The Indian Coast Guard today apprehended a Pakistani boat with nine crew members from the Arabian Sea off Gujarat coast, officials said. 

The House Intelligence Committee chairman and the panel's top Democrat publicly disagreed Friday over the handling of their investigation into Russian meddling into the US election, coming after the announcement that President Donald Trump's campaign chairman agreed to testify before the committee.

A young man, suspected to be a suicide bomber, blew himself up at the international airport in Dhaka today, nearly a week after a similar attack on a nearby camp of Bangladesh's elite Rapid Action Battalion force. 

JUST IN: Sebi imposes 1-yr ban on Reliance Industries, 12 others in equity derivatives trading.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi calls up his UK counterpart Theresa May to express India's solidarity and deepest condolences for victims of the London terror attack.

Earlier, Gaikwad had filed a complaint with the Delhi Police against Air India, saying he was made to travel by Air India on Economy class even though he had business class ticket. The complaint also said he was pushed and yelled at. 

The names of cattle smugglers will be listed in village crime notebooks, intelligence gathered on their activities and a vigil maintained on Uttar Pradesh's borders, according to the latest directive of the Aditya Nath Yogi government to district officials.


In a letter issued on Friday, UP chief secretary Rahul Bhatnagar has directed District Magistrates and Senior Superintendents of Police to check illegal slaughtering and transportation of cattle as it a "government priority".


This means that other important issues like waiving off loans for small farmers, abundant electricity, new hospitals and universities, free school education for girls, jailing criminals who are absconding, have all be put on the backburner.

A massive drive against illegal slaughterhouses is already on in Uttar Pradesh where over 50 persons had been arrested and 27 FIRs were registered for such offences till yesterday. In the letter, Bhatnagar said that slaughter houses in all 75 districts should be inspected and strict action should be taken wherever needed.

Local intelligence should be used for this purpose, the states top bureaucrat said in his letter.

JUST IN: The Allahabad High Court reserves its order on a petition demanding a CBI probe against Yogi Adityanath in relation to a communal riot case of 2007.

The ministry of external affairs on Friday said the British government has certified India's request for loan defaulting liquor baron Vijay Mallya's extradition and a UK court is considering issuing a warrant for his arrest.


"In February 2017, the UK government's home office conveyed that India's request for extradition of Mallya has been stratified by the secretary of state," MEA spokesperson Gopal Baglay told reporters at a press briefing.

He added the the UK Home office had forwarded the extradition plea to a district court in order to secure a formal warrant against Mallya.

They further conveyed that it is sent to Westminster Magistrate's court for a district judge to consider issue of releasing of warrant," Baglay said.

Earlier in February, the government had handed over a formal request for the fugitive industrialist's extradition to the UK High Commission, saying it had a legitimate case against him in on charges of financial irregularities and loan default.

Mallya fled to Britain in March 2016 after being pursued in courts by banks seeking to recover about Rs 9,000 crore owed by his Kingfisher Airline.

Despite multiple injunctions, he has failed to appear before investigators at the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a probe under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

In January, a CBI court had issued a non-bailable warrant against Mallya in the Rs 720-crore IDBI Bank loan default case.

The IMA has called off the doctors' strike in Maharashtra after a meeting with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The resident doctors' body is now meeting to take a final decision on the strike.

CM Fadnavis met IMA representatives at Vidhan Bhavan in Mumbai where they were briefed about the steps the government has taken to ensure the safety of doctors in hospitals.

Fadnavis told IMA representatives that more security has been provided in 16 hospitals since Thursday, and the government will make more arrangements in next 10 days.

Fadnavis, who on Thursday appealed resident doctors to call off their strike, had said in the Assembly today that 'enough was enough' and that continuing the strike despite assurances was totally insensitive.

"Despite having many opportunities, Phillauri isn't able to make full use of them. It's not from the lack of trying though.
Producer and leading lady Anushka Sharma looks ethereal and conveys the enlightenment of a woman before her time. What is amiss in her performance is whimsy. Perhaps, well behaved is not such a nice trait for a ghost after all."

Sukanya Verma reviews Phillauri for Rediff.com. Read before you watch.  

Also read: Hosni Mubarak: The journey from palace to prison

Former President of Egypt Hosni Mubarak today walked out of detention in his own country after six years.

Mubarak left for his home from a military hospital in the Egyptian capital Cairo. He was undergoing treatment for various illnesses in the southern part of the city. He directly went to his home in the northern suburbs of the city.

Mubarak had been overthrown from power in Egypt six years ago following civic unrest in the country that kicked off a series of people's revolutions in the Middle-East.

Mubarak's freedom has come after the apex court in Egypt acquitted him from the charges of the deaths of protesters in 2011 unrest.

Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Friday promised he would make Goa the first ever beggar-free state in India. Parrikar in his budget speech in the Goa Assembly said that for a state with a high per capita income, it is certain to see a rapid increase in the number of beggars. Laying the state's importance as one of the most favoured tourist destinations, Parrikar also announced the allotment of Rs. 150 crore for improving public transport.

He said the Dabolim Airport will be upgraded on a time to time basis even after the Greenfield Mopa International Airport is completed.

For the development of the infra sector, he allocated Rs. 500 crore for Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd. in addition to four railway over-bridges, which will be built with financial support from the Rail Ministry.

He also proposed to restrict Goa State Infrastructure development corporation to niche projects along with allocation of Rs. 550 crore to make Panaji a smart city.

Deepa Jayakumar, niece of late J Jayalalithaa, has declared assets to the tune of Rs 3.05 crore in the affidavit filed along with her nomination for the April 12 bypoll to the R K Nagar constituency. 

Just In: The Supreme Court asks the committee of administrators of BCCI to release funds to the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association for conducting the fourth test match between India and Australia starting tomorrow.   

ICC Chairman Shashank Manohar today agreed to defer his recent resignation following an ICC Board resolution to request him to remain in the post, was passed with overwhelming support earlier this week. In a significant show of support for Manohar the Board asked him to withdraw his resignation or at the very least defer it until the ongoing process relating to governance and financial restructuring are completed.


Commenting on the decision Manohar said: "I respect the sentiments expressed by the Directors and the confidence they have reposed in me. In the light of this, and although my decision to depart due to personal reasons has not changed, I am willing to continue as Chairman till the responsibility as per the resolution is complete.

The Supreme Court today sought a response from the Election Commission on a PIL seeking investigation by software experts into allegations that Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) were tampered with in the recent Assembly polls.


A bench comprising Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justices D Y Chandrachud and S K Kaul issued notice to the poll panel on the plea that alleged that EVMs, used by the Election Commission for conducting polls, can easily be tampered with.


The PIL filed by Advocate ML Sharma in his personal capacity had also sought a direction to the Centre for registering an FIR to investigate the alleged tampering of EVMs "for vested interest by a political party and to file their report before the apex court".


However, the court did not issue notice to the Centre and others mentioned in the PIL. The plea sought examination of the "quality, software/ malware and hacking effect in the EVMs from a reliable electronic lab/scientist and software expert and to file their report before this court for further action/prosecution".


The petitioner referred to allegations of EVM tampering in the recent assembly elections in five states and Maharashtra civic polls. The PIL claimed that it was admitted by the poll panel itself that EVMs are tamper-proof only until their technical, mechanical and software details remain a secret.


"These details can be detected via reverse engineering by any expert. Wireless device/software can be prepared via reverse engineering, and with their help voting records can be changed in any location and at any time," the plea claimed.

The presence of Union Minister for Shipping and Transport, Nitin Gadkari, electrifies both houses of Parliament. MPs in the Lok Sabha as well as the Rajya Sabha wait for Gadkari to answer questions put to him in the house.

The reason for his popularity is simple. In three years Gadkari has become instrumental in enabling the expansion of highways across the country. This dovetails with each MP's show and tell -- 'infrastrucutre development -- in his constituency.
 
So far a clearance of a whopping 45,000 km of highways have been given in the three years he has held the portfolio in eight states. The rest of the states are awating their turn.

In the Modi government there are only a few Union Ministers who are down-to-earth and proactive. Nitin Gadkari tops the list, followed by EAM Sushma Swaraj.

The way Gadkari works is to greenlight a project taken up by an MP, irrespective of party and then release the funds. He also  closely monitors work on the project with updates by the Chief Engineer.

In the process, the public is happy, which translates into votes. So, all around, Mr Gadkari is the toast of MPs

 

More the merrier... Vistara joins Air India, Jet, IndiGo, SpiceJet and Go Air in banning the goon MP Gaekwad from flying on their airline.

Scientific crime scene analysis is more popular in India's pulp fiction than in real life investigations. Read the report on the Independent.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi return to India after her treatment abroad, says party sources. Sonia left for the US just ahead of the five-state election results.

Rahul left for the US after the results to accompany Sonia on the return leg.

Owing to her ill health, Sonia had not campaigned in the recently concluded five-state assembly elections. The party had said she had left for the US for a routine medical check-up.

Describing the attitude of striking doctors as "adamant" and "insensitive", Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today warned of legal action and gave them an ultimatum to resume duties after his meet with their representatives later this afternoon.

Making a statement in the Legislative Assembly, Fadnavis said, "Enough is enough. If the doctors fail to resume work today, government will not sit quietly. We cannot leave the patients to die. I am making a final attempt to break the deadlock today by meeting the doctors' representatives. If no solution is found and doctors don't resume work, they should be prepared to face legal action."


Fadnavis said he failed to understand the "insensitive" attitude of doctors of leaving patients to die. "What is the difference between anti-social tendencies who beat up doctors and the doctors themselves who take oath to treat ill people. I am surprised at the adamant stand of the doctors despite assuring that the government fully supports their demand," he said adding that the doctors have disregarded the directives of the High Court.


"People consider doctors to be like a God. They shouldn't wait to be referred to as demons. What kind of politics is being done," he asked.

State carrier Air India today barred Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaekwad, who had assaulted its staffer, from its flights and even cancelled his return ticket to Pune from Delhi, anticipating backlash by its employees. Gaekwad, who has been unapologetic about the incident yesterday, had earlier today said that he will be taking the Air India flight this evening.


Air India said it has also written to the Shiv Sena communicating the decision to cancel the ticket.


Shiv Sena Secretary Anil Desai told PTI that he has asked Gaekwad to change his travel plans as the party doesn't want the tensions to escalate. Gaekwad was booked on Delhi to Pune flight AI 849 scheduled for departure at 4 pm today.


"We have intimated Shiv Sena that we can't fly Gaekwad on his return flight because our employees are agitated. He has assured us that the party will advise the MP not to fly Air India today," said an Air India source.


"Our airport employees have said that they won't attend to him and they won't let him enter. In order to avoid any violence, we have written to Shiv Sena," he added.


Gaekwad told TV channels this morning, "I am booked on a 4 pm flight to Pune. I will take that flight. How can they not let me travel when I have a booking and I am their passenger."


Desai, also an MP, said that he has "acceded" to Air India's request and has also asked Gaekwad to "change his travel plans". "An Air India official called me that their staff is upset over the issue. I have acceded to their request by asking my MP not to go ahead with his plan to fly Air India today," said Desai . "I have also asked him to change his travel plans. We don't intend to escalate the tension," he added.

The BJP has ruled out an expansion or a shuffle of portfolios in the Union Council of Ministers till September 2017, our sources tell us.

For now, the Prime Minister and BJP President Amit Shah have decided to focus on the Presidential and Vice Presidential elections.

The BJP's prime aim is install a candidate who has RSS leanings as the President of India. For the Vice President, the party wants 24x7 politician who can conduct proceedings in the Rajya Sabha. And the VP choice is unlikely to be someone like Dr Hameed Ansari who the party perceives has an allegiance towards the Opposition.

A BJP source also confirmed that there will not be resignations from the Lok Sabha of the three MPs who have been sent to Uttar Pradesh -- Yogi Adiyanath, Deputy CM KP Maurya and Goa CM Manohar Parrikar. The BJP does not want to lose the vote of even a single MP, which is valuable for the presidential polls. 

That TTV Dinakaran, the AIADMKs deputy general secretary, personally spoke to two former law ministers in the UPA government, Salman Khursheed and M Veerappa Moily, to ask them to plead his partys case for the Two Leaves poll symbol before the Election Commission, is known.

Although both the Congress politicians were well known to him, Chief Election Commissioner Nizam Zaidi went strictly by the rulebook in freezing the partys election symbol and allotting temporary ones to the two rival factions.

In fact, the rival O Pannerselvam camp, which engaged legal expert C S Vaidhyanathan to argue their case, seems to have fared better, since they got to deny the Sasikala factions plea for the Two Leaves symbol.

An unexpected fallout is that the opposition DMK is mighty upset at the two Congress leaders arguing in favour of TTV Dinakaran, since the state unit of the Congress, its ally, is strongly opposed him.

As they say, wheels within wheels.

Just in: The Supreme Court issues notices to the Election Commission asking it to test EVMs by US tech experts.

PM Narendra Modi meets BJP MPs from Gujarat, Rajasthan, Goa, Andaman and Nicobar and Daman and Diu in Delhi for breakfast at his residence.


The PM met with nearly 50 MPs to discuss the election that's due in December in his home state of Gujarat. At the meeting were also senior leader LK Advani and BJP president Amit Shah.


Yesterday, MPs from Uttar Pradesh were hosted by the Prime Minister to celebrate the party's tremendous win in the politically-strategic state. They were also cautioned against seeking favours from the new Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath.


Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah said Yogi Adityanath must be allowed to focus on turning around the law and order problems in UP, and that phoning him to influence the transfer of officials or to seek appointments for friends and family is strictly off-limits.

The Bharatiya Janata Partyon Friday castigated Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad for his unruly behaviour with an Air India staffer and called for corrective measures to ensure that such shameful conduct is never ever repeated in public life.

BJP leader Shaina NC dubbed Gaikwad's action as obnoxious and asserted that ball is now in the Shiv Sena's court.

"Mr Gaikwad's behaviour is not just obnoxious; it needs to be condemned univocally. Any Member of Parliament, corporate or elected representative taking the law into his hand and beating up an employee is so shameful. I think corrective measures must be taken at every party-level and where the introspection is based on conduct in public life," she said.

"As far as the Civil Aviation Ministry is concerned, two FIRs have been launched. It is for the Shiv Sena and Mr Uddhav Thackeray to decide what corrective measures should be taken, it is not for us to be moral guardians of other political parties," he added.

Echoing similar sentiments, Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said that Gaikwad's action was in bad taste and asserted that such incidents hurt the sentiments of the people.

"The Shiv Sena MP's actions were in really bad taste. Behaviour of an elected representative hurts the sentiments of the common man. Such actions cannot be justified," said Naqvi.

However, a day after two FIRs were registered against him for hitting a 60-year-old Air India staffer with his slipper and for forcibly holding the flight and delaying it for 40 minutes, Gaikwad today remained unapologetic about the incident and dared the Delhi Police to arrest him.

PM Narendra Modi hands over a chaadar to be offered at the Dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti at Ajmer Sharif to Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Dr Jitendra Singh in New Delhi.

Pakistani officials have hosted seven Taliban leaders in Islamabad to try and press them into peace talks ahead of a multination meeting in April in Moscow, according to two Taliban officials. Read more

Ravindra Gaikwad, the Shiv Sena MP who slapped an elderly Air India employee 25 times because he was asked to disembark a flight, has said that he will not apologise.


"I dare the Delhi police to arrest me... I will not apologize, he (Air India manager) must come to me and apologize," Gaikwad told reporters today, claiming that "a 60-year-old man must know how to behave" and suggesting that his party will stand by him.

"Uddhav-ji will take care of it," the MP said when asked if his party will step in.

The Shiv Sena has not announced any action against him.

The MP refused to disembark from the plane for nearly 45 minutes after he landed last morning in Delhi from Pune.  

An Air India manager - Shiv Kumar - boarded the plane to persuade the MP to exit the plane. He was then hit repeatedly. In his letter of complaint, the manager wrote of being humiliated publicly and his glasses being broken during the sustained abuse.
"God help our country if this is the behaviour and culture of our MPs," he said.

The national carrier has filed two FIRs against the MP, known for his strong-arm tactics, while the Shiv Sena has sought an explanation from him. While one FIR relates to assault, the other is for holding up the aircraft.

Police said the officer, Sukumar, has been sent for medical examination and based on its report a case will be registered.


Image: A screenshot of the MP with the Air India stewardess who pleaded with him to disembark the flight.

Watch! The braveheart AI woman who saved her colleague from being thrown down the airstair by the Sena MP.

In a peculiar move that could only be described as the Censor Board being more loyal than the king, the Board has demanded a crucial line to be cut from a forthcoming movie'"not because it's obscene, defamatory, or racially/communally sensitive, reports Mid Day.


But because three words in it are the same as the title of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's monthly radio address to the nation, Mann Ki Baat!


In the final scene of Dakxin Chhara's film 'Sameer', a series of twists reveals the actual identity of the lead character (Subrat Dutta). The villain (Zeeshan Mohamed), at this point tells him, "Ek mann ki baat kahoon? Tum character accha bana lete ho!" The hero retorts, "Waise sir, chai se ch***ya banana aap hi se seekha hai!"


While the Board had no objection to the expletive in the second line, and could place it in the context of a character who always offers tea during conversations in the film, director Chhara says, "They categorically asked for the words 'Mann ki baat' to be removed from the first sentence. When I approached the Censor Board chief Pahlaj Nihalani, he told me: PM ka radio show hai, delete the line.

Read more

Aparna Yadav, Mulayam Singh Yadav's daughter-in-law, met with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath this morning along with her husband Prateek Yadav, the Samajwadi chief's younger son. The meeting was brushed off by the party as a "courtesy call".

Around 9 am, Aparna and Prateek Yadav arrived with a bouquet of peach roses at the guest house where Adityanath has been staying since his swearing-in. His official residence at Kalidas Marg has been sanctified, but the CM is yet to move in.


The Yadavs spent about 30 minutes with the CM, say reports.

Aparna Yadav, the 'chhoti bahu' in the Yadav family and the sister-in-law of former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, fought the election as a Samajwadi Party candidate in a Lucknow seat but lost to the BJP's Rita Bahuguna Joshi.

Before the election campaign, Akhilesh Yadav and Aparna and Prateek Yadav were seen on opposite sides of the Yadav family war.

In October last year, eyebrows were raised when Aparna Yadav clicked a selfie with PM Modi at a family function that he attended in Lucknow and has been open about her admiration of him.

Aparna Yadav married Prateek Yadav in 2011, who is the younger son from his second wife.


Image: Aparna Yadav and Prateek Yadav (not in picture) arrive at the VVIP Guest House to meet UP CM Yogi Adityanath.

The shocking incident of Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad assaulting an Air India Duty Manager is not under the domain of the Speaker, leaving the matter almost entirely in the hands of the police.


According to sources, the matter is not in the Speaker's domain because the incident took place outside the Parliament.


According to the procedure the police is supposed to inform the Speaker's office on the action against the MP.


Yesterday, Gaikwad wrote a letter to Civil Aviation Minsiter Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, while listing out the problems faced by him in the flight.


Gaikwad in his letter said that he was misled by Air India and stated that he was given business class ticket, but later he came to know that there was no business class section in the flight.


Listing his problems, the Shiv Sena MP asked the Aviation Minsiter and the Speaker to probe the matter and to find the reason behind these issues highlighted by him.

Kapil Sibal @KapilSibal says it for all of us. "Sad that Tunda kebabs cannot be savoured after 70 years . Essential part of our diverse culture . Enemies of our heritage have taken over."


A must-visit in Lucknow, the 112-year-old Tunday Kababi, was shut for two days after the UP government ordered a crackdown on illegal meat shops and slaughterhouses.

The owners had to shut shop because of a scarcity of buffalo meat in the state capital, which had its four slaughterhouses sealed between 2013 and 2015.  Cow slaughter is banned in India.

It reopened late Thursday evening, but its menu did not include the famous "badey ka kabab' or buffalo meat kebabs. Instead, the restaurant served chicken and mutton kebabs. 

Stock markets opened higher today with the benchmark BSE Sensex advancing by 113 points in early trade on continued buying by investors in banking and FMCG stocks.


The 50-share Nifty of National Stock Exchange also regained 9,100 level by rising 32.80 points to 9,119.10 with 30 of index constituents making advances.


Recovery in the rupee against the dollar supported the positive sentiment in stock markets, brokers said. After opening higher at 29,350.60 points, the Sensex rose further to 29,445.67 points in early trade, showing gains of 113.51 points or 0.39 per cent over last close.


The gauge had gained 164.48 points to settle at 29,332.16 points in the previous session.

The government is working on an institutional mechanism to check "undesirable flight behaviour" while Air India is mulling preparing a no-fly list for unruly passengers.

The Federation of Indian Airlines, the apex industry body which has been formed by the scheduled carriers in India, has barred Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad. 

Amid the outrage over Yogi Adityanath's anti-Romeo squads rounding up so called harassers of women in Uttar Pradesh, the principal of a college in Meerut has said that women in India shouldn't have boyfriends at all.