After hearing arguments from prosecution and defence, a Haryana court on Friday said it will on Saturday pronounce the quantum of punishment to 31 workers convicted for the 2012 violence at the Manesar plant of Maruti Suzuki.

On March 10, Additional District and Sessions Judge R.P. Goel held 31 former workers guilty of murder and attempt to murder, among other offences, at Maruti Suzuki India Limited's (MSIL) Manesar plant on July 18, 2012, evening. 

The court, while acquitting 117 other accused for lack of evidence, had fixed March 17 for order on the quantum of punishment.

Maruti Suzuki Human Resource Department General Manager Ashwin Kumar Dev was killed and over 50 persons injured in the violence. Several policemen were also injured. 

On Friday, prosecution and defence lawyers pur forth their arguments on the quantum of punishment.

While the prosecution lawyers demanded death for 13 workers held guilty for murder and attempt to murder, the defence argued that it would be injustice to the convicts since the death of a senior executive in the violence was an accident and not planned murder.

Then workers union President Ram Mehar, General Secretary Sarbjeet Singh and 10 other Union members, and Jiya Lal were convicted. Jiya Lal was slapped by a contractor on the fateful day, triggering the violence.

The guilty were put in three categories of 13, 14 and four workers depending on the charges proved against them.

‘I’m going to fly!’, this famous line which still lingers our mind is by none other than late Indian woman astronaut Kalpana Chawla, who lost her life with five others on the fateful day of February 1, 2003, in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. Today, Kalpana Chawla would have turned 55 had she been alive to celebrate the occasion.

She was confident that she will become an astronaut one day, and followed her passion to make it a reality. Young and old still admire her zeal and enthusiasm. She is still talked and mentioned in the examples for her path breaking achievements, the world over.

To pay tribute on her 55th birth anniversary, let’s remember Kalpana Chawla and her magnificent journey…

1. Her all-time famous quotes are:

“When you look at the stars and the galaxy, you feel that you are not just from any particular piece of land, but from the solar system.”

“The path from dreams to success does exist. May you have the vision to find it, the courage to get on to it, and the perseverance to follow it. Wishing you a great journey.”

“The coolest thing for me is the experience of floating and not feeling my weight. And hanging by a window just after sunset and watching the stars in the big black dome of the sky as the earth moves underneath.”

2. Space girl Kalpana Chawla made India proud when she made her maiden space voyage on November 19, 1997 along with six-astronaut crew in the Space Shuttle Columbia flight STS-87.

3. So far, Kalpana remains the first and last woman astronaut from India’s soil to take up space mission. Breaking the stereotype, she was also the second after cosmonaut Rakesh Sharma to do so who flew in 1984.

4. Again on January 16, 2003, Kalpana’s second space voyage came up where the team of seven took on a 16-day space mission in the STS-107.

5. Her second space mission will always be remembered as it was also her last one. On February 1, 2003, the ill-fated STS-107 got burnt and disintegrated over Texas while trying to make re-entry into the earth's atmosphere. The tragic incident happened just 16-minute prior the landing of their space shuttle.

6. She was posthumously awarded with Congressional Space Medal of Honor, NASA Space Flight Medal and NASA Distinguished Service Medal

7. Born on March 17, 1962, in Karnal, Haryana. She was the daughter of Banarasi Lal Chawla and Sanjyothi, and the youngest one among all four siblings. She married her flying instructor and aviation author Jean-Pierre Harrison in 1983.

8. To honour Kalpana Chawla on her 55th birth anniversary, the Haryana government is planning to inaugurate Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College and Hospital on March 18.

India and Russia sought to restore the warmth in their ties in the wake of certain unsavoury developments, particularly Moscow’s attempt to woo Pakistan that had upset New Delhi no ends.

Yuri Trutnev, Russian Deputy Prime Minister and envoy of President Vladimir Putin, currently on a four-day visit to India, met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in New Delhi while Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar held foreign office consultations with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister I V Morgulov in Moscow to discuss a range of issues.

The focus of the meeting between the two ministers was on economic cooperation between their two countries. They discussed wide-ranging issues regarding India-Russia economic relations.

They agreed that the privileged strategic partnership between India and Russia is based on long standing and time-tested ties, is very deep and extends to all spheres of mutual interest.

Swaraj specifically stressed the growing mutual beneficial ties between India and Russia in the energy sector, particularly in the Russian Far East, and hoped that the mutual complementary strength of the two partners in the diamond sector would be exploited fully.

She also emphasised on cooperation in maritime and agricultural sector, and on institutional linkages between the countries in these areas. 

During the foreign office consultations in Moscow, the two sides discussed the theme of promotion of India-Russia special and privileged strategic partnership, the implementation of the plan of events dedicated to the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations as well as issues related to preparation for the planned visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Russia later this year. 

The two sides noted with satisfaction the commonality of the approaches of India and Russia  on relevant global and regional issues, including the reform of the international financial institutions, the establishment of security and equal cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region, and combating terrorism and drug trafficking.

Both sides expressed the intention to further coordinate efforts in the international arena, including in the UN, "Group of Twenty", and also on other platforms.

They confirmed their commitment for the creation of a multi-polar world order based on fair and democratic principles and the rule of international law.

Indian officials said the talks in both New Delhi and Moscow were held in a cordial atmosphere, reflecting the desire of the two countries to further strengthen the time-tested relationship.

This assumes significance against the backdrop of recent attempts by Russia to reach out to Pakistan by holding joint military exercises in September last year and virtually endorsing Islamabad’s Afghan policy of peace overtures towards the Taliban.

India had conveyed its unhappiness to Russia on both these counts. Moscow is believed to have assured New Delhi that it would not conduct military exercises with Pakistan again. It has also officially denied the charge that it was supporting the Taliban to facilitate talks between the Afghan regime and the militant 

India and Russia sought to restore the warmth in their ties in the wake of certain unsavoury developments, particularly Moscow’s attempt to woo Pakistan that had upset New Delhi no ends.

Yuri Trutnev, Russian Deputy Prime Minister and envoy of President Vladimir Putin, currently on a four-day visit to India, met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in New Delhi while Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar held foreign office consultations with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister I V Morgulov in Moscow to discuss a range of issues.

The focus of the meeting between the two ministers was on economic cooperation between their two countries. They discussed wide-ranging issues regarding India-Russia economic relations.

They agreed that the privileged strategic partnership between India and Russia is based on long standing and time-tested ties, is very deep and extends to all spheres of mutual interest.

Swaraj specifically stressed the growing mutual beneficial ties between India and Russia in the energy sector, particularly in the Russian Far East, and hoped that the mutual complementary strength of the two partners in the diamond sector would be exploited fully.

She also emphasised on cooperation in maritime and agricultural sector, and on institutional linkages between the countries in these areas. 

During the foreign office consultations in Moscow, the two sides discussed the theme of promotion of India-Russia special and privileged strategic partnership, the implementation of the plan of events dedicated to the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations as well as issues related to preparation for the planned visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Russia later this year. 

The two sides noted with satisfaction the commonality of the approaches of India and Russia  on relevant global and regional issues, including the reform of the international financial institutions, the establishment of security and equal cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region, and combating terrorism and drug trafficking.

Both sides expressed the intention to further coordinate efforts in the international arena, including in the UN, "Group of Twenty", and also on other platforms.

They confirmed their commitment for the creation of a multi-polar world order based on fair and democratic principles and the rule of international law.

Indian officials said the talks in both New Delhi and Moscow were held in a cordial atmosphere, reflecting the desire of the two countries to further strengthen the time-tested relationship.

This assumes significance against the backdrop of recent attempts by Russia to reach out to Pakistan by holding joint military exercises in September last year and virtually endorsing Islamabad’s Afghan policy of peace overtures towards the Taliban.

India had conveyed its unhappiness to Russia on both these counts. Moscow is believed to have assured New Delhi that it would not conduct military exercises with Pakistan again. It has also officially denied the charge that it was supporting the Taliban to facilitate talks between the Afghan regime and the militant 

Actor and social activist Dia Mirza says stereotypes exist in all professions, and not just Bollywood.

"When I became a part of the film industry, people had the idea that girls who were having a good background, should not work in films. People shower so much love on actors, but when somebody in their family wants to become an actor, they become paranoid and think that acting profession isn't a good choice.

"These type of stereotypes exist in all professions," Dia, an environment activist, said at 'Power Women's seminar here on Thursday.

"Even women who are highly educated are considered as a curse because a section of people think that they can't have a good husband because they won't be able to manage home. So, to eliminate this type of mentality, we should discuss and talk on this," added Dia, who is married to Sahil Sangha.

She says the solution lies in financial power.
"
"The women who are financially independent, they can easily handle these situations."

Actor and social activist Dia Mirza says stereotypes exist in all professions, and not just Bollywood.

"When I became a part of the film industry, people had the idea that girls who were having a good background, should not work in films. People shower so much love on actors, but when somebody in their family wants to become an actor, they become paranoid and think that acting profession isn't a good choice.

"These type of stereotypes exist in all professions," Dia, an environment activist, said at 'Power Women's seminar here on Thursday.

"Even women who are highly educated are considered as a curse because a section of people think that they can't have a good husband because they won't be able to manage home. So, to eliminate this type of mentality, we should discuss and talk on this," added Dia, who is married to Sahil Sangha.

She says the solution lies in financial power.
"
"The women who are financially independent, they can easily handle these situations."

Kashmir separatist leaders Syed Alishah Geelani, Mirwaiz Omer Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik on Friday warned Pakistan not to annex Gilgit-Baltistan by declaring it as the fifth province of Pakistan and said the move was unacceptable.

In a joint statement these separatists pointed out that Kashmir, Ladakh, Jammu, POK and Gigli–t Baltistan is a single entity and “political destiny about Jammu Kashmir is yet to be decided”.

Declaring Pakistan as a “prime party to Kashmir issue”, the separatists said that people in Jammu and Kashmir have always regarded and accepted the role of Pakistan as a party to the issue. However, any step which may hamper the “disputed status” of Kashmir is unacceptable.

“We hail the role of Pakistan regarding the issue in international flora, however any deviation in its stance about Kashmir and its geographical entity is improper & will prove detrimental for Kashmir cause”, they said.

They expressed serious concern about proposal of declaring Giglit– Baltistan as fifth province of Pakistan and said that it will have damaging impact over the “disputed status of the state”.

They said that Jammu Kashmir is long standing issue in international forums and world community has agreed to decide its political destiny through resolutions acknowledged by UNO.

They further said that unless and until the people of the state are provided an opportunity to decide the future course of state through referendum, no division, alteration and changes are acceptable. Rejecting any idea of merging of its part or division of state, the leaders said that both India and Pakistan have no authority or right to alter the geographical status of J&K.

The separatists asked Pakistan to show wisdom and desist from such steps which may hamper the political and geographical position of Jammu and Kashmir.

Geelani, Mirwaiz and Malik expressed hope that Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will fulfill their commitment regarding the geographical entity of Jammu and Kashmir and will desist from this adventure of annexing Giglit-Baltistan as the fifth province of Pakistan.

Actress Kalki Koechlin on Friday said working on Azmaish, a documentary for which she collaborated with Pakistani filmmaker Sabiha Sumar, enabled her to see a more human aspect of the neighbouring country.

Speaking at the India Today Conclave 2017 here on Friday, Kalki said the documentary looks at India and Pakistan outside the context of conflict, and instead focuses on the struggles of commoners in both the countries.

Asked what drew her to the project, she said: "I think my neutrality on the subject, that I didn't have a particularly strong standpoint on the whole India-Pakistan issue, is something that must have tempted Sabiha.

"From my point of view, I accepted the project out of curiosity. I had never been to Pakistan and I only knew India and Pakistan in terms of conflicts. I wanted to see another aspect, perhaps, a more human aspect."

Talking about the human aspect she experienced in Pakistan, the Indian actress of French descent said: "Once you remove ideologies, you start seeing the people and their struggles. Pakistanis are as terrified of their terrorism as anyone else in the world."

Kalki said she also saw India through new eyes while travelling with Sabiha, who was due to be at the Conclave too, but couldn't make it. 

"In places like Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, I could draw so many similarities between the rural parts of Pakistan in terms of the conservative way to look at women who are voiceless. I also saw how power and religion work closely with each other," she said.

Did something about Pakistan surprise her?

"A lot of things surprised me. One thing that I loved was their curiosity because there's very little outside influence in Pakistan vis-a-vis India. The openness with which they met me was very surprising," she said.

Elaborating with an example, Kalki said: "In the documentary, we had set up a fashion show. Hundreds of men had come to watch the show. We asked these men what they thought about their Pakistani women being models. They said they were happy to see them.

"When we asked how they would like it if their wives were doing this, they said their leaders will slit their throats. It was said in a tone which meant things were not going to change."

Kalki is happy things are not the same in India.

At the session, some portion of the documentary was screened.

Back into the Test side after a wait of over two years, swashbuckling all-rounder Glenn Maxwell said his partnership with skipper Steve Smith put Australia in a great position after the second day's play in the third cricket Test against India here on Friday.

Maxwell (104) and Smith (178 not out) forged a fifth wicket stand of 191 runs to help Australia post a mammoth 451 in their first innings.

Maxwell's maiden Test century also made him only the second Aussie to score a ton in all three formats after former all-rounder Shane Watson.

"Very happy to get back into the Test team. That partnership with (Smith) Smudge put us in a good position. To have that faith shown in me, to produce that innings has been really amazing," Maxwell said after the second day's play.

Contrary to his natural game, the explosive right-hander played a sedate knock which came off 185 deliveries, which according to him made him get used to the wicket.

"I felt very comfortable out there, that was obviously something I have been working on. But now we got to be disciplined again. We have got the ball reversing," the 28-year-old said.

In reply, India finished the second day's play at 120/1, losing the lone wicket of opener Lokesh Rahul (67) but Maxwell wanted a few more wickets before the bails were dislodged for the day.

"We would have liked one or two more wickets. The pitch was a little bit more up and down, and a little bit more spin today. Hopefully that continues as the match wears on," he said hoping that his off-spin would come handy on Saturday.

The new BJP government in Uttarakhand faces stiff challenge to select its cabinet ministers. The problem is due to the bumper mandate the party has got in the recently concluded state assembly elections. Choosing 11 ministers from a pool of 57 legislators is not going to be easy.

Trivendra Rawat, who will take oath as Uttarakhand CM on Friday, said, “We will be giving our highest priority to poverty alleviation.”

The biggest problem before BJP is to accommodate adequate number of party leaders and provide satisfactory representation to Congress rebels- who joined the saffron party ahead of the polls.

Giant killers like Rajesh Shukla and Yatishwaranana, who defeated Chief Minister Harish Rawat from Kiccha and Haridwar seats are looking at their party with hope. Satpal Maharaj and Prakash Pant, who missed the bus to the CM office, are considered hot favourite for the cabinet posts. 

Over two dozen names are making the rounds for different portfolios. The scene will clear only on Saturday when Trivendra Rawat will take oath as Uttarakhand CM with his cabinet. 
 

 There is no "direct link" between demonetisation and the prices of agricultural commodities, the government said Friday.

"There is no direct link between demonetisation and the prices of agricultural commodities," Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said in Rajya Sabha, adding that the government took a number of steps to provide relief to farmers after the noteban.

Replying to supplementaries during the Question Hour, he said the selling prices are governed by market forces of demand and supply, quality of produce and seasonality.

Official data earlier this week has shown that wholesale inflation soared to a 39-month high of 6.55 per cent in February from 5.25 per cent in January, while retail inflation rose to 3.65 per cent due to rise in food and fuel prices from 3.17 per cent in the previous month.

Singh said the capping imposed on compensation to farmers under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna (PMFBY) have been removed and farmers can now get compensation even 14 days after the crops are reaped, to help make the scheme attractive.

The Minister said the Centre has asked the state governments to cover more and more farmers under the PMFBY from the current levvel of 30 per cent.

"We want to take it to 40 to 50 per cent of farmers in the country and we should together with state governments work towards achieving the target and popularise the PMFBY to help cover all farmers and give them protection of their crops," he said in the House.

Singh said the government has taken several relief measures for farmers after demonetisation including provision of additional grace period of 60 days for prompt repayment incentive to such farmers who took crop loans.

He also said the government granted interest waiver for two months for all short-term crop loans availed from cooperative banks and an additional resource of Rs.660.50 crore was made available during current financial year.

He also said the government allowed farmers to use old notes of Rs.500 and Rs.1,000 for making payments for purchase of seeds and fertilisers, besides organising training camps for using digital payments and extension of cut-off date for submission of premium proposal for cash crops under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna.

Besides, the Minister said, the RBI and commercial banks were advised to make the required cash available to district central cooperative banks to ensure quick flow of credit and required cash to farmers during the current Rabi season and prioritise the availability of adequate legal currency to meet their cash requirement.

States were also advised to ensure ready availability of fertilisers at their level to the farmers.

Disruptions in Parliament are totally unacceptable as nobody has the moral authority to postpone the business of the House, President Pranab Mukherjee said here on Friday.

Speaking at the India Today Conclave here, Mukherjee said: "The disease of disruption has crept in. Disruption is totally unacceptable to me. Session after session pass without transacting any business. Who will make law? Money and finance needs to be discussed."

Mukherjee said that when he entered politics Parliament used to meet more frequently – around 24-26 weeks in a year – but that was no longer the case.

He said that Parliament must examine the rationality of expenditure as it is the taxpayers' money which was being spent.

A day ahead of the swearing-in ceremony, Uttarakhand CM-designate Trivendra Singh Rawat on Friday met state Governor KK Paul and claimed support of 57 MLAs to form government.

Rawat was on Friday elected the leader of the BJP Legislature Party and along with BJP MLAs and senior leaders, he reached Raj Bhavan to stake claim to form government in the state.

"PM Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah will attend the swearing-in ceremony on Saturday," BJP Uttarakhand state in-charge Shyam Jaju was quoted as saying by a news portal.

Reports suggested that the oath-taking event will be held at 3 pm on Saturday.

Rawat, an organisational man of the BJP and party in-charge in Jharkhand, won Doiwala seat by defeating Congress' Hira Singh Bisht by over 24,000 votes.

Celebrated master portraitist Raja Ravi Varma and SH Raza were in high demand at Sotheby's bi-annual sales of "Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art" and "Indian and Himalayan and Southeast Asian Works of Art" here.

The highlight of Sotheby's Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art sale was the untitled (Damyanti) painting by Raja Ravi Varma who was declared a national art treasure by the Indian government in 1979, estimated at $500,000-$700,000 and sold for $1,692,500 dollars. 

Yamini Mehta, International Head of Indian and South Asian Art, noted: "We were delighted to see today's auction — the only sale of Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art taking place during Asia Week New York — comfortably exceed the high estimate. 

"Vigorous bidding for Raja Ravi Varma, Sayed Haider Raza, and other modern masters, translated to a 91.4 per cent sell-through rate with 67.9 per cent of lots exceeding their high estimates, including a series of strong prices for signature works by Maqbool Fida Husain. Our commitment to India, through our highlights exhibition at the beautiful Leela Palace in Delhi and special events in Mumbai, London and New York, bore fruit this week, and we look forward to continuing to shape this market in our salesrooms in the years to come," she added. 

Featuring paintings and works of art across 1,700 years — beginning in the 3rd century and ending in the 21st century — the two sales of South Asian Art showcased the wide range of artistic styles and creative output, and underlined the significance and desirability of provenance in this field.

"We curated our Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Works of Art sale to today's market and were pleased to see it demonstrate continued momentum in our collecting category. The sustained interest in both property from the Cleveland Museum of Art and selections from the Lanier Collection,illustrated the global demand – from the United States, Europe, the Middle East, India and beyond – for works from important collections, particularly when fresh to the market," said Anu Ghosh-Mazumdar, Head of the Indian and Southeast Asian Art department in New York. 

The sales achieved a total of $11,280,750 this week, with both auctions fetching near and above the high estimate. Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Works of Art Fetched a total of $4.7 million while Sotheby's Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art reached a total figure of $6.6 million. 

The Himachal Pradesh Revenue minister, Kaul Singh Thakur on Friday said that the state government is concerned over the inter-state boundary dispute between Himachal and Jammu and Kashmir.

“We will see to it the HP’s territory is not encroached by the other state near Sarchu ahead of Lahaul Spiti,” the minister said in reply to a question by Lahaul Spiti MLA, Ravi Thakur (Congress) in the state assembly

Kaul Singh informed the house about the round of meetings of the Lahaul Spiti officials with those in Ladakh in 2014 over the boundary dispute and said it was decided that both the sides would exchange the revenue records and maintain the status quo.

 He said in 2015, the Leh Police set up a chowki at Sarchu in Lahaul Spiti where the Forest department grants permission for camping sites.

The minister said the Surveyor General of India team has visited Sarchu and Shinkula Border of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir in Leh-Ladakh Areas.

So far, no request has been received by the received by the state government for deposit of any amount for demarcation by the state government.

The Lahaul Spiti MLA expressed concern that no steps had been taken to resolve the sensitive issue over last three years.

In reply to another question by Kuldeep Kumar (Congress MLA from Chintpurni) Kishori Lal (Congress MLA from Baijnath) and Maheshwar Singh (BJP MLA from Kullu) Revenue minister, Kaul Singh Thakur informed the house that the state government had allotted land to 191 landless persons across the state in past four years.

He said 4000 applications were so far pending, which the government will decide in next six months.

Intervening in the reply, Chief Minister, Virbhadra Singh said the state government will try to scrutinise pending applications in next three months. “It will be a difficult task but we will try to do it and extend the benefit to the eligible landless persons,” he said.

Spanish football giants FC Barcelona will face Italian powerhouse Juventus in one of the thrilling quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League.

The league will host intense quarter-final clashes, assured the Friday draw at Nyon, Switzerland.

The first leg of the quarter-finals will be held on April 11-12, followed by the second-leg that is scheduled for April 18-19.

Last season English Premier League champions Leicester City are scheduled to face 2016 La Liga’s runner-ups Atletico Madrid in the first quarter-final.

The second quarter-final will saw German club Borussia Dotmund locking horns against French side Monaco.

“Dortmund and Monaco meet in UEFA competition for the first time,” Champions League said in a tweet.

Defending champions Real Madrid have been drawn against Bayern Munich for the third quarter-final.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and visiting Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Trutnev on Friday discussed a wide range of issues pertaining to bilateral economic relations, official sources here said.

Trutnev, accompanied by leaders from Russia's far east and a business delegation, is on a visit to India from March 15-18.

The two leaders "agreed that the privileged strategic partnership between India and Russia, based on longstanding and time-tested ties, is very deep and extends to all spheres of mutual interest".

"Sushma Swaraj specifically stressed the growing mutual beneficial ties between India and Russia in energy sector, particularly in the Russian far east," said an official statement.

"The minister emphasised on cooperation in maritime and agricultural sector, and on institutional linkages between the countries in these areas," it added.

Sushma Swaraj also thanked Trutnev for inviting the Indian participation in the Third Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok in September. 

The two leaders agreed that interaction between various ministries of India and Russia will further boost economic cooperation.

Russia is India's foremost defence and strategic partner and largest exporter of defence equipment and nuclear technology. 

Recently, Russian oil major Rosneft agreed to invest $10.9 billion in Indian hydrocarbon sector and Indian oil companies like Indian Oil Corporation, Oil India and Oil and Natural Gas Commission had acquired stakes in Russian Vankor and Tass-Yuryakh oil fields.