The militants, who were killed in two separate encounters in Kupwara yesterday were affiliated to Lashkar-e-Tayiba, the army today claimed. "About 200 to 220 militants are active in Kashmir valley.

As dust settled down over the row between makers of Bollywood film "Udta Punjab" and the CBFC, an LGBT activist here has locked horns with the Maharashtra Censor Board of Theatres over his Marathi play. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today wrapped up his two-day visit here during which he attended the annual summit of the the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and held talks with Presidents of China, Russia and three other Central Asian countries.

At least three people were killed and another 32 injured when a bomb ripped through a busy square in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province, police said today.

Rajesh Rajgopalan on Berxit.

Just in: Union minister for Water Resources Uma Bharti hospitalised. Bharti was admitted to AIIMS, New Delhi, after she complained of chest pain. 

The BJP leadership is said to be upset over its 'unguided missile' MP Subramanian Swamy's open attacks on Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and top bureaucrats and has taken a serious view of the matter.

Party sources said there was concern in the organisation and the leadership over the unbridled criticism aimed at the Finance Ministry and today's threat of a "bloodbath" over being asked to be discipline.

Sources indicated the party was not in a hurry to act against Swamy, a Rajya Sabha member, and would adopt a wait- and-watch attitude for some time.

A senior BJP leader sought to dispel the impression that Swamy, who is said to enjoy the support of RSS, has the backing of the Sangh Parivar fountainhead claiming RSS would not support such an open attack that harms the government's and party's image.

Swamy today lashed out at Jaitley without naming him, in an apparent reaction to the minister urging him to exercise restraint and discipline in the wake of his attacks on government's Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian and Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das.

"People giving me unasked for advice of discipline and restraint don't realise that if I disregard discipline there would be a bloodbath," he tweeted in an obvious attack on Jaitley. "BJP should direct our Ministers to wear traditional and modernised Indian clothes while abroad. In coat and tie, they look like waiters," Swamy said in another tweet.

Filmmaker Shirish Kunder has rubbished the claims that his recently released short film "Kriti" is a copy of another short movie.

Aneel Neupane, a filmmaker from Nepal wrote on his Facebook page that Kunder's psychological-thriller starring Manoj Bajpayee was a copy of his short movie "Bob" and alleged that the "Jaan-E-Mann" director "practically stole the plot and made it into his film."

Neupane wrote that his film was ready in October 2015 and he uploaded it on Vimeo "as a private video to share it with close friends" before releasing it on YouTube on May 12, this year. Kunder's film was released online on June 22 with much fan fare where actress Kangana Ranaut was the special guest.

Kunder told PTI, "That short film ('Bob') was released on May 12 whereas we shot 'Kriti' in February, after which it was in post production. How is it even possible to 'lift' the idea, unless I was time travelling ?" "These allegations are technically, factually and logically, baseless," he said.

The "Joker" director, while addressing the allegations that "Bob" was released online in October, said the film was shared exclusively with Neupane's set of friends and there was no way he could have seen it.

"Their another claim is that they shared a private Vimeo link with their close friends in October. Now, I am not even friends with the makers and the video was private so how can I see it ? I am not alleging anything against them, but it seems like an act just to gain some publicity."

The 18-minute short film "Kriti" also starring Radhika Apte and Neha Sharma, deals with the complexities of a character's mind. The short film was met with positive response from many Bollywood personalities and the audience.

In the bleak flatlands of East Anglia, migrant workers are controlled by criminal gangs, and some are forced to commit crimes to pay off their debts. This is what happens when cheap labour is our only priority. A cautionary tale on Brexit day. Read

The unthinkable has happened with the United Kingdom voting to leave the European Union. (BBC)

Arguably, this is potentially the most serious development in world politics since the collapse of the Soviet Union. (Curiously, both catastrophes happened 'voluntarily'.)

What lies ahead? Let me outline three concentric circles '" Britain's future comes, of course, in the First Circle; followed by the fate of Europe in these uncertain times; and, enveloping the above two circles, the shift in the 'co-relation of forces' in the international system and world politics.

Read MK Bhadrakumar's blog here.

Neil O'Brien, a pioneer of quizzing in India and leader of the Anglo-Indian community, passed away in Kolkata today, his son and TMC MP Derek O'Brien said. He was 82. Brien is survived by his wife Joyce and three sons, Derek, Andy and Barry.

"Saddest tweet I've ever written. Dad Neil O'Brien gone. Passed at home Kolkata, quiz pioneer, ex ICSE chief, AI community icon, educationist," Derek O'Brien said in a tweet.

A former member of Lok Sabha, Neil O'Brien was also a three-time nominated Anglo-Indian MLA in West Bengal and an educationist.

US Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders said on Friday he will vote for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

Asked if he would vote for Clinton in November, Sanders said, "Yes. The issue right here is I'm going to do everything I can to defeat Donald Trump. I think Trump in so many ways would be a disaster if he were elected president."

Clinton clinched the party nomination earlier in June. While Sanders had said he would work with Clinton to defeat Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, he had yet to endorse Clinton and has kept his own election campaign alive.

Sir David Attenborough has expressed his sadness at the prospects for Britains environment following the countrys vote to leave.

The countrys top naturalist has previously ruled out commenting on the referendum in any form, despite focus groups saying the wildlife broadcaster was among the most trusted public figures on the issue.

But in his first intervention on the referendum, when asked about the potential impact of Brexit on the environment Attenborough told the Guardian: That is sad. Swallows arent members of the union, and migrant birds and so on.

Throughout the campaign, environmentalists have been largely united in proclaiming the environmental protections guaranteed by EU membership. Attenborough said he was hopeful that international conservation efforts would not be hampered by the UK leaving the EU. One just hopes that collaboration on these issues, conservation issues, will transcend political divisions, he said.

He said he hoped the EUs two key protections for wildlife, the birds and habitats directive, would stay in UK law. I hope so, and I hope it may be possible for us to do so, he said.

"Inko kya Britain ka nashaa chad gaya hai? Ye desh samvidhaan se chalta hai," MoS Home Kiren Rijiju on Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's tweet. Is he high on Britain? This country runs on the Constitution."

After Britain voted to leave the European Union, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had tweeted saying, "Delhi will soon have a referendum on full statehood."

Twenty minutes before Kejriwal's tweet, AAP leader Ashish Khetan also tweeted, "after UK's referendum on EU exit, it's time to have a referendum on full statehood for Delhi. In a democracy the will of the ppl is supreme."

Delhi is a Union Territory with a legislative assembly that limits the power of the Delhi government and gives the city-state has a unique status.

Most importantly, law and order, including police (which are generally state subjects), along with land and civic bodies are controlled by the Union government. The representative of the union government in Delhi is the Lt Governor, now Najeeb Jung.

This is the reason there has been raging turf wars between the Kejriwal government and Jung.

In fact, statehood has been part of the Aam Aadmi Party manifesto, but it has not come to pass.  

In a speech in Berlin, German chancellor Angela Merkel spoke of Brexit and the implications for Europe. Highlights:

-- Europe, it's people and expectations, are varied. The EU must make sure its citizens feel how it contributes to their lives.

-- Challenges are too large for individual states to tackle in isolation in a globalised world. The EU is a unique society of values and a guarantor working for stability, social and economic and foreign policy interests.

-- Look at history and never forget the idea of unity and peace, which found a path through the EU's founding fathers and was enshrined in the Treaty of Rome. It is not to be taken for granted.

-- She says Germany has a specific interest and responsibility for the EU to succeed and she has invited the French, Italian and European leaders to talks on Brexit next week.

With allies like this, you don't need an opposition.

The Shiv Sena today said it appreciates the views of Subramanian Swamy and took a dig at BJP saying the party "cannot disown" his comments on the Chief Economic Advisor after having "used" him against the Gandhi family in the National Herald case.

Sena's support for Swamy comes amidst the exchange of words between him and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley over the former's demand for sacking of Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian. "We have a feeling of attachment towards Swamy because he is famous for his stand on Hindutva and corruption. Sonia and Rahul Gandhi must be having nightmare of him. 2G spectrum and National Herald scams came to light because of his initiative, and, at that time the BJP used Swamy completely," the Sena said in an editorial in its mouthpiece 'Saamana'.

"Now if Swamy is speaking some truth in his own way, the BJP cannot disown his comments saying they are his personal opinions," it said.

Taking a dig at Jaitley, Sena said that while he might be "clever and competent", a Finance minister cannot keep everybody happy at the same time.

"The cracks that have developed due to corruption, inflation and black money cannot be easily plugged. We do not know what did Swamy get by attacking two people related to the economy (Raghuram Rajan and Arvind Subramanian). But, he has good knowledge in this field," it said.

Taking on the Swamy episode and the rumblings it created in the BJP, Sena said that now nobody should ask it why does it attack the the NDA government despite being in power and whether such a course suits a ruling alliance partner.

The Financial Time's Gideon Rachman @gideonrachman tweets: Seventy five percent of people under the age of 25 voted Remain. What a betrayal of them


Or as the Independent puts it: How old people have screwed over the younger generation - in three charts. Take a look.

Heres the full text of former London mayor Boris Johnsons statement. Johnson is in the 'Leave' camp.

"I want to begin by paying tribute to David Cameron who has spoken earlier from Downing Street, and I know I speak for Michael when I saw how sad I am that he has decided to step down but obviously I respect that decision. I have known David Cameron for a very long time, and I believe he has been one of the most extraordinary politicians of our age. A brave and principled man, who has given superb leadership of his party and his country for many years.

"Delivering one nation Conservative government, making this country the most dynamic economy in Europe and with his own brand of compassionate Conservative that rightly earned his party the first majority government for decades. It was his bravery that gave this country the first referendum on the European Union for 43 years. Today I think all of us politicians need to thank the British people for the way they have been doing ou job for us. They hire us to deal with the hard questions and this year we gave them one of the biggest and toughest questions of all.

"Some people are now saying that was wrong and that people should never have been asked in that way. I disagree, it was entirely right and inevitable and there is no way of dealing with a decision on this scale except by putting it to the people.

"Because in the end this decision is about the people, the right of people in this country to settle their own destiny. The very principles of our democracy, the rights of all of us to elect and remove the people who make the key decisions in their lives. And I think that the electorate have searched in their hearts and answered as best they can in a poll the scale the like of which we have never seen before in this country. They have decided it is time to vote to take back control from a EU that has become too opaque and not accountable enough to the people it is meant to serve.

"In voting to leave the EU, it is vital to stress there is no need for haste, and as the prime minister has said, nothing will change in the short term except how to give effect to the will of the people and to extracate this country from the supranational system. There is no need to invoke article 50.

"And to those who may be anxious both at home and abroad, this does not mean that the United Kingdom will be in anyway less united, it does not mean it will be any less European. I want to speak directly to the millions of people who did not vote for this outcome, especially young people who may feel that this decision involves somehow pulling up the drawbridge because i think the very opposite is true.

"We cannot turn our backs on Europe we are part of Europe, our children and our grandchildren will continue to have a wonderful future as Europeans, travelling to the continent, understanding the languages and the cultures that make up our common European civilisation, continuing to interact with the peoples of other countries in a way that is open and friendly and outward looking. And I want to reassure everyone Britain will continue to be a great European power, leading discussions on defence and foreign policy and the work that goes on to make our world safer.

"But there is simply no need in the 21st century to be part of a federal government in Brussels that is imitated nowhere else on Earth. It was a noble idea for its time but it is no longer right for this country. It is the essence of our case that young people in this country can look forward to a more secure and more prosperous future, if we take back the democratic control which is the foundation of our economic prosperity. We have a glorious opportunity, to pass our laws and set our taxes entirely according to the needs of the UK, we can control our borders in a way that is not discriminatory but fair and balanced and take the wind out of the sails of the extremists and those who would play politics with immigration.

"Above all we can find our voice in the world again, a voice commensurate with the fifth biggest economy on earth. Powerful, liberal, humane, an extraordinary force for good in the world. The most precious thing this country has given the world is the ide aof parliamentary democracy. Yesterday, I beleive the British people have spoken up for democracy in Britain and across Europe and we can be proud of the result."

EU chiefs told Britain to start negotiations to quit the bloc "as soon as possible", after outgoing Prime Minister David Cameron said today he would leave the negotiations to his successor.

"We now expect the United Kingdom government to give effect to this decision of the British people as soon as possible, however painful that process may be," said a joint statement after Britons voted for a Brexit. "Any delay would unnecessarily prolong uncertainty." The statement was issued by EU president Donald Tusk, European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker, EU Parliament leader Martin Schulz and Dutch premier Mark Rutte, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the bloc, after crisis talks in Brussels.

Cameron announced he would step down to make way for a new leader by October, adding that the new prime minister would be responsible for officially triggering Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty to start Britain's divorce from the bloc. But European leaders made it clear they were keen to get the process over with as quickly as possible and wanted Britain to start talks immediately.

"We have rules to deal with this in an orderly way," the joint statement said. "We stand ready to launch negotiations swiftly with the United Kingdom regarding the terms and conditions of its withdrawal from the European Union." It added that Britain remained bound by EU law "until it is no longer a member."

Following the historic vote in which United Kingdom voted for Brexit, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the Scottish government will begin to prepare the legislation required to enable a second independence referendum to take place. 

Sensex plummets 604.51 points to end at 26,397.71; Nifty nosedives 181.85 points to 8,088.60.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi efforts to secure membership for India to the Nuclear Suppliers Group, on Friday, failed with members of the elite grouping failing to reach a consensus over the issue.

On Friday, at a high-level meeting of the NSG in Seoul, Switzerland is reported to have raised concerns over induction of non-Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty countries like India.At the end of its two-day plenary in Seoul, the NSG on Friday declared its "firm support" for the "full, complete and effective" implementation of the NPT as the cornerstone of the international non-proliferation regime, a clear indication that no exception will be made in the case of India. Read more

A new form of Brexit -- a brain exit -- could hit Britain's universities and scientific community following the referendum vote to leave the European Union, academics have warned.Professor Simon Wessely, president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and chair psychological medicine at King's College London, joked that he wanted "a one-way flight to Zurich please'.

And, while he stressed this had been meant as a "gag', he told The Independent in an email there was serious concern that academics from other European Union countries might decide to leave the UK. Read more

PS. Been there, done that. In India it has been called Brain Drain.

Former UK PM Tony Blair says the UK's decision to leave the European Union will have enormous consequences.The Labour former prime minister tells Sky News the result is "very sad for our country, for Europe, for the world". He calls for a "very mature and reflective" response.

Now that Britain has voted to leave the European Union or has given the nod for a Brexit, in India, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted saying, "Delhi will soon have a referendum on full statehood."

Twenty minutes before Kejriwal's tweet, AAP leader Ashish Khetan also tweeted, "after UK's referendum on EU exit, it's time to have a referendum on full statehood for Delhi. In a democracy the will of the ppl is supreme."


Delhi is a Union Territory with a legislative assembly that limits the power of the Delhi government and gives the city-state has a unique status.


Most importantly, law and order, including police (which are generally state subjects), along with land and civic bodies are controlled by the Union government. The representative of the union government in Delhi is the Lt Governor, now Najeeb Jung.

This is the reason there has been raging turf wars between the Kejriwal government and Jung.


In fact, statehood has been part of the Aam Aadmi Party manifesto, but it has not come to pass. 

The US presidential hopeful Donald Trump (and let's hope he remains hopeful) has said it is a "great thing" that the people of the UK have "taken back their country". He made the remarks as he touched down at his Trump Turnberry golf resort in Scotland. 

"No need to panic," Mayor of London Sadiq Khan wants to reassure British people and the world's businesses and investors. "I still believe that our country is better off within the European Union, but there is no doubt that London will continue to be the successful city it is today," he says.

He calls on people to unite to heal division and tells the almost one million Europeans living in London: "You are welcome here."

The final national result, overturning over four decades of the UK's membership of EU, was officially declared as 51.9 per cent in favour of Brexit and 48.1 per cent in favour of Remain by the UK Electoral Commission's chief counting officer Jenny Watson from Manchester Town Hall.

Britain, the second largest economy in Europe after Germany, is the second country after Greenland to quit the bloc.

A total of 17,410,742 voters emerged as Brexiters compared to the 16,141,241 that sided with Remain, leading to a victory for Brexit by 1,269,501 votes.

The referendum turnout was declared as 72.2 per cent with over 30 million people turning out to vote, reflecting the highest turnout in the UK since 1992.

London, Scotland and Northern Ireland voted strongly to stay in the EU but Brexit held strong in the north of England, the Midlands region, Wales and most English counties, sending world markets into a shock with the Pound Sterling in free-fall.

Image: The cover of the Daily Telegraph. Also see how other papers covered the historic Brexit polls.

While on Maggie, read:You can now buy a copycat version of Margaret Thatcher's 1975 European flags jumper. 

Former British PM Margaret Thatcher on why Britain should be part of a larger European Union. This was in 1975 when she was leader of the Conservative party in the Opposition. 

James Mackintosh @jmackin2  FTSE 250 in Black Monday crash of 1987 fell 10.8%. This morning down 11.9%

Reserve Bank Governor Raghuram Rajan on Friday said that the central bank is continuously maintaining a close vigil on the market developments, both domestically and internationally, and will take all necessary steps, including liquidity support (both dollar and rupee), to ensure orderly conditions in financial markets.

"The Indian economy has good fundamentals, low short term external debt, and sizeable foreign reserves. These should stand the country in good stead in the days to come," the RBI chief said.

Highlights...

-- There is no immediate cause for worry.

-- We are prepared in terms of outflows. We have been taking delivery of currency over time. When the time comes we will have additional dollars to repay whatever deposits go out.

-- Volatility happens in every market. These are all interconnected markets and there will be concerns. India is less exposed to the external sector. We are not a significant commodity exporter. The economy itself is on a stronger growth tangent.

-- We will not be immune to those consequences (of Brexit). After initial concerns money should return.

-- Investment to the UK will get affected because of the ease of entry. Some frictions may develop over time, but not immediately.


-- Rupee has been relatively well behaved, unlike say the Mexican Peso or the Pound.

-- The central bank can inject liquidity.

-- Brexit has adverse consquences for global growth. It puts more of an onus on authorities to ensure there is no copy cat effect in the world. That there is no effect on trade, capital flows, immigration. Popular and political support for keeping an open world should happen.  

Infuriating Reason @brumbyOz  Did Cameron recently meet modi? Abbot lost his chair months after meeting modi. Rupa can check correlation & causation with some data.

Speaking outside Number 10, David Cameron - accompanied by his wife Samantha - says the will of the British people must be respected.

Calling the referendum was not a decision taken lightly - over 33 million people from across the UK have all had their say and we should be proud that we trust the people in these big decisions, he says.

"There are times when it's right to ask the people themselves," he says.
David Cameron says strong, determined and committed leadership will be needed to renegotiate Britain's role in Europe.

"I'm very proud to have been prime minister of this country," he says.

Cameron announced that he is stepping down as prime minister.

There should be a new PM in place by the start of the Conservative Party conference in October, he says.

It is not right for him "to be the captain of the ship" as the British people have taken a very clear decision to take a different path to the one he has promoted, he adds.

"Country requires fresh leadership," says British PM David Cameron. "The will of the British people to respect the European Union must be respected. The leave result must be delivered. The Leave vote must be respected. I would reassure those economies watching this that Britain's economy is fundamentally strong. There will be no change in the way people can travel, goods are sold."

Breaking: Cameron to resign by October.

"We are determined to keep our unity as 27," President of the European Council Donald Tusk says after #Brexit.

The European Union president said the bloc was determined to stay unified after Britain voted to leave and warned against "hysterical" reactions.

"Today on behalf of the 27 leaders, I can say that we are determined to keep our unity as 27," Tusk told reporters in Brussels, adding that "it is a historic moment but for sure not a moment for hysterical reactions."

Tusk said that the bloc would meet without Britain at summit next week to assess its future,

The right-leaning Sun calls the vote. 

The British press on Brexit

The front page of the Wall Street Journal, US edition.

Sinad Gleeson ‏@sineadgleeson  So regressive. Feels like many based their vote on an antiquated idea of Empire & the 19th century policy of "Splendid Isolation". #brexit

Mr Lee Jasper ‏@LeeJasper  I expect racist hate crimes to rise and emboldened, unashamed racism in police, schools, public and private sectors. #Brexit #RacistRight

Brittany Meyer  @Bouncy_Britt   Is scares me how people are mad about #brexit. Sweden is what happens when you don't have border control. Rape rate risen by 2000%.

Dr. Alex J, riley ‏@alexrileyiscool  im proud of you, Britian #Brexit

Tet ‏@765_Tet  Even if things get tough, you can fight it until you find a way to stand on top. You did well without the EU before, you'll survive. #brexit

Harriett ‏@Har_bur  We are now seeing the emboldening of Far Right movements around the world because of #Brexit

Harmless Mystery ‏@RedRobina  I wonder what Nostradamus wrote about this. #Brexit

Swebliss @LosAngeles ‏@swebliss  Seriously UK?! wtf.. Why?😢 #Brexit

STRIGGA ‏@STRIGGA  63% of Britain's exports go to the EU, bank of England expecting a 6% economic decline, Pound could fall 20% in value. Well done there. #Brexit

Josh Marshall ‏@Joshmarshtv  Very proud to be British today. Parliament is sovereign once more. #Brexit

RBI governor Raghuram Rajan assures markets and investors, saying the central bank is watching all markets, including currencies. 

The Sensex took a big 1,058-point plunge this morning as UK's vote to exit European Union sent financial markets into a tailspin, eroding nearly Rs 4 lakh crore from the investors' wealth held in stocks. The Rupee was also down almost 96 paise, though the government and RBI sought to play a brave face saying the fall in Indian currency was relatively moderate in comparison to many other currencies globally.  

And an interesting tidbit about former London mayor Boris Johnson's wife Marina Claire Wheeler.

So, Ms Wheeler (says Wikipedia) is of half English and half Indian Sikh descent, the daughter of BBC correspondent Sir Charles Wheeler and his second wife Dilip Singh. Her Asian ancestry goes back to the town of Sargodha in West Punjab, with her maternal family migrating to India after the partition.

She was educated at the European School of Brussels, and then in the early 1980s at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge University, where she wrote for the student magazine Cantab. At the European School, she became friendly with Boris Johnson, the journalist and politician. Her sister, Shirin Wheeler, is an EU spokeswoman.

Ironically, her husband the former mayor Boris Johnson, is on the 'Leave' side, which believes an independent Britain will be able to contain immigration.

UKIP leader Nigel Farage in a televised speech just now exulted that the UK now needs "a Brexit government" to lead the country out of the EU. We need negotiations to start as soon as humanly possible, he said.

He added that 24 June should be declared a national holiday - and it should be called Independence Day.

"This is a victory for ordinary people. We are now free to start making our own trade deals. We have given ourselves a chance to rejoin the world. We need to start thinking globally."

Britain's Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond says he believes David Cameron will continue as prime minister despite being on the losing side of the vote. "The prime minister's... been clear that whatever the outcome of this referendum he will continue as prime minister," Hammond told Sky News. "What the country needs now is a sense of continuity and stability," he added. 

If Britain votes to leave the European Union, it could mark the beginning of uncertainty both about the UK economy and the rest of Europe. Till now there was relative certainty that the Remain in EU camp had an edge, but more recently, Brexit camp has taken a lead in polls. This has rattled the markets and British politics.Even as global growth has slightly improved and in the UK there has been a significant increase in industrial production and construction output, the biggest risk to the UK economy remains the outcome of the referendum on next week. The Bank of England has warned that uncertainty about the EU referendum is the "largest immediate risk" facing global financial markets.

The UK treasury has claimed a "Leave" vote would tip the UK into a year-long recession. British chancellor, George Osborne sparked anger among his Leave-backing Tory colleagues when he said an emergency Budget would be needed if the UK voted out.

Read more


Image: A painting of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill hangs beside a television broadcasting Brexit polling at The Churchill Tavern, a British themed bar, on the day Britain votes. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

EU leaders are due to gather for a summit in Brussels, at which there will be only one topic - the Brexit vote.They could even bring the meeting forward by a few days if their anxiety is great enough, reports the Daily Mail.

David Cameron is expected to formally notify them of our intention to leave, trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty - the legal process for quitting the 28 nation bloc.

That starts the clock on a two-year period during which we negotiate a new set of arrangements in areas such as trade, justice and reciprocal visas.

However, the PM may hold off as some Leave campaigners do not want to invoke Article 50 at all, believing it puts our negotiators at a disadvantage.Instead we could try to force the EU to strike a deal without imposing a time limit - but that may depend on whether other states are willing to play ball. European commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has already warned that 'deserters' will not be treated kindly.


Image: Children pose next to a chalkboard advertising a Brexit viewing event at "The Churchill Tavern", a British theme bar, on the day where Britain votes. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

The good news; David Cameron will remain British PM after Brexit vote, says foreign minister.

However, a downgrade of Britain's AAA credit rating by Standard and Poor's (S&P) could come quickly after the vote in favour of leaving the European Union, S&P chief sovereign ratings officer Moritz Kraemer told German daily Bild.

The Standard & Poor's is an index of 500 stocks chosen for market size, liquidity and industry grouping, among other factors. The S&P also gives a credit rating to countries.

Kraemer repeated that the political situation in Britain would become less predictable and rational, partly because there was no real post-Brexit plan, Bild reported.

Kraemer said in April that a leave vote would likely lead to a downgrade of Britain's rating, given the country's deep political, financial and trading ties in Europe.

Yogendra Yadav @_YogendraYadav Britain is an island. It chooses to remain one.

J.K. Rowling @jk_rowling Scotland will seek independence now. Cameron's legacy will be breaking up two unions. Neither needed to happen.


Farhan Khan Virk ‏@FarhanKVirk  #Brexit proves that Britishers were still living in past glory and considered themselves better than the rest. They are now in 1985

Ravi Dharamshi ‏@ravidharamshi Everyone except George Soros learnt  today the meaning of Pounding #Brexit

Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das says India's trade not going to be impacted significantly; firepower will be used judiciously.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's first statement since Brexit as the Sensex plunged and the Rupee slides. 

"We are well prepared to deal with short and medium-term consequences of Brexit:," the finance minister said.

Earlier, MoS finance Jayant Sinha said, "There will be adjustment in currencies across the globe, but India still remains a haven of stability in a troubled world.  We have made contingency plans he says. As long as the adjustment process is orderly, we will give the market leeway," he said.

The rupee took a sharp plunge of 91.67 paise against the UK Pound to crash below the 68-level today as Britain's vote for leaving the European Union played havoc in global markets, but RBI intervention to infuse liquidity helped the local currency recoup some early losses.

The rupee was trading down by 58 paise at 67.83 against the American currency in late morning deals. Overseas, China's yuan fell to its weakest level against dollar in more than five years after Britain voted to leave the European Union, threatening the existence of the entire bloc and its single currency.

The British pound slumped more than 7 per cent against the dollar as turmoil came to the world markets. As the US dollar strengthened, oil prices reversed gains from overnight. Brent crude oil was last down 1.5 per cent at USD 50.16 a barrel. Sustained bouts of dollar demand from importers amid weakness in other Asian currencies also weighed on the rupee, forex dealers said.

The Indian unit opened sharply lower by 63 paise at 67.88 against yesterday's closing level of 67.25 at the Interbank Foreign Exchange (Forex) market.

If you've just joined us, this is the big story happening now.

In a historic development, the UK has voted to leave the European Union after 43 years as the 'Brexit' camp today took a seemingly unassailable lead over the 'Remain' camp in a down-to-wire referendum with far reaching implications for the world. 52 per cent of the Britons in yesterday's vote favoured leaving the 28-member EU, while 48 per cent supported staying in the bloc, according to a BBC forecast after counting of 70 per cent of votes.

The national broadcaster said that the trends indicated that the Remain side spearheaded by Prime Minister David Cameron could not regain from this position and the 52-48 per cent count in favour of Brexit is likely to be the final verdict of the British voters.

The final national result is to be officially declared by the UK Electoral Commission's chief counting officer Jenny Watson from Manchester Town Hall. "... Dawn is breaking on an independent United Kingdom' June 23 will be our Independence Day," far-right UK Independence Party (UKIP) leader Nigel Farage said, while declaring victory.

London and Scotland voted strongly to stay in the EU but the remain vote has been undermined by poor results in the north of England, it said. Voters in Wales and the English shires have backed Brexit in large numbers.

On Twitter: Michael Gray posts, "Every single area of Scotland has now voted to continue the country's membership of the European Union. (32 out of 32)."

But after Britain's exit from the EU, likelihood of another Scottish referendum looms ahead. Scotland voted to remain with the United Kingdom in the referendum in 2014.  

Tata Sons has been ordered to pay Japan's largest mobile phone firm NTT DoCoMo US $ 1.17 billion as compensation for breaching an agreement on their India joint venture. 

RBI intervenes in forex market with liquidity support: Sources

Finance Secretary Ashok Lavasa on Brexit: Government, Reserve Bank of India ready with measures to curb volatility.

Reuters reports: Circuit breaker kicks in for Nikkei futures, trading halted for 10 minutes for Japan stock futures

BBC forecast: UK votes to leave the 28-nation European Union in historic referendum. 

BREXIT: Sensex plunges over 795 points in opening trade

Scotland votes strongly in favour of the UK staying in the EU -- with every council area so far backing Remain -- but Leave holds a narrow lead across the UK.

BREXIT: Leave wins the EU referendum campaign in Wales with all council areas declared.

NSE stock futures listed on Singapore exchange falls 2.55%: Reuters

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says the European Union should respond in a calm and inclusive way to whatever result emerges from the British referendum on EU membership.

The outcome of the EU referendum could shake up UK leadership ranks.

Counting is under way in a referendum that will decide whether the UK remains a member of the European Union.

United Kingdom Independent Party leader Nigel Farage tells Sky news "it looks like 'remain' will edge it" in Britain's referendum on whether to stay in the 28-nation European Union. 

A survey shows 52% of UK voters in favour of remain and 48% for leaving the EU, according to Sky News.

First day of NSG meet ends in deadlock, to continue tomorrow