The Union cabinet meet is underway at 7RCR currently to discuss the situation in Uttarakhand. 

Nearly 653 doctors and office bearers of medical societies across the country have urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to implement the new set of pictorial warning on tobacco product packages from April 1, to save millions of lives.             

Communist Party of India '" Marxist on Saturday said that it will neither stitch an alliance nor form a front with the Congress for the upcoming West Bengal assembly elections.             

People's Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Nirmal Singh met Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra at Raj Bhawan today evening to discuss government formation.

After the meeting, Mehbooba thanked the BJP for supporting the formation of a new government in the state, which is under President's rule since the demise of former chief minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed.

"We're thankful to the BJP for their unconditional support in formation of government in J&K. I am very satisfied with the assurances that we received from the prime minister,' Mehbooba said.

We have submitted a letter to the governor where BJP legislators have unanimously supported PDP in forming a government in J&K, Nirmal Singh said after the meet.

We shall sit together with the PDP and decide on the future course of action, he said.

JUST IN: Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat recommends (to the Speaker) for dismissal of rebel Congress MLAs from the assembly.

Bangladesh today celebrated its 46thIndependence Day as the nation paid tributes to the millions killed during its 1971 Liberation War against Pakistan with the Dhaka skyline lit up overnight.

The occasion was marked with a ceremonial pre-dawn 21-gunsalute as thousands of people thronged the National Memorial in suburban Savar to pay homage to the martyrs.

President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina were the first to place wreaths at the monument while army bugles played the 'Last Post' at the ceremony.

Invading Pakistani troops launched a brutal crackdown in erstwhile East Pakistan with tanks and artillery on the night of March 25, 1971, after Bangladesh's founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman won an overwhelming victory in the 1970 general election, triggering the war.

The war saw the breakup of Pakistan as Bangladesh won its independence with Indian military support ending the nine-month conflict which is said to have claimed three million lives.

1971 war veterans rallied in the capital last night and urged the international community to declare March 25 as the 'International Genocide Day' in recognition of the mass killings of innocent and unarmed people on the fateful night 45 years ago.

Recalling the tragedy of the war, scores of people walked over 50 km from the central Shaheed Minar in the capital to the National Memorial in Savar wearing black robes and carrying the national flag.

Brussels airport will not reopen before Tuesday as it implements new security measures and repairs the departure hall wrecked by a suicide bomb attack earlier this week, a statement said today.

'Passenger flights at Brussels Airport will not resume before Tuesday 29 March,' Zaventem airport said in a statement.

'Brussels Airport is starting preparations to partially resume passenger flights and to implement the new security measures at Belgian airports, decided by the federal government,' it added.

It gave no details of what the new security measures involve but immediately after Tuesday's attacks, there was a lot of criticism that security at the airport was light, with no systematic checks on passengers entering the departure hall.

An 11-year-old boy was allegedly killed by his tutor last week after he refused to become a terrorist. The incident took place on March 19 when Ravi Pal, a Class III student from Kaserua Khurd village located in Uttar Pradesh's Allahabad district, was choked to death by his tuition teacher named Irfan.

According to the victim's father Pappulal, Irfan the teacher was pressuring Ravi to join terror outfit Islamic State and when the latter refused to do so, the accused killed him. Preity, the victim's sister, said that Irfan had lured her brother about getting him a bicycle on March 19.

When Ravi did not return till the evening, his family became worried and started searching for him.

Superintendent of Police Rajesh Kumar said the victim's family had lodged a complaint on the evening of March 19 after which the cops began the search operation.

However, he refuted the claims of the family that Ravi was killed after he refused to become a terrorist. "In their FIR, they have said that the teacher called the boy luring him to give a bicycle," he said.

A youth who allegedly killed a national-level woman volleyball player, surrendered to police today. 18-year-old Subrata Sinha alias Raja surrendered to the Jagaddal police station this morning, DCDD of Barrackpore Police Commisionerate Ajay Thakur said.

Subrata was wanted by police for his alleged involvement in the killing of the 16-year-old volleyball player Sangita Aich at Natun Para locality in North 24 Parganas district yesterday.

Police suspects love affair to be the reason behind the murder. 

Two army troopers and a civilian were critically injured in a terrorist attack in South Kashmir's highway town of Bijbehara this afternoon, a senior police officer said.

The terrorists hurled a grenade in Bijbehara market, which was followed by firing, injuring two soldiers and a civilian.

The injured were rushed to a local hospital, where doctors referred them to Srinagar for specialised treatment.

The market area has now been surrounded by the security forces and a search operation is on.

Doctors attending the injured soldiers described their situation as 'very critical'.

Bijbehara town is located 40 km from Srinagar on the Jammu-Srinagar highway.

No group has so far claimed the responsibility for the attack.

Mukhtar Ahmad in Srinagar

A  nurse from Kerala and her one-and-half-years old son died in a missile attack in strife-torn Libya on Friday night.

According to a New Indian Express report, the deceased have been identified as Sunu, 31, wife of Vipin, who hails from Thulasi Bhavanam, Veliyannoor near Pala, and their son Pranav.

"Two people from Kerala have died in bomb shelling in Libya. We will do our best to bring the others stuck in Libya;they want to come back," Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said on Saturday.

The People's Democratic Party today termed as baseless the 'rumours' that there were differences between the PDP and the Bharatiya Janata Party over the issue of distribution of portfolios in the new government.

"There are no differences (between the PDP and the BJP). At a time when the government formation is in the process, rumours (on differences on distribution of portfolios) are baseless," PDP chief spokesman Naeem Akhter said.

On being asked when the oath-taking ceremony would take place, he said both the parties will sit together and decide the date.

"We will sit together and decide the date for oath-taking. There are absolutely no differences between the two parties," he said.

Akhter said the two parties are set to meet the governor at around 4 pm today and will stake claim for the formation of the government.

JUST IN: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat rejected claims by rebel Congress MLAs that he was indulging in horse-trading ahead of a crucial vote of confidence.

He also termed as fake a CD of a 'sting operation' on him released by the rebel MLAs as a proof of 'his efforts to buy support of the MLAs'.

Rawat said it is being done to malign him.

The Uttarakhand crisis took a new turn on Saturday when the rebel Congress MLAs accused Chief Minister Harish Rawat of horse-trading.

They also said that they're getting threats and sought to increase their security.

"Efforts are being made to buy some BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) MLAs apart from the nine of us," rebel Congress MLA Harak Singh Rawat said on Saturday.

"We have expressed concern over our security to the Centre as we are getting threats. We've asked them to make adequate security arrangements for us," he said.

The Harish Rawat government is up for a crucial test as it has to seek a trust vote on Monday.

JUST IN: Centre to launch Stand Up India scheme where every bank branch will give Rs 1 crore loan to SC/STs and women to become big entrepreneurs, says Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has begun the Bharatiya Janata Party campaign in Assam today with a jam-packed schedule of four rallies in Tinsukia, Majuli, Bihpuria, Bokakhat and a meeting with locals at Jorhat.

Addressing his first rally in Tinsukia, he attacked the Congress government and said that Tinsukia has remained underdeveloped during the Congress reign.

"It is named Tinsukia, but it looks only 'dukhiya' (sad)," the PM said, adding, "Our goal is to make Tinsukia actually 'sukhia' (happy)."

Taking a dig at Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, Modi said, "He (Gogoi) says his fight is with Modi. I tell him, sir, you're a very senior leader, I'm a very small man."

My fight is not against Gogoi ji, my fight is against poverty and corruption, Modi said.

You gave 60 years to Congress expecting good things. I ask nothing but 5 years from you, he said.


Modi will address three more rallies in poll-bound Assam today.

He will become the first prime minister to visit Majuli, an island located in between river Brahmaputra and Lohit. 

The Indian government on Saturday confirmed the capture of Father Tom Uzhunnalil, the Indian priest from Bengaluru, who was kidnapped by the Islamic State in Yemen and said that efforts were underway to ensure that he is released.

'Fr Tom Uzhunnallil -- an Indian national from Kerala was abducted by a terror group in Yemen. We r making all efforts to secure his release,' External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted.

Her reaction comes after a growing alarm among the Christian community following an ominous report by the terror outfit to crucify him around Easter.

However, the Salesians' of Don Bosco, whose order the captured priest is a part of, dismissed the reports saying that these reports were being spread for quite some time.

"These rumours are spread from quite some time. We have request government of India to trace him out and take action. There was no threat to his in his work but he knew that his life was in risk. We hope that he is traced out soon," Fr Mathew Valarkot told.

35 Pakistan nationals, who only had visa for Mathura and Hridwar, have been held in Ramdevra in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.

"They have visa only for Mathura and Haridwar, we stopped them here," said Kushal Chandra, station house officer, Ramdevra.

"We've informed higher authorities, will take action as per the instructions," Chandra said.

During his cross examination presently underway in a Mumbai sessions court, 26/11 operative David Coleman Headley on Saturday revealed that the National Investigation Agency did not record his statement on the then Lashkar-e-Tayyaba chief Muzammil Bhatt earlier in his 'exact' words.

Abdul Wahab Khan, the lawyer of Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal, one of the prime accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack is cross-examining Headley and special public prosecutor in the case Ujjwal Nikam is also present.

Here is what Headley said on Saturday so far:

1. Lakhvi introduced me to Muzammil Bhatt in 2006 as a top commander of LeT and told me that he has done Akshardham and Ishrat Jahan cases.

2. Lakhvi told me about Ishrat Jahan case but I was having prior knowledge about Ishrat Jahan case through newspapers.

3. The NIA has recorded my statement in different words what I told them. I never told the NIA that Lakhvi introduced me to Muzammil as a top commander whose every big operation was a fail.

4. I can't explain why the NIA did not record my statement in exact words. They never read out that statement to me after recording.

5. How can I explain why someone else made a mistake (on why NIA did not record his statement in his exact words)

6. I didn't tell the NIA that Lakhvi sarcastically told me that Muzammil was a top commander whose operations were a failure.

7. Yes, I told the NIA that there was a women wing in LeT and Mother of Abu Aiman was the head of that.

8. Hafiz Saeed told me that Bal Thackeray needed to be taught a lesson, I told him I will take 6 months to complete the task. I visited Sena Bhavan and the residence of Bal Thackeray to do a surveillance. I met some of the guards at the gates of the perimeter of his residence.

Former Indian cricketer S Sreesanth joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday and would contest the upcoming Kerala assembly elections from Thiruvananthapuram.

Speaking to ANI, Sreesanth said that Kerala needs development and urged the youth to strive for change.

"The states ruled by the BJP are doing well. The BJP has been very supportive towards me also.There hasn't been much change in Kerala. There has been development but not huge development, youngsters should come forward and start a change," he said.

Sreesanth was inducted in the party in presence of Union Health Minister J P Nadda and senior BJP leader Srikant Sharma besides others.

Tamil Nadu BJP chief Tamilisai Soundararajan and BJP leader Kummanam Rajasekharan were also present on the occasion.