Seventeen soldiers were killed in a terror attack at an army base in Jammu and Kashmir's Uri on 18 September. Four terrorists were also killed in the attack - which occurred near the Line of Control.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said: "I assure the nation that those behind this despicable attack will not go unpunished."

"Pakistan is a terrorist state and it should be identified and isolated as such," Home Minister Rajnath Singh said in a series of tweets. The attackers were "highly trained, heavily armed and specially equipped".

After postponing his forthcoming visits to the United States and Russia in the wake of the fierce encounter underway in Uri, Jammu and Kashmir, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has instructed Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi and other senior officers in the Ministry of Home Affairs to closely monitor the situation in the Valley.

"Keeping the situation of Jammu and Kashmir in mind and in the wake of terror attack in Uri, I have postponed my visits to Russia and the USA. Spoke to Governor & CM of Jammu & Kashmir regarding the terror attack in Uri. They have apprised me of the security situation in the state," Rajnath said in a series of tweets.

Asserting that the Uttar Pradesh government has been "hijacked" by the Yadav family of the Samajwadi Party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on 18 September said that those who seek votes in the name of democracy have actually converted the entire state government into a family affair.

BJP leader Sudesh Verma said every adult linked to SP chief Mulayam Yadav is occupying one post or another, be it that of a minister or chairman.

"Those who used to talk of socialism have now converted the entire process to casteism. We see this entire drama that has unfolded as an attempt for image makeover, because they know the UP electorate are going to reject them," he said.

An explosion in the Chelsea neighbourhood of New York on 17 September night injured at least 25 people.

A law enforcement official said that gas has been ruled out as the cause of the explosion, reportsCNN.

Investigation is underway as officials are still trying to assess what caused explosion. No secondary device was located.

The preliminary belief is that the blast was caused by an explosive device in or near a dumpster, though it is not conclusive.

An eyewitness said he was having dinner when an explosion rocked the area after which everybody ran out of the restaurant into the street.

Some social media users said the sound of the explosion was heard as far away as Hoboken, New Jersey, across the Hudson River from Chelsea.