitate the investigation," the spokesperson said in a statement.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's 14- year old son Rehan visited his maternal uncle and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi's Amethi parliamentary constituency, where he spent nearly two days, reports Sharat Pradhan.

Unaccompanied by the usual NSG and minus all frill, the youngest scion of the Gandhi family went unnoticed on Tuesday evening when he arrived in Amethi after driving down from Lucknow. With two personal friends in tow and much like his maternal uncle, Rehan went about meeting members of women self-help groups in certain villages.

He returned to Delhi in the afternoon. On the day of his arrival, he went straight to the residence of former village head Ram Awadh Pandey, whom he also joined for dinner. He and his friends spent the night on a charpoy at the residence of another local Congress leader Ram Kripal Pandey.

"The three children stayed in my house and slept oncharpoys in our courtyard here we had put up mosquito-nets for them', Pandey told reporters in Amethi on Friday ,when the news broke out.

Defending champion Novak Djokovic cakewalked into the men's singles final at Wimbledon, beating 21st seed Richard Gasquet of France 7-6(2), 6-4, 6-4 in the semi-final on Friday. The top seed will play the winner of the second semi-final between Roger Federer and Andy Murray.

Omar Sharif, the legendary Egyptian actor who became an international star in 'Lawrence of Arabia,' has died at age 83. The star, popular for his acting in Dr Zhivago, suffered from Alzheimer's disease, his son revealed in May.

With BJP-led NDA winning maximum number of seats in the Legislative Council poll from local bodies, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said the election outcome did not reflect people's opinion as only limited number of voters participated in it.  "This election was contested at local level in which limited number of voters participated... it does not reflect people's opinion," Kumar said.

Closing a chapter on a symbol of the Deep South and its history of resistance and racial animus, South Carolinalowered the Confederate battle flag from outside its State House, where it had flown for more than 50 years.

An ITBP jawan has fled after killing his colleague. The two were deployed at the IAS Academy in Mussoorie. Following the shooting, the ITBP has ordered the replacement of its entire unit deployed on guard duty at the academy. 

With no political consensus in sight, the Joint Committee of Parliament examining the land bill is likely to seek more time to submit its report to the House, which may not see the bill coming up for consideration in the Monsoon Session beginning July 21.  

First picture of the the wreckage of the missing Dornier which was located today.

Just in: Seeded first at Wimbledon, the pair of Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis are through to the finals. They defeated the American pair of Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears 6-1, 6-2.

And more ammo for FTII students.


Oscar-winning sound designer Resul Pookutty tweeted today that Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley has admitted that the government did not make the 'best choice' regarding the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as the chairman of the Film and Television Institute of India.


Jaitley said the government could however, not retract the decision, Pookutty said.


Anupam Kher had also criticised the appointment saying, he felt that FTII represents a certain art form... "It does certainly need a person having a great body of work which means he is supposed to know world cinema, he is supposed to know the present state of cinema like editing. But certainly FTII needs somebody who is much more qualified than whatever Ganjendraji's qualifications are coming across," Kher said.


Rishi Kapoor also joined in the debate over the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as the chairman of FTII, saying he should retire voluntarily. "Advice. After all the protests and controversy, Gajendra Chauhan,the FTII Chairman should voluntarily retire. Will dogood to the students," Rishi, 62, tweeted.


FTII students have been strikes and protests over Gajendra Chauhan's appointment saying they cannot accept him as chairman on the basis of his credibility and body of work.


Chauhan has remained unfazed to criticism and maintains that he will not step down.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has claimed that its probe into the Rs 5,395-crore hawala scam has shown that hawala operators were also involved in sending 2G-scam money to tax-safe havens such as Switzerland via Surat based firms.


ED sources said that new information has surfaced after the arrest of a Dubai-based businessman Manish Shah from Surat on July 1 by the agency's Ahmedabad zonal unit.


The sources said that evidences related to the routing of 2G scam kickback money abroad was found after Shah's arrest. They said that the 2G-scam money has been transferred from Chennai to Dubai and Hong Kong via Surat.

The country's largest private sector lender ICICI Bank said it has received enquiries from potential suitors for its housing finance arm, and is expected to soon take a call on it.ICICI Home Finance Company is wholly owned subsidiary of ICICI Bank.


"The bank is receiving enquiries from time to time from interested parties regarding its stake in ICICI HFC, but has not taken any decision to sell its stake in this company," ICICI Bank spokesperson, said.He further said ICICI Bank's mortgage business is primarily done within the bank and this business has been growing rapidly.


"Only a very small portion of the bank's overall mortgage business less than 10 per cent is done by ICICI Home Finance Company,' he said.ICICI HFC had earned a net profit of Rs. 197.57 crore for fiscal ended March 2015.

Debris of the Dornier coast guard vessel and the flight data recorder was detected by INS Sindhudhwaj.  The picture was tweeted by Sitanshu Kar ‏@SpokespersonMoD. 

Realty portal Housing.com has appointed Rishabh Gupta as interim CEO after it sacked co-founder and ex-CEO Rahul Yadav last week.


Gupta, who is currently Chief Operating Officer (COO) in the SoftBank-backed portal, has been named as interim CEO with immediate effect, sources said.


Rishabh Gupta, Haresh Chawla and Abhishek Anand (Chief Technical Officer) will be joining the company's operating committee, they added.

On July 1, Housing.com's board had sacked Yadav with immediate effect, saying that his behaviour towards investors and media was not "befitting" of a CEO. The company had also said that Yadav would not be an employee or part of the portal in any manner. The board had unanimously agreed to bring Yadav's tenure to a close, with reference to "his behaviour towards investors, ecosystem and the media".

That the estranged leaders of Pakistan and India made an attempt to revive a stalled dialogue process in Russia on Friday is an encouraging step towards a cessation in recent bitter hostilities. Despite being visceral rivals, the prime minister's spokesman in a conversation with Dawn.com dubbed the meeting between the statesmen a "victory for Pakistan'; Indian papers echoed the same euphoria, as the Indian Ministry of External Affairs hailed it as a "productive' meeting. But back at home, opposition parties were not so starry-eyed. Read what Dawn.com has to say.

The missing Dornier aircraft belong to the Indian coast Guard has been found. The aircraft with three personnel on board went missing last month following which one of the largest ever sea search efforts were mounted to locate it.


Parts of the wreckage of the aircraft located at a 950m depth in the Bay of Bengal, along with the flight data recorder have been recovered. Recovery operations are still underway.


This brings to an end the 33-day search for the crew members, who remain missing, likely dead.


Several ships, a submarine and specialized search vessels were on a mission to locate the aircraft.


The Dornier surveillance aircraft went missing off the coast of Tamil Nadu,  but the location of where the flight data recorder was found is still unclear.


Also read: We are dying every second: Missing Dornier officer's kin's plea to PM

Harper Lee's new novel: Read the first chapter. 

A very dapper Sachin Tendulkar all set to go to Wimbledon. Britain's Andy Murray will seek to reach his third Wimbledon final when he takes on seven-time champion Roger Federer in today's second semi-final.

Tendulkar tweeted: @sachin_rt  Off to Centre Court, dressed, as always, in the perfect suit by Paul Jeetha.... The touch is evident!!


Meanwhile, here's where you can catch up on the centrecourt buzz. Read

Vyapam fallout: The July 12 Dental and Medical Admission Test for admission to private dental and medical colleges in Madhya Pradesh cancelled.

How does the PM keep abreast with news in India when he is abroad? We are being told that a three-member group, which monitors news across TV channels, sends a report to the PM every day. The three have been working with Modi since 2013 and the PM has more faith in this group than
on inputs from government news agencies.

The Congress media cell was thrilled when party president Rahul Gandhi agreed to give a sound byte to TV channels at the AICC office. However, senior Congress leaders have told Rahul not to overdo the press briefings as opponents will use every opportune moment to twist his remarks out of context. But the younger faces in the media cell were more than happy with Rahul's presence given that he has rarely spoken in Parliament or made statements before his 'contemplative' leave. 

So should the Congress invite the DMK for Iftar? Congress president Sonia Gandhi has been discussing the issue with her confidantes for the July 13 event. A senior BJP leader commented that the event will in fact be an anti-Narendra Modi do as opposition parties converge. 

Sudhanshu Trivedi, a confidant of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh is also an astrologer. It is believed that the home minister does not embark on any major initiative without a nod from Trivedi.


So the latest astrological predictions for the BJP from Trivedi is that party,  especially the top leadership, should maintain a silence on controversial issues like the Vasudhara Raje-Sushma Swaraj-Lalit Modi story or the Shivraj Chouhan-Vyapam story. 

In which Gajendra Chauhan tries to justify his appointment to head the prestigious Film and Television Institute of India. Read

FTII chairman refuses to back down to criticism. Gajendra Chauhan asks, "Who are Anupam Kher and Rishi Kapoor? I am unfazed by criticism. I will not step down as FTII chairman."


Anupam Kher had criticised the appointment saying, he felt that FTII represents a certain art form... "It does certainly need a person having a great body of work which means he is supposed to know world cinema, he is supposed to know the present state of cinema like editing. But certainly FTII needs somebody who is much more qualified than whatever Ganjendraji's qualifications are coming across," Kher said.


Rishi Kapoor also joined in the debate over the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as the chairman of FTII, saying he should retire voluntarily. "Advice. After all the protests and controversy, Gajendra Chauhan,the FTII Chairman should voluntarily retire. Will dogood to the students," Rishi, 62, tweeted.

While on the FTII and the inimitable Mr Chauhan, read Pallavi Joshi's interview with Rediff.com, where she says, "If the students aren't inspired, if they cannot dream big, how will they become successful?"  Read

Home Rajnath Singh's cringe-worthy tweet on the Indo-Pak engagement at Ufa, Russia.

"I congratulate the Prime Minister Shri @NarendraModi for his statesman like approach and engaging Pakistan on diplomatic level."

Anupam Kher on the FTII row: "I don't want to start a crusade against Gajendra Chauhan. I am not commenting on his work. But it's essential that world reputed institutions are handled by people who can maintain that."

A month on after the government appointed TV actor Gajendra Chauhan as the chairman of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), an NDTV report says that the BJP-led government sat on recommendations that included at least six renowned film personalities for a year.


In June, weeks after the BJP came to power, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry recommended the names of acclaimed filmmakers Adoor Gopalakrishnan and Shyam Benegal, and actor Anupam Kher for the FTII panel. The ministry forwarded the names to Rajyavardhan Rathore, the minister of state for Information and Broadcasting, but no decision was taken, reports NDTV.

Then, a second list was sent to the minister in December. The list included names of mega stars like Rajinikanth, Amitabh Bachchan, and filmmaker Pradeep Sarkar. Yet again, no action was taken.


Finally, in May this year, Rathore in consultation with people outside the ministry proposed Chauhan's name, which was approved.


Last month Chauhan, who was seen as Yudhisthira on TV epic Mahabharata, took charge as the chairman of the Pune-based institute's governing council but his appointment has been under constant criticism by current and former students of the institute.


Actor Anupam Kher, a staunch BJP supporter, said that the premier institue needed a much-qualified person as chairman. "I personally feel that FTII represents a certain art form... it does certainly need a person having a great body of work which means he is supposed to know world cinema, he is supposed to know the present state of cinema like editing. But certainly FTII needs somebody who is much more qualified than whatever Ganjendraji's qualifications are coming across," Kher said.


"I certainly do not think Gajendraji is qualified as a producer, director or actor," he added.


Kher also said that the government institute should be autonomous certainly.


However he advised protesting students to attend their classes. FTII students, who alleged that Chauhan lacked "stature and vision" to head the institution, have been boycotting classes and academic work in protest.


Actor Rishi Kapoor also joined in the debate over the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as the chairman of FTII, saying he should retire voluntarily. "Advice. After all the protests and controversy, Gajendra Chauhan,the FTII Chairman should voluntarily retire. Will do
good to the students," Rishi, 62, tweeted.

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister reacts to the resumption of Indo-Pak dialogue.


"Resumption of the Indo-Pak dialogue is a welcome development. I only hope that this time it is sustained over the long term for results. We've seen too many breaks in this process to allow today's announcements to excite us much here in the Valley but it's a good first step.


"We expect that in spite of Pakistan not mentioning Kashmir at all, that the issue of Kashmir will receive its due attention going ahead. And a little less chest thumping from spokespersons claiming victory because that's a sure shot way to derail the entire process."


India and Pakistan today decided to revive the stalled dialogue process and find ways to expedite trial of the Mumbai attack case as both Prime Ministers agreed to cooperate to eliminate terrorism from South Asia.


Home minister Rajnath Singh reacts saying the Indo-Pak joint statement was a sign of positive movement. "The engagement at different levels will hopefully open new possibilities," the home minister said.


Modi and Sharif, in their first bilateral talks in over an year, met for nearly one hour on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit and discussed entire gamut of issues between the two countries.


Significantly, Foreign Secretaries S Jaishankar and Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry held a joint press meet where they read out a joint statement on the outcome of the much-anticipated meeting between the two leaders.

GoAir plane from Mumbai, with 168 passengers on board, hits aerobridge at Chennai airport damaging a portion of the aircraft.
 All passengers are safe, say reports.

The aircraft had reportedly come from Mumbai. Reports suggest the plane hit the aerobridge while aligning with it and its fuselage was damaged.

Details awaited.


Just yesterday, a Jet Airways flight 9W-536 from Mumbai to Dubai made an emergency landing at the Muscat International Airport after a phone call warning of a bomb on board was made to the airliner's call centre in India.


Jet Airways has confirmed the emergency landing at Muscat post the bomb threat. The passengers disembarked safely allowing Omani security agencies to search the aircraft, baggage and cargo.

Bombay High Court adjourns hearing of Salman Khan Hit and Run Case till 13th of July.

Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif said he was satisfied with the meeting with PM Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Ufa, Russia.


In what is being termed a breakthrough, India and Pakistan today decided to revive the stalled dialogue process and find ways to expedite trial of the Mumbai attack case as both Prime Ministers agreed to cooperate to eliminate terrorism from South Asia.


Home minister Rajnath Singh reacts saying the Indo-Pak joint statement was a sign of positive movement. "The engagement at different levels will hopefully open new possibilities," the home minister said.


Modi and Sharif, in their first bilateral talks in over an year, met for nearly one hour on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit and discussed entire gamut of issues between the two countries.


Significantly, Foreign Secretaries S Jaishankar and Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry held a joint press meet where they read out a joint statement on the outcome of the much-anticipated meeting between the two leaders.


National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and his Pakistani counterpart Sartaj Aziz will meet in New Delhi to discuss all issues connected to terrorism, the statement said.

This has the potential to become one of the biggest social media congregation for a religious event. Thousands of Twitter users are pushing social media app Snapchat to make the prayers on July 13 in Mecca the featured 'live story' of that day.


#mecca_live is trending on twitter, as Muslims from around the world are posting messages to back the hashtag.


Snapchat allows users to send quick and punchy photos and videos or 'snaps' that self-destruct a few seconds after being viewed. The Live Stories feature allows Snapchatter's who are at the same event or a specific location to contribute snaps to the same story.


"Dear @snapchatsupport @Snapchat we want #mecca_live to show the world an important aspect of the Muslims culture.,' posted one user.


Another Twitter user added: "Dear @Snapchat we want to see #mecca_live on July 13 , more than 1.6 billion humans are waiting for this moment.'


During the last 10 days of the holy month, Muslims prepare to observe Laylat Al Qadr (The Night of Power). It is the night when the Quran was revealed to Prophet Mohammed (PBUH). The night also has a chapter dedicated to it in the Quran.

More than 2,000 passenger vehicles, including 68 carrying Kashmir-bound Amarnath pilgrims, have been left stranded on the Jammu-Srinagar National highway, following its closure due to massive landslides at several places triggered by overnight rainfall.


"The Jammu-Srinagar National highway has been closed and the Amarnath Yatra halted due to massive landslides at several places trigged by the heavy overnight rainfall," SSP Traffic (NH) Sanjay Kotwal said.


He said that around 68 vehicles carrying the Amarnath Pilgrims have been asked to stop near Kud and Patnitop stretch of the Highway to ensure their safety and security.


"Today the traffic was from Srinagar to Jammu so around 1,000 vehicles from the valley are left stranded on the Highway and similar number of Jammu to Srinagar vehicles have been left stranded on the highway at several places," Kotwal said.


He said that the men and machinery of the Border Road Organisation (BRO) was working round the clock to restore the road connectivity between the Kashmir Valley and rest of the country.

And FTII continues to simmer. Congress leader Digvijay Singh today said that Gajendra Chauhan should quit as FTII Chairman, claiming that his appointment was part of RSS plan to "impose" its cadres on government aided organisations.


"Appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as Chairman FTII is such example. Urge Gajendra Chauhan to resign. Nepotism and Favouritism above Merit," Singh said Twitter.


"RSS which claims to be only a cultural organisation wants to impose its Cadre and Ideologues on different govt and govt aided organisations (sic)," he said in a tweet

BJP ally Shiv Sena on the Indo-Pak talks: Nothing comes out of such talks. Just yesterday Pakistan violated ceasefire and killed our jawan," says Sanjay Raut.

Afghanistan president Ashraf Ghani tweets: Pleased to meet the leaders of our neighbor and regional countries. Talked on security and economic cooperation.

First reactions from the BJP: M J Akbar says that after years of unclear delays, this is the first time Pakistan has promised to expedite Mumbai attack trials. This is the first time Pakistan has accepted the responsibility of combating terrorism in all its forms.

A joint briefing by Indian Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar and his Pakistani counterpart Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, takes place.


Key points at the press conference...

1. Very productive meeting between PM Modi and PM Nawaz Sharif.

2. Both leaders condemned terrorism in all its forms and agreed to cooperate to eliminate the menace of terrorism.

3. Two PMs agreed India and Pakistan have collective responsibility to ensure peace and development.

4. Meeting in New Delhi between NSAs and DGMOs to discuss all issues agreed on by both PMs.

5. A plan to chart out the release of fishermen on both sides.

6. A mechanism for facilitating religious tourism to be looked at.

7. Expediting the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, voice samples will be provided.

8. PM Sharif reiterated his invite to PM Modi for the SAARC summit in 2016, PM Modi accepted the invite.


Pic: All the PMs' men: Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif meets NSA Ajit Doval. Right behind Doval (not in picture) is foreign secretary S Jaishankar. Likewise, PM Narendra Modi meets Sharif's entourage.

And the neighbourhood engagement continues. PM Narendra Modi with President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan.

With months to go for the Assembly elections in Bihar, highly placed sources in the JD(U) said that the party is keen to tap the Aam Aadmi Party to help reach out to the young electorate.


Sources said Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar met Arvind Kejriwal twice at the Delhi CM's residence recently, and added that another meeting may take place between the two this weekend.


The sources added that while they are certain that Kejriwal would not put up any AAP candidate in the election, which is due in September-October, they were not sure about how Kejriwal would formulate his support for Nitish, given that the JD(U) has tied up with Lalu Prasads RJD.


The ascendance of Kejriwal in politics is rooted in the anti-corruption plank and he cannot obviously identify himself with either Lalu Prasad or the Congress," sources said. Read the full story here.

If politics is about a competitive opportunity to serve and build the nation, loyalty and a sense of duty are naturally important but not sufficient. Both politicians and citizens need space to demonstrate their humanity by acting on their conscience. Read

Six persons were killed and 19 injured when a private bus fell into Machhada Khud near Rampur this morning. Some more persons, including a child, are reported to be missing and feared to have been washed away after the accident that occurred about 120 km from Shimla.


The death toll could rise as the exact number of people travelling in the bus is yet to be ascertained, police said. Rescue efforts are on.


Six bodies have been recovered and all the injured have been rushed to hospital at Rampur, they said. The bus was on its way from Rampur to Shimla when it fell down into the Khud at Machhada bridge.

So, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pak PM Nawaz Sharif's meeting has ended. The hour-long meeting stretched beyond the scheduled time and observers believe it could signal a thaw in the frosty relationship between the two nations.


The PM was today warmly received by Sharif before their much-anticipated meeting on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Ufa, Russia.

The two leaders shook hands and posed for photographers before settling down for delegation-level talks. Indian delegation included National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar while Sartaj Aziz, Sharif's advisor on foreign affairs and national security, was in the Pakistani delegation.

Setting the tone for the meeting, Modi and Sharif last night exchanged pleasantries and chatted briefly when they came face-to-face at a dinner hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin for leaders of five BRICS countries and 10 SCO nations here.

The two leaders, who are here to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, are expected to discuss the status of the bilateral ties and the future direction. Modi and Sharif were last together in Kathmandu in November last for the SAARC Summit but they did not have a bilateral meeting because of acrimony between the two countries at that time.

Indian-origin Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal might be trailing behind in recent polls, but is the smartest candidate in the race for 2016 presidential elections, a top US daily has said.


In a report, the popular Christian Science Monitor attributed this to Jindal's Christian faith despite being born and raised as a Hindu.


"Jindal may not be near the top of the polls for the Republican presidential nomination race or even drawing the biggest crowds, but he may be the smartest candidate in the race," the daily reported as it listed out six facts about his Christian faith.


Topping the list is Jindal's remarks on several occasions that the single most important moment in his life "is the moment I found Jesus Christ."


He was raised in a Hindu household. He has said on several occasions that he best identifies as an "evangelical Catholic" and says he "felt as if the Bible had been written especially for me," the daily reported.


The monitor said some in the media like to poke fun at Jindal for his participation in an exorcism of his college friend. His Democrat opponent in the governor's race, Kathleen Blanco, even tried to use this fact against him, but ultimately failed.

The number of Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries has passed 4 million, the UN refugee agency UNHCR said on Thursday, adding that the total was on course to reach 4.27 million by the end of 2015.

FBI Director James Comey said on Thursday that the bureau thwarted ISIS terrorist plots linked to the 4th of July holiday that were intended "to kill people in the United States.

Unfazed by opposition's criticism over its Rs 526 crore advertisement budget, the AAP government has released a new TV commercial attacking the Centre. 

Prince Saud Al-Faisal,  served as foreign minister from 1975 to 2015. By the time of his retirement, he was the world's longest-serving foreign minister..

The police tonight recovered more than 12 can bombs from a private lodge in Kankarbagh area in Patna.

The Maharashtra Government will involve village-level officials and prominent local residents to check atrocities on Dalits, a move that comes in the backdrop of cases of violence reported against Scheduled Caste members in Ahmednagar district.

Stuck in a time warp, the last 7 Jews of Kochi 
PM Modi, Pakistan's Sharif to hold bilateral talks in Russia
Defying curfew protesters in Imphal came out to streets to block roads
BSF jawan killed in sniper fire by Pak troops in Jammu & Kashmir
Jet Airways flight diverted to Muscat following bomb scare
Chaos and chakka jams in Jaipur as RSS protest temple demolitions