Australia have been dealt a massive injury blow with pace spearhead Mitchell Starc ruled out of the remainder of the ongoing India vs Australia Series with a fractured foot. 

“Mitchell experienced some pain in his right foot during the second Test in Bengaluru which unfortunately had not subsided a few days after the Test as we had hoped,” said team physiotherapist David Beakley. “We made the decision to scan his foot in Bangalore this morning and unfortunately it has revealed a stress fracture.

“Subsequently, this means Mitchell will be unavailable for the remainder of the Qantas Tour of India and will return home to Australia to start his rehabilitation.” No replacement has been announced for Starc, with Jackson Bird the reserve fast bowler who is likely to be brought into the fold.

The loss of Starc is disastrous for Australia who sit level with India at 1-1 after two Tests in the four-match series.

The 27-year-old pacer played a crucial role in Australia’s first Test win in the subcontinent since 2004 when the visitors stunned India to claim the first Test by a massive 333 runs. Starc’s quick-fire 61 lifted Australia to a dominant first-innings total of 260 before he silenced the cricket-crazy nation by dismissing India captain Virat Kohli for a second-ball duck on day two. He, along with Josh Hazlewood, had brought the Indian team’s second innings to an abrupt halt in the second Test at Bengaluru with a brilliant spell of pace bowling.

Australia have been dealt a massive injury blow with pace spearhead Mitchell Starc ruled out of the remainder of the ongoing India vs Australia Series with a fractured foot. 

“Mitchell experienced some pain in his right foot during the second Test in Bengaluru which unfortunately had not subsided a few days after the Test as we had hoped,” said team physiotherapist David Beakley. “We made the decision to scan his foot in Bangalore this morning and unfortunately it has revealed a stress fracture.

“Subsequently, this means Mitchell will be unavailable for the remainder of the Qantas Tour of India and will return home to Australia to start his rehabilitation.” No replacement has been announced for Starc, with Jackson Bird the reserve fast bowler who is likely to be brought into the fold.

The loss of Starc is disastrous for Australia who sit level with India at 1-1 after two Tests in the four-match series.

The 27-year-old pacer played a crucial role in Australia’s first Test win in the subcontinent since 2004 when the visitors stunned India to claim the first Test by a massive 333 runs. Starc’s quick-fire 61 lifted Australia to a dominant first-innings total of 260 before he silenced the cricket-crazy nation by dismissing India captain Virat Kohli for a second-ball duck on day two. He, along with Josh Hazlewood, had brought the Indian team’s second innings to an abrupt halt in the second Test at Bengaluru with a brilliant spell of pace bowling.

A labourer was killed and 16 other workers were injured when an under-construction building of a police training academy collapsed in Bhopal district.

The third floor of the building of Central Academy of Police Training, the construction of which was going on for last three months at Kanhasaiya locality on the city outskirts, collapsed suddenly late Thursday during beam laying work.

The two floors below it also came crashing down, trapping the labourers working there under the debris, Superintendent of Police, Bhopal (south), Siddharth Bahuguna said.

A labourer, identified as Matlu Koda (35), was seriously injured in the mishap. He died on way to hospital, the SP said.

Sixteen other labourers, including three women, were pulled out of the debris and admitted in hospital for treatment of their injuries, he said.

The SP said that a case will be registered against the company involved in the building's construction.

Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan expressed grief over the incident.

He announced an ex-gratia of Rs.2 lakh to the kin of the deceased labourer.

He also promised an assistance of Rs.50,000 each to the seriously injured persons and Rs.25,000 to those who suffered minor injuries, a state Public Relations officer said.

A labourer was killed and 16 other workers were injured when an under-construction building of a police training academy collapsed in Bhopal district.

The third floor of the building of Central Academy of Police Training, the construction of which was going on for last three months at Kanhasaiya locality on the city outskirts, collapsed suddenly late Thursday during beam laying work.

The two floors below it also came crashing down, trapping the labourers working there under the debris, Superintendent of Police, Bhopal (south), Siddharth Bahuguna said.

A labourer, identified as Matlu Koda (35), was seriously injured in the mishap. He died on way to hospital, the SP said.

Sixteen other labourers, including three women, were pulled out of the debris and admitted in hospital for treatment of their injuries, he said.

The SP said that a case will be registered against the company involved in the building's construction.

Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan expressed grief over the incident.

He announced an ex-gratia of Rs.2 lakh to the kin of the deceased labourer.

He also promised an assistance of Rs.50,000 each to the seriously injured persons and Rs.25,000 to those who suffered minor injuries, a state Public Relations officer said.

Rejecting the results of the exit polls, Rahul Gandhi on Friday said that the SP-Cong alliance will emerge victorious in the UP Assembly elections 2017. “SP- Cong alliance will win in UP. Exit polls can be wrong,” the Congress leader was quoted as saying to a television channel.

“Look what happened in the case of Bihar? These results do not always reflect the true situation. We will talk on March 11” he said.

Almost all the exit poll results have put BJP in the top with maximum number of seats. Most of them have predicted that BJP will win over 180 seats; some going as far as 210. According to India News, the SP- Cong alliance is expected to win 120 seats, while ABP News puts the number at 156-169.

Counting for the UP Assembly election 2017 is scheduled on March 11. Apart from UP, Punjab, Goa and Manipur, too, have gone to polls this year.

Rejecting the results of the exit polls, Rahul Gandhi on Friday said that the SP-Cong alliance will emerge victorious in the UP Assembly elections 2017. “SP- Cong alliance will win in UP. Exit polls can be wrong,” the Congress leader was quoted as saying to a television channel.

“Look what happened in the case of Bihar? These results do not always reflect the true situation. We will talk on March 11” he said.

Almost all the exit poll results have put BJP in the top with maximum number of seats. Most of them have predicted that BJP will win over 180 seats; some going as far as 210. According to India News, the SP- Cong alliance is expected to win 120 seats, while ABP News puts the number at 156-169.

Counting for the UP Assembly election 2017 is scheduled on March 11. Apart from UP, Punjab, Goa and Manipur, too, have gone to polls this year.

Just when the Karan-Kangana fire went out of control, actor Shekhar Suman added fuel to the fire with his nasty comments against Kangana’s ‘badass card’ statement.

 “She should just keep her mouth shut, and let her work speak for herself. If you are a failure then you should have a dignity to come forward and and say I have failed miserably. You don’t always have to shout on the rooftop and say what you have done. The best thing is to just be and keep your mouth shut,” Shekhar Suman was quoted as saying.

Calling Kangana a fake feminist, Suman said, “I don’t like these weeping women and women who cry to everyone claiming that they were victimised, traumatised, agonised and all that. Otherwise when you are talking about equality, everybody is in the same line. But some women save their cards conveniently. You become a woman and a man according to your convenience. You say that you are the hero of the film and not the heroine. It is quite irritating to see these blubbering women who get all the support in the world from the internet,” the actor added.

Earlier Shekhar was trolled by the Twitterati for calling Kangana a "cocained actress" after the failure of Rangoon.

Shekhar and his son Adhyayen had claimed that Kangana used black magic to destroy the Adhyayen’s career, who was also her boyfriend at one point of time.

With things being blown out of proportion one can only wonder what Kangana has to say in response to Shekhar’s comments against her!

Just when the Karan-Kangana fire went out of control, actor Shekhar Suman added fuel to the fire with his nasty comments against Kangana’s ‘badass card’ statement.

 “She should just keep her mouth shut, and let her work speak for herself. If you are a failure then you should have a dignity to come forward and and say I have failed miserably. You don’t always have to shout on the rooftop and say what you have done. The best thing is to just be and keep your mouth shut,” Shekhar Suman was quoted as saying.

Calling Kangana a fake feminist, Suman said, “I don’t like these weeping women and women who cry to everyone claiming that they were victimised, traumatised, agonised and all that. Otherwise when you are talking about equality, everybody is in the same line. But some women save their cards conveniently. You become a woman and a man according to your convenience. You say that you are the hero of the film and not the heroine. It is quite irritating to see these blubbering women who get all the support in the world from the internet,” the actor added.

Earlier Shekhar was trolled by the Twitterati for calling Kangana a "cocained actress" after the failure of Rangoon.

Shekhar and his son Adhyayen had claimed that Kangana used black magic to destroy the Adhyayen’s career, who was also her boyfriend at one point of time.

With things being blown out of proportion one can only wonder what Kangana has to say in response to Shekhar’s comments against her!

Yuki Bhambri made the first ATP Challenger level singles semifinals of the season when his Argentine rival Agustin Velotti retired midway into the contest, here on Friday.

Unseeded Yuki was leading 6-1 2-1 when Velotti threw in the towel, citing fatigue.

The contest lasted mere 47 minutes with the Argentine hardly posing a challenge to Yuki, who is playing on Protected Ranking (PR).

Yuki, who lost precious time in the 2016 season due to tennis elbow injury, had won a Futures title coming into this tournament and led India to a 4-1 win over New Zealand in the Davis Cup tie in Pune.

"He was tired, he said he played long matches and therefore was tired," Yuki said about his rival.

Talking about his first semis appearance this season, Yuki said,"I am happy. It's really tough tournament and even harder when you are not seeded. Just trying to keep my head down and staying focussed. Hope, I can keep pushing and working hard and make most of the opportunities."

Yuki Bhambri made the first ATP Challenger level singles semifinals of the season when his Argentine rival Agustin Velotti retired midway into the contest, here on Friday.

Unseeded Yuki was leading 6-1 2-1 when Velotti threw in the towel, citing fatigue.

The contest lasted mere 47 minutes with the Argentine hardly posing a challenge to Yuki, who is playing on Protected Ranking (PR).

Yuki, who lost precious time in the 2016 season due to tennis elbow injury, had won a Futures title coming into this tournament and led India to a 4-1 win over New Zealand in the Davis Cup tie in Pune.

"He was tired, he said he played long matches and therefore was tired," Yuki said about his rival.

Talking about his first semis appearance this season, Yuki said,"I am happy. It's really tough tournament and even harder when you are not seeded. Just trying to keep my head down and staying focussed. Hope, I can keep pushing and working hard and make most of the opportunities."

The Parliamentary Board of the BJP may meet on Saturday afternoon when results of the five state assembly elections will be out.

With exit polls projecting a good show by the saffron party, including in the crucial state of Uttar Pradesh where it is projected to emerge as the single largest party, its highest decision-making body is likely to take stock of the situation and chalk out future strategy.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party chief Amit Shah are among the board's 12 members who also include Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley, Nitin Gadkari, Sushma Swaraj, Venkaiah Naidu, Ananth Kumar, Thawarchand Gehlot and J P Nadda.

A party source said the meeting has been tentatively scheduled for Saturday. However, there is a possibility that it could be held on Sunday depending on how the results pan out.

The counting of votes will start on Saturday morning.

Exit polls on Thursday had  projected a hung assembly in Uttar Pradesh, with BJP likely to lead the table, winning anywhere between 164 and 210 of the 403 seats. They also projected a good show by the party in Goa and Uttarakhand.

The Parliamentary Board of the BJP may meet on Saturday afternoon when results of the five state assembly elections will be out.

With exit polls projecting a good show by the saffron party, including in the crucial state of Uttar Pradesh where it is projected to emerge as the single largest party, its highest decision-making body is likely to take stock of the situation and chalk out future strategy.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party chief Amit Shah are among the board's 12 members who also include Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley, Nitin Gadkari, Sushma Swaraj, Venkaiah Naidu, Ananth Kumar, Thawarchand Gehlot and J P Nadda.

A party source said the meeting has been tentatively scheduled for Saturday. However, there is a possibility that it could be held on Sunday depending on how the results pan out.

The counting of votes will start on Saturday morning.

Exit polls on Thursday had  projected a hung assembly in Uttar Pradesh, with BJP likely to lead the table, winning anywhere between 164 and 210 of the 403 seats. They also projected a good show by the party in Goa and Uttarakhand.

India's key messages during the Commonwealth summit being held in London this week will focus on ease of doing business in the country and creating a strong export economy, a senior Indian diplomat said on Friday.

The inaugural Commonwealth Trade Ministers' Meeting is being held over two days starting on March 10, with ministers and policymakers from across the Commonwealth set to discuss areas for increased collaboration.

India is being represented at the meeting by Commerce Secretary Rita Neotia.

"The key messages are around ease of doing business in India and all the initiatives being taken by the Government of India. To a large extent there is a recognition that India is doing well in this area and gone up in the World Bank rankings. There is a recognition that trade and investment go together," said Dinesh Patnaik, deputy high commissioner to the UK.

"The other focus is on how to create an export economy.

The Commerce Secretary will be highlighting the steps India is taking and also take note of what other countries have done in the field," he added.

The opening day of the meeting, jointly convened by the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC) and the Commonwealth Secretariat, was focused on a series of roundtables as an exchange of ideas between the member- countries, with Friday ear-marked for a ministerial meetings.

The event was opened by UK minister for international trade Liam Fox, who flagged India among the fastest growing import economies over the next five years.

He said in his speech: "According to the IMF, the Commonwealth countries whose imports of goods and services are likely to grow fastest over the next five years are Mozambique, Bangladesh, India, Brunei, Ghana and Sierra Leone.

Many more countries represented here on Friday are also experiencing rapid economic development.

"This represents not only a great opportunity for their citizens to share in the proceeds of global prosperity, but it represents tremendous opportunities to importers and exporters from across the whole Commonwealth, a genuinely win-win situation."

Fox also highlighted an upcoming small and medium enterprise (SME) summit to be held in India next month.

"The [Commonwealth] Secretariat has also organised a summit next month, designed to help developing Commonwealth nations benefit from India s global value chains, tapping into the diversification of their export markets and improvements to their supply chain capacity," he noted.

The first-ever London meeting follows on from the Commonwealth Business Forum in Malta in November 2015 and has been described as an attempt to kick-start an ambitious agenda ahead of the 2018 Commonwealth Summit in the UK.

"Looking forward, Britain will lead the charge for a freer and fairer trading system and we want our Commonwealth partners and friends to join with us. That’s why we will use this meeting to continue conversations around how to minimise disruption, remove barriers and ensure a win-win approach to our future trading relations," said Lord Price, minister of state in the Department for International Trade.

The meeting is the UK s attempt at creating new, stronger trade ties with Commonwealth countries as it leaves the European Union (EU).

While Britain cannot initiate any bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs) until the official Brexit process is complete, it is focussing on exploring ties through such multi-lateral fora.

The 52 member-states in the Commonwealth boast a combined population of over 2.4 billion people.

Latest figures show intra-Commonwealth trade has grown faster than the global average over the past 10 years, and is projected to be worth $1 trillion a year by 2020.

India's key messages during the Commonwealth summit being held in London this week will focus on ease of doing business in the country and creating a strong export economy, a senior Indian diplomat said on Friday.

The inaugural Commonwealth Trade Ministers' Meeting is being held over two days starting on March 10, with ministers and policymakers from across the Commonwealth set to discuss areas for increased collaboration.

India is being represented at the meeting by Commerce Secretary Rita Neotia.

"The key messages are around ease of doing business in India and all the initiatives being taken by the Government of India. To a large extent there is a recognition that India is doing well in this area and gone up in the World Bank rankings. There is a recognition that trade and investment go together," said Dinesh Patnaik, deputy high commissioner to the UK.

"The other focus is on how to create an export economy.

The Commerce Secretary will be highlighting the steps India is taking and also take note of what other countries have done in the field," he added.

The opening day of the meeting, jointly convened by the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC) and the Commonwealth Secretariat, was focused on a series of roundtables as an exchange of ideas between the member- countries, with Friday ear-marked for a ministerial meetings.

The event was opened by UK minister for international trade Liam Fox, who flagged India among the fastest growing import economies over the next five years.

He said in his speech: "According to the IMF, the Commonwealth countries whose imports of goods and services are likely to grow fastest over the next five years are Mozambique, Bangladesh, India, Brunei, Ghana and Sierra Leone.

Many more countries represented here on Friday are also experiencing rapid economic development.

"This represents not only a great opportunity for their citizens to share in the proceeds of global prosperity, but it represents tremendous opportunities to importers and exporters from across the whole Commonwealth, a genuinely win-win situation."

Fox also highlighted an upcoming small and medium enterprise (SME) summit to be held in India next month.

"The [Commonwealth] Secretariat has also organised a summit next month, designed to help developing Commonwealth nations benefit from India s global value chains, tapping into the diversification of their export markets and improvements to their supply chain capacity," he noted.

The first-ever London meeting follows on from the Commonwealth Business Forum in Malta in November 2015 and has been described as an attempt to kick-start an ambitious agenda ahead of the 2018 Commonwealth Summit in the UK.

"Looking forward, Britain will lead the charge for a freer and fairer trading system and we want our Commonwealth partners and friends to join with us. That’s why we will use this meeting to continue conversations around how to minimise disruption, remove barriers and ensure a win-win approach to our future trading relations," said Lord Price, minister of state in the Department for International Trade.

The meeting is the UK s attempt at creating new, stronger trade ties with Commonwealth countries as it leaves the European Union (EU).

While Britain cannot initiate any bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs) until the official Brexit process is complete, it is focussing on exploring ties through such multi-lateral fora.

The 52 member-states in the Commonwealth boast a combined population of over 2.4 billion people.

Latest figures show intra-Commonwealth trade has grown faster than the global average over the past 10 years, and is projected to be worth $1 trillion a year by 2020.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Friday assured to extend help to parents of a New York University (NYU) student Debarpan Mukherjee, who is currently admitted in a hospital following brain haemorrhage.

“Have just learnt that Debarpan Mukherjee, a student of NYU, is in hospital because of brain haemorrhage," the minister said in a series of tweets.

"We will ensure that his parents reach there at the earliest. Our Consulate in New York will provide all help,” she added.

Earlier in the month the minister reacted on Twitter after the shooting of a 39-year-old Sikh man Deep Rai in the US and expressed her sorrow over the hate crime.

China warned on Thursday that United States ignoring World Trade Organisation rulings could trigger a "trade war" after President Donald Trump's administration said it was not bound by the body's decisions.

Last week a letter sent from the United States Trade Representative to Congress outlining Trump policy reviewed the terms under which the United States joined the WTO when it was founded in 1995.

According to the Trump administration's interpretation, "Congress had made clear that Americans are not directly subject to WTO rulings", said the document.

China warned that moves to discredit the WTO would be detrimental to the future of multilateral trade.

"If WTO members ignore the organisation's rules for their own sake and refuse to implement its rulings on disputes, the multilateral trade system will exist in name only and there could even be a repetition of the trade war of the 1930s," Sun Jiwen, a Ministry of Commerce spokesman, said at a briefing in Beijing.

"We call on major WTO members to live by what they teach, abide by WTO rules and fulfill their duties," he added.

President Trump has repeatedly said the United States could accomplish its trade goals by focusing on bilateral talks rather than multilateral negotiations.

During his campaign, Trump described WTO's performance as the global trade referee a "disaster" and promised a more aggressive approach to open up foreign markets to US companies, including threatening to unilaterally impose tariffs.

Trump has also accused China of being a free-rider in the international system, saying its unfair trade policies have cost the United States tens of thousands of jobs and threatening to slap Beijing with massive tariffs of up to 45 per cent.