Like every year, hundreds of fans thronged the area outside Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's residence in suburban Bandra last midnight to wish him on his birthday. 

Bright sunshine in many parts of Chennai city and its neighbourhood this morning gave way to dark clouds by the afternoon, with rains resuming in several areas in the city after a lull.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami took stock of the rain situation, a day after two children were electrocuted after coming in contact with a live wire submerged in water, in Kodungaiyur locality.

While the sun had come out in the morning in Chennai and neighbouring Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts, by afternoon rain clouds had gathered in many parts.

Showers resumed in parts of Chennai like Kodambakkam, Perambur, Guindy, Ennore and T Nagar, besides nearby areas such as Avadi and Tambaram. Palaniswami held discussions with his cabinet colleagues including Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and senior government officials.  -- PTI

The National Human Rights Commission has issued a notice to the Uttar Pradesh government over the death of 26 people in a blast at an NTPC plant in Rae Bareli.


Expressing its concern over the incident, the Commission said in a statement today that a "high-level probe into the matter is immediately required to ascertain the negligence and errors, if any, behind the incident, which involves the right to life".


It said there was need to ensure that such tragedies do not recur. The notice has been sent to the chief secretary of the state. A detailed report is expected from the government within six weeks, the rights panel said. At least 26 persons died after a massive explosion in one the boilers at the state-run power giant's Unchahar plant yesterday.  -- PTI

The flagship Sensex today touched an all-time high during the day, but lost nerve soon to close down after muted auto sales numbers as investors digested the outcome of the Federal Reserve meeting. The US central bank left interest rates on hold at the end of its two-day policy meet, but remains on track for a December hike as it cited "solid rate" of growth. The market focus now shifts to the announcement of the next Fed chair. 

ICICI Bank today said the diaspora will be able to remit money home by dictating commands to handset major Apple's virtual voice assistant Siri. An NRI customer would be able to instantly initiate a remittance to her existing payees back home with a voice command to Siri, on her iPhone or iPad, the bank said in a statement. The largest private sector lender claimed it is the first to introduce such a service, which does away with a five-step process followed at present. -- PTI

Twenty families who were displaced during the 2013 floods in Uttarakhand have again approached the government in the hope that they will be resettled. The families, from Kafnaul village in Barkot area, yesterday met Uttarkashi District Magistrate Ashish Kumar Chauhan to apprise him of their situation.


"We have approached the authorities a number of times but nothing has been done so far," said Dharmiyalal, who led the delegation to the district magistrate.


In 2013, their homes near a local rivulet in Barkot were washed away after floods ravaged the hill state, killing thousands of people and leaving many thousands more stranded.


Barkot Sub-Divisional Magistrate Manuj Goyal, who headed a team to look into the plight of homeless people in his area, said he had sent his report to the district administration with suggestions for their resettlement or relocation but a response was still awaited.


The affected families are forced to stay in rented spaces in nearby villages. They haven't got any compensation or financial assistance promised to them by the district administration, he said. -- PTI

Actor Kamal Haasan, who has been flirting with the idea of entering politics and has promised that he will make an announcement to this effect on his birthday next week, is also a columnist with the popular Tamil magazine Ananda Vikatan. The fifth in his series of columns -- titled The storm that is centred in me: You cannot anymore say there is no Hindu extremism -- is all about his much-publicised visit to the Ennore coastline off Chennai which has been overrun by factories and industrial effluents. Read more

The city's fire brigade department told the Bombay High Court today that it had sought the removal of barricades from a Metro III project site in south Mumbai to widen a service road, so that fire engines had an access to the buildings there in case of an emergency.


The department submitted a three-page report to the court after carrying out an inspection of the area, following a petition filed by a lawyer, Robin Jaisinghani, raising concerns that in case of a fire hazard, fire engines would not be able to reach the spot due to the ongoing Metro construction work at Cuffe Parade in south Mumbai. -- PTI

Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray today met West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Mumbai, fuelling speculations in the political circles. The Sena chief, accompanied by son Aaditya Thackeray, paid a visit to Banerjee in the afternoon at a south Mumbai hotel where she is staying.


Both Sena and Banerjee's Trinamool Congress (TMC) have been at loggerheads with the BJP and the Narendra Modi government on a host of issues, including demonetisation. Banerjee, who is in the city since Tuesday and expected to return to Kolkata tomorrow, met top industrialists and bankers in Mumbai yesterday as part of a roadshow, ahead of the fourth edition of the Bengal Global Business Summit, to be held in Kolkata in January.


The Shiv Sena had last year teamed up with the TMC in a bid to take on the BJP over the issue of demonetisation. Thackeray had told mediapersons in November last year that if there was nothing wrong in Prime Minister Modi meeting (NCP chief) Sharad Pawar, then there was nothing wrong if the Sena held talks with Banerjee on a crucial issue. -- PTI

Zakir Naik, a 52-year-old medical doctor, has aroused controversy with his puritan brand of Islam -- recommending the death penalty for homosexuals and those who abandon Islam as their faith. Read more

Fake news, a term heavily popularised by US President Donald Trump, been named the word of the year by Collins dictionary due to its widespread use around the world.


The UK-based lexicographer found that the use of "fake news" registered a 365 per cent rise in the last 12 months, reflecting Trump's consistent use of the word in the wake of the 2016 presidential election in retaliation to unflattering media coverage.


Defined as "false, often sensational, information disseminated under the guise of news reporting", fake news takes over from Brexit -- which was named the definitive word last year after the June 2016 referendum in favour of the UK's exit from the European Union (EU).


"Fake news, either as a statement of fact or as an accusation, has been inescapable this year, contributing to the undermining of society's trust in news reporting," said Helen Newstead, Collins' head of language content.


The US President has regularly used the phrase to criticise certain media reports and most recently claimed this week that the "fake news is working overtime" in connection to the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. -- PTI

Largest public lender State Bank of India today lowered the home loan rate by 0.05 per cent to 8.30 per cent, the lowest in the industry. It has also reduced the auto loan by a similar percentage point to 8.70 per cent. The reduction in the retail loan rate by SBI is expected to prompt other lenders to go for a similar move. "With this reduction, SBI's offering in home loan is the lowest in the market. The new rates will be effective November 1," SBI said in a statement.

The Narendra Modi government's slogan of a Congress-Mukt Bharat will be really felt in April 2018 when BJP gets a comfortable position in the Rajya Sabha. The Congress strength will get reduced and other opposition parties like the Samajwadi Party, the BSP and the CPM will be marginalised. But at the same time, a new batch of lawyers, businessmen, politicians and journalists have begun lobbying for their elevation as Rajya Sabha MPs.
With very few existing Rajya Sabha MP's expected to get a repeat term, there is intense competition to retain their seats.


The terms of the following Rajya Sabha MPs from six states will expire in the next nine months. They have been giving sleepless nights for BJP in the past three years. These MPs are from six states. Few may get re-elected but MPs like Naresh Agarwal and Rahman Khan may not get a fourth term. These are the MPs whose terms may end: R Ramakrishna, K Rahman Khan, Basavraj Patil, CP Narayanan, PJ Kurein, Joy Abrahan, Prakash Javadekar, La Ganesan, Thawar Chand Gehlot, Satyavrat Chaturvedi, Meghraj Jain, Vandana Chavan, Anil Desai, Rajani Patil, Ajay Sancheti, Rajiv Shukla, DP Tripathi, Janardan Dwivedi, Pervez Hashmi, Karan Singh, AU Singh Deo, AV Swamy, Dilip Tirkey, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Bhupendra Yadav, Narendra Bhudania, Hishey Lachengpa, CM Ramesh, Rapulu Ananda Bhaskar, Naresh Agrawal, Munqad Ali, Jaya Bachchan, Vinay Katiyar, Kiranmoy Nanda, Munveer Saleem, Pramod Tewari, Darshan Singh Yadav, Mahendar Singh Mohea, MD Nadimul Haque, N Gupta, Tapan Kumar Sen and Kunal Kumar Ghosh.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is hosting a lunch next week for his finance minister Arun Jaitley and senior officials in the finance ministry who he believes have worked hard to give India a jump to the 100th position in the Ease to do Business ratings. Top Niti Aayog officials, Commerce, Power and Petroleum ministers are also expected to be at the lunch. 

Meet Karan Sidhu, the first Indian to get his eyeballs tattooed. Read

Five Indian women led by ICICI Bank CEO and MD Chanda Kochhar and including Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra, have featured on the list of the world's 100 most powerful women compiled by Forbes, which was topped by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Kochhar was ranked 32 on the coveted list while HCL Corporation CEO Roshni Nadar Malhotra took the 57th position, followed by Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, founder-Chair, of Biocon, at 71.


Other Indians on the list include Shobhana Bhartia, Chairperson and Editorial Director for HT Media, at the 92nd place and Priyanka Chopra, "the most successful Bollywood actor to cross over to Hollywood", at 97. Some of the other India origin women who have made the cut include PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi at the 11th position while Indian American Nikki Haley has been placed 43rd.


The overall list was topped by Merkel, who retained the top spot for the seventh consecutive year and 12 times in total. Merkel is followed by UK Prime Minister Theresa May at the second position, who is "leading her country through Brexit, a historic, complex and transformative time for the country and the European Union", Forbes said.


May is followed by Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, who, along with her husband Bill, has donated more than USD 40 billion in grants till date and supports organisations across over 100 countries.


Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, at the 4th position, and GM CEO Mary Barra (5th) rounded out the top five. This year's list, ranked by dollars controlled, impact, spheres of influence and media presence, boasts of 23 newcomers. At the 19th spot, Ivanka Trump is the second-highest ranked newcomer. -- PTI


Picture courtesy: Priyanka Chopra's Twitter account

Fire breaks out at a factory in in the distant industrial centre of Taloja near Mumbai; eight fire tenders present at the spot.

Britain's Defence Minister Michael Fallon resigned today over allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour, leaving Prime Minister Theresa May to cope with a forced Cabinet reshuffle. Fallon, 65, stepped down as UK defence secretary saying his conduct may have fallen below the high standards expected amid revelations that he had made unwanted advances towards a journalist years ago. -- PTI

Li Ka-shing, Hong Kong's wealthiest tycoon and chairman of CK Asset Holdings, has parted ways with the tallest building in his property portfolio, selling The Center tower for a record HK$40.2 billion (US$5.15 billion) to a consortium of the city's investors and buyers from mainland China, marking what could be the world's most expensive real estate transaction. Read more

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today attacked the Congress for promising "zero tolerance" on corruption when its own chief minister was facing allegations of graft and said the state's ruling party had become a "laughing club".


Addressing a poll rally in Kangra, in Himachal, Modi said it was time to rid "Devbhoomi", or the land of the gods as Himachal Pradesh is known, of monsters. Chief Minister Virabhadra Singh, Modi said, was "out on bail" on graft charges.


He asked the crowd whether it could digest the fact that such a chief minister had released the Congress manifesto promising to combat corruption. "I feel the Congress has become a laughing club. The chief minister is himself out on bail...


"And he is out on bail on what charges? That of corruption. He is facing serious allegations," Modi said. Despite the charges, he added, Congress leaders came out before the media to release their manifesto, which says the Congress government will show zero tolerance on corruption.


"Can you digest it?" he asked the crowd and added that even a small child from Himachal would not fall for it. Continuing his attack against the Congress, Modi said people across the country were engaged in Swachhta Abhiyan (cleanliness campaign) and were "wiping out" the old party whenever they got the opportunity through elections.


"It is time to save Himachal Pradesh from those who looted it...from danavas (monsters)," he added. Himachal Pradesh goes to the polls on November 9.


Image: The Prime Minister campaigning in Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, today. Pic: ANI

Pakistan's ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today returned home from London to face trial before an anti-graft court tomorrow in the corruption cases spiralling from the Panama Papers scandal. Sharif, 67, had to step down as the chief of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) after he was disqualified as the prime minister by the Supreme Court on July 28 in the scandal.


He went to London last month to be with his ailing wife Kulsoom Nawaz who is battling throat cancer. Sharif was forced to come back to Pakistan after a bailable arrest warrant was issued by the Accountability Court on October 26 due to his non-appearance in three corruption cases related to the Panama Papers scandal. -- PTI

The Supreme Court today agreed to hear tomorrow a petition challenging the constitutional validity of the Aadhaar Act. The matter was mentioned before a bench headed by Justice J Chelameswar and the counsel representing the petitioner sought an urgent hearing, saying similar pleas were already listed for hearing before the apex court tomorrow.


Karnataka-based Mathew Thomas has moved the top court challenging the constitutional validity of the Aadhaar Act claiming that it infringes upon the Right to Privacy and the biometric mechanism was not working properly.


On October 30, a bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra had said that a Constitution bench would be constituted and Aadhaar-related matters would come up for hearing before it in the last week of November. -- PTI

The former UPA regime has been knocked by one of its own -- MP Shashi Tharoor. The ex-Union minister believes that his former government and the one led by Narendra Modi have ignored the all-important sector of tourism. India, the Kerala MP said, was not investing money in building the infrastructure needed to draw tourists.


"I am taken aback by the fact that both my own government and the present one seem oblivious of the fact that there's a whole series of studies that says a thousand dollars invested in tourism will employ eight times as many people as the same amount invested in manufacturing," Tharoor said on Tuesday at the concluding session of the literary festival Penguin Fever 2017.


At a panel dicussion on 'The Rise of the Elephant' where the other speakers included principal economic advisor Sanjeev Sanyal and author Gurcharan Das, Tharoor asserted that investment in the tourism sector would help the elephant -- a metaphor for India -- rise.


"Dubai and Singapore gets more people visiting them in a day than we get in terms of foreign tourists in a year. Very clearly this has been a missed opportunity for a very long time," he said.


The Congress MP also wondered what there was to celebrate in the recently out World Bank 'Doing Business 2018' report which showed that India's rank on the 'ease of doing business' index had improved from the 130th position last year to 100th out of a list of 190 countries. -- PTI

Update: A BSF jawan was killed when Pakistani Rangers today attacked a patrol party of the force along the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir's Samba district. The BSF effectively retaliated.


"Today, at about 0930 hours, Pakistani Rangers suddenly fired on a BSF patrol in Samba sector", a senior BSF officer told PTI.


Constable Tapan Mondal of the BSF succumbed to injuries sustained in the attack.


On October 31, Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire by firing from small arms along the Line of Control in Karmara belt of Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district. On October 26, Pakistani troops fired using small and heavy weapons at Sher Shakti and Mandhar areas of Kerni sector. -- PTI

J&K: A Border Security Force jawan has been killed as Pakistani Rangers attacked a patrol party along the international border in Jammu and Kashmir's Samba district. Details awaited.

In September, a young, unarmed jawan of the BSF was shot dead by terrorists when he and his family resisted their attempt to kidnap him. Constable Mohammad Ramzan Parray, 31, died on the spot.


Representational image.

An Egyptian lawyer has prompted outrage for saying harassing and raping girls who wear revealing clothing such as ripped jeans is a "national duty'.

Nabih al-Wahsh, a prominent conservative, made the controversial comments during a TV panel show discussion debating a draft law on prostitution."Are you happy when you see a girl walking down the street with half of her behind showing?" the lawyer said on Al-Assema earlier this month.


He added: I say that when a girl walks about like that, it is a patriotic duty to sexually harass her and a national duty to rape her.

Read the full story here.

The (little) man of the moment: Gyalsey or the Crown Prince of Bhutan, Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck with his parents meeting Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

The toll in the massive explosion in a boiler at the state-run power giant NTPC's Unchahar plant here has risen to 26, a senior official said today. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi has taken a break from his ongoing 'Navsarjan Yatra' in poll-bound Gujarat and is visiting Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh to meet the families of victims of the explosion.


Rae Bareli is the parliamentary constitutency of Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who has expressed shock at the "terrible tragedy".


While Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is abroad, Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma will be visiting Rae Bareli today.


The NTPC has initiated a probe to ascertain the reasons behind the blast. The chief minister had yesterday announced Rs 2 lakh compensation for the families of those killed and Rs 50,000 for the grievously injured.


In a statement, the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) has said that at unit number six of its Unchahar plant, there was a sudden abnormal sound at 20-meter elevation around 3:30 yesterday afternoon. There was an opening in corner number two from which gases and steam "escaped" affecting the people working around the area, the central public sector undertaking said.


It added that around 80 people were rushed to the NTPC Hospital, most of whom were discharged after first-aid. The 1,550-MW plant supplies electricity to nine states, according to officials, and employs around 870 people. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that he was "deeply pained" by the accident at the power plant.  -- PTI

File picture

11-year-old Pakistani national Hina was released from Amritsar jail along with her mother Fatima and aunt Mumtaz. They had been arrested a decade ago on smuggling charges. Fatima told ANI, "We were told PM Modi paid special attention to our case. We thank him and salute India." 

Tamil superstar Kamal Haasan in a tweet referring to inputs that many lakes in the southwest and northwest parts of Chennai are close to overflowing in the recent downpour, Haasan said, "This is an advance alert for both the government and citizens. Immediate action means prevention. The news I am receiving is worrisome."


Image: Kamal Haasan in a still from a film.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has been depositing to the toshakhana (the government treasury) the expensive gifts she has received in the past two months as minister.

For instance, the US Secretary of defence gave her a candy bowl which would be estimated to cost over a lakh rupees.

Similarly, the French Defence Minister presented an expensive carved pearl stand, which she returned to the Indian government.

Interestingly, Sitharaman being an MP from Karnataka, selects carved sandalwood elephants as return gifts.

Lessons to be learnt from the lady.

Sayfullo Saipov, an Uzbek immigrant accused of killing eight people in an ISIS-inspired assault on the New York City, was today charged with terrorism offences by US prosecutors who said he decided to carry out the truck attack "to inflict maximum damage against civilians".


Saipov, 29, was charged with providing material support to the Islamic State (ISIS) militant group and violence and destruction of motor vehicles.


Eight people were killed and 11 others injured as his truck carved a path of destruction through several blocks of Lower Manhattan yesterday.


Saipov crashed the truck into a school bus, left the vehicle brandishing imitation firearms. He was shot by police.


It was the the worst terrorist attack in on the city since 9/11. Saipov underwent a surgery in a New York hospital yesterday. He appeared in federal court today in a wheelchair and did not enter a plea.


A 10-page complaint was filed by the FBI before a federal court in New York against him. The FBI said that Saipov, a resident of New Jersey, was inspired by the ISIS to carry out the terrorist attack.


He "requested to display ISIS's flag" in his hospital room and stated that he felt good about what he had done, the complaint said. Saipov told investigators he was inspired by Islamic State videos, in particular one showing ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, it said.


The suspect decided to conduct a truck attack "to inflict maximum damage against civilians" and that he specifically chose to strike on Halloween "because he believed there would be more civilians on the street for the holiday," the complaint says. He began planning an attack a year ago and decided two months ago to use a truck, officials said. -- PTI

Sachin Tendulkar's birthday wishes for SRK @sachin_rt  Not just a beloved actor, but a good natured person with a big heart. Happy birthday, @iamsrk!

The CIA has released hundreds of thousands of documents, images, and computer files recovered during the May 2011 raid on Osama bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.


One of the newly-available files is a handwritten, 228-page journal kept by Osama bin Laden himself.


The Arabic-language notebook, which can be viewed above, contains the al Qaeda master's private reflections on the world and al Qaeda's place in it. Some of the pages contain bin Laden's thoughts on the 2011 Arab uprisings, which bin Laden wanted his men to capitalize on.   Read more

Update: There has been a terror attack on a Central Reserve Police Force vehicle at Lazibal Chowk in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district. According to the CRPF PRO, four jawans have been injured in this attack. Details awaited.

In June, four terrorists were killed in retaliatory fire by security forces as they attempted to attack a CRPF camp at Sumbal in Bandipora district of Jammu and Kashmir.

The heavily armed militants tried to enter the camp of 45 Battalion CRPF at Sumbal in Bandipora at around 3.45am by opening fire at the sentry post. The gun battle between the security forces and terrorists went on till 6.15am.


File pic of CRPF jawans celebrating the successful end of the attack on their camp in Bandipora in June.

BFF Karan Johar tweets his wishes for Shah Rukh Khan accompanied by an emoticon of three hearts and this vintage photograph. @karanjohar "Happy birthday Bhai @iamsrk !!! So much love always and forever...."

New allegations of sexual misconduct from a number of men have emerged against actor Kevin Spacey. Mexican actor Roberto Cavazos and American documentary filmmaker Tony Montana have shared their stories of how Spacey allegedly made unwanted advances towards them.


While Montana said he was left with PTSD for six months after he claims Spacey "forcefully" groped him, Cavazo, in a Facebook post, alleged that the actor made two advances on him, bordering on harassment, in London, where Cavazos appeared in various productions at The Old Vic theater.


Spacey served as the theater's artistic director from 2004 to 2015. Cavazos added that Spacey frequently targeted young actors, particularly those under 30. "It was so common that it became a local joke (in poor taste)," Cavazos wrote.


The Old Vic has said no formal complaints were ever made against Spacey during his tenure, but the theater said it was setting up a confidential email address for people to report experiences of harassment. -- PTI

Just in: A third person, a woman, has died in the Walmart shooting in Colorado, says the local police.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday said that the investigators had found a second Uzbek man they had been seeking in connection with the truck attack this week in Lower Manhattan.


On Tuesday, the 29-year-old terror suspect, Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov, who deliberately drove into bicyclists and pedestrians on a bike path in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday, killing at least eight people and injuring many, left a note behind in the rental truck, pledging his allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).


Hours after the attack, the U.S. President Donald Trump said that the United States must not let the ISIS "return to or enter" the country.Officials said that it was the deadliest terrorist attack in New York City since 9/11. -- ANI

The Federal Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday said that the investigators had found a second Uzbek man they had been seeking in connection with the truck attack this week in Lower Manhattan.  

With two more deaths, the toll in the explosion at the state-run power giant National Thermal Power Corporation's Unchahar plant in Rae Bareli district has gone up to 22.

Rae Bareli DM Sanjay Kumar said, "There have been 22 causalities till now and 66 people are injured. Rescue operations by NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) are underway."

"We've constituted team of magistrate and a technical officer, which will conduct a magisterial inquiry into the incident," the DM said.

A massive explosion ripped a boiler at the NTPC plant on Wednesday. -- ANI

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi will visit Rae Bareli on Thursday following an explosion at the National Thermal Power Corporation plant that left 20 people dead.

Rahul, who was in Gujarat on Wednesday for the election campaigning, took to Twitter and said, 'Due to the unfortunate NTPC accident, I will visit Rae Bareli tomorrow morning. I will join Gujarat Navsarjan Yatra in the afternoon.'

Rahul was in Gujarat as part of his three-day Navsarjan Yatra, ahead of the upcoming assembly elections in the state.

The Congress vice-president also expressed his condolences over the deaths and tweeted, 'I am deeply saddened with the incident at the Rae Bareli's NTPC plant. My heartfelt condolences are with the family of the deceased. I request the administration to help the injured immediately.' -- ANI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and United States President Donald Trump have resolved to fight against the global scourge of terrorism together, the White House said after Modi offered his condolences to Trump over phone following the New York terror attack.

Trump spoke with Modi and accepted his condolences following Wednesday's terrorist attack in New York City that left eight people dead and about a dozen others injured, the White House said.

Modi strongly condemned terrorism, and offered thoughts and prayers for the victims and their families, a readout of the call said.

"The two leaders resolved that India and the United States will continue to fight together against the global scourge of terrorism," the White House said.

Earlier in a tweet, Modi had condemned the attack seen as the deadliest in New York since 9/11.

'Strongly condemn the terror attack in New York City. My thoughts are with the families of the deceased & prayers with those injured,' he said.

British Prime Minister Theresa May also spoke with Trump over phone, according to the White House.

"President Trump and Prime Minister May agreed on the importance of closer counterterrorism coordination between the United States and the United Kingdom," the White House said.  -- PTI

Thornton Police department on Wednesday said that 'multiple parties are down' after shooting occurred at a Walmart on Grant Street in Colorado.

'Shooting just occurred at Walmart, 9900 Grant St, multiple parties down. Please stay away from the area,' Thornton Police department tweeted.

'Two people were fatally shot at a Colorado Walmart,' CNN reported, quoting the police.

The store was evacuated as police arrived on scene.

According to the United States media, it's unclear who fired the shots.

Thornton police said that the patrol officers are searching the store for the possible shooter.

Further details are awaited.  -- ANI

IMAGE: Policemen guard the entrance at the scene of a shooting at a Walmart in Thornton, Colorado. Photograph: Rick Wilking/Reuters