A major fire engulfed a market housing a godown-cum-office complex in Sealdah area here early today, leaving 18 people dead and several others injured.

A bill to regulate street vendors in public areas and protect their rights is likely to be passed in the ongoing Budget Session.

The BSE benchmark index Sensex on Tuesday widened early losses to end 316.55 points down at three-month low of 19,015.14, wiping out over `1 lakh crore wealth as Rail Budget failed to inspire investor

US President Barack Obama’s defence secretary nominee Chuck Hagel has alleged India has over the years “financed problems” for Pakistan in Afghanistan.

Oscar host Seth MacFarlane is facing a backlash after some of his jokes at the Academy awards were deemed offensive. The creator of animated sitcoms Family Guy and American Dad, had been billed as the saviour of the show after a series of below par performances by hosts in recent years.

In a shocking development for comic book lovers, Batman’s young sidekick Robin will die battling a brutal enemy in the latest edition of the enterprise.

Dying stars may host Earth-like planets with life, and scientists might be able to detect them within the next decade, astronomers say.

Lexicograp-hers have added a fresh round of tech jargon such as “thx” to Oxford’s online English dictionary. Some of the latest additions by the Oxford Dictionaries include familiar words such as “tweetable” and “social sharing,” refering to people’s growing need to post every piece of daily trivia to the Internet.

Pippa Middleton, sister of British royal Kate, will offer culinary tips as a columnist for a monthly British grocery store magazine despite heavy criticism of her debut book about party planning. She will write for the British supermarket chain Waitrose’s monthly magazine, sharing “casual dining ideas and recipes” in a column called Pippa’s Friday Night Feasts.

Actor Richard Gere said he signed up for an appearance in the flop Movie 43 as a favour to his producer friend Charles B Wessler.