Afghan security forces are suffering record casualties in their first battles against the Taliban since the US combat mission in Afghanistan ended in December after more than 13 years. The number of killed and wounded so far this year is about 70 percent higher than during the same period last year, said Colonel Brian Tribus, director of public affairs for NATO's Afghanistan mission.

Baltimore's mayor has lifted a citywide curfew six days after the death of Freddie Gray sparked riots in the city. The order for residents to stay home after 10 pm had been in place since Tuesday, and officials had planned to keep it in place through Sunday. Protests since Monday's riots have been peaceful, and the announcement of charges against six officers involved in Gray's arrest eased tensions.

Rahul Gandhi, sources close to him say, never made secret his appreciation of the Aam Aadmi Party's style of connecting to people across classes. After the results of the 2013 Delhi assembly elections were out, he remarked that the Congress should learn a few things from the AAP. His party had just been reduced to a mere eight seats in the 70-member house after being in power for 15 years and his remark at that point attracted ridicule. The next year saw his party tumbling to its worst ever performance in a general election, winning only 44 MPs. It was obvious that the party had lost its base among all sections. Now in a hurry to arrest the alarming slide, he is busy following the AAP model of reaching out to people. The impact is visible.

Living on the fault line that has produced the world's highest mountain ranges, the people of Nepal knew there would be a major earthquake someday.Yet last Saturday's heartbreaking losses still come as a devastating blow, from which Nepal will take years to recover. As the world pitches in to help with immediate relief, thoughts are also beginning to turn to long-term recovery. In the aftermath of the quake, Nepal's musical traditions can help buoy the resilience and spirit necessary to rebuild the country.

A senior army officer has been arrested for allegedly raping a mentally challenged woman in Nashik. Colonel Vinod Sahani allegedly raped a 23-year-old mentally challenged woman at his bungalow in Nashik's Sansari area on April 30, police said.

Ousted Aam Aadmi Party leader Prashant Bhushan said the Swaraj Abhiyan campaign would not shape into a political party in haste and added that an analysis may be done on its democratic functioning before taking a decision in the future. "Swaraj Abhiyan will not take the shape of political party. We can do analysis on it after two-three years and will think upon it if it will work in a democratic manner," Bhushan said.

JUST IN: Boxing India's President Sandeep Jajodia was ousted through a no confidence motion at a Special General Meeting

Nepalese authoritiesbanned landings of large aircraft bringing aid to millions of people in the quake-hit country after more than three cracks appeared on the five-decade-old-runway at the the main airport. The decision means aircraft weighing more than 196 tonnes will not be permitted to land at the Tribhuvan International Airport. 

It has been a ghastly year for the media, as we look back on World Press Freedom Day. Headlines are filled with gruesome attacks, notably the beheadings of James Foley, Stephen Sotloff and Kenji Goto, and the murderous assault on Charlie Hebdo. 

 Hitting out at the NDA government on the land bill issue, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh says amending the legislation to assuage the fears of a particular group is bad policy making.  He says the new bill has been brought by the NDA government by amending the 2013 Act despite protests held across the country. "In the name of economic reforms and development, the government has taken a significant step backward in India's march to land reforms," he said.

Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent has claimed responsibility for the murder of an American atheist blogger in Bangladesh over two months ago. Avijit Roy was hacked to death by two assailants with machetes on the streets of the capital Dhaka in February as he returned from a book fair with his wife. AQIS leader Asim Umar said his organisation was responsible for the attack in a video posted on jihadist forums on Saturday, according to SITE, a US website that monitors extremist groups.

A week after a 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal, killing over 7,000 people and injuring another 14,000 more, a major aftershock was felt in Nepal, giving rise to concern and panic in the area. 

The family of the 14-year-old who was molested and then thrown off a moving bus in Moga, has finally agreed to cremate her. 

A 105-year-old man was pulled out alive from the rubble of a collapsed building in  Nepal eight days after the devastating 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck the country. Fanchu Ghale of Kimtang village development committee in Nuwakot district was found buried beneath the rubble of his own house by a team led by Nepal Police and was rescued yesterday.

With an aim of boosting tourism in the state, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed  asked Bollywood to do a 'ghar wapsi' to the valley.   Inviting film makers to shoot movies in the Valley again,the Chief Minister said, "I want ghar wapsi (return home) of all my Bollywood people to the Kashmir Valley."

A 6-year-old girl was allegedly raped by two high school boys at Bannerghatta, police said today. The incident took place on Saturday when she was playing with her brother and the boys, they said. The boys took the girl to an isolated place nearby and raped her. Her brother who arrived at the scene searching for her soon rushed home and informed his grandparents about the incident, police said.  

A body of an IIT-Mumbai student has been found on campus, cops said. According to the police, the body was found on the terrace of the institution. Additionally, cops said the student, originally from Rohtak, had left a note behind. 

The Royal Mint has revealed the design of a commemorative 5 coin to mark the arrival of the princess. Available in limited gold or silver editions, it is the second UK coin to celebrate the birth of a member of the royal family, the first having been the silver 5 coin issued to mark the birth of Prince George in 2013. 

The number of houses destroyed in quake-hit Nepal is over 1,60,000, nearly twice the number of households wrecked in the 1934's deadly temblor that has been the country's worst disaster of all times. In worst-affected districts like Gorkha and Sindhupalchowk, the damage is even more extensive, with up to 90 per cent of houses destroyed, according to a situation report released by the United Nation's humanitarian agency OCHA.

Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal pulled buses run by Orbit Aviation off the roads, after massive protests over the death of a 14-year-old who was molested and then thrown off a moving bus on Wednesday. Badal has asked the company to send the bus operating staff on an orientation course and has ordered that no buses should run till the completion of the course.

The Republic of Congo will ban full face-veils in an attempt to prevent violent extremism. El Hadji Djibril Bopaka, the president of the country's Islamic High Council, made the announcement. The Islamic council leader said that the approximately 80,000 Muslims in his country were reacting positively to the news.

Rahul Gandhi is likely to spend the night at Osmania University when he visits Telangana next week as part of his tour to meet with farmers who are struggling with failed crops and seemingly insurmountable loans. 

Kathmandu was ever a disaster-in-waiting. The densely populated capital of one of the world's poorest countries clings to the slopes of the seismically unstable Himalayas. The city was nearly levelled and 8,500 killed in its last great earthquake 81 years before. It had history. On Saturday the long-feared calamity struck.

Ten bogies of the Lokamanya Tilak Terminus-Ernakulum Duronto Express derailed near Balli railway station in South Goa, but no casualties have been reported so far. "Ten coaches of the train derailed at 6.30 am near Balli station. No passengers were injured," Konkan Railway Corporation Limited spokesman Baban Ghatge said. The train had left Lokmanya Tilak Terminal in Mumbai and was heading towards Ernakulum.

Arun Shourie's withering criticism of the Narendra Modi government days before its first anniversary was challenged by two Union ministers who questioned his intent. "If some individuals have some grouse, they did not get some position and want to make issues out of non-issues, I think they are best left to judge whether they are saying the right thing," said Piyush Goyal, minister of coal and power.

Anti Terrorist Front India president Viresh Shandliya has announced an award of Rs 20 lakh to anyone who chopped off the head of 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed and Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi. Shandliya said activists of his Front will soon be visiting the state to challenge people like Hafiz and hardline leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani. They will hold demonstrations and burn Pakistani flags in front of the Kot Bhalwal jail in Jammu where separatist leader Masarat Alam has been detained for raising Pakistani flags at his recent rally in the Valley.