Subhash Chandra has resigned from the post of Director and Non-Executive Chairman of Zee Media. In a filing to the BSE, Zee Media said that its board in a meeting held today "took on record the resignation of Dr. Subhash Chandra as Director & Non-Executive Chairman of the Company with effect from May 24, 2016."

The External Affairs ministry is trying to bring back an Indian boy from Jessore in Bangladesh, after he was said to have gone missing from Delhi in 2010. 

A newborn baby died here today shortly after being born on the footpath outside a government hospital, with the mother alleging that hospital authorities denied her admission seeking proof of her marriage.

The defence ministry is now looking for an alternative for the chopper-scam-tainted Italian defence conglomerate Finmeccanica's heavy weight torpedos for the Scorpene submarines.

Defence sources said the proposal to acquire 98 Black Shark torpedoes for the six under construction French Scorpene submarines for a price of Rs 1,200 crore has been nixed.

"There is an alternate that is being worked on," the sources said, adding that the SeaHake torpedos from Germany's Atlas Elektronik could be an option.

Black Shark torpedoes, made by Whitehead Alenia Sistemi Subacquei (WASS), a subsidiary of Finmeccanica, had emerged the lowest bidder to arm the Scorpene submarines, the first of which will be handed over to the Navy by September this year.

However, the proposal to acquire it had been stuck because of the VVIP chopper scam.

Veteran India seamer Ashish Nehra will soon undergo a surgery to treat a 'high-grade tendon injury' he had suffered on his right knee during an Indian Premier League match earlier this month.

Spearheading the Sunrisers Hyderabad attack, the 37-year-old Nehra sustained a hamstring tendon injury during their IPL match against Kings XI Punjab on May 15, ruling him out of the rest of the tournament.

'BCCI medical team confirms that India medium pacer, Ashish Nehra, injured his right knee during the Indian Premier League 2016. Assessment and investigation by BCCI medical staff revealed Nehra sustained a high-grade tendon injury and was recommended to consult Dr. Andrew Williams, orthopedic specialist in London. Post consultation, Dr. Williams has advised surgery on his right knee, which will take place shortly,' Indian Cricket Board secretary Ajay Shirke said in a statement.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and most of his ministerial colleagues are expected to attend an event at India Gate to be hosted by mega star Amitabh Bachhan on May 28 to mark the second anniversary of the government.


The government is organising the event-- 'Zara Muskura Do' (Smile Please)-- which will have several performances and programmes highlighting its "achievements".


The show will be beamed across the country by Doordarshan. Various schemes and programmes, particularly Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Digital India and Rural Electrification, will be highlighted during the show. Programmes to mark the completion of Modi government's second year in office will also be held in various other cities.


The government had formed a panel of ministers, headed by Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu and comprising Union ministers Nitin Gadkari, Piyush Goyal and Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, to supervise preparations for the show.


The panel has had extensive discussions regarding the government schemes which need to be highlighted. Last year, the Modi government had celebrated its first year in office with a tagline 'Saal Ek, Shuruaat Anek'.


The Information and Broadcasting Ministry had asked various ministries to provide details of their achievements. BJP has also planned to hold over 200 events across the country between May 26 and June 10 to highlight the government's "successes" and Modi is likely to address rallies in different places, starting with an address in Saharanpur on May 26.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's travel expenses came under fresh scrutiny today ahead of the expected release of an official report into alleged overcharging and other matters.

The state comptroller's report covers 2003-05, when Netanyahu was finance minister, and concerns five foreign trips, some with his wife and children, Israeli media reported.

State Comptroller Yosef Shapira, who is tasked with overseeing the use of public funds, was investigating allegations of double billing of flights, reported the Haaretz and Yedioth Ahronoth daily newspapers -- both hostile to Netanyahu.

The report, expected to be released later today, is said to note a 'lack of clarity' over bonus points earned on flights by the Israeli company El Al during official trips, they reported.

The bonus points were allegedly used by Netanyahu's relatives for private travel.

Ahead of the President's visit, China and India have completed their administrative process of having consulates in Chennai and Chengdu to better interactions at the regional level. President Pranab Mukherjee was briefed about the progress made by the two countries in establishing a number of sister city agreements between Chennai-Chongqing, Hyderabad-Qingdao and Aurangabad-Dunhuang. 

It is on board the Air India One (the  that journalists accompanying President Pranab Mukherjee on his foreign tours can catch a glimpse what a warm, jocular person he is. 

R Rajagopalan who is accompanying the president on his 4-day visit to China said that the President observed that Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar has been literally hopping on and off flights. Jaishankar who was with Prime Minister Modi during his historic visit to Iran touched down in New Delhi at 2 am and was ready to board the Air India One again at 10:30 am with the President.

He asked the foreign secretary to sit in the empty seat next to him, but Jaishankar stood aside as the seat next to the President is meant for the Union Minister in-waiting. But Santosh Gangwar who is the union minister in-waiting choose to remain seated at his place. Clearly, the foreign secretary is a stickler for protocol.

The president spent a few minutes with the media delegation accompanying him and was in his usual jovial mood.


Pic: The President with his daughter Sharmishtha Mukherjee land at Guangzhou

President Pranab Mukherjee who is on a four-day visit to China has reached Guangzhou, the first leg of the state visit. It's interesting to note that this time last year PM Narendra Modi had spent three days in China. Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Smriti Irani, Prakash Javdekar, General VK Singh have also visited China. These visits ahead of the President's visit has certainly ensured a cordial atmosphere exists not only for border talks but also for the President's pet project -- attracting Chinese  investment in education in India.

This is evident from the fact is that six vice chancellors from Indian universities, including Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir and IIT,  IIM directors of Delhi, Bhubaneshwar and Kolkata are part of the high-level delegation.

R Rajagopalan/Rediff.com reporting from Guangzhou.


Image: President Pranab Mukherjee is received by the officials of the People's Republic of China on his arrival at Guangzhou.

Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal speaking now: "I am grateful to you for electing us," he says.

The Central government believes in cooperative federalism. Want to give the states maximum strength & enable them to progress. Assam jitna daudegi, Delhi sarkar bhi usse ek kadam zyada daudne ka prayaas karegi: PM Modi.

That's PM Modi greeting NDA CMs.  In the line-up are Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal, AP CM Chandrababu Naidu, MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje Scindia.

PM Modi speaking now. He speaks in Assamese to chants of 'Modi Modi'. Modi says the tribal society can take pride in Sonowal. "Simplicity is a part of Sonowal's body language. The Centre believes in competitive federalism and I thank the people of Assam for choosing development."

BJP president Amit Shah says 14 NDA CMs are at the swearing in and include Goa CM Parsekar, Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh, MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje Scindia. Shah says Sonowal will take Assam to new heights and said he was grateful to the people of Assam for the mandate.

Sarbananda Sonowal receives PM Modi at Guwahati airport ahead of the swearing in. 

TN CM J Jayalalithaa issues a clarification over the seating issue of DMK treasurer and leader of the opposition in the assembly MK Stalin at the swearing-in ceremony yesterday. Stalin was seated in the 16th row, much to the chagrin of the DMK. The CM's office said, "Jayalalithaa wasn't informed of Stalin attending the event. If Jaya had known of Stalin attending the event, she would've relaxed the protocol and arranged a seat for him in the 1st row."

BJP spokesperson Ram Madhav tweets this picture saying, @rammadhavbjp  Massive crowds throng d oath taking ceremony at Guwahati.

Huge moment for the BJP, since this is the party's first government in the north-east. 

Former CM Tarun Gogoi in attendance at the oath taking ceremony of the Assam CM and the Council of Ministers.  Gogoi, who was chief minister of Assam for 15 years before being vanquished by the BJP last week was personally invited by Sonowal. Next to Gogoi is Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal. His son and deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal is also expected to attend the swearing in.

Rebel Congress leader Himanta Sarma who joined the BJP takes oath. He has also been inducted into the cabinet, but the portfolios are not going to be decided today.  Sarma has been lauded as a key strategist enabling the BJP win.

Along with the PM are Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal of the Akali Dal and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu of the Telugu Desam Party. The new chief minister is expected to be sworn in along with 10 ministers, including Himanta Biswa Sarma, the leader who crossed over to the BJP from the Congress last year and is credited with adding much fire power to the BJP's campaign in this election.

The Prime Minister has arrived for the oath taking ceremony of the new Assam council of ministers. BJP president Amit Shah and several union ministers are in Assam for the oath ceremony of Sarbananda Sonowal. The ceremony is especially important to the BJP since it is the first BJP government in the North East.

Sarabanda Sonowal sworn in as Assam CM as PM watches. Sonowal takes the oath in Assamese. 

Veteran journalist Ashutosh Narayan has put in his papers at IBN 7 after being associated with the media house for nearly a decade. As Associate Executive Editor at IBN 7, Narayan was overseeing editorial content at the channel. Narayan has earlier served stints at Star News and Aaj Tak. According to available information, Narayan is slated to join the PMO team as Media Research Specialist, reports Exchange4Media.com. 

Another picture of the plane after it made an emergency landing at Khair village in Najafgarh near Delhi. All the seven passengers including the doctor (it was an air ambulance) have been rushed to the Rao Tularam hospital, the police said adding, one person sustained major injuries.

Just in: An air ambulance with seven people on board has made an emergency belly-landing in a field at Najafgarh near Delhi. The pilot called the air traffic controller immediately after the plane landed, say reports. The plane was on its way from Patna to Delhi and went down in Khair village, possibly because of an engine failure, but no confirmations on the exact cause of why the incident happened. No casualties, so far, but two of the seven people on board are injured. All the passengers have been rushed to hospital. The plane, a Beech KingAir C-90 belonged to Alchemist Airways. More details awaited.

The Amul ad that most of India agrees with.

Just in: EgyptAir 804 Crash: Egyptian Forensic officials say human remains recovered point to an explosion on board. The Airbus A320 was en route from Paris to Cairo with 66 people aboard when it vanished from radar early on May 19.

Greece's defence minister said the plane turned 90 degrees then 360-degrees before plummeting into the sea. Neither EgyptAir nor the Ministry of Civil Aviation have commented on the plane's final movements.Greece's defence minister Panos Kammenos had said the radar showed the Airbus A320 making two sharp turns and dropping more than 25,000ft (7,620m) before plunging into the Mediterranean Sea.Greek aviation officials had said air traffic controllers spoke to the pilot when he entered Greek airspace and everything appeared normal.


They tried to contact him again at 02:27 Cairo time, as the plane was set to enter Egyptian airspace, but "despite repeated calls, the aircraft did not respond".


Pic: Unidentified relatives and friends of passengers of the EgyptAir plane wait outside the EgyptAir in-flight service in Cairo.

The CBI today carried out searches at the prestigious Viswa Bharati University in Santiniketan in connection with alleged irregularities committed by a former Vice-Chancellor.

CBI sources said searches started at seven places this morning after the agency registered a case on a reference received from the Central government in this regard. It is alleged that UGC guidelines were not followed in the appointment process during the tenure of a former Vice-Chancellor, the sources said. The University was founded by Rabindranath Tagore.

Women in India earn 18.8 per cent less than men, higher than the global average, largely due to lack of representation in highest-paying job functions and industries, says a report.


According to Korn Ferry Hay Group, women globally earn 17.6 per cent less than men and the figure for India stands higher at 18.8 per cent. The global study by the group's PayNet database tracked and analysed gender and pay for more than 8 million employees in 33 countries, including 57,000 job holders in India.

"Our data shows that when it comes to thinking about pay on the basis of gender, a man and a woman in the same company, doing the same job, will usually be paid nearly the same '" but still favouring men by 1.6 per cent," Ben Frost, a global reward expert at Hay Group said, adding that the data shows this very consistently, from Sweden to South Africa.

In India, for the similar job levels and functions the pay gap, however, is 3.5 per cent. The gender pay gap impacts companies almost identically across the globe, the report said. However, it added, firms are perhaps looking for a solution in the wrong places. "The biggest driver of the pay gap is a lack of women in high-paying industries, senior functions and in leadership positions. If we want to close the pay gap and make a difference, it is the road to the top jobs that needs to be the focus. This is the pay gap problem," Frost said.

The number of women found in highest-paying industries (like oil & gas, technology and life sciences) is lacking. Furthermore, even in lower-paying sectors where women dominate '" such as hospitality and tourism '" men still hold the vast majority of management and executive roles '" the highest paid jobs within any industry.

In a bid to ensure that Olympic medallists get immediate recognition, the Sports Ministry said medal winners from the upcoming Rio Games will be considered for this year's Khel Ratna and Arjuna Awards.


The ministry the decision has been taken so that athletes need not wait for one full year after their medal-winning performances at the Olympic Games.


The medal winners in individual events who have already not been conferred with Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna in the past will be considered for the highest sporting honour.


"Medal winners in team events, who have played stellar roles in the medal won by the team for the country in Rio Olympics 2016 such as number of goals scored, number of goals saved etc., and who have already not been conferred with Arjuna Award in the past will be considered for Arjuna Awards," the Ministry said.


As per the existing provisions of the schemes of Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and Arjuna Awards, sports achievements of the sportspersons for the last four years preceding the year of award, i.e., sports achievements during the period 2011 to 2015 are to be considered.

In a landmark judgement, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has ruled that the family of a terminally-ill person, who decides to stop treatment against medical advice and dies, cannot be denied insurance claim.

The court said the patient's desire not be treated was an issue of "patient autonomy" and "embracing dignity in death".

Dismissing the petition of Oriental Insurance Company Limited, which had argued that the family of an insured person leaving treatment against medical advice was not entitled for claim after death, the HC upheld the order of a claims tribunal which had asked the company to pay Rs 35.46 lakh in damages.


Medical experts feel the HC order is significant since many insurance companies tend to use LAMA or 'Leave Against Medical Advice' as justification to deny family of a deceased its claims.

That's the public toilet named after veteran actor Rishi Kapoor. Congress workers yesterday hung a placard with his name on this toilet in Uttar Pradesh's Allahabad.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has given the charge of Science and Technology Department to separatist-turned-mainstream politician Sajjad Lone, in addition to the other departments that he holds, ending suspense over his resignation submitted on April 5.


The Chief Minister yesterday assigned the charge of Science and Technology Department to Lone, an official spokesperson said here today. He said the charge was earlier with Minister of State Sunil Sharma of the BJP, a coalition partner in the J-K government.


Lone (48), son of former separatist leader Abdul Gani Lone, had tendered his resignation to Mehbooba on April 5 apparently unhappy over the portfolio of Social Welfare and Administrative Reforms Training that was given to him after being sworn-in on April 4. Lone is a minister in the ruling coalition from the BJP quota.

After spending six years as an infantry officer in the Indian Army, Srinath Raghavan took to a life in academia. Clearly, India's most important military historian, he has published three valuable books: War and Peace in Modern India and 1971, A Global History of the Creation of Bangladesh, apart from editing a stellar collection of the legendary historian Sarvepalli Gopal's essays, The Collected Essays: Imperialists, Nationalists, Democrats.

His latest book, India's War: The Making of Modern South Asia is a fascinating assessment of India's participation in World War II where 2.5 million Indian soldiers fought in different theatres of conflict. A Senior Fellow at the Centre for Policy Research, one of New Delhi's leading think-tanks, Dr Raghavan was formerly a lecturer at King's College, London.

In an e-mail interview with Archana Masih/Rediff.com, he discusses why India's contribution in the Second World War has been ignored by historians, and what India needs to do to become a pivot for Asian security. Read

Image: Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh, then a flight lieutenant, with pilots of No 1 Squadron by a Hawker Hurricane aircraft in World War II in Burma. Photograph: Kind courtesy Imperial War Museum/Wikipedia.org

Swarms of insects breeding in a polluted river near the Taj Mahal are threatening the intricate marble inlay work at the 17th century monument by leaving green and black patches of waste on its walls, archaeological experts have said.


Workers were scrubbing the walls clean every day but the regular scrubbing would damage the floral mosaics and shiny marble surface, said Bhuvan Vikram of the Archaeological Survey of India.


"A series of marble panels depicting plant motifs on the walls or reflective tiles used in this part of the monument are becoming disfigured," Vikram said.


Authorities are looking for a permanent solution to the problem created by the insects, a type of elongated fly that resemble a mosquito, that are proliferating in the polluted Yamuna river. The river has stagnated to the point that it no longer supports fish that once kept the insects in check, environmentalist Yogesh Sharma said.


In addition, heavy algal growth and deposits of phosphorus from ash dumped by a nearby cremation ground "are the primary source of food for this particular species of insect', said Girish Maheshwari, who heads the Department of Entomology at St John's College in the northern city of Agra.  -- AP


Pic: William and Kate pose before the world's best known monument to love during their visit to India last month

The bail petition of Bindeshwari Prasad Yadav, father of Rocky Yadav who is the prime accused in the teenager Aditya Sachdeva murder case, was today rejected by a local court in Gaya. Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Om Sagar rejected the bail petition of Yadav after hearing both prosecution and defence.


Yadav's counsel Satya Narayan Singh and Qaiser Sarfuddin pleaded that his client had been booked for alleged destruction of evidence and not for murder and for that he should be granted bail. District Prosecution Officer Triloki Nath Mishra opposed the bail petition.


Yadav and his wife suspended JD(U) MLC Manorama Devi's bodyguard Rajesh Kumar were arrested on May 8 for allegedly helping the accused escape.


A Class XII student Aditya Sachdeva was shot dead allegedly by Rocky Yadav for overtaking his vehicle near police lines in Gaya district on May 7 last. Rocky was arrested on May 10 from his father's mixer plant located at Mastpura village.

Just in: DMK Treasurer MK Stalin (63) will be the leader of the opposition in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, while Durai Murugan will be Deputy LoP in the Assembly. DMK, the main opposition party broke with tradition to attend Jayalalithaa's swearing-in ceremony yesterday. 

More proof that Jungle Raj has returned to Bihar: In Dhanarua, a retired manager of Bharat Cooking Coal Limited is in hospital after being shot at by goons who asked for Rs 1 lakh extortion and were refused.

Six months ago when Nitish Kumar took oath as chief minister for the fifth time, allying with the Lalu Prasad Yadav's RJD, he insisted that his priorities had not changed - he would uphold the rule of law.

But since then, Bihar has slowly but surely hotfooted it to what it was when the RJD was in power.

According to reports there have been 10 bank robberies, murder of at least four policemen, three engineers and two state Opposition leaders; and dozens of MLAs and their kin (Rocky Yadav shooting case being one) are being named in criminal cases.

Then, a girl was raped allegedly by a Rashtriya Janata Dal MLA, journalist Rajdeo Ranjan was murdered -- in which the role of a former RJD member of Parliament is suspected.

The new CPI(M) Left Democratic Front government in Kerala will be a people's government and will function beyond caste, religious and political barriers, Chief Minister-designate Pinarayi Vijayan, said today. He also sought cooperation from people of all walks of life for betterment of the state.


"This will be a people's government and will function for the welfare of the people. There will be no caste, religious and political barriers and we will function with that spirit," he said addressing his first press meet after being elevated as chief minister-designate of the new government.


"Everyone has the right in this government and society should understand that if people turn their back, democratic process will not be complete. It is the people's cooperation which strengthens democracy," he said, asserting that government will function for justice, brotherhood, prosperity and growth.


The new government will be sworn in at 4 pm tomorrow at the Central stadium in Thiruvananthapuram and people from various walks of life would attend. After the swearing-in, the first cabinet would meet by around 6.30 pm, he said. Vijayan said he had not yet received the list of all the ministers and would meet the state Governor only tomorrow morning after the list was ready.

The Supreme Court today refused to direct the Maharashtra government to completely cut water supply to distilleries and breweries in the drought-hit regions of the state. A vacation bench of Justices PC Pant and DY Chandrachud pulled up the petitioner for approaching the apex court for a complete ban on water supply to the liquor manufacturers, saying the Bombay High Court has already passed an interim order in this regard.

"Why are you coming against an interim order of the high court? The high court has already allowed 60 per cent, now what do you want? These are all policy decisions. There has to be a balance," the bench said. The counsel appearing for petitioner Sanjay Bhaskarrao Kale, said the entire region is severely drought-prone and there is a policy in this regard.


The Aurangabad Bench of the Bombay High Court had recently asked the state government to curtail water supply to the liquor industry by 60 per cent from May 10, an order which will be operational till June 27. The plea filed in the apex court had sought that instead of a curtailed water supply, there should be no supply at all as the entire region is facing acute water shortage.

The petition had said that people were dying in the region due to the shortage of water and there is a limited water stock available. The counsel for the petitioner had said people were being deprived of drinking water as it is being given to the liquor industry.

The people of Tamil Nadu made a dramatic U-turn in the just-concluded election. For the first time in more than three decades, they chose to keep the AIADMK government, ruled by Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, in office. Here are 4 charts that explain why this is historic.  Read more

Accusing Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of being "totally unscrupulous", friend- turned-foe Prashant Bhushan has claimed that the Aam Aadmi Party leader can even join hands with Prime Minister Narendra Modi for personal gains.


"He (Kejriwal) is totally unscrupulous...The day it suits him, he will join hands with Modi. I have no doubt about it," Bhushan, who is currently on a private visit to the US, told a small group of Indian-Americans and Indians in Washington last night. Bhushan's remarks come even as Kejriwal-led Delhi government and the Modi-led Centre have been at loggerheads over a range of issues over the past one year.


Bhushan, an activist-lawyer who founded Swaraj Abhiyan along with Yogendra Yadav after leaving the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) last year, said he regrets having not "recognised" such traits of Kejriwal early on.


"He used people like me and Yogendra to gain credibility, and at the same time ensured that he enjoys majority in decision-making bodies of AAP so that he can go ahead with his agenda," he said.

Visiting Hanoi this week as part of a trip to Japan and Vietnam, President Barack Obama dined with television personality and chef Anthony Bourdain on Monday.The two men met at the Bun Cha Huong Lien in the old quarter of Hanoi for dinner on Monday evening."Their conversation will be featured in an episode of 'Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown' in September on CNN,' a White House official said. Read more

Air India One (also referred to as AI-1 or AIC001), which is the aircraft the Prime Minister or the President of India uses when flying abroad. The aircraft is operated as a VIP flight by the Indian Air Force.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat arrives at CBI office for questioning on sting allegedly showing him offering bribes

CPI leader K C Mathew, 94, passed away in Kochi. He was involved in the Edappally police station attack on February 28, 1950.

Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu announces 13 winners of Fast Track Smart City competition, Lucknow tops list

Poll strategist Prashant Kishor's outfit -- Association of Citizens for Accountable Governance -- has reportedly been issued a notice by the Income Tax department asking that the organisation declare its sources of income for the last four years. 

President Pranab Mukherjee signs Ordinance on National Eligibility cum Entrance Test. 

FIFA fires acting deputy secretary general Markus Kattner over bonus payments

The United States respects Pakistan's sovereignty but will carry out strikes to eliminate terrorists who are targeting its forces, the Obama Administration said today as Islamabad expressed concern over the drone strike by American forces on its territory to kill Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour.

She is an Oscar winning actress, a political campaigner and nowAngelina Jolie Pitt can add academic to her list of roles.

Around 12 passengers of Prayagraj Express, going to Delhi from Allahabad, were allegedly looted of cash and jewellery at gunpoint by miscreants early this morning, GRP officials said.

A 60-year-old owner of an eatery in southeast Delhi's Lajpat Nagar area was shot at following a heated argument with three customers on Monday over payment of bill. 

Facebook has apologised after refusing to run an advert featuring plus-sized model Tess Holliday wearing a bikini.The social network told the BBC it had made a mistake and has now approved the image.Australian feminist group Cherchez La Femme had expressed fury after Facebook rejected their advert for an event designed to promote body positivity.

Even as authorities ruled out exclusive colonies for Kashmiri Pandits or Sainik colonies in the Valley, the issues brought the divided separatist camp together with chairmen of both factions of Hurriyat Conference and JKLF calling for a shutdown on Thursday to counter "plans to change the demography" of Jammu and Kashmir.

Pakistan today summoned US ambassador David Hale to express concern over the drone strike by American forces in Pakistani territory to kill Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour which it said was a "violation of its sovereignty".

Britain grants asylum to former Maldives Prez Mohamed Nasheed
2 terror attacks in Srinagar leave 3 cops dead
Time to regain past glory, says PM on India-Iran ties
Prime Minister Modi meets Iranian Supreme Leader
Court refuses bail to 14 suspected IS operatives
Prez seeks more information on NEET ordinance
What is a Chinese nuclear sub doing in Karachi?