The 28-year-old British woman who was found dead near a beach in south Goa on Tuesday was raped before she was murdered, a police officer said today, citing the post-mortem report.

The autopsy conducted by a panel of doctors of the Goa Medical College and Hospital has confirmed the woman was sexually assaulted before she was throttled, according to the police.

The disrobed body of the woman, who had a British passport, was found at an isolated spot near a beach in Devbag village, located about 80 km from Panaji, on Tuesday.

According to police, her face was smashed by the accused apparently to conceal her identity.

"The cause of death was compression of neck and the cerebral damage after she was hit on head with a beer bottle. The autopsy has confirmed that she was raped before murder," Deputy Superintendent of Police (Canacona) Sammy Tavares said.

Police had yesterday arrested Vikas Bhagat, a local history-sheeter, in connection with the murder. He was remanded in seven-day judicial custody by a local court. -- PTI

Amid growing calls for restructuring the Congress after its debacle in Uttar Pradesh, senior leader Mani Shankar Aiyar today stressed on the need for forging a 'grand alliance' as the party 'cannot defeat BJP and Modi alone'.

Aiyar called for forging fresh alliances to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party and strengthening the party by bringing in young leaders.

"It is very clear that Congress cannot alone take on the BJP. It would be foolish to say that today Congress can alone defeat Modi. But one would be sensible to say that after such results we can win and will win in 2019 polls by fighting him unitedly by forging alliances," he said.

We have to admit that on the basis of seats, it has been BJP's victory, Aiyar said.

"I feel that on the basis of seats, we have suffered a very big loss. But it is not that people have voted for Modi in 2017 or even in 2014, as more than 69 per cent did not vote for Modi in 2014 and around 59 per cent have not voted for him in 2017 in Uttar Pradesh," he said.

About Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, he said he faced no challenge from within the party.

Admitting that the Congress' space in national politics was shrinking, he said there was a need to bring in fresh young faces, including those from different regions, in leadership role. -- PTI

The Nationalist Congress Party has issued a show-cause notice to its lone Goa MLA Churchill Alemao for supporting the Bharatiya Janata Party-led alliance during the trust vote in the assembly today.

The BJP, which won 13 seats in the recently-concluded assembly elections, mustered up the support of 22 legislators while 16 Congress MLAs voted against the trust motion.

The NCP notice to Alemao said he 'violated the party discipline by participating in the meeting of BJP and supported them in formulation of their government without seeking the consent of the central leadership, which is against the party's constitution'.

NCP's working committee member S R Kohli, who sent the notice, also said that Alemao had seven days to explain why necessary disciplinary action should not be taken as per anti-defection law and party's constitution.

Alemao, a former chief minister of the state, defeated his nearest rival from the Aam Aadmi Party by 5,191 votes from Benaulim constituency.

The Indian delegation in Islamabad consisting MPs Dr Shashi Tharoor, Swapan Dasgupta and Meenakshi Lekhi meets Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf chief Imran Khan. Photograph: Kind courtesy Shashi Tharoor/Instagram

Actor Akshay Kumar has donated Rs 9 lakh each to the families of the 12 Central Reserve Police Force personnel who were killed in a recent Naxal ambush in Chhattisgarh.

Officials said, soon after the incident, the actor approached the Union Home Ministry with a request to obtain the bank account numbers of the family members of the jawans who were killed in the March 11 ambush as he wanted to make a monetary donation to them.

They said the Ministry, accepting Kumars request, directed the CRPF to share the bona fide bank account numbers of the families of the slain personnel.

Kumar, they said, transferred Rs 9 lakh each in the bank accounts on Wednesday.

'Kumar's gesture exhibits his patriotism and devotion towards the country in general and CRPF in particular,' the paramilitary force said in a statement.

The 12 personnel were killed in a deadly ambush in Chhattisgarh's worst Naxal-hit district of Sukma on March 11 when they were out on a patrol.

The deceased CRPF personnel have been identified as Inspector Jagjit Singh, Assistant Sub-inspectors H B Bhatt and Narender Kumar Singh, head constables Jagdish Prasad Vishnoi and P R Minde and constables Mangesh Pal Pandey, Rampal Singh Yadav, Goraknath, Nand Kumar Patra, Satish Kumar Verma, K Shankar and Suresh Kumar.

Four unidentified men looted Rs 1.5 crore from an ATM cash-van of State Bank of India in the Dharavi area in Mumbai today, police said.

The incident occurred near the ONGC building on Sion-Bandra Link Road when the van had stopped in front of an ATM for refilling cash.

Four unidentified men approached the van and fled with a cash box containing Rs 1.5 crore, said Deputy Commissioner of Police Ashok Dudhe.

Further probe was on, he added.

Representative image.

The Goods and Services Tax Council has approved State GST and Union Territory GST law.

Addressing the media in New Delhi, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said:

"Cess on demerit goods capped at 15 per cent. Supporting GST laws will now be taken to the Cabinet and then to Parliament for approval.

"GST Council will meet on March 31 for framing of rules for Goods and Service Tax regime.

"Tax rates for various goods and services to be taken up after framing of rules; hopefully GST will be implemented from July 1.

"For the purpose of empowerment, cap of cess on demerit goods on top of peak rate of GST has been kept at 15 per cent."

 In what may be seen as a good news for all, injured Central Reserve Police Force Commanding personnel Chetan Cheeta's medical condition has shown some improvement.

Cheeta has now been shifted to normal ward from the Intensive Care Unit and is off the ventilator since five days.

'Finally our prayers got answered #ChetanCheeta's condition is improving, shifted to normal ward from ICU & ventilator has been off since 05 days,' CRPF's official Twitter handle apprised of the same.

Earlier on March 7, it was reported that Chetan was in critical condition.

The Commandant of the 45 Battalion of the CRPF, who sustained multiple wounds during an encounter with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Bandipora district on February 14, is admitted to the AIIMS trauma centre.

Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat had also visited the officer to take cognisance of his medical condition.

As many as three army personnel were killed and seven others injured in the encounters in the Hajin area of Bandipora.

One Lashkar-e-Tayyaba terrorist was also killed in the encounter.

The Indian Army officers recovered both arms and ammunitions.

President Donald Trump released a $1.1 trillion budget outline Thursday that proposes a $54 billion increase in defense spending and corresponding cuts to non-defense spending at the State Department, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Environmental Protection Agency and the wholesale elimination of other federal programs. Read more

A shooting at a school in the southern French town of Grasse has injured at least two people, police sources say. One man has been arrested but another suspect is on the run, report the BBC. France has now issued a terror alert.

A man carrying several weapons attacked the Tocqueville school during the morning. Anti-terrorist commandos from the elite Raid force are at the scene, says the French news channel BFMTV.

The government sent out a warning of a terrorist attack via its mobile app.
Grasse is the capital of France's perfume industry.


Representational image.

Newly elected UP BJP MLAs to meet in Lucknow on March 18 to elect the legislature party leader, UP BJP General Secretary Vijay Bahadur Pathak, announced. BJP's central observers - Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu and national general secretary Bhupendra Yadav - will be present at the meeting. 

The electronic voting machines are "fully tamper-proof, as ever", the Election Commission said today dismissing claims of BSP supremo Mayawati and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who had questioned their reliability.


In a strongly-worded statement, the Commission said "baseless, speculative and wild allegations are being made which deserve to be rejected".


The poll panel said it did not receive specific complaints or concrete material from political parties and candidates about alleged tampering of EVMs during recently held election process. It said the BSP's representation on EVM tampering was without any specific allegation and it had rejected the claim of the party.


"Such concerns about alleged tamperability of ECI-EVM have been raised earlier also since their introduction including before high court and the Supreme Court.


"These allegations have been dismissed. ECI unequivocally reiterates that given effective technical and administrative safeguards, EVMs are not tamperable and integrity of electoral process is preserved," it said.


The EC's rebuttal came a day after Mayawati said she will move court against the alleged tampering of EVMs. Kejriwal too had alleged that EVMs may have been tampered with in Punjab, adding "it is about the credibility of the Election Commission and the faith of people in the electoral system. We have strong prima facie evidence of foul play."


The Commission today said that so far, no one has been able to actually demonstrate that EVMs used by the Election Commission can be tampered with or manipulated.


It said "what has been demonstrated or claimed to have been demonstrated is on a privately assembled look-alike of ECI-EVMs and not the actual ECI-EVMs." Electronics Corporation of India Ltd and Bharat Electronics Ltd are the two PSUs which manufacture the EVMs for EC.

Vishvajeet Rane, the Congress MLA who quit the party today and went missing during the floor test, on Rahul Gandhi. He had written to the Congress VP complaining about the party's senior leaders. "Have not got any reply from him, have no hopes for the same. Don't want to comment on him."

One hurt in letter bomb at IMF's Paris office: Reports AFP quoting sources

Queen Elizabeth II has given her Royal Assent to the Brexit bill, clearing the way for UK PM Theresa May to start talks to leave the European Union, reports the BBC.


The European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill was passed by MPs and peers on Monday.


It allows the prime minister to notify Brussels that the UK is leaving the EU, with a two year process of exit negotiations to follow.Mrs May says she will trigger the process by the end of the month.It is unlikely to happen next week to avoid a clash with an informal summit of EU countries.


The meeting will mark the 60th anniversary of the Treaties of Rome, which established the European Economic Community, and in turn became the European Union.

BJP UP state unit president Keshav Prasad Maurya admitted to ICU ward of Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in Delhi. RML Hospital said Maurya has problems related to blood pressure and would remain under observation today and would be discharged tomorrow.

 The party has still still not committed to its UP chief ministerial pick, but with BJP president Amit Shah saying that the party would endorse its state unit president's choice, Maurya's chances at the top job in the state are virtually ruled out since he can hardly put his own name in the list of contenders. Maurya is a prominent OBC face in the BJP and rose in the ranks with the backing of the Sangh and like the PM used to be tea seller in his initial days.

The crisis in the Goa Congress is escalating. After the party failed to stake claim to form government in Goa, despite emerging as the single largest party in the 40-member assembly, Vishwajit Rane, the party's Valpoi MLA and son of former Goa chief minister Pratapsingh Rane, quit the party in a huff.

Upended by Manohar Parrikar and the BJP's alacrity, the Congress failed to form a government in the state. Speaking to Rediff.com's Prasanna D Zore on the phone from Goa, Pratapsingh Rane said he would fight against the high-handedness of his rivals in staking claim and forming the government in the state.

When asked if he too was resigning from his constituency Poriem, the former chief minister shot back, Remember this: I do not wish to resign. If I have to resign I will call a press conference. I am not going to resign. I have no cause to resign. I will fight it out.

He refused to answer why his son resigned from the Congress as well as from his seat.

You ask him, he said.

Attempts to reach Vishwajit Rane failed.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said he wished to keep working and urged others to do the same too. He spoke at the BJPs parliamentary party meeting where he was felicitated over the Bharatiya Janata Partys performance in assembly elections.


A BJP leader who attended the meeting said: Modiji said he will keep working and asked us to do the same. He said that he will not sit idle and will not let anyone sit idle. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar told the media that the Prime Minister urged BJP members to make youth ambassadors of the governments public welfare works.


According to Kumar, Modi said youngsters depend on mobile phones more than on newspapers and TV channels to get information and stressed on the need to use this medium of communication to tap them.


The BJP has planned various programmes across the country from April 6 the day when the BJP was formed to April 14, the birth anniversary of B.R. Ambedkar.


The Prime Minister asked party leaders to work during this week to give a boost to the use of BHIM app, a digital payment application, by educating the masses about it and helping them download it, Kumar said.


Modi also urged the party leaders to publicise Ambedkars works and contributions. BJP President Amit Shah, who was present in the meeting, set the tone for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Shah said the partys win in the state assembly polls was an outcome of peoples vote against casteism, nepotism and appeasement.

Actress Mischa Barton says she decided to speak publicly about attempts to sell a sex tape of her to prevent other women suffering the same "pain and humiliation".

Barton appeared at a news conference in Los Angeles after her lawyers obtained a court restraining order over the video and photographs. Police have also begun an investigation, reported Independent. "I came forward to fight this not only for myself but for all the women out there. I want to protect them from the pain and humiliation that I have had to go through. No woman should have to go through this," the British-born actress said.


The images were recorded last year by someone she had a relationship with, but without Barton's consent. It is claimed they have been offered for sale to the highest bidder. "My absolute worst fear was when I realised that someone I thought I loved and trusted was filming my most intimate and private moments without my consent, with hidden cameras. "Then I learned something even worse: that someone is trying to sell these videos and make them public. It is a very hard thing to do but I am glad that I am finally standing up for myself."


Her lawyer Lisa Bloom told reporters that the images were a form of domestic abuse and the restraining order forbids the defendant from distributing, showing, giving or selling them. She said anyone who passes the images along would be considered an agent of the person who took the images and would be covered under the restraining order.

Three NDTV India editors offered a prime time apology on air on March 15 for running a story on a 16 year old Assamese singer being issued a fatwa, the media watcher website, The Hoot, reports. Said anchor Ravish Kumar with an embarrassed smile, "the Assamese CM had even assured protection to the girl on our channel", based on their story, presumably. The  report seems to have been based on a leaflet which did not actually have the singer's name or mention ISIS, one of the editors said.  But the story spread quickly and said that the girl's opposition to ISIS had irked the `maulanas'.  Seems like this one was as baseless as it can get. 

Read the Nahid Afrin story here.

@ANI_news  Sonia Gandhi is travelling abroad for health check-up.Rahul Gandhi shall travel there&accompany her on the return journey: Randeep Surjewala


@sagarikaghose Sagarika Ghose Retweeted ANI Bye bye @OfficeOfRG have a nice break! All this politics stuff is just so exhausting..


@abdullah_omar  Omar Abdullah Retweeted Sagarika Ghose
That's a low blow. His mother isn't well & he's flying out to accompany her back. Catch him on a beach or at a party & then take this dig.

@abdullah_omar  I don't know a single journalist who doesn't take time off from work as & when it's due to them & certainly none who work 365 days a year!

Don't head to the post office today or the expect any reply from the income tax department.

Central government employees in departments such as postal, income-tax, Survey of India, Census, Central Groundwater Board, and atomic power, are on strike today to protest the 'betrayal' by the Centre with regard to the 'low' wage hike recommended by the 7th Pay Commission and other long-pending demands. The country-wide strike call, given by the Confederation of Central Government Employees, will include Gramin Dak Sevaks, casual, contract and part-time workers, according to a statement by M Krishnan, Secretary General of the confederation.


The confederation, which had given a strike call on February 16, had postponed it to March 16 following the announcement of Assembly polls in five States.


In the Rajya Sabha today, senior CPI-M leader Tapan Kumar Sen said millions of central government employees are on strike today to protest against non-filling of vacancies, which has increased to 40 per cent of the total posts. He also said the government has "betrayed" the employees by not honouring the commitments to trade unions that the minimum wages recommended by the Pay Commission would be revised upwards.

Soon after the Bharatiya Janata Party emerged successful in the crucial floor test with the support of 22 legislators, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar today trained his guns on Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh and said that the latter had come to the coastal state for luxury and not to work.


"The Congress coming down for the floor test was possibly all a hype because it was being demanded that Digvijaya should be kept down as the general secretary. He had to do something. This happens when you come to Goa just to enjoy, not to work," Parrikar told the media.


Parrikar asserted that by proving their majority in the 40-member assembly, they have busted the Congress' myth of "having numbers" in their favour.


"The resolution motion was passed with 22 to 16, with the Speaker also supporting the ruling coalition making it the support of 23 MLAs. We have proved our majority to the whole of India as the live coverage was being sent to almost every section of the media, debunking Digvijaya's claims that they had numbers. They didn't have any numbers since the beginning," he said.

"There were wild allegations being made. Those with coloured glasses were making those allegations. But, as you could see people came and voluntarily supported us. They were not kept in a hotel room or a secluded common place," he added.


Parrikar steered clear of any questions on Congress MLA Vishwajit Rane, who had written a letter to party vice-president Rahul Gandhi complaining about the senior party leaders for their slow decision making that cost them the chance to form the government in Goa and Manipur.

Rebel Congress MLA Vishwajit Rane, who went missing when the floor test in the Goa Assembly took place this morning, has resigned.

In fact, he resigned from the party immediately after Manohar Parrikar proved his majority in the state assembly.

Rane who had questioned the leadership in Congress said the party has broken the trust of people of Goa and is responsible for destroying the mandate given by them. "Congress have betrayed the trust of people of Goa and I resign from the party. The party is solely responsible for destroying the mandate given by the people of Goa," said Rane speaking to news channels.

Interestingly, when the floor test was happening this afternoon, Rane could not be traced.

Chandrakant Kavlekar, Cong MLA said, "We tried to find out if he was in the washroom, but could not find him. We tried to contact him, but he was untraceable. He was with us in the morning and signed on the whip too. Even his father doesn't know where he is."

Now you do.

Union Minister Smriti Irani visits the Somnath temple in Gujarat. With her in the picture is her husband Zubin Irani. Ahead of the five-state poll results, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP prez Amit Shah had also visited the temple and offered prayers.

Modi, who is one of the trustees of the Somnath Temple Trust, performed Jalabhishek and offered his respects to Lord Shiva amid chants by the temple priests.

They were also accompanied by trust chairman Keshubhai Patel. 

When the results for the Rae Bareli assembly seat came in on March 11, Aditi Singh (Congress) had won 128,319 votes, Mohammad Shabaz Khan of the BSP had won 39,156 votes and the BJP's Anit Srivastava had won 28,821 votes.  It was a stunning victory for the US-educated rookie Congress candidate and a wise decision for the Congress to allow her to contest. Had it not been for Aditi, the party may have lost this seat too and notched just six seats. Rediff.com's A Ganesh Nadar finds out what drives the young woman from Rae Bareli. Do read

Four Islamist militants, including a woman, were killed today when security forces stormed their hideout in Bangladesh's port city of Chittagong amid an intensified nationwide crackdown on extremists in the Muslim-majority country that has witnessed a spate of terror attacks.


"So far, we have found four bodies. Two of them were wearing suicide vests and died in the blast and two others died when hit by police bullets," police's Chittagong Range Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Shafiqul Islam told reporters. He said that three policemen have been injured after grenades were lobbed from inside. The killed militants include a woman, police said.

So Who will replace Mallikarjuna Kharge as Leader of the Congress party in the Lok Sabha? Kharge has been promoted to chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee from April which was reported first by Rediff.com, while Captain Amrender Singh is the new chief minister of Punjab.

All eyes are now on Congress VP Rahul Gandhi and the party feels it's about time he takes up leadership of the Congress Parliamentary Party
and becomes Leader of Opposition ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

And if that does happen, will Jyotiraditya Scindia, a close aide of Rahul, become deputy leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party or will it be someone from Kerala?

This is the first time that the Congress has made the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha as the Chairman of the PAC.

The Congress won 44 seats in the Lok Sabha in the polls. The main opposition party is required to have at least 55 MPs in the Lok Sabha or 10 per cent of it total strength of 545. However, the Speaker of Lok Sabha can confer the status on his or her discretion.

The crippling defeat of Congress-Samajwadi Party alliance has hurt the prestige of the Gandhi family by putting question marks on future projects under Rahul Gandhis leadership and Priyanka Gandhis assumed political instincts.

And in the Tamil Nadu assembly, the K Palaniswami government today presented its maiden budget where a reference to AIADMK General Secretary V K Sasikala by Finance Minister D Jayakumar invited strong protests from the opposition DMK. DMK, which demanded that the remarks be expunged, also tried to raise the issue of a no confidence motion proposed by it against Speaker P Dhanapal.


But the Speaker said he would stick to the day's agenda of presentation of the budget and possibly take up the matter later during this session. Soon after commencing his budget speech, Jayakumar paid tributes to late chief Minister Jayalalithaa and later thanked "honourable Chinnamma' (Sasikala).


At this point, Leader of the Opposition M K Stalin sprang to his feet and questioned how the name of a person convicted by the court could be raised in the Assembly. He was supported by party MLAs who were seen making loud protests. In the meantime, the Speaker asked the Finance Minister to pause his budget speech for a while and allowed Stalin to speak. Questioning mention of Sasikala's name, Stalin said the Speaker does not even allow sub-judice matters to be raised.


File picture. Sasikala is doing jail time.

Goa CM Manohar Parrikar after the trust vote:

"Digvijaya's (Congress senior leader) claims that they have numbers, debunked. Right from the beginning they didn't have numbers. It was only hype, possibly because there was a demand that was coming that Digvijaya step down as Gen secretary. 

On horse-trading: "Wild allegations being made, those with coloured glasses make those allegation. Everyone voluntarily came and voted, none of them were kept in a hotel room or secluded common place as was the case of opposition."

On question of a need of deputy CM: It is a government of coalition & decision in this regard will be taken by the coalition

Goa floor test update: 16 MLAs opposed, 22 supported and one was absent during the Goa floor test. Congress MLA Vishwajeet Rane walks out of the Assembly during the trust vote. All the 22 MLAs who had said they would be supporting the BJP voted for the party. The Congress, in fact, had one abstainment.

The Goa floor test happened because the Supreme Court directed the Congress to prove their majority in the Assembly after the party filed a plea that it should be allowed to form government since it was in majority with 17 seats in the 40-member house, as opposed to the BJP's 13. The SC then directed that a floor test be conducted with all "pre-requisites, including the formalities required by the Election Commission" and putting in place the senior most member in the assembly as the protem speaker.


Speaking after the trust vote, Parrikar said wild allegations were being made, but the voting was conducted in a free and fair manner. The Speaker will be selected on March 27, the CM said. He said by April the government's common minimum programme would be framed keeping development in mind.

Goa floor test update: 16 MLAs opposed, 22 supported and one was absent during the Goa floor test

The Goa floor test happened because the Supreme Court directed the Congress to prove their majority in the Assembly after the party filed a plea that it should be allowed to form government since it was in majority with 17 seats in the 40-member house, as opposed to the BJP's 13. The SC then directed that a floor test be conducted with all "pre-requisites, including the formalities required by the Election Commission" and putting in place the senior most member in the assembly as the protem speaker.

Congress MLA Vishwajeet Rane walks out of the Assembly.

Speaking after the trust vote, Parrikar said wild allegations were being made, but the voting was conducted in a free and fair manner. The Speaker will be selected on March 27, the CM said. He said by April the government's common minimum programme would be framed keeping development in mind.

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar wins the floor test with the support of 22 MLAs.


The BJP along with its 13 elected members have the support of members of the regional parties -- Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (3) and Goa Forward Party (3) -- and the thee Independents taking the tally to 22 to attain the magic figure in the 40-member House.

Parrikar was the first to arrive this morning at the state assembly to seek a vote of confidence to prove that he has majority support.

He said he was confident he has done everything to ensure that at least 21 of the state's 40 legislators will back him today. As each of the new allies reconfirmed support to Parrikar this morning, Congress sources said the party has given up trying to pull apart the coalition that the BJP has constructed.

A Hizbul Mujahideen commander Zakir Musa has posted a video on the social media urging protestors in Kashmir to turn to stone pelting on the security forces.


Musa has succeeded Burhan Wani, who was killed in July last year.In the video, Musa said the protestors should not pelt stones in the name of nationalism, 'but for Islam'.


He also warned the Jammu and Kashmir Police of alarming consequences which can take place due to an upcoming 'war' and asked them to stop supporting the armed forces.


Musa requested the youth to inform about the movement of forces in their area by posting the information on the social media.


The young commander in his monologue dismissed the idea of democracy while calling everyone to turn towards Islam.


He added that things like nationalism and democracy are 'haraam' in Islam.


This is the third video message from the militant commander since last year.


In the first two videos, he made similar threats against Kashmir police.

Last month, Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat said those Kashmiris supporting terrorists would be considered anti-national.Urging the local people to extend their support to the security forces trying to maintain peace in the Valley, Rawat said they would not be spared if they continue resorting to negative acts.


General Rawat expressed his disappointment about the involvement of local people in terrorist acts, whether directly or indirectly.

Union minister Venkaiah Naidu on Congress allegations that the BJP used money power to get its numbers in Goa and Manipur:  Congress allegations of snatching power in Goa and Manipur are absurd and baseless. Congress could not stake claim of proving majority in the two states; is yet to learn lessons from past.

Judges whose rulings have gone against the BJP and its leaders are discovering that their prospects for advancement have been blocked.
Read Supreme Court lawyer Dushyant Dave's column here.

Britain's Prince William and his wife Kate will pay an official visit to Paris tomorrow and Saturday, months before the 20th anniversary of the death of William's mother Diana in a car crash in the French capital. The second-in-line to the throne and his spouse will meet President Francois Hollande and launch a initiative called "Les Voisins" (The Neighbours) designed to foster closer relations between the two countries at a time when Britain is set to begin the formal process of leaving the European Union.


The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will also host a black-tie dinner at the British Embassy and attend a Six Nations rugby match between France and Wales at the national stadium on Saturday. It will be the 34-year-old prince's first engagement as patron of the Welsh Rugby Union since taking over the role from his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. The couple will be travelling without their children, three-year-old George and one-year-old Charlotte.

Pakistani journalist, Aroosa Alam at the Capt Amarinder Singh's swearing in.

Now that Punjab is done and dusted, focus your attention on Goa.

The Manohar Parrikar-led BJP government is set to face a floor test in the Assembly in a short while from now. Parrikar, who was sworn in on Tuesday, stepped down as the Defence Minister to head back to his home state, is confident of a comfortable win in the crucial test.


Parrikar has claimed support of 22 MLAs, two more than the halfway mark of 20 in the 40-member Assembly. The Congress, which emerged as the single largest party in state winning 17 seats has accused the BJP, which won 13 seats, of using money power to garner support from other smaller parties and independent MLAs.


Ahead of the floor test, Congress party's Vishwajeet Rane  said as of now he is going to vote for the Congress though he is disillusioned with the party.

Parrikar, who reached the state Assembly this morning, said he is confident of winning the floor test.

Congress' Goa in-charge  Digvijaya Singh said his party will topple the BJP-led government.

The Delhi HC dismisses Zakir Naik's Islamic Research Foundation's plea challenging the Centre's decision to ban the organisation. The court observes that the Centre's decision to ban Naik's organisation was taken to safeguard sovereignty and integrity of India.

The Centre has banned IRF, the NGO of the controversial Islamic preacher, as an 'unlawful organisation' for five years. The ban has been enforced under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and approved at a meeting of the Union Cabinet.

Read:Why Zakir Naik is dangerous

At the swearing-in ceremony of the Punjab cabinet, after Captain Amarinder Singh was sworn in as the CM, a little drama.


Navjot Singh Sidhu, 53, who was the second person to be sworn in, touched Captain's feet in a show of respect. Sidhu, who had dithered between the AAP and the Congress, is a prize catch for the party. Reports indicate that while Sidhu expects compensation in the form of the deputy CM's post, it may not come his way.

Soon after the oath ceremony, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, "Congratulations @capt_amarinder on taking oath as CM. Wishing you the very best in working for Punjab's development.

PM Narendra Modi tweets @narendramodi Congratulations @capt_amarinder on taking oath as CM. Wishing you the very best in working for Punjab's development.

Congress VP Rahul Gandhi and former PM Dr Manmohan Singh at the swearing in ceremony of the Punjab cabinet.

Amarinder, who turned 75 on March 11 when assembly results were declared, was sworn-in as the states 26th chief minister along with nine cabinet ministers.

The ceremony took place at Punjab Raj Bhavan and the oath was administered by Punjab Governor V P Singh Badnore.

The state can have a maximum of 18 ministers. The Congress has 77 MLAs in the assembly.

That's Manpreet Badal (the estranged nephew of former Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal) taking oath of office.

Nine cabinet ministers are being sworn in, but portfolios are not being announced today. The party's senior-most legislator Brahm Mohindra was sworn in first, followed by Navjot Singh Sidhu, Manpreet Badal (the estranged nephew of former Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal). Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, and the state's richest legislator Rana Gurjit Singh will also be ministers.

Captain Amarinder Singh sworn in as Punjab CM.

Congress party biggies are at the swearing in ceremony. This is the only government the party has been able to form in the just-held five state elections.

Dr Manmohan Singh, Rahul Gandhi, Ajay Maken, Raj Babbar, Sidhu (who is likely to be cabinet minister, but may not be the deputy CM), are at the ceremony at Raj Bhavan.

Captain's cabinet team will also include Manpreet Singh Badal, the estranged nephew of outgoing Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. Manpreet Badal was finance minister in the Badal government of the Akali Dal before he drifted away and launched the People's Party of Punjab, which later merged with the Congress.

The Sensex rebounded by over 206 points and the NSE Nifty scaled a life-time high of 9,143 in opening trade today amid a firming trend in global markets after the US Fed hiked the key lending rate. The Federal Reserve, as expected, raised the benchmark interest rate by a quarter percentage point, but gave a more dovish outlook for future hikes. The rupee was in a sweet spot, strengthening by another 47 paise to hit a fresh 16-month high of 65.22 against the dollar. The 30-share index surged 206.40 points, or 0.70 per cent, to 29,604.51. The gauge had shed 44.52 points in the previous session. All the indices, led by metal, infrastructure and capital goods, advanced with gains up to 1.24 per cent. The NSE index Nifty rallied by 68.10 points, or 0.74 per cent, to trade at an all-time intra-day high of 9,152.90, breaching its previous record of 9,122.75 (intra-day) touched on Tuesday.

The BJP parliamentary board meeting, which is on now, has decided to delay the formation of government in Uttar Pradesh. The board said that before deciding on the UP CM it would want a consensus of all MLAs. The board meeting was called to discuss the probable names for the chief ministerial berth in UP and Uttarakhand where it has won two-third majority in the recent assembly elections and can form the government alone. The UP CM will be sworn in tomorrow.

The board meeting was attended by the party president Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi among others. The last board meeting of the party discussed the strategy for government formation in Goa and Manipur.

The PM and the Amit Shah were also felicitated by the parliamentary board for the poll wins.

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A federal judge in Hawaii halted President Donald Trump's revised travel ban, hours before it was due to take effect, according to the AFP news agency.

US District Judge Derrick Watson ruled that Hawaii, in its legal challenge to Trump's executive order,had established a strong likelihood that the ban would cause 'irreparable injury' if it were to go ahead.

The court in Honolulu was the first to rule on a trio of legal challenges against the ban, which targets all refugees and people from six mainly Muslim countries.