Iran will impose sanctions on 15 US companies for their support for Israel and its "terrorist actions", state news agency IRNA said on Sunday.

The decision, which is largely symbolic because the firms do not do business with Iran, comes two days after the US announced new sanctions on a number of foreign firms accused of collaborating with Iran's weapons programme.

Iran's sanctions target US firms that provide arms and equipment to Israel "for use against the Palestinians", IRNA said.

"All transactions with these firms are forbidden, their assets will be seized and their officials will not be able to obtain a visa," it added.

The firms include United Technologies, ITT Corporation, Magnum Research INC, Military Armament Corporation and Bushmaster Firearms International.

The list also included Re/Max Real Estate, which Tehran accuses of "buying and selling homes in settlements located in the occupied territories".

Tensions have mounted between Tehran and Washington since US President Donald Trump took office in January.

On Friday, Washington announced sanctions against foreign firms and individuals over allegedly collaborating with the weapons programmes of Iran and North Korea.

Trump has repeatedly criticised a July 2015 deal between Iran and world powers that saw the Islamic republic curb its nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief.

Washington last month imposed new sanctions on individuals and companies supporting Iran's ballistic missile programme and on its elite Revolutionary Guards.

US lawmakers are now seeking to further increase pressure, proposing a new law that would see Iran's Revolutionary Guards listed as a terrorist organisation.

A three-member arbitration panel has started hearing validity of the government's demand of $1.55 billion as compensation from Reliance Industries for “unfairly” producing ONGC's gas.

The panel, headed by Singapore-based arbitrator Prof Lawrence Boo, had its first hearing on March 3 where the timetable was drawn, sources privy to the development said.

RIL will first file its statement of claim, followed by a statement of defence by the government. This will be followed by rejoinders, counter-rejoinders and oral hearing, sources said, adding that the panel plans to wind up the hearing in a year.

The central government has named former Supreme Court judge G S Singhvi as its nominee on the three-member arbitration panel while RIL and its partners BP Plc of the UK and Canada's Niko Resources have named former UK High Court Judge Bernard Eder to the panel.

RIL-BP-Niko had slapped an arbitration notice on November 11 last year.

This was against the oil ministry's November 3, 2016 notice to RIL, Niko and UK's BP seeking $1.47 billion for producing about 338.332 million British thermal units of gas in the seven years ended March 31, 2016 that had seeped or migrated from the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation's (ONGC) blocks into their adjoining KG-D6 in the Bay of Bengal.

After deducting $71.71 million royalty paid on the gas produced and adding an interest at the rate of Libor plus 2 per cent, totalling $149.86 million, a total demand of $1.55 billion was made on RIL, BP and Niko.

RIL is the operator of the KG-D6 block with 60 per cent interest while BP holds 30 per cent. The remaining 10 per cent is with Niko Resources.

The government's compensation claim flowed from the report of the Justice (retd) A P Shah Committee.

The Shah panel, in its August 28, 2016, report, concluded that there has been “unjust enrichment” to the contractor of the block KG-DWN-98/3 (KG-D6) due to production of the migrated gas from ONGC's blocks KG-DWN-98/2 and Godavari PML.

The government, sources said, accepted the recommendations of the committee and consequently, decided to claim restitution from RIL-BP-Niko for “the unjust benefit received and unfairly retained”.

So, a notice was sent, they said, adding that the government is also pressing RIL to pay $174.9 million of additional profit petroleum after certain costs were disallowed because of KG-D6 output being lower than the target.

The cost recovery issue is being arbitrated separately.

Originally, ONGC had sued RIL for producing gas that had migrated from its blocks KG-DWN-98/2 (KG-D5) and Godavari PML in the KG basin to adjoining KG-D6 block of RIL.

Under direction of the Delhi High Court, the government had appointed a one-man committee under retired Justice A P Shah to go into the issue. Shah, however, said the compensation should go to the government as it is the owner of all unproduced natural resources.

In a swift action, two militants were on Sunday killed when they tried to ambush a police party that included three officers of the rank of superintendent of police in south Kashmir.

The incident happened at Padgampora when a cavalcade of senior superintendents of police of Pulwama and Awantipora Raees Ahmed and Zahid Malik was going along with the district's Additional Superintendent of Police Chandan Kohli.

The militants, who were travelling in a car, came from behind and started firing at the vehicle carrying Kohli in the area on the border of Awantipora and Pulwama, officials said.

All the police personnel quickly took cover and retaliated the fire in which two militants were killed, they said.

The police have seized two weapons and the identity of the militants is being ascertained, Deputy Inspector General of Police (South Kashmir) S Pani told PTI here.

He lauded the role of the police force which swiftly neutralised the two terrorists.

Comedian Sunil Grover has announced his new gig with Kiku Sharda following his fall out with Kapil Sharma.

Grover took to Facebook to share the poster of his upcoming gig scheduled to happen in Delhi on April 1.

“Delhi see you on the 1st April. Yo!,” he shared the poster of the show, which features him dressed as his popular character of Dr Mashoor Gulati from The Kapil Sharma Show.

Following an in-flight tussle between him and Kapil, Grover posted a note on social media in which he asked the latter to “start respecting human beings also apart from animals.”

Grover, who plays the popular characters of Dr Gulati and Rinku Bhabhi on Kapil's show, further wrote, “Thanks for making me realise it was your show and you have power to throw out anybody, anytime.

“You are the wittiest, and the best in your field. But don't act like a 'God'. Take good care of yourself. Wish you lot more success and fame.”

Kapil had dismissed their feud as “an argument” in a Facebook post but Grover, has indicated that all is not well between them.

He also took to Twitter to apologise to Grover, saying, “Sorry if I hurt you unintentionally. You know very well how much I love you. I am also upset. Love and regards.”

To deal with mounting bad loans afflicting banks, the government is likely to come out with a set of measures for faster resolution of non-performing assets within a fortnight.

“Policy is being given final touches. It should be announced by the month-end or early next month,” a senior finance ministry official said.

Broadly, the policy should contain the processes relating to haircut and one-time settlement to be carried out by banks for faster resolution of high-value cases, the official said, adding that the big loan defaults constitute about 70 per cent of the total NPAs.
This will provide a clear direction on the NPA front and the government will be able to take the bull by horns, the official said.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley last week had said NPA resolution mechanism was being worked out with the RBI which will put enough pressure on borrowers to settle dues.

“You see, the amounts are large, but the amounts are restricted. It's not that hundreds and thousands of businesses have created this problem. The problem of big NPA is confined essentially to 30-40, at best 50 companies, and therefore, those 40-50 accounts need to be resolved,” he had said.

During resolution of NPAs, several issues like finding buyers and strategic partners come up, the minister had said.
“…I think you wait for a few days… There is some policy decision between the RBI and the government which we will implement, which will put adequate pressure on people to settle…,” he had said.

Jaitley had gone on to say that “if you look at the whole structure, there are enough instruments available for settlements as far as the banking system is concerned. There are different legislations where action can be taken”.

According to sources, the joint lenders' forum (JLF) is expected to be overhauled to facilitate quick decision making.

Instead of being a resolution mechanism, the JLF has become a delaying tool for big defaulters because as per the guidelines, restructuring needs approval of 60 per cent of consortium lenders which more often than not eludes, sources added.

As per the existing JLF guidelines, if a restructuring package is approved by 75 per cent of creditors by value and 60 per cent of creditors by number, other banks have to go along with it.

Besides, the sources said there could be provision which will make wilful default a criminal offence.
As far as haircut issues are concerned, bankers have a fear of 3Cs — CAG, CBI and CVC — when they want to sell bad assets at substantially low value, the sources added.

The new NPA policy will try and address that concern, they added.
 

Under the captaincy of Ajinkya Rahane, India failed to impress Dharamsala spectators as they were restricted to 248/6 at stumps on the second day of the fourth and final test against Australia on Sunday.

Off-spinner Nathan Lyon claimed four wickets and pacers Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood chipped in with one wicket each to keep India under control at the picturesque Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium.  

At helm, Ravindra Jadeja (16*) and Wriddhiman Saha (10*) were on crease as India trail the visitors by 52 runs with four wickets remaining.

Australia gave India jolts at regular intervals, starting with Murali Vijay as Hazlewood dismissed the Indian opener for 11 runs in the 11th over. KL Rahul, who scored highest 60 runs in the first innings, became the second victim  when he misjudged a good length delivery by Cummins. Rahul lost his concentration and lofted the ball that was brilliantly caught by David Warner, placed at mid-off.

Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Pujara strengthened India in the middle-order for a while. However, they were also dismissed for small scores of 57 and 46 runs respectively.  

The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas on Sunday shut down the only passageway between the Gaza Strip and Israel following the assassination of one of the group's senior commanders.

Last week, unidentified gunmen in Gaza opened fire at Mazen Faqha, a Hamas leader who had been released from an Israeli jail under the prisoner exchange agreement between the Islamist movement and Israel in 2011, Efe news reported.

"The closure of the Beit Hanoun crossing (Erez) comes as part of the steps being taken by the security apparatus following the crime of assassinating Faqha," Hamas spokesman Iyad Bazm said in a statement.

Hamas blamed Israel for Faqha's killing and said: "The occupation knows that the blood of those struggling in the way of God will not be wasted."

The Erez border crossing is the only land crossing between Gaza and Israel, allowing the movement of Palestinians and foreigners, mainly humanitarian workers, reporters and diplomats.

This is the first time Hamas has closed the crossing since taking over Gaza in 2007.

State-run aerospace behemoth Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has finalised a major plan to manufacture nearly 1,000 military helicopters and over a hundred planes, in tune with government's focus on speeding up defence indigenisation.

HAL Chairman and Managing Director T Suvarna Raju said the company has also ramped up its infrastructure to deliver 123 Tejas Light Combat Aircraft to the India Air Force with an annual delivery of 16 jets from 2018-19 onwards.

In the next five years, the HAL will also carry out major upgrade of almost the entire fighter fleet of IAF including Su-30MKI, Jaguars and Mirage jets, making them more lethal, he said.

“Next five years will be really vibrant time for HAL. We are upgrading almost every major platform including Sukhois, Jaguars, Mirage and Hawks.
“We are going to build around 1,000 helicopters including Kamov 226, LCH (Light Combat Helicopter) ALH (Advanced Light Helicopter) in the next 10 years,” Raju told PTI in an interview.

The HAL and Russian defence firms have finalised a Joint Venture agreement for production of light weight multi-role 'Kamov 226T' helicopters in India which will replace the aging fleet of Cheetah and Chetak choppers.

The inter-government agreement for the deal was signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Russia in December, 2015.
On manufacture of Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, the HAL chief said its production will be doubled from current eight aircraft per year to 16 from 2018-19. Tejas, the smallest and lightest of its class, was inducted into the IAF in July last year.

The HAL has an order from IAF to supply 40 Tejas. The government has also approved the procurement of 83 Tejas Mk-1A taking the total number of the aircraft to be manufactured by HAL to 123.

Raju said besides enhancing infrastructure for redouble manufacturing of Tejas, HAL has also outsourced manufacture of some major components including wings and fuselage of the jet to private industry which will further speed up rate of production.

Calling Sukhoi upgrade a major programme, he said the fleet will be equipped with missiles, avionics and sensors. Both India and Russia have been in negotiation for upgrade of the Su-30MKI to a near fifth-generation level.

Earlier this month, India and Russia signed two key agreements for long-term maintenance and technical support for the Su-30MKI fleet. India is one of the largest importers of arms and military platforms globally. The government has been focusing significantly on promoting defence indigenisation by taking a slew of reform initiatives including liberalising FDI in defence sector.

Reflecting government's focus in the area, Defence Minister Arun Jaitley earlier this month had said India was not happy with the label of world's largest importer of weapons system and had asked the industry to take advantage of government's policy to promote defence production. 

Actress Samira Wiley and writer of popular sitcom Orange Is The New Black Lauren Morelli have exchanged wedding vows.

The same-sex couple got married after a two-year-long relationship in California surrounded by family and friends on Saturday.

It was a confetti-themed bash, based in part on the couple's desire for a non-traditional event and their mutual affection for Pillsbury Funfetti cake.

The couple was dressed in Christian Siriano's creations, and their wedding was officiated by Wiley's parents.

The wedding location was special to the couple, as it was where Morelli had proposed to Wiley in October with a yellow-gold engagement ring featuring an asscher-cut diamond.

Morelli was previously married and split from her husband after she realised she was gay while writing for the hit Netflix series.

Actress Taapsee Pannu, who will next be seen in the forthcoming movie Naam Shabana, says she is proud to be part of the changing phase of Indian cinema where women-centric films are becoming a reality.

"When I entered the film industry, it was going through the change and I knew that people are ready to receive experimental content, but never thought I will become part of that change with a film like Pink. I feel proud to witness and be a part of new age Indian cinema. I think I am very fortunate," Taapsee told here.

The actress thinks Pink brought about "almost like a revolution in cinema" with its telling of a tale which conveys that when a woman says "no", it strictly means so.

She says it's "unbelievable" how "people have started debating about women's issues, girls' safety and gender equality" using "Pink" as a reference point.

Starting her career in 2010 with Telugu film Jhummandi Naadam, Taapsee acted in various south Indian films before debuting in Bollywood with "Chashme Baddoor" in 2013. However, she was noticed for her action-packed performance in "Baby", directed by Neeraj Pandey.

Her character in Baby is what has resulted in its spin-off Naam Shabana, produced by Pandey and directed by Shivam Nair.

Since it is her second film with Pandey, asked how has her equation evolved with the filmmaker, she said: "It's still the same. Neeraj Pandey is a man of few words. Therefore, I had to be very conscious on set, and he helped me to learn the mind of the character that lies in between the lines."

"It's very interesting to essay such a character because I do not relate to Shabana at all."

Whether it is Pink, Baby or Naam Shabana, though there is a strong projection of female characters, all these films were driven by male stars like Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar.

So, do these films receive appreciation because of star power or content?

"There is no denying the fact that star power matters, but what would be best for our film is to utilise that for telling a substantial story. You see, in 'Naam Shabana' for instance, where actors like Akhay Kumar and Manoj Bajpayee are also involved, I am taking the centrestage."

"It shows how they are supporting a good story with their full conviction. In fact, Akshay is a co-producer of the film," Taapsee said.

Naam Shabana is releasing on March 31.

One person was killed and at least 15 others injured on Sunday in a shooting at a nightclub in Cincinnati, Ohio, local media has reported.

"We are in the middle of a very horrific situation that occurred at the nightclub with multiple victims," assistant police chief Paul Neudigate said, WLWT5 News reported.

He said hundreds were in the Cameo nightclub when shots broke out, causing many to flee the scene in panic.

The television news station put the toll at one dead and at least 15 injured.

Nobody has been taken into custody, Sergeant Eric Franz told ABC News, describing the aftermath as a "large and complicated homicide scene." 

He said police were interviewing multiple witnesses to the shooting, which occurred at around 1 am

The Indian American community in Houston has presented $100,000 to Ian Grillot, a 24-year-old American who was shot while trying to save Indian techies Srinivas Kuchibotla and Alok Madasani during a shooting in Kansas.

The Indian Ambassador to the US, Navtej Sarna, presented the cheque to Grillot at the annual India House gala in Houston on Saturday evening, The American Bazaar news portal reported.

Kuchibhotla, 32, was killed when Adam W. Purinton, a white man, shot the Indians at the Austins Bar and Grill in Olathe on February 22. Madasani and Grillot, who tried to stop the killer, survived with injuries.

A statement posed on the official page of India House Houston said: "On behalf of the Indian-American community in Houston, India House recognised this selfless act beyond the call of duty and has extended the community's gratitude to Ian Grillot by helping him to buy a house."

Speaking at the event, Grillot said: "I don't know if I could've lived with myself if I wouldn't t have stopped or attempted to stop the shooter because that would've been completely devastating.

"I do now have a very powerful message and if I can help empower people and spread hope and love, then why not? 

"I am honoured to be at India House that serves so many families from so many communities in the Houston area," The American Bazaar quoted Grillot as saying.

Jiten Agarwal, a prominent Indian American in Houston and chair of the annual gala, said: "It is not every day that one meets a genuine hero, a person who risks his life for another, and takes a bullet for a complete stranger. 

"Ian Grillot is a man who reminds us of the promise of America and its greatness."

Agarwal, with the help of its trustees, mobilized the community to come together to honour Grillot and raise funds.

Singer Harry Styles has teased his new music with a mysterious video.

The former One Direction star is set to debut his solo single next month, according to a 30 second-long clip which aired in the UK on March 25, reported Billboard.

At the end of the video, the singer's eyes gaze into the camera, just before the date April 7 flashes on the screen.

Style's announcement came after iHeartRadio DJ Elvis Duran revealed he had heard the single and said it would be released in April.

Styles, 23, signed a solo recording contract with Columbia Records, the same label behind his former band.

Kerala Transport Minister A.K. Saseendran resigned on Sunday after an audio emerged in which he is heard having a lewd conversation with a woman on phone.

A five-time legislator from the Nationalist Congress Party, the minister announced the resignation at Kozhikode. The audio was released by Mangalam TV.

Earlier, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told the media that he had taken the report seriously and promised action.

Last year, CPI-M strongman and Industries Minister E.P. Jayarajan quit on charges of nepotism.
 

Actress-turned-producer Twinkle Khanna says her upcoming home production “Pad Man” is about menstrual hygiene, but they will try not to make it preachy.

“Pad Man” tells life story of Tamil Nadu-based social activist Arunachalam Muruganantham, who revolutionised the concept of menstrual hygiene in rural India by creating a low-cost sanitary napkins machine.

Twinkle says they will be taking some creative liberties to make the film entertaining.

“When I wrote the book 'The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad', I fictionalised it. So while making the film also we will be taking some creative liberties,” the 42-year-old actress told.

“We want to give a message but we want to make it entertaining, otherwise it won't be interesting to watch. We are working towards it,” she says.

Twinkle says everyone should watch the film as the subject is socially relevant.

“It is a beautiful inspiring story. It's a socially relevant film. Through 'Pad Man' we want the story to reach every nook and corner of India. The motive is to raise awareness about sanitary hygiene,” she says.

The biographical drama will feature Twinkle's husband and actor Akshay Kumar as Muruganantham.

Asked if she intends to make a biopic on her father Rajesh Khanna, Twinkle says, “I haven't thought about it to be honest.”

Singer-actress Lady Gaga says fame made her so lonely that it was "painful".

Gaga, while discussing her rise to fame, revealed she found it hard to connect with her old friends in New York when she became an overnight star in 2008 around the release of "Just dance", reports mirror.co.uk.

"Your whole life changes. The atmosphere, the energy around you, the responsibility, it just zaps you into a rollercoaster. I don't think I will ever feel comfortable with fame," she said.

She does, however, say she is slightly more comfortable with being approached in public.

"Now 90 per cent of the time I don't give a s*** if someone has a camera in my face at the grocery store," she said.

"I used to really shut down, get emotional, run to my car and cry – hold my security guard and weep in the arms of people that I didn't even maybe really know that well yet, they just worked with me. I really had a hard time. It's quite overwhelming."

The 30-year-old, who appeared on "RuPaul's Drag Race" and chatted to the drag star after his show, admitted she also struggled to stay in touch with former friends in the club scene in New York.

"It was one of the most painful things I've emotionally had to deal with.

"It was so hard, not only because I missed them, but because I missed being there and living there, and my life there and nothing about being famous or making money ever trumped that," she said.

Indian football team head coach Stephen Constantine on Sunday said that Myanmar would start as favourites against his side in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers match on Tuesday.

Constantine said the Myanmar side have been together for some time and the support from crowd will give them the advantage. Moreover, Myanmar had beaten India 1-0 when the two teams met last.

“Myanmar are definitely the favourites. Playing at home is always an advantage for any team. They have been together for some time and the familiarity with each other is so much beneficial when you take the field. They certainly have the advantage,” Constantine said two days ahead of the crucial match.

Asked what was Myanmar's biggest strength, he said, “They work very hard and love to press. When you combine with the two with the ability they have and add the crowd and atmosphere to it, the combination is just deadly.”

Asked about the perception of Myanmar being the bogey team for India, he said, “History will show that the same players are not always playing. The situations are always different and both teams would be playing after a long gap. I feel the circumstances are always different.

“But at the same time, I cannot deny history; in fact, nobody can. But we can't bring it back. Yesterday will always stay yesterday and at the same time, today is an another day.

“On our day we can beat anybody. We hope to have a very good day and hope they have a very bad day. To beat them, we have to play very, very well and hope that they don't play very, very well,” said the Englishman.

Prior to the international friendly against Cambodia on March 22 which India won 3-2, Constantine had said that some of his players had niggles.

Asked about that, he said, “Considering the last 18 months, we are in a good place at the moment. Nothing is too serious and the players are ready.”