The Bharatiya Janata Party is understood to have offered five Cabinet berths and an equal number of Minister of State posts to Shiv Sena in its Government in Maharashtra as the estranged allies today began talks to chalk out a power- sharing formula after days of acrimony between the allies. 

According to reports, a military official in Nigeria says scores of people are feared to have been killed and wounded in a bomb blast at a mosque. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet chief ministers on December 7 to discuss the structure of new body which will replace the Planning Commission. 

Aiming to adopt better tools for Pilot Aptitude Test in consonance with the modern aircraft being acquired by IAF, its chief Air Marshal Arup Raha today inaugurated the Computerised Pilot Selection System.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has greeted the US on its 'Thanksgiving' day which is celebrated as a day of giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest and of the preceding year. 

A special court in Chennai today sentenced a Sri Lankan national Sakir Hussain, who was working on behalf of Pakistan's spy agency ISI, to five years in jail for conspiring to carry out terror strikes at the US and Israeli consulates in South India.

Attacking BJP over Article 370, Congress today said the saffron party 'exploited' the people of Jammu and Kashmir on the issue for 60 years and is now asking them to forget it for the sake of gaining power.

From the BBC: A 15-minute blood and saliva test for Ebola is to be trialled in Guinea, it has been announced.The solar-powered, portable laboratory should deliver results six times faster than tests currently used in West Africa.

A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif shook hands during the SAARC Summit in Kathmandu, Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said it was not enough and efforts should be made to bring hearts together.

DRDO chief Avinash Chander to retire on November 30 but will continue in the post for 1.5 years on contract.

Indian economy grew at a better-than-expected rate of 5.3 per cent in July-September quarter on account of improved performance of mining, power and certain services sectors.

The Gross Domestic Growth in the second 1uarter was better than 5.2 per cent of the same period last fiscal but was slower than 5.7 per cent rate achieved in April-June quarter of current fiscal. There were expectations that September quarter growth would fall to 5-5.1 per cent range.

India could start some element of military training for its youth, especially in border areas, but compulsory training on the lines of Israel and other countries is ruled out.

Under the programme, which could be launched on trial basis in border areas, military training could be imparted for an hour or as a separate course as part of school and college curriculum, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar told the Rajya Sabha today.

"It can be introduced as an hour in a course or as a separate course. We can work out something like that. We can start on a trial basis. Let us do in some districts in borders where there is more enthusiasm," he said while replying to a debate on a private member's bill.

"After consulting members, something will be worked out, may be in few months," he added.

Actor Shia LaBeouf claims that a woman raped him during his LA performance art project where he sat in a room silent -- and that her boyfriend was right outside the door. Read

The Koli fishing village of Chimbai sits happily next to a busy district of Mumbai, but how long can they rely on the sea? Read

The BJP government at the Centre has permitted AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa to pay income tax with compound interest.

The I-T department had earlier filed a criminal case against Jayalalithaa and her confidante Sasikala Natarajan, who were partners in the erstwhile Sasi Enterprises, for not filing I-T returns for 1991-92 and 1992-93, which was punishable under the Income Tax Act, 1961.

The case is currently being fought in the court of the additional chief metropolitan magistrate (economic offences) in Chennai, and the next hearing in the matter is slated for December 1.

Indian economy grows at 5.3 per cent in July-September quarter of 2014-15.

The government has asked those travelling to India from Ebola-affected countries to carry a certificate stating that there is no evidence of the deadly virus in their body fluids.

This comes after a person cured of the disease was found to be carrying the virus in his semen.

In case people having been discharged after being treated for Ebola do not have the certificate from the Health Ministry of the country concerned, they have been advised not to travel to India for a period of 90 days from their discharge, Health Minister J P Nadda told Lok Sabha today. 

Arnia encounter ends. Search operations on right now. The fourth militant, who was holed up in an abandoned Army bunker, was killed earlier in the day, in a fresh encounter in the sector.

Firing erupted near the Arnia border belt of Jammu district on Friday morning when security forces launched a cordon and search operation to track down a militant hiding in a bunker and retrieve bodies of civilians killed in Thursday's gunbattle.

Toll so far: Five civilians, three jawans and four terrorists.

Just in: The Kolkata High Court has granted conditional permission for Amit Shah's rally on Sunday. The court has said that two special officers will assist the BJP to ensure rules are complied with. West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, we hear, is choking on her Hilsa bone.

A fight over BJP president Amit Shah's rally in Kolkata on Sunday drove the BJP to court the third time in 10 days. The party moved the Calcutta High Court again after being denied permission for the rally by the city corporation and the fire brigade.

"This must be a record in India...perhaps it can be entered in the Guinness book...we have gone to court three times to seek this venue," was the acerbic statement of the BJP's Rahul Sinha after the corporation turned down his party's application.   

Careful. India has the highest number of TB and Multi Drug Resistant-TB cases in the world, according to a World Health Organization report.

India bags 27 per cent of the cases and though it ranks 14 and 15 among the 22 high-burden countries globally but due to its large population the percentage translates into a large number of cases.

New Delhi has already been ranked the world's worst polluted city by the World Health Organization, but a new study by US and Indian scientists shows that the city's air quality is far worse than previously thought. Read

The Rajya Sabha's committee of privileges today recommended that a member who causes repeated disruptions be "automatically suspended", suggesting for the first time a formal mechanism to discipline errant MPs, reports the Telegraph.

Under existing rules, the chairperson of the House of Elders has the authority to suspend an unruly member but the power has seldom been exercised.

By suggesting automatic suspension, the panel has tried to get around this problem of implementation, though the upper House has to clear the proposal.

Markets gained for the third straight session today with benchmark Sensex surging 255.08 points to 28,693.99 and Nifty rising 94.05 points to 8,588.25, led by banking and auto shares, as hopes of a rate cut by RBI brightened after oil prices tumbled to multi-year lows.

The Supreme Court has just given a stay order regarding the Delhi High Court order which directed Comedy Central, a channel Viacom18 network, to go off air for six days. The judgement comes as a relief to the channel which has been off air since November 26, 2014.  Read more

Rampal promised innocent followers that a Rs 1 lakh donation would guarantee them a place in heaven. Read more 

Almost everything about Zid can be best described as botched. Read the review on Rediff.com.

Endlessly fascinating, always changing: Bombay has long enthralled some of the world's finest fiction writers. Mumbaikar novelist Jerry Pinto names his favourites here -- but do you agree? Read

Jeffrey Archer tweets his tribute to PD James. "Sad to hear P D James has died - not only a great writer, but a great lady."

A total of 99 suicide cases have been reported from the armed forces this year besides three cases of fratricide, the government said today.

The data submitted by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar in a written reply to Lok Sabha show that Army reported the highest number suicides with 76 cases this year followed by Air Force with 23 of its personnel committing suicide.

While Army reported two cases of fratricide this year, Air Force witnessed one such incident. The Army, which the is the largest of the three Services, has topped the list of suicide cases since 2011 though the number has come down.

It is being talked about as the merger before the merger.

Days after the announcement that Mulayam Singh Yadav's Samajwadi Party and Lalu Prasad's RJD may come together in a new incarnation of Janata Dal, it is learnt that the two Yadav pashas may end up in a closer clinch through matrimony. Read more

Digvijaya Singh gets it right...

The Congress spokesperson tweets: Modi invites Nawaz Sharif - Media goes gaga Modi ignores Sharif - Media goes gaga Modi shakes hands and smiles with Sharif Media goes gaga!

"Mujhe Iffi ka concept bahut pasand hai. Kyunki pure duniya mein cooperation seekhte hain... " This and other inanities from dear old Doordarshan's inadvertently hilarious presentation at the International Film Festival of India in Goa. Watch 

A grand jury's exoneration of Darren Wilson, the white police officer who on August 9 shot dead an unarmed teenager on the streets of Ferguson, Missouri, sent shock waves across the United States this week. Read

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said the people of Jammu and Kashmir have given a befitting reply to the gun by pressing ballots in large numbers and shown their faith in democracy.

Campaigning for the second phase of Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, he said the state has been "stuck" at the same place for the last 30 years due to lack of development and accused the ruling NC, Congress and PDP of indulging in corruption and looting the state besides "emotionally blackmailing" people.

Kalyan youth Arif Majeed, suspected to have joined ISIS in Syria, returns to Mumbai; interrogation by NIA underway, says the police.

Majeed, one of the four youngsters from Kalyan who joined the extremist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), returned to Mumbai via Turkey on Friday morning.

Four young men from Kalyan, a town near Mumbai, who were reported missing by their parents, had joined the ISIS in Iraq in June. They made their way to Fajullah, a city located 69 km from the Iraqi capital Baghdad, according to inputs shared between Indian and Iraqi intelligence.

Sources in Indian intelligence say there is no clarity on the role of the young men from Kalyan -- Arif Majeed, Fahad Sheikh, Aman Tandel and Shaheen Tanki -- in the ISIS.

Arif who was earlier thought to have been killed in an air strike, was alive and had called his father, Dr Ijaz Majeed, seeking his help to return from Turkey.

A team of Haryana police has arrived in Madhya Pradesh's Betul district to conduct a search at an under-construction ashram of arrested 'self-styled' godman Rampal, where his commandos were reportedly recruited, trained and sent to Hisar in Haryana.

Cricketers and fans around the world have been paying tribute to Phillip Hughes via a social media campaign by leaving their cricket bats out and sharing a picture with the message #putoutyourbats on Twitter.

Pictures of bats posted with hashtag #putoutyourbats have flooded Twitter, a day after the 25-year-old cricketer succumbed to his injuries at St Vincent's Hospital, where he was battled for life for two days after being hit on the head by a bouncer from Sean Abbot in a domestic match.

India batsman Ajinkya Rahane displayed his bat with the Indian cap on it and wrote: "RIP Phil Hughes #PutOutYourBat #CricketFamily." While Suresh Raina also posted a similar photograph, saying: "Rip Phil Hughes #63notoutforever." Google Australia's home page also bears a picture of a bat.

The tragic death of 25-year-old Australian batsman Phillip Hughes left the world shocked and heartbroken especially those associated with the game. Sachin Tendulkar was among the many cricketing greats who tweeted about Hughes yesterday, saying, "Shocked to hear about Phil. Sad day for cricket. Deepest condolences to family, friends and well wishers. RIP."

The venerable Times of India reproduced Tendulkar's tweet with an inadvertent but huge error that has made it a laughing stock on Twitter.

See the image alongside.

Pakistan informs of its intention to release 40 Indian prisoners tomorrow, the MEA says. Of these, 35 are fishermen. Arrangements are being made at Wagah.

On Wednesday, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had told the Lok Sabha that over 200 Indian fishermen are presently in Pakistan's custody.

"In respect to Pakistan, as per figures provided by Pakistan authorities on July 1, 2014 under a bilateral information exchange mechanism, there are 210 Indian fishermen and 37 fishermen believed to be Indians (nationality status awaiting confirmation) currently in Pakistan's custody," she told Lok Sabha while replying to a question.

In addition, there are 740 Indian fishing boats believed to be in Pakistan's custody.

The SAARC summit which ended yesterday was salvaged by the warm handshake and a brief chat between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif. 

The warm handshake and a brief chat between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif was given prominent coverage today in the Pakistani media which said the interaction salvaged the SAARC Summit.

All leading newspapers ran the news about their interaction as a front page lead with a photograph of the two leaders smiling.

Dawn reported that a brief meeting between Prime Ministers Sharif and Modi yesterday salvaged the SAARC summit, with all eight countries clinching a last-minute deal to create a regional electricity grid.

"Mr Sharif and Mr Modi caused a stir with their handshake at Dhulikhel, site of the retreat. The two leaders held each other's hand for nearly 30 seconds. They also smiled and exchanged pleasantries," the paper said.

It said Kathmandu's City Hall broke into loud applause as Sharif and Modi warmly shook hands, putting an end to the stiff statements by their foreign offices that ruled out a "structured" or "formal" meeting.

The massive operation to locate and arrest controversial 'godman' Rampal cost the exchequer over Rs 26 crore!  The Punjab and Haryana High Court was today told today.

Amidst tight security, Rampal was produced before the court which adjourned the case to December 23 when Rampal will be produced along with co-accused Ram Pal Dhaka and O P Hooda.

PM Narendra Modi addressing a rally in Udhampur seeks clear mandate from entire Jammu and Kashmir while promising an end to corruption and a solution to people's problems..

"Lakhs of families suffered during floods in this state. I didn't delay my visit even for a moment and after reviewing the situation I sent assistance for your service.

"I decided to spent Diwali with the people who suffered during floods and that is what I did. It's not about gathering votes, or doing politics. I have come here with the the aim of development and I have also come here to wipe your tears."

Modi: Rajiv Gandhi ne kaha tha -- Delhi se Rs 1 nikalta hai to gaon jaate jaate 15 paisa ho jata hai. Yeh 85 paise kaha jaata tha?
Crowd: Congress.

"We have decided there should be no shortage of help to be given to J&K but we will make sure where this money is going. This is the reason those in government (J&K) and those in Opposition are criticizing me, because I have stopped their strategy to loot together. 

"In the last 30 years what the government here could not do for your betterment/development, I promise to do in five years.

"Uniform walo se kehta hoon, aaj tak bhale hi kisine aapki taraf nah dekha ho, ab J&K mein aisi sarkar banegi jo aapke sukh-dukh ko samjhegi." 

The Supreme Court asks the Centre to consider continuing the German language in Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathans for the present academic session.

Yesterday, the Centre submitted before the Supreme Court that Sanskrit will be the third language in Classes 6 to 8 in Kendriya Vidyalayas.

The board of governors of the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan headed by HRD minister Smriti Irani, had in its meeting on October 27 decided that "teaching of German language as an option to Sanskrit will be discontinued herewith".

German has been kept as an additional subject for students.

The decision is expected to affect over 70,000 students across 500 KVs from Classes 6 to 8 who will be asked to switch from German to Sanskrit.

Also read: An Open Letter to Smriti Irani

To Delhi's power elite, winter meant lazy Sunday afternoon lunches and cosy dinners around charcoal-lit angithees on the lawns of Lutyens bungalows. No longer.

"No lunches or dinner parties. The Prime Minister doesn't approve of parties," a source said.

A sociable senior minister's answer was a half-smile when non-BJP friends asked when he'd throw a party at his new home. Read

Support has been pouring in from all quarters for young fast bowler Sean Abbott, whose unfortunate bouncer resulted in Phillip Hughes sustaining a fatal injury that eventually led to his tragic death.

Hughes' sister, Megan has joined the Australian cricketers and counsellors in giving solace to Abbott, who is reportedly "shaken and broken" at the moment.

Megan had sat with the devastated 22-year-old Abbott, who made his one-day and Twenty20 debut for Australia in October, to offer him support as family, friends and cricketers gathered at St. Vincent's Hospital, where Hughes died yesterday. 

PD James, Lady James of Holland Park, who has died aged 94, was the grande dame of mystery. She was a link with the golden age of detective writing that flourished between the wars, the successor to Agatha Christie, Dorothy L Sayers and Margery Allingham.

After Christie's death, James was called the new Queen of Crime. It was a title she did not at all mind. Read

And some good news: The fourth militant, who was holed up in a army bunker, has been killed in the encounter in Arnia, says the Army.

Fresh firing erupted today near the Arnia border belt of Jammu district when security forces launched a cordon and search operation to track down a militant hiding in a bunker and retrieve bodies of civilians killed in a gunbattle.

This comes a day after militants attacked two army bunkers close to the Indo-Pak border leaving 10 people, including 3 civilians and as many army men dead in a gun battle, security forces launched an operation to track down the holed up ultra.

Foreign minister Sushma Swaraj said in Parliament today that the government is not in direct contact with kidnapped Indians, but six sources it is in contact with, say they are alive. She conceded however, that there was no solid proof if they are alive. 

"The lone escapee from ISIS captivity Harjeet Singh is safe and in protective custody of the government," Swaraj said in the Rajya Sabha today.

Meanwhile, family member of the missing Indians abducted in Iraq say they just want that the government to tell them the truth.

India's market capitalisation as represented by listed companies on BSE reached historic Rs 100 lakh crore mark today for the first time. Asia's first exchange and fastest stock exchange, BSE has reached yet another landmark today by crossing a milestone in terms of its market capitalisation.

Sushma Swaraj tells the house that Harjit (abducted Indian national who escaped) is under the government's protection as his life is in danger. "I can assure he is safe. Please don't say they are dead...you could say missing or at the most 'reported dead', we have sources who say they are alive," she says.

Read: ISIS militia not human beings; they kill people for fun: Indian worker

External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj responding to reports that 39 Indians had been killed by ISIS.

She told the Rajya Sabha today that the report was wrong and that the Indians were not dead. "The search is on. The government will continue with the search of those Indian nationals who were abducted in Iraq. We were in direct contact with every country and every possible source that could inform us about the whereabouts of those Indian nationals.

"As a result of which we found out six sources who claim that those Indian nationals are alive. As External Affairs Minister it is my responsibility to continue with the search on the basis of the statement of these six sources.

"Even if there is a one per cent chance that they are alive, we will pursue that," Swaraj said refusing to disclose the whereabouts of the abducted Indians since it would compromise their safety. 

Late last night, ABP News reported that 39 of the 41 Indian construction workers, who were abducted by ISIS militants, had been executed. The men, who were working for a Turkish construction company in Mosul, were abducted in mid-June when the jihadists overran the Iraqi region.

Read the report here.

Day 2 of the encounter at Arnia in Jammu district.

Fresh firing today erupted near the Arnia border belt of Jammu district when security forces launched a cordon and search operation to track down a militant hiding in a bunker and retrieve bodies of civilians killed in a gun battle.

A day after militants attacked two Army bunkers close to the Indo-Pak border leaving 10 people, including three civilians and as many army men dead in a gun battle, security forces launched an operation to track down the holed up ultra.

An Army official said that security forces, who had launched a cordon and search operation at the site of encounter in Arnia this morning to retrieve bodies of civilians, came under fire from a militant hiding in a bunker triggering fresh exchanges.

The engagement with the militants is going on when the reports last came in, the officials said. Bodies of the three civilians could not be taken out yesterday in view of the gun fight, he said, adding search for another militant was also launched simultaneously.

"Phillip Hughes was the kind of fellow player you always liked to keep an eye on from afar. I would always look out for his scores and hope he had made runs because he batted with a wonderful spirit and freedom.

He made the absolute most of his ability and wanted to entertain the supporters by playing cricket in the positive style we all love to watch."

Cricketer Kevin Pietersen pays tribute to Phillip Hughes. Read

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally, a multi-tier security has been put in place in Udhampur in view of the terrorist attack that left 10 people, including three civilians, dead.

A multi-tier security set up has been put in place at the venue of the rally at Battal Balian in the outskirts of Udhampur town in view of the yesterday's terror attack, a senior police officer said.

Troops in and around Udhampur have been deployed in strength and all routes to the venue have been sealed and multiple check points set up with deployment of heavily armed para military and police forces.

AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal hosted a Rs 20,000 per plate dinner for young professionals, diamond merchants and bankers in Mumbai kick-starting the party's fund-raising campaign for the Delhi Assembly elections.

"We collected Rs 91 lakh from the fund-raiser dinner last night. Rs 36 lakh were collected from donor passes, Rs 36 lakh was through cheque donation from those who came and our volunteers collected Rs 21 lakh," AAP leader Preeti Sharma Menon said today.

"The next fundraiser will be in Bengaluru. We are impressed with the response to our fund-raiser drive," she said. With online donations, AAP is looking to raise funds differently to take on BJP which is relying on 'brand Modi'.

"The Mumbai dinner had space for a maximum of 200 donors, mostly our supporters. Most of those who attended were young professionals, some diamond merchants and a few directors from Bollywood," she said. AAP's Maharashtra unit has a target of raising Rs 5 crore over the next two months through reach-out drives," she said.

This is what happened at the fund-raiser dinner in March. Read

The Centre has extended the visa-on-arrival facility at the Goa airport for tourists from 43 countries, which is expected to bring in 15 per cent growth in tourism during the ongoing season.

Goa's Dabolim airport is among one of the nine places that has extended this facility, which will further improve the prospects of its tourism growth, state tourism minister Dilip Parulekar said.

The cities where VoA (visa-on-arrival) will be issued include Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram.

The death of Phil Hughes, three days before what would have been his 26th birthday, has left the cricketing world shattered. In an induced coma after being hit on the head by a bouncer during a first-class Sheffield Shield match in Sydney on Tuesday, the Australian batsman succumbed to his injuries on Thursday.  Read more

Cartoonist Satish Acharya's beautiful tribute to Hughes

#RahulRage is trending on Twitter and here's why...

On Thursday evening, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi visited Rangpur Pahadi slums in south Delhi, where hundreds of dwellings were demolished a couple of days ago, and sent out a stern warning to the Centre.

"They have won this time, but if they want to use the bulldozer again, let them drive it over my body," Gandhi told reporters after a quick visit to the slums.

He accused the Centre of harassing poor people. "It's the winter season and its getting so cold. The government is sending these poor people out of their homes," he said.  Read

EAM Sushma Swaraj to make a statement on the Indian nationals shot by the ISIS in Iraq, in Parliament today.

Crime novelist PD James passed away at her Oxford home. The author, who was born Phyllis Dorothy James on 3 August 1920, and had penned more than 20 books including The Children of Men, The Murder Room and Pride and Prejudice spin-off Death Comes to Pemberley, had a peaceful death.

The benchmark BSE Sensex spurted to a new peak of 28,765.52 and the NSE Nifty scaled a life-time high of 8,591.40 in opening trade today as December series in the derivative segment commenced on a strong footing on sustained fund inflows amid falling global crude prices.

The Aligarh Muslim University has written to Education Minister Smriti Irani warning of a potential "communal conflagration" in the campus over an event planned by local BJP activists on Monday.

A 5.3 magnitude earthquake rocked the islands of Andaman and Nicobar early this morning.

Brazilian great Pele says he is not seriously ill, easing fears that his health deteriorated even though a hospital said he was in intensive care and undergoing renal support treatment. 

On Thursday, North Korea state media said the younger Kim --  Kim Yo Jong -- had taken a senior position in the ruling Workers' Party, confirming speculation she had moved closer to the center of power in the secretive state.

Tensions eased in the St Louis suburb of Ferguson on Thursday after two nights of violence and looting sparked by racially charged anger over a grand jury's decision not to charge a white police officer for fatally shooting an unarmed black teenager.

Protests also dwindled elsewhere in the United States as the Thanksgiving Day holiday and wintry weather kept many indoors.

The estranged wife of a London financier has been awarded USD 530 million in one of the biggest divorce settlements seen in a British court. 

There has been 47 per cent rise in rape cases in Mumbai this year, as compared to the previous year's statistics, Praja Foundation has claimed.

The Supreme Court on Thursday asked N Srinivasan, owner of Chennai Super Kings, to furnish details of his shareholding in India Cements and the composition of its Board members to ascertain who owned the Indian Premier League franchise.

On Thursday evening, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi visited Rangpur Pahadi slums in south Delhi, where hundreds of dwellings were demolished a couple of days ago, and sent out a stern warning to the Centre.

Police in New York have arrested seven protesters who tried to disrupt the massive Thanksgiving Day parade over the decision not to charge a Ferguson cop who shot dead an unarmed black teen. 

Venezuela's government said at least 13 prisoners died of drug overdoses after inmates stormed a prison infirmary during protests demanding better living conditions, though activists have questioned the official version and said the death toll could be far higher. 

ISIS executes 39 Indian workers: TV report 

Srinivasan, CSK face bleak future after Supreme Court rap

3 soldiers killed on LoC as Modi-Sharif shake hands in Nepal

Modi, Sharif warm up to each other after cold vibes

Badaun sisters committed suicide, were not raped: CBI

Smriti too interfering, her performance far from satisfactory: UGC member Ansari

India moving towards tax friendly regime: Jaitley