CBDT TASK FORCE GETS 3-MONTH EXTENSION TILL MAY TO DRAFT NEW
DIRECT TAX LAW
A task force set up under
the CBDT to draft a new direct tax law and replace the existing Income Tax Act
has been given a three-month extension till May, an official order said. The
current term of the task force expired on February 28 and the panel under
Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) member Akhilesh Ranjan sought an extension
citing operational reasons and requirements to firm up a final report. The term
of the task force is extended by three months. The task force shall now be
required to submit its report by May 31, 2019, a CBDT order issued on Thursday
read.
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TOTAL GST REVENUE COLLECTION OF? 97,247 CRORE FOR THE MONTH OF
FEBRUARY 2019
Total gross GST revenue
collected in the month of February, 2019 is ₹ 97,247 crore of which
CGST is ₹ 17,626 crore, SGST is ₹ 24,192 crore, IGST is ₹
46,953 crore (including ₹ 21,384 crore collected on imports) and Cess is ₹
8,476 crore (including ₹ 910 crore collected on imports). Total number of GSTR 3B
Returns filed for the month of January up to 28th February, 2019 is 73.48 lakh The
Government has settled ₹ 19,470 crore to CGST and ₹ 15,747 crore to SGST from
IGST as regular settlement. The total revenue earned by Central Government and
the State Governments after regular settlement in the month of February, 2019 is
₹ 37,095 crore for CGST and ₹ 39,939 crore for the
SGST. Revenue in February, 2018 was ₹ 85,962 crore and the
revenue during February, 2019 is a growth of 13.12% over the revenue in the
same month last year.
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ARUN JAITLEY RELEASES A COMPENDIUM OF INSTRUCTIONS ON GST
REFUNDS AND A COPY OF THE OPERATIONAL MANUAL ON INTERNAL AUDIT
Two recent achievements:
Refunds of GST, and Operationalisation of PM-KISAN Scheme. CGA presented a
Report on Total GST Refunds made till date in this Financial Year 2018-19 which
is about Rs. 84,000 crore Under PM-KISAN Scheme, funds have been transferred
into the accounts of more than 1 crore beneficiaries. On this occasion, a short
film on ARPIT (Accounting and Reconciliation Portal of Indirect Taxes) was also
shown to Finance Minister. Shri Arun Jaitley released a Compendium of
Instructions on GST Refunds and a Copy of the Operational Manual on Internal
Audit. The Finance Minister congratulated CGA and his team on the occasion of
Civil Accounts Day and appreciated the good work being done by ICAS.
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GST RATE CUT WITH NO ITC TO PUT PRESSURE ON DEVELOPERS’
MARGIN: NAREDCO
While welcoming the
lowering of Goods and Services Tax (GST) rate cut from 8 per cent to 1 per cent
on affordable housing and other housing from 12 to 5 per cent, the real estate
body Naredco however said that GST rate cut with no input tax credit will put
pressure on developers’ margin and impact pricing of apartments. This cut in
GST rates for under construction homes needs to be compounded with the other
positives available to the home seeker, said Niranjan Hiranandani. Removal of
ITC on inputs such as cement and steel will obviously impact finances of
various projects but viewed from a practical aspect it brings in clarity. Fixing
upper ceiling of cost at ₹ 45 lakh for affordable housing for whole country may be a
deterrent and work against the objective of Housing for all by 2022, said the
statement.
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TERROR FUNDING, CIRCULATION OF FAKE INDIAN CURRENCY NOTES HAVE
DECLINED: RAJNATH SINGH
The government has approved
a proposal of the National Investigation Agency to open a research cell on
terror-group Islamic State (ISIS), Home Minister Rajnath Singh said Friday. The
minister also said 100 new posts have been created in the NIA for effective
investigation and supervision. Terror funding is a big factor in promoting
terrorism. The way NIA performed its role, the result is that there has been a
decline in terror funding compared to earlier, Singh said. The circulation of
fake Indian currency notes has also declined due to the efforts of the NIA and
other agencies, he said. We have also given approval to the NIA to set up a
research cell on the ISIS, Singh said.
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GUJARAT: CRIMES AGAINST DALITS RISE 32%, STS 55% IN FIVE YEARS
Crimes against Scheduled
Castes rose 32 per cent and those against Scheduled Tribes went up by 55 per
cent between 2013 and 2017, the Gujarat Legislative Assembly has been told. The
response given to an unstarred question by Congress MLA Pravinbhai Maru in
September 2018 showed that a total of 6,185 cases were registered between 2013
and 2017 under The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of
Atrocities) Act, 1989, in which Dalits were the victims. The number of cases
rose 32 per cent from 1,147 in 2013 to 1,515 in 2017, according to the response
by Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Ishwar Parmar. During the calendar
year 2018 (up to March), 414 additional cases have been registered for crimes
against SCs. Of these, the highest were in Ahmedabad (49 cases), followed by
Junagadh (34), Bhavnagar (25), Surendranagar (24) and Banaskantha (23). Crimes
against tribals of the state rose even more, percentage-wise. The number of
cases rose 55 per cent to 1,310, in which Scheduled Tribes are the victims, in
the five-year period 2013-2017. In the first three months of 2018, an
additional 89 cases have been lodged. The higher quantum of cases have been
registered in the districts of Bharuch (14), Vadodara (11) and Panchmahal (10).
In over 5,863 cases, the government had provided financial assistance of close
to Rs 50 crore during the period, the minister’s response said. A supplementary
response by the government said only 28 victims are yet to be given
compensation, as of March 2018. Separately, addressing Dalits at an event in
Gandhinagar on Thursday, Minister Parmar said loans amounting to Rs 69 crore had
been disbursed through Direct Benefit Transfer to 4,500 beneficiaries.
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WHEN WILL YOU RETURN AND FACE LEGAL PROCEEDINGS? HIGH COURT TO
VIJAY MALLYA
The Bombay High Court
Friday asked fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya when would he return to India
and face the ongoing legal proceedings against him. A division bench of
Justices Indrajit Mahanty and Sarang Kotwal was hearing a petition filed by
Mallya against a city court's January 5 order declaring him as 'fugitive' under
the newly-enacted Fugitive Economic Offenders Act (FEOA). Mallya's lawyer Amit
Desai said declaring him a fugitive and thereby permitting his assets to be
confiscated would only harm the interests of his lenders. Mallya had volunteered
to repay the loans of thousands of crores of rupees which he had taken from
banks, he said. Desai called the FEOA Act draconian. Prima facie this (the
fugitive tag) is unconstitutional this allows the Centre to confiscate
everything, irrespective of whether a property has been bought from the
proceeds of crime or not, the lawyer said. At this, the judges said, But this
tag will go away as soon as your client comes back and faces the proceedings.
The property too will be released. So, when is that happening? Desai said
Mallya wants to return, but a British court has prohibited him from leaving the
UK without its permission. The bench pointed out that it was only a protective
order as Mallya had challenged his extradition proceedings. You can volunteer
to return. Have you ever gone to this English court and said you want to return
(to India) and face pending proceedings? the judges asked. Mallya was declared
as fugitive following a plea filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the
special FEOA court. The next hearing on ED's application before the special
court, seeking permission to start confiscation proceedings, is scheduled for
March 13. The bench directed ED lawyer Hiten Venegaonkar to file reply to
Mallya's plea by March 8.
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ARBITRATION ON UNPAID LICENCE FEES: ‘PVT FIRM MUST PAY DUES TO
MARINE LAB’
CENTRAL Salt and Marine
Chemicals Research Institute (CSMCRI), the premier laboratory for salt and
marine chemicals in the country, has won two arbitration cases against a Tamil
Nadu-based private firm for non-payment of Rs 13 lakh licence fees and other
dues for technology obtained from the laboratory. The firm, Prasmo Agri, used
the technology and know-how to cultivate seaweed and extract bio-fertiliser and
carrageenan from it. Carrageenan is a gel-forming, colouring and viscosifying
polysaccharide ingredient used in the preparation of food items. We had no
option but to invoke arbitration after it came our notice that the firm had
already been successfully deploying our technologies and processes for
commercial production of bio-fertiliser and carrageenan but was willfully
defaulting on paying licence fees and other dues of CSMCRI, Shibaji Ghosh, a
CSMCRI scientist who represented the laboratory at the arbitration, told.
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MAHARASHTRA: NO INTERNAL COMMITTEES IN MINISTERS’ OFFICES TO
RECEIVE, ADDRESS SEXUAL HARASSMENT COMPLAINTS
In Maharashtra, ministers’
offices, including the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), do not have an Internal
Committee (IC) to receive and address complaints of sexual harassment at
workplace as mandated by law In a response to a Right to Information (RTI)
application, the office of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said no
IC has been established. In addition, none of the ministers’ offices have such
an IC either. The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention,
Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, mandates that all places of employment
with 10 or more employees are mandated to have a functioning IC. While the
Maharashtra CM Secretariat has 110 employees, including 20 women, all the
ministers’ offices have more than 10 employees. In all, there are 38 ministers,
including the Chief Minister. If any complaint is received against an official
during his deputation, the officials are then repatriated to their original
establishments and the action against the officials is taken by the original
establishments, the response from the GAD said. This pertains to all
complaints, not specifically to complaints by women of sexual harassment at the
workplace. An official from the GAD said that the heads of the respective
offices are supposed to set up the committee as per the government guidelines.
In case of the ministers’ offices, the Chief State Information Commissioner has
held each minister’s office as an independent authority and asked the state
government to appoint public information officers in each minster’s office. So,
the office heads in ministers’ offices are expected to set up the IC, the
official added. The official further said most ministers’ offices do not have
any woman staffers. There are only four or five ministers’ offices where two or
three women each are deputed. We may seek guidance from the WCD on the matter,
the official added. Eknath Shinde, said there are no women employees in his
office. Then where is the question of harassment of women? But we will examine
the provisions of law and take necessary steps as mandated by the law, Shinde
told.
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AVIATION FUEL STILL CHEAPER THAN PETROL, DIESEL FOR CARS AND BIKES,
EVEN AFTER ATF PRICE HIKE
Jet fuel price was hiked
Friday by a steep 8.1 per cent to its costliest level this year as
international oil prices rose, state-owned oil firms said. The price of
Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) was hiked by Rs 4,734.15 per kilolitre, or 8.15 per
cent, to Rs 62,795.12 per kl in the national capital, according to price
notification issued by state-owned oil firms. This is the first increase in
prices in four-months which has pushed rates to their highest level this year. ATF
or jet fuel prices are revised on 1st of every month based on the average
international rate for benchmark fuel and foreign exchange rate in the
preceding month. Prices were unchanged at the last revision on February 1.
Prior to that, rates were cut by a record 14.7 per cent (Rs 9,990 per kl) on
January 1 and by 10.9 per cent (Rs 8,327.83 per kl) on December 1. The two
consecutive price reduction had brought ATF rates to their lowest levels in a
year and had provided much-needed relief to cash-strapped airlines. But the
latest round of price hike would put pressure on margins of airlines. ATF,
however, continues to be cheaper than both petrol and diesel in most parts of
the country and is less expensive than even non-PDS kerosene. Rates have been
on the rise for the last two weeks and cumulatively prices have risen by Rs
1.48 per litre in case of petrol and Rs 1.31 a litre for diesel. Non-PDS
kerosene price was Friday hiked by 5.4 per cent to Rs 64,460.83 per kl in
Delhi.
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HAPPY WITH IAF PILOT RELEASE, BUT PAKISTAN NEEDS TO DO MUCH
MORE: V K SINGH
V K Singh on Friday said
he was happy that Pakistan was releasing Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman,
but the neighbouring country needs to do a lot more The Centre is taking
appropriate measures and such steps are not revealed, the minister of state for
External Affairs told. A lot of things are done in line with the Geneva
Convention. We are happy that he is being released. If they call it a gesture
of peace, we are happy for that too, but they need to do a lot more, he said..
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VIDEOCON LOAN CASE: ED SEARCHES PREMISES OF CHANDA, DEEPAK
KOCHHAR
The Enforcement
Directorate (ED) on Friday carried out an extensive search operation at the
residence of Chanda Kochhar, former managing director and chief executive
officer at ICICI Bank, in the Rs 3,250-crore Videocon group loan case. Business
premises of her husband Deepak Kochhar and others were also searched in Mumbai
and Aurangabad. Confirming the development, an ED official said the searches
were conducted in at least in five locations, including some premises of
Videocon group companies. The search would continue over the weekend against
the prime accused for their involvement in disbursing loans to the tune of Rs
3,250 crore to Videocon group companies, it is learnt. The Enforcement sleuths
are probing the proceeds of crime which are suspected to have been used for
creating assets. A special team from Delhi, assisted by Mumbai and Aurangabad
police, has collected certain crucial evidences from the location. So far, we
have seized several documents — both soft and digital copies and also hard disk
and laptops —from the premises which were being searched today. We are also in
possession of some of the email trails exchanged between the prime accused in
the case,’’ the official added. The ED is looking into multiple transactions
including investment of Rs 64 crore in Deepak Kochhar’s NuPower Renewables
through his firm Supreme Energy (SEPL). The agency had registered a criminal
case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) earlier last month
against Chanda Kochhar, her husband Deepak Kochhar, Videocon Industries
chairman and MD, Venugopal Dhoot and others to probe alleged irregularities and
corrupt practices in sanctioning of large loans by the ICICI Bank to the
corporate group. The ED had registered a money laundering case based on the
first information report (FIR) of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The agency filed a case on January 22 accusing Kochhar and eight others in the
matter. The CBI report had said the accused, including Videocon Industries and
Dhoot, sanctioned certain loans to private firms in a criminal conspiracy and
cheated ICICI Bank to the tune of Rs 1,730 crore. The CBI had said ICICI Bank
sanctioned credit facilities of Rs 3,250 crore to several firms belonging to
Videocon, such as Trend Electronics and Century Appliances in violation of the
Banking Regulation Act, RBI rules and the bank’s credit policy. The CBI probe
also revealed a money trail. The loan was disbursed to Videocon International
Electronics on September 7, 2009, and the next day Dhoot transferred Rs 64
crore to Kochhar’s firm Nupower through SEPL. This was the first capital
received by Nupower to acquire its first power plant. This transaction showed
Chanda Kochhar got illegal gratification/undue benefits through her husband’s
firm, the agency had alleged.
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CHIEFS OF IAF, NAVY TO GET Z-PLUS SECURITY AMID HEIGHTENED
TENSION WITH PAK
The chiefs of the Indian
Air Force and Navy will get Z-plus security cover after a fresh assessment of
their threat perception by the security agencies, officials said. The decision
was taken after a thorough review of the threat perception of IAF chief Air
Marshal B S Dhanoa and chief of Naval staff Admiral Sunil Lanba in the wake of
heightened tension with Pakistan. Army chief General Bipin Rawat has already
been given the Z-plus security.
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JAMAAT ASSETS WORTH RS 4,500 CRORE UNDER LENS AFTER CRACKDOWN
The Jammu & Kashmir
government on Friday empowered the inspector generals and district magistrates
to detain and arrest the functionaries of Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), the
controversial socio-religious organisation that was declared unlawful by the
Centre a day ago. The order was sent to all 22 districts of Jammu &
Kashmir. More than 350 enrolled members of JeI were arrested on Friday. The
order has led to a crackdown on JeI’s functionaries operating 400 schools, 350
mosques and 1000 seminaries across the state. Government officials said in some
districts, these physical assets run into several hundreds of crores of rupees.
However, their attachment would not be immediate. The district magistrate would
get an inventory made by the police. Then depending on investigation another
inventory would be made to ascertain whether the properties are legal or
illegal. The total estimated properties could be well over Rs 4,500 crore. So
far the order entails the arrest under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention)
Act, 1967, said a top government official. Government sources said they will
also deliberate if the JeI members can be booked under Public Safety Act (PSA)
or Section 151 CrPC (arrest to prevent the commission of cognizable offences).
We will also have to verify if their functionary was already out on bail and
can be booked again and the grounds and evidence needed to arrest him, said a
top police officer. JeM, which for long has been advocating Kashmir’s secession
from India and its integration with Pakistan, has built its assets with the
help of donations received from people in the state and abroad.
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MILTARY HAS PROOF OF HIT ON BALAKOT JAISH CAMP; UP TO
GOVERNMENT TO RELEASE IT
The Indian defence
establishment on Friday said it had synthetic aperture radar (SAR) pictures to
buttress its contention of having effectively hit the Jaish-e-Mohammed’s terror
training facility at Balakot in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan in the
February 26 air strikes. This came after a few independent satellite imagery
experts raised doubts whether the Mirage-2000 fighters had actually managed to
hit the terror facility on the ‘Jaba Top’ hillock. They claimed that while
there was little evidence of damage to the facility in the satellite pictures,
craters caused by bombs were visible in open areas around 150 to 200 metres
from the barracks/buildings. Indian defence officials, however, rejected these
reports. The SAR films clearly show before and after pictures of the intended
targets being hit . Its up to the government whether it wants to release them
or not. Pakistan, of course, has also worked swiftly to repair the damage to
the site, an official said. Officials refused to specify the platform used to
capture the SAR pictures. The Mirage-2000s, which had fired long-range
Spice-2000 precision-guided bombs and AGM-142 (Popeye-2) missiles after
crossing the Line of Control, have electro-optical sensors but they could not
have captured the imagery because it was cloudy during the pre-dawn strikes.
The Sukhoi-30MKIs, which accompanied the Mirage-2000s for ‘air defence’, do
have SARs for high-resolution ground mapping with the capability to penetrate
clouds. Though the sprawling Balakot facility had over 300 terrorists at the
time of the air strikes, as per intelligence, it is impossible to estimate the
exact number of casualties. Describing the operation as a non-military
pre-emptive action, foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale on that day had said a very
large number of JeM terrorists, trainers, senior commanders and groups of
jihadis, who were being trained for fidayeen action, were eliminated.
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FOREIGN SECRETARY PARRIES PARLIAMENTARY STANDING COMMITTEE
QUERY ON DONALD TRUMP COMMENTS
Foreign secretary Vijay
Gokhale was said to be restrained and tight-lipped in his comments to the
Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs on Friday about
developments that took place between India and Pakistan since the February 14
Pulwama terror attack. His briefing to the committee about India’s air strikes
on JeM terror camps in Pakistan and the neighbouring country’s actions was a
verbatim repeat of what Gokhale and senior defence officials had already stated
at their respective press conferences over the past two days, people aware of
the matter said. Gokhale is said to have refused to respond to two questions
from committee chairman Shashi Tharoor — about international media reports on
the air strike at Balakot in Pakistan and about US President Donald Trump’s
comments that he had some reasonable good news about a possible end to Indo-Pak
hostilities. He parried both questions by saying he can’t comment on media
reports or on what the US president said. Asked about the latest developments
in Indo-Pak ties, Gokhale chose to merely say, Wait and watch, which gave some
members the impression that the situation along the border is still delicate,
prompting Tharoor and most members not to ask any loaded questions. While the
committee was originally scheduled to discuss NRI issues, the panel chairman
didn’t clarify to the members whether the foreign secretary was invited to
brief them or whether it was an initiative of the ministry.
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GO ALL OUT TO EXPLAIN TO THE WORLD REASONS BEHIND AIR STRIKE:
PARLIAMENT PANEL TO FOREIGN SECRETARY
A parliamentary panel on
Friday asked the government to go all out to explain to the international
community reasons behind India's decision to carry out air strike on
Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror camp inside Pakistan. The suggestion came when
Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale briefed the Parliamentary Standing Committee on
External Affairs about the latest developments that have taken place between
India and Pakistan after the February 14 Pulwama terror attack by JeM in which
40 CRPF personnel were killed. He told the panel that the attempt by Pakistan
Air Force to target military installations in India was unsuccessful as it was
thwarted by the IAF which lost a jet in the fight back. The members told the
foreign secretary that the government should vigorously publicise across the
world the reasons behind New Delhi's move to target the terror camps, a member
later said.
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SC RESERVES ORDER ON SREESANTH'S PLEA AGAINST LIFETIME BAN BY
BCCI
The Supreme Court on
Thursday reserved its order on a plea by former cricketer S Sreesanth challenging
the lifetime ban imposed on him by the Board of Control for Cricket in India
(BCCI) for his alleged involvement in match fixing during IPL 2013. The bench
of Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice K.M. Joseph reserved the order as apex
cricketing body said that Sreesanth was found guilty on all the three counts –
corruption, betting and bringing disrepute to the game. The court has given
both Sreesanth and the BCCI to file their written submissions in two weeks. BCCI
told the Supreme Court that the life ban imposed on Sreesanth was fully sustainable
in law as he had tried to influence a match. Countering the arguments,
Sreesanth's lawyer told the bench that no spot-fixing took place during the IPL
match and allegations levelled against the cricketer were not substantiated by
evidence.
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NC, PDP MULLING MOVING COURT AGAINST CENTRE'S DECISION TO
EXTEND 2 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS TO JAMMU AND KASHMIR
The National Conference
and the PDP said Friday that they were mulling moving court against the
Centre's decision to extend the 77th and 103rd Amendments of the Indian
Constitution to Jammu and Kashmir in the absence of an elected government in
the state. The reactions come after the Union government on Thursday gave its nod
to the promulgation of an ordinance for giving reservation benefits to SCs and
STs in Jammu and Kashmir by amending a clause of the contentious Article 370,
which gives special status to the state. It will serve the purpose of
application of relevant provisions of the Constitution of India, as amended
through the Constitution (77th Amendment) Act, 1995 and Constitution (103rd
Amendment) Act, 2019 for Jammu and Kashmir, by issuing the Constitution
(Application to Jammu and Kashmir) Amendment Order, 2019 by the President under
clause (1) of Article 370, Arun Jaitley had said. Omar Abdullah said, Article
370 makes concurrence of Government of Jammu and Kashmir a condition precedent
for extension of a Constitutional provision not falling under three subjects Abdullah
said his party will consult eminent lawyers to explore how the decision can be
challenged in the court of law. The Government means an elected government.
President cannot seek concurrence of Governor who is a representative or agent
of President. Same will apply even where only consent is required, he tweeted.
Mehbooba Mufti said the Centre using the Governor's office for extending the
amendments to Jammu and Kashmir seemed to be a sinister move aimed at
disempowering the state. Why is GoI adamant on adding fuel to the fire and
letting the situation slip out of control? Why push Kashmiris to the wall? PDP
is willing to work with like minded parties and people of the state to fight
this battle tooth and nail in the courts, Mufti said in another tweet. The
official Twitter handle of the PDP said the Union cabinet's decision was in
contravention of the spirit of Indian Constitution's Article 370.
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DELHI HC SEEKS AUTHORITIES’ REPLY ON GUIDELINES IN SEXUAL
ASSAULT CASES RELATING TO FOREIGN VICTIMS
The Delhi High Court has
observed there is a lack of guidelines by which the court can seek intervention
of the Home Ministry or the embassy concerned in sexual assault cases where
victims or witnesses are foreign nationals. The high court, which initiated a
criminal reference in relation to absence of guidelines on the issue, sought
response of the Centre and the Delhi government on it. Sehgal said, In view of
the circumstance that, the reference is in relation to absence of the
guidelines by which the court can seek intervention/ involvement of the
Ministry of Home Affairs and/or concerned embassy/high commission/consulate for
making necessary arrangements in this behalf, it is considered necessary to
issue notice to the Ministry of External Affairs, through the central
government standing counsel. The court asked the authorities to file their
respective stands in the form of affidavits within two weeks and listed the
matter for further hearing on March 19.
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PAK COURT DISMISSES PLEA TO STOP THE RELEASE OF IAF PILOT
The Islamabad High Court
on Friday dismissed a Pakistani citizen's plea to stop the imminent release of
the captured Indian Air Force pilot Wing Commander Abhinanadan Varthaman. The
Pakistan government on Thursday decided to release him as a first step to open
negotiations with India to de-escalate tension after a terror attack by
Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed left 40 CRPF personnel dead. The petitioner
said the Indian pilot had violated the airspace of Pakistan to bomb the country
and therefore he committed crime against Pakistan and should face trial. Abhinanadan
is likely to be handed over to the Indian authorities at the Wagah border on
Friday evening.
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MUSCULAR APPROACH TO POLITICAL ISSUE: MEHBOOBA MUFTI ON
JAMAAT-E-ISLAMI BAN
PDP president Mehbooba
Mufti Friday condemned the Centre’s decision to ban the Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu
and Kashmir, saying it was another example of muscular approach of the central
government to deal with a political issue of the state. Democracy is a battle
of ideas, crackdown followed by banning of Jammat Islami (JK) is condemnable,
another example of high handedness and muscular approach of GOI to deal with
political issue of J&k, the former chief minister said in a tweet. The
Centre Thursday banned the Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir for five years
under anti-terror law on grounds that it was in close touch with militant
outfits and is expected to escalate secessionist movement in the state. A
notification, banning the group under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act,
was issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs after a high-level meeting on
security, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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PAKISTAN AIR SPACE CLOSED TILL MARCH 4
Pakistan air space will
remain closed for all operations till March 4 early morning. This move is
likely to affect the movement of international flights from and to India
especially from Delhi and Mumbai to Europe and United States. Pakistan was
earlier to lift the ban imposed on any aircraft overflying its air space on
Friday. The air space ban was imposed following clashes with India.
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PAKISTAN TO LODGE UN COMPLAINT AGAINST INDIA FOR ECO-TERRORISM
FOREST BOMBING
Pakistan plans to lodge a
complaint against India at the United Nations, accusing it of eco-terrorism
over air strikes that damaged pine trees and brought the nuclear-armed nations
to blows, a government minister said on Friday. India and Pakistan are amidst
their biggest stand-off in many years, with the United States and other global
powers mediating to de-escalate tensions between arch-foes who have fought
three wars since their independence from British colonial rule in 1947. The
United Nations states that destruction of the environment, not justified by
military necessity and carried out wantonly, is clearly contrary to existing
international law, according to the U.N. General Assembly resolution 47/37.
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ISLAMIC COUNTRIES STAND WITH INDIA AGAINST TERRORISM, WRONG TO
ASSOCIATE TERRORISM WITH A RELIGION: RAJNATH SINGH
Rajnath Singh on Friday
said that Islamic countries are supporting India in its fight against terrorism
and underscored that it is wrong to associate terrorism with a religion. I am
very happy to tell you that Islamic countries of the world are supporting us fully.
At this time, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, which is sitting, has
for the first time invited the Minister of External Affairs of India as the
guest of honour, Mr. Singh said. The Home Minister said that the Pulawama
terror attack on a convoy of CRPF personnel had brought Indians, irrespective
of faith and community, together. People from all communities have been pained
by the attack, he said. As far as the question of terrorism goes, terrorism
cannot be slotted in a caste, creed or religion. A terrorist can be from any
caste, any community. But sometimes, some people try to associate it with a
religion. I believe this is inappropriate, Mr. Singh said, and added that the
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is strong in his resolve to eliminate terrorism
from Indian soil. Mr Singh said that the investigation agency's success lies in
the number of convictions it has secured. I can say with certainty that of all
investigation agencies in India, or perhaps the world, the conviction rate of
the NIA is perhaps the highest. The NIA's conviction rate is 92%, Mr. Singh
said. Mr. Singh said that the Home Ministry remains committed in its
cooperation with the NIA As a part of its unwavering support, it has approved a
research cell on the terror outfit ISIS. Further, 100 new posts have also been
approved for the NIA.
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TO AVOID MISCALCULATION, ACT AGAINST JEM AND OTHER TERROR
INFRA: US CONGRESSMAN'S BLUNT MESSAGE TO IMRAN KHAN
A powerful US lawmaker on
Thursday urged Pakistan to take demonstrable action against terrorist groups
including Jaish-e-Mohammed to avoid the kind of miscalculation that the
country's Prime Minister Imran Khan has talked about. The lawmaker called on
both the countries to exercise restraint to de-escalate the tensions, asserting
that he was extremely concerned over the escalation of India-Pakistan
hostilities triggered by the Pulwama attack. I urge both countries to exercise
restraint and deescalate tensions. Pakistan's announced repatriation of Wing
Commander Abhinandan to India is a good first step toward enabling meaningful
dialogue to resolve this conflict, he said.
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PM NARENDRA MODI TO OPPOSITION PARTIES: DON’T WEAKEN OUR
COUNTRY FOR SAKE OF POLITICS
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi on Friday asked opposition parties not to weaken the country for the sake
of politics. Modi might go. India will remain. Do not weaken our nation to
strengthen your politics. We are Indians first. Your politics can wait, Modi
said. Recalling the inaction after 26/11 Mumbai attacks, PM Modi said the NDA
government believes in action. Uri happened, you saw what our brave soldiers
did. Pulwama happened, you saw what our air force did, he said. Recalling the
airstrike on terror camps in Pakistan+ , Modi said, The events in the past two
days have demonstrated yet again the strength of our armed forces. Sadly, a few
political parties guided by Modi haters started hating India. No wonder while
the entire nation supports the armed forces, a few parties suspect our fight
against terror, he said. These are the same people whose statements are helping
Pakistan. Their statements are read out in the parliament and radio channels in
Pakistan. I want to ask them, Do you suspect our armed forces or do they
support them?, he asked. Do you believe our armed forces or do you want to help
forces that want to incite terror on our lands?, he asked. Modi said some
people had corruption as a way of life. But I cannot allow that. Our government
has taken a firm stand against corruption. While we have come down heavily on
corruption, we are rewarding honest tax payers, he said. He said the for many
years the Congress had promoted an economic culture which helped only friends
and families of dynasties, without accounting for the welfare for the common
man. If there was someone who spoke against the Congress’ policies first, it
was Tamil Nadu’s C Rajagopalachari. We are keen to emulate Rajaji’s visions,
Modi said. My only family is the 130 crore Indians. I will live and die for
them. I am in public life only for the development of the people and this
country. I seek your blessings, he said.
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MAN WITH MOBILE PHONE CONTAINING 'SUSPICIOUS NUMBERS' HELD
ALONG PAKISTAN BORDER
An alleged bedsheet seller
was apprehended on Thursday by the Border Security Force (BSF) in along the
Pakistan border in Punjab's Ferozepur on the basis of suspicion. The BSF has
been on high alert following the air attack by the Pakistan Air Force on
February 27, a day after the air strikes by the Indian Air Force on a
Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terror camp in Pakistan's Balakot in retaliation to the
car bombing on February 14 by the JeM of a CRPF convoy, killing 40 of its
personnel in Pulwama . The suspect, identified as Mohammad Shahrukh (21), a
resident of Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh, had a mobile phone, which contained
some suspicious numbers, a BSF official said. During questioning, his answers
were incoherent and contradictory. He has been handed over to police for
further investigation and questioning.
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CHINA WELCOMES RELEASE OF IAF PILOT; CALLS FOR MORE TERRORISM
COOPERATION BETWEEN INDIA, PAKISTAN
China on Friday welcomed
Pakistan's decision to release the Indian Air Force pilot and encouraged the
two countries to engage in more counter terrorism cooperation and dialogue for
the regional peace and stability. Lu Kang told reporters: Well, from the start
China has been calling upon the two sides exercise restraint and take measures
to ease tensions, engage in dialogue to resolve the differences. I have taken
note of the developments. China welcomes the goodwill signals released by the
Pakistani side. De-escalation serves the common interests of both the countries.
We encourage the two sides to engage in more dialogue for the peace and
stability in the region, he said. China's call for more India-Pakistan
cooperation on the counter-terrorism comes in the backdrop of Beijing endorsing
India's demand for elimination of breeding grounds of terrorism and extremism
and agreeing to have joint policy coordination under the aegis of Russia,
India, China (RIC) Foreign Ministers mechanism.
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ISLAM MEANS PEACE, NONE OF ALLAH'S NAMES MEAN VIOLENCE: SUSHMA
AT OIC
In a major diplomatic
achievement, India for the first time addressed the OIC meeting on Friday, and
asserted that the war against terrorism, which was destabilising regions and
putting the world at great peril, was not against any religion. India's
participation came despite strong demand by Pakistan to rescind the invitation
to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to address the grouping of the
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) which was turned down by the host
UAE, resulting in Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi boycotting
the plenary. Terrorism and extremism bear different names and labels It uses
diverse causes. But in each case, it is driven by distortion of religion, and a
misguided belief in its power to succeed. The fight against terrorism is not a
confrontation against any religion, Swaraj, who is the first Indian minister to
address the meeting of the 57 Islamic countries, said. Sawaraj during her
address read a verse from the Holy Koran which says 'La Ikrah fiddeen' -- Let
there be no compulsion in religion. Just as Islam literally means peace, none
of the 99 names of Allah mean violence. Similarly, every religion in the world
stands for peace, compassion and brotherhood, she said. I carry the greetings
of my Prime Minister Narendra Modiji and 1.3 billion Indians, including more
than 185 million Muslim brothers and sisters. Our Muslims brothers and sisters
are a microcosm of the diversity of India itself, the minister said and asserted
that very few Muslims in India have fallen prey to the poisonous propaganda of
radical and extremist ideologies.
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US OFFERS USD 1 MILLION REWARD TO FIND BIN AL-QAEDA LEADER
OSAMA BIN LADEN'S SON
The United States on
Thursday offered a USD 1 million reward for information on a son of late
Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, seeing him as an emerging face of extremism The
location of Hamza bin Laden sometimes dubbed the crown prince of jihad, has
been the subject of speculation for years with reports of him living in
Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria or under house arrest in Iran. Hamza bin Laden is
the son of deceased former AQ leader Osama bin Laden and is emerging as a
leader in the AQ franchise, a State Department statement said, referring to
Al-Qaeda. The State Department said that it would offer USD 1 million for
information leading to his location in any country. Hamza bin Laden married the
daughter of Mohammed Atta, the lead hijacker in Al-Qaeda's September 11, 2001
attacks on the United States that killed some 3,000 people and sparked the US
intervention in Afghanistan.
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INDIA-EU FREE TRADE PACT NOT POSSIBLE WITHOUT LOWERING TARIFFS
FOR CARS
The proposed India-EU free
trade agreement (FTA) cannot be concluded without commitments on lowering
import duties on cars and car parts as this was a politically sensitive issue
for the bloc, EU Ambassador to India Tomasz Kozlowski has said. For political
reasons no FTA will be approved in EU Parliament without having car and car
parts included. We can have a very long transitional period but we need to
include cars, Kozlowski said. India and the EU have been negotiating a FTA,
officially called a Broad-based Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA) since
2007 but has not been able to conclude it because of differences in some
important areas. While the EU is unhappy with India’s offers in the area of
automobiles and wines & spirits, India wants more access for its
professionals and recognition as a data secure country. Kozlowski said that the
EU was ready to introduce substantial level of asymmetry to the agreement as it
was aware that India was a developing country and not at the same level as
Japan and Korea, but it has to be beneficial for both sides. The EU Ambassador
said that there was a strong will on both sides to go ahead with the stuck
talks was evident from the fact that since 2017 there had been extremely active
contacts at the expert level, chief negotiators level and the Commerce
Secretary level. It means we are full of good will from both sides trying to
narrow existing gaps, he said.
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CHINA SAYS IT NEVER RECOGNISED INDIA, PAKISTAN AS NUCLEAR
STATES
China Friday said it has
never recognised India and Pakistan as nuclear powers and ruled out extending
such a status to North Korea following the unsuccessful second summit between
US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Vietnam. China
has never recognised India and Pakistan as nuclear countries. Our position on
this has never changed, Lu Kang told. He was replying to a question whether
China would recognise North Korea as a nuclear state like India and Pakistan as
talks between Trump and Kim at the second summit in Hanoi broke down over
Pyongyang's refusal to give up two nuclear processing plants. China has been blocking
India's entry into the 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) on the ground
that New Delhi has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). After
India applied for NSG membership, Pakistan too applied for the same following
that China has called for a two-step approach which states that NSG members
first need to arrive at a set of principles for the admission of non-NPT states
into the NSG and then move forward discussions of specific cases.
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CANADA ALLOWS EXTRADITION CASE AGAINST HUAWEI CFO TO PROCEED
Canada said Friday it will
allow the U.S. extradition case against Chinese Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou
to proceed. Canadian Department of Justice officials issued a statement saying
they diligently reviewed the evidence and the case can go ahead. Meng is due in
court on March 6, at which time a date for her extradition hearing will be set.
The decision to proceed is a formality and allows a judge to hear arguments on
whether to grant the U.S. request. Canada arrested the daughter of Huawei's
founder at the request of the U.S. on Dec. 1 at Vancouver's airport. Meng is
wanted on fraud charges that she misled banks about the company's business
dealings in Iran. There is sufficient evidence to be put before an extradition
judge for decision the statement said. It took pains to stress Canada is
following its extradition laws. Ultimately, Canada's justice minister must
decide if Meng is extradited. The case set off a diplomatic furor among the
three countries, complicated high-stakes U.S.-China trade talks and severely
damaged Beijing's relations with Ottawa. In Beijing, the Foreign Ministry said
Saturday it firmly opposes the Canadian side's obstinately moving forward with
the case against Meng. It called the case a severe political incident and said
the United States and Canada were abusing their extradition treaty.
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BRAZIL, AUSTRALIA LODGE COMPLAINT IN WTO OVER INDIA'S SUGAR
SUBSIDIES
Brazil has joined
Australia to lodge a formal complaint against India, the world's second-largest
sugar producer, with the World Trade Organisation (WTO), alleging that India's continued
sugar subsidies to farmers have led to a glut and depressed global prices. The
Australian Government first lodged a counter-notification with the WTO over to
India's sugar subsidy practices last November. Simon Birmingham on Thursday
said India's sugar subsidy regime was inconsistent with WTO rules and had
helped create a glut in the global sugar market. That's hurting canegrowers and
sugar millers whether they're in Australia, Brazil, or any other country in the
world, Birmingham said. Birmingham said Australia was left with no other choice
but to initiate formal WTO dispute action, together with Brazil.
Startups facing angel tax
notices may get relief this week
The startups that have
already received angel tax notices, and were kept out of the recent relaxation
in norms, are set to get some relief this week, said two people with direct
knowledge of the matter. This will apply to situation in which valuations were
challenged or the source of funding was questioned. The Central Board of Direct
Taxes (CBDT) plans to issue a notification asking tax officers to accept
valuation certificates submitted by the startups, they said. The tax department
had challenged investments based on valuations in startups during funding
rounds. Tax officials have questioned increasing valuations even when revenue
is falling or stagnant. The revenue department deems capital in excess of fair
market value as 'other income,' which is taxable at 30%. About 2,000 startups
had received notices under the two income tax sections - 56(2)(vii)(b) and 68.
The first deals with valuations--classification of funding as income or
investment. Section 68 deals with unexplained credit. The CBDT clarification
will help startups that have received notices under both sections, said the
people cited above. The CBDT plans to write to principal commissioners asking
them to go after investors rather than startups in cases where the source of
funding looks dubious. In other cases, where the valuation has been challenged
by the tax officer, the explanation of the startups should be given additional
weightage, depending on other criteria, said one of the persons cited above.
The CBDT will ask its tax officers to accept explanations given by startups
regarding the investor's identity.
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INDIA WILLING TO GO IT ALONE IN TERROR FIGHT
India on Thursday
signalled its intent to play out the endgame on eliminating cross-border
terrorism emanating from Pakistan, even as peace proposals poured in from its
western neighbour. A person familiar with the developments, who did not want to
be identified, said that India was prepared to go it alone if Pakistan or the
international community was unwilling to commit to eliminating cross-border
terrorism. Terrorist attacks from Pakistan will not go unanswered, this person
said, indicating growing weariness in India at Pakistan’s policy of sheltering
and supporting anti-India terrorist groups and the seeming indifference of the
international community to New Delhi’s complaints against Islamabad. The
resolve found an echo at a joint briefing by the three services on Thursday
evening.
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ED SEARCHES HOMES OF CHANDA KOCHHAR, VENUGOPAL DHOOT IN
VIDEOCON LOAN CASE
The Enforcement
Directorate (ED) on Friday carried out searches against former ICICI bank CEO
Chanda Kochhar and Videocon promoter Venugopal Dhoot in connection with a bank
loan fraud case, officials said. They said the raids are being carried out in
at least five office and residential premises in Mumbai and a few other
locations. The agency had registered a criminal case under the Prevention of
Money Laundering Act (PMLA) earlier this month against Kochhar, her husband
Deepak Kochhar, Dhoot and others to probe alleged irregularities and corrupt
practices in sanctioning of ₹1,875 crore loans by the ICICI bank to the corporate group. A
team of ED sleuths, assisted by the police, is looking for more evidences in
the case and the raids were launched early Friday morning, officials said.
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ELECTORS PHOTO IDENTITY CARD OR ONE OF THE ELEVEN SPECIFIED
PHOTO IDENTITY DOCUMENTS, ESSENTIAL FOR CASTING VOTE
The Election Commission of
India has directed that all electors in all constituencies who have been issued
Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) have to produce the Electors Photo Identity
Card for their identification at the polling station before casting their
votes. Those electors who are not able to produce the EPIC shall produce one of
the following alternative photo identity documents for establishing their
identity. The list of eleven documents is:
·
Passport,
·
Driving License,
·
Service Identity Cards
with photograph issued to employees by Central/State Govt./PSUs/Public Limited
Companies,
·
Passbooks with photograph
issued by Bank/Post Office,
·
PAN Card,
·
Smart Card issued by RGI
under NPR,
·
MNREGA Job Card,
·
Health Insurance Smart
Card issued under the scheme of Ministry of Labour,
·
Pension document with
photograph,
·
Official identity cards
issued to MPs/MLAs/MLCs, and
·
Aadhaar Card.
·
Overseas electors shall
have to produce their original passport only for identification.
To assist the Voters, the
Commission has further directed its officers that in the case of EPIC, minor
discrepancies in the entries therein should be ignored provided the identity of
the elector can be established by the EPIC. If an elector produces an EPIC
which has been issued by the Electoral Registration Officer of another Assembly
Constituency, such card shall also be accepted for identification, provided the
name of that elector finds place in the electoral roll pertaining to the
polling station where the elector has turned up for voting. If it is not
possible to establish the identity of the elector on account of mismatch of
photograph, etc. the elector shall have to produce one of the above mentioned
alternative photo documents. On earlier occasions, the Commission had allowed Photo
Voter Slip as a document for identification. However, there have been
representations against its use as a stand-alone identification document on the
grounds of misuse as these are printed after the finalisation of the roll and
distributed just close to the poll through Booth Level Officers. The design of
Photo Voter Slip does not incorporate any security feature. In fact, Photo
Voter Slip was started as an alternative document as the coverage of EPIC was
not complete in earlier years. Currently more than 99 per cent electors possess
EPIC, and more than 99 per cent adults have been issued Aadhar Cards. Commission
has now decided that Photo Voter Slip shall henceforth not be accepted as a
stand-alone identification document for voting However, Photo Voter Slip will
continue to be prepared and issued to electors as part of the awareness
building exercise. In order to make it clear to the electors that Photo Voter
Slips shall not be accepted as a stand-alone identification document for
voting, the words THIS SLIP WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED FOR THE PURPOSE OF
IDENTIFICATION IN POLLING STATION. YOU ARE REQUIRED TO CARRY EPIC OR ONE OF THE
11 ALTERNATIVE DOCUMENTS SPECIFIED BY THE COMMISSION FOR VOTING shall be
printed on the Photo Voter Slip in bold letters. All Returning Officers and all
Presiding Officers are being informed of these instructions. A copy of the
instructions translated in the vernacular language will be supplied to each of
the Presiding Officers. The Order shall be got published in the State, Gazette,
immediately and publicised through print/electronic media for information of
the general public and electors immediately and at very regular intervals till
the date of polling.
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SC ALLOWS DELHI POLICE TO ARREST AMRAPALI GROUP CMD, 2
DIRECTORS
The Supreme Court on
Thursday allowed Delhi Police to arrest Amrapali group CMD Anil Sharma and two
directors forthwith in a criminal complaint filed against them. The apex court
also directed attachment of personal properties of Sharma and other directors. It
said the Economic Offence Wing (EoW) of Delhi Police can also arrest Amrapali
directors -- Shiv Priya and Ajay Kumar in the case. A bench of Justices Arun
Mishra and U U Lalit said: We had never stopped any agency from arresting the
directors, who are presently housed at a hotel under the detention of UP
police. The court is seized of a batch of petitions filed by home buyers who
are seeking possession of around 42,000 flats booked in projects of the
Amrapali Group.
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ELECTORAL BONDS IN 3 TRANCHES FROM MARCH: FINMIN
With the general elections
round the corner, the government has authorised State Bank of India to launch
the sale of electoral bonds in the months of March, April and May. The
government had brought in electoral bond scheme as an alternative to cash
donations made to political parties as part of its efforts to bring
transparency in political funding. State Bank of India (SBI) has been
authorized to issue and encash Electoral Bonds through its 29 Authorised
Branches in the months of March, April and May 2019, the Finance Ministry said
in a statement. The bonds will be sold in three tranches from March 1-15, April
1-20 and May 6-15. The electoral bonds will be valid for 15 calendar days from
the date of issue and no payment will be made to any payee political party if
the bond is deposited after expiry of the validity period.
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RAPE MORE SERIOUS OFFENCE THAN MURDER: MAHA GOVT TELLS HC
Rape is a more serious
offence than murder as the victim's ordeal continues even after the incident,
the Maharashtra government told the Bombay High Court on Thursday. Countering
the defence's argument in the Shakti Mills gang-rape case, Advocate General
Ashutosh Kumbhakoni said while a rape victim may continue breathing after the
offence, it causes a severe detrimental effect on her. Advocate Yug Chaudhry,
representing three of the five convicts in the case, had contended that section
376 (E) of the IPC, under which his clients were awarded death penalty does not
prescribe a punishment proportional to the crime. As death is the maximum
punishment for murder, the same punishment should not have been prescribed for
a repeat offence of rape because rape does not amount to homicide, he had said.
Opposing the argument before a bench of Justices B P Dharmadhikari and Revati
Mohite-Dere, Kumbhakoni said, It is not permissible to weigh in the scales of
justice whether murder is a higher offence than rape, and comparison of two
offences is impossible. To buttress the point about seriousness of the offence
of rape, he also cited the case of KEM Hospital nurse Aruna Shanbaug who
remained in a vegetative state for over 40 years following a brutal sexual
assault. In fact I would go a step ahead and say the offence of rape is graver
than the offence of murder, he said, justifying the death sentence for three of
the convicts in the case. Rape is not merely a physical attack. It alters the
rest of the life of the victim, destroys her personality, and often, victims of
rape commit, or attempt to commit suicide, the advocate general said. In April
2014, a sessions court here held five persons guilty for rape of a woman
photo-journalist at the deserted Shakti Mills compound in Central Mumbai. Of
them, Vijay Jadhav, Kasim Bengali and Salim Ansari were sentenced to death
under the then newly introduced section 376 (E) of the IPC as they were
convicted in a previous case of gang-rape. The three have challenged
constitutional validity of section 376 (E) which provides death for a repeat
offence of rape.
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INCREASING EXPORTS CAN LEAD TO BETTER JOBS, HIGHER WAGES IN
INDIA: WORLD BANK-ILO REPORT
Increasing exports can lead
to better jobs and higher wages in India, including more formal sector
employment for youth and women, the World Bank said in a report released
Thursday. Labour market policies can help different groups of workers acquire
the right skills and ensure that the gains of increased exports are shared more
broadly across society, said the report. The biggest beneficiaries of the wage
gains would be the high-skilled, urban, more experienced, and mainly male
workers. For low-skilled workers, the shift would result in an increase in
formal jobs, it said. India grew at a rate of 7.2 per cent in 2017, at the same
time reducing the number of people living in poverty. In addition, trade has
been falling, from 55.8 per cent to 41.1 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product
between 2012 and 2017. India's exports are mainly capital-intensive goods such
as chemicals and fabricated metals, meaning that the direct benefits for
workers have been limited, it said. With the right policies, India can ensure
that greater export orientation can boost workers' gains from trade and spread
them more widely, so benefiting disadvantaged groups, the report said.
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MSME-DI, COSIA TO WORK JOINTLY IN LEAN MANUFACTURING & IN
SETTING UP MINI-CLUSTERS IN SEZS
MSME-Development Institute
(MSME-DI), Nagpur has joined hands with Chamber of Small Industry Association
(COSIA), Vidarbha Chapter for lean manufacturing, in setting up mini-clusters
in SEZs and also in skill development Parlewar assured all help and assistance
from MSME-DI for the growth and development of industries in Vidarbha and
appealed to all the members to approach MSME-DI, Nagpur and avail benefit from
various schemes. He said, MSME is promoting Government policies and schemes
like Udyog Aadhaar, MUDRA, Lean Manufacturing Competitiveness Scheme,
innovation facilitation, Cluster Development Scheme etc. Ministry of Commerce
has reserved 10% land in each SEZ for MSME sector which will have significant
impact on boosting export through SEZs from MSME sector. MSME-DI has been assigned
the responsibility to establish Export Facilitation Cell, he added.
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INDIA AND BRUNEI SIGN AGREEMENT FOR THE EXCHANGE OF
INFORMATION AND ASSISTANCE IN COLLECTION WITH RESPECT TO TAXES
The Government of Republic
of India and the Government of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of
Brunei Darussalam signed an Agreement for the Exchange of Information and
Assistance in Collection with respect to Taxes (TIEA). The Agreement enables
exchange of information including banking and ownership information between the
two countries for tax purposes. It is based on international standards of tax
transparency and exchange of information and enables sharing of information on
request as well as on automatic basis. The Agreement also provides for mutual
assistance in collection of tax revenue claims between both countries.
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INDIA WILL STAND LIKE A ROCK AGAINST 'ENEMY ATTACK': PM MODI
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi asked Indians Thursday to stand as a wall with anger boiling over
Pakistan's capture of a pilot as a crisis escalates between the nuclear-armed
rivals. Prime minister urged his countrymen to unite as the enemy seeks to
destabilise India. The entire country is one today and standing with our
soldiers. The world is looking at our collective will and we have faith in our
forces' capacity. India will live as one. India will work as one. India will
grow as one. India will fight as one. India will win as one.
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NOT JUST PNB, MEHUL CHOKSI CONNED WELLS FARGO, GORDON
BROTHERS, TOO
It is not just Punjab
National Bank (PNB) that was a victim of fraud. Fugitive businessman Mehul
Choksi and an international web of co-conspirators used his US company Samuels
Jewelers and a series of puppet vendors, including a psychologist, to fraudulently
induce Samuels's primary lenders. As a result, America's Wells Fargo and Gordon
Brothers were manipulated so as to unknowingly authorise tens of millions of
dollars of credit line advances which were ultimately funnelled outside the US
to Choksi-controlled entities in India, Dubai and Hong Kong, a bankruptcy
court-appointed examiner's phase 1 report has revealed. These findings paint a
clear picture of the US-based bank fraud by Choksi and his henchmen who are
already connected to the largest bank fraud in Indian history masterminded by
Choksi's nephew Nirav Modi. Texas-based Samuels Jewelers, which filed for
bankruptcy proceedings in August last year, is already linked to the
multi-billion dollar scam that involved fraudulently borrowing from Indian
banks over a period of years using Letters of Undertaking (LoUs) and Foreign
Letters of Credit (FLCs). A 30% owner and former chairman of Samuels and the
parent Gitanjali group of companies, Choksi, now on the run, has been charged
by Indian authorities for his role in the alleged multi-billion-dollar fraud on
PNB. In the case of Samuels and American lenders, Choksi and an international
web of co-conspirators created the false appearance that Samuels was purchasing
and/or selling jewellery to and from unrelated third-parties. In fact, Samuels
and related entities were secretly selling inventory and laundering money among
themselves at the direction of Choksi and individuals under his control, the
examiner's report concluded. These disguised transactions accounted for
approximately $121 million worth of reported purchases and sales. Investigating
the truth of allegations of bank fraud in India was beyond the scope of the
examiner's charge, the report said. Nonetheless, the investigation has revealed
credible evidence consistent both with the occurrence of the fraud alleged and
with the Samuels Jewelers' involvement and assistance with this fraud. The
examiner was able to trace millions of dollars procured from the US lenders
that Samuels transferred via puppet vendors to Choksi controlled entities and
ultimately to repayment of FLCs in India.
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AIADMK TUSSLE: DELHI HC DENIES TTV DINAKARAN, VK SASIKALA ‘TWO
LEAVES’ SYMBOL
The Delhi High Court on
Thursday rejected the petition of TTV Dinakaran and VK Sasikala for allotting
the ‘two-leaves’ symbol of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s
(AIADMK). The symbol is currently with the Panneerselvam-Palaniswami faction of
the AIADMK. The high court upheld the Election Commission’s decision to allow
the Panneerselvam-Palaniswami faction to use the symbol. The EC has allotted
‘pressure cooker’ symbol, as an interim measure, to Dinakaran faction last year
during the bypolls of the R K Nagar constituency in Tamil Nadu which he had won
with a margin of over 40,000 votes.
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INDIA-PAKISTAN CONFLICT MAY INCREASE INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT
TICKET PRICES
Airlines that have to
re-route their flights after Pakistan shut its airspace face rising costs in
their international operations because of longer flight durations and
disruption in flight schedules, company executives said on Wednesday. Flights
bound for Europe and the Gulf region now have to fly through India’s west coast
and the Arabian Sea This, an airline executive said, adds at least one hour of
flying time to these flights. Costs will obviously go up, an executive at an
Indian carrier with overseas operations said on condition of anonymity. Another
senior executive at an airline with international operations said the extra
travel time affects flight schedules, cost of refreshments and the entire cost
structure of the airline. If the flight restrictions over Pakistan continue,
airlines may be forced to pass on the extra cost to consumers, another
executive said on condition of anonymity. In a statement, Air India said that
flights from Delhi to the US and Europe and back are being rerouted through
Ahmedabad and Mumbai. Flights landing into India from the USA and Europe are
being diverted to Dubai and Sharjah due to technical requirements and will land
with a delay, said the state-run airline, adding that flights are not being
cancelled despite the delay. Air India, Air India Express, IndiGo, Jet Airways
and SpiceJet fly to overseas destinations from India in a market dominated by
foreign carriers.
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CHOPPER DEAL: AGUSTAWESTLAND TELLS DELHI HC IT WILL WITHDRAW
ARBITRATION PROCEEDINGS
Anglo-Italian firm
AgustaWestland Thursday told the Delhi High Court it will withdraw arbitration
proceedings which were initiated by it following the scrapping of contracts to
supply 12 VVIP choppers to the Indian Air Force. The firm also said it will
pursue the remedy available under the law by filing a civil suit in India.
Justice Prathiba M Singh was hearing a petition by the central government
seeking to restrain AgustaWestland from continuing with the arbitration process
initiated by it in the wake of scrapping of the contracts. The Centre has said
the arbitration proceedings cannot continue as several criminal cases were
pending against the firm and last December British national Christian Michel
James, an alleged middleman in the deal, was extradited from Dubai and is
lodged in Tihar jail. After recording the statement of the counsel for the firm
and noting that the Centre has no objection to it, provided its objections are
kept open, the high court disposed of the government's petition. Pinky Anand
said the government does not have any objection if it wants to withdraw the
arbitration proceedings but the objections should be kept open. The court
disposed of the petition with the direction that the firm shall withdraw the
claim petition before the arbitral tribunal within two weeks and granted it
liberty to file go for civil proceedings.
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SIX PAKISTANI NATIONALS VISITING MUZAFFARNAGAR UNDER LOCAL
INTELLIGENCE SCANNER FOR LENGTH OF STAY
Amid the escalating
tension between India and Pakistan, six nationals of the the neighbouring
country, who came here on valid visa, are under vigilance of the local
intelligence unit in the district, an official said Thursday. Six Pakistani
nationals had arrived here on February 12 and they have valid visa. They are to
return to their country before March 27, the in-charge of local intelligence
unit here said.
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OPPOSITION JOINT STATEMENT BEING USED BY PAK TO BOLSTER ITS
CASE: JAITLEY
Finance Minister Arun
Jaitley Wednesday appealed to opposition parties to introspect their statement,
saying it is being used by Pakistan to bolster their case. The 21 opposition
parties after their meeting earlier in the day issued a joint statement
expressing deep anguish over what they alleged was blatant politicisation of
the sacrifices of armed forces. They also urged the government to take the
nation into confidence on all measures to protect India's sovereignty, unity
and integrity. In a series of tweets late night, Jaitley questioned that when
the whole nation has spoken in one voice, then why is India's opposition
alleging that the government is politicising our Anti-Terror Operations.
Jaitley said: My appeal to India's opposition - 'Let the country speak in one
voice'. Please introspect - 'Your ill-advised statement is being used by
Pakistan to bolster its case'.
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SUSHMA LIKELY TO RAISE TERRORISM ISSUE AT OIC MEET AMID
INDIA-PAK TENSIONS
External Affairs Minister
Sushma Swaraj is in Abu Dhabi to attend the foreign ministers' meet of the
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) states where she is expected to raise
the issue of terrorism amidst Indo-Pak tensions following the Pulwama terror
attack. Swaraj will attend the inaugural plenary of the two-day meeting on
Friday. It is for the first time that India has been invited to a meeting of
the OIC, an influential grouping of 57 Islamic countries, as the guest of
honour. India's engagement with the OIC comes in the midst of escalating
tension between India and Pakistan. The ties strained further after Indian
fighter jets bombed terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed's biggest training camp near
Balakot deep inside Pakistan early Tuesday. Pakistan carried out a retaliatory
aerial raid on Wednesday. Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi is
also attending the meeting. Earlier he had said that he would boycott the
meeting if Swaraj participates.
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IMRAN KHAN OFFERS OLIVE BRANCH AFTER PAKISTAN BREACHES INDIAN
AIR SPACE
Amid air raids and
escalating conflict between India and Pakistan on Wednesday, Pakistan Prime
Minister Imran Khan made a veiled attempt to invite India for peace talks in a
television address. After Pakistan shot down a MiG-21 of the Indian Air Force
and captured the pilot in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Khan’s speech sought to
build a narrative of a victory over India and offered to defuse the tense
situation between the two countries through dialogue. Khan's speech, trying to
claim the high moral ground over Pakistan’s well thought-out counter measures,
which were not taken in haste, came on a day Russia, India and China agreed for
closer policy coordination to eradicate terror breeding grounds. The three
countries met in Wuzhen in China on Wednesday for an annual trilateral meeting.
They stressed that terrorist groups cannot be supported and used in political
and geopolitical goals, the joint communique issued by Russia, India and China
said. In a line that could be seen as a direct reference to Pakistan, the joint
statement said: Those committing, orchestrating, inciting or supporting
terrorist acts must be held accountable and brought to justice in accordance
with existing international commitments on countering terrorism. However, Khan,
in his speech, said that Pakistan’s move to send its aircraft into India was
only intended to convey that if you can come into our country, we can do the
same--a reference to Pakistani jets entering Indian airspace on Wednesday.
Indian Air Force jets challenged the Pakistanis, shooting down one F-16 fighter
jet in Pok, government spokesperson said?. Pakistan also shot down an Indian
fighter aircraft, capturing its pilot Abhinandan Varthaman. Pakistani video
clips later showed the pilot in custody, triggering outrage in New Delhi. Khan
later warned that all wars started on miscalculations on how long it can last
and the human cost involved. Delving into history, he drew examples form World
War I and the World War II, besides the US-led war on terror in Afghanistan,
which began in November 2001 and was still continuing.
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JEM CHIEF MAULANA MASOOD AZHAR IS IN PAKISTAN, ADMITS MINISTER
QUERSHI
Pakistan's Foreign
Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has admitted that Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood
Azhar is in Pakistan and is unwell, but said the government can act against him
only if India presents solid and inalienable evidence that can stand in a court
of law. Qureshi's remarks came amid heightened tensions between India and
Pakistan after the February 14 terror attack by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed
(JeM) in Pulwama that left 40 CRPF personnel dead. India has handed over a
dossier to Pakistan with specific details of the JeM complicity in Pulwama
terror attack and the presence of JeM terror camps and its leadership in
Pakistan. India also expressed regret at the denial by Pakistan's political and
military leadership at the presence of terrorist infrastructure in territories
under its control. He is in Pakistan, according to my information. He is unwell
to the extent that he can't leave his house, because he's really unwell,
Qureshi told.
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INDO-PAK TENSION: VLADIMIR PUTIN DIALS NARENDRA MODI
Russian President Vladimir
Putin called Prime Minister Narendra Modi late Thursday amid reports that
Russia had made an offer to mediate between India and Pakistan to defuse rising
tensions between the two neighbours. A statement from the Indian foreign
ministry and the Prime Minister’s office did not make any reference to any
offer of mediation during Putin’s call to Modi. It said that Putin expressed
his deep condolences on the 14 February Pulwama terrorist attack that killed 40
CRPF personnel. The attack, claimed by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM)
terrorist group has sparked tensions between India and Pakistan with the Indian
Air Force bombing a terrorist training camp in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
province on 26 February.
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US WINS WTO RULING ON CHINESE GRAINS; DECISION MAY ALSO AFFECT
INDIA
The United States won a
World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling on China's price support for grains,
successfully challenging a calculation methodology that is also used by India.
A WTO adjudication panel agreed on Thursday with the US complaint that China
had paid farmers too much for wheat, Indica rice and Japonica rice in
2012-2015. A disputed corn subsidy had already expired. China's excessive
support limits opportunities for U.S. farmers to export their world-class
products to China, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said in a
statement. We expect China to quickly come into compliance with its WTO
obligations. China said on Friday it regretted the lack of support from
experts, noting that government support for agriculture was a common practice
and allowed under WTO rules. China would continue to promote development of its
agriculture sector in line with WTO rules and safeguard the stability of the
multi-lateral trade system, the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement. The US
trade representative's office filed the complaint in September 2016, saying
China had paid farmers nearly $100 billion more than allowed by the WTO rules.
That provided an artificial incentive for farmers to produce more, lowering
prices worldwide. China's WTO membership agreement permits trade-distorting
subsidies of up to 8.5% of the total value of production.
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DEFENCE MINISTRY SAYS PAKISTAN'S AIR INTRUSION WAS TO TARGET
INDIAN MILITARY INSTALLATIONS
The officials said that
Pakistan's claims that its air force did not target the Indian military
installations during Wednesday's air intrusion were false. They said that the
Pakistani jets clearly targeted multiple military installations in Naushera and
Rajaouri sector, but their attempts were foiled by the combat patrol team of
the Indian Air Force. Sources said that the alertness of the armed forces
remained at the highest level. The defense ministry official said, We believe
that the Pakistan air intrusion was an attack on military installations. We
believe that the Indian Air Force Pilot was ill-treated by the Pakistan Army in
violation of the Geneva convention. The official further said, We believe that
the Pakistan Army is actively supporting the Jaish-e-Mohammed and is harbouring
the leaders including Masood Azhar in its facilities.
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PAF'S F-16 HAD FIRED 'BEYOND VISUAL RANGE MISSILE'
India has conclusive
evidence that Pakistan Air Force (PAF) F-16s were involved in the aerial engagement
on the LoC on Wednesday as parts of AIM-120 AM-RAAM (Advanced Medium-Range
Air-to-Air Missile) were found on the Indian side. The projectile is a beyond
visual range missile carried by F-16s. A PAF F-16 was shot down by IAF combat
air patrol, but Pakistan is yet to acknowledge the loss even though visuals of
wreckage of the aircraft appeared on Thursday. A large number of PAF fighters
had approached the LoC and were challenged by IAF.
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BYTEDANCE'S TIKTOK HIT WITH $5.7 MILLION FINE OVER CHILD
PRIVACY
Musical.ly, the popular
teen video app now known as TikTok, will pay a record $5.7 million to settle
claims by the U.S. government that it illegally collected personal information
from children. Musical.ly reached an agreement with the Federal Trade
Commission, the agency said Wednesday in a statement, resolving allegations
that the social-media company failed to obtain parental consent before
collecting names, email addresses and other information from children younger
than age 13. This record penalty should be a reminder to all online services
and websites that target children, FTC Chairman Joe Simons said. We will not
tolerate companies that flagrantly ignore the law. TikTok is now making changes
to better accommodate younger users in the U.S. based on guidance from the FTC,
the company said in a statement. Beginning Wednesday, users will be directed to
age-appropriate environments. The app for younger users won’t permit the
sharing of personal information, and will also have extensive limitations on
content and user interaction. We care deeply about the safety and privacy of
our users, TikTok said. This is an ongoing commitment, and we are continuing to
expand and evolve our protective measures in support of this. Musical.ly was
acquired by the world’s most valuable startup, Beijing ByteDance Technology
Co., for $800 million and soon after was merged with its TikTok app. A hit in
the US, Musical.ly was seen as a way for the Chinese company to expand abroad,
and also to capitalise on an increasing appetite for short video.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
IRAN GETS A LITTLE SWEET RELIEF FROM OIL-MONEY HEADACHE IN
INDIA
Iran is struggling to
spend the rupees it has made from oil sales to India that are sitting in the
south Asian nation’s banks. Meanwhile, sugar stockpiles are stacking up in
India after a bumper crop. Now the two have struck a deal that eases each
other’s woes -- albeit only to some extent. The Government Trading Corporation
of Iran will buy 150,000 tonnes of raw sugar from Indian mills for delivery in
March-April, paying in rupees from escrow accounts held at UCO Bank. Indian
sweeteners regain access to an old market, which has been dominated by Brazil,
the world’s biggest producer and exporter. This payment mechanism will allow
India, which imports nearly 80 per cent of its crude, to comply with the
condition that forbids direct fund transfers to Iran for a US waiver from
sanctions. It also opens an outlet for India’s swelling sugar reserves as local
production exceeds demand for a second consecutive year. The Asia nation, which
vies with Brazil as the world’s top sugar producer, is looking to boost
exports.
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CHINA SAYS N. KOREAN NUCLEAR ISSUE CAN'T BE SOLVED 'OVERNIGHT'
Beijing expressed hope
Thursday that the US and North Korea will keep talking, saying the nuclear
issue will not be solved overnight after a much-anticipated summit in Hanoi
ended without a deal. China is Pyongyang's sole major ally and North Korean
leader Kim Jong Un travelled across the neighbouring country by train to his
second meeting with US President Donald Trump, which ended ahead of schedule
Thursday without any joint announcements. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu
Kang said he had yet to hear what Trump or the North Korean leader had to say
about the meeting. But I have always hoped that everyone can realise that the
nuclear problem on the Korean peninsula has been going on for many years, and
that solving this problem is definitely not something that can be achieved
overnight, Lu said at a regular press briefing. It is not a very easy process,
otherwise it would not have dragged on until today, Lu said.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
PAKISTAN ARMY SAYS TROOPS ON HIGH ALERT ALONG LOC
The Pakistan Army said on
Thursday that its troops are on high alert along the LoC with all required
safeguards to thwart any Indian aggression amidst tense ties with New Delhi.
Due to the prevailing environment, the Pakistan Army troops are on high alert
along the Line of Control (LoC) with all required safeguards along the Eastern
Border in place to thwart any Indian aggression, army spokesman Major General
Asif Ghafoor said in a statement. He said that the Pakistan Air Force and
Pakistan Navy continued to stay fully alert. During the last 48 hours, Indian
troops resorted to increased ceasefire violations in Kotli, Khuiratta and Tatta
Pani sectors along the LoC, Ghafoor said. Pakistan Armed Forces are in a state
of readiness for all eventualities, the spokesperson added.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
'HAVE REASONABLY ATTRACTIVE NEWS': TRUMP SAYS HOPEFULLY INDIA,
PAK TENSION COMING TO AN END
US President Donald Trump
said on Thursday that he hoped the conflict between India and Pakistan will be coming
to an end Trump said, We have Reasonably attractive news from Pakistan and
India. They have been going at it we have been involved in trying to help them
stop. And we have some reasonably decent news. He added, I think, hopefully,
that will be coming to an end. It's been going for a long time. Decades and
decades. There is a lot of dislike unfortunately. Sushma Swaraj and Pakistani
foreign minister SM Qureshi had spoken to US Secretary of state Mike Pompeo in
the aftermath of Indian strikes on Jaish E Mohammad's (JeM) terror camps in
Pakistan on Tuesday. Ajit Doval and Pompeo had a telephonic conversation late
on Wednesday night where the latter said the US supported the Indian action as
a counter-terrorism step and stated that they stand with India on this.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
US, UK AND FRANCE ASK UNSC TO BAN JEM CHIEF MASOOD AZHAR IN
FRESH PROPOSAL
The US, the UK and France
have moved a fresh proposal in the UN Security Council to designate
Pakistan-based terror group JeM chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist a
listing that will subject him to global travel ban, asset freeze and arms
embargo. The fresh proposal was moved on Wednesday by the three permanent
veto-wielding members of the 15-nation Security Council The Security Council
Sanctions Committee will have 10 working days to consider the fresh proposal
submitted by the three members. The proposal is the fourth such bid at the UN
in the last 10 years to list Azhar as a global terrorist. It remains to be seen
how China will vote on the proposal this time.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
UK APPROVED TO REJOIN $1.7 TRILLION WTO PROCUREMENT DEAL
The United Kingdom won
approval to remain in a key World Trade Organization agreement that governs
$1.7 trillion worth of annual public procurement opportunities. A group of 46
nations, including the U.S. and Japan, agreed on Wednesday to let Britain stay
in the Government Procurement Agreement, according to a WTO statement. Maintaining
membership ensures that U.K.-based contractors will retain their preferential
access to foreign public procurement opportunities if Britain leaves the
European Union without a withdrawal accord. It also ensures that the GPA’s
signatories will continue to have access to the U.K.’s 67 billion-pound ($89
billion) public procurement marketplace in the case of a no-deal Brexit. The
agreement will now be laid before the U.K. Parliament for 21 sitting days to
provide the opportunity to raise any objections to the accord. There is no
indication that any members of Parliament intend to object to the deal. The
U.K.’s accession to the GPA will take effect 30 days after the U.K. government
submits its instrument of acceptance to the WTO. Regardless of Wednesday’s
approval, the U.K. will remain a member of the GPA under its current terms if
the British government approves a withdrawal agreement or extends its
negotiations with the EU beyond the scheduled Brexit date of March 29.
#For Source of Information copy and paste the heading in google.
Thanks & Regards,
CS Meetesh Shiroya
Thanks & Regards,
CS Meetesh Shiroya
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