Nearly 25 armed men stormed a dairy in a village in Muzaffarnagar district and took away 18 buffaloes worth Rs 20 lakh after taking the owner hostage, a police official said Friday.

 Two militants and an Army jawan were killed during an encounter between ultras and security forces in Sopore area of Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir Friday, officials said.

A strong earthquake has shaken the Greek tourist island of Zakynthos in the Ionian Sea.

The US Geological Survey says the 6.8 magnitude quake was 35.9 kilometres southwest of Lithakia in the southern part of Zakynthos. It had a depth of 16 kilometres and struck at 22:55 GMT (4:25 am IST) on Thursday.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi Thursday said forcing CBI director Alok Verma to go on indefinite leave was "illegal" and alleged that it was done as the government panicked over the possibility of him investigating the Rafale jet deal.

A constable Thursday escaped on a two-wheeler along with Rs 50,000 in bribe money from a trap laid by the Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau here, an official said.

Differences have emerged in the Goa government over the issue of ban on the import of fish for fear of formalin contamination.

Citing disbursal of loans under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY), Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday said "unprecedented" employment and entrepreneurial opportunities exist in the country today.

A senior police officer said the incident occurred when there was a fight between the boys studying in the madrasa and those living in the area over playing cricket.