Here's a roundup of top stories from the world of politics, sports, and entertainment, which grabbed the spotlight and trended the most on various social media platforms on March 7, 2020.
1. Delhi court accepts clean chit to ex-CBI special director Rakesh Asthana in bribery case
In a big relief to former special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director Rakesh Asthana, a Delhi court on Saturday (March 7, 2020) accepted the chargesheet filed by the central probe agency in connection with a bribery case in which it had given a clean chit to him. "There is no sufficient ground to proceed against Rakesh Asthana and DSP Devender Kumar. We will see if anything comes in the future investigation being conducted by the CBI," Special CBI Judge Sanjeev Agarwal said in the order. Read here
2. Show me a country that says everybody is welcome: EAM S Jaishankar on CAA
No country in the world says everybody is welcome, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday (March 7, 2020), hitting out at those criticising India over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. EAM Jaishankar also criticised the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for its criticism on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, saying its director had been wrong previously too and one should look at the UN body's past record on handling the Kashmir issue. Read here
3. PM Narendra Modi breaks down when Dehradun woman says she has seen god in him
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday (March 7, 2020) broke down while interacting with a woman beneficiary of his government's generic medicine programme ''Jan Aushadhi Diwas.'' The PM turned emotional when a woman from Dehradun, Deepa Shah, who suffered paralysis in 2011, told him that she had seen God in him. "I have not seen god, but I have seen god in you," she said as tears rolled down her eyes. The woman said this while interacting with the PM through video-conference on the occasion of Jan Aushadhi Diwas. Read here
4. Delhi violence: Tahir Hussain's licensed pistol, cartridges seized by cops sent to forensics
A licensed pistol owned by suspended Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Councillor Tahir Hussain was seized by Delhi Police on Saturday (March 7) and sent for forensic test to ascertain whether it was used in the firing in the recent Delhi violence. The police also sent the 24 live cartridges, that were recovered from Tahir's house for forensics testing. Tahir was arrested by Delhi Police on March 5 for the alleged murder of Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer Ankit Sharma, during the violence in northeast Delhi last week. During the interrogation, Tahir revealed that he fled to Nehru Vihar in Mustafabad and stayed in Okhla for two days before he came out to surrender in court. Read here
5. Actress Neelam reacts to her engagement rumours with Priyanka's brother Siddharth
A lot has been written about South actress Neelam Upadhyaya and Priyanka Chopra's brother Siddharth Chopra's rumoured affair. Speculations, meanwhile, are also rife that the duo has been engaged, till Neelam herself clarified that they are "not". Earlier this week, when Mumbai-based photographer Viral Bhayani addressed Neelam as Siddharth's fiancee in his post, Neelam corrected him and stated in the comments section, "The ring is on my right hand. We’re not engaged," adding a ROFL emoticon. Neelam and Siddharth have been making quite a few appearances together at events and on Friday, they were spotted at a star-studded Holi bash in Mumbai with Priyanka and Nick Jonas and Madhu Chopra. Read here
6. Tiger Shroff's 'Baaghi 3' gets a blockbuster start, emerges biggest opener of 2020
Tiger Shroff and Shraddha Kapoor's much-anticipated film 'Baaghi 3' is off to a flying start at the box office. On Day 1, the action-thriller earned Rs 17.50 crore and emerged as the biggest opener of the year so far. Trade analyst Taran Adarsh wrote that the Coronavirus scare or the pre-Holi phase and even the examination period couldn't stop the audience from going to the theatres to watch 'Baaghi 3'. He also added that it is the fifth film of Tiger to open in double digits. Read here
7. Former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer announces retirement from cricket
Former India opener Wasim Jaffer on Saturday announced his retirement from all forms of cricket, putting a hold on his two-decade-long cricketing career. The 42-year-old veteran batsman is now looking forward to starting his second innings in cricket. Read here
8. India's World Cup qualifier against Qatar postponed amid coronavirus outbreak
India's FIFA World Cup qualifier on March 26 against Asian champions Qatar in Bhubaneswar has been postponed due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak that has already affected many sporting ties and events across the globe. Sources close to the development said: "Keeping in mind the current situation, we had to postpone the tie. We cannot take a risk at this moment as this is a serious matter. In fact, India head coach Igor Stimac was supposed to hold a camp from Monday to prepare for the game and that has also been called off." Read here
