Govt should disclose facts on IAF’s air strike: Kamal Nath
Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath has said the government should disclose the facts on IAF’s air strike on terror camps in Pakistan, including the number of casualties. He added that the facts are important as international news agencies are raising questions and creating doubts. He said, “When the government talks so much about it (air strike), it should disclose everything.”
Disgrace: Gautam Gambhir on Kashmiri vendors beaten in Lucknow
Reacting to two Kashmiri vendors being assaulted in Lucknow by saffron-clad men, former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir tweeted, “Broad day light, bashing a Kashmiri trader in his own country! Disgrace!” “India is not only ours, it’s theirs too,” he added. A member of Vishwa Hindu Dal had shared videos of the attack on Facebook.
Donald Trump mistakenly calls Apple CEO Tim Cook ‘Tim Apple’
US President Donald Trump mistakenly called Apple CEO Tim Cook ‘Tim Apple’ at a conference in the White House. In videos that surfaced online, Tim Cook, who is sitting next to Trump, can be seen nodding after Trump’s mistake. “You have really put a big investment in our country. We really appreciate it very much, Tim Apple,” Trump said.
Editors Guild condemns govt threat over use of ‘stolen’ Rafale docs
The Editors Guild of India on Thursday said it was “perturbed” by the government’s threats that criminal action would be initiated against journalists or lawyers who used the Rafale documents, “stolen” from the Defence Ministry. “The Guild denounces these threats and urges the government against initiating action that might undermine the media’s freedom and independence,” the statement read.
17-year-old Haridwar boy dies in Jammu bus stand grenade explosion
Mohammad Sharik, a 17-year-old boy from Uttarakhand’s Haridwar district, succumbed to his injuries that he suffered in the grenade blast at Jammu bus stand on Thursday. Sharik was among the 28 persons who suffered injuries in the explosion. All injured are receiving treatment at GMC hospital, with four of them reported to be severely injured.
Maoist leader CP Jaleel killed in gunfight with Kerala Police
Maoist leader CP Jaleel was killed in a gunfight with Kerala Police’s Thunderbolt force on Thursday near Upavan Resort in Wayanad district. The gunfight reportedly started on the night of March 6 and went on till early Thursday morning. Reports claim that the resort officials informed the police after a group of maoists demanded money and provisions from them.
Pakistan has made terrorism a state policy: Vice President Naidu
Pakistan has made terrorism a state policy and is aiding, funding and training terrorists, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said. “They (Pakistan) have been persuaded, they make public commitments, but never stop funding terrorism,” the Vice President added. “We don’t want war, but can’t be silent spectator to nonsense going on for a war,” he further said.
You are now eligible for Bharat Ratna: BJP to Robert Vadra
The BJP on Thursday took a dig at businessman Robert Vadra, saying he’s eligible for the “Bharat Ratna” as per his “family quota”, as he has accepted that he “looted”. The party’s comment came a day after Vadra said he’s still in the country while “there’re people who looted the country” and “ran away”. The BJP said, “Robert’s really honest.”
Man clings to car’s bonnet for 2km in road rage case in Ghaziabad
A video of a road rage case has surfaced online, that shows a man in Ghaziabad speeding his car with another man clinging on to the car’s bonnet for almost 2 km. The driver could be seen driving the car rashly before the locals stopped him. The incident took place on Wednesday and the car’s driver has been arrested.
Made genuine mistake in tweets on interim CBI head: Prashant Bhushan
Senior advocate Prashant Bhushan on Thursday admitted before the Supreme Court that he made a “genuine mistake” by tweeting that the government had perhaps submitted fabricated minutes of the meeting on appointment of M Nageswara Rao as interim CBI director. Following Bhushan’s admission, Attorney General KK Venugopal withdrew the contempt plea filed against him over his tweets.
Attack on innocent Kashmiris is condemnable: Arun Jaitley
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has said the attack on innocent Kashmiris in Lucknow is condemnable. “Our fight is against the separatists and terrorists. We need the people of Jammu and Kashmir with us in the fight against terror,” Jaitley added. Earlier, PM Narendra Modi had condemned attack on Kashmiri students saying “Our fight is for Kashmir, not against Kashmiris”.
Man held for thrashing Kashmiri vendors has murder case against him
A man named Bajrang Sonkar has been arrested for allegedly assaulting two Kashmiri dry fruit sellers in Lucknow after videos of the incident surfaced online. Sonkar has a criminal background and has 12 cases, including a murder case, registered against him, police said. All four accused in the case have been arrested by the police.
Rupee strengthens past 70 per dollar mark for first time in 2 months
The rupee on Thursday strengthened past 70 per dollar mark for the first time in two months, gaining for the third straight session. At 9.20 am, the local currency was trading at 69.95 a dollar, up 0.47% from its previous close of 70.28. Notably, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) bought $2.37 billion in equity in February, the most in 15 months.
Singapore’s Singtel to inject ₹3,750 crore in Airtel
Singapore’s largest telecom operator Singtel has said it will buy ₹3,750 crore worth Airtel stock as part of Airtel’s plans to raise ₹25,000 crore through rights issue. This will dilute Singtel’s effective interest in Airtel to 35.2% from 39.5%. Airtel’s two other major shareholders, Bharti Group and Bharti Telecom, intend to subscribe to their full entitlement in the rights issue.
R Kelly arrested after failing to pay ₹1-cr in child support
Singer R Kelly was arrested on Wednesday for failing to pay $161,000 (over ₹1 crore) in child support to his three children with his ex-wife Andrea Kelly. The 52-year-old singer will be released only after paying the full amount, his publicist said. His arrest comes two weeks after he was jailed on charges of sexual abuse involving four women.
Shreya Ghoshal performs at Akash Ambani’s sangeet ceremony
Singer Shreya Ghoshal performed at Reliance Industries’ Chairman Mukesh Ambani’s son Akash and his fiancée Shloka Mehta’s sangeet ceremony held in Mumbai. Rajasthani folk singer Swaroop Khan also performed at the event. Earlier, British band Coldplay and American DJ duo The Chainsmokers performed at the couple’s first sangeet ceremony, which took place in Switzerland in February.
Huawei sues US over government ban on its equipment
Chinese technology giant Huawei on Thursday said it has filed a lawsuit against the US for barring government agencies from using its products. “This ban.. is unlawful.. [It] restricts Huawei from engaging in fair competition, ultimately harming US consumers,” Huawei Rotating Chairman Guo Ping said. The US has alleged the company’s equipment could be used for espionage by Chinese government.
Twitter was too aggressive in banning certain accounts: CEO
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey in a recent interview said the platform admits it was “probably too aggressive” in banning certain accounts. The suspensions relate to hashtag “learn to code” that was being used as a “co-ordinated harassment campaign” to target certain journalists, as per Twitter. Dorsey explained that lack of context concerning the tweets may have led to the bans.
Thailand court dissolves party that nominated princess for PM
Thailand’s Constitutional Court on Thursday ordered to dissolve the Thai Raksa Chart Party that nominated Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya Sirivadhana Varnavadi as its PM candidate. “If the royal family is pulled down to politics, the royal institution will not have its status as the centre for Thai people anymore,” the court said. Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn had opposed his sister’s candidacy.
India needs to improve procedures at airports: IATA
India will need to improve procedures at airports to meet the growing passenger demand, International Air Transport Association (IATA) said in a study released on Wednesday. It observed that in most Indian airports, several processes like stamping procedures remain manual and are not efficient. The country’s air passenger traffic is estimated to grow threefold by 2037, according to IATA.
CEAT launched multipurpose safety banner at Kumbh Mela 2019
To tackle the challenges of the massive crowd at Kumbh Mela, CEAT decided to take a step ahead and extend a helping hand. It introduced the #CEATSafetyBanner, an easy to use multipurpose safety device that transformed into a stretcher, barricade and changing room. These banners were placed in the most crowded areas and street performers demonstrated its usage to people.
Grenade explosion at Jammu bus stand, around 18 injured
A grenade explosion took place at Jammu bus stand on Thursday, which injured around 18 people, police said. The security personnel have cordoned off the area and the police stated that the blast took place near the exit of the bus stand. The injured were rushed to a hospital and are out of danger, police added.
Government to issue ₹20 coin for the first time
The Finance Ministry has announced the rollout of a new ₹20 coin shaped like a “dodecagon”, a 12-edged polygon. The new coin will be heavier than all the existing coins at 8.54 grams. The obverse side of the coin will bear Lion Capitol of Ashoka Pillar while the reverse will have the denominational value “20” with rupee symbol “₹” above.
Played essential role in de-escalating India-Pakistan tensions: US
The US has said it played an essential role in de-escalating the tensions between India and Pakistan. “High-level contact has continued” and “there’s a lot of private diplomacy that’s going on right now”, State Department deputy spokesperson Robert Palladino said. The US is closely following the reports of Pakistan’s potential misuse of F-16 jets against India, he added.
2-time Cricket WC winner Viv Richards also played FIFA World Cup
Cricket legend Viv Richards is the only man to play in cricket and football World Cups. Richards, who was born on March 7, 1952, won the first two editions of the Cricket World Cup with West Indies and was part of Antigua’s squad in the 1974 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. Richards represented West Indies in 121 Tests and 187 ODIs.
It took 110 years of Test cricket for a player to reach 10,000 runs
Cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar became the first-ever batsman to reach 10,000 runs in Test cricket on March 7, 1987, almost 110 years after the first-ever Test. Gavaskar achieved the feat during his 63-run knock in the first innings against Pakistan in Ahmedabad. As many as 13 batsmen have scored over 10,000 runs in Test cricket till now.
I admit Giorgia is in my life: Arbaaz confirms dating Italian model
Actor Arbaaz Khan has confirmed that he is dating Italian model Giorgia Andriani. “I unhesitatingly admit that Georgia is there in my life at this point in time…Where it is going to go? Only time will tell,” Arbaaz added. The actor, who was earlier married to actress Malaika Arora, got divorced in 2017.
War averted because of timely, correct decisions: Pakistan PM
Pakistan PM Imran Khan has said that tensions with India have eased and added that it was because of “timely and correct decisions” that war was averted. Khan reportedly said the crackdown against terror organisations was not made under any pressure. His comments came as he addressed a meeting of the PTI parliamentary party on Wednesday.
Maruti Suzuki stops producing Gypsy after 34 years
Maruti Suzuki is stopping production of its iconic Gypsy off-roader that was introduced in India in 1985. A recent e-mail addressed to Maruti Suzuki dealers instructed them not to accept any new bookings for the Gypsy. Gypsy was the company’s third vehicle driven in the country after 800, which was discontinued in 2014, and Omni, to be discontinued in 2020.
PM releases visually impaired friendly coins, including ₹20 coin
PM Narendra Modi, along with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, on Thursday released a new series of circulation coins, which are visually challenged friendly. ₹1, ₹2, ₹5, ₹10, and ₹20 are the various denominations of coins released as part of the new series. Many visually impaired children were also invited at his official residence in Delhi, where he hosted the event.
Pak claims to take over 182 madrasas in terror crackdown, detain 121
Pakistan has taken control of 182 madrasas (religious schools) and detained 121 people in a crackdown on banned militant organisations, the country’s interior ministry said on Thursday. The ministry had detained 44 people, including Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar’s brother Mufti Abdul Rauf by Tuesday. This comes days after Jaish-e-Mohammed carried out a suicide attack on CRPF jawans in J&K’s Pulwama.
Mallya’s luxury jet being dismantled, parts to be sent to US firm
Fugitive economic offender Vijay Mallya’s luxury aircraft, which bears his initials ‘VT-VJM’, is being dismantled at Air India hangar in Mumbai. Parts of the aircraft will be sent to US-based Aviation Management Sales, which won the bid for the aircraft for ₹34 crore in June 2018. However, it was unable to take possession of the aircraft due to bureaucratic hurdles.
NGT fines Volkswagen ₹500 cr for using cheat devices in diesel cars
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has fined German automaker Volkswagen ₹500 crore after finding it guilty of intentionally programming its engines in diesel cars with cheat devices. The green body has given Volkswagen two months to pay the penalty. The panel had said the use of cheat devices in diesel cars led to inference of environmental damage.
Still most followed Indian artist: Neha on 20mn Instagram followers
Singer Neha Kakkar took to Instagram to announce that she’d reached the 20 million followers mark on the photo-sharing platform. Sharing a picture, the singer thanked her fans for their support and wrote, “20 Million [and] still the most followed artist on Instagram.” “You guys mean the world to me! Thank you for making me feel Special Everyday!” she added.
Facebook sees its future in private chats: Mark Zuckerberg
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said the future of communications will shift more to private, encrypted chats and Facebook aims to help bring this change. “I believe a privacy-focused communications platform will become even more important than today’s open platforms,” he said. “Working towards implementing end-to-end encryption for all private communications is the right thing to do,” he added.
Govt asks EV makers to use 50% local content for benefit: Report
The central government has reportedly introduced component localisation rules for automakers to avail benefits under the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles (FAME II) initiative. Automakers must ensure minimum 40% component localisation for buses, and 50% for other electric vehicles, the report said. Only fleet operators can reportedly avail four-wheeler incentives.
Brazil’s President criticised for sharing explicit video on Twitter
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been criticised for sharing a video showing one man urinating on another at the annual street carnival. “I don’t feel comfortable showing it, but we have to expose the truth so the population are aware…This is what many street parties in the Brazilian Carnival have turned into”, Bolsonaro tweeted.
US to revoke visas of 77 people linked to Venezuela’s Maduro
The US will revoke the visas of 77 people associated with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as it continues to put pressure on the government until ‘freedom’ in Venezuela is restored. Last week, the US revoked visas of 49 Venezuelans. “Maduro is a dictator with no legitimate claim to power, and (he) must go,” US Vice President Mike Pence said.
We’re not slaves: Turkey after US warns over S-400 deal with Russia
Responding to the US’ warning to Turkey against moving ahead with plans to buy S-400 air defence systems from Russia, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, “We’re an independent country, not slaves.” “The deal is done, there’s no point in discussing it as there’s no turning back”, Erdoğan added. He further said that Turkey may buy S-500 missiles from Russia.
Pakistan names pilots who it claims shot down 2 Indian jets
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Wednesday named Pakistan Air Force pilots who he claims downed two Indian jets. “One Indian jet was shot down by Squadron Leader Hassan Siddiqui while other was downed by Wing Commander Nauman Ali Khan,” Qureshi said. India said that it lost only one MiG-21 Bison and had shot down one Pakistani F-16 jet.
People looted India and left, I’ll stay and clear my name: Vadra
Speaking on allegations of money laundering, Priyanka Gandhi’s husband Robert Vadra has said, “I’m in this country, there are people who have looted the country and run away, what about them?” The businessman added, “I’m always going to be in this country, I will not leave or be in active politics till I clear my name, that is my promise.”
Was raped in Air Force: 1st US female fighter pilot to fly in combat
US Senator Martha McSally, who was the first female US fighter pilot to fly in combat, has revealed she “was preyed upon and raped by a superior officer” while in the Air Force. Talking about how her attempt to share her experiences was handled, McSally said, “Like many victims, I felt like the system was raping me all over again.”
Man Utd post record comeback with 94th-min goal to knock PSG out of CL
Manchester United defeated PSG 3-1 in Paris on Wednesday after losing 0-2 in Manchester to advance to Champions League quarter-finals on away goals. United became the first team in Champions League history to progress to the next round after losing first leg at home by at least two goals. Forward Marcus Rashford converted a 94th-minute penalty to help United advance.
Bernard Arnault overtakes Buffett as world’s third-richest person
French luxury goods tycoon Bernard Arnault has overtaken Berkshire Hathaway Chairman Warren Buffett as the world’s third-richest person on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Arnault, who added $14.5 billion to his wealth so far this year, is now worth $83.1 billion. The 70-year-old derives most of his wealth from his holdings in Christian Dior and Louis Vuitton owner LVMH.
How can you use govt test report for your ads: Regulator asks J&J
India’s drug regulator DCGI has issued a show cause notice to Johnson & Johnson (J&J) for advertising that their baby powder is safe based on a government test report. Using a report made by government analysts to promote a product is in contravention to the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, it said. J&J has been asked to respond within seven days.
Former world number one Murray ‘pain free’ after hip surgery
Former world number one male tennis player Andy Murray says he is “pain free” after hip surgery but that his chances of playing singles at Wimbledon this year are “less than 50%”. “I don’t feel any pressure to come back and play. I don’t feel like I have to get back to playing Wimbledon or playing tennis again,” Murray said.
200 Zomato delivery staff on strike as pay structure revised
Nearly 200 Zomato delivery agents went on a strike in NCR over revised payment structure in the region. The new structure reportedly broke down the previous assurance of ₹40 per delivery into ₹30 being fixed, and the rest ₹10 as variable based on user feedback. In January, Zomato had allegedly stopped monthly incentives based on the number of deliveries.
Venezuela expels German ambassador for meddling in internal affairs
Nicolás Maduro-led Venezuelan government on Wednesday expelled German ambassador to the country, Daniel Kriener, accusing him of meddling in internal affairs. Kriener was among the diplomats who travelled to Venezuela’s main international airport on Monday to greet opposition leader Juan Guaidó, who returned after defying a travel ban. Germany has recognised Guaidó as interim Venezuelan President.
US threatens more sanctions on N Korea after Trump-Kim talks
Days after the second summit between the two countries, the US has said that it would impose more sanctions on North Korea if it does not end its nuclear weapons programme. The US said both countries failed to arrive at an agreement due to North Korea’s demands to lift all US sanctions, in return for giving up its nuclear weapons.
CBI seeks more documents from ICICI in Videocon loan case
The CBI has sought more documents from ICICI Bank in connection with loans given to Videocon during former CEO Chanda Kochhar’s tenure, officials said on Wednesday. Additional documents have also been sought from Deepak Kochhar’s NuPower Renewables and Venugopal Dhoot-led Videocon. The agency is going through various papers to prepare a questionnaire for the accused, officials added.
China sends minister to Pakistan to discuss Indo-Pak tensions
China announced on Wednesday that it has sent its Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou to Islamabad to discuss the tensions between India and Pakistan. “China has been promoting peace and stability in this region. We hope that Pakistan and India will maintain friendly relations,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said.
