Shiv Sena today said that India should hold talks with Pakistan only after the arrest and handing over of Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Maulana Masood Azhar by Islamabad to New Delhi for his terror acts.

Party leader Sanjay Raut said that it has been the 'consistent' position of the Sena that Masood Azhar should be first handed over to India to make the atmosphere conducive for talks between the two countries.

"It is the usual game being played by Pakistan of detaining some people, arresting them and then releasing them and later letting them off. It had also happened after the 26/11 Mumbai terror strikes," he said.

Pakistan today asked India to provide adequate security to the Pakistan International Airlines offices in the country and take action against 'miscreants' who allegedly vandalized the office of Pakistan's national carrier in New Delhi.

"The Pakistan High Commission immediately took up the matter with the ministry of external affairs, asking them to provide adequate security to the PIA offices in New Delhi and Mumbai, as well as to take action against the miscreants," a spokesperson of the Pakistan Foreign Office said in a statement.

"We have been assured by the Indian government that it would take all the necessary steps for the security of the PIA offices in India," the statement said.

The four activists of right-wing Hindu Sena today went to all the three rooms in the PIA office in New Delhi, vandalising furniture and computers.

Kerala today honoured Pakistani ghazal legend Ghulam Ali, as Shiv Sena activists staged a demonstration near the venue where the maestro is scheduled to perform tomorrow.

In his acceptance speech, Ghulam Ali, whose concert in Mumbai had to be cancelled last year following protests by Shiv Sena, remarked that this day was very important for him in his 55 years of singing career.

"I am so happy today. I have not received so much love and affection before. I started singing on stage 55 years ago, due to the love and affection shown to me, this day is very important for me," Ali said in the presence of a galaxy of state leaders, including Chief Minister Oommen Chandy

Terror group Islamic State on Thursday officially claimed responsibility for a gun and bomb assault in the centre of Jakarta earlier in the day that killed seven people, five of whom were attackers.

'A group of soldiers of the caliphate in Indonesia targeted a gathering from the crusader alliance that fights the Islamic State in Jakarta through planting several explosive devices that went off as four of the soldiers attacked with light weapons and explosive belts,' the group said in a statement.

The Delhi high court today said the odd-even scheme of the Aam Aadmi Party government was a success to some extent as the idea had appealed to the people and not because of the Rs 2,000 fine imposed for violations.

A bench of justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and Sanjeev Sachdeva said that while the decrease in pollution levels due to the scheme might have been marginal, but it had some 'good side-effects' like reduction in congestion on roads and people's participation.

It made the observation in response to the submission of Delhi Traffic Police that the scheme was successful mainly due to the fine payable for violation.

The traffic police made the submission while defending itself against the court's assertion that its officers do not take action against violators, especially those who jump carriageways and move into oncoming lanes to get ahead during jams. Such conduct makes the traffic situation worse, the bench said.

Justice Ahmed also said he and his family missed out on a movie after they were stuck in a jam and reached the theatre three hours after leaving home when usually the journey would have taken them only 40 minutes.

DCP Romil Baaniya (Traffic HQ) said small fines of Rs 100 are not a deterrent so despite the large number of challans it has issued against violators, such violations continue.

He said there was a need to re-work the fines that can be imposed for traffic violations and sought directions from the court to the Centre in this regard.

The bench, however, refused to pass any such order.

The Revenant, Bridge of Spies, Big Short, Brooklyn, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Martian, Room, and  Spotlight.

A local court in Mumbai on Thursday allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation to question afresh Indrani Mukerjea and two other arrested accused in the Sheena Bora murder case.

"We want to question Indrani, her former husband Sanjeev Khanna and her driver Shyam Rai in jail," said a CBI official.

Judge H S Mahajan of the special court for the CBI cases granted the agency's plea.

The Esplanade magistrate's court, however, directed the CBI to produce the order of the sessions court (special CBI court) for obtaining a similar order for Peter Mukerjea, Indrani's husband, who was arrested later in the case.

The CBI in its plea said the facts disclosed by Indrani and two others needed to be 'checked and verified' with Peter.

"The magistrate's court reserved its order (on questioning Peter) till tomorrow," said Peter's lawyer Kushal Mor.

The CBI has not yet filedcharge sheet against Peter, so his case has not been transferred to the special CBI court.

Just in: Gunshot heard at Golden temple, Amritsar. Early reports say that a stray bullet injures a temple employee. Police are investigating the incident. Details awaited.

In memory of Alan Rickman: every Severus Snape scene in chronological order. Take a look.

Stating that the economy is losing momentum, brokerage firm Ambit Capital today said the benchmark Sensex is yet to bottom out and can fall to 22,000 level in the "foreseeable future".

Weak corporate earnings as well as low investments by foreign investors into India-focused funds could bring down the Sensex in the near term, its Chief Executive for Institutional Equities Saurabh Mukherjea said.

"There is a high probability that we will see the Sensex at 22,000 level in the foreseeable future," he said. The Sensex, which began the year at 26,160.90 level, has shed nearly 1,400 points or over 5 per cent following renewed worries over the health of Chinese economy, which forced both the World Bank and IMF to lower their global growth outlooks.

The market has fallen even below the levels when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was sworn in on May 26, 2014 and closed 2015 with a 5 per cent loss, a first in the past four years.

Alan Rickman, one of the best-loved and most warmly admired British actors of the past 30 years, has died in London aged 69. His death was confirmed on Thursday by his family.

Rickman had been suffering from cancer, reports the Guardian.

A star whose arch features and languid diction were recognisable across the generations, Rickman found a fresh legion of fans with his role as Professor Snape in the Harry Potter films.

But the actor had been a big-screen staple since first shooting to global acclaim in 1988, when he starred as Hans Gruber, Bruce Willis's sardonic, dastardly adversary in Die Hard -- a part he was offered two days after arriving in Los Angeles, aged 41.

Watch major Titan is all set to enter the smartwatch segment to give its consumers a connected timepiece option. The company is coming up with its first ever smartwatch in January in collaboration with technology company HP.

Members of a right-wing group allegedly vandalised the office of Pakistan International Airlines today near Barakhamba Road in New Delhi. The incident took place around noon following which police were informed and a team was rushed to the spot, said a police official.

DCP (New Delhi) Jatin Narwal confirmed the development and said that appropriate action will follow. Preliminary investigation suggests that the accused are associates of the person who had called up the police last year regarding "beef" being served at Kerala House here, an official said.

While the MEA holds a briefing saying India is upbeat about Pakistan sending a SIT to probe the Pathankot attack, the Pakistani anti-terrorism court hearing the 2008 Mumbai attack case has rejected the prosecutions plea to form a commission to examine the boat used by the 10 LeT terrorists to reach the Indian coast.


The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Islamabad which held the hearing at the Adiala Jail Rawalpindi yesterday dismissed the plea of the prosecution seeking formation of a commission to examine the boat Al-Fauz used by alleged terrorists of Mumbai attacks, a court official said.

On its last hearing on January 6, the court had reserved the verdict after hearing the arguments of the prosecution and defence lawyers over the matter.

The court also summoned four witnesses for next hearing on January 20, the official said. The prosecution had filed the application seeking formation of a commission to examine the boat Al-Fauz used by alleged terrorists of Mumbai attacks so that the vessel could be made case property.

Al-Fauz is in the custody of the Pakistani authorities in the port city of Karachi, from where the 10 militants, armed with AK-47 assault rifles and hand grenades, had left for India to carry out the Mumbai attack in 2008. According to the Federal Investigation Agency, the alleged attackers used three boats including Al Fauz to reach Mumbai from Karachi.  

The MEA briefing on the Pathankot attack and the Indo-Pak talks.

MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup says India welcomes Pakistan's decision to send a SIT on the Pathankot attack.

-- We look forward to the Pakistan SIT visit.
-- We welcome the statement issued by the Pak Govt on investigations into the Pathankot Attack. Statement conveys considerable progress has been made.
-- We have no information regarding Masood Azhar's arrest.
-- The two NSAs have not met.
-- We are not aware of any NSA level talks.
-- NSAs have been on regular touch.
-- We welcome the arrest of the Jaish operatives. 
-- The two foreign secretaries have spoken to each other and have agreed to reschedule the talks. 
--  Foreign Secretary level talks is a separate track, the SIT on Pathankot is a separate track. Don't link the two.
-- The FS talks will be held in the near future.
-- Actionable intelligence has been given to Pakistan.
-- If needed we will give more proof to Pakistan.
-- No let-up on 26/11 trial. India has not drawn back from the pressure to arrest Hafeez Saeed.

India may have a selfie-loving prime minister, Narendra Modi, but Indians in general seem to be bad at selfie safety. Of at least 27 "selfie related' deaths around the world last year, about half occurred in India, reports show. Read

MEA briefing on the status of the Indo-Pak foreign secretary meeting any time now.

Just In: Hindu Sena activists vandalise Pak International Airlines Office in Delhi

A Charlie Hebdo cartoon has been causing some serious unrest on Twitter.

A week after the satircial magizine marked a year since the horrific terrorist attack on its offices in Paris, it's back in the limelight after printing a drawing of Aylan Kurdi, theSyrian boy who was found dead and washed up on a beach in Turkey.

The cartoon shows two men chasing a pair of women, their hands outstretched towards the girls' bottoms. It says in French, "What would little Aylan have grown up to be? Ass groper in Germany."

The cartoon refers to the recent sexual attacks in Cologne, perpetrated by men some of whom were asylum seekers.

Social media users thought it was openly racist, with @nicolaskb tweeting, "Charlie Hebdo staff becomes openly racist, writes "What if Aylan had lived? He'd have groped women in Germany".

@hira_haroon shared her outrage, "The unbelievably sick Charlie Hebdo, making fun of Aylan Kurdi, once again. Shameless!"

The terrorists were armed with AK-47s, grenades, pistols, knives, many rounds of ammunition.
Sepoy Jagdish Chand's weapons were his bare hands and enormous courage. He died, but not before he had felled one of India's enemies.
Archana Masih/Rediff.com speaks to the family of Sepoy Jagdish Chand, one of the 7 soldiers martyred in the terrorist attack on the Pathankot Air Force Station. Read more

Here's more reason to love Roger Federer. The 17-time Grand Slam winner  donated NICU beds to Sydney Children Hospital.

Australia's iconic Sydney Opera House, one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country, was cordoned off today after "information on social media" sparked a security scare before police declared the area safe.

"Following information on social media, police conducted an operation in the vicinity of the Opera House and Manly as a precautionary measure," police said after concluding operations in the area.

The forecourt of the Opera House was evacuated at around 2 pm (local time) and police erected metal barriers. All tours of the Opera House were also cancelled for the day and ferries were either delayed or cancelled. Crowds were told to leave the area as officers searched the landmark for an undisclosed object, the Daily Telegraph reported.

Indian-origin tycoon Ketan Somaia was yesterday ordered to pay back a record 38.6 million (around Rs 375 crore) and called "a formidable and serial fraudsman on a truly Olympian scale" by an Old Bailey judge in London.

But in his heyday, before he was rumbled as a con artist, Somaia built up his credibility by posting photographs of himself, sometimes with his wife Alka, with Subhash Ghai, Rakesh Roshan, Rishi Kapoor, Anupam Kher, Randhir Kapoor, Salman Khan and other Bollywood actors.

Somaia, 53, who was born in Kenya and became a resident of the UK in 2009, managed to get a photograph of himself with the spiritual leader Pramukh Swami in Ahmedabad. Read

The external affairs ministry will hold a press briefing on the status of the foreign secretary level talks at 4 pm today. The Pakistan foreign office has announced that the Indo-Pak foreign secretary level talks will be rescheduled. The talks were supposed to have been held tomorrow. This comes after the Pakistan office did not confirm JeM chief Masood Azhar's detention yesterday. Pakistan says it will need more information from India for his detention. Islamabad also says that the NSA talks will be held before the foreign secretary level talks.

Comedy Nights With Kapil actor Kiku Sharda aka 'Palak', who was arrested for mimicking Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on his show, has been released. He had been sent to 14 days judicial custody in Kaithal, Haryana, yesterday.

Kiku was arrested for allegedly hurting the sentiments of the self-styled godman's followers.


On his release today, Kiku said, "We should not cross lines. I have different ways to create humour, will make use of them in future. I have done clean comedy in the past, I never like to do sensational stuff. I'm sad as it has hurt certain people."


Sharda will be questioned by cops in connection with a separate case at Fatehabad, filed against him by a dera follower..

Tributes being paid to 1971 Bangladesh liberation war hero Lt Gen JFR Jacob.

Lt General JFR Jacob was a warm, affable, gentleman who could suddenly turn very candid. Royal, always anecdotal, his heart was rooted to see a secure and militarily strong India. Often we would discuss anything under the sun on mail. Tarun Vijay pays tribute to an ever ready soldier. Read

British music legend David Bowie has reportedly been secretly cremated in New York without any of his family or friends present. The musician, who died at the age of 69 after losing his 18 month battle with cancer, had apparently told his family that he wanted to "go without any fuss" and they honoured his wish, reported the Daily Mirror quoting a source.

The singer had also kept his fight with cancer a secret from fans and had told his family to not have a funeral or public memorial.

"There is no public or private service or a public memorial. There is nothing," the source added.

There has been an outpouring of tributes from fans since Bowie's death on Sunday which came as a shock to many as the singer had just released his music album 'Blackstar' on his birthday, just two days before his death.

However, it seems unlikely that there would be a funeral as his body was quietly cremated shortly after he died.

Indonesia Chief Security Minister Luhut Panjaitan confirms that a Dutch citizen is among the dead.

Starbucks has issued this statement announcing all their stores across Jakarta will be closed "out of an abundance of caution'.

"We are deeply saddened by the senseless acts that have taken place in Jakarta today; our hearts are with the people of Indonesia. Amidst reports of attacks targeting police posts throughout central Jakarta, initial reports are that an explosion took place close to our store in the Skyline building near one of these police posts. One customer sustained injuries and was treated on the scene; our partners (employees) are all confirmed to be safe. This store and all other Starbucks stores in Jakarta will remain closed, out of an abundance of caution, until further notice. We are monitoring this situation closely, and will provide additional information as it becomes available."

Omar Abdullah @abdullah_omar  tweets: No arrest of Masood Azhar; no FS talks tomorrow, no government in J&K. Too many noes.

PDP sets conditions to continue alliance with BJP for government formation in Jammu and Kashmir.

Jakarta Police say they've cleared the building of attackers. 

Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha says the Union Budget for 2016-17 will be presented on February 29.

Just in: The Indo-Pak foreign secretary level talks will be rescheduled, says Pakistan. The talks were supposed to have been held tomorrow. This comes after the Pakistan office did not confirm JeM chief Masood Azhar's detention yesterday. Pakistan says it will need more information from India for his detention. Islamabad also says that the NSA talks will be held before the foreign secretary level talks.

Like many of my fellow citizens, I am alarmed at the proposal of the Speaker of the Lok Sabha for building a new Parliament House. This is an idea that had been raised earlier. In 2008, the then Speaker of the Lok Sabha, had mooted a similar proposal but, thankfully, it did not find many takers and faded away. The danger, this time, is that even though major political parties have differences about important national issues, there seems to be a silent consensus among these parties regarding the need for a new Parliament building, with some notable exceptions.

Read more

Terror tourism: A policeman shoos away a man taking a picture of two people killed in the terror attack in Jakarta. So far, four civilians (no clarity yet whether they were innocent bystanders or terrorists) and three cops were killed in the attack. 

-- Bomb blasts have rocked central Jakarta, Indonesia, as police say a suicide bomber was responsible for at least one.
-- It has been reported at least seven people - three police officers and four civilians - were dead following explosions.
-- Police say suspects were seen throwing grenades off of motorbikes before the attacks took place. 
-- Indonesian President Joko Widodo has ordered security forces to hunt down the people behind the deadly attacks. 

Ruli Koestaman, 32, who had been in a meeting in a nearby building, said the attack started around 10:35am (local time). "Then I heard a loud bang, boom. It felt like an earthquake. We all went downstairs," he said. "We then saw that the Starbucks downstairs was destroyed too. I saw a foreigner, Westerner, a man, with a mangled hand but alive. "A Starbucks waiter then ran out with blood coming out of his ear. And I asked anyone hurt inside, he said yes, one. Dead already. "Then everybody gathered and a terrorist appeared. He had a gun and started shooting at us and then at Starbucks. Then the police post... exploded." Koestaman said the attacker shot at a reporter who was at the scene. "Police then started to shoot at the guy, who kept reloading his gun. And then there was another explosion. Then shootings."

Pic: An explosion at the car park outside Starbucks at the Skyline building adjacent to the Sarinah mall.

Meanwhile in Turkey, five people were killed and 39 wounded today in a car bomb attack by Kurdish militants on a police station and adjacent housing for officers in the southeastern part of the country, the provincial governorate said.

Two people were killed in an initial car bomb attack by the Kurdistan Workers Party in the town of Cinar while three more lost their lives when a building collapsed due to the damage sustained, the governor's office of Diyarbakir province said in a statement.

Images published by Turkish media showed the late night blast caused huge damage to the residential building used by the police officers and their families, with the entire outer wall blown out. Both police and civilians were wounded but initial reports said all those killed were civilians.

The governor's office said that 14 people were injured in the initial bomb blast while 25 were wounded by the collapse of the building, including five who had been rescued from the rubble by emergency teams.

Tanks have been deployed in Jakarta where a hunt is underway for gunmen after several blasts.

At least six people, including a policeman, are dead after militants carried out a series of apparently coordinated gun and bomb attacks in the heart of the Indonesian capital of Jakarta. There have so far been no claims of responsibility, but one analyst likened the timed attacks to the Paris massacre where gunmen struck several locations at the same time.

Police say at least 14 militants including suicide bombers may have been involved.

Pic courtesy: The Straits Times, Singapore.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo, widely known as Jokowi, has said, "We don't have to be afraid. We will not be defeated by acts of terror like this."

According to the official Jakarta police Twitter account one explosion went off in front of a shopping centre called the Sarinah mall, on a main city avenue.

Media said a police post outside the mall was blown up."I saw a police officer shot right in front of me," one witness told TV One.

A witness told the Associated Press that a group of at least three suicide bombers attacked the Starbucks, while two gunmen assaulted the police post.


Pic: People flee the area around the Sarinah mall where one explosion went off.

A body of one the six people who were killed. Reports now say that police are not sure if the civilians killed in the attack were innocent bystanders or terrorists.  

This is the first major attack on Jakarta since the 2009 Marriot and Ritz hotels bombings.

Police said they suspected a suicide bomber was responsible for at least one of the blasts and up to 14 terrorists were involved in the attack, Metro TV reported.

"The Starbucks cafe windows are blown out. I see three dead people on the road. There has been a lull in the shooting but someone is on the roof of the building and police are aiming their guns at him," said a Reuters photographer.

Indonesia has been on edge in recent weeks over the threat posed by Islamist militants and counter-terrorism police have launched a crackdown on people with suspected links to Islamic State.


Pic: Reports say that one of the attackers were engaged by the Indonesian police.

What we have so far on the Jakarta terror attack:

Three policemen and three civilians were killed as six bombs exploded between 10 and 11 am in an area close to the presidential palace and a UN office complex. Terrorists are allegedly hiding in a threatre complex which has restaurants, but officials have not confirmed any hostage crisis.

Indonesian TV has reported three more explosions outside the Pakistani and Turkish embassies.

After the blasts, there were gunshots and massive police presence outside the popular Sarinah shopping mall.Media reports said 10 to 15 attackers entered the city on motorcycles, armed with guns and explosives.

Visuals showed bodies lying on the road near a Starbucks Cafe and smoke around buildings. People were seen running or hiding behind cars.

The number of fatalities in Jakarta attack has now risen up to 6. According to eyewitnesses, the attackers came in on motorcycles throwing grenades. Explosions can still be heard across the city. The suspects are still on the loose.

Four people have died in the bomb blasts until now, with some police sources saying that it was grenade explosions, and not bombs. Earlier reports have claimed that there have been a total of six blasts in the surrounding area of the Sarinah mall.

Another explosion has been heard outside the Starbucks restaurant near the Sarinah Mall in Jakarta. A video clip showed a gun-toting man exiting the mall.

Meanwhile, the iconic Opera House in Sydney has been evacuated following some information ion the social media. People were evacuated from the Opera House, but they didn't confirm the nature of the incident.

According to several reports and eyewitnesses, gunfire was heard following the explosions. Some people claim that the blast came from a suicide bomber. 

JUST IN: Multiple blasts have been heard outside a police station in Indonesia's capital Jakarta, according to ABC news. Three people have been reportedly killed in the blasts.

According to several reports, the blast site is in a highly-secure area, which houses government offices, and several embassies.

Thousands of devotees thronged the 'Har ki Pauri' ghat in Haridwar to take first festive bath on the occasion of Makar Sankranti during the Ardh Kumbh mela on Thursday morning.

Press Council of India's chief Markandey Katju seems to have an opinion on almost everything. This is what he has to say about Masood Azhar's arrest:

The decision on India-Pakistan foreign secretary-level talks will be taken today, after National Security Adviser Ajit Doval returns from Paris, according to media reports.

Hardik Patel, a leader seeking quota for the Patel Community, was on Wednesday sent to in police custody till January 15 by Mehsana district courts in connection with rioting and assault.Hardik has been lodged in the Lajpore Jail for over past three months.

Commenting on media reports on the arrest of Jaish-e-Muhammad chief Maulana Masood Azhar in connection with the Pathankot terrorist attack, Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to put pressure on Pakistan to prosecute the JeM chief.