Donald Trump all set to call for death penalty for drug peddlers
The White House said the Republican leader will call for capital punishment for high-volume dealers "where appropriate under current law" during a speech in Manchester, New Hampshire -- a state hard hit by the opioid crisis.   An estimated 2.4 million Americans are addicted to opioids, a class of drugs that include prescription painkillers, as well as heroin. Trump`s move is designed to burnish his tough-on-crime credentials, and he pledged to fix the crisis when he...

Vijay Mallya extradition trial returns to UK court
Liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya’s extradition trial is set for one of its final hearings at Westminster Magistrates’ Court here on Friday. The 62-year-old, who is on trial for the UK court to rule if he can be extradited to India to face charges of fraud and money laundering amounting to around Rs 9,000 crores, is on bail until April 2 and therefore not obliged to attend the hearing today. Judge Emma Arbuthnot is expected to rule on the admissibility of evidence presented by...

Railways set to remove LCD screens from trains due to non-stop vandalism
The Tejas Express was flagged off with much fanfare in July of 2017. Touted as India's first semi high-speed train, the journey between Mumbai and Goa promised to be an experience like none before. And of the highlights of the train were LCD screens for passengers - making rail travel not just comfortable but high-tech. Now, less than a year later, the screens would be permanently removed due to vandalism which refuses to abate. Indian Railways has decided to remove all LCD screens...

Infosys to open technology & innovation hub in Connecticut
India's second largest IT services company Infosys on Thursday announced that it will open its next Technology and Innovation Hub in Hartford, Connecticut, in the US. The Connecticut Technology and Innovation Hub will hire 1,000 American workers in the state by 2022. The centre will focus on insurance, healthcare and manufacturing, the company has mentioned on its website. Infosys President Ravi Kumar said the investment will further strengthen the company's ability to serve...

Modi may decide on course of RCEP trade talks
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to take the final call on whether India needs to remain engaged in the ongoing negotiations for the contentious Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) free trade agreement (FTA) or not, after a meeting convened by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) saw growing opposition to the deal from secretaries of various government departments.   The meeting was called by principal secretary to Modi, Nripendra Mishra on 6 March to...

Dry days ahead for Capital as DJB to shut water plants
t's not summers yet, but water-related issues have arrived in the Capital. Delhi Jal Board (DJB) officials have informed that two of their water treatment plants (WTPs) will be shut, affecting supply to parts of West, North, Central and South Delhi.   This is due to Haryana not releasing enough raw water in the Delhi Sub Branch and Munak Canal, and resultant depletion of water level at Wazirabad pond that is currently at 671.3ft - against the normal level of...

Trump pushes for new 'space force'
President Donald Trump said Tuesday he wants the US military to create a new "space force," adding to the Pentagon's current ground, navy and air forces.   Trump told troops at the Miramar Marine Corps Air Station near San Diego that the new group would be able to encapsulate the "tremendous amount" of work the military and government are doing in space-related defense.   "My new national strategy for space recognises that space is a...

Politics Kathmandu plane crash: Death toll at 50 in Nepal’s worst air disaster in decades
A Bangladeshi airliner crashed on Monday after making an unexpected turn in cloudy weather as it came in to land at the airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, killing at least 50 people, officials said.   There were 71 people on board the US-Bangla Airlines plane arriving from Dhaka when it clipped the fence at Kathmandu and burst into flames, said Raj Kumar Chettri, the general manager of the hill-ringed airport.   Those aboard included 33 Nepali passengers, with 32 from...

Court asks CBI to file report on seizures in probe against Nirav Modi
A special court in Mumbai on Monday directed the CBI to file a report on the documents and articles seized by the agency in its probe against diamond merchant Nirav Modi and his associates who are accused of defrauding the Punjab National Bank of Rs 12600 crore. The CBI so far has arrested about 18 people and registered three FIRs on complaints from the PNB. In an application filed in the court on behalf of Kavita Mankikar, one of the accused and associate of Nirav Modi, lawyers...

No truth in Venugopal Reddy's claims says Sridevi's brother-in-law
Legendary actress Sridevi's demise came as a big shock for the whole Indian film fraternity. The actress died of accidental drowning on February 24 in Dubai. Catch had previously reported that Venugopal Reddy, who addressed himself as Sridevi's uncle stated to media that the late legendary actress lived in pain due to Boney Kapoor's financial condition. He also stated that Boney was financially going through a tough phase which was the main reason why Sridevi got back to...

Anushka Sharma's kiss of love to Virat Kohli will make your day
Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli got married in December last year and the couple is giving major relationship and marriage goals to everyone. With every picture or video of theirs, their romantic chemistry is visible and thus, Virushka has become goals for a lot of people now. Anushka and Virat are mostly busy with their shoots and matches. But whenever they get time together, they make most of it. Today, Anushka Sharma shared a beautiful picture with Virat in which she is...

Bihar byelections: Peaceful polling amid poor turnout
Voter turnout in the three by-elections in Bihar on Sunday was relatively poor with around 55% electorate exercising their franchise. Besides, complaints of EVM malfunctioning poured in from Jehanabad and Bhabua, the two Assembly constituencies where there is a straight contest between the NDA and the Grand Alliance. "We have received a large number of complaints from Bhabua about non-functional EVMs. We have apprised the EC about it," said the acting president of Bihar...

ISRO aims to launch Chandrayaan-2
The ISRO today said it is aiming for an April launch of the Chandrayaan-2 satellite to the moon, this time it plans to send a rover to explore the lunar surface. If the April launch of the Chandrayaan-2, the country's second mission to the Moon, is not possible, then the ISRO will aim for a launch by October. "We are aiming for the launch of Chandrayaan-2 in April. In case we are unable to do so, then we will try for a launch by October," Indian Space Research...

My partner is a warrior: Irrfan's wife
Ailing actor Irrfan Khan's wife Sutapa Sikdar on Saturday said her "warrior" husband is fighting every obstacle in the path to recovery and hopes he would emerge a winner after their struggles are over. Thanking well-wishers in a Facebook post, Sutapa said her prime focus as of now was to support her husband in devising "strategies of the battlefield which I have to conquer". "My best friend and my partner is a 'warrior'. He is fighting every...

Shami on wife Hasin Jahan: She is brainwashed, under someone's influence
Indian cricketer Mohammed Shami on Saturday broke silence on the ongoing controversy with his wife Hasin Jahan, saying that people were'making fun of the entire episode'. FIR against Mohammed Shami for attempt to murder, domestic abuse   Mohammed Shami's wife Hasin Jahan had on March 7 claimed that the pacer had extra-marital affairs. "Since it is in public domain, people are making jokes and fun of the entire episode. Families from both sides are trying...

India, France sign key security deal with China in mind
China’s mighty strategic shadow hangs over an accord signed by India and France on Saturday aimed at stepping up military cooperation in the Indian Ocean. Under the deal signed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Emmanuel Macron, each country will open its naval bases to warships from the other. China’s territorial ambitions in the South China Sea already worry world powers. And its move into the vast Indian Ocean — stretching from the Suez Canal to the...

'Acche din' will do to Modi what 'India Shining' did to Vajpayee
UPA chairperson and former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Friday said the promise of "achhe din" will work against the BJP in the same manner as 'India Shining' campaign did against then Vajpayee government in the 2004 General Elections. She also said that the Congress and its allies in the United Progressive Alliance will return to power in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. "The main issue with the BJP is that they made huge fantastic promises. But what is being...

Irrfan Khan to head to the US for treatment
Irrfan Khan sent shockwaves in the industry when he announced that he has been suffering from a 'rare disease.' The actor took to Twitter to share this news and wrote, "Sometimes you wake up with a jolt with life-shaking you up. The last fifteen days, my life has been a suspense story. Little had I known that my search for rare stories would make me find a rare disease. I have never given up and have always fought for my choices and always will." ''My family and...

Shami charged with attempted murder
India fast bowler Mohammed Shami on Friday has been charged with attempted murder following his wife Hasin Jahan's complaint. In all, there are seven charges against the cricketer.  Things have got murkier since the wife accusing Shami of multiple extramarital affairs. Shami's elder brother has also been charged with rape. “My husband’s elder brother, Hasib Ahmad, raped me when I went to my in-laws' place in Uttar Pradesh last year,” said Jahan on...

Sridevi was like my sister
Veteran actor Kamal Haasan on Friday opened up about the off-screen relationship he shared with Sridevi and said that the later actress was like his sister. Haasan and Sridevi were one of the most popular on-screen pairs in the south film industry. Sridevi died in a Dubai hotel on February 24 due to accidental drowning. Her last rites were performed in Mumbai on February 28 where several Bollywood celebs and thousands of fans came together to pay their final respect to the film...

Mallya's Abandoned Luxury Yacht Seized Over Unpaid Wages in Malta
A super luxury yacht owned by absconding liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya has been seized by authorities in Malta over unpaid wages amounting to $1 million to its crew, including some Indians, according to an international traders union. Nautilus International said the 95-metre vessel named 'Indian Empress' was "arrested" to recover over $330,000 unpaid wages and other costs on behalf of its members. Mallya, who is facing an extradition trial in London over fraud and...

Hadiya's marriage restored as SC sets aside Kerala HC order, father says may file review plea
The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the validity of the marriage of Hadiya , a 26-year-old Kerala woman who converted to Islam and wed a Muslim man, overturning a Kerala high court order that annulled their marital union as a sham.   "Hadiya alias Akhila Asokan is at liberty to pursue her future endeavours according to law," a three-judge bench led by Chief Justice Dipak Misra ruled, reading out the operative part of its judgement. A reasoned order will follow later,...

Hasin Jahan files police complaint against Mohammed Shami
 A day after accusing her husband Mohammed Shami of having extra-marital affairs, Hasin Jahan has launched another scathing attack on the Team India bowler, having accused him of match-fixing. Jahan alleged that the Bengal pacer took money from a Pakistani woman by the name of Alishba under the influence of England-based businessman Mohammed Bhai.   Also read - Kohli, Shastri told of saga but here's why Mohammed Shami's BCCI contract was upheld "If...

Lokayukta attack: Rajnath speaks to Karnataka CM
Home Minister Rajnath Singh today spoke to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and expressed concern over the attack on the state Lokayukta. Officials said the chief minister apprised Singh about the incident and the condition of the Lokayukta, P Vishwanatha Shetty. They added that the home minister wished Justice Shetty a speedy recovery. Shetty was stabbed multiple times today and left bleeding profusely by a man, who had gone to his office with a complaint, only to be told...

No third party can interfere in the marriage of consenting adults: SC
When two consenting adults get married irrespective of their background, no relative or a third person can interfere or threaten or unleash violence against them, the Supreme Court today said. The Centre too told the top court that state governments must provide protection to couples fearing for their lives due to inter-caste or inter-faith marriages and such couples should inform the marriage officers of any such threat so that they can be protected. A bench headed by Chief Justice...

BCCI Pay Hike: Virat, Rohit to Make Rs 7 Cr a Year, But Not Dhoni
Among the many demands that Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri have voiced in their tenure, is the cry for better salaries for Indian cricketers. Today, the Committee of Administrators, along with the BCCI, has obliged. In an official mail sent out, the CoA has announced a drastic increase in the annual contracts of members of the Indian cricket team, along with an all new category — the A . Players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah,...

Rahul Gandhi promises Special Category Status for Andhra
Congress party President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday met Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MPs demanding Special Category Status for Andhra Pradesh and promised Special Category Status for the state Pradesh when his party comes to power in 2019. TDP MPs are protesting outside parliament building during the second phase of the budget session, in front of the Gandhi statue at Parliament in New Delhi. Rahul Gandhi, said, 'We are for Special Category Status for Andhra Pradesh. The first thing we will...

Malaysian Apple reseller cancels sale after crowds overwhelmed a mall for $50 iPhones
A Malaysian Apple reseller had to cancel its warehouse sale over the weekend after 11,000 people lined up hours before the actual event to buy iPhones priced as low as $50 USD. According to the advertisement leading up to the event, retailer Switch was selling off its stock largely consisting of demo products, including iPhone models 5S to 7, iPad minis and Pros, Apple TVs, MacBooks, iMacs, and iPod Touches. Just 10 units of the $50 iPhone 5S were up for grabs, and only one unit each of the...

Emergency in Lanka but India's T20 tri-series to go on
The BCCI today said the Tri-nation T20 series in Sri Lanka, also involving the Indian cricket team, will continue despite the country plunging into a state of emergency following communal violence. The BCCI has confirmed that the "situation is perfectly normal in Colombo" where the tournament is taking place, hours before India were to take on the hosts in the opening fixture of Nidahas Trophy at Premadasa Stadium. "There have been reports of curfew and an emergency...

Trump suggests Canada, Mexico could win tariff exemption
U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday appeared to suggest that Canada and Mexico could win exemptions to his planned sweeping tariffs on steel and aluminum if the two countries sign a new NAFTA trade deal and take other steps. He made the comments as the United States, Canada and Mexico were wrapping up their latest round of talks on revamping the 1994 NAFTA deal, and as world shares dipped again, partly on concerns that Trump's tariff plan could spark a global trade...