The Afghanistan government has said that it was in the loop when the US forces dropped the "mother of all bombs" in eastern Afghanistan to target the hideouts of Islamic State terror group.

At least 36 IS militants were killed when the US military dropped a massive GBU-43, a non-nuclear, 10-tonne missile powered by a wave of air pressure, on an IS hideout in Achin district of Nangarhar province on Thursday, Kabul's Ministry of Defence announced.

The Office of the President, ARG Palace, said on Friday that the strike took place in close coordination between the Afganistan forces and foreign troops based in the country, reported Khaama Press. 

"Precautions were taken to avoid civilian casualties with this airstrike," President Ashraf Ghani said on Twitter.

A large amount of ammunition and weapons were also destroyed in the airstrike, said an official. 

The statement said that the Afghanistan forces will continue their fight to eliminate terrorism and to maintain peace and stability in the country and around the world as they are on the frontline against various terrorist groups.

The US Forces in Afghanistan in a statement said: "At 7.32 pm (local time) Thursday, US Forces-Afghanistan conducted a strike on an ISIS tunnel complex in Achin district, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, as part of ongoing efforts to defeat the terror group in Afghanistan in 2017."

The commadner of the US forces in Afghanistan, General John Nicholson said: "As ISIS's losses have mounted, they are using IEDs, bunkers and tunnels to thicken their defence. This is the right munition to reduce these obstacles and maintian the momentum of our offensive against the group."

US President Donald Trump called the bombing "another successful job." 

It was the third major military action his administration took in recent months, following a military raid in Yemen that left some civilians and a US Marine dead, and last week's surprise strike on a Syrian airfield.

Actor Robert Pattinson says he is open to a reboot of the Twilight franchise.

The 30-year-old actor has not ruled out a possible return as Edward Cullen, reports aceshowbiz.com.

"I'm always kind of curious. Anything where there's a mass audience or seemingly an audience for it, I always like the idea of subverting people's expectations," Pattinson said.

There's no such reboot in development as of now, but Pattinson still believes that "there could be some radical way of doing it, which could be quite fun". 

The actor, however, says it will be "difficult" to make another film in the popular movie franchise because "there's no source material." 

Previously, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group said more Twillight movies were possible, but those are yet to be confirmed. 

Concerned over the lack of concern for conservation of leopards, the Nature Watch India called for shifting the category of Indian leopard from vulnerable A-2 to endangered in the Red list.

National convener of Nature Watch India, Rajeshwar Singh Negi, who is from Himachal Pradesh, hammered the need for ‘Project Leopard’ like the ‘Project Tiger’ by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Wildlife to save the wild cat from extinction.

"The project should be administered by the National Tiger Conservation Authority, which be renamed, National Tiger and Leopard Conservation Authority. The states falling under such project, be given special funding and technical assistance, modern equipment and conservation skills,” Negi told reporters here.

He said the Shivalik Tarai region especially Himachal, Haryana and Uttrakhand, the western ghats including Maharashtra, Gujarat and the central region like Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh and Rajasthan among others be made the focal points of ‘Project Leopard’.

Listing the points in the memorandum submitted to the Prime Minister of India, Chairman of National Board for Wildlife with copies endorsed to the Director General, IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), the Nature Watch India convener pointed out that the leopards continue to be killed regularly by mob lynching, poisoning and organised poaching.

“On an average 200 leopards are reported to be killed annually for poaching. And as per central customs assessment methodology, the number arrived at is 2000 leopards annually. Around 99 per cent of all leopards killed are smuggled for international trade in its skin and body parts,” he said.

As per National Census of Leopards, 2015, there are about 7000 leopards in the areas around Tiger Reserves, where they are better protected and another 4000 to 5000 in India, totalling about 12000.

He said with the stricter monitoring and reduction in Tiger Population, the leopard has become the principal victim and substitute.

“There is no effort on conservation of the wild animal and the forest officials order killing of leopards if they stray into human habitations,”Negi said.

He criticised the Himachal government for not following the National Tiger Conservation Authority notifying guidelines and said 26 leopards, were being kept in captivity in the state with no concern for rehabilitation and relocation.

Davy Klaassen fired a brace as AFC Ajax took a big step towards reaching the semi-finals of the Europa League by defeating German football club Schalke 2-0 here.

Ajax, who had reached the quarter-finals of a European tournament for the first time in 14 years, on Thursday outplayed the visitors from Germany from the start with their typical high tempo attacking playing style, reports Xinhua news agency.

After Alessandro Schopf brought down Amin Younes in the penalty area referee Sergey Karasev awarded Ajax a penalty which was converted by captain Klaassen in the 23rd minute.

Ajax remained the better side in the first half, with Davinson Sanchez heading a cross by Donny van de Beek on the cross-bar. The only danger Schalke caused was a bicycle-kick by Benedikt Howedes just before half-time.

In the second half, Ajax continued their dominance, although left-back Daley Sinkgraven had to be substituted by Matthijs de Ligt. After a cross by Justin Kluivert, Klaassen produced his perfectly timed second goal in the 52nd minute.

With Van de Beek hitting the cross-bar Ajax had more chances to extend the score, but didn't produce more goals. Therefore Schalke can still have hope for the return in Gelsenkirchen on April 20.

Actor-comedian Kevin Hart will star in and produce upcoming Universal Pictures comedy titled Night School.

The 37-year-old multi-talented entertainer will be reuniting with Tim Story, who is in negotiations to direct the project, reported Ace Showbiz.

The film will feature Hart as the leader of a group of misfits who are forced to attend adult classes while they try to pass the EGD exam.

Hart will produce Night School via his Hartbeat Production company alongside Will Packer, who is working via his Will Packer Productions.

The Secret Life of Pets voice actor also shares writing credit with Harry Ratchford, Joey Wells and Matt Kellard, with additional script by Nick Stoller. A release date and full cast members are expected to be announced shortly.

The Indian High Commissioner is likely to meet Pakistan Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua over the issue of death sentence awarded to former Indian Navy officer Kulbhushan Jadhav.

The meeting is likely to take place in Islamabad, according to reports.

The Pakistani military court on Thursday was adamant of not compromising with the death sentence awarded to the Indian national.

The death sentence to Jadhav was handed out by a Pakistani military court on 10 April on charges of espionage. The court claimed that Jadhav was an Indian intelligence agent and accused him of being a threat to Pakistan. He was caught in Balochistan in March last year.

However, India has denied all claims, saying Jadhav is an “innocent Indian abducted by Pakistan”. India has maintained that he was abducted in Iran where he was involved in business and hanging him would be a “premeditated murder”.

After winning hearts in India and grabbing top awards, Aamir Khan's Dangal is all set to release in China on 5 May.

This is not the first time that Aamir is releasing his films in China, his film PK became the highest grossing Indian film ever in China. It has earned a whopping Rs.140 crore in the Chinese box office surpassing the records of 3 Idiots and Dhoom 3.

Interestingly, Aamir's 3 Idiots became the first Indian films that was screened in China since 1970, post which several Indian films garnered a gateway into the Chinese market. In fact, the film struck an instant chord with China's famously overworked students, so much so that some Chinese universities were, last year, even prescribing the film in their coursework as a kind of stress-relief in their classrooms.

Now it's time for Dangal to weave magic among the Chinese audience. The film has been setting new benchmarks with every passing day. It is the first in Bollywood to enter the Rs.385 crore club in India making it the highest grossing Hindi film of all times.

The biopic based on Mahavir Phogat training his daughters Geeta and Babita to become world class wrestlers,  has struck a chord with the audience for its good content.

People have loved the sensitive portrayal of the father-daughter relationship and have been deeply moved by stellar performances by Aamir Khan, Sakshi Tanwar Fatima Sana Shaikh, Sanya Malhotra and the entire cast.

Sunil Narine is back for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), this time with the bat. Just when it looked like Narine was no more a mystery after he rose to KKR's pinnacle in the wicket-taking column (105 in 78 matches), the West Indian has roared back with a typical spell 1/19 in four overs. But what surprised one and all was the way he batted.

Sans the services of Chris Lynn who is recuperating from a shoulder injury, KKR pulled a rabbit out of their hat by sending Narine along with Gautam Gambhir to open the batting. Chasing 171 for victory against Kings XI Punjab at the Eden Gardens, it was a move that left everyone talking and later, applauding.

First, it was whether the 28-year-old who averages 13.18 in T20Is for the West Indies and 12.03 in T20 first class cricket has ever opened before.

Six overs later, Narine was dismissed by pacer Varun Aaron but not before cracking an 18-ball 37, featuring four fours and three sixes. Narine, who in six Tests, 65 ODIs, and 43 T20Is has never batted higher than at the eightg spot (in Tests and ODIs) and sixth in T20Is, got a standing ovation from the Eden crowd as he returned to the pavilion. 

"Actually we were quite surprised," Kings XI and India pacer Ishant Sharma told media persons after the game on Thursday.

"Then Maxi (Glenn Maxwell, Kings XI captain) told us in the CPL and Big Bash he opened the batting for a few teams. We didn't know how he is going to bat. We were thinking about Robin Uthappa, so when you see that you don't know what's going to happen," Ishant added laughing.

Narine started 2017 by opening the batting for Australian Big Bash League (BBL) side Melbourne Renegades, scoring a quickfire 13-ball 21. He opened two more times for them.

But for KKR players also, it was a jaw-dropping move. "Even I was surprised," India quick Umesh Yadav said after the match.

"The way Chris Lynn was batting and he was not there with us so we needed a batsman like him (Narine). I think he opened the batting before. After that management thought he can be used as an opener," Yadav said.

Former India and KKR captain Sourav Ganguly said: "It was a big surprise. But it came off and can only augur well for the team."

Explaining the decision, skipper Gambhir said since Narine can "hit the ball big", he was promoted up the order.

"Narine can hit the ball big. We have a long batting line-up, and so we sent Sunil in at the top. He won't face many balls at No. 9 anyway. I think I need to trust him with the bat more now."

Pearl Jam's former drummer David Abbruzzese has claimed he wasn't invited to their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction earlier this month.

The 48-year-old musician was the drummer for the rock band from 1991 to 1994, and has claimed that he, along with former drummers Jack Irons and Matt Chamberlain – who were all not formerly inducted into the hall – were never invited to the ceremony, reported Rolling Stone magazine.

In a lengthy post written on Facebook, David – who provided the drums for the 1994 album Vitalogy – said he gave the band “all he had” and said he never let the fans down.

He wrote, “The band and the hall did not invite or contact me.. The band tweeted that they welcomed the idea of the event granting the possibility of all the drummers to be in the same room. That isn't an invite.

“I personally have deep respect for all drummers and of course the five that participated in the pearl jam bands carreer… I am going to say this; For the band to put me in the same light as Matt Chamberlain & Dave K really was a slap in the face. Nothing to do with those guys as people or players.

“Respect… but as a contributor? A band member? A definitive contributor to the energy and power of where the band went? …the sacrifices, the work, the physical and emotional contributions…not to mention the personal weight of carrying onthrough and after unceremonious and disrespectful way I was fired.”

Pearl Jam were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 8, and saw frontman Eddie Vedder, bassist Jeff Ament, guitarists Stone Gossard and Mike McCready, and drummers Dave Krusen and Matt Cameron formerly inducted.

BSP chief Mayawati on Friday said she has no reservations in shaking hands with other parties in her struggle against the BJP on the issue of EVM tampering in the recent Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

"The BSP now has no reservations in taking the help of anti-BJP parties in its fight against EVM tampering and the BJP as it is the democracy which comes first…we have to keep democracy alive," she said while addressing an Ambedkar anniversary function of the party here.

Addressing the first programme of the BSP after a dismal show in the recent Assembly elections, Mayawati, in a major announcement, also appointed her brother Anand Kumar as party's vice president.

"I announce my brother Anand Kumar as the party's national vice president with the condition that he will never become MP, MLA, minister of chief minister," she said.

Speaking for the first time before her party workers on her medical condition which she said has forced her to read written texts, she said she lost one of her glands in 1996.

"One of the two glands in my throat was removed by doctors in an operation and so I cannot stress my throat too much," Mayawati said.

The BSP chief who has been under fire following a recent decision of the Yogi Adityanath government to order probe into sale of sugar mills and construction of memorials under her government, she said, "I'm being targetted under a conspiracy so that I stop speaking on the EVM issue tampering by BJP." 

"It is being shown as if I'm responsible whereas I have never held either of the departments….the sugar department was headed by Naseemuddin… all decisions were taken by the cabinet", she said.

Adityanath has ordered an inquiry into the Mayawati-led BSP government's decision to sell 21 state sugar mills for a song in 2010-2011.

"A thorough inquiry should be conducted into the Rs 1,100 crore scam. If necessary, the state government would also recommend a CBI inquiry into the issue," the chief minister had said when presentations about sugarcane development department were made before him last week.

Violence broke out in an Uttarakhand village early on Friday after some posters and banners on Dr BR Ambedkar were burnt and torn off, the police said.

Following this, an irate mob pelted stones and injured many policemen and even torched some vehicles in Munder village under the Mangalor police station's jurisdiction, the police added.

An official said that some persons had on Thursday night torn and burnt posters made for the occasion of the 126th birth anniversary celebrations of Ambedkar. 

When the news spread, an angry mob took to the streets but the police pacified it on Thursday.

On Friday morning, the people's anger, however, spilled over on the streets and they pelted stones at the policemen. A circle officer and half a dozen other policemen were injured. 

Security deployment has been increased in the village and things are under control as of now, the official said.

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan on Friday clarified that his look from upcoming period crime-drama Thugs of Hindostan" is yet to be revealed and the one that's doing the rounds is from an advertisement.

Social media was abuzz with a leaked image of the veteran star and it was believed to be from Thugs of Hindostan", in which Amitabh has Aamir Khan and Shraddha Kapoor as co-stars.

In response to a Twitter post on the image, Amitabh wrote: "No sir. This is from an ad I worked in today. Not Thugs."

Based on the novel Confessions of a Thug by Philip Meadows Taylor, the film looks at the lives of imperial thugs who stole from travellers, in India during 1830s.

The film is being directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya, best known for the Dhoom franchise.

Different aspects of Delhi's heritage, both tangible and intangible, will be brought to the fore during a week-long celebration for World Heritage Day, beginning April 18.

Undertaken by Sahapedia, a not-for-profit online encyclopaedic body, the celebration will witness a series of events that will offer people insights about the city's heritage.

"We have been working a lot in the field of heritage, helping people gain an understanding of the material, cultural and built heritage wealth of their cities.

"For the upcoming heritage week, we have a series of programmes designed to provide insights into the histories associated with places," Vaibhav Chauhan, Secretary, Sahapedia, said.

Events during the week will include a food walk conducted by lawyer Talish Ray through the bylanes of Purani Dilli, a melting pot of faith, food and history.

It will explore traditional mouthwatering cuisines of Old Delhi while soaking up its monumental history.

Two more guided walks themed around built heritages – The 14th century citadel of Feroz Shah Kotla and the Qutub Complex, studded with various ruins and monuments, are lined up further in the week.

In Gurgaon, a nature walk has been planned inside the Aravalis Sacred Grove on April 23.

An exclusive workshop on the art of calligraphy and its various traditions, besides a talk on the father-son Mughal noble duo of Bairam Khan and Abdul Rahim, who were courtiers and poets in the lifetimes of three Mughal rulers – Humayun, Akbar and Jahangir – are slated to be held in the city during the coming week.

Sahapedia has also announced a pilot fellowship programme with Banasthali University, Rajasthan, to enable faculty, students, scholars and other enthusiasts to contribute to the portal and share materials that will enable new ways of looking at heritage sites.

Set to be launched on April 18, the programme will invite people to engage with the rich and diverse range of arts, heritages and cultures of India.

"Through this initiative, Sahapedia hopes to encourage documentation and research in diverse areas of cultural knowledge and also enhance networks that contribute to the creation of the online resources.

"This gives the applicant the option of participating both at the level of primary documentation and the content curation process," Sudha Gopalakrishnan, Executive Director, Sahapedia, said.

The online interactive portal, launched last year, has a range of articles, images, videos and recorded interviews with experts, who explore the cultural landscape of India.

National Award winning actor Rajkummar Rao, who has been roped in to portray Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in filmmaker Hansal Mehtas upcoming web-series, says he plans to shave his head partly to suit the role.

Rajkummar says he will commence shooting on the yet-to-be-titled series from May 10.

"I am totally planning to go half bald for the role and flaunt a bespectacled look," Rajkummar told IANS here.

Given that he keeps juggling between film projects, how wise would that be?

"It will be a challenge, but I do one film at a time, so it shouldn't be a problem," added actor, who delivered a gripping performance in "Trapped".

The actor is excited about playing such a national icon, whom Mehta sees as a "rockstar".

"We will shoot in Kolkata. We will even go to Europe and many other places. It's my job as an actor to experiment with my personality and create as many characters as I can in front of the camera," Rajkummar said on the sidelines of the launch of Ekta Kapoor's upcoming digital app ALTBalaji.

"When we will start shooting for this series on May 10, people might see me half bald. I don't believe in wearing wigs. So, I plan to shave half of my head and try to achieve Bose's look," he added.

Rajkummar has started preparing for the web-series already.

"Through this web-series, we will try to be as close to reality as we can. There are so many things that are untold about Bose. So, we will try to explore that. There were so many instances that I was amazed to know about him," the "Shahid" fame actor said.

"I have been reading a lot of his books. His love for his motherland — that is something which is so selfless. Selfless love is something where you don't expect anything in return. I don't do acting because I expect three cars in return. I do it because I feel satisfied and happy by it," he added.

Atleast 19 people were hospitalised following the leakage of chlorine gas in a small village on the city outskirts, district officials said on Friday.

The incident took place last night due to leakage in the valve of a chlorine gas cylinder, when the process of chlorination in a drinking water tank located in Por village was underway, they said.

Those affected after their exposure to the gas, including the workers involved in the cleaning process, were admitted to the state-run Sayajirao hospital here when they began complaining of eye and throat irritation, Vadodara District Collector Lochan Sehra said.

The village is located on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad national highway.

A team of officials from the company which supplies gas cylinders for chlorination purposes rushed to the spot and and defused the cylinder into nearby Dhadhar river.

Meanwhile, Dr Rajeev Deveshwar Gupta, Superintendent of Sir Sayajirao General Hospital said that the condition of all the affected people is stable.

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Friday raised the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) tampering issue, saying she is being targeted by the BJP so that she would stop speaking on the issue.

"I'm being targeted so that I stop speaking about EVM tampering by the BJP," the BSP chief said on the allegations of unauthorised sugar mills sale during her tenure as CM.

The BSP chief is under fire after UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath government ordered a probe into the sale of 21 sugar mills under her government.

“It is being shown as if I am responsible whereas I have never held either of the departments, the sugar department was headed by Naseemuddin. All decisions were taken by the cabinet”, she said.

Mayawati also hinted that BSP might consider allying with other aniti-BJP parties in its fight against the EVM tampering issue. "BSP has no reservation in taking help of anti-BJP parties in fight against EVM tampering issue," she added.

On 13 April, the Supreme Court issued a notice to the Centre and the Election Commission for not using EVMs with voter verified paper audit trail (VVPAT), based on a plea filed by the BSP.

The Aam Aadmi Party has asked the BJP-led Goa government to make public its 'Common Minimum Programme' and spell out its stand on beef ban.

"We demand that the Common Minimum Programme be made public immediately and articulate the government's stand on issues such as beef ban, how it will resolve the conflict between local residents and the tourism trade over late night parties, the drug menace, the Regional Plan and other issues," party's state convener Elvis Gomes said.

He alleged that the coalition partners and the BJP were at loggerheads even on issues directly affecting the people.

"This is creating confusion in the ranks of the bureaucracy and adversely affecting delivery of governance to the people," Gomes said here yesterday.

The AAP leader claimed that "Parrikar is running a government which is speaking in different voices." 

He said the CM should rein-in his ministers and the government get down to the serious business of governing the state.

"Goa Forward Party's leader Vinod Palyekar is opposed to late night parties and wants them banned but Town and Country Planning Minister Vijai Sardesai from the same party holds an opposite view," he said.