The Gujarat Assembly's budget session ended today but findings of the '2002 riot probe panel' were not tabled though it was submitted four months ago. 

Iraqi forces battling to wrest Tikrit from ISIS are now in control of the city, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Tuesday on Iraqiya TV.

Over 6,000 government employees, including more than 100 officers, retired here on a single day today. The superannuated employees included directors of higher and primary education, director of health, over two dozen joint directors of various departments and three dozen employees of state secretariat.

The Aam Aadmi Party has removed Yogendra Yadav from the post of chief spokesperson, and has appointed a 20-member spokespersons panel.

A bird-hit incident led to chaos at the Mumbai Airport today forcing the authorities to divert as many as five flights to nearby airports and three to do a go-around.

Asking Prime Minister Narendra Modi to keep farmers' interests in mind while issuing a second ordinance on land reforms, Anna Hazare today said the government should remove anything in the legislation that is against the interests of farmers.

Assuring its support in both houses of Parliament, Congress today called upon the BJP to pass the Women's Reservation bill and ensure 33 per cent reservation to women in the country.

After Sunday, it is going to be another tense night for the people in Srinagar. Though the water level in Jhelum has stabilised in Srinagar, it is still above the danger mark.

NDTV reports: A drunk driver is like a "suicide bomber who has set out to kill himself and other road users," said a judge in Delhi today, calling for stricter punishment, just as Supreme Court judges did 24 hours ago.

The judge made his comments in the case of a Delhi auto driver who had challenged a 20-day jail sentence on the grounds that he is a "first-time offender".

The judge rejected that appeal, pointing out that the driver was drunk during peak rush hour.  "There would have certainly been a horrible tragedy, if he was not stopped by traffic police officials," observed Additional Sessions Judge Virender Bhatt said.

Sikh man brutally beaten by unknown persons in Birmingham, United Kingdom. It is a suspected race attack, reports Daily Mail.

In the video, crowd is gathered around the man, but no-one tries to help him. The police has urged the victim to come forward.  

Dissident AAP leaders Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav today maintained suspense over their future plans but did not rule out forming a political party after taking views of volunteers and well-wishers supporting them.

Wrathful over the way Kejriwal was running the party, Bhushan said he and Yadav will have detailed discussions with their supporters from across the country at a meeting on April 14 which has been convened to channelise the positive energy of those AAP members who "felt betrayed" by the current leadership.

"It need not be a political party. But it could also be a political party depending upon what they want and what happens. My personal opinion is that we should right now concentrate on issues and movements rather than forming a political party," Bhushan said.

The lawyer, who had joined hands with Kejriwal over 10 years back during the RTI movement, said he felt "very sad" at the way he and Yadav were removed. Expressing regret over supporting Kejriwal, Bhushan said the way the National Council meeting on March 28 was conducted was "unpardonable".

Bhushan claimed that Kejriwal was very desperate to capture power in Delhi after the Lok Sabha poll debacle and continued his efforts just before dissolution of the Delhi Assembly in November last year.

The Supreme Court today slammed the Assam Government for "dragging its feet" and rejected its "vague" and "highly unsatisfactory" affidavit on the steps taken regarding the influx of illegal Bangladesh nationals through the porous Indo-Bangla border in the state.

The apex court expressed "displeasure over the conduct of the state government" and questioned its "seriousness" in taking steps to comply with its December 17 directions.

"The affidavit of Assam Government is highly unsatisfactory. It is not only vague but the officer has no exposure to ground reality. We refuse to accept the affidavit. We are expressing displeasure over the conduct of the state government," a bench comprising Justices Ranjan Gogoi and R F Nariman said.

The bench directed the Chief Secretary to file a "meaningful affidavit" within a week on the steps taken in pursuant to its December 17, 2014 order.

The Kerala HC division bench upholds prohibition. As per the state's liquor policy, only 5-star and above category of hotels are eligible to apply for liquor license from the next financial year, beginning tomorrow.

Hearing the case, a Single Bench of the Kerala High Court last year had ruled that 4-star hotels also be allowed to serve liquor. Later, a Division Bench ordered status quo in the governments new liquor policy, allowing all the bars to remain open. But, that order is valid till only March 31 as the liquor licenses are issued for a 12-month period from April to March.

Delhi: Fire at Gandhinagar Market, 20 fire engines reach the spot to douse fire.

Commerce and Industries minister Nirmala Sitharaman tweets: "A spectacular Petra! From the time of Nabataeans, 2200 years ago."

Petra in Jordan is where Raiders of the Lost Ark was filmed.
 

#Envy.

Security of Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has been upgraded to topmost Z-plus category and he will be guarded by paramilitary commandos drawn from Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) now.

The move to increase Jaitley's security cover was taken by Union Home Ministry recently after assessing the threat perception of VVIPs.

A Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat, Jaitley will have a pilot and an escort car accompanying him besides two Personal Security Officers armed with automatic weapons seated next to him in the vehicle he is travelling.

He was at present having a "Y" category security besides an escort provided by the Delhi Police.

"A security audit has been conducted and the Finance Minister will be secured by a paramilitary commando contingent. He will get the top category 'Z-Plus' security," official sources in the security establishment said.

They said the CISF has been tasked for the duty and a contingent of over 60 commandos have been earmarked for the task.

Union Minister Prakash Javadekar today took a dig at Rahul Gandhi over his mysterious "leave", saying even eclipses can be predicted but not the "appearance" of the Congress Vice President.

"In the prediction of a solar or lunar eclipse, certain calculations are involved. But there can be no calculations to determine as to when Rahul Gandhi will appear. So what can I say," said Javadekar, Minister for Environment and Forests.

He was reacting when journalists sought his comment on reports that the Congress Vice President would be back in action to attend a 'Kisan' rally here on April 19 against Land Ordinance brought out by the Narendra Modi government.

Rahul went on the sabbatical on February 22 and since then there have been questions over his absence from the public scene.

The rally is significant as it is being held on the eve of the second part of the Budget session of Parliament at a time when almost the entire opposition has joined ranks against the Ordinance, which is being dubbed by them as "anti-farmer and pro-corporate".

When asked yesterday whether Rahul will be attending the rally, senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh had said, "all senior leaders will participate in it. Is he not among senior leaders? Rahul is also among the senior leaders".

Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who was in Amethi recently, had said Rahul will be back among people "very soon".

Taliban leaders are living in luxury in Qatar. Read

A Delhi court has awarded 30 years jail term to two youths for kidnapping and gang-raping a Ugandan national, observing that "their act brought India in disrepute in the eyes of the world" and both of them deserve a very stern and exemplary sentence.

Additional Sessions Judge Virender Bhat awarded 30 years jail term to Delhi residents Raj Kumar and Dinesh Sharma along with a fine of Rs 50,000 each, saying the "two convicts were on the prowl like a hungry wolf and their eyes shone brightly on seeing the prosecutrix, a lonely foreign national, on road at a late hour of the day."

Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani has said her ministry was working on a new National Education Policy which would be formed by December this year.

Ms Irani, who always made headlines, not necessarily for the right reasons, has been quiet of late. And some would say, out of favour.
BJP president Amit Shah reconstituted the party's national executive and picked a lean team of 111 members recently. Notable omissions include education minister Smriti Irani.

So, what makes her tick? A look at this picture might just give us a clue.
The two plaques on her table, obviously something she has picked out, say, "Want to go fast? go alone. Want to go far? Go together",  while the other goes, "The first step towards solving a problem is to begin". And then there's that book on Swami Vivekananda.  (Click on the picture for a larger image.)

Here's wishing the lady a successful innings at her ministry.

Harish Salve @hsalve  Indian parliamentarians (some of them) didn't find any evidence to link smoking with cancer. As our tourism slogan says "incredible India".

If bookmakers are to be believed, Prince William and Kate Middleton will be blessed with a girl and their second baby would be named Alice. Punters have staked a significant amount on the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge naming their second baby Alice -- leaving one bookmaker facing a potential five-figure payout.

The odds on the royal couple calling their baby Alice have tumbled with bookmaker William Hill from 14-1 to 4-1 after the bets were made last week.

"Alice is the new favourite and we have seen a significant number of bets, particularly from the Tunbridge area -- you have to think there is good reason for the gamble," William Hill spokesman Rupert Adams was quoted as saying by media reports. If the wagers prove correct the bookmakers face losing a five-figure sum.

The people of Delhi voted for Arvind Kejriwal, giving him another chance. A leader, especially a very popular one, needs a House of the People in terms of popular backing. He has gatekeepers, he needs conscience-keepers. Read

Science is science, no compromise on that, Prakash Javadekar reacts to BJP MP Dilip Gandhi's statement on tobacco.

As India is set to defer its April 1 deadline for increasing the size of pictoral warnings on tobacco products after pressure from various lobbies, the head of a Parliamentary panel on Monday said there was no Indian study to confirm that use of tobacco products leads to cancer.

Dilip Gandhi, head of Parliamentary panel on subordinate legislation examining the provisions of Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003 which had sought deferment of the move, said all studies in this regard have come from abroad and one should consider the Indian aspect too.

The Parliamentary Committee, which Gandhi - a BJP MP from Maharashtra heads, had "strongly" urged the government to keep on hold its proposal to increase the size of pictorial warnings on tobacco packets from 40% to 85%.

"All agree on the harmful effects of tobacco. But there is no Indian survey report to prove that tobacco consumption leads to cancer. All the studies are done abroad. Cancer does not happen only because of tobacco. We have to study the Indian context, as four crore people in states like Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh are dependent on bidi-making through Tendupatta," Gandhi said.

He said the Committee has only sought for deferment of tobacco warnings till it looks into the whole issue with Indian context and not be driven by foreign surveys.

The notification regarding amendment to the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labeling) Rules, 2008 sought increase in the size of specified health warning from the current 40% to 85% of the principal display area of the package of tobacco products.

On implementation of the notification, India will be the only country in the world with largest pictoral warnings on tobacco products.

Citing "adverse impact" on livelihood of people involved in the tobacco industry, the panel said a large number of representations expressing "serious" apprehensions from MPs as well as other stakeholders against the proposed notification.

Gandhi had also written to Health Minister J P Nadda in this regard seeking deferment of the implementation of the notification.

Phyllis Jefferson's temper may be as hot as her salsa.Police in Akron, Ohio, said Jefferson, 50, allegedly stabbed her boyfriend in the groin with a pen Sunday evening after he ate all the salsa in their house. Read

The two IL 76 aircraft are carrying 272 NDRF personnel and 18.2 tons of relief material to J-K. 

The flood threat in Kashmir Valley on Tuesday reduced with improved weather and receding water level in Jhelum River while the death toll in the flash floods rose to 16 with 6 more bodies recovered from the site of the landslide in Budgam district.

Jhelum was flowing at 16.45 feet at Sangam in south Kashmir, down over 6 feet compared to 22.80 feet 24 hours earlier, while the water level at Ram Munshi Bagh in the city also reduced by more than one and a half feet and it was expected to drop further during the day.

A CoBRA jawan was today injured in a gun-battle between security forces and Maoists in Chhattisgarh's insurgency-hit Sukma district, police said.

The face-off occurred in the restive forests of Chintagufa police station limits while a joint squad of CRPF's elite battalion-CoBRA (Compact Battalion for Resolute Action) and district force was carrying out an anti-naxal operation, Sukma Additional Superintendent of Police Harish Rathore said. 

The Gujarat government led by Chief Minister Anandiben Patel has passed the controversial Gujarat Control of Terrorism and Organized Crime Bill 2015 in the state assembly. The bill is so stringent, even draconian, that it was returned by the President of India thrice to the state government for reconsideration. Two presidents -- Pratibha Patil and APJ Abdul Kalam -- had turned down the bill.

The Bill had not been cleared by the earlier NDA and UPA governments for the last 10 years. 

The bill for instance, allows confessional statements before the police to be admissible in court. It also allows police remand to be increased from 15 days to 30 days.

Human rights activists warn that this means suspects in custody can be tortured or coerced into making statements that can be used against them.

Police can also take 180 days to file a chargesheet - twice the current time limit.

The Centre today said the flood situation in Jammu and Kashmir so far is not as grave as last year but authorities are on alert to deal with any situation.

"The situation is not as grave as last time. But we are fully alert and if required we will send more assistance," Home Minister Rajnath Singh said.

The Home Minister yesterday had a telephonic conversation with Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed who gave him a detailed briefing about the flood situation in the state.

"We have our government there now. They are doing their best. But as of now situation is under control," he said.

The flood threat in Kashmir Valley today reduced in view of the weather holding up over the past 24 hours resulting in substantial decrease in water level of River Jhelum, which is now flowing below the flood level.

Over 280 people had died and tens of thousands left homeless and property worth hundreds of crores damaged in unprecedented floods in the state in September last year.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday morning held a meeting with Ministers of State with independent charge.

As per reports, the aim of the meeting was to get feedback from ministers on the work done so far. Also present at the meeting was BJP president Amit Shah.

The Modi government will complete one year in office in May and is planning to hold a function on the occasion to release a report card of its achievements.

The meeting also came amid speculation that PM Modi may remove non-performing members from his Council of Ministers ahead of the second part of the Budget Session.

The reshuffle of the Cabinet may happen after the two-day national executive meeting of the BJP, which starts on April 3 in Bengaluru.

Defence lawyers in the hit-and-run trial against actor Salman Khan have issued a statement today to media houses citing a July 24, 2013, interim court order asking for a restriction on the reportage of the case. The order had stated that not a single word that is off the record, or capable of making multi or two interpretations should be reported and in case, the media reportage falls beyond the court strictures, the accused can "seek remedies available to him at law."

On March 27, 2015, another application was filed by Salman Khan's lawyers restraining the media from taking photographs, video and audio recordings of the proceedings in the court.

The lawyers also sought a restraining order on making comments, conclusions, opinions on merits or de-merits of the case and asked the court to direct the media to (i) only to report facts at the end of the day (when the matter is over for the day) and (ii) not to give any opinion on the case by discussing the evidence, bringing in experts / lawyers on TV channels to discuss this case and evidence etc. till the conclusion of the trial.
 
The lawyers said the court passed an order on the same day, that the media should report on the factual and correct aspect of the case without making any comments or criticism thereon, and should not give their opinion about merits and de-merits of the case and also should not do indiscriminate reporting in any manner against the accused.

The MIA Rahul Gandhi still making news. PL Punia of the Congress says when asked when the Congress vice president will be back, "It's not like Rahulji went on an "agyaat vaas", he will join us for the Maha Kisaan Rally."

The rally against the Land Bill is on April 19.

 

Digvijaya Singh on being asked when Rahul Gandhi is back: "Iss baat ka prayaas ho raha hai kii Congress kay sabhi varisht neta shamil ho. We are all his (Rahul's) followers, we will be participating in the rally."

Six bodies were recovered on Tuesday in Budgam district taking the death toll to 16 in Jammu and Kashmir as several areas of the Valley and parts of Jammu were in deluge caused by heavy rain over the weekend.

Pic: Flood relief ops in Bandipora, J&K.

Armed forces are carrying out relief operations efficiently, no need to panic, Centre and state govt working together: MA Naqvi. 

Supreme Court notices to BJP senior leader LK Advani and others on a plea by a petitioner in a title suit, asking why conspiracy charges should not be restored. The CBI gets four weeks from the SC to explain the delay in appealing against the order to drop conspiracy charges against Advani, others.

The petition claims that with the BJP in power, the CBI may not make adequate efforts to get conspiracy charges restored against party leader L K Advani and others in the Babri Masjid demolition case. The plea has been filed by Haji Mehboob, a petitioner in the title suit representing the Muslim community in Babri Masjid-Ramjanmabhoomi case.

The others named in the SC notice are Uma Bharti, Kalyann Singh and Murli Manohar Joshi.

The court has given four weeks to the CBI and BJP leaders to file a reply.

In an impressive ceremonial parade held at the Naval base today, Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba, PVSM, AVSM, took over charge as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Naval Command from Vice Admiral SPS Cheema PVSM, AVSM, NM. Read more

Haseeb Drabu was a journalist once; he and I were colleagues some 15 years ago. Since then, he has been banker, bureaucrat, business advisor, and much else. He has just become finance minister of Jammu and Kashmir, and presented his first budget. He has declared that he will not seek any dole from the Central government; he will manage with what he gets from state taxes and the state's share of Central revenue promised by the Finance Commission.

He has brought energy and ambition to his post; his budget is more interesting than our Delhi finance minister's. Let me mention some of the things he has done. Read

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh wants the Information Technology Act to incorporate new restraints on netizens' freedom to comment following the Supreme Court's quashing of Section 66A as "unconstitutional".

A Sangh source today advocated fresh amendments to the IT Act, citing how Article 19(2) of the Constitution allows Parliament to impose "reasonable restrictions" on the freedom of speech and expression.
Read more

While the Congress may have disowned him even before his death, the National Democratic Alliance government plans to restore full glory to late Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao with a memorial honouring him as the architect of the country's economic reforms. The urban development ministry last week moved a proposal for cabinet approval to build a memorial ghat for Rao at Ekta Sthal Samadhi Complex on the ground that he was entitled to state honours as a former PM and as the harbinger of economic liberalisation.

A rally in the national capital on April 19 against the Narendra Modi government's land acquisition policy may turn out to be the first public appearance of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi after his expected return around mid-April from a two-month long sabbatical at an undisclosed location abroad.

Ousted Aam Aadmi Party leader Prashant Bhushan has indicated he will form a new political party after he and Yogendra Yadav were expelled from the national executive. According to reports, all the volunteers will meet on April 14 to take a concrete decision over the matter. 

Six bodies were recovered in Budgam district taking the death toll to 16 in Jammu and Kashmir as several areas of the Valley and parts of Jammu were in deluge caused by heavy rain over the weekend. The process to evacuate affected people is underway as eight teams of National Disaster Response Force were rushed to Kashmir. Armed forces, along with four helicopters, have been placed in readiness for deployment at short notice after local authorities declared a flood situation in the Valley.

A Singaporean teenager has been arrested for posting an expletive-laden YouTube video attacking Christianity and the country's late founding leader Lee Kuan Yew. He will be charged in court with "wounding" religious feelings, harassment and circulating obscene content, police said. In an eight-minute video titled "Lee Kuan Yew is finally dead"  the teen launched a scathing attack on the 91-year-old political patriarch who was cremated after a state funeral Sunday.

Having lost the Lok Sabha elections, Yogendra Yadav and his partner in politics, Prashant Bhushan -- he did not venture into an electoral contest -- have taken on the persona of two sulking boys. They stand isolated and are on the periphery of the Aam Aadmi Party. Their arrogance has denied them a place in the sun. Whining endlessly during press conferences and on television, pointing fingers at everyone except themselves, aggravating a festering crisis - all of these activities are making them come across as self-opinionated people who are unwilling to assume a non-leadership role.

Hours after accusations were levelled of inappropriate affairs with a volunteer, Aam Aadmi Party's Kumar Vishwas took to Twitter slamming the allegations and saying he would quit politics if the charges are proven true. On Monday, Vishwas was accused of  allegedly sleeping with a volunteer student during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. 

After Sunday, it is going to be another tense night for the people in Srinagar. Though the water level in Jhelum has stabilised in Srinagar, it is still above the danger mark.

Amid reports that the personal details of 31 world leaders who attended the G-20 summit in November last year, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, were accidentally leaked, a senior government official said on Monday that India is preparing to take 'necessary action'.

A wild rhino charged into a city in southern Nepal, killing a woman, injuring several others and chasing other panicked residents through the main market and a hospital, an official said.

Nuclear submarines have long been a favourite in popular fiction. From movies such as The Hunt for Red October to long-running TV series such as Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, they have always been portrayed as awesome instruments of geopolitical power gliding quietly through the gloomy deep on secret, serious missions.

The Pakistan government today deferred by 30 days the execution of an ex-MQM activist convicted for target killings, amid allegations by him that the murders were carried out on party chief Altaf Hussain's order. 

One person was killed and another was wounded Monday morning when they tried to crash a security gate outside the National Security Agency on Fort Meade, officials said.An NSA police officer also was wounded, the agency said.

The Maharashtra Anti-Terror Squad today arrested two alleged associates of top Indian Mujahideen operative Yasin Bhatkal in connection with the 2011 serial blasts in the metropolis.

NCP MLA poses with fake gun in Vidhan Bhawan premises
Kashmir floods: 10 dead in landslide, Rs 235 cr sanctioned to meet situation
Yemen: India to use sea routes to evacuate nationals
Terror outfit behind Burdwan blast wanted to topple B'desh govt: NIA
Will AAP axe Yogendra Yadav as chief spokesperson next?