Amarnath Yatra attack, Sikkim row, cracks in Grand Alliance: Today’s top stories

Check out the top news for today to keep yourself updated.

Seven pilgrims from Gujarat killed as militants fire on Amarnath yatris in Kashmir; PM Modi calls attack dastardly

Security officials stands guard after militants opened fire at pilgrims during the Amarnath Yatra on Monday.(PTI Photo)

At least seven pilgrims returning from the remote Himalayan shrine of Amarnath were shot dead and several wounded when militants fired on their bus as well as a security vehicle in Anantnag district of Kashmir on Monday, police said. All the victims were from Gujarat, state chief minister Vijay Rupani told reporters, pointing to a possible targeted strike against a chartered bus from that state. Five of the dead were women. The attack occurred at Batengoo at about 8.20pm when 60-70 pilgrims were returning from Baltal, one of the base camps of the pilgrimage, to Jammu. Batengoo is 65 km south of Srinagar.

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‘Crime against humanity’: PM, Sonia, Jaitley condemn attack on Amarnath pilgrims

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned on Monday the killings of seven Amarnath pilgrims, saying he was “pained beyond words” and “India will never get bogged down by such cowardly attacks and the evil designs of hate”. Defence minister Arun Jaitley tweeted “Terrorist attack on #AmarnathYatra is the most reprehensible act. My condolences to the bereaved families.” “The attack on the devotees of Lord Shiva is a crime against humanity. The entire nation is in shock,” Congress president Sonia Gandhi said in a statement.

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It’s my job to be informed on critical issues: Rahul Gandhi on meeting Chinese envoy amid Sikkim row

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi said on Monday he met Chinese envoy Luo Zhaohui as he took to Twitter to clear the confusion created by his party colleagues over the interaction. “It is my job to be informed on critical issues. I met the Chinese Ambassador, Ex-NSA, Congress leaders from NE & the Bhutanese Ambassador,” he tweeted. The confusion caused embarrassment to the party as its chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala denied in the morning any such meeting. But he accepted by afternoon that Gandhi met Luo on Saturday.

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India’s ‘bloated’ ego, hegemonic ideas sparked incursion: Chinese media

India’s “bloated self-assertiveness” made it infringe on China’s sovereignty and New Delhi had levelled false allegations and accusations against Beijing to serve its hegemonic ambitions, a stinging commentary from the official Chinese media said on Monday evening. The commentary, released by the official Xinhua news agency, said India first levelled false allegations about Chinese encroachment of its territory but later changed the tone to say Indian troops had gone into Doklam (or Donglang) region to “protect” Bhutan. The piece was the latest in a series of articles in the state media criticising India for the three-week-old standoff.

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‘Hindu’ Lashkar terrorist from UP arrested: Shoot him if he has links with LeT, says brother

Uttar Pradesh police detained on Monday the 60-year-old mother and sister-in-law of alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba operative Sandeep Sharma, who was arrested in Jammu and Kashmir. A police team went to the suspected terrorist’s home in New Ankit Vihar Colony of Muzaffarnagar and took his mother, Premwati, and sister-in-law Rekha into custody. It was not clear why they were detained. Investigators are apparently questioning them. Elder brother Praveen Sharma, a taxi driver in Haridwar, said after the suspect’s arrest that he should be shot dead if he has links with the Pakistan-based group.

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Cracks in Grand Alliance after RJD rules out Tejashwi Yadav’s resignation

Cracks in Bihar’s ruling alliance appeared to deepen on Monday over differences on how to combat corruption charges against deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav, even as senior coalition partner Rashtriya Janata Dal backed him and ruled out his resignation. The RJD’s 80 MLAs in Patna unanimously decided to back Tejashwi and his father, party chief Lalu Prasad, who are facing charges in an alleged land-for-hotels scandal that saw the Central Bureau of Investigation raiding their homes and other properties last week. The corruption allegations – and the demand by the BJP for Tejashwi’s resignation -- has put the spotlight on chief minister Nitish Kumar, who has had several run-ins with the RJD since coming to power two years ago.

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BJP willing to support Nitish Kumar’s JD (U) if RJD pulls out of alliance in Bihar

The BJP is willing to extend outside support to the ruling Janata Dal (United) in Bihar if coalition partner RJD pull out of the government. “If there is a political crisis in Bihar, then BJP may give outside support to JD(U),” state BJP president Nityanand Rai said on Monday evening. He has been opposing any coalition with chief minister Nitish Kumar’s party. But his latest remarks indicated a growing closeness between the two former alliance partners.

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Fire breaks out at Mukesh Ambani’s ‘Antilia’ building in south Mumbai

A fire broke out on a terrace in industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence Antilia, one of the most expensive residential properties in the world, late on Monday, police and civic officials said. The blaze erupted on the ninth floor and was extinguished within a few minutes. There was no major loss of property,” a senior civic official said.

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More trouble for Nawaz Sharif, Pak probe team recommends new anti-graft case

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif faced a fresh challenge on Monday as a panel that investigated corruption allegations against his family recommended the opening of a new case after finding disparities between their sources of income and actual wealth. The Joint Investigation Team (JIT) formed by the Supreme Court to probe revelations in the Panama Papers leaks about the Sharif family’s offshore assets submitted its final report after a two-month-long investigation during which it quizzed Sharif and members of his family. The report was not made public but the influential Dawn newspaper said the JIT had found “glaring disparities” between the Sharif family’s sources of income and its assets.

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Gilles Muller beats Rafael Nadal in an epic match that lasted nearly five hours

Gilles Muller, a 16th seeded 34-year old player from Luxembourg, beat Rafael Nadal in a fourth round classic in Wimbledon that lasted four hours and 48 minutes. The score was 6-3 6-4 3-6 4-6 15-13 with the final set lasting 135 minutes. Muller outplayed Nadal in the opening two sets and then, after weathering a ferocious fightback, made the running in the fifth when his baseline craft matched Nadal’s. He struck 30 aces and 95 winners and moves into the quarter-final where he will face Marin Cilic.