Fifteen people were killed when Boko Haram attacked a remote village in northeast Nigeria, opening fire and burning homes to the ground, three residents said today. 

A French mother took the government to court today for failing to stop her teenage son from leaving the country to join jihadists in Syria. The boy, identified only as "B", was 16 when he left with three others from the town of Nice in southern France on December 27, 2013, giving no warning to his family. 

Delhi Law Minister Jitender Singh Tomar who was remanded to 4 days police custody in the fake degrees case has just resigned from his post as law minister. Earlier in the day, the Saket court had sent him to 4 days in police custody for holding fake degrees. 

Pakistan U17 wrestling team's hopes of competing in the annual Cadet Asian Wrestling Championship were dashed after the Indian high commission denied them visas for the New Delhi event. 

Maharashtra's Minorities Affairs Minister Eknath Khadse courted controversy after comparing yoga with namaz, evoking a sharp response from the opposition. "Namaz is nothing but Yoga. All actions that one does inNamaz is done in Yoga as well. So only Yoga has been renamed a Namaz, but we have not forced anybody to do Yoga. If somebody wants to do it, they can do it. It is an individual choice," Khadse said. 

Action hero Jackie Chan distributed relief materials to earthquake victims in Nepal. The Hollywood star visited Lalitpur district near Kathmandu where he distributed relief materials to earthquake victims who were physically-disabled at a programme organised by Nepal Red Cross Society.

Health authorities are working to identify people who may have been exposed to a patient with a drug-resistant form of tuberculosis.

Congratulating the Indian Army for their aggressiveness and the gunning down of militants responsible for the Manipur ambush,  Rajyavardhan Rathore, MoS, I&B Ministry, said, "We will cross over and hit militants wherever they are, we were supported by Myanmar Army."

Sadhus and seers of Haridwar threatened to launch a countrywide agitation if 'Surya Namaskar' is not included in the set of yogic postures to be performed on International Yoga Day slated for June 21. "We would not tolerate any compromise with Surya Namaskar which is integral to yoga. Those trying to play with Hindu religion will not be forgiven," Swami Harichetanand said. 

The crackdown on NGOs in India has become even more severe after the government cancelled the registration of 4,470 NGOs. In the recent past, the Modi government has tightened the nooze around NGOs. Last Tuesday, the home ministry was asked to scrutinise foreign-funded NGOs based on recommendations of Intelligence Bureau.

India will lead 191 nations to mark the 'International Yoga Day' on June 21, highlighted by a mega event here on Rajpath, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said today and made it clear that participation in the events was not "compulsory".

Delhi Law Minister JS Tomar sent to 4-day police custody on charges of cheating and fraud in obtaining his law degree.

BJP leader Subramanian Swamy today failed to appear before a local court here for the third time to argue for the bail application of imprisoned Asaram Bapu in connection with a case of sexual exploitation of a teenaged girl.

A judge in the US state of Louisiana has ordered the release of an inmate who has been in solitary confinement for more than 40 years.

Days after the deadly attack in Manipur's Chandel district, it is now emerging that India gave Myanmar phone intercepts and location details of at least two officials from the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), who were reportedly in touch with the top leadership of insurgent group, NSCN-Khaplang, suspected to be behind the killing of 18 Armymen. Officials said the information was shared two months ago, and that the matter would be taken up with Myanmar again.

Read

JK Rowling has confirmed what many Harry Potter fans have long suspected to be true, that there is an American Hogwarts.The British author revealed the news on Twitter at the weekend while answering questions from her millions of followers about upcoming spin-off movie Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them. Read more

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not perform yoga at the mega event on Rajpath to mark the 'International Yoga Day' on June 21, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said today.


Swaraj, who was briefing the reporters on the arrangements to mark the Day, said "he (Modi) will grace the occasion and address the gathering but he will not perform yoga."


She was asked if the Prime Minister will perform yoga at the mega event on Rajpath which is expected to be attended by 35,000 people. Modi, an avid practitioner of yoga for years, has been tweeting various 'asanas' and talking about their benefits in the run up to the International Yoga Day.


The UN General Assembly had in December adopted an India-led resolution declaring June 21 as 'International Yoga Day' three months after the Prime Minister had proposed the idea.


Describing yoga as the "soft power" of India, Swaraj said "the initiative India had taken there was a reason behind this...that the world which is now engulfed in violence should be taken to a path of peace.


"Yoga is India's soft power. Through that soft power, our goal is the world attains peace also bring down violence in the world."

National carrier Air India today rolled out a limited period sale, offering all-inclusive fares as low as Rs 1,777 for travel on its domestic network, days after private airlines lowered their post-peak season ticket prices.


Discounted tickets can be booked between June 10 and June 12 through various channels such as online, Air India's website and its toll free number and authorised travel agents, Air India said in a release.


Tickets bought against the Monsoon Sale will be valid for travel from July 1 to September 30, it added.


Private carriers including Jet Airways, SpiceJet, IndiGo, AirAsia India had announced similar low-fare offers last week. The July-September and January-March quarters are considered lean season as against the rest two quarters in terms of travel demand.

Army ops against militants suspected of the Manipur ambush: "Today we inflicted significant casualties on militants along the Indo-Myanmar border who were involved in the Manipur ambush recently. We also had "credible and specific" intelligence that they were planning to carry out more attacks in our territory," army spokesperson Major Gen Randhir Singh said today.


"We are in communication with Myanmar authorities and we've traditionally had a close relationship with the Myanmar army. We look forward to working with them to combating terrorism in future too," the army said.


In the worst such attack in two decades, insurgents last week ambushed a military convoy in Manipur's Chandel district killing at least 18 army personnel and injuring 11 others. Army and civilian authorities suspect the involvement of Manipur rebel outfit Peoples Liberation Army and Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup, a Meitei revolutionary organisation, who used landmines, rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons.

The Delhi police says that two teams were sent to UP and Bihar for verification of documents and it has been revealed that Tomar's law and BSc degrees are fake. "We received a complaint from the Bar Council of Delhi that documents presented by Tomar seem forged," says R Bhagat of the Delhi police.


"From the University he (Tomar) claims to have a degree, but there is no entry on the roll number he mentioned. The Controller of Examination has also verified this fact that no degree or mark-sheet has been issued on the name of J S Tomar," says Bhagat.

BJP leader Kiran Bedi on Tuesday said the Aam Aadmi Party Government might be crying foul over the arrest of Delhi Law Minister Jitendra Tomar, but arrest was based on solid evidence.


"Since the matter has been in the news, they (police) must have collected appropriate evidence to make the arrest. The AAP will cry foul, but the police are not involved in politics. They are accountable for their investigation to the court. The court will decide what to do next. He always said that he does," said Bedi.

Also read: 'People should know that the so-called honest Kejriwal's desperation to win seats was so high that he ignored the cheating done by his candidate,' says senior BJP leader.

The Delhi police has asked for five days custody of Delhi law minister Jitendra Singh Tomar.


Forty-nine-year-old Tomar, a member of Legislative Assembly from Trinagar and a first time minister, was arrested around 11 am following investigation into a complaint by the bar council of Delhi that he had obtained a fake law degree from the Institute of Legal Studies College in Munger in Bihar. Tomar's lawyer has maintained that the arrest was illegal as the probe by the bar council is still pending.


The arrest came in the midst of a raging battle between the AAP government and Lt Governor Najeeb Jung over the powers of the city government, giving a new political twist to the murky fight.

Rahul Gandhi's meet the press after the meeting with CMs in Congress-ruled states.


"There's a big difference between Congress and BJP; our CM's are independent, we do not give them orders as to what is to be done.


"CM's ne 'Make in India' ki baat ki; kehte bahut accha logo hai, bahut bada sher hai, magar sher ki awaaz sunayi nahin de raha.


"All CMs universally raised the point that although Modi Govt says that they are giving grants to the CMs, as a matter of fact, they (Modi Govt) give money with one hand, take it back from the other."

Delhi: Law Minister Jitendra Singh Tomar reaches Saket Court.

Yoga guru Ramdev will bring 5,000 of his followers to Rajpath on June 21, International Yoga Day, to perform yoga with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and about 30,000 others at Delhi's Rajpath.


NDTV reports that their 35-minute early morning demonstration will not include the famous sun salutation or Surya Namaskar and not just because it is one of the harder yoga routines to perform.


The Surya Namaskar has not been included for the Yoga Day event in view of objections voiced by Muslim groups. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board has said, "It is against our religious beliefs and should not be forced on our children."

Arun Jaitley kii kaitley garam ho gayee hai, says AAP's Ashutosh.

What's left of Kejriwal's effigy after protestors left. 

The Delhi government on Tuesday transferred Home Secretary Dharam Pal, escalating the tussle between Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung. The Aam Aadmi Party government has asked Pal to report to the Home Ministry.


The slugfest between Kejriwal and Jung over appointment of secretaries had begun on May 15 over the appointment of Shakuntala Gamlin as the chief secretary in-charge, who the Delhi CM accused of lobbying for power distribution companies.


The development comes on the day when Delhi Law Minister Jitender Singh Tomar was arrested over his alleged fake law degree. The AAP cried foul and linked it with its anti-corruption campaign.


The Delhi Police, which does not report to the AAP government but to Lt Governor Najeeb Jung and the Union Home Ministry, said that Tomar was arrested on charges of cheating, criminal conspiracy and forgery.


Today's arrest peaked a simmering row between the central and AAP governments over the powers of the Delhi government over the posting and transfer of senior officials. This dispute too is also now facing judicial scrutiny.

ICICI Bank appoints M K Sharma as Non-Executive Chairman for five years in place of K V Kamath.

Kamath, who was ICICI Bank's non-executive chairman, was appointed the first head of the $100-billion New Development Bank of the BRICS countries, to be based in Shanghai.


India will hold the presidency of the bank for the first six years, followed by five-year terms each for Brazil and Russia, under an agreement reached after intense negotiations among the five countries in the BRICS group - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - last year.

What is being built is bigger than the original - and it is being "Made in India". But for a Bihar temple trust, these very characteristics - which may appear in sync with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's manufacturing drive - have drawn the charge of doing a copycat.


Cambodia has asked the Modi government to stop the construction of a gigantic shrine a little over 100km from Patna that Phnom Penh alleges is a "copy" of that country's national symbol: the Angkor Wat temple complex. Read more

President Pranab Mukherjee will administer the oath of office to newly appointed Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) K V Chowdary and Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) Vijai Sharma in New Delhi tomorrow.


The President will administer the oath of office to Chowdary as CVC and Sharma as Chief Information Commissioner at a function to be held at Rashtrapati Bhavan tomorrow, a statement issued today by the President's secretariat said.


Their appointments were approved yesterday by the President, a week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge recommended their names.

Following the Director Vigilance's order sending MK Meena back to Delhi Police, SS Yadav will remain ACB Chief. Amid its bitter confrontation with the Lt Governor, the AAP government today refused to allow Joint Commissioner of Delhi Police M K Meena, an LG-appointee, to take charge as chief of the elite Anti-Corruption Branch.


The Delhi Government informed Meena that he cannot join the ACB as there is no sanctioned post of Joint Commissioner in the probe agency but the defiant official said he will follow the Lieutenant Governor's order.


The AAP government's decision not to allow Meena to take charge came on a day Delhi Police arrested Law Minister Jitendra Singh Tomar on charges of cheating and fraud in obtaining law degree.


Lt Governor Najeeb Jung yesterday had appointed the joint commissioner of Delhi Police as the head of the Anti-Corruption Branch superseding Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's hand-picked chief S S Yadav.


Earlier, an Additional Commissioner-level officer used to head ACB but the LG yesterday had elevated the rank of head of the probe agency from Additional Commissioner to Joint Commissioner.


Meena is currently serving as Joint Commissioner of New Delhi range and the LG's order said he has been given additional charge of ACB. The Arvind Kejriwal government has slammed LG's move to appoint Meena. The AAP government and Jung had last month locked horns over the appointment of Delhi's Acting Chief Secretary, sparking a turf war. "There has been illegal attempts to create the post of a new chief of the Anti-Corruption Branch by creating an Emergency like situation. They are creating such a situation in order to bring the ACB under their jurisdiction. This is unconstitutional," Deputy Chief Mnister Manish Sisodia said today "What is behind the conspiracy to create a new post of joint commissioner and appoint your own officer? "Has it been done due to fear that ACB will probe the CNG fitness scam," he said yesterday. He alleged that the officer appointed by the LG to head the ACB had tried to make suicide of a farmer in rally in Jantar Mantar in April as a murder "to fix" him.

The Shakti Bhatt Foundation is inviting entries for the 2015 Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize. The prize, which is in its eighth year, comes with a cash award of Rs 2 lakh and a trophy.

Submissions in the following genres are invited: poetry, fiction, graphic novels, creative non-fiction (travel writing, autobiography, biography and narrative journalism), and drama.

The deadline for publishers and individuals to send in first books is July 15, 2015. Books published between June 2014 and June 2015 are eligible. The winner will be announced in November and the prize presentation will take place in Delhi, December 2015. Authors from the subcontinent are eligible but books must be published in India. Publications must be in English or translated into English from an Indian language.


This year's shortlist will be put together by poet and author Jeet Thayil, and author Arshia Sattar, who runs the Sangam House international writers' residency program. Three judges (to be announced) will pick the winning entry.Books (one copy each) should be sent to the following addresses: The Shakti Bhatt Foundation, C-6/36, First Floor, SDA, New Delhi 110016; The Shakti Bhatt Foundation, 011, Maangalya Residences, 6/1, Benson Cross Road, Bangalore 560046. For further information, mail shaktibhattprize@gmail.com.


Lahore-based author Bilal Tanweer won the 2014 Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize for his novel The Scatter Here Is Too Great. Read about the win here.

When Obama sat down on a bench and became a meme. Read

Home minister Rajnath Singh denies that the Centre was in any way involved in Delhi law minister Jitendra Singh Tomar's arrest. "There is no question of MHA's interference in any matter, law takes its own course. MHA kisi ko giraftaar karne ke baare mein, koi kaaryawaahi karne ke baare mein nirdesh nahi deta."

Meanwhile, AAP govt refuses to allow Joint Commissioner of Police M K Meena to take charge as Anti-Corruption Branch Chief.  The Delhi govt informs Meena that he cannot join the ACB as there is no sanctioned post of Joint Commissioner.

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today ripped into the Narendra Modi government's claims on economic revival. Dr Singh said the Congress must not be defensive about its tenure at the Centre, since many of its initiatives are being repackaged by the NDA government.


Speaking about Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Dr Singh said, "I have to acknowledge that my successor has been a more adept salesman, event manager and communicator than me."


The former PM was addressing a meeting of the Chief Ministers of the Congress-ruled states, which was headed by Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi.


Speaking on the economy, Dr Singh said, "There is somewhat of an euphoria that our GDP growth since 2014-15 has started accelerating once again. But doubts have been expressed both within and outside Government about the validity of the new GDP numbers." 

If Nitish Kumar along with the Congress presents a combative spirit to take on Narendra Modi, then, Lalu calculated, his Muslim-Yadav combination will weaken if a large chunk of Muslims shifts to the stronger fighter who can take on Modi. That is why Lalu said that he was ready to "drink poison" to crush the "cobra" of communalism.


Sheela Bhatt/Rediff.com explains the compulsions that forced Bihar strongman Lalu Yadav to play second fiddle to Nitish Kumar. Read

The army is taking a look at its own operational lacunae after the attack that killed 18 soldiers of the 6th battalion of the Dogra Regiment in Manipur.


For the battalion (900 to 1,100 troops), the attack came at a moment of change. Did the attackers know it? The answer is up in the air. The battalion's commanding officer - a colonel - was on leave to his hometown at the time of the incident. He returned yesterday, but was too late.

Read

Former Aam Aadmi Party leader Yogendra Yadav today reacted to the sudden arrest of Delhi Law Minister Jitender Singh Tomar, saying that if his law degrees are indeed genuine, the AAP should make them public instead of hiding behind court procedures.


Yadav took to Twitter to share his views on the matter.


Tomar was arrested today by the Delhi Police in connection with an alleged fake degree case.


The BJP has in the past alleged that Tomar's undergraduate certificates from the Bhagalpur University in Bihar were "fake and forged'.


Tomar, however, dismissed the charges against him as "baseless' and said that it is a political conspiracy by the BJP.


Senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh, who broke the news of the arrest, pointed fingers at the BJP-led Centre, under whose jurisdiction the Delhi police falls, and said that the police did not give prior notice or intimation before the arrest.


However, Yadav, who was expelled from the AAP for 'anti-party activities', wrote on Twitter that the real issue is not the technicalities behind Tomar's arrest, but simply the 'govt's and party's refusal to come clean.'


He added that he, along with Prashant Bhushan, had raised this issue four months ago.

Ahead of the International Yoga day on June 21, the Indian mission in Melbourne has organised a curtain raiser for the event in front of Victoria's Parliament house where several people gathered and performed Sun salutations.


"Yoga is the most beautiful and inspiring gift by the Indian civilisation to the world. To live in peace with each other and themselves was the guiding words of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi when the historic resolution to celebrate this day was accepted," the Consul General Manika Jain said.

Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia holds a quick presser on Law Minister Jitendra Singh Tomar's arrest: "Is he (Tomar) a terrorist, has he set off a bomb in Delhi to be arrested? Tomar has been arrested to deter Delhi government to act against corruption. There's an emergency-like situation in Delhi.


"We won't spare anyone who tries to stop us from fighting this war against corruption in Delhi. This college affidavit clearly states that Tomar has passed his law degree. We have been elected to work. Those who stop us, we will fight them," says Sisodia. 

BJP parliamentarian Yogi Adityanath waded into another controversy on Tuesday by saying that those opposing yoga and surya namaskar should either leave India or drown themselves in the ocean.


The 42-year-old MP from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh made the remarks while participating in a ceremony at a temple in Varanasi, the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.


Speaking about the importance and history of yoga, Adityanath said those opposing the spiritual and physical discipline and surya namaskar --  a set of 12 yoga 'asanas' (postures) that is a salutation to the sun -- should "leave Hindustan". 


According to Hindi daily Dainik Jagaran, Adityanath said, "Lord Shankar was the biggest Yogi who started Yoga. Mahadev lives in every particle of this country. So, those who want to avoid Yoga and Lord Shankar can leave Hindustan. He said that sun is the source of all energy in the world and Surya Namaskar is part of the Yogic act.


More than 43 countries will celebrate June 21 as Yoga day across the world.

Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia has refused to answer any questions on the arrest of Law Minister Jitendra Singh Tomar. The party however, has accused the BJP, especially the PMO for giving midnight orders to arrest Tomar. In fact, Sisodia was at FICCI when the news of Tomar's arrest was conveyed to him, but he refused to react to it.


Sources tell us that Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal wants suspended BJP MP and Supreme Court lawyer Ram Jethmalani to fight Tomar's case and get him bail in the event he is jailed.


The Congress has also stepped in and demanded that the law minister must vacate his portfolio and that Kejriwal should dismiss Tomar from the ministry after this arrest.


Sources tell us that the Delhi law minister's arrest was so timed that the Congress Chief Ministers meeting organised by Rahul Gandhi is eclipsed in terms of news bytes. The Congress, we hear, is aware of this, and has has accused the BJP of hijacking the media and diverting attention from the CM meet.


But when does Rahul Gandhi get media coverage?

Singapore has allowed the sale of Maggi noodles manufactured in India after safety tests by food authorities in Singapore found that the popular instant snack does not pose any health risk to consumers.


The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) informed local importers that sale of the brand's noodles from India may be resumed, The Straits Times reported.


AVA had last week advised importers to withhold sales while it conducted laboratory tests, following concerns over higher-than-permissible levels of lead in the product.


Results from AVA's laboratory tests, which cover "a wide range of hazards associated with food" showed that the India-made Maggi instant noodles meet local food safety standards, the report said.


The AVA had cleared the India-made Maggi noodles last night. The authorities also tested Maggi instant noodles produced in other countries and results revealed that these meet the food safety requirements too, the report added.


Food products that fail tests will not be allowed for sale, the AVA had earlier said. Singapore has imported "a small amount" of the brand's noodles manufactured in India.


On June 3, India temporarily banned the sale of the popular instant noodles after excess levels of lead were found in samples tested in New Delhi and in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. Lead content in 14 of 27 samples in India was found to be 2.8 PPM to 5 PPM (particle per million), which is above the prescribed limit of 2.5 PPM. Presence of excess lead is harmful for health.

Militants shot and killed an employee of a government hospital in Sopore town in north Kashmir this morning, reports Mukhtar Ahmad/Rediff.com from Srinagar.


A senior police officer said that militants fired at one Mohammed Altaf Sheikh from close range and later escaped. He was rushed to hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.


Altaf was an employee of the Sopore sub-district hospital, the policeman added.

The celebrations commemorating the first International Day of Yoga in New York to be presided over by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, will be broadcast at Times Square to a global audience.


The UN will commemorate the inaugural International Yoga Day on June 21 with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and General Assembly President Sam Kutesa gracing the occasion.


The India-led celebrations will also feature a special lecture and demonstration by Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.


The celebrations at the world body's headquarters would be broadcast to an audience of thousands at Times Square, considered the global crossroads in the heart of Manhattan.


Another celebration of the Solstice Day would be observed at Times Square on June 21 with thousands performing yoga exercises, according to the Indian mission to the UN.


Prime Minister Narendra Modi's historic address to the Indian-American community from the iconic Madison Square Garden last year was also telecast live on the giant electronic billboards dotting Times Square.

Their denials notwithstanding, former Union Minister in the UPA Government Preneet Kaur and members of her family are facing official scrutiny by tax authorities who say they are probing the link between her HSBC Geneva account and trusts and companies -- as well as with properties allegedly owned by these entities in London and Dubai. Read more

The Congress CMs meet begins with a one-minute silence in honour of the jawans martyred in Manipur.

It is surprising that the Delhi police under pressure from the Home ministry is arresting law minister Jitendra Singh Tomar. The Modi sarkar's HRD minister Smriti Irani is likely to come under bigger pressure once the case against her questioning her education qualification comes up. Read the details here.


The complainant Ahmer Khan has filed a case against her in Delhi and order for it is reserved by the magistrate in the Delhi court.


Khan's lawyer KK Manan while filing the case told the magistrate that, 'When she did BA part I, II or III even god does not know. The question is, what the society is asking today from a person who is holding the post of the minister."


Smriti Irani has fought the Lok Sabha elections twice and Rajya Sabha polls once.


All three times she filed three different affidavits before the Election Commission of India. None of them match.

In spite of being in a vulnerable position, the Modi government putting pressure on the Delhi police to prosecute Delhi's law minister is not just surprising, but it may also be self-defeating. It will create sympathy for chief minister Arvind Kejriwal who is facing ire of Delhi residents for messing up power supply in the scorching heat.

A magnitude-5.2 earthquake rattled Greece's capital early Tuesday, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

The Geodynamic Institute in Athens said the quake occurred at 4:09 am local time, Tuesday in the Gulf of Northern Evia, about 80 kilometers north of Athens in a narrow strip of sea between the island of Evia and mainland Greece.


Greece's Civil Protection Agency said police in the city of Halkida, near the quake's epicenter, and elsewhere in the surrounding region, reported no damage.


Earthquakes are common in Greece and neighboring Turkey.

The Coast Guard assisted by the Navy has undertaken a massive search operation after its Dornier surveillance aircraft with three personnel on board went missing last night off the coast of Chennai.


"On receipt of the information, massive search and rescue efforts have been launched by utilising all available surface and air craft of the Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy," the Coast Guard said in a statement today.


"Five Coast Guard ships, four Naval ships, along with Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy air craft and a long range maritime surveillance air craft P81 are undertaking search and rescue operation in the area", it said.

Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi arrive at the AICC HQ, will meet Congress CMs. 

Delhi police confirms that the law minister has indeed been arrested. 

Tomar has been arrested on charges of cheating, forgery and getting a job on a fake degree. Tomar claims that at least 30-40 policemen reached his office to escort him to the police station. 

Jitendra Singh Tomar speaking to CNN IBN says that he is on his way to the Hauz Khas police station and says he was called to the police station without any prior notice. "The police did not have any arrest warrant. The Delhi police acting at the behest of the Centre. This is political vendetta," Tomar says.  

Tomar has been facing charges that the academic certificate he submitted while filing nomination for the Delhi Assembly polls held in February this year were fake. Tomar has claimed that he had completed his law education from the particular university.

AAP's Sanjay Singh says the Delhi Law Minister has been arrested without any notice or prior information. "Modi-ji agar sochte hain wo jail bhej kar, laathi chala kar, aam aadmi ki awaaz ko daba lenge to ye nahi hone wala," says Singh.

The claim that Tomar has been arrested was made by Singh, there is as yet no official statement from the police.

Just in: Delhi Law minister Jitender Singh Tomar arrested by Delhi police, being taken to Hauz Khas police station. Tomar was in the eye of the storm after an RTI inquiry revealed that his undergraduate degree was fake.

Olympic-winning boxer Mary Kom will be seen in an animated avatar on India's first girl superhero series, titled "Mary Kom Jr".


The 32-year-old boxer, who has signed up a licensing deal with production company ScreenYug Creations Pvt Ltd for the series, feels it would be an interesting way to motivate the girl child.


"I think it is time to take more responsibility for the girl child. I want girls to be confident, strong," she said.


The animation series will bring in a flavour of self-defence, which is very relevant in today's times, according to her.


"Parents are usually not keen on fighting games for their girl child but with all the crime going around, their eyes are now open and this will help," Kom said. ScreenYug and Aditya Horizons have will co-produce the TV series.


"We are creating India's first girl superhero animated series, which will be based on India's own super sport star Mary Kom. "While we have a Manipuri tinge by capturing the fiction life of a young Mary Kom while in school, we will have other characters with a more neutral tone in order to appeal to the global audience," producer Ashish S Kulkarni said. Kulkarni has created many big-ticket projects like "Little Krishna", "Shaktimaan", "Krishna Aur Kans" and "Big Bees" among others.