Nepal has been hit by a 7.9-magnitude earthquake in an area between the capital Kathmandu and the city of Pokhara, the US Geological Survey said.
The earthquake caused extensive damage to buildings and some injuries, eyewitnesses say.
Tremors were felt as far away as the Indian capital Delhi and other cities in northern India, which borders Nepal.
Photo AP
Several buildings, including temples are reported to have been reduced to rubble in Kathmandu.
Injured people have been brought to the main hospital. There has been no estimate yet on the number of deaths, but Reuters news agency reported that two people had died, one in Nepal, one in northern India.
Indian PM Narendra Modi wrote on Twitter: “We are in the process of finding more information and are working to reach out to those affected, both at home and in Nepal.”
Aftershocks could still be felt across the region sometime after the initial quake.
Kathmandu was all but destroyed in the devastating earthquake of 1934.
Celebrated Indian actress and choreographer Zohra Sehgal has died in Delhi on July 10 at the age of 102.
Zohra Sehgal had been ill for several days and suffered a heart attack at a city hospital on Thursday evening.
In a career spanning more than seven decades, Zohra Sehgal entertained millions of people through her performances in films and on stage.
Zohra Sehgal began her career with well-known dancer Uday Shankar in 1935 and later performed in the theater.
Her roles in Bollywood films like Cheeni Kum received extensive praise.
Zohra Sehgal was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second highest civilian award, in 2010 for her work.
In a career spanning more than seven decades, Zohra Sehgal entertained millions of people through her performances in films and on stage
Indian PM Narendra Modi led tributes to the actress on Twitter.
“Zohra Sehgal made a mark through her acting, which is admired across generations. Saddened on her demise,” he wrote.
Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan tweeted: “What a journey and what an immensely loveable co-star! Prayers for her blessed soul!!”
At 94, Zohra Sehgal played Amitabh Bachchan’s mother in hit Hindi film, Cheeni Kum, and critics said the chemistry between the two worked very well.
Zohra Sehgal was born in 1912 in the town of Saharanpur in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.
She stepped into the world of acting by joining left-wing political theater group Indian Peoples’ Theatre Association (IPTA), which dominated the Indian cultural scene in the 1940s.
She was associated with the doyen of Indian theatre, Prithviraj Kapoor, for more than a decade.
In 1962, Zohra Sehgal went to London on a drama scholarship and worked in several English films and popular television productions like My Beautiful Launderette, Tandoori Nights and The Jewel in the Crown.
Zohra Sehgal returned to India in the 1990s at the age of 80 and continued acting until the age of 95.
Indian deputy consul general in New York, Devyani Khobragade, whose arrest in the US sparked protests from India has been formally indicted by a grand jury.
However, prosecutors said that Devyani Khobragade, 39, had also been granted immunity and that US officials had asked her to leave the country.
Prosecutors initially said Devyani Khobragade had already left but were later told by her lawyer that she was still in the US.
Devyani Khobragade was detained on charges of visa fraud and of underpaying her housekeeper in New York last month.
India had demanded a US apology for her “humiliation”, which included a strip-search.
A spokesman for the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York said in a statement that they “had been advised by the State Department that, pursuant to their request, Devyani Khobragade was to have left the United States this afternoon”.
Devyani Khobragade was detained on charges of visa fraud and of underpaying her housekeeper in New York
However, later in the day “Ms Khobragade’s lawyer advised that she has not, in fact, departed the US”.
Daniel Arshack, Devyani Khobragade’s lawyer, later confirmed this, saying that she was “at home with her children”.
Devyani Khobragade had been handcuffed and searched after a complaint from the maid, Sangeeta Richard.
She denied all the charges and in turn accused Sangeeta Richard of theft and attempted blackmail.
Delhi ordered a series of diplomatic reprisal measures against the US, and relations between the two countries have been strained over the case.
Security barricades around the American embassy in Delhi were removed and a visiting US delegation was snubbed by senior Indian politicians and officials.
On Wednesday, the US embassy in Delhi was ordered to stop “commercial activities on its premises”. India also said that embassy cars could be penalized for traffic offences.
The US embassy in Delhi has been told to shut down a club within its premises which includes a pool, restaurant and tennis court, NDTV news channel said.
Delhi case of five men charged with the gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old woman has been moved to a fast-track court for trial.
Lawyers for the defendants say that the case will get under way on Monday.
A sixth suspect, who is thought to be 17, will be tried separately in a youth court if it is confirmed he is a minor.
The case has shocked India and sparked a debate about the treatment of women. If convicted, the men could face the death penalty.
In the wake of the public outcry and nationwide protests, the government promised a fast-track legal process for this and other rape cases.
It announced it was setting up six fast-track courts in Delhi to allow crimes against women to be dealt with swiftly. Legal proceedings in India sometimes involve years of delays.
The five accused have been named as Ram Singh, his brother Mukesh, Pawan Gupta, Vinay Sharma and Akshay Thakur.
The lawyer for Ram Singh, said he would file a petition arguing for the case to be transferred out of Delhi, fearing that the proceedings might be prejudiced because of the intense media interest.
“We are sure we will not get justice in Delhi,” VK Ananad said.
Delhi case of five men charged with the gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old woman has been moved to a fast-track court for trial
Last week another lawyer claimed that the men had been tortured and coerced into confessing they were guilty. Officials refused to comment on the allegations, citing legal restrictions.
The lawyers for two of the suspects have said they will plead not guilty. It is unclear how the three accused will plead. Prosecutors have said they have extensive forensic evidence.
The victim, a physiotherapy student who cannot be named in India for legal reasons, and a male friend were attacked on a bus in south Delhi on December 16. She died two weeks later in hospital in Singapore.
Campaigners are calling for tougher rape laws and reforms to the police, who – critics say – often fail to file charges against accused attackers.
The government has said that it will bring in stronger sexual assault laws and has established several committees to recommend changes in the law.
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