Modi punishing people by massive taxation on fuel: Rahul Gandhi

President Ramnath Kovind also shared his condolences after the news of Arjan Singh's death came in. The President said, "Sad at demise of a great air warrior & Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh. Condolences to his family & IAF community."

Graphic on Market Capitalisation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will tomorrow inaugurate the world's second biggest dam - Sardar Sarovar Dam - nearly six decades after its foundation stone was laid. 

Karnataka DIG D Roopa is awarded President's Medal at Raj Bhawan for meritorious service

PM Modi tweets following his visit to the Army's R&R Hospital where Marshal of the IAF Arjan Singh is admitted. He wrote, "We are all praying for the speedy recovery of Marshal of the Indian Air Force Arjan Singh. Doctors are doing their best."

The two recent incidents of attack on children inside their school premises in the national capital region of Delhi have sent shock waves across the country. Parents are up in arms asking the government and school managements to ensure that prescribed safety and security norms are followed by all schools, government as well as private. 

JUST IN: Hearing in two murder cases against Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh begins at Central Bureau of Investigation special court in Panchkula in Haryana.

Security has been tightened in Panchkula town ahead of the hearing in the court of Special CBI judge Jagdeep Singh.

Dera followers and functionaries had allegedly murdered Sirsa-based journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati and former Dera manager Ranjit Singh in 2002 on Chief Ram Rahim's orders. -- ANI

JUST IN: Two terrorists were killed as Indian Army foiled an infiltration bid along the Line of Control in Machhil sector in Kashmir, the defence spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, the Border Security Force said Pakistani troops targeted Indian border outposts and hamlets along the International Border in Jammu district in overnight firing and shelling.

There have been continuous ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the IB for the past four days, in which one BSF jawan was killed and a few others were injured.

Pakistani troops started firing at Indian posts in Arnia sector around midnight, prompting BSF personnel to retaliate, a BSF officer said.

"Firing stopped at 6.45 am," the officer said.

One temple, two houses and three cowsheds were damaged in the Pakistani firing in Sai, Treva and Jabowl villages.

Three livestock were killed in the overnight shelling, the officer added.

BSF jawan Bijender Bahadur was killed and a villager injured yesterday when Pakistan troops resorted to firing and shelling along the IB in Arnia sector.

Two Pakistani soldiers were killed in retaliatory action by the BSF on Thursday, while three Indian jawans were injured in unprovoked firing and shelling by Pakistani troops along the IB and the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Poonch districts on Wednesday.  -- PTI

A day after North Korea fired an intermediate range ballistic missile over Japan, President Donald Trump said he is confident that the United States' options towards North Korea are 'effective and overwhelming'.

"After seeing your capabilities and commitment here today, I am more confident than ever that our options in addressing this threat are both effective and overwhelming," Trump said in his address to air force personnel and families on the 70th anniversary of the US Air Force.

Trump said America and its allies will never be intimidated.

"We will defend our people, our nations, and our civilisation from all who dare to threaten our way of life. This includes the regime of North Korea, which has once again shown its utter contempt for its neighbours and for the entire world community," he said.

North Korea yesterday fired an intermediate range ballistic missile over Japan and into the Pacific Ocean.

But the North American Aerospace Defense Command had said the ballistic missile did not pose a threat to North America.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of Defense James Mattis spoke over phone with his Japanese counterpart Defense Itsunori Onodera following the latest North Korean missile launch, the Pentagon said.

"The secretary reassured his Japanese counterpart of America's unwavering commitment to the defense of Japan and the broader security of the region," Director of Defense Press Operations Colonel Rob Manning said.

"Mattis and Onodera agreed that the North Korean provocation called for a strong demonstration of a unified front between the US, Japan, and the Republic of Korea, and agreed on the importance of robust trilateral defense cooperation between the three nations," he said.

Mattis told reporters on his way to Mexico that as a result of the North Korean missile test, tens of millions of Japanese people were seen going into duck and cover, which was second time that they've had to do that since World War II.

"I believe it will further North Korea's isolation -- diplomatic and economic isolation -- because more and more nations are realising there's simply no collaboration with the international community. There's a dismissal of international concern, unified UN Security Council concerns," he said.

"I think they're deepening their isolation, economic and diplomatic. And right now, I don't have any more forensics on it. That takes us a little while, as we amass everything and analyse it," Mattis said.

Responding to a question, Mattis said he is not aware of any effort on the part of South Korea to shoot down the North Korean missile.

"The South Korean government said they fired a missile within minutes afterwards, from their coastline. It was a short-range missile, obviously, simply to make clear that they have the capability to defend themselves," he said.  -- PTI

India has hit back at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation for raking up the Kashmir issue at the United Nations, saying the grouping has no locus standi to comment on its internal affairs.

In a strong reaction to a statement made by Pakistan on behalf of the OIC at the UN, India said Jammu and Kashmir is an 'integral and inseparable' part of it, and advised the organisation to refrain from making such references in future.

'India notes with utmost regret that the OIC statement contains factually incorrect and misleading references to the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, which is an integral and inseparable part of India,' Sumit Seth, first secretary at India's Permanent mission to the UN in Geneva said.

He made the statement exercising India's Right of Reply in response to comments made by Pakistan on behalf of the OIC.

"India outrightly rejects all such references. The OIC has no locus standi on India's internal affairs. We strongly advise the OIC to refrain from making such references in future," Seth said.

Speaking on behalf of the OIC, Pakistan had lambasted India on the Kashmir issue.

The OIC is a 57-nation grouping which claims to be the collected voice of Muslims across the world.  -- PTI

The Islamic State terror group has claimed the 'bucket bomb' explosion on a packed underground train at a London station on Friday.

Meanwhile, number of injured rose to 29 in the fifth terrorist attack this year, which Prime Minister Theresa May said was 'clearly intended to cause significant harm'.

The United Kingdom's terror threat level was raised to critical, which means an attack is imminent, hours after the explosion.

'The bombing on a metro in London was carried out by a detachment of the Islamic State,' it said in a statement published by its Amaq propaganda agency.

The explosion, on a District Line Tube in the British capital's southwest, occurred as the train pulled into Parsons Green station.

Commuters said they heard a bang and saw a fireball inside the carriage when the 'bucket bomb' exploded.

Several people suffered facial burns, some reportedly were even trampled in the rush to escape.

But none of the injuries were life threatening.

Pictures of a white bucket on fire inside a supermarket bag, with wires trailing on to the carriage floor of the train went viral on social media. -- PTI