According to reports, friends of Andreas Lubitz, the Germanwings co-pilot, who allegedly, deliberately crashed the plane, suffered a burnout or depression in 2009. Germanwings owner Lufthansa, acknowledged at a press conference that Lubitz's training was subject to an "interruption" six years ago, but declined to provide specific details.

Low-cost carrier Norwegian Air Shuttle said it would require two people in the cockpit at all times for safety reasons. "When one person leaves the cockpit, two people will now have to be there," Norwegian`s flight operations director Thomas Hesthammer said. 

After the Dornier aircraft disappeared from the radar 25 nautical miles off the coast of Goa, the body of one of the two missing people was traced in the waters, an official from the Indian Navy said. A body of a lady observer was traced, he added. The Dornier, Do-228, belonging to the Indian Navy Aviation Squadron 310, took off from INS Hansa in Goa at 6.30 pm on Tuesday evening on a training mission. It lost contact at 10.08 pm, 25 nautical miles off Goa coast. 

Tunisia said that it had arrested 23 suspects in connection with last week's jihadist massacre at the country's national museum."Twenty-three suspects including a woman have been arrested as part of a terrorist cell" involved in the attack, Interior Minister Najem Gharsalli told journalists, adding that "80 per cent of this cell" had been broken up. The museum attack was the worst on foreigners in Tunisia since an Al Qaeda suicide bombing of a synagogue killed 21 people on the island of Djerba in 2002.

Previously secret correspondence between Britain's Prince Charles and government officials is to be made public after a Supreme Court ruling Thursday. The Guardian newspaper had been fighting for the communications to be released since 2005. Charles is next in line to the British throne and as King would constitutionally be required to maintain strict political neutrality. Some commentators say letters to officials suggest he could be a "meddling king," attempting to influence politicians.

Amid the AAP rift, comes PM Modi's tweet to Team India. PM Modi said, "Victory and defeat are a part of life. Team India played great cricket throughout the tournament. We are proud of them."

Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan had offered their resignation on 17 March on 5 conditions, says AAP's Political Affairs Committee.

AAP won't hold any more talks with Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan; decision on them to be taken at key party meet on Saturday. AAP had accepted all their demands but Yadav and Bhushan did not resign: AAP Political Affairs Committee has said. 

Indian Twitter users are reacting in anger to television channel Times Now's vehement criticism of the Indian cricket team after its loss to Australia in the World Cup semi-final. 

The Supreme Court was today informed that despite its order, search engines like Google India, Yahoo India and Microsoft Corporation (I) Pvt Ltd are violating Indian laws by not blocking advertisements on sex determination of a fetus. 

Thousands of students protesting in Bihar today against the Nitish Kumar government's educational policies clashed with the police, who fired in the air to control the crowd.

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, which is the BJP's student wing, had organized a march to the state assembly in Patna. The protest turned violent when students broke open the gates of the assembly and tried to storm the complex. Read more

Social activist Anna Hazare, currently campaigning against the NDA government's amended Land Acquisition Bill, on Thursday asked for an "open debate' with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the controversial clauses of the proposed law.

In response to a query about Union Minister Nitin Gadkari's willingness to debate the Bill with those opposed to it, Hazare said, "Gadkari's homework is weak. We are ready to have an open debate with the Prime Minister on camera to discuss the issue threadbare."

"Let the people watch this debate and see the facts for themselves, he told reporters at his Ralegan Siddhi village in Maharashtras Ahmednagar district.

Gadkari had earlier said that the government was willing to debate all aspects of the Bill, which is awaiting clearance in the Rajya Sabha.

Indian 'fans' in Lucknow vent their anger on a TV. The same scenes in Gorakhpur. 

Omar Abdullah @abdullah_omar  If the pilot wanted to commit suicide why did he bloody well have to murder 150 men, women & children at the same time #GermanWingsCrash :-(

Marseille prosecutor Brice Robin, citing information from the "black box" voice recorder, said the co-pilot was alone in the cockpit.

He intentionally started a descent while the pilot was locked out.

Robin said there was "absolute silence in the cockpit" as the pilot fought to re-enter it.

However, passengers could be heard screaming just before the crash, he added.

The co-pilot, now named as Andreas Lubitz, 28, was alive until the final impact, the prosecutor said.

The Airbus 320 from Barcelona to Duesseldorf hit a mountain, killing all 144 passengers and six crew, after a rapid eight-minute descent.

"We hear the pilot ask the co-pilot to take control of the plane and we hear at the same time the sound of a seat moving backwards and the sound of a door closing," Robin told reporters.

"At that moment, the co-pilot is controlling the plane by himself. While he is alone, the co-pilot presses the buttons of the flight monitoring system to put into action the descent of the aeroplane."This action on the altitude controls can only be deliberate."

He added: "The most plausible interpretation is that the co-pilot through a voluntary act had refused to open the cabin door to let the captain in. He pushed the button to trigger the aircraft to lose altitude. He operated this button for a reason we don't know yet, but it appears that the reason was to destroy this plane."

Robin said that air traffic controllers made repeated attempts to contact the aircraft, but to no avail.

He said the co-pilot was "not known by us" to have any links to extremism or terrorism. -- BBC

It's still unknown if the Germanwings co-pilot planned the action in advance, but he "took advantage" of pilot leaving the cockpit, prosecutor says. 

Reporter: Do you think your son son played well?

Tilak Yadav (Father of Cricketer Umesh Yadav): What good? India lost.

Yadav took four wickets today.

The co-pilot of the Germanwings flight that crashed into the French Alps took sole control of plane and intentionally started the descent, officials say, reports the BBC.

CNN reports that from what investigators have found, it seems the co-pilot "wanted to destroy the aircraft," prosecutor says of the Germanwings crash, say.

French prosecutors, citing information from the cockpit voice recorder said the pilot had just left the cockpit and had been unable to re-enter it.

Evidence from a cockpit voice recorder, retrieved from the crash site in the French Alps, indicated that one pilot left the cockpit before the plane's descent and was unable to get back inside, The New York Times reports.  

"The guy outside is knocking lightly on the door and there is no answer," The New York Times quoted an unidentified investigator. "And then he hits the door stronger and no answer. There is never an answer."

"You can hear he is trying to smash the door down," the investigator added. 

However, the investigator said that they were unaware why the pilot left the cockpit. "But what is sure is that at the very end of the flight, the other pilot is alone and does not open the door," he told NYT. 

Syed Akbaruddin, MEA spox for over three years, will become India's points-person for the India Africa forum summit, scheduled for Oct 26-3.

Today Show host Karl Stefanovic has risked a backlash after trying out his best sledge against a group of cricket fans ahead of India's World Cup semi-final against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Stefanovic asked the team of India supporters: 'Who's going to be manning 7-Elevens today?''I'm not sure about who's going to be manning 7-Elevens but you might have to look at Centrelink as well I think, Karl,' one of the fans hilariously retorted, owning the presenter with their response.

Read

A bomb blast ripped through the Istanbul offices of a radical, pro-ISIS magazine killing a writer and wounding its editor-in-chief as well as two other people on Wednesday night.According to a Turkish police statement, "a bomb left at the magazine's entrance door exploded when the door opened."

The magazine "Adimlar" regularly publishes angry anti-American content, including articles that celebrate convicted Venezuelan terrorist Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, better known as "Carlos the Jackal." -- CNN

Congress leader Hansraj Bhardwaj spills the beans on the dissent within the floundering party.

Former law minister and governor of Karnataka, Bhardwaj, writes his party's epitaph saying, people are not ready to listen to the Congress any more. "The Congress won't rise again and the Congress is responsible," he says. 

Refusing to place the blame at party president Sonia Gandha's doorstep, he says, "Main us bechari (Sonia Gandhi) ko koi dosh nahin deta. I don't blame Sonia Gandhi for anything," he said.   

He however does blame dynastic politics and the inner coeterie and therefore alludes to Rahul Gandhi's style of functioning by sidelining senior leaders.

"Shiela Dikshit (former Delhi CM) is sitting at home now. She did good work in Delhi. This party isn't anyone's personal property. Congress took the senior experienced leaders by the ear and took them out.

"The new forces are very strong. We had supported Rajiv Gandhi even after he died. When Sonia-ji came everyone was encouraged. Imagine the amount of foul play when a man like Manmohan Singh is summoned by the court," he said. 

Bhardwaj had trained his guns at former Union Minister P Chidambaram of "not doing enough to stop the 2G scam".

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar to meet Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal tomorrow afternoon.

Just in: Second suspect in the Ranaghat nun rape arrested from North 24 Parganas in West Bengal.

Earlier, this morning, the West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department made its first arrest in the gang rape of the 71-year-old nun during an attack on a convent West Bengal's Ranaghat, about 100 km from Kolkata.

A man identified as Mohammed Salim was arrested from Mumbai for the alleged robbery and gang rape.   

"The accused was held by tracking his mobile conversations with his associates,' CID sources told Rediff.com.

"Moreover, the investigating agency kept talking to some hardened criminals from the area,' they added.

Salim reportedly led the robbery and he was being referred to as 'boss' by other gang members. He could be a Bangladeshi citizen, the sources said.

Two clues that the BJP is desperate to get the Land Bill nod in the Rajya Sabha.

1. Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu will be briefing President Pranab Mukherjee and 2. Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth will also be calling on the President.

Both indicative of the BJP government's approach to the Land Acquisition Bill.

And then there was a meeting of senior Union Ministers with Prime Minister Modi yesterday.

Modi is also said to have told Naidu to take  relevant constitutional data about the ordinances which have not seen the light of day in the Rajya Sabha, but need to be passed. The Land Acquisition Ordinance expires on April 5.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has summoned ESL Narasimhan, the governor of Andhra Pradesh to New Delhi to talk about the establishment of better courts of justice for the newly created state of Telangana.

Also to be discussed are the plans of for the new capital for Andhra Pradesh, called Amaravati.

With Modi taking personal interest in internal security issues, Narasimhan may also be called upon to give his views on upping the security in Jammu and Kashmir.

It is believed Narasimhan has prepared a three-page note about a new militant outfit which is gaining root in a few parts of south India. The militants are being financed by foreign powers, he says. 

BJP's chief ministerial candidate for Delhi, Kiran Bedi, is said to be unwell and may skip the party's National Executive meet. However, Bedi will make her presence felt by circulating a three-page personal letter to all
the members of the executive committee. What the letter says remains to be seen. 

Apprehensions being expressed about a few voices of dissent in the BJP after the washout in the Delhi Assembly polls.

The voices of dissent are likely to be heard at the Bengaluru National Executive meet to be held in the first week of April.

Interestingly, the BJP's guidance cell which is a defunct internal outfit of the party may also be meeting a day before the national executive meets.

Party president Amit Shah has plans to call the meeting of the Guidance Cell in New Delhi where few top BJP union ministers are expected to participate. Shah, though in control of the organisation, is likely to face for the first time, the wrath from the hard-core cadre.

Celebrated novelist Vikas Swarup, author of bestseller debut novel "Q&A' (on which Slumdog Millionaire was based) and career diplomat, has been appointed as the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs. He will take over on 18 April.

Swarup replaces Syed Akbaruddin.

Swarup, an IFS, has served in Turkey, the United States, Ethiopia, the United Kingdom, South Africa and Japan.

Former union minister GK Vasan is vacating two rooms in the palatial house where his father GK Moopanar lived for more than two decades.

Vasan, who is sentimental about the house, has continued to stay there during his tenure as union minister.

Having launched his new political party, the Tamil Maanila Congress -- Vasan however does not want favours from the union government.

He will continue to reside in the same premises as a paying guest honouing the Supreme Court verdict.

Vasan will now shift his bags to Chennai. 

As India and the rest of the cricketing world watch the semis, President Pranab Mukherjee will be watching a two-hour film, Ramanujan -- the mathematical genius at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Giving him company will be a few union ministers and special invitees. The president who was keen on this film is also planning the release in a few select languages like Odiya Bengali and Gujarati.  

Just in: Three people have been booked for allegedly slaughtering calves in Nashik, Maharashtra.

This is the first arrest after the Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Bill, 1995 was brought in. 

The law will ban beef from the slaughter of bulls and bullocks, which was previously allowed based on a fit-for-slaughter certificate.

The new Act will, however, allow the slaughter of water buffaloes.

The punishment for the sale of beef or possession of it could be prison for five years with an additional fine of Rs 10,000.

Supreme Court gives liberty to Centre to finalise the auction of Spectrum concluded yesterday. SC asks Centre to inform all successful bidders that finalisation of auction is subject to the outcome of the matters pending before it.

Prannoy Roy @PrannoyRoyNDTV  Just got official estimate. Crowd 65% India; 25% Australia and 20% non-aligned. India fights back.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi who was supposed to be back from his month-long 'introspective' sabbatical is delaying his arrival in Delhi by a fortnight. This means Rahul will be MIA for a month-and-a-half.

Sources tell Rediff.com that Rahul's decision to delay his return to the capital comes after the CAG report, tabled in the Haryana state assembly yesterday, concluded that the previous Congress regime in Haryana showed undue favours to party president Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra in a land deal with reality giant DLF.

An informed source tell us that Rahul has now activated his BlackBerry phone (President Barack Obama's choice as well) with a Delhi number and is in touch with top leaders of the Congress through BBM. He is also in touch via Whatsapp (possibly through another number).

Congress leaders who spoke to Rahul say he is disappointed and disgruntled. With what and why, is up for discussion. Watch this space.

Just yesterday, the face of the 'missing' MP was slapped onto several posters that have cropped up in his own constituency of Amethi declaring a reward for any information regarding Rahul's whereabouts.

According to reports, these posters allege that the Congress vice president lacks courage since he decided to go on leave during the crucial Budget Session.

Ailing Madhya Pradesh Governor Ram Naresh Yadav is being taken in an air ambulance to Lucknow today to attend the last rites of his son Shailesh, who died under mysterious conditions at his father's official residence in the Uttar Pradesh capital.

The governor is yet to be informed by his family members about the death of 50-year-old Shailesh in view of his present health condition, a Raj Bhawan official said.

Shailesh was recently named as an accused in the multi-crore Vyapam scam in MP. A team of doctors is accompanying Yadav from Bhopal and he will be admitted to Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) Lucknow for treatment.

Yadav, 86, who himself has been named as an accused in the scam, was admitted to Bansal Hospital a few days back following respiratory problems.

"The Governor has left the hospital and is on his way to the airport," the official said. Yadav is likely to remain in Lucknow till the 13th day post-death rituals, sources said.

Arvind Kejriwal adamant on dismissing Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan from AAP's national executive, reports ABP News. As long as Yadav and Bhushan are in the party Kejriwal refused to take calls related to party work and its responsibilities.

Former US President Bill Clinton will lead a high-level White House delegation to attend the State Funeral of Singapore's founder Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew on Sunday. Lee, 91, died on March 23.

He was Singapore's First Prime Minister. Lee stepped down in 1990, but held influence on local and international political and economic affairs.

The delegation will include US ambassador to Singapore Kirk Wagar, former US ambassador to Singapore Steven Green and former assistant to the president for national security affairs Thomas Donilon, The Straits Times reported. Notable American statesman Henry Kissinger, who had close friendship with Lee, will also be in the delegation, all members of which have strong ties with Asia. Donilon was a strong advocate for the Obama administration's pivot to Asia.

They may come with the ecumenical name of "National' Awards, but every time the announcement arrives, it becomes an occasion for parochial chest-thumping.

"Tamil cinema gets 8 National Awards,' say Tamil Nadu-based newspapers and websites. Publications based in the north, meanwhile, trumpet the many wins of Haider and Queen, adding almost as an afterthought that one of the most prestigious and major awards -- for Best Actor -- has gone to Vijay for the Kannada film Nanu Avanalla, Avalu. What purpose, then, do these awards serve, if not to alert us of the best of Indian cinema, make us care about not just what our State has made and won but what other States are making? Read

By quashing Section 66A of the IT Act as unconstitutional, the Supreme Court judgment shows us that with the right kind of conviction, it is possible to uncover the importance of free speech as a value unto itself within our larger constitutional scheme. It must allow us to believe that we can now challenge the noxious culture of censorship that pervades the Indian state. Read

Preity zinta @realpreityzinta Good morning! Woke up, switched on the TV, wore my BLUE shirt & am glued to the TV now watching the #IndvsAus game. Come On India #CWC15.

In a breakthrough in the Ranaghat nun gang-rape case, the West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department arrested a suspect from Mumbai on Wednesday night, reports Zee News.

The suspect has been identified as Mohammed Salim Sheikh.

According to reports, he has now been flown to Kolkata for questioning.

This is the first arrest in the case. 

The 71-year-old nun was raped by a gang of bandits in West Bengal's Nadia district earlier this month after which a CID probe was ordered into the incident.

The sister superior of the Convent of Jesus and Mary in Ranaghat was hospitalised on March 14 with serious injuries after she was brutalised by the gang, who also looted the convent.

A study of the CCTV footage at the convent in Ranaghat subdivision had shown visuals of four persons, who were allegedly involved in the crime. The incident has attracted widespread condemnation, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi too expressing concern and seeking a report.

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah has wished the team "best of luck" ahead of the ICC World Cup semi- final today. Omar said that team India had a good start in the match and he expressed hope that Indian team would win the match. "I am hopeful they will win this match," he said. Omar said that team India would continue its winning streak by winning today's match, "Team India has so far won all its matches in the tournament and I am hopeful that they continue to win all the games," he said. When asked who he feels would be the favorite player for the day he said, "This is a team game and all are favorite as the game will be won by the team effort."

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will be meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi today to discuss financial issues of the state with him.

According to sources, the Bihar chief minister will also raise the demand for special category status for Bihar.

Kumar is also expected to submit the all-party memorandum to the PM at today.

Sacked "Top Gear" presenter Jeremy Clarkson could face a police action into the unprovoked attack that left a colleague bleeding and cost him his job, bringing an end to his 37-year-long BBC career.

BBC Director General Tony Hall said that with a heavy heart and "great regret" he decided not to renew Clarkson's contract as the controversial star of the motoring show had "crossed a line" which left him with no alternative.

North Yorkshire Police has requested a copy of the BBC probe report that concluded Clarkson, 54, was responsible for an "unprovoked physical and verbal attack" on the programme's producer, Oisin Tymon, who had sought hospital treatment after the attack. Clarkson, one of the BBC's most popular stars, had attacked Tymon after he could not have steak and chips following a day's filming because the hotel where they were staying had stop serving hot food.

Everyone is up and about all cheering for Team India. Even King Khan, who is generally not an early riser.

Shah Rukh tweets: Awake with team Fan.watching the match. Too nervous suddenly. Go Indialove you and we r all screaming our hearts out!!!!

Here's what Shekhar Gupta has to say: @ShekharGupta: Love the calm on MSD face. Tough match, toss lost, not a crease on his face. Will remain same, win or lose. Let's win nevertheless #IndvAus.

Awaiting a tweets from PM Modi.
 

India are playing Australia in the semis in Sydney today. Everything else can wait.

As we all back in India are keeping our fingers crossed for the Men in Blue, special prayers and yagna was held in Uttar Pradesh's Allahabad.   

"Undue favours" to builders, including Robert Vadra's Skylight Hospitality, by the Haryana government during the Congress regime has come under attack from the Comptroller and Auditor General.

In its report for the year 2013-14, tabled in the Haryana assembly on Wednesday, the official auditor has come down heavily on the town and country planning department.

"....the department neither at the time of granting in-principle approval nor at the time of formal approval for transfer of licenses ensured that net profit beyond 15 per cent of the total cost accrues to public exchequer. This enabled the developers to earn huge profits merely by selling the land while the government had to forego sizeable amount," the CAG report said.  

The Bharatiya Janata Party and other Congress rivals had trained their guns on the previous Bhupinder Singh Hooda government accusing it of showing favours to Robert Vadra, the son-in-law of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, in his land deal with realty giant DLF.

Why did Germanwings jet carrying 150 people on board crashed in relatively clear skies?

One of the pilots on board Germanwings Flight 9525 was locked out of the cockpit when the plane crashed, a senior military official told The New York Times, citing evidence from the cockpit voice recorder.

Lufthansa, the parent company of Germanwings, does not have any information about NYT report. We are looking into it, company spokesman Klaus Gorny told CNN today.

Superpowers collide in World Cup blockbuster at SCG 

It's more than just cricket when India-Australia take centre-stage

India vs Australia, SF 2: How the teams measure up

Germanwings A320 crash: Investigators begin examining black box

Scam accused MP Guv's son found dead, Cong demands CBI probe

Vajpayee to be conferred Bharat Ratna on March 27