Technology stocks took a hammering in the wake of muted guidance from Infosys, which pulled down the benchmark Sensex 106 points below the 28,000 mark at the close, while a 'terror attack' in France kept the market on the edge.

The IT index bore the brunt after Infosys slashed its full-year revenue guidance, which triggered a massive sell-off in the technology sector pack, where the fall was across the board. Risk sentiment soured further after a gunman ploughed a truck into a crowd in France, killing at least 80 people, which roiled European shares.

Image courtesy: KBK graphics

Just in: One policeman has been killed and four police officers injured after terrorists attacked a police station in the Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Just three days ago, militants under the garb of protesters attacked the law enforcing agencies deployed for tackling law and order problems in a bid to provoke rage and cause casualties in the valley.

More than 39 guns have been looted by mob from a police station in south Kashmir. The incident took place in the apple-rich township of Sopore where militants fired at a police post in Warpora.

File picture

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal is expected to heckle Prime Minister Narendra Modi tomorrow when he holds an interactive session, titled 'Talk to AK', where people from across the country can ask him queries via phone, text message and social media.

The programme, which begins at 11 am tomorrow, may last three to four hours depending on the number of people and questions, he said.

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan to be face of 'city compost' campaign of 'Swachh Bharat Mission'.

Bachchan will be the face and voice of the campaign to promote a specific component of the mission, sale of city compost for fertilizers to help reduce the amount of waste going to landfills.

The urban development ministry on June 20 wrote to Bachchan, thanking him for being "one of the mostproactive ambassadors" of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and saying, "We would be grateful if you would agree to be the face of these promotions for city compost, lending your voice and person for the radio ads, TV commercials and posters.

Hours after the Pakistani media reported that the country's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said Tuesday, July 19, will be observed as a "Black Day to mark complete solidarity with Kashmiris", India has "completely and unequivocally" rejected the decision taken by the Pakistan cabinet. Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement "we are dismayed by the continued attempts by Pakistan to interfere in our internal matters."


"Continued glorification of terrorists belonging to proscribed terrorist organisations makes it amply clear where Pakistan's sympathies continue to lie," the statement added.


Earlier today, Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja M Asif has posted a series of provocative tweets comparing this week's clashes in Kashmir to the Gujarat riots of 2002.


Asif has called the clashes "an extention & re enactment of ethnic cleansing started by Modi in Gujrat (sic)." In a statement earlier this week, India had advised Pakistan to "refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of its neighbours" after Sharif had sought to glorify terrorist Burhan Wani of the Hizbul Mujahideen, whose killing on Friday last provoked the large clashes which have killed 36 people and left over 1500 injured.


Sharif had on Monday referred to the 22-year-old Burhan Wani as a "Kashmiri leader" and had expressed "deep shock" at his killing. India said the comments from Pakistan prove its "attachment to terrorism."

Amid the carnage of the Nice attacks, here's a story of hope.

A couple who lost their eight-month-old during the truck attack in Nice have been reunited with their baby after an appeal went out on Facebook.

The parents reportedly lost their pram during the disorder that followed the moment a lorry drove into a crowd during Bastille celebrations in Nice.

Tiava Banner posted on Facebook appealing for anyone who had seen her eight-month-old son.

Posting a picture of the infant, she wrote: "We have lost BB 8 months. "Nice friends if you've seen him if you were there if you have collected please contact me!!!!!"

The post was shared more than 21,000 times.

Two American citizens were killed in the truck attack in Nice, which has left at least 84 people dead, the US State Department spokesman said today. "At this time, we are aware of and can confirm two US citizens were killed in the attack in Nice on July 14, 2016," spokesman John Kirby said. "We express our sincere condolences to the family and friends of those killed." The statement was issued as US Secretary of State John Kerry was in Moscow for talks on Syria with his Russian counterpart.

Kirby did not identify the two dead but added the United States was providing "all possible consular assistance" to its citizens.

A Texas-based newspaper, the Austin American-Statesman, reported that 51-year-old Sean Copeland and his 11-year-old son Brodie were among those killed in Nice, citing their friends and relatives.

We are heartbroken and in shock over the loss of Brodie Copeland, an amazing son and brother who lit up our lives, and Sean Copeland, a wonderful husband and father, the family said in a statement.

A gunman drove a 19-tonne truck into a crowd of people celebrating Bastille Day last night in the French Riviera city of Nice in what authorities have called a "terrorist" attack.


Image: Sean and Brodie Copeland who lost their lives in Nice last night

A bomb squad was summoned to check out a truck on a road outside Nice and blew up a suspicious package found inside, French media report.

The Volvo was parked at Route de Turin, right outside Nice, according to Nice Matin newspaper. Two building were immediately evacuated.

The resort city in the south of France has been on high alert since at least 84 people were killed when a truck plowed through a crowd during Bastille Day celebrations. Weapons and grenades were found in the vehicle following the rampage.

The truck driver was eventually killed by police. French local media has identified him as Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel. It was reported earlier that he was a 31-year-old French national who was born in Tunisia.


Image: A woman places flowers in tribute near the scene of the massacre in Nice. Reuters.

Controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik says he will NOT be returning to India this year. "As per my travel plans, I am supposed to come to India by next year, not before that," Naik said.


Rejecting allegations that his sermons "inspired" terror activity, Naik today claimed he never encouraged anyone to kill innocents and said he will co-operate with any probe agency if it approaches him.

Talking to mediapersons via Skype from Medina, Naik, who is facing the heat over charges that he inspired some of the Dhaka cafe attackers, condemned all terror attacks and dubbed himself as "a messenger of peace".

"I did not inspire any terrorist... suicide bombings targeting innocent people are condemnable," Naik said, adding his statements on terrorism and suicide bombings were "doctored and tampered".

The 50-year-old Mumbai-based televangelist, who had earlier cancelled a press conference and had announced his visit to Africa from Saudi Arabia putting off his return to the country, challenged anyone to show him an unedited answer wherein he has not condemned suicide bombings.

Naik also maintained that no government agency has approached him to join investigation in connection with charges levelled against him until now. "I am willing to co-operate with any probe agency if they approach me," he added.

He also claimed that he had even addressed IPS officials in the past. Naik also stated that he applied for permission to air Peace TV, run by his Islamic Research Foundation, in 2008, but did not get the same as the channel allegedly was "Islamic". He also said that terrorists are misguiding innocent Muslims.

The sermons of Naik are under the scanner of the state and the central agencies in India. His speeches on Peace TV were said to be popular in Bangladesh, where the network has been banned post the July 1 terror attack which left 22 people dead, including an Indian.

JUST IN: French President Francois Hollande arrives in Nice after truck attack.

While ISIS has not claimed responsibility for the attack in Nice, the terror group has encouraged its supporters to attack French people with cars,  ahead of the Nice attack.

A man drove a truck through a crowd in Nice, killing at least 84 people with at least over 80 children injured. Supporters of ISIS have celebrated the massacre.


While the driver of the killer truck has been identified as a Franco Tunisian named Mohamed Bouhlel, the manner in which it was conducted is in keeping with calls from ISIS spokesperson Abu Mohammed al-Adnani to 'mow down French people'.


He had called upon supporters to use any vehicle to commit terror attacks, if they didn't have access to more traditional weapons. The call came in late 2014.

A 91-year-old woman has been questioned by police in Germany'" after she filled in the blanks in a piece of modern art based on a crossword puzzle, reports the Telegraph.

The pensioner, who has not been named under German privacy law, was questioned under caution after she filled in the work valued at 80,000 with a biro.

"Reading-work-piece", a 1977 work by Arthur Kpcke of the Fluxus movement, essentially looks like an empty crossword puzzle.Next to the work is a sign which reads: "Insert words'.The hapless pensioner explained to police that she was simply following the instructions."The lady told us she had taken the notes as an invitation to complete the crossword,' a police spokesman said.

At least 50 children hospitalised after France truck attack: Hospital.

The Supreme Court on Friday declined to hear victim Niyamat Shaikh's plea challenging Salman Khan's acquittal in the 2002 hit-and-run case.

While rejecting the plea, the apex court said that the 'petition of Maharashtra Government challenging Salman Khan's acquittal is already pending before the court'.

Earlier this month, Salman Khan's lawyer told the top court that the actor wanted to hear the case against him on merit.

The Supreme Court had on July 5 admitted the appeal by Maharashtra Government challenging the Bombay High Court verdict acquitting the Bollywood star.

Salman had been acquitted by the Bombay High Court in December 2015 and later in February this year the Supreme Court sent a notice to Salman, asking why his acquittal should not be overturned. On September 28, 2002, Khan's Toyota Land Cruiser had crashed into men sleeping on a pavement outside a bakery in Mumbai's Bandra, killing one.

The man who killed more than 84 people with a truck in Nice has been locally identified, reports the Indepdent. The driver of the truck was 31-year-old Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, according to newspaper Nice-Matin which cited local sources.


Police had previously said that they had formally identified the man, after finding ID cards in the truck he used to kill 84 people on Thursday night, during Nice's Bastille Day celebrations. He had been shot by police at the end of the attack.


The attack appears to have been premeditated, the local paper said, citing police sources. The man might have hired the truck on Wednesday in a town near Nice, it reported.

Image: A man walks through debris scatterd on the street after the attack in Nice. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard  

Uniting under hashtags such as #RechercheNice (#SearchNice) and #NiceFindPeople, relatives and friends have been posting photos and personal details such as age, height, and contact information in case anyone sees their loved one."We're looking for a sixteen-year-old boy, brown hair, medium height, named Hugo," reads one of the posts."No news from my friend, can you help me find him, he was at the fireworks show in Nice..." reads another.


Image: The Senate building is lit up in blue, white and red, the colors of the French flag in Mexico City, Mexico, in tribute to the victims of Nice.  REUTERS/Henry Romero

'Pakistan to observe July 19 as Black Day against Kashmir killings,' says PM Nawaz Sharif

The BBC reports that the Tunisian man's truck travelled 2km through the Bastille Day crowds on the Promenade des Anglais, killing and wounding dozens as it went. Eyewitnesses reported it swerved and zigzagged in an apparent attempt to hit more people.

Police have not yet released the attacker's name, but they said he lived in Nice. Other sources said previously he was already known to police for minor criminal offences.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has announced he will be "reviewing our own safety measures" in light of the attack in Nice, the Press Association reports.


Image: Bullet impacts are seen on the truck used to mow down scores celebrating Bastille Day at Nice. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard  

If you've just joined us, Twitter has been going nutty over India Today magazine's cover featuring yoga guru Baba Ramdev. (Scroll down for the India Today cover).

Ramdev who has been credited with popularising yoga with his TV shows, now finds himself a favourite on Twitter.

One of the wittiest memes are by Gautam Trivedi @Gotham3, who describes himself as an internationally recognized webmaster. Trivedi, who created the one alongside, calls this: "When Baba Ramdev launches himself into outer space."

And here's a meme by Trivedi of Ramdev parachuting in Belize and another of the Baba  practicing to be the goalkeeper for India in the next #FIFA world cup in Russia #FIFA2018.

The France truck attacker formally identified, says police source. The truck driver who killed 84 people celebrating Bastille Day in the French Riveria city of Nice, is believed to be of Tunisian descent.

He is a 31-year-old Franco-Tunisian man whose identity papers were found in the vehicle after the attack on France's July 14 national holiday.


Police have not yet released the attacker's name, but they said he lived in Nice. Other sources said previously he was already known to police for minor criminal offences.

Police shot the driver dead after he drove the truck two kilometres through a crowd along the palm-lined Promenade des Anglais. Interior ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet said 84 people were killed and scores injured, including 18 in "critical condition".

He was purposefully aiming the vehicle at the crowd and "zigzagging" so that he could hit as many people as possible.

According to media reports, the attacker drove into the crowd for about 2 km before he was overpowered.

The NYT reports that so numerous were the bodies that to protect their dignity, people had covered some of them with tablecloths snatched from the restaurants lining the Promenade des Anglais.

Damien Allemand, journalist with the Nice-Matin newspaper who was at the waterside, said the fireworks display had finished and the crowd had got up to leave when they heard a noise and cries.

"A fraction of a second later, an enormous white truck came along at a crazy speed, turning the wheel to mow down the maximum number of people," he said, adding, "I saw bodies flying like bowling pins along its route. Heard noises, cries that I will never forget."

An eyewitness told BFM TV: 'Everyone was calling run, run, run... there is an attack run, run, run. We heard some shots. We thought they were fireworks because it's the 14th of July.'

'There was great panic. We were running too because we didn't want to stick around and we went into a hotel to get to safety.

An eyewitness to the incident, Pierre Roux, whose apartment faces the sea,  told the New York Times, that he had first thought that the truck was simply out of control. But then he noticed that the lights were off and there was no honking.

"Nobody in the way stood a chance," he said.

He had come out of his apartment early Friday to place a burning candle on a white sheet covering a body that was unattended.

As he spoke, heavily armed police officers sealed off a widening perimeter of the city.

From the New York Times: Among the first people killed by the speeding truck on the sidewalk next to Lenval Beach in Nice was a middle-aged Muslim woman. Two of her sons and other family members stood, weeping or frozen in stunned silence, around her body, which was covered in a pale blue tartan blanket.Nearby there was another victim, an unidentified man sprawled on the sidewalk next to the beach beneath a bloodied sheet.

JUST IN: France truck attacker formally identified.

Q. What happens when India Today decides to put Baba Ramdev's picture doing an aasana as their cover image?

A. Twitter erupts with memes.

The picture (see alongside) has the yoga guru in an unusual and contorted aasana which immediately lent itself to a memes.

Update from Zakir Naik's Skype conference: Suicide bombing where innocents are killed is haraam. But as tactic of war it is permitted say many scholars.

The 50-year-old Mumbai-based televangelist, who is currently abroad, is interact with the media via Skype today. He had cancelled his press briefing yesterday citing pressure from management of the venue where it was organised.

Foreign minister Sushma Swaraj @SushmaSwaraj  tweets helpline numbers for Nice #NiceAttack Indian Embassy in Paris Helpline : +33-1-40507070.

The reported remark by the spokesman of the Ministry of External Affairs Vikas Swarup to the effect that his ministry is not in possession of any corroborative information over the recent speculations that some families from Kerala may have migrated to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has, unfortunately, become the small print.

Read MK Bhadrakumar's full column here

A 48-year-old businessman from Pune, who shot into the limelight after buying a 'gold shirt' worth over Rs 1 crore some years back, was allegedly bludgeoned to death in front of his son, police said today.

Datta Phuge, the businessman from the industrial township of Pimpri-Chinchwad in the district, had become the talk of the town after he presented himself a 'gold shirt' weighing about 3.5 kg and worth Rs. 1.27 crore in 2012.

At least 12 persons attacked Mr Phuge at an open ground in Dighi area here at around 11:30 pm last night with stones and a sharp weapon, killing him on the spot.

Controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, who is holding a press conference via Skype says he did not inspire any terrorist.

The press meet is taking place in a small hall in the Mazgaon area of South Mumbai. The 50-year-old Mumbai-based televangelist, who is currently abroad, was slated to interact with the media yesterday, but cancelled his press briefing, citing pressure from management of the venue where it was organised.

At the meet today, Naik said he is a "messenger of peace". "I have condemned all terror attacks, don't rely on doctored clips," he said.

"Suicide bombings targeting innocent people are condemnable," he said. He said his TV channel Peace TV can only be banned if the country (India) had given downlinking permission. He said India hasn't given, so the channel cannot be banned.

"I have addressed IPS officials in the past. Ready to co-operate with agencies, never encouraged anyone to kill innocents," he added.

The press conference is still on.

Sushma Swaraj @SushmaSwaraj  I have spoken to our Ambassador in France Shri Mohan Kumar. He has again confirmed that all Indians are safe. @Indian_Embassy.

One of the escort vehicles in the convoy of West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee falls into a gorge, while it was on its way from Darjeeling to Bagdogra airport.

CM Mamata Banerjee was in a separate vehicle in the convoy as was  President Pranab Mukherjee. The president is on a three-day visit to Darjeeling with his family where he attended various functions. The government of West Bengal had also hosted a state reception in honour of the President at Chowrasta (The Mall).

Six security personnel who were in the escort vehicle have been rescued and hospitalised. Mamata Banerjee and the President and everyone else in the convoy are reported to be safe.

In fact, according to TV reports the CM personally oversaw the rescue operations. Early reports say the vehicle fell into the gorge when the brakes failed.

No cause for the attack is yet clear, but the mayor of Nice has confirmed that the truck carried weapons and grenades. French media are also reporting that the driver fired shots while running into the crowd, which has not been officially confirmed.

Hollande said that "the terrorist character of the attack cannot be denied." The anti-terrorism prosecutor is still investigating the attack.

The French consulate in Turkey had cancelled its Bastille Day celebrations earlier due to security threats, reported Liberation.Almost eight months ago, Islamic State group militants killed 130 people in Paris. On Sunday, France had breathed a sigh of relief as the month-long Euro 2016 soccer tournament ended without a feared attack.

As news continues to unfold from the terrifying events in Nice, France, those in the area who were fortunately unaffected by the attack tonight that saw 84 people killed and more than 100 injured are reaching out to confirm they are unhurt. Among them, the ongoing production of Fifty Shades Darker, the sequel to Fifty Shades Of Grey currently filming in the French Riviera near Nice.

French Prime Minister Francois Hollande said Friday morning local time that he would "strengthen our actions" in Syria and Iraq and extend the state of emergency another three months, hours after a truck ran into a crowd of revelers and killed at least 84 people and leaving over a 100 injured in Nice.


Image: French newspaper Le Figaro front pages the incident with the headline, The Horror, yet again. 

Facebook on Friday turned on its Safety Check feature after a large truck mowed through a crowd celebrating Bastille Day in Nice, France, killing at least 80 people.

According to CNET, it is the third time in nearly a month that the social networking giant has activated the tool.The feature allows people to notify their friends if they are in the affected area and mark themselves as safe.

A click or tap on the "I'm Safe' button lets friends and loved ones know straight away. Users can also check to see whether their friends are safe too.

"Last month, we began testing features that allow people to both initiate and share Safety Check on Facebook," a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement.

"We hope the people in the area find the tool a helpful way to let their friends and family know they are OK," the spokesperson added.

The feature was activated in early June after the deadly attack on a Florida night club that claimed the lives of 49 people.Less than two weeks later, Facebook activated Safety Check feature for users after a suicide attack that killed 45 people at Istanbul's Ataturk airport.

JUST IN: Patel agitation chief Hardik Patel released from Lajpore Central Jail in Surat after nearly 9 months. He was granted bail in all the cases lodged against him.

Just In: Supreme Court disposes off public interest litigation seeking court monitored investigation in AgustaWestland scam case.

Nice truck attacker was known to French police for common law crimes, but not to intelligence services, Reuters quotes police source.

Bastille Day terror attack: Driver of truck fired pistol before being shot dead, sources tell AFP

As a truck rammed the crowd in French town of Nice killing several people, clouds of smoke were seen around the Eiffel tower at the same time.   

At least 30 people were killed in the southern French town of Nice when a truck ran into a crowd celebrating the Bastille Day national holiday on Thursday night, French TV channel BFM TV said.

Kendal Unruh is trying to do what 16 Republican presidential candidates and at least three super PACs spending more than $20 million could not do: take down Donald Trump.

The Army is taking a closer look at Dallas police shooter Micah Xavier Johnson's military record to determine if all allegations of potential misconduct against him were fully investigated at the time he served, CNN has learned.

Britain's Prince Harry has taken a nearly instant HIV test as part of his campaign to raise awareness about the virus.

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