Police cars have surrounded Chris Brown's house in Los Angeles to investigate a woman's claim that the singer threatened her with a gun, the Los Angeles Times reported.

American media says that the LA Police Department has refuse to divulge details of the operation and only said that they were called to Brown's residence about 3 am (local time) by a woman who claimed Brown violently threatened her with a gun.

The LA Times reports said that the police is trying to obtain a search warrant for Brown's home to look for the gun the musician reportedly pulled on the woman.

Slapping fresh sanctions on Afghan nationals, Pakistan has now banned entry for Afghans having an Indian visa in their passports.

Director of Hamid Karzai International Airport, Mohammad Asif Jabbarkhail said on Tuesday that over the past few days, Pakistan has deported or banned entry to at least 10 Afghans after finding Indian visas in their passports, reports Tolo News.

Responding to this new sanction, Afghanistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said the decision is unacceptable and that Kabul has resumed negotiations with Islamabad to resolve the issue.

"It is a disputed issue, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs conducts discussions with Pakistan officials to resolve the problems of our citizens," said MoFA spokesman Ahmad Shekib Mustaghni.

A number of documents indicate that Pakistan International Airline has put embargo on Afghan citizens who have travelled to India.

"Airline companies are still informing the passengers that they cannot take them to Pakistan if there is an Indian visa in their passport," said Jabbarkhail.

The new move by Pakistan has had an impact on airlines and travel companies as well.

"The Pakistan banning of Afghan nationals is a concerning issue, the government must tackle the problem swiftly," said Massoud Bina, deputy of Tourism Union.

Muzghan Sulaimankhail, an Afghan national, was denied entry into Pakistan because of an Indian visa in her passport.

"I went for medical treatment to Pakistan; when I arrived at the airport officials told me that they cannot allow me to enter Pakistan because of the existence of an Indian visa in my passport," she said.

England score 444 for 3 in 50 overs against Pakistan to register the highest-ever total in One-Day International cricket in the third ODI of a five-match series in Nottingham.

Alex Hales smashed 171 off 122 balls.

The previous record of highest ODI total was held by Sri Lanka which scored 443 against Holland.

India and the United States on Tuesday discussed terrorism emanating from Pakistan and other issues of strategic importance as well as of commercial interest with New Delhi asserting that there was a "scope to do a lot more" in the area of counter-terrorism.

Businessman-turned politician K Pandiarajan was today sworn in as a Tamil Nadu minister in the first reshuffle of the three-month old Jayalalithaa ministry.   

The alertness of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the inauguration of a water project near in Gujarat on Tuesday saved the lives of several cameramen and photographers, Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat Nitin Patel informed.

In line with strong global markets, the BSE benchmark Sensex rallied over 440 points to close at an over 13-month high of 28,343.01 and the broader NSE Nifty hit 16-month highs by going past the crucial 8,700-mark, as gains were seen across the board.

Trading in the green throughout the day, the benchmark BSE Sensex added 440.35 points, or 1.58 per cent, to end at 28,343.01, a highest closing since July 23, 2015. It hovered between 28,478.02 and 28,010.66. The gauge had gained 120.41 points in yesterday's session. This is the biggest single-session gain since July 11, 2016 when it had gained 499.79 points. Investor sentiment also got a shot in the arm after positive corporate earnings, brokers said.

Two year bonus and a minimum wage hike, but Left unions are not budging from their proposed strike on Friday.

The minimum wage for unskilled workers from Rs. 246 to Rs. 350 per day.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said central government employees will also receive the bonuses due to them for the last two years.  However, he said there is no question of the government reviewing its new relaxed rules for foreign investment.

The unions have since September last year been pushing for 12 major demands include raising the minimum wage. They are also opposed to the government allowing much more foreign investment in sectors like insurance and defense, where, they say, national security could be compromised.

US Secretary of State John Kerry is speaking at the opening plenary session with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

"This is the last time I have the privilege to lead this dialogue," says US Secretary of State Kerry. "But I'm very confident that we'll continue to strengthen what President Obama has called "defining partnership of the 21st century". India is hosting the Global Economic Summit in 2017, that's going to be an exciting event to be in. We hope to see our civil nuclear cooperation take shape in the form of new reactors that will deliver power to new households. We are working to bring new technologies to help India meet its ambitious renewable energy targets. Our commercial, economic ties are growing stronger; have further room to grow. Appreciate India's participation in the Our Oceans conference in Washington. Hope to bring the Paris Agreement into force soon," Kerry said.  

The Central Government has accepted most of the demands made by the central trade unions and bank employee unions, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley briefed the media about the development.

He said that the central government has accepted most of the demands made, and the government will be released for 2014-15. The government will release a revised bonus for two years for the government employees.

The bonus entitlement for 2014-15 to be released. Minimum  wage is now set at Rs 350/day against Rs 246 now, for non-agricultural workers.

The government met on Tuesday to discuss the demands made by the central government trade unions. It was attended by Power Minister Piyush Goyal and Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya.

Delhi: US Secretary of State John Kerry meets EAM Sushma Swaraj. Kerry is on a two-day visit to the country for the Second Indo-US Strategic and Commercial (S&C) dialogue.

No big rallies, no lengthy speeches, more one-on-ones, interactions with small groups, meetings with youth and women and farmers: This is what election strategist Prashant Kishor has prescribed for Rahul Gandhi's mahayatra in Uttar Pradesh, reports NDTV.

The Congress Vice President will hit the road on September 6 at Deoria in the east and travel through 39 districts of the state, covering 2,500 km in the nearly month-long exercise.

The focus groups, according to Kishor's strategy, are women, Brahmins and farmers.

Last time during the Lok Sabha polls, Rahul had addressed several rallies, and though he worked aggressively, the performance of his party was not bright.

After stock-taking exercises and several surveys the party felt that Rahul's strength lay not in oratory but in informal smaller interactions.And this is what the Congress Vice President will do. But he is also likely to stay in the state for over long periods rather than dashing in and out of Delhi.

Rahul is reaching Amethi on Wednesday for a three-day visit to his Amethi parliamentary constituency. "Will be in Amethi from 31st Aug-2nd Sept. Looking forward to meeting everyone!," he tweeted.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is "hell-bent on destroying Delhi", a furious Arvind Kejriwal charged in his tweets on Tuesday.

The Chief Minister is seething over the recent transfer of officers by Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung, who represents the centre in Delhi.

Kejriwal alleged that Jung ordered the transfers despite Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia "virtually falling at the Lt Governor's feet" and asking him not to remove officers involved in building mohalla (neighbourhood) clinics and schools.

@ArvindKejriwal tweeted, "Today, several officers transferred by LG directly. Files not even shown to CM or any minister. Is this Modi model of democracy?"

Earlier this month, the Lieutenant Governor had instructed that all transfers or postings of officers should be placed before him.Sisodia appealed to Jung that officers in charge of the Aam Aadmi Party government's scheme to set up neighbourhood clinics and schools shouldn't be removed.

The Lieutenant Governor said he was helpless and it was really the centre's decision, Sisodia said later.

In a shocking incident, a doctor's apathy claimed the life of a 12-year-old boy in Kanpur, after the doctors of  Hallet Hospital also called Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital refused to provide an ambulance and stretcher for the patient suffering from high fever and diarrhoea.

As patient was unwell his father took him to Hallet hospital which suggested that he be taken to a private hospital.

Seeing his condition, his father pleaded in front of the authorities to provide them with an ambulance, which the hospital refused.

The father was then forced to carry the boy on his shoulders and walk it to hospital, but unfortunately, he couldn't make it to the hospital on time and the boy passed away.

This comes days after a bone chilling incident from Odisha where a man carried the dead body of his wife on his shoulder for 10 km as he was denied an ambulance.

No action has been taken against the hospital authorities yet.

PM Narendra Modi at AJI-3 dam site of SAUNI project in Jamnagar district, Gujarat.

John Lennon's killer, Mark David Chapman, will stay in jail for two more years after his request for parole was denied for the nineth time. He was denied parole on August 24 by a three-member state parole board pannel, reported People magazine.

Chapman, 61, who shot Lennon dead in New York City on December 8, 1980, is currently serving 20 years to life in the maximum-security Wende Correctional Facility in Alden, New York, after pleading guilty in 1981 to second-degree murder.

Wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt today confirmed that his London Games men's 60kg freestyle bronze medal has upgraded to silver.   

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated the first phase of Saurashtra Narmada Avataran for Irrigation project in Jamnagar, Gujarat.

J-K CM Mehbooba Mufti addresses crowds in Srinagar on the unrest in the valley after Burhan Wani's killing. "The culture in Kashmir was that if by mistake our foot touched a notebook on the floor, we touched book to our forehead. Children should be in school, colleges, pursue careers, should not be used for throwing stones," she said.

Mufti's shoutout to Kashmir's children comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the issue of violence spreading in Jammu and Kashmir in his monthly radio address 'Mann Ki Baat' on Sunday.

Referring to the protests which were triggered by the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter with security forces on 8 July, PM Modi said, "Those who are using small children to further fuel violence in Kashmir, will have to answer to those children some day."

He also added that all the national parties had spoken 'in one voice' regarding the situation in Kashmir, and that unity and affection was the crux of all interactions he had had with them.

"Whatever happened in Kashmir, all the political parties spoke in one voice. They gave a message to the world as well as to the separatists while conveying our sensitivities towards Kashmir," he said.

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi will pay a three-day visit to his Amethi parliamentary constituency from tomorrow.

"Will be in Amethi from 31st Aug-2nd Sept. Looking forward to meeting everyone! (sic)," he tweeted. District Congress chief Yogendra Mishra said, "On Wednesday, Rahul would reach Amethi late in the evening."

The next day, he would meet people at Munshiganj guest house and address a public meeting in Jafarganj in Jagdishpur Assembly constituency. Rahul would also tour some villages, Mishra said.

On September 2, the Amethi MP would attend a meeting of district vigilance and monitoring committee before leaving for Delhi. The Amethi visit comes ahead of Rahul's proposed mahayatra from Deoria in eastern Uttar Pradesh to Delhi from September 6 traversing as many as 233 Assembly constituencies to reach out to people ahead of the crucial Uttar Pradesh polls slated for early next year.

The Congress Vice President would travel through 39 districts of Uttar Pradesh, covering 2,500 km in the nearly month-long exercise.


File pic of Rahul Gandhi in Amethi in 2009.

With Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to lead an all-party delegation to Kashmir on September 4, the Congress Party on Tuesday said that it has yet not received invitation from the side of the government.

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said that the Centre has yet not discussed the points to be raised in Kashmir and without being aware of the agenda, the grand old party cannot decide that whether it will be a part of all the all-party delegation or not.

"We have not yet received any invitation. And my party will take a stand after analyzing the governments agenda for Kashmir. After knowing the purpose of the visit and that what are the points he is going to raise there in advance, if they give all the details then only my party will take a decision to accompany the government delegation. Without knowing anything how can I say that we are going to participate in the delegation," said Kharge.


Image: Home minister Rajnath Singh and J-K CM Mehbooba Mufti in a joint presser in Srinagar last week. 

Iceland raised the alarm after its largest volcano was hit by the biggest tremors since 1977.

Two quakes larger than four in magnitude early Monday rocked the crater of Katla, the country's Met Office said in a statement.

That was followed by at least 10 more tremors at the volcano, which rises 1,450 metres (4,757 feet) into the air on the North Atlantic island's southern coast. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damages to property. Read more

US-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue begins. Commerce minister Nirmala Sitharaman and US secretary of commerce Penny Pritzker meet for strengthening Indo-US economic ties.

Marking a historic high in military-to-military relations, India and the US have signed a pact that will allow each nation to use the other's defence facilities to replenish warships, aircraft and land forces.

The pact was signed on Monday-Tuesday night Indian time during Indian defence minister Manohar Parrikar's visit to Washington DC on Monday.

Read more

With trade unions flat out refusing to cancel a massive strike called for Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held an emergency meeting this evening to discuss what assurance it can give them to make them change their mind.

The session was attended by Arun Jaitley, Piyush Goyal and Bandaru Dattatreya, who head the Finance, Power and Labour ministries.

Update on the Chinese embassy blast in Kyrgyzstan.

A powerful explosion rocked the Chinese embassy in the southern part of Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, after a car reportedly rammed the gates of the compound.

At least one person died in the explosion, Emergency Response headquarters confirmed to national news agency 24.kg.

Police confirmed receiving reports of the explosion, saying that first responders have already been dispatched to the site.


Image: Plumes of smoke rise from the Chinese embassy. The picture was tweeted by @sorok_dva

Sidhu's wife Navjyot Kaur criticises Punjab Congress Chief Amarinder Singh.

Explosion at Chinese embassy in Bishek, Kyrgyzstan leaves at least one dead, 2 wounded, Interfax cites local emergency ministry.

Initial reports say car blast took place on the premises of Chinese embassy in Kyrgyz Republic. Other reports say several people may be killed in the blast.

Image: A plume of smoke rises from the site of the explosion.

Novak Djokovic double-faulted, then shook his right arm and grimaced.Seconds later Monday night, a weak serve produced a wince from the US Open's defending champion, then was followed by a missed forehand that gave away a set -- the first set dropped by Djokovic in the first round of any Grand Slam tournament since 2010.While he managed to emerge with a 6-3, 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 victory over Jerzy Janowicz of Poland, there were plenty of signs of trouble, starting with a visit from a trainer who massaged Djokovic's bothersome arm after only five games.Asked about his health during an on-court interview, Djokovic deflected the question, saying, "I don't think it's necessary to talk about this now. I'm through. I'm taking it day by day.'

"We know many things are going to happen. People should be preparing for sea level rise, for increased cyclonic activity, for drought. One reason I wrote the book is to alert people to the dangers that they face. For example, Mumbai faces enormous threat."

Amitav Ghosh, one of India's finest writers, discusses climate change, with Rediff.com's Vaihayasi Pande Daniel. Do read

Delhi's great Persian scholar has died and with him, an entire line of learning. Author William Dalrymple met him while writing City of Djinns. Read

Wedding halls and prayer rooms have been turned into classrooms in Kashmir as families struggle to provide children with a normal life after more than 50 days of the Muslim-majority region's worst violence in years.

At least 68 civilians and two security officials have been killed and more than 9,000 people injured, according to official tallies, in clashes between protesters chaffing at Indian rule and security forces.

Authorities trying to stifle protests that erupted after a young militant leader was gunned down by the security forces on July 8 ordered schools and colleges to close two days later.

There's no sign of them re-opening.

Teacher Ghulam Rasool Kambay, seeing children becoming increasingly restless cooped up at home, decided to do something.

He opened a tutorial centre in a village on Aug. 3 and now has more than a dozen of them in villages in a district south of the region's main city of Srinagar.  Read the story here.


Representational image.

Himachal Pradesh: NH-05 blocked due to rockslide near Chaura village of Kinnaur district, since Monday night.

India's Saketh Myneni loses to Czech Jiri Vesely 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-2, 2-6, 5-7 in first round of the US Open.

A Swiss army fighter jet went missing over the Alps on Monday and is believed to have crashed, the defence ministry said, adding that a large-scale search and rescue operation had been launched.

The F/A-18 C single-seater had been taking part in a training exercise with a second plane when all radio contact with the pilot was suddenly cut at 4:05 pm , the ministry said in a statement on Monday.

'Since then, he has been declared missing,' it said.

The suspected crash site is in the area around the Susten Pass in the centre of the mountainous country, and is very difficult to access, the ministry said.

Two helicopters had initially taken part in the search, but as night fell and weather conditions worsened they were forced to land. The ministry said they would resume their flights as soon as the weather permitted, and that in the meantime, two ground crews of rescue workers and mountaineering experts were continuing the search.

'The military command's thoughts are with the pilot's family,' it said, adding that an investigation had been launched.

All flights from the Meiringen airbase in the central canton of Bern, where the missing plane had taken off from, had been grounded until noon (1000 GMT) on Tuesday, it said.

The suspected accident would be the latest in a string of crashes to befall the Swiss airforce.

Image for representation only.

A car driven by a woman high on drugs sparked several wildfires that consumed at least 450 acres in Northern California, forced evacuations and burned one home, authorities say.

The woman was driving on the right rear rim of her subcompact car, emitting sparks that caused the fires in Calaveras County, 65 miles southeast of Sacramento, The California Highway Patrol tells KCRA-TV.

One home was burned on Monday and many people were forced to leave their homes. The evacuation orders have since been lifted.

'We immediately smelled the smoke from the vehicle and looked and there was a fire on the corner of the property,' homeowner Eugene Brooks told the station.

Neighbors were left to help put out hot spots near their homes and said they were relieved the fire wasn't worse.

Renee Hogan was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, the CHP said.

The state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection says it has filed additional charges against Hogan related to the fires.

The fire is 30 percent contained. No one was injured. Hogan's car was torched by the flames. With wildfire season in full swing, Cal Fire is pleading with homeowners and drivers to be careful. There are some 11,500 firefighters battling a dozen large wildfires in California.AP

North Korea is calling a United Nations Security Council statement, strongly condemning its four latest ballistic missile launches, a hostile act perpetrated by the United States and is vowing to respond as a full-fledged military power.

A Foreign Ministry statement sent to UN correspondents on Monday reiterated a warning that the US rash act of finding fault with the Norths latest missile firing from a submarine on August 24 would only precipitate its self-destruction.

A press statement approved Friday night by all 15 Security Council members, including North Korea ally China, called the four launches in July and August grave violations of a ban on all ballistic missile activity.

North Koreas Foreign Ministry accused the US of instigating the statement to deter the countrys legitimate right to self-defence.

A 17-year-old schoolboy from Sri Lanka's central provincial town of Kadugannawa was on Monday arrested on charges that he had hacked into President Maithripala Sirisena's official website.

The arrest was made following a complaint by the presidential media division, police said.

The website was hacked two days in a row, on Thursday and Friday. The website went offline after the second attack.

Soon after the incident, the CID was tasked with carrying out the investigation with the assistance of the Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team, local media reported.

Presidential media officials said the first attack occurred on Thursday evening, when hackers attacked the site and posted a message in Sinhala.

In the message, the group, who called themselves the 'SriLankan Youth', requested Sirisena to reconsider the decision to hold the GCE Advanced Level Examination in April as it coincides with the Sinhala and Hindu New Year.

They urged the government to be more careful about cybersecurity and advised the president to hold a snap election.

The other demands were to stop the 'irresponsible conduct' of the Prime Minister and to be more attentive to the problems faced by university students.

Gene Wilder, the charming candy man in childrens favorite Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, has died. He was 83.

Wilders nephew said that the actor and writer died earlier this month in Stamford, Connecticut from complications from Alzheimers disease.

The frizzy-haired actor was a master at playing panicked characters

He starred in such comedy classics as Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles.

Hillary Clinton's top aide Huma Abedin, whose father is from India and mother from Pakistan, has filed for separation from her husband Anthony Weiner in the wake of a new report that the former New York congressman had been involved in yet another sexting scandal.

Abedin's decision to separate comes in the immediate aftermath of the The New York Post report that Weiner had sent explicit photos with his toddler son in the background to a woman.

'After long and painful consideration and work on my marriage, I have made the decision to separate from my husband,' Abedin said in a statement.

In a report published yesterday, The Post said: 'While Abedin travels the country campaigning for Democratic presidential candidate Clinton, the ex-congressman was exchanging lewd and sexually explicit texts and photographs with an unidentified woman last year.'

Weiner, a seven-term democrat, had resigned in 2011 after it was disclosed he had been sending lewd messages to random women online.

According to the report, the woman, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the electronic chats between her and Weiner began in late January 2015 and continued through earlier this month.

Asked for comment, Weiner said in the report that he and the woman 'have been friends for some time'.

'She has asked me not to comment except to say that our conversations were private, often included pictures of her nieces and nephews and my son and were always appropriate,' he said.

Abedin, 40 and currently vice chairwoman of the Clinton Campaign, married Weiner in 2010. In December 2011, she gave birth to a boy Jordan Zain Weiner.