Rescue crews searched the mangled wreckage for victims Wednesday as investigators tried to determine why an Amtrak train hurtled off the tracks in a crash that killed at least six people, injured more than 200 and plunged screaming passengers into darkness and chaos.

Iraq's Defence Ministry today said an airstrike by the US-led coalition killed a senior Islamic State commander and others near the extremist-held city of Mosul. 

North Korea launched live-fire drills near the disputed sea border with South Korea late today, a media report said, amid high tensions over Pyongyang's recent submarine-launched ballistic missile test. 

Gunmen attacked a government compound in southern Afghanistan today, setting off hours of clashes in which at least 10 people, including four police, were killed, officials said. 

The Supreme Court today rapped the Centre and the Assam government for "dragging their feet" on the illegal migrants issue and rejected their affidavits on steps taken to check influx of illegal Bangladesh nationals into the northeastern state through the porous Indo-Bangla border.   

"We have seen your (Ministry of Home Affairs) counter (affidavit) and state's counter and we are left with the impression that both the Union of India and the state are dragging their feet," a bench of justices Ranjan Gogoi and R F Nariman said.   

The bench then appointed senior advocate Upamanyu Hazarikaas court commissioner to physically verify the fencing and security across the Indo-Bangla border running through Assam and file a final report by June 30. It also asked the MHA to pay Rs five lakh to the lawyer for this purpose.   

It expressed dissatisfaction over non-selection of the presiding officers and Members of the 64 Tribunals, sanctioned by the Centre which would taken up the issue of citizenship of migrants by the Gauhati high court.

The bench directed the high court to prepare the list of presiding officers and members of tribunal within 45 days. On the issue of updating of the National Register for Citizenship (NRC), the NRC Coordinator informed the bench that he had written to the MHA and the Registrar General of India seeking their responses on certain anomalies in the law on the issue of citizenship.

India has extended all possible logistical assistance to Nepal after the April 25 earthquake through diplomatic channels keeping in view the sovereignty of the Himalayan nation, government informed Parliament today.


Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said, "India's assistance to Nepal includes deployment of the resources of Army, Indian Air Force, National Disaster Response Force for search and rescue operations, providing food, water, medicines, tents, blankets, water purifying systems etc.


"India had worked with the government of Nepal shoulder to shoulder during the disaster response phase. The Government of India sent to Kathmandu NDRF rescue Teams and relief material within six hours of earthquake.


"These teams had worked round-the-clock in close coordination with the Government of Nepal during disaster response phase," he said in a written reply in Rajya Sabha. NDRF has rescued 11 persons and recovered 133 bodies.

Heads up Robert Vadra.


The BJP government in Haryana may now deliver on one of the main promises of its election campaign -- an investigation into the land deals that delivered windfall gains for Robert Vadra, the son-in-law of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.


"Rahul Gandhi's 'suited-booted jijaji' will be investigated," Haryana minister Anil Vij said. "Whatever Robert Vadra has done, he will be punished for and will not be spared by any means," Vij added.


The CAG had blamed Haryana's previous Congress government, led by then chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, for showing undue favours to Robert Vadra, in his multi-million rupee controversial land deal with realty giant DLF.

Parliament passes Black Money Bill.

A US military helicopter engaged in quake-relief operations has gone missing in Nepal, forcing authorities to deploy hundreds of soldiers and aircraft to locate the six Marines and two Nepalese soldiers on board the chopper. A joint search operation by the armies of Nepal and the US has been launched to trace the US Air Force UH-1Y Huey helicopter, which took off from the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) for Dolakha yesterday.


Six US Marines and two Nepalese soldiers were on board the chopper when it lost contact with the ground control over Sunkhani in Charikot -- 67 km northeast of Kathmandu. The well-equipped chopper was on its way to deliver aid and relief materials in Charikot and Dolakha, two of the districts most affected by the quakes.

The trailer for the Priyanka Chopra-starrer "Quantico", the American TV show set to air later this year, has finally been released (which is why it's trending).  


While this isn't the first time an Indian actor has starred in an American TV series, (Think of Dev Patel in "The Newsroom") it is most definitely the first time a Bollywood actress has played the lead role in an American TV series.   Watch the trailer here.

Right from conducting nuclear deterrence patrols in 2015 to its destructive space programme, from its back-tracking on economic commitments to its hardened positions on Sino-India border deal -- its approach with India spells Adversarial with a capital A, says Shehzad Poonawalla for Rediff.com. Read

The Bar Council of Delhi has taken a "prima facie" view that Delhi law minister Jitender Singh Tomar sought enrollment as a lawyer on basis of "forged documentation and false representation."


The council has sent a written complaint to the DCP (south Delhi), seeking a "detailed investigation" on the allegations and registration of a criminal case if needed. The council, which has already issued a show-cause notice to Tomar, has requested Delhi Police to file a report by May 28.


Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had earlier defended Tomar, accused of faking his law degree, and called for a "public trial" of the media.


"I am not Tomar`s relative or friend. I had sought an explanation from Tomar on the controversy. He gave a satisfactory answer and said he wasn't at fault as his degree is genuine," Kejriwal had said.

The Taj Mahal is not turning yellow due to pollution and the necessary steps are being taken for the preservation of the historic Agra monument, Parliament was informed today. The required actions are being taken to reduce pollution in the vicinity of the 18th century monument and it is in a good state of preservation, Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma said in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.

Amul's take on Amma's acquittal. 

Tamil Nadu chief minister O Panneerselvam and 19 ministers are in a meeting with J Jayalalithaa at her Poes Garden residence. This is the first formal meeting between AIADMK leader Jayalalithaa and her MLAs.


On Monday, immediately after her acquittal in the DA case, Paneer and his ministers turned up at Jayalalithaa's home, even as celebrations were outside her home.


Jaya waited for two days since the court order since Ashtrami (Tuesday) and Navami (Wednesday) were inauspicious. Panneer is expected to step down as the chief minister in the next few days, paving the way for Jaya to take over .

Jaya need not be a sitting MLA to become CM but will have to win a bypoll within six months in order to stay in the post.

The mother (pictured) of one of the three athletes who attempted suicide has said she is unhappy with the probe and will attempt suicide unless the CBI takes over the investigation.


The Sports Authority of India (SAI) has reportedly given a clean chit to its officials in connection with the death of a female athlete and suicide bids by three others at its centre in Kerala's Alappuzha district recently.


Fifteen-year-old Aparna, a budding rower, died last Thursday while three other girls remained critical after they ate a poisonous fruit.


According to media reports, an internal probe by the director general of SAI revealed that the girls attempted suicide but probably due to a feeling of guilt after consuming beer at the SAI centre.


The girls were advised by senior students and teachers after they revealed that they had beer. Their guilt might have driven them to the extreme step, the report said.


Reports suggested that a suicide note featuring the names of some senior students was found from the deceased.


There were reports that it was ragging and harassment from seniors and trainers that led to the suicide of the girl.

Narendra Modi ‏@narendramodi tweets: I spoke to PM @David_Cameron & congratulated him on his victory & conveyed my good wishes to him & his entire team. I told Mr @David_Cameron that such an impressive win while being the incumbent PM makes his victory even more special.

Achal Kumar Jyoti, a former Chief Secretary of Gujarat, today took over as the new Election Commissioner, filling one of the two vacancies in the three-member body. "Jyoti took over his charge today at the Election Commission of India here," a senior official said. Jyoti is a 1975-batch IAS officer who retired as state Gujarat Chief Secretary in January 2013.


After V S Sampath demitted office in January, H S Brahma was elevated as CEC. But after Brahma demitted office, two posts of ECs in the three-member body have remained vacant.


Between April 19, when Nasim Zaidi took over as the CEC till today, he was the only member in the poll body. The government is soon expected to appoint one more Election Commissioner to fill up the last vacancy.

Rishi Kapoor ‏@chintskap tweets this picture and writes:  Thank you  Moushami! Mad, crackpot, childlike actor but on camera, cried without external help. Tough! Welcome back to work!


Moushumi Chatterjee's interview to the TOI: God is not kind to me, he is partial to me. Read

And another phone call: Narendra Modi @narendramodi tweets: President Putin called me a short while ago. We discussed various issues of mutual concern.

Narendra Modi @narendramodi tweets: PM Sushil Koirala & I had a telephonic conversation. We reviewed the situation arising due to yesterday's tremors. I assured PM Koirala of all possible co-operation from our side in the wake of the earthquake.

Just in: An ISIS letter has claimed responsibility for the brazen assault on 60 passengers in a bus in Karachi today. Six to eight gunmen wearing police uniforms attacked a bus carrying Shia Ismaili community members and shot the passengers in the head, killing at least 47 people in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi. The letter has threatened more attacks will follow.


Image: The ISIS pamphlet claiming responsibility for the Karachi attack. Click on the picture for a larger image.

In the first major downgrade for Indian markets in the past one year, global brokerage HSBC today changed its stance on the country to "underweight", saying corporate earnings may remain muted, monsoon could be weak and odds are against further rate cuts. 

One billion people in the world smoke tobacco while 240 million have an alcohol use disorder, according to a new study that compiled the most up-to-date evidence on addictive disorders globally.


The study shows that almost 5 per cent of the world's adult population (240 million people) have an alcohol use disorder and more than 20 per cent (1 billion people) smoke tobacco.


Getting good data on other drugs such as heroin and cannabis is much more difficult but for comparison the number of people injecting drugs is estimated at around 15 million worldwide, researchers said.


The "Global Statistics on Addictive Behaviours: 2014 Status Report" shows that the harm to society from legal drugs is many times the harm from illicit drugs.

Government today gave its nod to a proposal allowing children below 14 years of age to work only in family enterprises or entertainment industry with certain conditions while completely banning their employment elsewhere.


The original child labour law banned employment of children below 14 in only 18 hazardous industries. The amendments also make it clear that children between 14 and 18 years will also not be allowed to work in hazardous industries.


The changes in the labour law also provide for stricter punishment for employers for violation. While there is no penalty provision for parents for the first offence, the employer would be liable for punishment even for the first violation.


In case of parents, the repeat offenders may be penalised with a monetary fine up to Rs 10,000. In case of first offence, the penalty for employers has been increased up to two and half times from the existing up to Rs 20 thousand to up to Rs 50,000 now. In case of a second or subsequent offence of employing any child or adolescent in contravention of the law, the minimum imprisonment would be one year which may extend to three years.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh will arrive in Nagpur tomorrow to undertake a review of the anti-naxal operations in the eastern Vidarbha region.


Singh will review anti-naxal operations in the eastern Vidarbha region while holding a meeting at the state guest house 'Ravi Bhawan' here in the afternoon, Ravindra Kadam, Inspector General of Police, Nagpur Range who is also holding charge of Deputy IG anti-naxal operations (Gadchiroli), told PTI.

Mehr Tarar @MehrTarar Faith-based killings thrive when the State allows people's categorisation as per their faith. The 'good' or 'bad' Muslims. Rest: Kafir.


At least 47 people from the minority Shia Ismaili community were killed and several others injured after six gunmen entered their bus and opened indiscriminate fire in Karachi. The death toll could rise as about 20 others are seriously injured.


The injured and dead were shifted to various hospitals by rescue workers. The gunmen stopped the packed bus, entered it and opened fire indiscriminately.

Unidentified assailants today allegedly shot another key witness in the rape case against Narayan Sai, son of self-styled 'godman' Asaram, in Haryana's Panipat district.


This is a sixth case of attack on a witness in rape cases against Asaram and his son Narayan Sai. The incident occurred in Sanauli village in Panipat district where the victim, Mahendra Chawla, was attacked.

The proposed cricket series between arch-rivals India and Pakistan in the UAE this December, which is yet to get an approval from the Indian government, seems to have already hit a roadblock with the broadcast rights in question.


The broadcast rights of the matches to be hosted by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) are currently owned by Ten Sports, a sports broadcast network owned by leading entrepreneur Subhash Chandra's Essel Group.


BCCI is not happy with it as The Essel Group is planning to launch an alternative cricket body within India as well as globally. According to reports, BCCI has said that it will play with Pakistan only if the matches are not aired by Ten Sports. Read more

Radio Pakistan @RadioPakistan tweets: Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif has cancelled his scheduled three-day visit to Sri Lanka after the Karachi terrorist attack.

Chinese authorities are trying to reopen a section of China-Nepal highway which was blocked by 40,000 cubic meters of debris in the latest 7.3-magnitude temblor that struck Nepal.


Over 120 police officers together with 18 excavators are cleaning the debris on the 13-km section between Zham Township and Zham Port in Tibet, as the segment has caved in at nine points, Liu Guorong, head of the operation, was quoted as saying by state-run Xinhua news agency.


Early this morning, Chinese reporters saw rocks falling from the mountain along the blocked road due to aftershocks, the report said.


The fresh earthquake has killed 65 people in Nepal and one person in Tibet. Another section of the China-Nepal highway between Zham Port and Kathmandu, the Nepalese capital, was cut off by the 7.9-magnitude quake that jolted Nepal on April 25.


Two weeks later, Chinese armed police helped reopen it. The previous temblor had claimed over 8,000 lives in Nepal and left 26 dead in southwest China's Tibet.

PM Modi tweets his condolences on the Karachi terror attack. Narendra Modi @narendramodi We stand firmly with the people of Pakistan in this hour of grief. I wish all those injured a quick recovery.

Faced with irritants like the boundary issue and China's plans for infrastructure projects in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have a tough task as he meets the Chinese leadership during his three-day visit to China from tomorrow which he hoped will set a "new milestone" for Asia.


Modi, who is undertaking his first visit to China as Prime Minister, will reach the ancient city of Xi'an, the home town of President Xi Jinping, for a summit meeting, an unusual departure from normal protocol and seen as a reciprocal gesture by the Chinese leader who was hosted by Modi in Ahmedabad when he visited India in September last year.


"I am looking forward to the trip to China... the 21st century belongs to Asia," the Prime Minister told Chinese media ahead of his visit. The Prime Minister, who spoke in Hindi, hoped that his visit will "further deepen" India-China relations and set a "new milestone" for Asia and developing countries.


Representational picture

The death of Lee Kuan Yew raises the question once again whether his model of authoritarian democracy could have given India faster progress. During the 31 years when Lee was prime minister, followed by the 20 years when he was senior government advisor, with his son cast in the same mould (as prime minister), Singapore saw average income rise 100 times, investments from across the globe, a widely-respected civil service and world-class infrastructure. A small British imperial outpost had become a global trading and financial centre. Read more

Office of RG @OfficeOfRG tweets: I strongly condemn the brutal terrorist attack in Karachi. Innocent lives have been lost in a senseless act of violence: Rahul Gandhi

The six terrorists entered the bus and shot the passengers, including women and children, at point blank range. Sixteen women are among the 47 killed. They then escaped on three motorbikes. All the victims belonged to the minority Shia community. There have been over 70 incidents of targeted killings against the broader Shia community since 2014 alone leaving over 275 dead.

Update on the Karachi attack.

Six terrorists opened fire inside a bus killing at least 47 people and leaving dozens injured in Karachi. There were over 60 people in the bus. 


Pakistan's Express Tribune reports that six unidentified assailants on motorbikes opened fire on the bus belonging to the Ismaili community in Karachi's Safora Chowrangi area near Dow Medical College.


Initial reports revealed that the motorcyclists used 9mm pistols in the attack. Police officials are yet to confirm the death toll.


Sources confirmed that the bus was attacked from all sides and many were left critically injured. Many women and children were aboard the bus during the attack.


Representational pic.

The Supreme Court has now issued guidelines on central government advertisements saying they can only carry photographs of the President, PM, CJI and departed national leaders (like Mahatma Gandhi) can be used. . The SC restricts use of political leaders  and government functionaries photos in government advertisements. Which means no photos of politicians except for the PM can be used on govt ads.

Fresh tremors ion Wednesday struck Nepal where thousands of fear-stricken people spent the night in the open after a powerful earthquake killed 65 people, as the nightmare continued for the country already devastated by a temblor over two weeks ago that had claimed over 8,000 lives.


The 7.3-magnitude earthquake on Tuesday brought down homes and buildings, killing 65 people and injuring nearly 2,000, Nepal's National Emergency Operation Centre said. Most of the casualties were reported in the Dolakha district, northeast of Kathmandu. The toll was expected to rise.


Pic: Earthquake victims read newspapers at a camp for displaced people in Kathmandu

Cabinet clears 5% disinvestment in NTPC, 10% in Indian Oil: Sources.

In the run-up to PM Narendra Modi's visit to China this week, India has studiously kept Japan out of the initial planning for the major Indo-US Malabar naval combat exercise to be held in the Bay of Bengal in October. Read the report on the TOI.

Just in: TV channels report that 18 people have been killed in an attack on a bus in Karachi. 

Ahead of his China trip, PM Modi speaks to the Chinese media in New Delhi and says he was waiting for a long time for the China trip. "The Chinese President congratulated me after we formed govt. I am looking forward to the China visit and I believe it will deepen India-China friendship," Modi said.

Realising that social media with its massive reach and lightning speed has the potential "to affect law and order", especially in sensitive areas, Akhilesh Yadav government is setting up two 'laboratories' to be manned by the police to monitor content and prevent any trouble.

Shah Rukh Khan was summoned by the nforcement Directorate  earlier on Wednesday.

A "glaring arithmetical error' by the Karnataka high court in computing the loans taken from banks by AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa, her aides and their firms resulted in their acquittal, Special Public Prosecutor B V Acharya has said.

One person was injured when a European Union helicopter crashed at Pristina airport in Kosovo, officials said.The accident happened during a training exercise, according to a statement from the airport.The airport has been closed while an investigation takes place, the statement said.

Voice calls are the most recent addition to the hugely popular WhatsApp messaging service.

North Korea has publicly executed the country's defense minister after the regime accused him of treason, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap.

The accident occured on the Wheatsheaf Lane block, when eight to 10 cars on a New York-bound train derailed, NBC Philadelphia reported.

According to reports, there were 240 people on board. The train was heading from New York to Washington.

At least 50 people were hurt after an Amtrak train derailed in the Frankford section of Philadelphia Tuesday night, according to officials.Officials say eight to ten cars derailed on the 2000 block of Wheatsheaf Lane.

A strong 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of northeastern Japan early today, authorities said, but they did not issue a tsunami warning and there were no immediate reports of damage.

President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday appointed six new governors for Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Tripura, Manipur and Jharkhand.