The Central government has assured to extend all assistance to Karnataka to deal with the situation arising out of severe floods and incessant rains in parts of the State, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said on Friday.

The ruling AIADMK which was leading in Vellore Lok Sabha seat since Friday morning was pushed to the second place by arch rival DMK and the opposition party is ahead by a margin of 7,985 votes.

Restrictions will be eased to allow people in the Kashmir Valley to offer Friday prayers in local mosques, officials said. However, there will be no Friday congregation at the historic Jama Masjid here. 

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the flood situation in Kerala and sought assistance for those affected in the State, including in his constituency Wayanad. 

The Kochi International airport on Friday suspended all operations till Sunday as the runway area in the airport is water logged due to flood, the airport authorities said.

The Samjhauta Express which was stopped at the Wagah border by Pakistani authorities on Thursday reached Delhi station at 8 am on Friday, four-and-a-half hours behind schedule, the railways said.

Kochi: Flight operations at the international airport here were suspended on Thursday for four hours till midnight as a precautionary measure in view of heavy rains lashing the region, an official said.

New Delhi: A Sukhoi fighter jet of Indian Air Force crashed near Tezpur in Assam on Thursday evening, official sources said.