Four major railway stations in Delhi will soon reduce their carbon footprint with rooftop solar power plants with a total five MW capacity.

The power plants will be installed at New Delhi Railway Station, Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station, Old Delhi Railway Station and Anand Vihar Terminal Railway Station.

The Northern Railway earlier in November 2016 rolled out the tenders to install the solar power capacity to supplement the power consumption.

As per plan, the New Delhi Railway Station will have 1.1 MW solar capacity installed, Hazrat Nizamuddin 0.6 MW, Old Delhi 2.2 MW and Anand Vihar Terminal 1.1 MW.

"Although the entire power demand of the stations will not be fulfilled by this… solar capacity would help in supplementing the power demand," a Northern Railway official said.

According to Vivaan Solar, a solar installation company which has undertaken the project, this would be the first step towards making the railway stations self-sustainable in terms of power consumption.

"Roughly over 6,500 solar modules would be installed on the rooftop of these railway stations… We expect to complete the project by August… It would not be the entire capacity but it would definitely help in reducing the carbon footprint of the stations," Amit Bansal, Director Finance of Vivaan Solar, said.

The Madras High Court has partially modified its March 21 circular, directing officials at its principal seat in Chennai and the bench here, not to entertain petitions in which the union, state ministers, MPs or MLAs are cited as parties without the prior consent of its Chief Justice.

The new circular received here on Wednesday stated that the cases should be numbered only after bringing it to the notice of the Chief Justice of the court.

It said, "In partial modification of the High Court's earlier circular under reference cited, the following instructions are issued."

"As directed by the Acting chief Justice of India, all the appeal examiners and heads of filing sections of the registry, both in the Principal seat in Chennai and Madurai bench of the Madras High court are here directed to number the case in respect of cases wherein MLAs, MPs and sitting Ministers (central and state) are parties, only after bringing it to the notice of the Honourable Chief Justice."

On March 21, a circular was issued by Registrar (Judicial) P Rajamanickam to the Appeal Examiners and Heads of the filing sections of the Registry based on a directive by the Chief Justice.

At least 35 persons were killed and 28 injured in a series of attacks carried out by the Islamic State militant group in the Iraqi city of Tikrit, a security source said on Wednesday.

Most of the victims in the Tuesday night attacks in Salahudin province were civilians, EFE news quoted the source as saying.

The IS militants, disguised in military uniform, attacked security checkpoints and stormed several houses in Zuhour neighbourhood, Xinhua news agency reported.

The attackers broke into the houses and opened fire at families, a source said, adding that at least one of the attacked houses belonged to the family of a police officer.

Iraqi security forces surrounded the area to prevent them from moving to adjacent neighbourhoods, while fierce clashes with the attackers broke out in Zuhour, the source said.

At least five IS militants were killed, the source said.

Salahudin Governor imposed a curfew in the city on Wednesday morning.

The IS targets security forces, civilians and crowded markets such as cafes and mosques across Iraq.

The attacks came as the Iraqi security forces, backed by anti-IS international coalition, are carrying out a major offensive to drive out the IS from their major stronghold in the western side of Mosul.

Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor has made a plea for Pakistani players to be considered for playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) again.

The 64-year-old actor took to Twitter on Tuesday night, on the eve of the opening ceremony of the 10th edition of the premier cricket tournament.

"IPL. You got world players. Afghanistan makes debut. My plea is please consider Pakistani players. Phir match hoga! (match will happen then!) Hum bade log hain (We are big people). Please," Rishi tweeted. 

Two Afghanistan cricketers Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan will make their debut in the T20 league tournament for Sunrisers Hyderabad this year. 

Rishi's plea comes at a time when the ties between the two countries are going through a rough patch. No Pakistani player has played in the IPL after 2008.

The 10th edition of IPL will commence from Wednesday evening with Royal Challengers Bangalore playing Sunrisers Hyderabad.

There are no plans to demonetise the new Rs.2,000 currency notes, the government said on Wednesday, scotching “rumours” to this effect.

“We are seizing fake currency. As far as rumours in the market are concerned, we should not go by such rumours,” Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said in the Rajya Sabha.

He was responding to a question by Congress member Madhusudan Mistry during Question Hour seeking to know if the government will demonetise Rs.2,000 currency notes as there were “strong rumours” in the market.

The Minister said fake currency has mostly been seized from Gujarat and West Bengal. “But it is not correct that fake currencies cannot be identified. It is not true,” he said.

Counterfeit currency that came into the market after demonetisation were made of low quality paper which was easy to make out. But later fake currency notes with better quality paper started coming in, Rijiju said.

Stating that the government has adopted many new security features in the new currency notes, Rijiju said, “I can assure the House and the country that now no one can copy 100 per cent, as we have indigenous design and extra features.”

The government is more alert and has taken many measures to curb fake currency such and there were provisions for stringent action against those involved in fake currency, including setting up a coordinated committee of all intelligence agencies, providing training and creating awareness among the people, he said.

As per the data placed before the Upper House, Border Security Force has seized 378 new Rs.2,000 currency notes from Assam and West Bengal post demonetisation.

National Investigation Agency (NIA) has seized 22,677 new Rs.2,000 notes worth Rs.4.53 crore from Gujarat and West Bengal.

Veteran tennis player Leander Paes on Wednesday  started training for India’s Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group I Tie with Uzbekistan, despite the ever-increasing suspense over the home side’s doubles combination.

The 43-year-old Paes is a reserve member and trained for approximately three hours in the morning, with some junior players and coach Zeeshan Ali giving him company.

The evergreen star put in a real shift at the KSLTA hard courts, working on his serve, forehand and backhand as he built up a good sweat.

"Oh, it feels so great," Paes said during one of the breaks at the practice session.

Paes arrived in the city on Tuesday evening from Mexico amid non-playing captain Mahesh Bhupathi declining to reveal the doubles combination for the Davis Cup tie against Uzbekistan.

Paes and Rohan Bopannna have been kept as reserves by Bhupathi and it is difficult to predict whether the two veterans will get a chance to play. Paes, in particular, is in good form after having won his first Challenger title of the season in Leon, lifting the doubles title in the $75,000 Challenger Tennis Tournament on April 1.

The 43-year-old and his Canadian partner Adil Shamasdin outclassed  Luca Margaroli of Switzerland and Brazil's Calo Zamperi 6-1 6-4 in the final.

(With inputs from agencies)

With his various hit singles and chartbusting compositions, rapper Honey Singh has proved his worth.

However, it is a lesser known fact that he took his mother's help for his smashing hit single Dheere Dheere.

Yo Yo Honey Singh's mother contributed a few lines to the songs.

"Honey is very close to his mom and after the success of his song, and as his song was the first Indian song to get 200 million views, he got emotional” sources close to the singer said.

Dheere Dheere, which featured Hrithik Roshan and Sonam Kapoor, had broken all records since its release.

This song is the first Indian single to cross 200 million views. The track became special for Honey Singh and he decided to thank his mother for its success.

”As it was his mother who helped her to write the song, Honey made a compilation of his mother’s favorite songs as a small thanking gift. It was very emotional for honey to do something like this. He believes all his success is because his mom always supported him" the sources added.

Two labourers were killed by a landslide in a hill Guwahati on Wednesday, while three others died of lightning strikes across the state, police said.

The landslide triggered by heavy rainfall since one week here caused a huge chunk of earth to come down the hill and fall on the two labourers engaged by a private school for cutting earth in Bonda area.

Policemen and rescue workers pulled out bodies of the two workers identified as Saifuddin and Rahimuddin hailing from Alamganj in Dhubri district of Assam respectively.

Meanwhile, three persons including a woman were killed and as many injured in lightning strike in various parts of the state on Tuesday, police said.

The deceased belonged to Hailakandi, Bangaigaon and Karimganj districts.

Two persons injured in lightning strike were from Hailakandi district and the third one from Bongaigaon district, police said.

Diplomatic tensions visibly escalated over the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh, as China on Wednesday lodged a protest with India and said that by ignoring Beijing's concerns over the issue New Delhi has caused "serious damage" to bilateral ties.

As the Tibetan spiritual leader entered Bomdila in Arunachal Pradesh to proceed to Tawang for a major Buddhist event, China struck a strident note in its protest against the move.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, addressing a regular briefing, voiced her country's "firm opposition" to the Dalai Lama's visit and said Beijing would lodge "stern representations with the Indian side".

Later, the Chinese side lodged a protest with Indian Ambassador Vijay Gokhale in Beijing over the Dalai Lama's visit.

Hua said that India "in disregard" to China's concerns "obstinately" went ahead to arrange the Tibetan leader's visit, causing "serious damage" to China's interests and China-India relations.

She said that India should "immediately cease using the Dalai Lama's mistaken behaviour to damage China's interests" and not "hype up sensitive" bilateral issues.

The Foreign Ministry statement comes as the Chinese state-run media also slammed the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims is disputed and part of south Tibet. India has said that Arunachal Pradesh is an inseparable part of its territory.

The Global Times accused the Indian government of "openly using" the Dalai Lama "as a diplomatic tool to win more leverage".

It said India was trying to play the Tibet card against China as "New Delhi is dissatisfied with Beijing's stance over its membership bid to the Nuclear Suppliers Group and its request to name Masood Azhar, head of Pakistani militant group, to a UN Security Council blacklist", it said.

On Tuesday, India said that no political motive should be attributed to the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh and asked China not to interfere in its affairs.

Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, who is from Arunachal Pradesh, said: "India has always been non-interfering in the neighbours' internal affairs in our approach. In the same manner, we expect the same from our neighbours."

Senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Shivpal Singh Yadav, who was sidelined in the party and government by nephew Akhilesh Yadav, met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday, fuelling speculation.

The meeting, which lasted 30 minutes, is being termed in political corridors as "something more that a mere courtesy call".

According to sources, Shivpal Yadav was mulling option beyond the Samajwadi Party, whose president he was till he was dislodged by his nephew before the state elections. 

Shivpal Yadav is also reported to be trying to find a political future for his son Aditya Yadav as well, an insider said. This is the second meeting of a Yadav clan member with the BJP Chief Minister in the past few days.

On March 15 and on March 31, Mulayam's younger son Prateek and his wife Aparna Yadav had met Adityanath. Political observers here are speculating that there could be a major breach in the Yadav family with some people crossing over to the saffron camp.

Even after the rout in the 2017 state assembly elections, there has been no thaw in the relations between Mulayam Singh-Shivpal and Akhilesh.

In fact both Mulayam and Shivpal attacked Akhilesh recently and blamed his arrogance for the poll debacle. Aparna Yadav had also said that it was not the EVMs that were at fault but "our own" who had ensured her defeat from the Lucknow Cantt seat.
 

At least Rs.22.62 lakh in demonetised currency notes were seized from a person in Sola locality here in the wee hours on Wednesday police said.

During a routine checking of vehicles on SG Road near Sola Bhagwat Mandir, the police found the scrapped currency notes of Rs.500 and Rs.1,000 denominations being carried by a man in a car, an officer at Sola police station said.

The notes were hidden in a bag in the car, he said.

The man, who hails from Wadhwan town in Sabarkantha district, was also carrying a note counting machine. He was looking to exchange the scrapped notes, the officer said.

"We detained him briefly but let him off after informing the Income Tax department about the seizure," he said.

The Centre had in November, 2016 demonetised the Rs.500 and Rs.1,000 notes.

Intermittent rain lashed many parts of Uttarakhand on Wednesday bringing a nip in the air and causing a sharp drop in temperature which fell by 15-16 degrees Celsius, the MeT department said.

Most places in Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Pithoragarh and Bageshwar districts received showers in varying degrees since morning, MeT office Director Vikram Singh said.

Rain and hailstorm activity in Uttarakhand will continue till the morning of April 7 after which it may start showing signs of abating, he said.

Hails are damaging to crops, cattle and humans. So necessary precautions should be taken during the period, he said.

Rains have led to a 15-16 degrees Celsius fall in the maximum temperatures at most places and the temperatures are going to remain 8-10 degrees Celsius below normal for the next couple of days.

This kind of weather is good as it minimises the possibility of forest fires by depositing enough moisture in the air, he said.

Forest fires had blighted vast tracts of land in Uttarakhand in 2016 burning thousands of hectares.

The Islamic State (IS) terror group in a new audio released has used for US President Donald Trump an Arabic term that means "idiot" according to various translations, a media report said.

The terror group also said that Trump does not know anything about Islam, NBC News reported on Tuesday.

It appears to be the first time that the terror group has referred to Trump since he took office in January. The IS controls parts of Iraq and Syria, and is currently being targeted by a US-led coalition.

The 36-minute audio was released by IS' spokesperson Abu Hasan al-Muhajir on Tuesday. 

The previous spokesman and the group's second-in-command, Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, was killed in an airstrike in Syria in 2016, the IS and the Pentagon have said.

The IS statement also called the US "bankrupt" and said: "The sign of your elimination are now clearer to everyone, as the most clear of signs is that you are now ruled by a stupid idiot who does not know what Sham and Iraq are, or what Islam is, who continues to express his hatred and war against."

Other translations of the statement replaced "stupid idiot" with "riff raff" or "harebrained", the NBC report said.

Al-sham is a term the group uses to describe a region that includes Syria. 

One of the names used by IS is "the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham", although it also calls itself Islamic State. Some opponents call it Daesh, which is seen a derogatory term in Arabic.

Trump has pledged to "totally obliterate IS," which swept across parts of Iraq in 2014. It also controls part of Syria, and its headquarters are in Raqqa.

Trump's opponent in the election, Hillary Clinton, and other critics have called Trump's statements on Islam and his plans to temporarily restrict entry to the US from some predominantly Muslim nations as a gift to IS, which seeks to portray a battle between Islam and the West.

The IS statement does not appear to directly refer to Trump's stated immigration policy executive order covering some Muslim nations, which critics have called a "travel ban", the NBC report said.

But the propaganda did say Trump has expressed his "hatred and war" against Islam.

Hrithik Roshan, who was lauded for his performance in Kaabil has gifted his Kaabil co-star, Rohit Roy, a special gift as a token of appreciation.

The actor gifted Rohit a Panerai Luminor watch as a token of love for his performance in Kaabil.

According to sources, Hrithik who played visually impaired in Kaabil was quiet impressed with Rohit's negative role in the film and decided to take the trend a notch higher by gifting his Kaabil co-star a watch.

Rohit, who slipped into a negative role for the first time in 20 years for the film, was overwhelmed by Hrithik's gesture and said, “Appreciation for your work always feels good, but when it comes from one of the best, it feels even better'

Syed Zainul Abedin, the spiritual head of the Ajmer sufi shrine, was on Wednesday "sacked" by his brother for the "blasphemous" support to the ban on slaughter of "bovines" and selling beef in the country and declared a "non Muslim".

Syed Alaudin Alimi claimed he had the support of the family in sacking Abedin and anointing himself as the new "deewan", spiritual chief, of the Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti mausoleum in Ajmer — one of the most famous Muslim shrines visited by millions of devotees from across the sub-continent every year.

The post is hereditary and belongs to heirs of the 12th-13th century sufi priest. Deewan has no control over the management of the shrine but gets a monthly remuneration from the management committee, which is appointed by the government.

"I am the new deewan. I have the support of the entire (Chishti) clan," Alimi said, alleging that Abedin was an "apostate because he had spoken in violation of the Islamic law".

"I am not interested in salary. He (Abedin) can have the money. Buy I won't allow him to enter the shrine now. Whatever he has said is blasphemous. I have spoken to muftis (Islamic scholars who interpret sharia) and we will be issuing a fatwa (decree) against him. He is no longer a Muslim."

Abedin has been the deewan of the shrine since after the Supreme Court 1987 order, ruling him as the most direct and eldest descendant of the sufi priest.

He sparked a controversy on Monday by asking Muslims in India to stay away from slaughter of "bovine animals" and to stop consuming beef for communal harmony in the country.

He read his message during the 805th annual function at the shrine that was also attended by religious heads of various shrines from different parts of the country.

Abedin also announced that he and his family members "will never eat beef now".

"The government should widely impose ban on slaughtering of all bovine animals and sale of beef. This is one of the prominent reasons for communal hatred in India. Muslims should become an example by taking a resolution to not consume beef in the interest of communal harmony in the country," he said.

The Union government on Wednesday asserted that Gilgit-Baltistan, which Pakistan wants to make a new province, are India's territory with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj telling the Lok Sabha that it would be wrong to think that India will let go of any part of its territory.

She was responding to Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader Bhartruhari Mahtab remark, wondering if the government has even properly responded to Pakistan's move to make Gilgit-Baltistan its fifth province.

Noting that some Western countries had criticised it, he asked, "What is our government's response?" and urged the government not to forget history or it will be condemned to repeat it.

In her response, Swaraj said the Indian government had opposed Pakistan's move the very day it got to know about it.

"Even raising a doubt over this government that it will let go of some area will be wrong," the minister added.

She noted that both Houses of Parliament had passed resolutions which had reiterated India's claim over Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Gilgit-Baltistan, both under Pakistan's occupation, and the government was bound by it.

She also quoted a BJP slogan which underlines India's claim over the territory and noted that its founder Shyama Prasad Mookerjee had "sacrificed" his life over this. "We are bound by Parliament's resolutions and also our resolve," she said.

The Railways have planned to plant five crore saplings by 2019-20 on railway land along the tracks with close cooperation of the state governments, Lok Sabha was informed on Wednesday.

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said the initiative has been taken in pursuance of the Railways' commitment towards environmental improvement and sustainable development.

"Railways have planned to plant five crore saplings by 2019-20 on railway land boundary along the railway tracks depending upon availability of resources and cooperation from the state forest department," he said during Question Hour.

To achieve this, Railways have taken many strategic initiatives that include involvement of forest departments of the states for plantation as well as maintenance and disposal of trees, thus bringing in the much needed expertise in afforestation, he said.

Prabhu said the Railway Ministry have finalised a model agreement in consultation with the Environment Ministry to be entered between Zonal Railways and state forest departments for plantation of trees on railway land along the tracks and station yards without transferring the ownership of the land in favour of the state forest department.

As per the agreement, plantation along the railway track on railway land boundary can be done by forest department without declaring such land as protected forest and can be re-used by railways at any time without any hindrance to railway works.

The agreement has already been finalised with state forest department of Haryana, Punjab, Assam, Karnataka and West Bengal, he said.