Palestinian officials said Israeli military tanks fired towards the Gaza Strip on Saturday in response to rockets launched into southern Israel.

The Israeli public radio reported that tank shelling targeted a Hamas military facility in the area, after a rocket was launched earlier on Saturday from Gaza into Israel, Xinhua news agency reported. 

No injuries were reported and no one has claimed responsibility for the rocket firing.

Earler, on March 15, Israeli war jets had launched two airstrikes on militant facilities in Gaza in response to a rocket attack.

The Aam Aadmi Party on Saturday sought action against Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari after a video of him insulting a woman teacher at a public function emerged on the social media.

AAP's Delhi convener Dilip Pandey called Tiwari's behaviour "shameful and unfortunate", and urged the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) to take "strict action" against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader. 

"In the video which appears three-four days old, Tiwari is seen humiliating a lady teacher for inviting him respectfully on the stage and requesting him to sing a few lines," Pandey told reporters here.

"Before becoming a Member of Parliament, Tiwariji was a renowned artist and had been frequently exhibiting his talent on public forum whenever he addresses people," Pandey added.

"But then insulting her, humiliating her and seeking action against her (as it appears on the video) in such a manner for a genuine request is shameful and unfortunate."

Pandey urged the Delhi Commission for Women to take strict action against the BJP MP "so that an elected representative never again insults women from a public forum".

Slamming Tiwari for later claiming he did nothing wrong, Pandey said: "It would have been better if he had apologised instead of justifying his behaviour."

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia also took to Twitter over the matter and asked why the teachers' associations were silent on the issue.

Why are BJP-affiliated teachers' associations, teachers' council and those talking about patriotism silent on a teacher's insult by their leader, Sisodia asked.
 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday promised that the BJP government in Uttarakhand led by Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat will return the public affection with a record development in the state.

"Congratulations to Trivendra Singh Rawat and the entire team sworn in today (Saturday). Am sure they will work hard and fulfil people's aspirations," Modi said on Twitter after Rawat was sworn in by Governor Krishna Kant Paul in the state capital. 

"The new Uttarakhand government will return the tremendous affection shown by the state's people with record development," Modi added.

Modi along with Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah attended Rawat's oath-taking ceremony. 

The BJP decimated the Congress in the assembly elections, winning 57 of the 70 assembly seats. 

Commuters are in for a tough week ahead as the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on Saturday announced that it would shut all stations in NCR region from 11.30 pm Sunday, in view of likely escalation of the Jat agitation in Haryana.

The Metro stations will be closed till further orders, sources said.

Jat protesters are set to intensify their agitation on Monday, demanding government jobs and education. In view of it, the DMRC has been asked by the Delhi Police to halt all trains on all lines in Delhi on Sunday night.

Also, exit at 12 stations in central Delhi will be closed from 8 pm Sunday onwards. Police chiefs of Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurgaon and Faridabad have been informed by DMRC in a letter written to them.

"All entry gates of all Metro stations outside Delhi shall remain closed from 11.30 pm on March 19 till closure of arrangements by Delhi Police," the DMRC wrote.

To prevent any untoward incident, the DMRC has requested Delhi Police necessary arrangements to be made for maintenance of law and order at these stations.

The Punjab cabinet, in its first meeting here on Saturday, decided that the Chief Minister, legislators and top officials will not use a red beacon on their official vehicles.

Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal told the media after the meeting that the Chief Minister, ministers and legislators will also not lay foundation stones and won't do inaugurations.

"Even for big projects of Rs 100 crore or Rs 200 crore, the names of the Chief Minister and ministers will not be displayed (on the foundation or inauguration stones). It will carry only one line saying that the project has been executed with the money of the taxpayers," Badal said.

The Amarinder Singh-led Congress government assumed charge in Punjab on March 16 after the party swept the state assembly polls on March 11, winning 77 out of 117 assembly seats.

Finance ministers from the world's biggest economies were battling on Saturday to halt a bid by US President Donald Trump's administration to roll back hard-fought pledges on trade and climate.

Representatives from G20 nations have gathered in the picturesque western German spa town of Baden Baden since on Friday for a meeting clouded by concerns over Trump's "America First" policy and scepticism towards climate change.

Trump, whose tough protectionist talk helped win him the presidency, has withdrawn the US from a trans-Pacific free trade pact and attacked export giants China and Germany.

On Thursday, he also revealed a budget plan that would make good on a campaign pledge to drastically scale back environment-related funding.

That stance has grated Washington's partners, who are trying to persuade US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to renew a long-standing G20 anti-protectionism commitment and uphold an international deal on climate won only after years of painful negotiations.

But talks have so far failed to produce a breakthrough for consensus, and the clock is ticking down to the close of the two-day session when a final statement is due to be published.

A source close to the negotiations said that "there will be nothing on climate in the communique — a sign of the discord".

"The US says that on this issue, the position hasn't been clearly defined in Washington and they need time," added the source.

On trade, Washington is calling into question the current international trade regulation system under the World Trade Organisation — a move which the source said is "unacceptable".

French Finance Minister Michel Sapin said leaders would be asked to step in when they meet in Hamburg if no agreement can be found.

"Our heads of states are meeting in a few weeks. On subjects that are so important, it's not up to the finance ministers to block or to walk back on the issue, there will not be any backsliding on such fundamental issues," he said.

Carried to power on the back of a political storm over deindustrialisation in vast areas of the US, Trump vowed in his inauguration speech to "follow two simple rules: buy American and hire American." 

Trump himself insisted at a tense Washington press conference Friday following his first meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel that "I'm a free trader but also a fair trader".

He also rejected a description of his policies as "isolationist." 

But the differences between the two were laid bare as Merkel took the opportunity to push back against Trump's calls for individual trade deals with European countries, suggesting instead that the White House "come back to the table and talk" about a stalled US-European Union pact.

In its maiden Cabinet meeting, the BJP-led coalition government in Manipur decided to take steps to end the indefinite economic blockade imposed by the United Naga Council (UNC). A tripartite meeting has been convened on Sunday.

Informed sources said that Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Suresh Babu and Commissioner of Arts and Information Radha Kanta shall represent the Manipur government at the meeting. The officials to represent the central government are scheduled to arrive ahead of the crucial meeting.

However, informed sources said the meeting was likely to remain inconclusive on Sunday since UNC President Gaidon Kamei has been in judicial custody all these months. His release, which many expect to happen sooner than later, could facilitate the talks.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced in Imphal during an election meeting that the blockade would be lifted within 48 hours of the formation of a BJP government in Manipur.

The UNC imposed the blockade on two national highways, NH 2 and NH 37, on November 1, 2016, in protest against the government's plan to create two districts. However, later the government went on to create seven new districts, saying it was necessary from administrative point of view.

The UNC, Tangkhul Naga Long and other Naga bodies have been saying that the creation of seven districts comprising the "land of the Nagas left by our forefathers" is unacceptable.

The Congress government had insisted on holding talks either in Imphal or Delhi, but the present coalition government has agreed to hold talks in Senapati district, where the head office of UNC is located.

Although truckloads of consumer items and fuel are being brought under escort twice a week, these are not sufficient. Due to lack of adequate consumer items, prices have soared and the items are available mostly in black market.

Is Pluto a planet or not? Giving this debate a fresh angle, Johns Hopkins University scientist Kirby Runyon wants to make one thing clear: Regardless of what people say, Pluto is a planet.

So, Runyon says, is Europa — commonly known as a moon of Jupiter — and so is the Earth's Moon and so are more than 100 other celestial bodies in our solar system that are denied this status under the prevailing definition of "planet".

The definition approved by the International Astronomical Union in 2006 demoted Pluto to "non-planet," thus dropping the consensus number of planets in our solar system from nine to eight. 

"The change – a subject of much scientific debate at the time and since – made no sense," said Runyon, lead author of a paper set to be presented next week at a scientific conference in Texas.

Icy, rocky Pluto had been the smallest of the nine planets; its diameter under three-quarters that of the moon and nearly a fifth of Earth. 

Still, says Runyon, Pluto "has everything going on on its surface that you associate with a planet. … There's nothing non-planet about it".

Runyon led a group of six authors from five institutions in drafting a proposed new definition of "planet," and a justification for that definition. 

All the authors are science team members on the New Horizons mission to Pluto, operated for NASA by the John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. 

In the summer of 2015, the New Horizons spacecraft became the first to fly by Pluto, some 4.67 billion miles from Earth, passing within 8,000 miles and sending back the first close-up images ever made of Pluto.

Runyon and his co-authors argue for a definition of "planet" that focuses on the intrinsic qualities of the body itself, rather than external factors such as its orbit or other objects around it. 

They define a planet as "a sub-stellar mass body that has never undergone nuclear fusion" and that has enough gravitational heft to maintain a roughly round shape. 

This definition differs from the IAU definition in that it makes no reference to the celestial body's surroundings. 

That portion of IAU's 2006 formula – which required that a planet and its satellites move alone through their orbit – excluded Pluto. 

Otherwise, Pluto fit the IAU definition: It orbits the Sun and it is massive enough that the forces of gravity have made it round.

The proposed new geophysical definition omits stars, black holes, asteroids and meteorites, but includes much of everything else in our solar system. 

It would expand the number of planets from eight to approximately 110.

The Punjab government, led by chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh, has decided to exempt mediapersons from payment of toll tax on the state highways.

A decision to this effect was taken on Saturday at the maiden cabinet meeting of the new government in Punjab.

The cabinet also decided to set up a Press Accreditation Committee, comprising representatives of the registered journalist unions or associations with over 10- years standing, as promised by the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) in its manifesto for the assembly elections.

It was also decided to review the existing rules for allotment of government accommodation to journalists to ensure provision of a fair quota for them.

In the 2012 Maruti factory violence case, a Haryana court on Saturday pronounced life imprisonment to 13 and five-year jail term to four convicts.

“2012 Maruti factory violence case: Haryana Court imprisons 13 for life; 5 year jail-term for 4,” reports stated.

The “sentence served by other 14 is sufficient,” it added.

On March 10, 31 former workers were found guilty of murder and attempt to murder in the Maruti Suzuki Manesar plant violence case. The incident took place on July 18, 2012.

In the violence, Maruti Suzuki’s Human Resource Department General Manager Ashwin Kumar Dev was killed and over 50 others were injured.

The violence erupted as a result of continued strikes by workers at the auto major’s factory, demanding trade union rights.

Centurion Cheteshwar Pujara's marathon effort helped India whittle down the lead to 91 runs as the hosts reached 360/6 at stumps on day three of the third cricket Test against Australia here on Saturday.

Pujara (130 not out) and wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha (18 not out) went undefeated after adding 32 runs for the seventh wicket when the umpires dislodged the bails for the day at the Jharkhand State Cricket Association Stadium here.

India lost the crucial wickets of Karun Nair (23) and Ravichandran Ashwin (3) in the final session, with pacer Pat Cummins emerging the wrecker-in-chief taking four for 59.

As women saftey becomes a matter of serious concern to the society following the increasing number of crime against women across the country, Taapsee Pannu wants to spread awareness among girls and women of the biggest weapon to safeguard themselves.

The actress feels that "the biggest weapon every female has for her safety is herself", and is keen on teaching kudo to wowmen, sources close to her said.

Taapsee, who is playing a role of an undercover agent in her new release Naam Shabana, wants to highlight the importance of self-defence for women.

The actress is keen on teaching kudo to women, and is looking forward to teach the basics of the martial art kudo, which is an offical Japanese cultural Budo sport. The sport consists of kicks, punches and submission techniques on the ground.

I’ve learned the basics of kudo and mixed martial arts (MMA), which will help me in my self-defence," Taapsee said.

The actress stressed the importance of self defense in view of the rising violence against women.

"In view of the rising violence against women, it is important for every woman to know the basics of self defense, and I would like to take a step to teach them,” the actress said.

Taapsee stars in 'Naam Shabana,' India's first spin-off, based on her character in Neeraj Pandey's Baby. She essays the role of an undercover agent in the film.

To perform the stunts herself, Taapse has undergone intense training sessions in Mixed Martial Arts.

Baby's prequel Naam Shabana directed by Shivam Nair is all set to release on March 31, 2017.

Following media reports that the two missing Indian clerics are believed to be in the custody of Pakistan Intelligence Agency, Sajid Ali, son of one of the missing clerics Syed Asif li Nizami urged the Pakistan agencies to free both the missing clerics.

"Would like to request Pakistan agencies to free both of them and they were not involved in any unwanted activities," Sajid Ali, son of one of the missing clerics Syed Asif li Nizami said.

"Came to know through media about the ISI link. Both had complete documents, visa and everything required," he added.

Two missing Indian clerics of Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah are in custody of Pakistan's intelligence agencies, an unnamed official was quoted as saying by a news agency.

Expressing deep concern over the case, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Friday had said that she has spoken to the Pakistani authorities about the matter.

The Pakistan Foreign Office had on Friday also said that they have taken the matter of tracing the two Indian Sufi clerics who went missing in Pakistan since Wednesday.

Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria had confirmed the request which had been received and forwarded to the Interior Ministry, who are pursuing the matter.

The two Indian nationals identified as Syed Asif li Nizami and his nephew Nazim Ali Nizami, who went to Pakistan on March 17, were reported missing after they landed at Karachi airport.

Syed Asif Ali Nizami is the head priest (Sajjadanashin) of Hazrat Nizammuddin Aulia dargah. The two priests had gone to Pakistan as part of exchanges between Hazrat Nizamuddin dargah in India and Data Darbar in Lahore.

NRI businessmen Hindujas have retained their position as the richest Asians in the UK in 2017 with an estimated wealth of 19 billion pounds, an increase of 2.5 billion pounds over last year, according to an annual ranking of the richest Asians in Britain.

Steel tycoon Lakshmi N Mittals secured the second place with a fortune of 12.6 billion pounds – up from 6.4 billion pounds last year – in the Eastern Eye Asian Rich List, Britain's 101 Wealthiest Asians 2017, released last night.

According to the list, the Hinduja brothers – Srichand and Gopi in London, Prakash in Geneva and Ashok in Mumbai – have seen sharp increases in profitability in Ashok Leyland, InduSind bank, Gulf Oil, energy and real estate.

This has justified the family's long adopted policy of pursing the path of diversity, the list said.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, who was the Chief Guest at the 20th Annual Asian Business Awards organised by the Asian Media & Marketing Group, presented the first copy of the Rich List to G P Hinduja, Co-Chairman of the Hinduja Group.

Britain's 101 wealthiest Asians are collectively worth 69.9 billion pounds, up from 55.4 billion pounds last year – a rise of 25 per cent.

According to the list, the recovery in the European steel market has enabled the Mittal family to double its net worth during the year.

Prakash Lohia, Chairman of the Indorama Corporation (Petrochemicals) is the 3rd richest in the list with a fortune worth 4 billion pounds – up 1 billion pounds over last year.

Anil Agarwal, executive chairman of Vedanta Resources, one of the fastest growing mining and metals group in the world, is fourth in the list along with Arora brothers – Simon, Bobby and Robin who own a chain of retail stores.

Leading NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul is 14th in the list with an estimated wealth of 800 million pounds as against 300 million pounds last year.

At the awards ceremony, Surinder Arora, founder and Chairman of the Arora Group, collected the prestigious Asian Business of the Year Award. The Arora Group is one of the UK's largest private owner operator of hotels.

Other winners included Young Entrepreneur of the year Aly Esmail, CEO of SME Group, Entrepreneur of the year Subodh Agrawal, Chairman of Euromax Capital and the Business Personality Award winner Prakash Lohia, Founder and Chairman of Indorama Group.

"London is home to one of the largest, and most diverse South-Asian communities in the world, which contributes a huge amount to the city's success – socially, culturally and economically," Khan said in his keynote speech.

NRI businessmen Hindujas have retained their position as the richest Asians in the UK in 2017 with an estimated wealth of 19 billion pounds, an increase of 2.5 billion pounds over last year, according to an annual ranking of the richest Asians in Britain.

Steel tycoon Lakshmi N Mittals secured the second place with a fortune of 12.6 billion pounds – up from 6.4 billion pounds last year – in the Eastern Eye Asian Rich List, Britain's 101 Wealthiest Asians 2017, released last night.

According to the list, the Hinduja brothers – Srichand and Gopi in London, Prakash in Geneva and Ashok in Mumbai – have seen sharp increases in profitability in Ashok Leyland, InduSind bank, Gulf Oil, energy and real estate.

This has justified the family's long adopted policy of pursing the path of diversity, the list said.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, who was the Chief Guest at the 20th Annual Asian Business Awards organised by the Asian Media & Marketing Group, presented the first copy of the Rich List to G P Hinduja, Co-Chairman of the Hinduja Group.

Britain's 101 wealthiest Asians are collectively worth 69.9 billion pounds, up from 55.4 billion pounds last year – a rise of 25 per cent.

According to the list, the recovery in the European steel market has enabled the Mittal family to double its net worth during the year.

Prakash Lohia, Chairman of the Indorama Corporation (Petrochemicals) is the 3rd richest in the list with a fortune worth 4 billion pounds – up 1 billion pounds over last year.

Anil Agarwal, executive chairman of Vedanta Resources, one of the fastest growing mining and metals group in the world, is fourth in the list along with Arora brothers – Simon, Bobby and Robin who own a chain of retail stores.

Leading NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul is 14th in the list with an estimated wealth of 800 million pounds as against 300 million pounds last year.

At the awards ceremony, Surinder Arora, founder and Chairman of the Arora Group, collected the prestigious Asian Business of the Year Award. The Arora Group is one of the UK's largest private owner operator of hotels.

Other winners included Young Entrepreneur of the year Aly Esmail, CEO of SME Group, Entrepreneur of the year Subodh Agrawal, Chairman of Euromax Capital and the Business Personality Award winner Prakash Lohia, Founder and Chairman of Indorama Group.

"London is home to one of the largest, and most diverse South-Asian communities in the world, which contributes a huge amount to the city's success – socially, culturally and economically," Khan said in his keynote speech.

Do you have the habit of constantly checking Facebook or other social media sites while driving, in a work meeting, or at other times? Beware, it could lead to a deficiency in the balance between two systems in the brain, researchers warn.

The findings showed that when there is an imbalance between two cognitive-behavioural systems in the human brain, there is a higher rate of problematic use of social networking sites. 

In the study, researchers from the DePaul University in the US applied the dual system perspective — an established theory in cognitive psychology and neuroscience — which holds that humans have two different mechanisms in their brain that influence their decision-making.

While System 1 is automatic and reactive, quickly triggered, often subconsciously, in reaction to stimulus such as a sight of or notifications from social media, System 2 is a reflective, reasoning system that moves more slowly, regulates cognitions and controls behaviours, according to Hamed Qahri-Saremi, assistant professor at DePaul University. 

The second system can help individuals control impulses and behaviours that are not in their best interest, he added.

For the study, detailed in the Journal of Management Information Systems, the team obtained responses from 341 undergraduate college students from a North American university who use Facebook.

The results showed that individuals who displayed higher levels of problematic use of Facebook had a strong cognitive-emotional preoccupation (system 1) and a weak cognitive-behavioural control (system 2), creating an imbalance. 

In fact, the greater the imbalance between the two systems, the more likely individuals were to engage in problematic social media use behaviours, the researchers said.

In addition, this problematic use of Facebook also negatively affected the students' academic performance. The higher the problematic use, the lower was the GPA score. 

"A slight increase in problematic social media use translates into significant grade loss, and this declined performance is persistent," added Ofir Turel from California State University. 

Do you have the habit of constantly checking Facebook or other social media sites while driving, in a work meeting, or at other times? Beware, it could lead to a deficiency in the balance between two systems in the brain, researchers warn.

The findings showed that when there is an imbalance between two cognitive-behavioural systems in the human brain, there is a higher rate of problematic use of social networking sites. 

In the study, researchers from the DePaul University in the US applied the dual system perspective — an established theory in cognitive psychology and neuroscience — which holds that humans have two different mechanisms in their brain that influence their decision-making.

While System 1 is automatic and reactive, quickly triggered, often subconsciously, in reaction to stimulus such as a sight of or notifications from social media, System 2 is a reflective, reasoning system that moves more slowly, regulates cognitions and controls behaviours, according to Hamed Qahri-Saremi, assistant professor at DePaul University. 

The second system can help individuals control impulses and behaviours that are not in their best interest, he added.

For the study, detailed in the Journal of Management Information Systems, the team obtained responses from 341 undergraduate college students from a North American university who use Facebook.

The results showed that individuals who displayed higher levels of problematic use of Facebook had a strong cognitive-emotional preoccupation (system 1) and a weak cognitive-behavioural control (system 2), creating an imbalance. 

In fact, the greater the imbalance between the two systems, the more likely individuals were to engage in problematic social media use behaviours, the researchers said.

In addition, this problematic use of Facebook also negatively affected the students' academic performance. The higher the problematic use, the lower was the GPA score. 

"A slight increase in problematic social media use translates into significant grade loss, and this declined performance is persistent," added Ofir Turel from California State University.