March 15, 2017

KOLHAPUR: A group of 10-15 masked attackers torched the base camp of the sets of Bollywood film director Sanjay Leela Bhansali's much-awaited movie, 'Padmavati', at Masai plateau in Panhala taluka, 35km from Kolhapur, at around 1am on Wednesday and beat up members of the film crew. None of the attackers has been identified.

Police said dress material, costumes, shoes, expensive drapery and wooden logs and planks used to recreate a medieval India setting were reduced to ashes. Most of the material was packed in metal suitcases. Initial estimates put the loss at Rs 4 crore.

March 15, 2017

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to undertake a Cabinet reshuffle soon and it could happen after the Parliament session gets over on April 12, sources said on Wednesday.

A reshuffle has been on the cards for a while to fill up critical vacancies as well as induct some fresh faces.

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• A Cabinet reshuffle may soon take place and it could happen after the Parliament session gets over on April 12, sources said on Wednesday.

• A reshuffle has been on the cards for a while to fill up critical vacancies as well as induct some fresh faces.

March 15, 2017

NEW DELHI: India has expressed strong opposition to the $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, which is the key to Beijing's ambitious 'One-Belt, One-Road' initiative, even as it slammed Islamabad for not taking concrete steps to stop cross-border terrorism.

"The CPEC passing through Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir challenges Indian sovereignty," said the Union defence ministry in its annual report submitted to Parliament on Wednesday.

March 14, 2017

NEW DELHI: Overcoming serious differences within itself, as well as with the Centre, the Supreme Court collegium has finalised the memorandum of procedure (MoP) for appointment of judges to constitutional courts.

The issue had been a bone of contention between the executive and the judiciary for more than a year.

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• The collegium agreed to the contentious national security clause that the Centre had insisted upon as one of the grounds for determining the eligibility of judges.

• The apex court collegium dropped its reservation about setting up secretariats in the SC and each high court to maintain databases on judges.

March 14, 2017

IMPHAL: After three days of political drama, Manipur governor Najma Heptullah on Tuesday invited BJP legislature party leader Nongthombam Biren Singh to form a coalition government. "I weighed and measured the stability factor before making the decision," she said.

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• Manipur governor Najma Heptullah on Tuesday invited BJP legislature party leader Nongthombam Biren Singh to form a coalition govt.

• “I weighed and measured the stability factor before making the decision,” she said.

• Biren, who had staked claim on Monday, will be sworn in along with other ministers on Wednesday.

March 14, 2017

MUMBAI: Buoyed by PM Narendra Modi-led BJP's big win in the UP state election, Dalal Street investors went on a buying spree, taking the NSE Nifty to an all-time high of 9,123 during Tuesday's opening session, and the sensex by over 2% (600 points) to 29,562 — a two-year high.

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• BJP’s big win in the UP state election took the NSE Nifty to an all-time high of 9,123 during Tuesday’s opening session

• At close, the sensex was up 496 points (1.7%) at 29,443, while the Nifty was up 152 points at 9,087 — a new record closing for the NSE index.

• Top brokers feel that the UP election win will give the BJP confidence to push ahead with its reforms agenda more forcefully than before.

March 13, 2017

JAMMU: In yet another violation of the truce along Line of Control in border district Poonch of the Jammu region, the Pakistani troops on Monday targeted the forward Indian posts along the LoC for the third time in the last 24 hours, forcing the authorities to suspend the Poonch-Rawalkote bus service and postpone examinations.

Sunday's firing partially damaged the Trade Felicitation Centre (TFC), Chaka da Bagh, in Poonch and forced authorities to suspend the Jammu-Rawalkote bus service, sources from Poonch said.

March 13, 2017

NEW DELHI: Finance minister Arun Jaitley was on Monday given the additional charge of the defence ministry after Manohar Parrikar resigned to take on the new role of Goa chief minister.

A Rashtrapati Bhawan communique said that the resignation of Parrikar as the defence minister, on advice of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has been accepted with immediate effect.

March 13, 2017

NEW YORK: Facebook is prohibiting developers from using the massive amount of data it collects on users for surveillance. This includes using such data to monitor activists and protesters.

The company said Monday that it is making an existing policy "explicit." Facebook says it has already taken action against developers who created or marketed tools meant to be used for surveillance.

March 12, 2017

Defence minister Manohar Parrikar was appointed Goa chief minister on Sunday after BJP concluded hectic negotiations with regional parties and independents to stitch up the numbers to form a government.

Governor Mridula Sinha invited Parrikar to form the government after he staked claim and showed the support of 21 MLAs.

March 12, 2017

BJP submitted a list of 32 MLAs — claiming a majority of two in Manipur's 60-member assembly — to governor Najma Heptullah on Sunday and furnished letters of support from regional parties.

BJP, which won 21 seats, claimed the support of National People's Party (4 MLAs), Naga People's Front (4), LJP (1) and two others — lone independent Ashab Uddinand T Robindro Singh, who was elected on a Trinamool ticket. CM Ibobi Singh too met the governor and staked his claim.

March 12, 2017

The election results in five states are a mandate for the foundation of a "new India" where the poor get opportunities, rather than dole, and lighten the burden of the middle class, PM Narendra Modi said on Sunday.

Addressing BJP cadres at the party headquarters here, Modi set out the political agenda for the rest of his term, saying the party had come to symbolise popular aspirations and must make all efforts to meet expectations. He reminded the party, without naming Congress, that its leaders depended on hard work and not legacies to rise in politics.

March 11, 2017

BJP's parliamentary board will meet on Sunday to select the CM candidates for Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand amid indications that party chief Amit Shah will exercise oversight over the two state governments.

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• BJP's parliamentary board will meet on Sunday to select the CM candidates for Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

• There are indications that Amit Shah will exercise oversight over the two state governments.

March 11, 2017

BJP's hopes of retaining New Delhi in 2019 got a huge boost on Saturday as a Modi tsunami, which is gaining currency as `tsunamo', swept India's most populous and politically heavyweight state of Uttar Pradesh. Powered by a mighty social coalition of upper castes, "most backward" OBCs and a section of Dalits, BJP crushed rivals SP-Congress and BSP by mopping up 41% of the popular vote, translating into a mandate of 325 seats in the 403-member assembly .

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• BJP defeated rivals SP-Congress and BSP in Uttar Pradesh by mopping up 41% of the popular vote.

• The result established PM Modi as the most popular leader of the country since Indira Gandhi at her peak.

March 11, 2017

What do the UP election results mean for the Modi government's Pakistan policy? There has been some speculation that the government had been waiting for the UP elections to be over to pick up the threads of engagement with Pakistan, which have gone into deep freeze since the Uri attack.

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• During the election campaign, Modi received a lot of popular support for the strikes across the LoC.

• He could continue that, using the popular victory as a vindication of his policy.

• On the other hand, he could use his victory to reach out to the Pakistan leadership.

March 10, 2017

The Supreme Court on Friday took a stern view of Calcutta high court judge C S Karnan for defying its direction to present himself in court and, in an unprecedented decision, issued a bailable warrant against the serving judge.

Kanan's presence is required in the SC as he is facing contempt proceedings for levelling allegations against the SC and his former colleagues in the Madras high court.

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• SC issued bailable warrant against serving judge C S Karnan for defying its direction to present himself.

• Karnan is facing contempt proceedings for levelling allegations against the SC and his former colleagues.

March 10, 2017

Congress was reluctant to engage with ally Akhilesh Yadav's suggestion for a post-poll "secular" alliance, but said such a suggestion would be addressed only if no party was in a position to form a government.

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• Congress was reluctant to engage with Akhilesh Yadav's suggestion of a "secular" alliance.

• We have no doubts about the victory of the SP-Congress alliance in UP, said Rahul Gandhi

• The party said such a suggestion would be addressed only if no party was in a position to form a government.

March 10, 2017

Reliance Jio and Paytm have apologised for "inadvertently" using PM Narendra Modi's name and photograph in their advertisements, the consumer affairs ministry informed Rajya Sabha on Friday. The two companies have told the government that they did not use Modi's photographs for marketing their product, rather it was a manner to laud his initiatives, sources said.

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• Reliance Jio and Paytm have apologised for using PM's name and photograph in their advertisements.

• Ministry of consumer affairs had sent notices to the two companies.

• Reliance Jio and Paytm had used PM's photo in their advertisements.

March 10, 2017

National security adviser Ajit Doval spoke to Nepal PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' on Friday amid rising anti-India sentiments after media reports claimed a Nepali national was shot dead by Indian troops in Kanchanpur abutting Lakhimpur Kheri following a clash over illegal construction of a culvert by some locals on Thursday.

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• Ajit Doval spoke to Nepal PM amid rising anti-India sentiments following death of a Nepalese citizen.

• The SSB officials concerned have denied any firing.

• The border guarding force has ordered a fact-finding inquiry into the matter.

March 09, 2017

NEW DELHI: A slew of exit polls on Thursday agreed that the BJP would be the frontrunner in Uttar Pradesh while disagreeing on whether it would get a majority.

In Punjab, there was unanimity that the Akali Dal-BJP combine would face a meltdown but no consensus on whether the Congress or AAP would finish in front. The polls also differed on the outcome in Uttarakhand and Manipur while projecting the BJP as the largest party in a possibly hung Goa assembly.

March 09, 2017

With exit polls on Thursday suggesting that BJP will emerge the single largest player in Uttar Pradesh, Samajwadi Party chief and CM Akhilesh Yadav said it was the moral responsibility of all secular forces to come together to stop the saffron outfit.

"In order to stop communal forces and in order to provide security and prosperity to all sections of society, all secular forces have a moral responsibility to come together to give the people of Uttar Pradesh a democratic government," Akhilesh told TOI just after exit polls suggested that he might not return to office.

March 09, 2017

Parliament approved on Thursday a bill granting women working in the organised sector paid maternity leave of 26 weeks, up from 12 weeks now, a decision which will benefit around 1.8 million women.

The law will apply to all establishments employing 10 or more people and the entitlement will be for the first two children. For the third child, the entitlement will be 12 weeks.

With this, India becomes the country with the third highest maternity leave. Canada and Norway grant 50 weeks and 44 weeks respectively as paid maternity leave.

March 09, 2017

A teenager was killed by a bullet-hit when he was throwing stones to disrupt the anti-terror operations of security forces against two hiding Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorists at Padgampora in south Kashmir's Pulwama district on Thursday morning, director general of J&K police, S P Vaid said.

March 08, 2017

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday that protecting the girl child was everyone's "social, national and human responsibility", and urged women sarpanchs to prevent female foeticide.

Addressing about 6,000 women sarpanchs from across the country, Modi said, "If women, who are 50% of the country's population, participate and are included in the nation- building process, our country can achieve great heights."

March 08, 2017

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has concluded that it will be taking no further action against either Virat Kohli or Steve Smith in the DRS row.

Following India's 75-run win in Bangalore on Tuesday to win the second Test and level the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 1-1, Kohli had accused the touring Australians of repeatedly looking towards the dressing room for assistance in whether or to pursue the DRS for reviews, which as per the rules of the sport is not allowed.

March 08, 2017

The father of terror suspect Saifullah, killed in a 12 hour operation in Lucknow on Wednes day, said his son was a traitor and refused to accept his body for last rites. Saifullah is suspected to be linked to Tuesday's Ujjain train blast in which 10 people were injured.

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"I heard about the death of my son in the encounter," said Sartaj, who works at a tannery in Jajamau. "He brought infamy not only to us but to the entire nation. Jo kaam usne kiya ...hum usse naraaz hain. Aise deshdrohi ki laash hum nahin lenge (what he did has angered us. We won't accept the body of a traitor)." Sartaj has two more sons -Khalid and Habeed who are married and live with him.

March 08, 2017

NEW DELHI: India and other G4 countries said today they are willing to consider temporarily suspending their veto rights when and if they are made permanent members of the UN Security Council.

This change of heart is meant to hasten the process of making the G4 countries - India, Brazil, Germany and Japan - permanent members of the elite UN body sooner rather than later.

March 05, 2017

A white gunman yelled “go back to your country“ at a Sikh man before shooting at him in Washington on Friday -in an apparent hate crime that comes on the heels of a similar episode in Kansas last week that had claimed the life of an Indian engineer and injured another.

March 05, 2017

In a stark and chilling reminder of the reali ties of life in India, the recently released fa mily health survey (NFHS 4) results show that over 58% of children below five years of age are anaemic, that is, they suffer from insufficient haemoglobin in the blood, leaving them exhausted, vulnerable to infections, and possibly affecting their brain development.

March 05, 2017

Uttar Pradesh governor Ram Naik asked chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday why absconding minister Gayatri Prajapati, who is accused of rape, was still in his cabinet. In a letter to Akhilesh, the governor said Prajapati, who is minister for transport, faced grave charges.“His continuation as minister raises serious questions on the constitutional and moral values of a democratic set-up,“ Naik wrote.

March 05, 2017

China has opted for its lo west economic growth target in 25 years, pegging it at 6.5% in 2017, reports Saibal Dasgupta. China achieved a growth of 6.9% in 2015 and 6.7% in 2016. “Developments both in and outside China require that we are ready to face more complicated and graver situations,“ Premier Li Keqiang said while presenting the government's work report, the Chinese equivalent of budgetary proposals.

March 05, 2017

The Haryana government has increased by 20% prices of all brands of country-made liquor, IMFL and foreign liquor in the state, reports Manvir Saini. A drink in bars and pubs in Gurgaon and Faridabad will also be more expensive now with an hike in the annual license fee of such establishments, according to the Haryana excise policy (2017-18) unveiled by excise and taxation minister Captain Abhimanyu on Sunday.

March 05, 2017

Is radiation from mobile phones harmful? Multiple studies globally have not conclusively reached an answer. But an analysis by AIIMS of all research on the subject has found an interesting pattern -government-funded studies show increased risk of brain tumour on long-term exposure to mobile phone radiation while industry-funded research tends to underestimate the risk.

March 04, 2017

Addressing a campaign rally in Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh, Modi said those who criticise demonetisation are corrupt. "The note ban was criticized by the SP, the BSP and the Congress. All three, Buaji (auntie), bhatija (nephew) and bhatija's friend, got uncomfortable," he said, referring to BSP chief Mayawati, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi.

March 04, 2017

"It (GST) looks on track. Though subject to Parliament approval, the possible date of implementation of GST is July 1," Jaitley said after the 11th GST Council meet today. The Council approved the central GST(cGST) and integrated GST (iGST) draft laws.

March 04, 2017

"There was a sense that there is a recognition of the contribution of the Indian tech sector. Certainly this is not very much ... not a priority of the (US) government. They are concerned with the immigration issue ... most of the issues are quite different," said visiting commerce secretary Rita Teotia.

March 04, 2017

"BJP will not work as opposition. We will give support to Shiv Sena in the mayoral elections and we will vote for the Shiv Sena candidate if needed," Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, adding that the decision was made in the interests of the city and its people.

March 04, 2017

Patel closed his store and drove in his silver minivan to his nearby home where authorities believe he was confronted by his killer. This took place just days after Srinivas Kuchibhotla, an Indian engineer, was killed in Kansas in a hate crime shooting that had sent shockwaves across the country.

March 03, 2017

Led by PM Narendra Modi, BJP is carpetbombing Varanasi and its surrounding regions with an array of ministers and senior functionaries as the battle for Uttar Pradesh heads for a furious climax with the final two rounds of polling left

March 03, 2017

Tax authorities have attached more than 100 bighas of land in the capital as well as shares in compani es allegedly linked to Delhi minister Satyendar Jain, under the law against benami property -a move that's likely to further strain relations between the Centre and the AAP government. Sources said the investment value of the land was estimated at around Rs 17 crore while shares were worth around Rs 16 crore. The market value is seen to be much higher.

March 03, 2017

When scores of Kashmiri mothers were receiving bodies of their sons covered in shrouds everyday on calls of strike by pro-Pakistan separatist Syed Ali Shah Geelani throughout the latter half of 2016, his grandson managed to get an out-of-turn job with the Jammu & Kashmir government run by the PDP-BJP coalition.

Highly placed sources said Geelani's grandson, Anees-ul-Islam, was appointed research officer in Sher-e-Kashmir international convection complex (SKICC), a subsidiary wing of the J&K tourism de partment, flouting all rules of recruitment policy of the state government. The pensio nable job fetches an annual salary of Rs 12 lakh, sources said.

March 03, 2017

ITO is set to get a skywalk and a foot overbridge connecting Tilak Marg railway station to the ITO Metro station, ensuring that pedestrians are able to cross from one side of the road to the other without having to negotiate heavy traffic.

March 03, 2017

Pollution is causing `life-giving' rain to turn increasingly acidic in many parts of the country , particularly in the last decade, research by India Meteorological Department and Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology has revealed.