Arsenal midfielder Santi Cazorla will miss the rest of the English Premier League (EPL) season due to an ankle injury.

The Spaniard has not played since October when pain caused him to leave the field during the UEFA Champions League's group stage game against Bulgarian side Ludogorets 0-6, reports Efe on Thursday.

Cazorla was operated in December and was expected to recover within three months.

Last season, he was off the pitch for seven months because of a knee injury.

Cazorla, whose contract concludes at the end of this season, joined the Gunners in 2012.

Activists held a protest outside a local slaughterhouse against the killing of a bull that escaped and became an instant TV celebrity as it was pursued by police in a scene like jallikattu.

Police hit the bull with tranquilizer darts which killed it.

Several dozen people — virtually all of them non-Hindus — held a candlelight vigil on Wednesday night to mourn the bull, which they named Courage.

"No one deserves cruelty, abuse, torture or murder," a protester said in a WABC TV report.

Another said: "We're here fighting for our brother."

"Today (Wednesday) we're paying respects to a life lost, a beautiful life."

The bull escaped from Aziz Slaughterhouse in a neighbourhood with a lot of immigrants on Tuesday and ran for its life through a residential area.

TV reports showed the bull being chased by police like it was jallikattu, except that some were in vehicles and they fired tranquilizer darts at Courage.

The scene captured the hearts of steely New Yorkers making Courage an instant celebrity.

"They saw him running for life like you would or I would if we were faced with pain or fear or imminent death," WPIX TV quoted Jill Carnegie, the head of 'Vegans of New York', which organised the candlelight vigil, as saying.

Courage kept running with several darts stuck to its body before it collapsed.

The bull was taken in a police van to an animal care facility in Brooklyn where it died.

According to authorities, the bull would be saved from the butcher's knife and given freedom at an animal sanctuary.

Last year, a bull named Freddie escaped from another slaughterhouse in the city.

Army chief General Bipin Rawat on Friday paid tribute to the three soldiers killed in a militant attack on their convoy in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir.

"General Rawat arrived here this morning and paid tribute to the Shopian martyrs at Badamibagh cantonment here," an army official said.

The army chief laid floral wreaths on the coffins carrying the mortal remains of the three soldiers, one of whom hailed from Marhama area of Anantnag district.

Rawat is scheduled to visit the headquarters of counter-insurgency Kilo Force and Victor Force where he will be briefed about the state of operations in Kashmir Valley.

"The army chief will also review the overall security situation prevailing in the valley hinterland and along the Line of Control," he said.

Militants of the pro-Pakistan Hizbul Mujahideen terror group had ambushed an army convoy, killing three personnel and wounding five others, including two officers, in South Kashmir's Shopian district yesterday.

A civilian caught in crossfire was also killed.

The three soldiers were Lance Naik Ghulam Mohiuddin Rather, hailing from Bijbehara in South Kashmir, Sapper Sreejith M J, a resident of Palakkad in Kerala, and Sepoy Vikas Singh Gurjar of Rajasthan.

Roma and Lyon clinched their respective last-16 berths in the Europa League, while Athletic Bilbao were shocked by APOEL 2-0 to lose 4-3 on aggregate.

With a four-goal advantage going in to the return leg, Roma players slipped in their defence as Thomas Vermaelen's poor touch earned Rafael Borre a clear shot at goal from inside the box to break the deadlock in the 15th minute, reports Xinhua news agency.

However, the hole was too deep for the visitors to climb out. Roma finally made into the next round, while seeing their 16-game unbeaten home run shattered.

Contrary to Roma's lacklustre performance, Lyon, who led 4-1 in the first leg, geared up for another lopsided 7-1 win over AZ Alkmaar.

The other match between APOEL and Athletic Bilbao saw a goalless first half, before Pieros Sotiriou shot home on a left pass by Efrain just one minute into the second. 

Giannis Giannotas scored for a confident APOEL on penalty after he was brought down inside the box in the 54th minute, surprisingly preventing the La Liga side from moving forward.

Tottenham Hotspur, currently ranked third in the Premier League, were also upset with an aggregate 3-2 loss to Gent of Belgium.

Ajax, Olympiacos and Besiktas also found their way ahead. Mourinho-led Manchester United eased through on an aggregate of 4-0 on Wednesday, along with Schalke and Russian outfit Krasnodar.

Top US envoys on a working visit to Mexico have tried to allay fears that Trump administration is preparing to massively deport undocumented migrants back across the border.

The reassurances came on Thursday night during a joint press conference by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly, following their meeting with Mexico's Foreign Affairs Minister Luis Videgaray and Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio Chong here.

"Let me be very very clear, there will be no, repeat no mass deportation. Everything at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will be done legally and according to human rights system in the US," Xinhua news agency quoted Kelly as saying.

President Donald Trump's vow to crack down on undocumented migrants has struck fear into immigrants living in the US.

Mexican officials are concerned that massive deportation could lead to a humanitarian crisis along the border.

Kelly said: "The focus of deportation will be on the criminal element that has made it into the US. All of this will be done, as it always has been, in close coordination with Mexican government."

While there will be "no use of military force" in deportation proceedings, "we will approach this operation systematically, in a results-oriented way, in an operational way, and in a human dignity way", said the retired Marine Corps general.

Earlier, Trump had described the deportation campaign as "a military operation".

Tillerson said the two countries "reiterated our joint commitment to maintaining law and order along our shared border by stopping the potential terrorist and dismantling the transnational criminal networks moving drugs and people into the US".

The US Secretary of State said officials also discussed trade and energy ties, in addition to fighting cross-border crime, but gave no details.

"We agreed that our two countries should seize the opportunity to modernise and strengthen our trade and energy relationship," he said.

Tillerson noted crime went both ways across the border.

"Similarly we underscored the importance of stopping the illegal firearms and bulk cash that is originating in the US and flowing into Mexico. There's no mistaking that the rule of law matters on both sides of the border," he said.

Videgaray said: "There is concern and irritation among Mexicans about what are seen as policies that could be harmful for Mexico and abroad."

"Today (Thursday) we have taken a step in the right direction," the Mexican minister said, stressing the importance of cooperation.

Mexico and the US are already at odds over Trump's plan to build a wall along their border and his attempts to pressurise Mexico into giving concessions on trade.

The US President wanted to renegotiate a two-decade-old agreement signed by Mexico, the US and Canada, claiming it had unfairly benefited Mexico at the expense of US workers.

Premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, on Friday broke Kapil Dev's 37-year-old Indian record of most Test wickets in a domestic season on the second day morning of the first cricket Test against Australia.

Ashwin, the fastest in the world to reach 250 Test wicket mark recently, dismissed overnight batsman Mitchell Starc with the fifth ball of the first over of the morning to end the visitors' first innings at 260 and take his tally of wickets in the current home season to 64 in 10 Test matches.

Ashwin, thus, went past Kapil's earlier mark of 63 wickets in 13 Tests created way back in 1979-80 at the beginning of the great all-rounder's career.

Ashwin had grabbed 61 wickets in 10 Tests in the 2012-13 home season when he first served notice of his potential at the international level.

This home season the off-spinner has taken 27 wickets in three Test matches against New Zealand, 28 in five against England and six in one against Bangladesh.

Friday's first innings figures of three for 63 in 34.5 overs took the 30-year-old's tally of wickets in his career to 257 from 46 games.

Cyprus's APOEL eliminated mighty Athletic Bilbao after a convincing 2-0 victory and qualified for the last-16 stage of the Europa League.

After a goalless first half on Thursday, Pieros Sotiriou shot home a left pass from Efrain just one minute into the second half, reports Xinhua news agency.

Giannis Giannotas was brought down inside Athletic's area and he scored APOEL's second goal from the penalty spot in the 54th minute.

Scorer Pieros Setiriou was sent off the field with a second yellow card for a mid-field foul and APOEL had to withstand continuous pressing by Athletic playing with 10 for the 25 minutes of the game plus 6 minutes extra time.

Though they pressed the game for most of the time, Atheltic were never close to scoring.

APOEL's star scorer will miss the next Europa League game of his team.

Athletic also played with one less for the six extra minutes of the match after Ander Iturraspe was also sent off the field with a second yellow card.

An uncharacteristically flamboyant photograph of Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar baring his upper torso in a forest resort pool has gone viral on social media.

The image of Parsekar staring contemplatively into emptiness, from the infinity swimming pool was uploaded via the Chief Minister's official Facebook account on late Thursday.

The normally conservatively attired leader had to endure a brief spell of trolling following the upload given the caption accompanying the photo, which was later edited.

The first caption, which accompanied Parsekar's now-viral photo, quizzed his followers playfully. "Relaxing after elections. Guess who? Guess where?"

However, this was enough for his critics to have a go at him.

"Soon ul rest forever," said Ankit Salgaonkar on his timeline. While others like Rahul Matias de Lemos suggested that the Chief Minister should "develop six pack abs".

Soon after the criticism, the photo caption was edited to read "Communing with nature. A refreshing experience".

Not all who commented were trolls though, with many well-wishers also stating that the brief holiday which Parsekar was currently enjoying along with his family was a deserving one, especially after a gruelling election campaign.

There were also others who wished him good luck in anticipation of a victory on March 11, when the votes polled for the state assembly were scheduled to be counted.

The police in Pakistan have killed two suspected Islamic State (IS) militants in a raid early on Friday here, media reported.

The suspects opened fire at the police personnel during the raid in Manghopir, leaving one policeman injured, Geo News quoted a senior police official as saying.

"In the retaliatory fire, both the suspects were killed while their accomplices managed to escape from the site," he said. 

The militants, identified as Saifullah and Haneef, had laptops with them that indicated a hit list, including names of police officers and government officials, the report added.

World No.2 Angelique Kerber of Germany and Danish player Caroline Wozniacki entered Dubai Open semi-finals, defeating their opponents in the quarter-finals.

Kerber, the 2016 champion of the Australian Open and the US Open both, beat 19-year-old Ana Konjuh 6-3, 6-2 on Thursday, reports Xinhua news agency. 

Wozniacki also won in two straight sets when she defeated 17-year-old American talent Catherine Bellis 6-3, 6-2.

Kerber will now take on Elina Svitolina on Friday, who overwhelmed Lauren Davis 6-0, 6-4 while Wozniacki will play Latvian player Anastasija Sevastova, who beat China's Qiang Wang 6-4, 7-5.

Two firefighters were killed and two others injured when a cooking gas cylinder exploded while they were extinguishing a blaze at a food and snacks shop here on Friday morning.

The incident took place around 5.35 am at Lal Market in west Delhi's Vikaspuri.

"Five firetenders were rushed to Vikaspuri in response to an emergency call. There was a minor fire in a food and snacks shop. But an LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) cylinder exploded when our men were busy dousing the flames," a Delhi Fire Service official said.

Hari Singh Meena, 55, died on the spot while his colleague Hariom, 56, died hours later from his injuries at the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital.

Firemen Naveen and Ravinder received minor injuries in the incident and they are being treated at BL Kapur Memorial Hospital.

Australia’s pace spearhead Mitchell Starc got rid of Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli in quick succession, with Kl Rahul (47*) the only Indian batsman putting up a fight as the hosts reached a total of 70/3 at lunch, trailing Australia by 190 runs in the 1st Test of the four-match series.

Murali Vijay (10) was the first Indian batsman to fall, caught behind by Mathew Wade off a brilliant Josh Hazelwood delivery in the seventh over to get the visitors a vital breakthrough.

The ever-dependable Pujara (6) walked in but he didn't last long as Starc’s ripping, short-ball was helped by the unpredictable pitch, bouncing up and taking a slight touch off the batsman’s glove before landing in wicket-keeper Matthew Wade’s hands.

And the key moment in the session, perhaps even in the match, came just two balls later when Indian skipper Virat Kohli chased a wide delivery but only managed to nick it to first slip for his first duck dismissal after 104 games.

Those two wickets were exactly what Steve Smith wanted and there is no denying the momentum is firmly with the visitors but it remains to be seen if they can go on and build on it.

Rahul seemed unfettered by his teammates inability to preserve their wickets and continued to score runs at a steady rate and is in sight of a half-century. Giving him company is Indian vice-captain, Ajinkya Rahane (6*). 

Earlier in the day, Starc was dismissed for 61 in the first over of the day’s play itself off Ravichandran Ashwin, to end the Australian first-innings at 260.

It’s been less than 24 hours since Volkswagen India announced its plans to launch the new Tiguan and Passat in India, and we’ve already spotted both cars in the wild! The convoy of Volkswagen’s upcoming launches was seen on a highway test, not too far from VW’s plant in Chakan, Maharashtra.

With these new cars, Volkswagen will be hoping to gain some traction in premium price segments, while simultaneously giving the brand itself a more upmarket aura. Here are some highlights that are common to both cars:

Both will be offered with a 2.0-litre TDI (diesel) engine.

Both are based on Volkswagen’s MQB platform.

Both models are expected to be locally assembled.

Both have cousins from Skoda that they will share parts with i.e. the Skoda Superb and soon-to-be-launched Kodiaq.

Tiguan

The Tiguan is arguably the more important launch of the two. While SUVs are very popular across all segments, this is only the second Volkswagen SUV in India, the first being the Touareg, which was discontinued back in 2014.

Trivia: The Touareg was based on the same platform as the old Audi Q7 and Porsche Cayenne.

The Tiguan was showcased at this year’s Delhi Auto Expo, just around 4 months after its global unveil. At least at launch, it will only be available with a 2.0-litre diesel engine (possibly in the 150PS/340Nm state of tune) paired with a seven-speed DSG automatic gearbox.

Going by the spy shots, it looks like VW’s 4MOTION all-wheel drive system will be offered, though it will most likely be limited to the higher variants, while front-wheel drive will come as standard. The Volkswagen Tiguan’s feature list is expected to include a touchscreen infotainment system, three-zone climate control, ventilated seats, LED headlights and LED tail lights. Expect prices to start at around Rs.20 lakh, with the SUV directly rivaling the Hyundai Tucson.

Passat

The Passat, on the other hand, will most likely start at Rs.28-30 lakh and will go up against the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord, apart from competing with its cousin, the Skoda Superb. While Volkswagen did showcase the Passat (now in its eighth-generation) hybrid, aka the Passat GTE, at the auto expo, it looks like VW will be taking the traditional route and launch the sedan only with a 2.0-litre diesel engine, paired with a six-speed DSG automatic transmission. Since the powertrain is shared with the Skoda Superb, expect it to produce the same 177PS of power and 350Nm of torque.

Like the Tiguan, it too will get features like LED lighting systems and touchscreen infotainment, apart from a sunroof and 9 airbags.

While these new launches will be an important part of Volkswagen’s plans for India, the Polo, Ameo and Vento will continue to be the primary points of focus.

Source: CarDekho

As in many other states, Manipur too has its Muslim vote bank to sway fortunes of the political parties in an election, constituting nearly nine per cent of the electorate.

In more than a dozen assembly constituencies, the Muslim community, locally known as 'Pangal' or 'Meitei Pangal', can swing results.

The direct clout of the Muslim vote bank in more than 3-4 seats and ability to become a deciding factor in 7-8 more help them hog the attention of all political parties.

The community has produced prominent leaders, including a chief minister back in the 70s.

Muslims have traditionally sided with either the Congress or the Manipur People's Party. But with the MPP just fielding three candidates, the Congress is looking to win over Muslim votes, especially in the valley where it is in a direct contest with the BJP.

"The Muslims have always voted for us. Last time, three of our Muslim candidates won the elections. The state government has taken various steps for the development of Muslims in the state," State Congress president T N Haokip said.

The Congress government had announced a four per cent reservation for the Muslim community in the state in government jobs in 2006. It had also taken several steps to promote higher education among the community members.

"We are not a communal and divisive force like the BJP which preaches the ideology of Hindutva," a senior Congress leader said.

But with the Modi government coming to power at the Centre in 2014, the BJP's Manipur unit hoped to reap electoral benefits riding on the Modi wave and anti-incumbency against the Congress government.

But the BJP during its ticket distribution had disappointed Muslim aspirants with only one candidate from the community.

The Congress had three in its list.

Md Anwar Hussain, the sole Muslim candidate of BJP, is contesting from the Lilong constituency which has the largest Muslim population in the state.

Out of 17 aspirants who had sought party tickets to contest five assembly seats, only Anwar Hussain was lucky.
 

In three other constituencies — Keirao, Wabgai and Wangkhem, where there is a sizeable Muslim population, the BJP has decided to go with candidates from the majority Meitei community.

Those left out have accused the party of being anti-Muslim and some of them even joined other parties and are contesting against BJP candidates in various seats.

The BJP state leadership, however, denied the charge that it had deprived the Muslim aspirants.

"The tickets were distributed on the basis of winnability of the candidates. We believe in 'sabka saath, sabka vikas'.

If you go through our manifesto, you will see what the BJP wants to do for Muslims in Manipur," BJP state president K Bhabananda Singh said.

Among various projects for the development of minorities, the BJP in its manifesto has promised to implement a special mission to strengthen status of livelihood of the religious minorities in Manipur.

The first ever Muslim woman to fight Assembly election in the state, Najima Bibi, is a candidate of the Peoples' Resurgence and Justice Alliance (PRJA) of Irom Sharmila from Wabagai constituency.

She is in the fray despite a fatwa against her.

Her decision to join politics and contest election has kicked off a storm in her home constituency with religious leaders in Santhel Mamang Leikai publicly announcing that she will not be given a space to be buried after her death.

However, an unfazed Najima Bibi had said "I am not bothered about my life, but as long as live I will continue my fight against domestic violence and in favour of social uplift of the Muslim women in the society. My life has been a struggle since childhood, I am not afraid of any threat."

An Indian engineer was killed and two others were injured after an American man yelling "get out of my country" opened fire on them in a crowded bar in Kansas City in an apparent hate crime incident.

Srinivas Kuchibhotla (32), who was working at GPS-maker Garmin headquarters in Olathe, was killed while another Indian man and his colleague Alok Madasani was critically injured after a 51-year-old Navy veteran started shooting hurling racial slurs following an altercation on Wednesday night.

A third person, an American man identified as Ian Grillot who tried to intervene also received injuries in the firing in Austins Bar and Grill in Olathe.

The shooter, Adam Purinton, reportedly got into an argument with the victims in the terms of racism, and shouted "get out of my country", "terrorist" before shooting them.

The shooter reportedly provoked them into argument asking their presence and work in his country, and how they are better than him.

According to police, Purinton left the bar after the argument and then returned with a gun and shot the three men while patrons were watching the University of Kansas-TCU basketball game on television in the bar.

The shooter was arrested on Thursday morning, five hours after the incident and charged with murder and attempted murder.

Authorities declined at a news conference to say whether the shooting was a hate crime although local police said they were working with the FBI to investigate the case.

"It was a tragic and senseless act of violence," Olathe Police Chief Steven Menke told reporters.

In New Delhi, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj expressed shock over the incident and said two Indian Embassy officials have been rushed to Kansas to render all possible assistance.

"I am shocked at the shooting incident in Kansas in which Srinivas Kuchibhotla has been killed. My heartfelt condolences to bereaved family," she tweeted.

"I have spoken to Indian Ambassador in US Mr Navtej Sarna. He informed me that two Indian Embassy officials have rushed to Kansas," she said.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said Kuchibhotla and Madasani hailed from Hyderabad and Warangal, and were working at Garmin in Olathe (Kansas).

"The Indian Embassy officials will meet the injured and facilitate in bringing the mortal remains of the deceased and will be in touch with local police officials to ascertain more details of the incident and monitor follow up action. They will also meet the community members in Kansas," Swarup said.

According to Garmin, Kuchibhotla and Madasani worked in the company's aviation systems.

"We're saddened that two Garmin associates were involved in last night's (Wednesday night) incident, and we express our condolences to the family and friends of our co-workers involved. Garmin will have grievance counsellors on-site and available for its associates today and tomorrow," Garmin said in a statement.

The FBI has joined local police authorities in the investigation.

"The FBI is investigating to determine if the shooting of Kuchibhotla, was a bias-motivated hate crime in violation of the victims' civil rights," Eric Jackson, special agent in charge of the FBI s Kansas City office told reporters at a news conference.

The shooter, a navy veteran with inactive pilot license and air traffic controller certificate, told a bartender in Clinton, Missouri, where he was hiding after the shooting that he killed two Middle Eastern persons, local media reported.

He has been charged with premeditated first-degree murder and his bond has been set at $2 million.

According to Kansas City Star, the shooter worked as an air traffic controller in Olathe. He also worked at the Federal Aviation Administration, but left FAA in 2000.

Friends of Kuchibhotla have set up a GoFundMe page to help raise funds for sending his remains to India.

"Srini was the kindest person you would meet, full of love, care and compassion for everyone. He never uttered a word of hatred, a simple gossip, or a careless comment. He was brilliant, well mannered and simply an outstanding human being," the fund raising page said.

"His wife Sunayana and his family are now faced with incredible grief and a multitude of expenses," it said.

The shooting incident comes at a time when hate crimes and acts of bigotry have risen notably during the recent months in America.

It has sent shocked waves among Indian-American and the Indian community across the United States.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Kuchibhotla," said Jay Kansara, director of Government Relations at Hindu American Foundation.

"We are also praying for a speedy recovery for the injured. We call upon the US Department of Justice and local law enforcement to investigate this murder as what it is, a hate crime. Anything less will be an injustice to the victims and their families," he said.

A report in The Kansas City Star said 24-year-old Grillot hid behind a table when Purinton opened fire.

He counted the gunshots and when he thought the gunman was out of bullets, he jumped up to stop him but Purinton still had one round left, and he used it to shoot Grillot.

The bullet went through the 24-year-old Olathe man's hand and into his chest.

"I m just very grateful that one of the gentlemen is fine and alive. It s terrible what happened to his friend. But I think he was watching over us last night," he said.

Grillot said that he learned Madasani s wife is five months pregnant and that he considers the engineer his new best friend.

The sports bar where the shooting took place has been closed with a sign on the door that said it would remain closed indefinitely.

An Indian engineer was killed and two others were injured after an American man yelling "get out of my country" opened fire on them in a crowded bar in Kansas City in an apparent hate crime incident.

Srinivas Kuchibhotla (32), who was working at GPS-maker Garmin headquarters in Olathe, was killed while another Indian man and his colleague Alok Madasani was critically injured after a 51-year-old Navy veteran started shooting hurling racial slurs following an altercation on Wednesday night.

A third person, an American man identified as Ian Grillot who tried to intervene also received injuries in the firing in Austins Bar and Grill in Olathe.

The shooter, Adam Purinton, reportedly got into an argument with the victims in the terms of racism, and shouted "get out of my country", "terrorist" before shooting them.

The shooter reportedly provoked them into argument asking their presence and work in his country, and how they are better than him.

According to police, Purinton left the bar after the argument and then returned with a gun and shot the three men while patrons were watching the University of Kansas-TCU basketball game on television in the bar.

The shooter was arrested on Thursday morning, five hours after the incident and charged with murder and attempted murder.

Authorities declined at a news conference to say whether the shooting was a hate crime although local police said they were working with the FBI to investigate the case.

"It was a tragic and senseless act of violence," Olathe Police Chief Steven Menke told reporters.

In New Delhi, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj expressed shock over the incident and said two Indian Embassy officials have been rushed to Kansas to render all possible assistance.

"I am shocked at the shooting incident in Kansas in which Srinivas Kuchibhotla has been killed. My heartfelt condolences to bereaved family," she tweeted.

"I have spoken to Indian Ambassador in US Mr Navtej Sarna. He informed me that two Indian Embassy officials have rushed to Kansas," she said.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said Kuchibhotla and Madasani hailed from Hyderabad and Warangal, and were working at Garmin in Olathe (Kansas).

"The Indian Embassy officials will meet the injured and facilitate in bringing the mortal remains of the deceased and will be in touch with local police officials to ascertain more details of the incident and monitor follow up action. They will also meet the community members in Kansas," Swarup said.

According to Garmin, Kuchibhotla and Madasani worked in the company's aviation systems.

"We're saddened that two Garmin associates were involved in last night's (Wednesday night) incident, and we express our condolences to the family and friends of our co-workers involved. Garmin will have grievance counsellors on-site and available for its associates today and tomorrow," Garmin said in a statement.

The FBI has joined local police authorities in the investigation.

"The FBI is investigating to determine if the shooting of Kuchibhotla, was a bias-motivated hate crime in violation of the victims' civil rights," Eric Jackson, special agent in charge of the FBI s Kansas City office told reporters at a news conference.

The shooter, a navy veteran with inactive pilot license and air traffic controller certificate, told a bartender in Clinton, Missouri, where he was hiding after the shooting that he killed two Middle Eastern persons, local media reported.

He has been charged with premeditated first-degree murder and his bond has been set at $2 million.

According to Kansas City Star, the shooter worked as an air traffic controller in Olathe. He also worked at the Federal Aviation Administration, but left FAA in 2000.

Friends of Kuchibhotla have set up a GoFundMe page to help raise funds for sending his remains to India.

"Srini was the kindest person you would meet, full of love, care and compassion for everyone. He never uttered a word of hatred, a simple gossip, or a careless comment. He was brilliant, well mannered and simply an outstanding human being," the fund raising page said.

"His wife Sunayana and his family are now faced with incredible grief and a multitude of expenses," it said.

The shooting incident comes at a time when hate crimes and acts of bigotry have risen notably during the recent months in America.

It has sent shocked waves among Indian-American and the Indian community across the United States.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Kuchibhotla," said Jay Kansara, director of Government Relations at Hindu American Foundation.

"We are also praying for a speedy recovery for the injured. We call upon the US Department of Justice and local law enforcement to investigate this murder as what it is, a hate crime. Anything less will be an injustice to the victims and their families," he said.

A report in The Kansas City Star said 24-year-old Grillot hid behind a table when Purinton opened fire.

He counted the gunshots and when he thought the gunman was out of bullets, he jumped up to stop him but Purinton still had one round left, and he used it to shoot Grillot.

The bullet went through the 24-year-old Olathe man's hand and into his chest.

"I m just very grateful that one of the gentlemen is fine and alive. It s terrible what happened to his friend. But I think he was watching over us last night," he said.

Grillot said that he learned Madasani s wife is five months pregnant and that he considers the engineer his new best friend.

The sports bar where the shooting took place has been closed with a sign on the door that said it would remain closed indefinitely.

Award-winning British actor Ian McKellen says he enjoys a "good fairy tale", and that is one of the reasons that he is a part of live-action movie "Beauty and the Beast".

Mckellen is famously known for playing Gandalf in the "Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" film franchises, and as Magneto in the "X-Men" films. He will soon be seen as Cogsworth The Clock in "Beauty and the Beast", a live-action adaptation of the animated classic. 

The actor also said that film's director Bill Condon was also the reason he came on board. 

"When a script comes to you in the mail and you see that it is from Bill, you say, 'Yes' even before you've read it. I had worked with him before, very enjoyably, on two films: 'Gods and Monsters' and 'Mr. Holmes'," McKellen said in a statement issued on behalf of Disney.

He added: "One of the first films I saw was Cocteau's 'La Belle et le Bête' and I remember the excitement of the, albeit, rather primitive technology when the Beast sheds his mask and turns into the beautiful Jean Marais as the Prince. I enjoy a good fairy tale, and that's what this is… A traditional story that deals with morality and good vs. evil."

Releasing on March 17, "Beauty and the Beast" features an ensemble cast including Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Kevin Kline, Josh Gad, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci with Ian McKellen and Emma Thompson.

Condon also feels he has a special connection with McKellen.