The US and the European Union have decided to "intensify" their coordinated sanctions on Russia in the defence, finance and energy sectors as punishment for its illegal actions in Ukraine, President Barack Obama said today.

"I have said from the very beginning of this crisis that we want to see a negotiated political solution that respects Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Together with G-7 and European partners and our other Allies, we have made it clear that we are prepared to impose mounting costs on Russia," Obama said in a statement. The US and EU are implementing these new measures in light of Russia's actions to further destabilise Ukraine over the last month, including through the presence of heavily armed Russian forces in eastern Ukraine, he said.

"We are watching closely developments since the announcement of the ceasefire and agreement in Minsk, but we are yet to see conclusive evidence that Russia has ceased its efforts to destabilise Ukraine," he said. Obama said the US and EU will deepen and broaden sanctions in Russia's financial, energy and defense sectors.

"These measures will increase Russia's political isolation as well as the economic costs to Russia, especially in areas of importance to (Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin and those close to him," Obama said.

Syrian government airstrikes, including one on a crowded sheep market, killed at least 11 people today in a northern town controlled by the Islamic State group, activists said.

The Vatican said today it was committed to reestablishing diplomatic ties with Vietnam as part of a bid to better relations with Asia in general. Pope Francis is keen for the Church to tap into Asia, a continent where the number of Catholics, currently just 3.2 percent of the population, is rocketing.

The Vatican said today it was committed to reestablishing diplomatic ties with Vietnam as part of a bid to better relations with Asia in general. Pope Francis is keen for the Church to tap into Asia, a continent where the number of Catholics, currently just 3.2 percent of the population, is rocketing.

Pakistan opposition leader Imran Khan today alleged that Minister Nawaz Sharif owned a property in a posh area of London and invested millions of dollars in Europe and demanded an explanation from him. Khan, the chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), claimed that Sharif had made nearly USD 320 million worth of investments in Europe, against which there were no official record of receipts. 

China today warned that some of the militants who fought along with Islamic State (IS) forces in Iraq and Syria have started returning to their home countries posing a security threat to Beijing and Central Asian states. 

Dozens of Fijian U.N. peacekeepers, released by al-Qaeda-linked group Nusra Front in Syria on Thursday, arrived in Israeli-held territory on the Golan heights, an Israeli military spokeswoman said.

A 40-year-old British national is facing trial in the UAE for threatening an Indian air hostess on an Emirates airlines flight and calling her a "trash, monkey and sex slave" after she refused to give him alcohol. 

Pakistan today said it "could not agree more" with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's "no full stop" in diplomacy remark and noted that the time has come for making a "new beginning" in bilateral ties.

"I cannot agree more (with Swaraj) because in diplomacy, you need to keep the doors ajar," Pakistan High Commissioner to India, Abdul Basit, said.

Stating that India is a "very important neighbour" for Pakistan, Basit said, "Unfortunately, we have a chequered history of our relations with India; but the time has come that we walk past the narratives of the past and make a new beginning."

Two days ahead of bypolls in UP, the Election Commission today reprimanded controversial BJP MP Yogi Adityanath for "provoking feelings of enmity" during a recent speech in Noida and asked the state poll officials to ensure filing of an FIR against him.

The EC's rebuke for the Hindutva hardliner for allegedly invoking "religion" and making "appeal on this ground to secure votes" for his party came a day after he was booked for defying a ban on election meeting in Lucknow.

The poll body in its order also cautioned the BJP leader to be careful in his future public utterances.

Asking the Chief Electoral Officer of Uttar Pradesh to ensure that an FIR is lodged against him for violation of the Model Code of Conduct in his speech last week, if it has not been filed till now, the EC demanded a compliance report by 5 pm tomorrow.

Bypolls will take place on Saturday in Noida and other assembly constituencies of UP and Adityanath is BJP's lead campaigner.

Facing public anger over a perceived delay in rescue operations in flood-ravaged Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said "My government couldn't respond in the first 24 hours as we didn't have a government."

Abdullah's government has been criticized by people who are angry that relief efforts have reached them six days after the floods, the worst in the state in over a century. Read more

An inquest into the death of India-born UK nurse Jacintha Saldanha, found hanged after she took a hoax call at a hospital in London about Kate Middleton's first pregnancy, opened here today.

The 46-year-old was found in the nurses' quarters of the King Edward VII hospital in London days after the prank phone call from two Australian radio presenters posing as Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles.

Saldanha had put the call through to the ward where Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, pregnant with Prince George, was staying and another nurse there had revealed confidential medical details.

Westminster Coroners' Court is sitting at the Royal Courtsof Justice in London for the inquest, which is expected to last two days.

"It has been a long road for the family and I deeply admire the patience, humility and dignity they have shown throughout this traumatic time. It is right that they finally gain closure," said senior Indian-origin Labour MP Keith Vaz, who is acting as the family's spokesperson.

The inquest, which has been delayed by almost a year,comes soon after the announcement that Kate is pregnant again and suffering acute morning sickness just as on December 4, 2012, when Saldanha took the prank call.

To find Pistorius guilty of manslaughter Judge Masipa will have to determine that his conduct was negligent i.e could he have foreseen the consequences. Defence says the accused's disability made him feel vulnerable, which contributed to him arming himself with a firearm, the judge says. However, the explanation of his conduct is just that - an explanation. It does not excuse the conduct of the accused," says Judge Masipa.

The case has been adjourned for the day. The verdict is likely to be announced tomorrow.

Oscar Pistorius trial resumes after lunch break: Carl turns round and winks at his brother Oscar as court resumes. Pistorius could still face a jail term since culpable homicide carries a maximum of 15 years but no minimum sentence.

Pic: Pistorius's brother Carl who had injured himself in an accident.

Union Minister Prakash Javadekar today asked Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to show 'dadagiri' to set the things right instead of using the language of "burying" the media.

"I want to make an appeal to the Chief Minister and the ruling party. If 'dadagiri' (bossing around) is to be shown, show it towards what is going wrong. Do development, we will help. Centre and state together, we will make Telangana better.

Through months of court proceedings she has retained a steely and impassive demeanor, offering little insight into her emotions on the hearing that has unfolded before her and caught the attention of the world. Today all eyes remain on Judge Thokozile Masipa as she delivers her long-awaited verdict in the Oscar Pistorius murder trial. So, who is she? Read

Pistorius trial: With culpable homicide, or manslaughter, the requirement is negligence. You may not have intended to kill somebody, but the way you conducted yourself was negligent.

On the 13th anniversary of 9/11, a solemn reading of the names. Moments of silence to mark the precise times of tragedy. Stifled sobs of those still mourning.

As America pauses today to mark the thirteenth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attack, little about the annual ceremony at ground zero has changed. Read

Most of Syria's foreign jihadists come from? Tunisia. Take a look at this infographic.

Henry Kissinger's thoughts on the Islamic state, Ukraine and 'World Order'. Read

And while the Pistorius court has taken an early lunch break, read this: 5 million Gmail passwords leaked, Google assures it's "No Big Deal".

Meanwhile, the Bombay HC grants bail to Gujarat IPS officer DG Vanzara in the Sohrabuddin fake encounter case, but imposes five conditions.

AFP reports that if Pistorius is found guilty of culpable homicide, judge has lots of discretion about the sentencing -- anything from a fine to a lengthy prison stretch.

This is in effect, what public opinion is on the Pistorius case: @darian_ankers Pistorius must be laughing inside right now thinking 'how the hell did I get away with this'!

Lunch break at the Pistorius trial. So, for now, no premeditated murder charge, but the court yet to rule on whether it is a case of culpable homicide.

Judge Masipa: Accused cannot be found guilty of murder. However, that doesn't mean he can't be found guilty of culpable homicide.  

Pistorius is openly weeping now. His eyes are closed with tears streaming down his face. But he hasn't reached for the puke bucket yet. 

Pistorius is now weeping in court. The judge says that the starting point is "whether the accused had intention to kill the person behind toilet door." Judge Masipa now applies the 'reasonable person' test. Did Pistorius act like a so-called 'reasonable person' would have?

Pistorius verdict: Judge says state hasn't proved premeditated murder and is now explaining the difference between murder and homicide. So, after 37 witnesses, multiple experts, insights into Pistorius' mental state, it's coming down to an interpretation of the law.

Judge Masipa rejects Oscar Pistorius' temporary insanity defence. As for count one, which is premeditated murder, Judge Masipa says evidence is purely circumstantial. Finds state has not proved intent. 

Meanwhile, at the Pistorius trial, Judge Masipa says the Olympian made a 'conscious decision' to shoot. She says the accused was clearly not candid with the court when he said he did not want to shoot anyone, as he had a loaded firearm and was ready to shoot.The state has not proved that Pistorius is guilty of premeditated murder, she says.

Ministry of Defence update on the Kashmir floods:

"On the 10th day of the rescue operation 'Operation Megh Rahat' the Army has intensified its rescue efforts. While more than 220 columns remain dedicated for the rescue efforts the number of people rescued by the Army has increased to 65,000.            

"The Army Medical authorities have provided medical help to the affected people with about 96 medical teams working round the clock.

"On 10 September, more than 85 adults and about 40 children have been treated by the Army Doctors in a single day. 

"The Army is also in the process to inducting a Field Hospital in Srinagar, which will further boost the medical assistance to the flood affected people. 

"The Nursing officers of the Army are also helping the efforts by cooking food and providing meals to the civilians stranded at Srinagar Cantt. Meanwhile food packets of cooked food and drinking water are being packed and sent to Srinagar from Udhampur.             

"The Aviation wing of the Army has employed about 30 Helicopters which have carried out more than 450 sorties and rescued about 1500 stranded civilians. 

"The helicopters have also transported a mixed load of more than 75000 Kg of relief material to various locations in the valley. 

"Meanwhile to make up for the mammoth requirement of safe drinking water the Army alongwith Air Force has air lifted 20000 litres of water in bottles and containers from Jammu and transported to Srinagar. 

"The Army is also in the processing of inducting stores and fuel for the repair, maintenance and functioning of motor boats and helicopters employed in the rescue operations."            

The Foreign Office has been flooded with messages and contributions and offer of rehabilitation in the wake of the floods in Kashmir. Countries from the European Union as well as Israel and the US have proposed the creation of a high-level team to handle the rehabilitation of the victims. The Union Government is expected to take a final call by this week. 

Chief Election Commissioner V S Sampath is demiting office on January 15, 2015. PM Narendra Modi already has two or three names in mind to replace election commissioners.

Modi has figured that in December 2014, the  appointee would be 58 or 59 years of  age and would be therefore in a position to conduct the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. A Gujarati, now posted in Gandhinagar is expected to assume office.

It remains to be seen if Modi can get his man to replace election commissioner HS Brahma, who will have the briefest tenure as CEC in the body's history -- just three months. He turns 65 years in January, which is the criteria for demiting office.

The Prime Minister's Office is believed to be unhappy with Union Minister Anant Geete over the slow progress in the implementation of projects in the first 100 days of the Modi government.

No interest has been shown by the Shiv Sena minister on simple issues like, say, the mega celebrations of 50 years of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited which falls on November 13, 2014.

The PMO is keen that the prime minister inaugurates BHEL's golden jubilee celebrations with President Pranab Mukherjee as chief guest.

But given the approaching Maharashtra assembly election and the tumultuous ties between the BJP and Shiv Sena there, Geete has shown no enthusiasm for plans like the issuance of a special postal stamp, or release of Rs 5 coins to commemorate the golden jubilee. Obviously the Shiv Sena's mindset seems to be different.

Over the last couple of days Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been sharing with his confidants his concern over the Kashmir flood devastation being a major challenge, and also, given his effective handling of the 2002 Bhuj earthquake and subsequent rehabilitation, he is believed to be confident of overcoming this natural calamity.

Modi plans to take up this task with the assistance of P K Misra, additional principal secretary in the Prime Ministers Office who has mastery over disaster management.

In the wake of allegations of tardy pace in rescue and relief measures, Union Home Secretary Anil Goswami today rushed to Srinagar to coordinate relief operations in Jammu and Kashmir. Goswami left for Srinagar a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi directed that total support be provided to the state government to deal with the natural calamity.

If President's rule is imposed in Jammu and Kashmir, a governor will be put in charge of the state, so the union government is seeking a BJP leader - a full time politician -- to succeed N N Vohra, who is the current governor. The centre is not keen on a bureaucrat or an ex armed forces person. The BJP is expected to milk political mileage over the rehabilitation process and is looking at a win of at least 10 assembly seats from the state. 

On to other news while we await the verdict in the Pistorius case....

The Army stepped up rescue operations in the flood ravaged Kashmir Valley, Indian Oil Corp has airlifted aviation fuel (to Srinagar to aid air sorties to the marooned valley. Indian Army has swarmed jets, choppers and boats to rescue more than 82,000 people so far after a week of rain caused riverbanks to burst.

After a brief adjournment, Judge Masipa is back. So far, it seems unlikely that Pistorius will be given the rap for premeditated murder. The verdict, could take up to two days as she goes through the evidence and witness statements.

Here's what Judge Masipa means when she says the court has relied on technology while deliberating the verdict. She says the accused's phone records sow that at 03:19:03, immediately after the sounds caused by the cricket bat were heard, which was approximately 03:17, the accused was on the phone calling his friend. A minute later he called 911 and thereafter about half a minute later he called security.

In effect, she illustrates that she has not relied on witness statements as much as technology.

So, did Reeva scream after she was shot? Here's what Pistorius said in April this year.

Pistorius, who says he fired at what he thought was an intruder, said Steenkamp did NOT scream at any point in the incident in the early hours of February 14, 2013 - a central pillar of his defence. However, under withering questioning, the 27-year-old track star was forced to concede that he may not have heard her cries because of his ears ringing from the first shot.

Pistorius is still fighting to keep his composure. His sister seated behind him him is crying. The judge says human beings are fallible, and their memory changes over time, and the court has therefore relied on evidence in the form of technology, including phone records. 

Pistorius wipes his eyes, while he listens in.The judge says she believes most witnesses got their facts wrong. She says witnesses were influenced by the news across TV and newspapers, and had admitted as much during cross questioning.

Judge Masipa has been looking at witness credibility. She says factors such as how long a witness has known a suspect, proximity, visibility, play an important role and are always taken into consideration by our courts.

She relates how certain witness statements were unreliable.

Deceased did not breathe for more than a few seconds when the shots were fired, says the judge.

Judge Masipa says the victim could not have screamed since the shots were fired in quick succession, which means only the accused could have screamed. The screams were heard just when the four shots were fired.

She is the process of explaining why the witnesses got much of their evidence wrong. Witnesses had discussed case with others before taking the witness stand.

The judge says that none of the witnesses heard the accused cry or cry out on the night. The judge also acknowledges that there were conflicting witness statements on the number of shots they heard fired. While only four shots were fired, some witnesses said there were more than four shots.

Pistorius looks like he has started crying.  The judge says there were no eyewitnesses, but there was no dearth of witnesses willing to assist this court by giving evidence about what they heard, or what they thought they heard at the time of the incident.

Judge Masipa says state witnesses "both heard screams they interpreted as woman in distress" and three sounds like "gunshots."

Judge is now reading out the verdict in the case. She says the record of the evidence runs into 1000s of pages.

Pic: Pistorius as he arrived in court this morning.

Pistorius fatally shot his law graduate girlfriend on Valentine's Day last year at his home in South Africa. Prosecutors charged him with premeditated murder, but he maintains he mistook her for an intruder when he fired four shots through a locked bathroom door. 

Oscar Pistorius trial: The judge is now reading out the statements given by witnesses.

Oscar Pistorius has denied intentionally killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Pistorius looks composed as the charges against him are being read out. For all the families involved, the verdict should provide a measure of closure. The judge will decide whether Pistorius made a tragic error or intentionally killed Reeva.

Oscar Pistorius trial: The judge is now listing the charges against Pistorius before the court before the verdict is read out. Pistorius faces two counts of discharging firearms in public.

Pistorius judgment day: During the trial, on 10 March, a graphic photo of Steenkamp's head wound was displayed on screens in the court without warning, causing Pistorius to vomit repeatedly into a bucket.

The BBC reports a bucket has been placed in court today as well.

President's Rule for Jammu and Kashmir is likely early next year. Given the extent of the floods and the massive rehabilitation work that lies ahead, authoritative sources in the Union government speculate that the it will take at least six months to a year to get the state back on track.

The tenure of the J&K assembly ends on January 19, 2015.

Conducting plols for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls in December 2014 will be difficult on two accounts...

i. Poll officials will not be available for duty since rehabilitation work will be on in full swing.
ii. Kashmir will be covered in snow in December.

For now, the Union government will wait for a report from the Election Commission for initiating process for President's Rule in Jammu and Kashmir. Politically such a decision will be a positive sign for the BJP also for Congress as it gains organisational strength. 

South African athlete Oscar Pistorius has arrived at his trial, as Judge Thokosile Masipa prepares her verdict.

The Olympic double-amputee sprinter faces 25 years in jail if found guilty of premeditated murder.

He denies intentionally killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day last year, saying he thought there was an intruder.

The judge could also find him guilty of culpable homicide, or manslaughter, for which he would face a long jail term. -- BBC

Flood waters receded further in Kashmir Valley today enabling rescue teams to evacuate another 2000 stranded people and provide crucial supplies for people desperately waiting for help in submerged areas. Military teams continued rescue efforts overnight, evacuating 807 people from Srinagar alone.

A total of 82,000 people have been pulled out in a continuing multi-agency mammoth operation even as an estimated five to six lakh people still waited for help after floods ravaged Jammu and Kashmir.

Food and other relief material was also provided for those stranded, officials said, adding that a total of 807 tonne relief material has been despatched so far.

"The situation has improved quite significantly in all areas of west Srinagar. In Srinagar, the water level has gone down from its peak level by about six feet but there is still substantive flooding in certain areas within the town itself," Lt Gen D S Hooda said.

Supreme Court relief for Kerala bar owners.

The Supreme Court has stayed the licence cancellation of Kerala bars till September 30. The SC tells the Kerala High Court to hear bar owners' plea challenging prohibition, expeditiously.

The Kerala govt banned the sale of alcohol everywhere except five star hotels. The government has said state-run liquor stores, where men queue up for their daily fix, will be phased out at a rate of 10 percent a year for the next decade.

Bar owners who have taken the government to court say if there is an alcohol ban, tourists will start opting for other regional destinations - perhaps the beaches of nearby Goa or Sri Lanka.

The Strategic Forces Command (SFC) of Indian Army has test-fired the nuclear capable missile Agni-I from a defence base off the Odisha coast today.

Defence sources said as the missile has already been inducted in the armed forces, this will be a limited stock production (LSP) test for which the missile has been randomly selected from a bunch of missiles.

The test was conducted from the Wheeler Island test facility of the Integrated Test Range. 

Whatever the truth behind the purported contents of the visitors' register at the Delhi residence of the Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation, there is little doubt that the office is under judicial scrutiny for all the wrong reasons. Read

Awesome! Dear Novak, Love Roger: Two tennis greats trade emails during the US Open Men's Final. Read

India test-fires indigenously built nuclear capable Agni-I missile from a test range off Odisha coast.

AAP is begging every Congress leader and they go out and say they want elections, they are exposed, says Sandeep Dikshit, Congress.

For lakhs of people in the flood-afflicted state, battling against the elements is taking a huge toll. This is the time of the year that apples ripen, rice starts being harvested and preparations start in full swing to put aside some of the food stocks for the long winter months ahead. At this moment, though, people there believe if they can succeed in coming out of this calamity in one piece they will have won the war,' writes Rashme Sehgal for Rediff.com. Read

Making fat people feel bad about their weight only makes them heavier, according to researchers who say that weight discrimination should be treated like sexism or racism.

"Shaming and blaming' fat people is counterproductive and society needs to confront one of "the last socially acceptable forms of prejudice", the scientists said.

Overweight people who felt discriminated against put on almost 1kg over four years, while those who did not lost weight, their study found.

-- The Times, London.

Jaws, the towering figure, famous for two Roger Moore era instalments of spy series, had been in hospital after breaking his leg. Read

On the eve of the 13th year that marks 9/11, a top Iranian political scientist has at a defence think tank in New Delhi described the destruction of the twin towers as "an attack on the engine of globalisation'.

This is as close as anyone has come on official platforms in India to justifying the attack on the World Trade Center towers on September 11, 2001. Read

Jammu and Kashmir's worst flood ravage in living memory has practically drowned the Assembly polls scheduled this winter and set the state up for its first spell of President's Rule since the early 1990s.

Embattled as it is with nature's devastation, the state also appears headed for renewed political turbulence once the waters settle.

In the first indication timely elections won't happen in the tide-torn state, central election commissioners today scrapped a field tour customarily taken before dates are set.  Read

Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa writes to state counterparts on need for a broad consensus on issues related to goods and services tax. Jayalalithaa asks Centre to strive for broad consensus on GST, including compensation period and methodology.

JUST IN: Naga council to lift Manipur blockade today.

And here's the confirmatory tweet from Rajdeep Sardesai: Delighted to be joining TV Today network, India's largest news network, as consulting editor. Looking forward to working with a great team. Will be doing a prime time show with Headlines Today soon. And a bit of Hindi on Aaj tak! So, it's back to the box soon.

Welcoming him to the group, India Today Group Chairman and Editor-in-Chief Aroon Purie said Rajdeep has been an asset to whichever team he has belonged to, including the cricketing ones.

"Great to have him with us. I know he will hit the ball out of the park for Team India Today."

In his new innings, Rajdeep will be doing a marquee show on Headlines Today and contribute to the revamp of the channel.

So, Rajdeep Sardesai has joined the India Today Group as Consulting Editor.

India Today posts this on their website: Rajdeep has been founding member of two TV networks. He started his television career in 1994 and was a founding member of NDTV and, subsequently, CNN-IBN. Prior to TV, he worked with the Times of India for six years and was the city editor of the newspaper's Mumbai edition. Rajdeep was the Editor-in-Chief of IBN18 Network heading CNN-IBN, IBN-7 and IBN-Lokmat for nine years. He has just finished his first book based on the historic 2014 elections. Rajdeep has won several national and international awards for journalism, including the Padma Shri in 2008."

Our best wishes, Rajdeep.

Subramanian Swamy @Swamy39 tweets: Hindu-Muslim love marriage ok if the Muslim says his ancestors are Hindus, Hindu in not converted, and children are not made Muslims.

As waters began receding in parts of Kashmir, including Srinagar, many residents began insisting they'd not leave home and move to safer places. On the other hand those desperate to be rescued attacked rescue teams for failing to attend to them first.

Floating debris, snapped wires, fallen trees and "lessthan-satisfactory" involvement of state administration hobbled rescue efforts.

NDRF said it had rescued about 18,600 people. CRPF claimed it had pulled out 25,000 and the Army over 50,000 by Wednesday . But sources conceded the enormity of the tragedy was just too huge to ensure quick relief to all. Read more

On Wednesday evening, on an Air Force helicopter that flew over flood-affected areas in and around Srinagar, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah dropped food packets to a city that remains, for the most part, under several feet of water. 

Tempers flared today with some angry that relief efforts were only reaching them six days after the floods began, the worst in the state in over a century. Others complained about living conditions in temporary camps. Many say Abdullah's government has been short on assistance in a crisis.

Read more

As Jammu and Kashmir battles its worst flood in 100 years, leading environmental think-tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has said heavy and unchecked development has magnified the tragedy in the state, especially in Srinagar. Read more

As Jammu and Kashmir battles its worst flood in 100 years, leading environmental think-tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has said heavy and unchecked development has magnified the tragedy in the state, especially in Srinagar. Read more

With just two days to go for the by-elections in Gujarat, all eyes are set on the contest, especially in the prestigious Maninagar Assembly seat vacated by Narendra Modi after becoming Prime Minister. Both the ruling BJP and Opposition Congress have left no stone unturned to woo the voters, for the bypolls to one Lok Sabha and nine Assembly seats to be held on September 13.

Maninagar is a traditional bastion of BJP since late 90s, but it came into limelight after Modi contested from there in 2002 and won.

Riding on 'development' wave, he won subsequent Assembly elections of 2007 and 2012 from the seat.

From NYTimes: President Obama will use a prime-time address on Wednesday evening to explain to Americans his strategy for confronting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, the Sunni militant group. Here is a look at some of the questions that may be addressed in the speech

Read the full story here

CNN reports: President Barack Obama is open to conducting airstrikes in Syria to combat the ISIS terror group, U.S. officials say. But it's unclear whether he will announce any such plan when he addresses the nation in a televised speech Wednesday night.

Read the full story here

BJP MP Adityanath defies ban, addresses election meeting
Second British voice identified in IS beheading video
Armed forces rescue over 76,500 people in flood-ravaged J-K
IA evacuates 270 stranded people from flood-hit J-K
Homeless, hungry and thirsty: Woes continue for Kashmir's locals

CNN reports: President Barack Obama is open to conducting airstrikes in Syria to combat the ISIS terror group, U.S. officials say. But it's unclear whether he will announce any such plan when he addresses the nation in a televised speech Wednesday night

Read the full story here