Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Thursday paid obeisance to Guru Gobind Singh on his 350th birth anniversary, hailing him for fighting against injustice, tyranny and social differences.

"Guru Gobind Singh ji was not only creator of the gracious "Khalsa" but was a renowned spiritual master, warrior, poet and philosopher. He sacrificed his entire life at the altar of safeguarding the rights of underprivileged," Gandhi said in a statement.

"He fought against injustice, tyranny and social differences. It is a day to rededicate ourselves to the ideals of equality,..of leading an honest, truthful and virtuous life continues to guide and inspire entire humanity," she added.

Guru Gobind Singh was the 10th Sikh guru.

A packed Long Island Rail Road rush hour train crashed at the end of a platform as it pulled into a major transportation hub, hurling passengers onto the floor and slamming them into each other.

The front of the slow-moving train hit a bumping block as it pulled into Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn, left the tracks and smashed into a small structure, apparently a work area.

A rail pierced the floor of a train car, authorities said.

About 100 people were treated for minor injuries after the 8:30 AM crash. Many had been standing as they prepared to get off the train at the last stop.

Some people were removed on stretchers. Others sat, stunned, on the pavement outside, bleeding, holding ice packs on their heads, rising and limping away with help from rescuers.

"The entire structure started shaking," said Steben Medina, who was having coffee at the terminal when he heard the crash and screams. "I thought a bomb had gone off or something." 

The most serious injury, though, appeared to be a broken leg, Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

Democratic Gov Andrew Cuomo said: "Luckily … all things considered, this was a relatively minor accident." 

The terminal is beneath a shopping mall in downtown Brooklyn, next to the Barclays Center, home to Brooklyn Nets basketball, New York Islanders hockey and major concerts.

A similar accident in nearby Hoboken, New Jersey, in September was much worse. There, a New Jersey Transit commuter train plowed off the end of a track, killing a woman standing in the station. Federal investigators are examining whether a more modern bumper or other barriers could have made a difference.

The train in yesterday's wreck originated in the Far Rockaway section of Queens and was carrying around 450 people, officials said.

"People just went flying," passenger Donette Smith told The New York Times. "It was very scary." 

The National Transportation Safety Board dispatched investigators. NTSB investigator Jim Southworth said it will take three to seven days to investigate the accident scene before they determine what caused it.

He said event recorders have been recovered and the train's engineer has undergone drug testing. The results of that testing aren't known yet.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Thomas Prendergast said there is "a signal system that controls it coming in at limited speeds. But when you're getting to the end it's the locomotive engineer's responsibility. And the train's brakes have to work. All those things have to be looked at in the investigation."

The Rupee firmed up 16 paise to 67.89 against the Dollar on Thursday after the US currency saw higher selling by exporters and banks amid a higher opening in the domestic stock market.

Forex dealers said weakness in the greenback against other currencies overseas gave the Rupee some relief.

Further, a higher opening in the domestic equity market gave the uptrend some momentum, they added.

On Wednesday, the domestic unit ended higher by 28 paise at 68.05 following a fresh bout of Dollar selling.

Meanwhile, the benchmark BSE Sensex rose 171.39 points, or 0.64 per cent, to 26,804.52, in early session on Thursday.

Actor Sushant Singh Rajput heaped praise on cricket star Mahendra Singh Dhoni after he stepped down as limited overs captain of the Indian cricket team.

The 30-year-old star, who played the on-screen Dhoni in the 2016 sports biopic "MS Dhoni: The Untold Story," said that MS is one of a kind.

"There is no one like you. You're the reason for millions of smiles. Take a bow my Captain. @msdhoni #dhoni," Sushant wrote on Twitter.

Other film stars, including Anupam Kher, Irrfan Khan and Randeep Hooda also took to the social media to thank Dhoni for making India proud.

"Thank you @msdhoni for making us feel euphoric and proud all these years. It was not only winnings but you also defined #Attitude for Indian Cricket," Kher tweeted.

Irrfan wrote, "What a captain you've been @msdhoni! Will always remember you winning world cups almost single handedly." 

Calling MS' decision "out of the box", Hooda said, "Great era of Indian captaincy comes to an end with you @msdhoni #CaptainCool took out of box decisions that worked." 

Dhoni has been India's most successful captain. Under his leadership India have won the ICC T20 World Cup in 2007, the ICC ODI World Cup in 2011, ICC Champions Trophy in 2013 and also reached the top of the Test rankings in 2009.

Actor Sushant Singh Rajput heaped praise on cricket star Mahendra Singh Dhoni after he stepped down as limited overs captain of the Indian cricket team.

The 30-year-old star, who played the on-screen Dhoni in the 2016 sports biopic "MS Dhoni: The Untold Story," said that MS is one of a kind.

"There is no one like you. You're the reason for millions of smiles. Take a bow my Captain. @msdhoni #dhoni," Sushant wrote on Twitter.

Other film stars, including Anupam Kher, Irrfan Khan and Randeep Hooda also took to the social media to thank Dhoni for making India proud.

"Thank you @msdhoni for making us feel euphoric and proud all these years. It was not only winnings but you also defined #Attitude for Indian Cricket," Kher tweeted.

Irrfan wrote, "What a captain you've been @msdhoni! Will always remember you winning world cups almost single handedly." 

Calling MS' decision "out of the box", Hooda said, "Great era of Indian captaincy comes to an end with you @msdhoni #CaptainCool took out of box decisions that worked." 

Dhoni has been India's most successful captain. Under his leadership India have won the ICC T20 World Cup in 2007, the ICC ODI World Cup in 2011, ICC Champions Trophy in 2013 and also reached the top of the Test rankings in 2009.

Coach Mickey Arthur urged veteran Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq on Wednesday to continue playing despite a difficult tour of Australia, saying he was an "integral" part of the team.

Misbah went back on comments he made after last week's series-losing Melbourne Test that he intended to retire and is leading Pakistan in this week's final Test in Sydney.

Pakistan's most successful skipper, who has scored a total of 20 runs in four innings in the series, said his remarks after the innings and 18 runs defeat in Melbourne were triggered by frustration.

Misbah is expected to make a decision on his Test career upon his return home, but Arthur said the 42-year-old skipper remained an integral part of Pakistan's team-rebuilding plans.

Arthur said he had spoken to the captain after the Melbourne Test and that Misbah had been "shattered".

"Misbah is a guy with such high morals and high values and high standards. He was shattered he hadn't contributed," Arthur told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation at the Sydney Test.

"But we said we would discuss it the next two days and we had a day off and had the chat and never mentioned it again.

"From that time he was totally committed to certainly playing this Test.

"I'm hoping he continues as I think he is integral — him and I in terms of our working relationship, in terms of building the team in the next phase."

It has been a difficult series for Misbah, whose fielding has been badly exposed along with questions over his field placements and bowling changes.

"We can't work any harder at our fielding," Arthur told reporters.

"We catch balls continuously and (fielding coach) Steve Rixon works the guys hard and fielding has been a massive frustration for us."

"We set ourselves a helluva high standard and we are falling short in the fielding department by a long way. We have just got to keep on plugging away and make sure we get better at it.

"We certainly don't want to be labelled as a poor fielding team, certainly in my duration with the Pakistan team." 

Coach Mickey Arthur urged veteran Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq on Wednesday to continue playing despite a difficult tour of Australia, saying he was an "integral" part of the team.

Misbah went back on comments he made after last week's series-losing Melbourne Test that he intended to retire and is leading Pakistan in this week's final Test in Sydney.

Pakistan's most successful skipper, who has scored a total of 20 runs in four innings in the series, said his remarks after the innings and 18 runs defeat in Melbourne were triggered by frustration.

Misbah is expected to make a decision on his Test career upon his return home, but Arthur said the 42-year-old skipper remained an integral part of Pakistan's team-rebuilding plans.

Arthur said he had spoken to the captain after the Melbourne Test and that Misbah had been "shattered".

"Misbah is a guy with such high morals and high values and high standards. He was shattered he hadn't contributed," Arthur told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation at the Sydney Test.

"But we said we would discuss it the next two days and we had a day off and had the chat and never mentioned it again.

"From that time he was totally committed to certainly playing this Test.

"I'm hoping he continues as I think he is integral — him and I in terms of our working relationship, in terms of building the team in the next phase."

It has been a difficult series for Misbah, whose fielding has been badly exposed along with questions over his field placements and bowling changes.

"We can't work any harder at our fielding," Arthur told reporters.

"We catch balls continuously and (fielding coach) Steve Rixon works the guys hard and fielding has been a massive frustration for us."

"We set ourselves a helluva high standard and we are falling short in the fielding department by a long way. We have just got to keep on plugging away and make sure we get better at it.

"We certainly don't want to be labelled as a poor fielding team, certainly in my duration with the Pakistan team." 

The international cricket fraternity has hailed Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who on Wednesday stepped down as India's limited overs skipper, as one the greatest captains of all time.

Former England skipper Michel Vaughan described Dhoni as one of the greatest captains to have ever led a cricket team.

"Even one of the greatest captains of all time decides enough is enough … Well done @msdhoni on an incredible leadership term," Vaughan wrote on his Twitter page.

Australia's former captain Michael Clarke, who himself quit shorter format after winning the 2015 World Cup, showered accolades on Dhoni, saying he still has lot to offer to Indian cricket.

"I think @msdhoni will go down as one of India's most successful captains. He is a great man and still has a lot to offer Indian cricket," Clarke wrote on his Twitter page.

Clarke felt Test skipper Virat Kohli should be the natural choice to lead India in limited overs also.

"It is now time for @imVkohli to captain all three forms in my opinion. He is a superstar and is ready for the challenge," Clarke further wrote.

At least 70 trains were running late and seven others cancelled on Thursday morning due to dense fog in parts of north India, a railway official said.

According to the Northern Railway official, Sampoorna Kranti Express was running 26 hours behind schedule, Bhagalpur-Anand Vihar Garib Rath and Bhagalpur-New Delhi Vikramshila Express were running 23 hours late and Vaishali Express was 25 hours late.

Apart from that, as many as 22 trains were rescheduled, the official said.

The cancelled trains comprised the Delhi-Malda Town Farakka Express, New Delhi-Puri Express, Firozpur Cantt-Delhi Sarai Rohilla Intercity Express, New Delhi-Rajendra Nagar Sampoorna Kranti Express, New Delhi-Manduadih Super Fast Express, Habibganj Shatabdi and Lucknow Swaran Shatabdi.

Dele Alli scored two almost-identical headers either side of the interval to give Tottenham Hotspur a deserved 2-0 win over runaway leaders Chelsea in a engrossing Premier League game on Wednesday night.

Having won their last 13 matches on the trot, Chelsea were on a roll and against a side that had managed to beat them just once in their previous 13 meetings, the Blues might have been forgiven into thinking a record 14th win in a row was on the cards.

Spurs trotted out in a 3-4-2-1 formation to counter Chelsea’s now-famed 3-4-3 and Mauricio Pochettino’s side executed his battle-plan to perfection. They defended resolutely and apart from a Eden Hazard chance early on in the game, didn't let the visitors really trouble Hugo Lloris in goal.

Alli, who scored a brace on the weekend against Watford, rose high to head home Christian Eriksen’s pin-point delivery from the right, giving the hosts a crucial lead in first-half injury-time.

And scant minutes into the second half, Spurs were to double their lead, with their precociously talented midfielder heading home yet again. Eriksen was the provider from the right wing and Alli headed home from a slightly acute angle to put the game to bed, despite little over a half-hour yet to be played. Alli, has been in sensational form of late, but against admittedly lower-quality opposition.

This, however, was a sterling performance against the best side in the league and a real statement of intent that Tottenham are here to stay. And what makes this win all the more sweeter is the fact that when the sides last met, Spurs were unbeaten in the league but saw their streak come to an end at the hands of their derby-rivals Chelsea.

The Lilywhites rise to third in the table, seven points adrift of the Blues, but one feels that the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City will be breathing a sigh of relief as had Chelsea won, they would have been out of sight as early as January.

As things stand, Chelsea may well win lift the title come May, but at least the rest aren't giving up just yet.

Dele Alli scored two almost-identical headers either side of the interval to give Tottenham Hotspur a deserved 2-0 win over runaway leaders Chelsea in a engrossing Premier League game on Wednesday night.

Having won their last 13 matches on the trot, Chelsea were on a roll and against a side that had managed to beat them just once in their previous 13 meetings, the Blues might have been forgiven into thinking a record 14th win in a row was on the cards.

Spurs trotted out in a 3-4-2-1 formation to counter Chelsea’s now-famed 3-4-3 and Mauricio Pochettino’s side executed his battle-plan to perfection. They defended resolutely and apart from a Eden Hazard chance early on in the game, didn't let the visitors really trouble Hugo Lloris in goal.

Alli, who scored a brace on the weekend against Watford, rose high to head home Christian Eriksen’s pin-point delivery from the right, giving the hosts a crucial lead in first-half injury-time.

And scant minutes into the second half, Spurs were to double their lead, with their precociously talented midfielder heading home yet again. Eriksen was the provider from the right wing and Alli headed home from a slightly acute angle to put the game to bed, despite little over a half-hour yet to be played. Alli, has been in sensational form of late, but against admittedly lower-quality opposition.

This, however, was a sterling performance against the best side in the league and a real statement of intent that Tottenham are here to stay. And what makes this win all the more sweeter is the fact that when the sides last met, Spurs were unbeaten in the league but saw their streak come to an end at the hands of their derby-rivals Chelsea.

The Lilywhites rise to third in the table, seven points adrift of the Blues, but one feels that the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City will be breathing a sigh of relief as had Chelsea won, they would have been out of sight as early as January.

As things stand, Chelsea may well win lift the title come May, but at least the rest aren't giving up just yet.

Supported by positive global markets, domestic benchmark indices started Thursday’s trading session in the positive zone. At 9.40 am, the Sensex at the BSE was trading 160 points up at 26,793 and the Nifty at the NSE was trading 54 points higher at 8,242.

Broader market again outperformed the front liners. BSE Midcap and Smallcap indices jumped around 0.9 per cent each.

All the BSE sectoral indices, except Telecom index, were trading in the positive zone with Metal index leading the gains, up 1.3 per cent. Telecom index slipped 0.4 per cent.

On Wednesday, the Sensex had closed eight points down at 26,635 and the Nifty had ended two points lower at 8,193.

Top gainers in the Sensex-30 pack: Tata Motors (up 3.2 per cent), ONGC (up 1.7 per cent), Wipro (up 1.5 per cent), Tata Steel (up 1.5 per cent) and ICICI Bank (up 1.3 per cent).

Top losers in the Sensex-30 pack: M&M (down 0.3 per cent), Asian Paints (down 0.2 per cent), Bharti Airtel (down 0.2 per cent), and HDFC (down 0.1 per cent)

Meanwhile, the Rupee was trading 13 paise higher at 67.91 against the US Dollar.

Supported by positive global markets, domestic benchmark indices started Thursday’s trading session in the positive zone. At 9.40 am, the Sensex at the BSE was trading 160 points up at 26,793 and the Nifty at the NSE was trading 54 points higher at 8,242.

Broader market again outperformed the front liners. BSE Midcap and Smallcap indices jumped around 0.9 per cent each.

All the BSE sectoral indices, except Telecom index, were trading in the positive zone with Metal index leading the gains, up 1.3 per cent. Telecom index slipped 0.4 per cent.

On Wednesday, the Sensex had closed eight points down at 26,635 and the Nifty had ended two points lower at 8,193.

Top gainers in the Sensex-30 pack: Tata Motors (up 3.2 per cent), ONGC (up 1.7 per cent), Wipro (up 1.5 per cent), Tata Steel (up 1.5 per cent) and ICICI Bank (up 1.3 per cent).

Top losers in the Sensex-30 pack: M&M (down 0.3 per cent), Asian Paints (down 0.2 per cent), Bharti Airtel (down 0.2 per cent), and HDFC (down 0.1 per cent)

Meanwhile, the Rupee was trading 13 paise higher at 67.91 against the US Dollar.