<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/isro-to-launch-gsat-29-shortly-satellite-to-meet-communication-needs-of-remote-areas-177320">ISRO launches India's heaviest rocket, satellite on board will boost communication in Northeast, J&amp;K</a>

India's heaviest rocket the GSLV-MkIII-D2 blasted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Prades carrying the communication satellite GSAT-29 on board. The satellite will boost communications in remote areas.&nbsp;

According to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the GSLV-MkIII stands 43.4 metres tall and weighs 640 tonnes.

 
<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/sri-lanka-rajapaksa-deputies-say-he-will-stay-in-office-177314">Sri Lanka: Rajapaksa deputies say he will stay in office despite losing trust vote</a>

Sri Lanka's parliament passed a no-confidence motion against newly appointed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on Wednesday, presenting a standoff with the opposition and throwing the country deeper into turmoil.

Deputies from Rajapaksa's party rejected the voice vote as illegal, saying it wasn't scheduled and that the pro-China former strongman would remain in office.

It wasn't immediately clear what President Maithripala Sirisena, who triggered the crisis by firing Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and naming Rajapaksa to the job last month, would do now.

 
<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/all-terror-attacks-finally-lead-back-to-single-source-modi-to-us-vp-mike-pence-177357">All terror attacks finally lead back to 'single source': Modi to US VP Mike Pence</a>

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday told US Vice President Mike Pence that all the traces and all the leads in the global terror attacks ultimately leads to a "single source and single place of origin", in an apparent reference to Pakistan.

Modi, who held talks with Pence on a wide range of bilateral and global issues of mutual interests on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit here, also expressed concern over the participation of terrorists in the elections in Pakistan.

 
<a href="http://www.wionews.com/entertainment/deepika-padukone-and-ranveer-singh-are-now-officially-married-reports-177328">Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh are now married: Reports</a>

It's finally happened. Bollywood's favourite couple- Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh- are officially married. The couple tied the knot in a traditional Konkani ceremony on Wednesday morning at Lake Como, Italy.&nbsp;

According to media reports, the wedding began at 9 am in the morning. The ceremony was strictly a private one with only close friends and relatives in attendance. No mobile phones were allowed at the venue.&nbsp;

 
<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/rafale-deal-supreme-court-reserves-judgement-on-petitions-seeking-court-monitored-probe-177339">Rafale deal: SC reserves judgement on petitions seeking court-monitored probe</a>

After a four-hour long hearing, the Supreme Court reserved its judgement Wednesday on the clutch of petitions seeking a court-monitored probe into the Rafale deal.&nbsp;

The government’s response to the Supreme Court — the court had asked for pricing and decision-making details of the deal — met with fiery questions from the petitioners. The petitioners alleged that the procurement of the 36 Rafale jets was announced first and negotiations held later, when it should have been the other way round.&nbsp;

Questions about the pricing of the jets dominated the day's discourse with the petitioners quizzing the Centre about having provided the details twice in parliament but not to them.

ISRO launches India's heaviest rocket, satellite on board will boost communication in Northeast, J&K India's heaviest rocket the GSLV-MkIII-D2 blasted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Prades carrying the communication satellite GSAT-29 on board.

ISRO launches India's heaviest rocket, satellite on board will boost communication in Northeast, J&K India's heaviest rocket the GSLV-MkIII-D2 blasted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Prades carrying the communication satellite GSAT-29 on board. The satellite will boost communications in remote areas. According to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the GSLV-MkIII stands 43.4 metres tall and weighs 640 tonnes. Sri Lanka: Rajapaksa deputies say he will stay in office despite losing trust vote Sri Lanka's parliament passed a no-confidence motion against newly appointed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on Wednesday, presenting a standoff with the opposition and throwing the country deeper into turmoil. Deputies from Rajapaksa's party rejected the voice vote as illegal, saying it wasn't scheduled and that the pro-China former strongman would remain in office. It wasn't immediately clear what President Maithripala Sirisena, who triggered the crisis by firing Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and naming Rajapaksa to the job last month, would do now. All terror attacks finally lead back to 'single source': Modi to US VP Mike Pence Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday told US Vice President Mike Pence that all the traces and all the leads in the global terror attacks ultimately leads to a "single source and single place of origin", in an apparent reference to Pakistan. Modi, who held talks with Pence on a wide range of bilateral and global issues of mutual interests on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit here, also expressed concern over the participation of terrorists in the elections in Pakistan. Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh are now married: Reports It's finally happened. Bollywood's favourite couple- Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh- are officially married. The couple tied the knot in a traditional Konkani ceremony on Wednesday morning at Lake Como, Italy. According to media reports, the wedding began at 9 am in the morning. The ceremony was strictly a private one with only close friends and relatives in attendance. No mobile phones were allowed at the venue. Rafale deal: SC reserves judgement on petitions seeking court-monitored probe After a four-hour long hearing, the Supreme Court reserved its judgement Wednesday on the clutch of petitions seeking a court-monitored probe into the Rafale deal. The government’s response to the Supreme Court — the court had asked for pricing and decision-making details of the deal — met with fiery questions from the petitioners. The petitioners alleged that the procurement of the 36 Rafale jets was announced first and negotiations held later, when it should have been the other way round. Questions about the pricing of the jets dominated the day's discourse with the petitioners quizzing the Centre about having provided the details twice in parliament but not to them.

News brief: Big stories of the day

Sri Lanka's parliament <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/sri-lanka-parliament-votes-against-rajapakse-177250">passed a no-confidence motion</a> against newly appointed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on Wednesday, presenting a standoff with the opposition and throwing the country deeper into turmoil.

Deputies from Rajapaksa's party rejected the voice vote as illegal, saying it wasn't scheduled and that the pro-China former strongman would remain in office.

It wasn't immediately clear what President Maithripala Sirisena, who triggered the crisis by firing Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and naming Rajapaksa to the job last month, would do now.

Government officials said there was confusion about who was in charge.

"We need cabinet approvals to go ahead with large value projects," one told Reuters. "We don't know if a cabinet exists or not."

Sirisena dissolved parliament last week and ordered elections as a way to break the deadlock but the Supreme Court ordered a suspension of that decree on Tuesday until it had heard petitions challenging the decree as unconstitutional.

Wickremesinghe, who had refused to vacate the prime minister's residence, said he intended to discharge his official responsibilities now that he had proved his majority in parliament.

Speaker Karu Jayasuriya said the no-confidence vote against Rajapaksa was supported by 122 members of the 225-member house.

"A majority voted in favour of the no-confidence motion and thus the no-confidence motion was passed," Jayasuriya said in a statement.

But Rajapaksa's son Namal, who is also an MP, said the vote had not been put on the day's business and hence was not valid. Father and son left the chamber before the vote was taken and their supporters shouted slogans in support.

The instability in the island nation of 21 million people has raised concerns for its tourism-dependent economy, already expanding at its slowest pace in more than a decade.

On Wednesday, the central bank unexpectedly raised its key policy rates, a move aimed at defending a faltering rupee as foreign capital outflows picked up. But the currency, slid further to a record low.

Sri Lanka, located just off the southern coast of India, is also an arena of contest with China. Beijing invested billions of dollars in ports and other infrastructure when Rajapaksa was president, raising concerns in India about losing political influence in its backyard.

WAR HERO

Rajapaksa, under whose rule Sri Lanka achieved its 2009 victory in a decades-long conflict against rebels from the Tamil minority, is seen as a hero by many among Sri Lanka’s Buddhist majority. He has been accused by diplomats of human rights abuses during the war, which he denies.

Wickremesinghe, who has sought to promote ties with India and the West to balance Sri Lanka's relations with China, said he intended to do his job.

"We will now take steps to ensure that the government in place before the 26th Oct will continue. I wish to inform all government servants and police that you cannot carry out illegal orders from the purported government that has failed to demonstrate the confidence of the people," he tweeted.

According to the constitution, the president has to appoint a prime minister who in his opinion can command the majority in parliament.

Sirisena has said he will never appoint Wickremesinghe as prime minister again.

The parliamentary speaker has called the president's sacking of the prime minister to bring a former leader back to power a non-violent coup.

Sri Lanka's parliament passed a no-confidence motion against newly appointed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on Wednesday, presenting a standoff with the opposition and throwing the country deeper into turmoil.

Sri Lanka's parliament passed a no-confidence motion against newly appointed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on Wednesday, presenting a standoff with the opposition and throwing the country deeper into turmoil. Deputies from Rajapaksa's party rejected the voice vote as illegal, saying it wasn't scheduled and that the pro-China former strongman would remain in office. It wasn't immediately clear what President Maithripala Sirisena, who triggered the crisis by firing Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and naming Rajapaksa to the job last month, would do now. Government officials said there was confusion about who was in charge. "We need cabinet approvals to go ahead with large value projects," one told Reuters. "We don't know if a cabinet exists or not." Sirisena dissolved parliament last week and ordered elections as a way to break the deadlock but the Supreme Court ordered a suspension of that decree on Tuesday until it had heard petitions challenging the decree as unconstitutional. Wickremesinghe, who had refused to vacate the prime minister's residence, said he intended to discharge his official responsibilities now that he had proved his majority in parliament. Speaker Karu Jayasuriya said the no-confidence vote against Rajapaksa was supported by 122 members of the 225-member house. "A majority voted in favour of the no-confidence motion and thus the no-confidence motion was passed," Jayasuriya said in a statement. But Rajapaksa's son Namal, who is also an MP, said the vote had not been put on the day's business and hence was not valid. Father and son left the chamber before the vote was taken and their supporters shouted slogans in support. The instability in the island nation of 21 million people has raised concerns for its tourism-dependent economy, already expanding at its slowest pace in more than a decade. On Wednesday, the central bank unexpectedly raised its key policy rates, a move aimed at defending a faltering rupee as foreign capital outflows picked up. But the currency, slid further to a record low. Sri Lanka, located just off the southern coast of India, is also an arena of contest with China. Beijing invested billions of dollars in ports and other infrastructure when Rajapaksa was president, raising concerns in India about losing political influence in its backyard. WAR HERO Rajapaksa, under whose rule Sri Lanka achieved its 2009 victory in a decades-long conflict against rebels from the Tamil minority, is seen as a hero by many among Sri Lanka’s Buddhist majority. He has been accused by diplomats of human rights abuses during the war, which he denies. Wickremesinghe, who has sought to promote ties with India and the West to balance Sri Lanka's relations with China, said he intended to do his job. "We will now take steps to ensure that the government in place before the 26th Oct will continue. I wish to inform all government servants and police that you cannot carry out illegal orders from the purported government that has failed to demonstrate the confidence of the people," he tweeted. According to the constitution, the president has to appoint a prime minister who in his opinion can command the majority in parliament. Sirisena has said he will never appoint Wickremesinghe as prime minister again. The parliamentary speaker has called the president's sacking of the prime minister to bring a former leader back to power a non-violent coup.

Sri Lanka: Rajapaksa deputies say he will stay in office despite losing trust vote

Fireworks are expected in Parliament even as the YSR Congress and the TDP spearhead the tabling of a no-confidence motion for a trust vote against the government over the issue of special status to Andhra Pradesh.&nbsp;

The no-confidence motion against the government, which is being tabled since March 16, was again not taken up after both houses of Parliament were adjourned yesterday<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/parliament-proceedings-disrupted-for-fourth-day-35111"> for the fourth day</a>.&nbsp;

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Today also we are going to give no-confidence motion notice in the Lok Sabha. We are going to continue protesting until our demands are met: Thota Narasimham, TDP MP <a href="https://t.co/Gb7XBB7cvK">pic.twitter.com/Gb7XBB7cvK</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/975956374621491200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 20, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The Lok Sabha was adjourned after continuous uproar over the demand for a no-confidence motion. The TDP MPs did not allow Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to run the Lower House. They would run into the well of the house each time the Lok Sabha would convene. &nbsp;

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned after the TDP and the AIADMK MPs created an uproar over special status to Andhra Pradesh and the Cauvery water dispute.

Yesterday, the Parliament secretariat received three notices on a no-confidence motion against the Centre for its refusal to grant special category status to Andhra Pradesh. Two was received from TDP and one from YSR Congress Party.

The YSR Congress&#39;s YV Subba Reddy has again asked for the motion to be taken up today.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu yesterday asked the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MPs not to dilute their fight against the Centre for the Special status to Andhra Pradesh in the Parliament. He warned that the government would &quot;let some ome other parties create din and adjourn the House sine die.&quot;

&quot;We should not dilute our fight. The public interest is our priority. We will not compromise on the matter of our rights. There is a possibility that the union government will let some other parties create din and adjourn the House sine die,&quot; the Andhra Pradesh chief minister said while addressing the party MPs via through teleconferencing in the evening.

The Chief Minister further asserted that all the TDP MPs must attend the Parliament.

&quot;All the TDP MPs must be present in the Parliament. See that MPs of other parties also attend the House and that other parties also give notices of no confidence motion,&quot; he said.

(With inputs from ANI)

 
&nbsp;

Fireworks are expected in Parliament even as the YSR Congress and the TDP spearhead the tabling of a no-confidence motion for a trust vote against the government over the issue of special status to Andhra Pradesh

Fireworks are expected in Parliament even as the YSR Congress and the TDP spearhead the tabling of a no-confidence motion for a trust vote against the government over the issue of special status to Andhra Pradesh. The no-confidence motion against the government, which is being tabled since March 16, was again not taken up after both houses of Parliament were adjourned yesterday for the fourth day. Today also we are going to give no-confidence motion notice in the Lok Sabha. We are going to continue protesting until our demands are met: Thota Narasimham, TDP MP pic.twitter.com/Gb7XBB7cvK — ANI (@ANI) March 20, 2018 × The Lok Sabha was adjourned after continuous uproar over the demand for a no-confidence motion. The TDP MPs did not allow Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to run the Lower House. They would run into the well of the house each time the Lok Sabha would convene. The Rajya Sabha was adjourned after the TDP and the AIADMK MPs created an uproar over special status to Andhra Pradesh and the Cauvery water dispute. Yesterday, the Parliament secretariat received three notices on a no-confidence motion against the Centre for its refusal to grant special category status to Andhra Pradesh. Two was received from TDP and one from YSR Congress Party. The YSR Congress's YV Subba Reddy has again asked for the motion to be taken up today. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu yesterday asked the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MPs not to dilute their fight against the Centre for the Special status to Andhra Pradesh in the Parliament. He warned that the government would "let some ome other parties create din and adjourn the House sine die." "We should not dilute our fight. The public interest is our priority. We will not compromise on the matter of our rights. There is a possibility that the union government will let some other parties create din and adjourn the House sine die," the Andhra Pradesh chief minister said while addressing the party MPs via through teleconferencing in the evening. The Chief Minister further asserted that all the TDP MPs must attend the Parliament. "All the TDP MPs must be present in the Parliament. See that MPs of other parties also attend the House and that other parties also give notices of no confidence motion," he said. (With inputs from ANI)

Parliament gears up for stormy session, no-confidence motion to be tabled today again

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