GOVT EXTENDS DEADLINE FOR GST SALES RETURN FOR MARCH UNTIL APR
23
The government has extended
the last date for filing summary sales return, GSTR-3B for March month by three
days until April 23 Due date for filing GSTR-3B for the tax period March 2019
has been extended to April 23, 2019, a ticker on GST portal 'gst.gov.in' said.
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MARCH SAW INCOME TAX DEPARTMENT GO ON AN OVERDRIVE
Every year in March, the
income tax department chases tax collections in order to fulfil targets for the
financial year. But this year the department had kicked up the collection drive
a notch. According to multinational companies, tax consultants and chartered
accountants, the taxman has been uncharacteristically aggressive. In the last
quarter of every financial year, we are prepared for tax demands, recovery
notices, transfer-pricing orders, etc. But this year the number of notices,
calls and follow-ups far exceeded what was anticipated, said a compliance
officer at an MNC, who did not want to be named. The department adopted at
least six different out of the ordinary methods to recover tax dues. Despite
these efforts, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) is staring at a
shortfall of direct tax collection of ₹60,000-80,000 crore, a tax
officer said, declining to be named. CBDT is yet to announce the final numbers.
The direct tax collection target for fiscal year 2019 was set at ₹12
trillion. A Mumbai-based MNC, which is headquartered in the US, was asked to
cough up 60% of the tax demand. And they did pay up fearing harassment, said a
tax consultant. Another pharmaceutical company was levied a tax demand of over ₹70
crore. Sick of repeated calls from the taxman, the firm decided to pay up a
portion of that demand. According to The Income-tax Act, 1961, the assessee has
to pay 20% of the tax demand pending an appeal. The pressure this year was to
fulfil a huge target. It was mostly on two grounds: to chase the demands of
this year and to open previous years’ assessments. The taxman this year has
sent out notices to many mid-sized MNCs for re-opening of previous assessments
going back to six years, said Girish Vanvari, founder, Transaction Sqaure, a
tax, regulatory and business advisory firm. The taxman this year also used a
rare provision to collect dues directly from bank accounts. This provision in
the I-T Act allows the tax authorities to freeze the bank accounts of taxpayers
and deduct money directly from these accounts. Previously, this section was
used only for wilful defaulters. In February and March, several letters were
sent out to banks to deduct money from the account holder (a suspected tax
evader) and pay directly to income tax department. This was also done in cases
where the tax demand was not appealed or the upfront payment of 20% was not
made, said Amit Maheshwari. In some cases, taxpayers were called to pay up, or
else their bank accounts would be frozen, he added. In addition, the cut-off
period for passing final international taxation orders was slashed. Typically,
draft orders are passed in December and orders by the Dispute Resolution Panel
confirming the order and final orders are passed by June. This year the
timelines were reduced to the extent that the final orders were passed by
February. In some cases assessees were not given the final assessment orders
before the tax demands were raised, said a lawyer who heads the tax practice at
a large consultancy. The number of calls and notices raising tax demands also
increased manifold over previous years. In some cases, the assessing officers
have been making persistent demands on taxpayers, with short deadlines that
left assessees with little time to appeal. The assessment orders gave taxpayers
only seven days to meet the demands instead of the prevalent 30 days. One such
public case concerned Uber India Systems Pvt. Ltd which filed a writ petition
in the Bombay high court contesting the demand notice, which had asked Uber to
pay up in seven days. The high court, in an order on 2 May 2018, ruled that
Uber had 30 days to appeal against the tax demand. The company has appealed and
the matter is now pending before the income tax tribunal.
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SALE OF ASSETS OF NIRAV MODI’S US FIRMS FETCHES $10 M, BUT PNB
CAN’T REJOICE
According to US court
documents accessed, after holding public auctions for the three entities’
diamond and jewellery inventories, and their patents and trademarks, the trustee
has also undertaken private sales of assets While the first three public
auctions raised about $5.7 million the private sales authorised so far have
raked in about $4.5 million. But aside from the fact that the sale value of the
assets appears rather small in contrast to the $2-billion fraud at Punjab
National Bank, it is unlikely that PNB will receive a meaningful recovery from
the US bankruptcy cases, say experts. On August 24, 2018, a US court approved
the trustee’s proposed procedures for selling assets free and clear of all
liens and other interest, by public sales. The first public auction of the US
firms’ trademarks and patents and associated jewellery comprised 12 lots of
intellectual property (IP). ‘Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend’, one of the
well-known domain names and trademarks, fetched $50,000. Patent rights for the
exclusive brands ‘112 Facet’ and ‘Patriot Star’ were sold for $25,000 and
$280,000 respectively, along with associated inventory. Subsequent public sales
of inventories of diamond and jewellery brought in about $4.7 million. But the
value of these inventories in the book (book price as disclosed in the court
documents) was nearly twice — $9.1 million — implying that the sales had happened
at a substantial discount to the book price. The examiner in the US Bankruptcy
Court, appointed last year to probe Nirav Modi’s ties with the three US
entities, had identified tens of millions of dollars of purported diamond sales
by the US companies to various shadow entities, where payment could be traced
to proceeds from the alleged PNB fraud in India. The investigation had also
corroborated that transactions were used to inflate diamond inventory and
accounts receivables artificially, to justify the need for Letter of
Undertaking (LoU) financing. After he had completed the public auctions, the
trustee was authorised to conduct private sales. The trustee undertook private
sales to companies such as Macy’s Inc, Unique Designs, Simplexdiam Inc, Martin
V Marten and Diamond Traders International. Such sales authorised by the court
have amounted to about $4.5 million so far. Chapter 11 Trustee Levin’s recent
successful private sales benefit the Firestar Diamond Inc Chapter 11 estate as
they are a more efficient and less expensive method of monetising the assets. These
cases were filed in late February 2018, nearly 14 months ago, but in many ways
they are just warming up with the arrest of Nirav Modi and filing of the recent
RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations Act) suit, said Seth R
Freeman. He added that complex fraud-related bankruptcy cases, such as Firestar
Diamond and DC Solar Solutions, are very expensive to administer. He recently
served as the chief restructuring officer in the DC Solar bankruptcy involving
a $2-billion alleged fraud. It is vital for the Chapter 11 debtors to be able
to generate cash to finance the case and ideally provide a distribution to the
creditors, Freeman explained. So, will PNB get any monies out of these sales
made by the trustee? Unlikely, said Freeman. While the examiner in Firestar
Diamond demonstrated the connection with fraud against PNB, given the secured
debt and priority of claims in the US bankruptcy, I think it is unlikely that
PNB will receive a meaningful recovery from the US bankruptcy cases. However,
the facts developed in the US cases may provide support for third-party claims
and other recoveries that benefit PNB in India, he added. The examiner
appointed to probe Nirav Modi’s ties with the three US entities had revealed
that they were directly involved in transactions related to the LoU fraud at
PNB.
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REALTORS APPEAL TO HOUSING MINISTRY TO CUT GST RATE
The Association of
Certified Realtors of India (ACRAI) has appealed to the housing ministry to
reduce the 18% goods and services tax (GST) levied on brokers on the brokerage
they earn from builders on each transaction. We have appealed to the ministry
to reduce GST on our services from 18% to 5% to help us overcome distress and
give better job opportunities to our community in coordination with the GST
Council, said Ravinder Aggarwal. Additionally, in a letter to the GST Council,
brokers have appealed that real estate agents be exempted from GST on services
provided for affordable housing. Brokers said they were grappling with a
slowdown in sales and finding it difficult to survive as builders refused to
pay GST levied on sales. No builder is ready to pay GST on the brokerage The
channel partners are already squeezed; this is just an additional burden, said
Irshad Ahmed. The bodies representing brokers, including ACRAI and the National
Association of Realtors, had also appealed to the central committee to revoke
the 5% penalty on brokers. The finishing and delivery of projects is not in our
hand. We are only a marketing arm and dependent on the information provided by
the developers and authorities, said Aggarwal. The service tax levied on real
estate agents’ services was increased to 14% from 12% in June 2015, just before
GST was levied on realtors. The GST rate applicable for all services rendered
under the heading ‘real estate services’ on a fee or commission basis or
contract basis and for services by way of renting of residential dwelling for
use as residence is exempt from GST. Other rental services attract GST at 18%.
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AHMEDABAD EAST SEAT HAS MAXIMUM 'CROREPATI' CANDIDATES IN
GUJARAT
East Lok Sabha
constituency has the highest number of 'crorepati' candidates in Gujarat, while
Congress candidate from Mehsana A J Patel is the richest one, an analysis of
election affidavits shows. The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), an
election watchdog, said in a report that six out of 26 candidates from
Ahmedabad East have declared that they possess assets worth Rs one crore or
more. It is followed by Gandhinagar, where five out of total 17 candidates are
worth Rs one crore or more. There are a total of 75 'crorepati' candidates
around 20 per cent of the total 370 candidates analysed by the ADR. Among the
candidates from Ahmedabad East, BJP's Somabhai Patel is the richest candidate
with Rs 7.46 crore-worth assets, followed by BSP's Ganesh Vaghela at Rs 7.09
crore. Congress' Geeta Patel has declared assets of Rs 4 crore. BJP president
Amit Shah, who is contesting from Gandhinagar seat, has declared assets of over
Rs 40 crore. His Congress rival C J Chavda has declared assets of over Rs 12
crore. K L Desai, an independent, has declared assets of Rs 18 crore. But the
richest of them all is A J Patel, Congress candidate from Mehsana, who has
declared assets of Rs 69 crore. He is followed by Chandrakant Patil, BJP
candidate from Navsari (Rs 44 crore), Shardaben Patel, BJP candidate from
Mehsana (Rs 44 crore), BJP candidate from Jamnagar Poonamben Maadam (Rs 42
crore) and Amit Shah (Rs 40 crore). When it comes to liabilities, Ramesh
Dhadhuk, BJP candidate from Porbandar, has taken the top spot. He has declared
liabilities of Rs 21 crore against the assets of Rs 35 crore, the data shows.
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MUMBAI HC GRANTS BAIL TO MAN HELD FOR CIRCULAR TRADE, FAKE ITC
CLAIM
The Bombay High Court has granted
bail to a person, arrested on charges of circular trading and fictitious claim
of input tax credit under the goods and services tax (GST) regime. The court
also ruled that no coercive action would be taken against the person, while
posting the next hearing on July 8, when charges of fake invoices and circular
trading would be taken up. The order may have repercussions for over a dozen of
people arrested under similar charges across the country, Abhishek Rastogi,
said. The petitioner, who has a business in MS ingots, had filed a plea in
court for personal liberty enshrined in the Constitution.
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SILVER JEWELLERY EXPORTS CRASH AS NIRAV MODI, MEHUL CHOKSI
FLEE COUNTRY
The exit of Nirav Modi and
Mehul Choksi from the Indian market has resulted in a sharp fall in India's
silver jewellery exports with an over 75% decline reported during the 2018-19
financial year. As a result, during the last financial year, silver exports
plummeted to $838 million from nearly $3.4 billion in 2017-18, data available
with the Gems & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) showed. Senior
functionaries of the trade body confirmed that the decline was due to the exit
of the uncle-nephew duo after the alleged fraud was unearthed. The maximum
impact on exports was on the Surat Special Economic Zone, government officials
told, although data was not available immediately. There are also allegations
that the exports undertaken by fugitives Modi and Choksi was largely on paper
as there has not been a shift in business to other players in the Indian
market. The over $2.5 billion fall in silver exports is one of the key factors
behind the over 3% decline in gems and jewellery exports although GJEPC
vice-president Colin Shah put the blame on delay in GST refunds and liquidity
problems for the industry's woes. Traditionally, the sector has been a key
contributor to India's exports. Last year, export of gold medallions and coins
witnessed a 55% crash, from close to $2 billion in 2017-18 to $876 million.
This is being attributed to the Director General of Foreign Trade's decision to
ban the export of 24-carat gold coins and medallions on repeated complaints of
misuse by exporters, who were allegedly indulging in circular trading of this
item. Following the change in rule, exports have virtually come to a standstill
as there is no demand for coins and medallions of 22 or 18 carat, Shah said.
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INDIA NOT A TARIFF KING, CAN PROTECT SPECIFIC SECTORS UNDER
WTO: EXPERTS
India is not a 'tariff
king' and it has all the right to take appropriate measures to protect the
interest of specific sectors like agriculture, international trade experts have
said. Rejecting the US allegation that India's import duties are one of the
highest in the world, experts said that several developed countries and regions
including Japan, South Korea, European Union, and America maintain extremely
high tariffs primarily on agriculture products. The US President Donald Trump
has repeatedly claimed that India is a tariff king and imposes tremendously
high import duties on American goods. Biswajit Dhar, said that the US
allegations are completely unfounded. In fact, the US import duties on several
of their products are quite high such as on tobacco it is about 350 per cent
and 164 per cent on peanuts. They too maintain reasonably high duties, Dhar
said. Sharing similar views, Rakesh Mohan Joshi said that the US allegations
are not correct and in fact, they should rationalise their duty structure being
a developed nation. Trade Promotion Council of India Chairman Mohit Singla said
that the assertion of the US is not factually correct. He said that the
allegation of Trump that India is a tariff king does not hold true and is
unjustified. Federation of Indian Exports Organisation (FIEO) said that
product-specific high tariffs, like 150 per cent on alcoholic beverages, 100
per cent on coffee, and 60-75 per cent on automobiles have made India a villain
in the eyes of the US President. India's average WTO bound tariff is 48.5 per
cent while average applied tariff is 13.4 per cent. The wide gap between the
two clearly shows that India is not a tariff king else it would have pushed the
applied tariff very close to the bound rates, Sahai said.
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4,690 CASES FILED OVER POLL CODE VIOLATIONS IN TAMIL NADU TILL
APRIL 19
For the participants in Y
S Jaganmohan Reddy’s political campaign, achhe din has arrived. The staff has
been given paid holiday for a month. While the junior staff gets paid holiday
only, some senior employees have been offered holiday at a destination of their
choice. Only a core team of about 20 people has been retained to continue
working with Reddy on the final details. They have been promised good rewards
if the results are good. During an unprecedented hearing in the Supreme Court
on Saturday in which the chief justice of India heard a case of grave national
importance, Attorney General K K Venugopal lamented that he had been under
attack from a lawyer for defending the government. Venugopal said he was an
officer of the court and was simply assisting the court in his capacity as
government counsel. His comments led to speculation about the identity of the
lawyer who had attacked him. While many names came up, the consensus in the
courtroom and outside was that it was either senior advocate Indira Jaising or
public interest lawyer Prashant Bhushan. Bhushan and the AG are locked in a
legal battle after the former alleged that the AG had misled the court on
Rafale. This prompted Venugopal to move a contempt petition against Bhushan. A
report released by the Election Commission shows political parties in Tamil
Nadu, especially the big two, are locked in some sort of a contest when it
comes to committing the maximum number of violations of the model code of
conduct. Of the total 4,690 violations reported in the state till April 19,
around 1,450 cases were reported against the ruling All India Anna Dravida
Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), while 1,694 cases were reported against the Dravida
Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). The smaller parties in the state also tried their best
with 1,546 cases against them during the period. Most of the violations
reported related to defacement of property. Almost 1,368 cases were reported
from the southern part of the state, including from Madurai, Theni,
Ramanathapuram, Sivaganga, Thoothukudi and Kanniyakumari.
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OFFICER SUSPENDED FOR CHECKING PM'S CHOPPER SENT BACK TO
KARNATAKA
An Election Commission
general observer, who was suspended for checking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's
helicopter in Odisha's Sambalpur in violation of norms for dealing with SPG
protectees, has been sent back to Karnataka. He is a 1996 batch IAS officer of
Karnataka cadre. The Commission had last week suspended its general observer
for Sambalpur in Odisha for violating its instructions that SPG protectees
should not be checked. Mohammed Mohsin had tried to check some luggage in the
convoy of the Prime Minister on Tuesday last.
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VVIP CHOPPER CASE: DELHI COURT EXTENDS TILL MAY 3 JUDICIAL
CUSTODY OF DEFENCE AGENT
A Delhi court on Monday extended
till May 3 the judicial custody of Sushen Mohan Gupta, an alleged defence agent
arrested in the AgustaWestland VVIP choppers scam case. Special Judge Arvind
Kumar granted the interim relief to Gupta, who was arrested by the Enforcement
Directorate under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The court had dismissed
his bail plea previously.
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WE CHANGED PUSILLANIMOUS APPROACH OF CONGRESS ON TERROR: MODI
Narendra Modi Monday said
his government took bold steps to counter terror attacks in contrast to the
pusillanimous approach adopted by the earlier Congress-led regimes while
dealing with them. Modi's remarks at a poll rally here in Nashik district of Maharashtra
came a day after a terror attack in Sri Lanka killed 290 people in a series of
eight blasts that tore through churches and luxury hotels in the island
country. What did the then Congress-NCP government do? It held condolence
meetings and expressed grief. They went about crying across the world, saying
Pakistan did this and Pakistan did that. But what did we do? We changed that
pusillanimous policy, Modi said. Modi accused the Congress of destroying the
state- run HAL and added his government increased defence production under the
'Make in India' programme.
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MAFIA RAJ UNDER MAMATA BANERJEE'S RULE IN WB: AMIT SHAH
Lashing out at West Bengal
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for allegedly running a mafia raj in the state,
BJP president Monday claimed that the state has topped the chart in cow
smuggling and become a safe haven for infiltrators. Urging the people to ensure
that the BJP wins more than 23 out of 42 seats in the state, Shah said it would
ensure that the syndicate raj ends within 90 days in Bengal. In West Bengal,
'syndicate' means the business run by persons allegedly enjoying political
patronage, who force promoters and contractors to buy construction materials,
often of inferior quality at high prices. Mamata Banerjee led TMC is running a
mafia raj in the state. The state has achieved the distinction of topping the
chart in cow smuggling and turning the state into a safe haven for
infiltrators, Shah claimed. he accused Banerjee of making West Bengal a
bankrupt state where only her relatives and TMC ministers have flourished.
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BJP MLA GETS LIFE TERM IN 22-YEAR-OLD MURDER CASE
The Allahabad HC on Friday
sentenced BJP MLA from Hamirpur Ashok Singh Chandel and nine others to life
term in a 22-year-old shootout in which five members of a family were killed in
Bundelkhand's Hamirpur. The state government as well as the complainant had
challenged the decision of the district and sessions judge. On January 26,
1997, a minor altercation between BJP netas Shukla and Chandel had led to a
shootout in Hamirpur in which five people, including Shukla's two older
brothers Rakesh and Rajesh, nine-year-old nephew Ambujh, and two others Ved
Nayak and Srikant Pandey had died. Five more, including two children, had
sustained bullet injuries in the shootout. The FIR lodged named Chandel and the
others. Subsequently, the police after investigating the matter, filed the
chargesheet in the case.
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FOREIGN SECRETARY VIJAY GOKHALE TO VISIT CHINA FOR TALKS WITH
CHINESE FM
Vijay Gokhale starts his
two-day visit to China on Sunday during which he will hold talks with Chinese
Foreign Minister Wang Yi as both countries grapple with a host of issues,
including Beijing’s continuous attempts to block efforts to list
Jaish-e-Mohammed’s chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist. Gokhale will be
visiting China for regular consultations, the Indian Embassy here said on
Saturday. He is due to meet China’s State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang
Yi on April 22. His schedule here is being worked out, it said. The visit of
Gokhale, previously India’s Ambassador to China before he took over as Foreign
Secretary last year, is taking place amid close engagement between India and
China following the February 14 Pulawama terror attack carried out by a
Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed. Following
the suicide attack, the US, the UK and France moved a proposal under the 1267
Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council (UNSC) to designate
Azhar as a global terrorist. China stalled it for the fourth time by putting a
technical hold on the resolution, a move India termed as disappointing. One of
our differences is how to look at the BRI. The Indian side has their concerns.
We understand that and that is why we have stated clearly on many occasions
that the BRI including the CPEC is only an economic initiative and it does not
target any third country and has nothing to do with the sovereign and
territorial disputes left from history between any two countries, he said.
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ISIS MODULE CASE: NIA CONDUCTS SEARCHES AT TWO LOCATIONS IN
HYDERABAD
The National Investigation
Agency (NIA) conducted searches at two locations Saturday in connection with an
Islamic state module case, police said. The raids which began in the morning
were still underway, they said. In August 2018, the NIA had arrested two
alleged ISIS sympathisers --Mohammed Abdullah Basith and Mohd Abdul Qhadeer --
from the city as part of its larger probe into Indian youngsters being
radicalised to carry out terror strikes on behalf of the banned international
outfit. The fresh raids were being carried out in connection with this module
after a supplementary charge sheet was filed against them in February this year
and based on fresh inputs, police added. NIA teams are conducting searches at
two places in connection with an ISIS module case, a senior police official of
the Cyberabad Police Commissionerate told PTI.
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JKLF CHIEF YASIN MALIK ON HUNGER STRIKE AGAINST NIA CUSTODY,
HIS CONDITION VERY BAD, SAYS FAMILY
JKLF chief Yasin Malik's
family on Saturday alleged that he was very ill after he went on a hunger
strike to protest against his illegal detention by the National Investigation
Agency (NIA). A Delhi court had on April 10 sent Malik to NIA custody till
April 22 in connection with a terror funding case. Malik's family said they
were not allowed to meet the separatist leader and that he has been in a
hospital for the past four days. We had gone to Jammu to meet him (Malik), but
when we reached there in the evening, we heard that he has been taken to Delhi.
So we returned without meeting him. Since then, we are only in touch with his
lawyer. The lawyer, Raja Tufail, was also not allowed to meet Malik, they
alleged. The family said Tufail had to get court permission to meet the JKLF
leader on Saturday. The JKLF will hold a two-day hunger strike in Islamabad on
April 25 and 26, and stage a five-day dharna starting from April 28 outside the
Indian Embassy in London, the spokesman said.
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BAILOUT FOR PAKISTAN COULD PUT YOUR FUNDS AT RISK, INDIA WARNS
IMF
India and some other
nations have cautioned the International Monetary Fund (IMF) about fresh
bailout for Pakistan at a time when it is under the Financial Action Task
Force's (FATF) scanner for its serious failure to crack down on terror funding During
recent meetings in Washington, Indian officials are learnt to have warned of
possible embarrassment for the multilateral agency as they made the point that Pakistan
was already 'grey listed' and faced a high probability of being in the 'black
list' which will severely restrict its financial transactions with other
nations. The word of caution, as India hinted at IMF funds being at risk, came
ahead of next month's peer review of Pakistan at FATF, sources said. Indian
officials had attended the annual meetings of IMF and the World Bank with FATF
ministerial meet also coinciding with it. At the same time, India's neighbour,
which is seen to be harbouring a range of terrorists such as Jaish-e-Muhammed
chief Masood Azhar, is seeking an urgent $8-12 billion IMF assistance to help
it tide over its latest current account crisis, with the deficit widening
six-fold to over $18 billion in the last three years. If the loan proposal goes
through, it will be Pakistan's 22nd loan from the IMF.
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BJP QUESTIONS RAHUL GANDHI’S CITIZENSHIP AFTER RETURNING OFFICER
POSTPONES SCRUTINY OF NOMINATION PAPERS
The Bhartiya Janata Party
(BJP) on Saturday questioned the citizenship and educational qualifications of
Congress President Rahul Gandhi. This comes just hours after the returning
officer postponed the scrutiny of nomination papers submitted by the Congress
President following the objections raised by an independent candidate from
Amethi. GVL Narasimha Rao said: I think it’s a matter of great surprise that
the objections that have been raised regarding Rahul Gandhi’s citizenship
haven’t been answered. He further said that Gandhi’s legal representative did
not have answers to questions raised by other candidates on details given in
his nomination. Rahul Gandhi’s name has been shown to be listed as a British
citizen in documents related to a company in the UK. Was Rahul Gandhi a British
citizen? Narasimha Rao asked. The lawyer of the independent candidate said that
Rahul Gandhi has declared himself a foreign citizen in the certificate of
incorporation of a company registered in the UK. On the basis of a certificate
of incorporation of a company registered in the UK, he (Rahul Gandhi) declared
himself a UK citizen. A non-citizen can’t contest polls here, he said. He
further said that there were no details on the assets and profits of the
company mentioned in the affidavit. There are a number of mistakes in his
educational qualification certificates The original educational certificates
should be presented so that his (Rahul Gandhi) claim can be established, the
lawyer demanded. The legal team of the Congress president has asked some time
to counter the objections.
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US WINS WTO RULING AGAINST CHINA’S GRAIN-IMPORT QUOTAS
The United States won a
World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling on Thursday against China's use of tariff-rate
quotas for rice, wheat and corn, which it successfully argued, limited market
access for US grain exports. The case, lodged by the Obama administration in
late 2016, marked the second US victory in as many months. It came amid
US-China trade talks and on the heels of Washington clinching a WTO ruling on
China's price support for grains in March. A WTO dispute panel ruled on
Thursday that under the terms of its 2001 WTO accession, China's administration
of the tariff rate quotas (TRQs) as a whole violated its obligation to
administer them in a transparent, predictable and fair basis. TRQs are
two-level tariffs, with a limited volume of imports allowed at the lower
'in-quota' tariff and subsequent imports charged an out-of-quota tariff, which
is usually much higher. The administration of state trading enterprises and
non-state enterprises' portions of TRQs are inconsistent with WTO rules, the
panel said. Australia, Brazil, India, and the European Union were among those
reserving their rights in the dispute brought by the world's largest grain
exporter. In a statement, US Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer and
Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue welcomed the decision, saying China's
system ultimately inhibits TRQs from filling, denying US farmers access to
China's market for grain. If China's TRQs had been fully used, $3.5 billion
worth of corn, wheat and rice would have been imported in 2015 alone, it
saidciting US Department of Agriculture estimates. China’s Ministry of Commerce
said it regrets the panel's decision and that it would earnestly evaluate the
report. China would handle the matter appropriately in accordance with WTO
dispute resolution procedures, actively safeguard the stability of the
multilateral trading system and continue to administer the relevant
agricultural import tariff quotas in compliance with WTO rules, a statement
said.
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ISIS ROLE SUSPECTED IN SRI LANKAN TERROR ATTACKS; REVENGE FOR
NEW ZEALAND CHURCH ATTACKS PROBABLE MOTIVE
India will offer all
possible assistance to neighbouring Sri Lanka in probing ghastly terror attacks
that rocked the island on Sunday and handling aftermath of the strikes that
killed over 200, even as allegations including role of Islamic State and
revenge for New Zealand mosques flew thick and fast over the motive behind
return of terror to Colombo after a decade. The serial terror attacks, one of
the worst in South Asia, sent alarm bells ringing in Delhi which in the past
grappled with civil war in Lanka until it came to close in 2009. Sources here
claimed that this is a typical Islamic State attack – way the blasts have been
synchronised and orchestrated. The Modi government is working closely with
Lanka on the matter, sources indicated. The Islamic State is suspected because
of the nature of the attack, but thorough probe is required on type of
explosive used, and the kind of detonator used. The sites of the attack –
churches – was chosen to attract international attention. A coordinated blast
on Easter will have huge global impact. While Sri Lanka has a history of
LTTE-led terror sources described it as a matter of the past and alleged that a
local module of ISIS seeking revenge for the New Zealand mosque attack could be
behind Sunday’s episode. LeT has also been trying to recruit for past few
years, sources alleged. There are also reports that the NTJ (National Thowheeth
Jama'ath) was planning to carry out suicide attacks targeting prominent
churches as well as the Indian high commission in Colombo earlier this month.
The High Commission is located a prime location in Colombo and close to sea
front. NTJ is a radical Muslim group in Sri Lanka that came to notice last year
when it was linked to the vandalization of Buddhist statues. While Indian
officials and security experts were engaged in brainstorming on motive and
group behind the attack in the key neighbouring state, several other conspiracy
theories are doing rounds. Colombo based sources alleged that
Buddhist-Christian tensions have been simmering over reports of conversion and
the attack could be a fallout of that. Other allege that Opposition could be
behind the attack to discredit PM Ranil Wickremasinghe. Prime Minister Narendra
Modi held telephonic conversations with the Lankan President and the Prime
Minister and conveyed heart-felt condolences on his own behalf and on behalf of
all Indians at the loss of over one hundred and fifty innocent lives in today’s
terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka. In fact the PM spoke to the Sri Lankan
President, even as the Sri Lankan President is currently in Singapore. India has
always opposed and rejected terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, and
has urged concerted action by the international community against terrorism,
including cross-border terrorism. There can be no justification whatsoever for
any act of terror. We call for perpetrators of such ghastly and heinous act and
those who provide them support to be brought to justice expeditiously, MEA
noted in a statement within hours of the serial terror strikes reminiscent of
26/11.
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VVIP CHOPPER DEAL CASE: COURT DISMISSES ALLEGED DEFENCE
AGENT'S BAIL PLEA
A Delhi Court Saturday dismissed
the bail plea of Sushen Mohan Gupta, an alleged defence agent arrested in the
AgustaWestland VVIP choppers scam case. Special Judge Arvind Kumar refused to
grant the relief to Gupta whose judicial custody expires on Saturday and an
order is yet to be passed on his custody. He was arrested by the Enforcement
Directorate (ED) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The probe
agency had said Gupta's role in the case came to light on the basis of
disclosures made by Rajiv Saxena, who has turned approver in the case after he
was deported from the UAE and arrested by the agency. The ED had opposed
Gupta's bail plea saying there was a likelihood of him fleeing the country like
36 businessmen, including Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi, who had criminal cases
against them. Gupta has sought the relief on the ground that the agency has already
completed the investigation and filed a charge sheet in the case. In his bail
application, the accused had told the court that ED's contention of the flight
risk can be rejected considering his past activities, where he joined the
investigation as and when summoned. ED's special public prosecutors D P Singh
and N K Matta had earlier countered Gupta's claim that he had deep roots in
society, saying, Mallya, Lalit Modi, Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and Sandesara
brothers (Sterling Biotech Ltd promoters) had deeper roots in society yet they
left the country. There are such 36 businessmen who fled from the country in
the last few years. The ED had also accused Gupta of influencing the witnesses
in the case and told the court that he also tried to destroy the evidence in
the case.
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SPICEJET, AIR INDIA STEP IN TO CLEAN UP AFTER JET AIRWAYS
Budget airline SpiceJet
Ltd and national carrier Air India Ltd have stepped in to stabilize India's
aviation industry and ease the pain from wage losses caused by Jet Airways
(India) Ltd’s descent into insolvency and operational shutdown. SpiceJet is making
all possible efforts to soften the blow to the aviation industry caused by
Jet’s suspension of operations on Wednesday, said the airline’s chairman and
managing director, Ajay Singh. That includes offering employment to those who
have lost their jobs and scaling up the inventory of seats by adding new
planes, in turn helping keep ticket prices stable. Air India has, on its part,
volunteered to temporarily use some of Jet Airways’ grounded planes on key
international routes. Other airlines too are in talks with aircraft lessors to
use Jet’s grounded planes. As we expand and grow, we are giving first
preference to those who have recently lost their jobs due to the unfortunate
closure of Jet Airways. We have already provided jobs to more than 100 pilots,
more than 200 cabin crew and more than 200 technical and airport staff. We will
do more, Singh said on Friday. Jet Airways' grounding has resulted in a big gap
in aviation capacity—impacting fares, passenger convenience and travel
experience—and has added to the financial woes of lenders, aircraft lessors and
other service providers. Other airlines have come forward to try and bridge the
gap in the air travel market but a realignment of slots at airports and other
operational issues is a complex affair.
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SHIV SENA ASKS GOVT TO TAKE OVER JET AIRWAYS
The Shiv Sena on Monday
urged the NDA government to take over the temporarily grounded private carrier
Jet Airways and save its staff from losing their jobs. It asked Prime Minister
Modi to take a cue from the foresight shown by former PMs Jawaharlal Nehru and
Indira Gandhi in nationalising insurance and airline companies. Speaking about
the impact of the temporary shut down of the 25-year-old airline, the Sena, in
an editorial in party mouthpiece 'Saamana', said the curse of those rendered
jobless would be more powerful than that of a 'sadhvi'. It was apparently
referring to remarks made by BJP leader Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, an accused
in the Malegaon blast case, who recently claimed that senior police officer
Hemant Karkare died during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks as she cursed him
for torturing her. The cash-starved Jet Airways ceased all its operations
temporarily last week. The airline had sought a Rs 400 crore emergency fund
from its lenders to whom it already owes over Rs 8,500 crore, but was refused
as it was not ready to offer more collaterals. Such incidents underscore the
foresight of Pandit Nehru and Indira Gandhi and their insistence on
nationalisation of insurance and airline companies in the country. Prime
Minister Narendra Modi needs to show similar foresight in the matter of Jet
Airways, the Sena said. Our demand to the government is that it take over Jet
Airways and save its staff from getting unemployed, said the Uddhav
Thackeray-led party, which is an ally of the BJP at the Centre and in
Maharashtra. The Sena said it has presented issues of the airline's staff
before the government. The curse of the staff that is now unemployed is more
powerful than that of a 'sadhvi'. The government could have avoided such a
situation, it said.
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CONGRESS REPORT SAYS RIVALRY WITH CHINA CERTAIN, PITCHES IDEAS
TO MANAGE IT
A new report on national
security that the Congress Party released on Sunday in Delhi provides an
insight into how key relationships with China and Pakistan will be managed if a
Congress-led government comes to power next month. Future strategic rivalry
between China and India is a certainty, and a successful trading partnership
cannot overcome the reality of this competition, says the report. To break the
deadlock in border talks, the report suggests: Ongoing border talks are
achieving no major breakthroughs and focus of negotiations must shift to
accurately defining the Line of Actual Control (LAC). This too is a complicated
task but if successful, will go a long way in preventing the occurrence of
(extended patrol clashes) like Depsang, Chumar, and Dokalam (sic). In fact,
Beijing has steadfastly resisted defining the LAC It has dragged its feet even
on the preliminary step of exchanging maps marked with each side’s perception
of the LAC’s alignment. The report cites areas of cooperation with China,
including shared development goals, increased trade and common environmental
concerns. It proposes that, depending upon China’s willingness to show an
understanding of our core interests, India could some day offer access to China
through Indian ports [to the Indian Ocean]. This would constitute a major
reversal of New Delhi’s current unwillingness to participate in, or even
discuss, the Belt and Road Initiative with Beijing. However, discussing the
report after its release, Congress leader P Chidambaram dismissed the drum
beating and chest thumping that had come to characterize all discussions about
Pakistan. War is not an option. Anyone who says otherwise is misleading the
Indian people. We build strong armies not to win a war but to avoid a war, he
said. Chidambaram said the war-talk that one hears in Delhi is far removed from
the radar of rural India. He said: There are limits to our economic capacity
and that has to be carefully apportioned between defence of India and
development of the people. While not ruling out talks with Islamabad,
Chidambaram said: We must find a way to normalise relations with Pakistan. If
we need to change behaviour of Pakistan we need to change our behaviour towards
them. Asked what changes he would propose, Chidambaram admitted We have tried
pretty much everything, but that does not mean we do not go on trying. He said
the two sides had already come close to solutions on the Sir Creek and Siachen
disputes, while the most difficult J&K dispute could be tackled at the end.
On Afghanistan, the Congress will continue New Delhi’s unbending opposition to
the Taliban, even though the US and Russia are now in dialogue with the
insurgent group. India has always supported an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned
process of peace and reconciliation [but] must not compromise on its position
and get drawn into supporting the Taliban, says Hooda’s report. To tackled the
J&K insurgency, Hooda argued for simultaneously addressing its two distinct
centres of gravity: the Pakistan sponsored dimension and internal Kashmiri
alienation. We have had separate military and political strategies. We need a
combined and comprehensive politico-military strategy. There must be a
well-crafted information campaign [to overcome the] feeling in Kashmir that the
state is at war with its own people, said Hooda.
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AAP-CONGRESS ALLIANCE| TIE-UP JUST IN DELHI NOT POSSIBLE, SAYS
MANISH SISODIA
The Aam Aadmi Party on
Saturday said an alliance just in Delhi is not possible after the Congress
refused to have a tie-up anywhere else with it. Manish Sisodia said that giving
three seats to the Congress in the national capital would mean giving three
seats to the BJP, when asked his opinion on the 4:3 seat sharing formula
proposed by the Congress. He said the Congress first proposed 6:3:1 seat
sharing formula to the AAP in Haryana where six seats would be for Congress,
three for Janayak Janata Party and one seat for AAP. Our decision to form an
alliance with the Congress was to stop the Modi-Shah duo, he said. Senior party
leader Sanjay Singh said they have agreed to all the seat sharing arrangements
that the Congress proposed but even then the grand old party backtracked. After
discussions with our alliance partner in Haryana JJP we agreed to it but the
Congress refused and said they can’t give more than two seats to the JJP and
proposed 7:2:1 formula, said Singh, who was negotiating with the Congress.
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THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A WEAKER PM: PRIYANKA GANDHI’S BIG ATTACK
ON MODI
Priyanaka Gandhi Vadra
Saturday lashed out at the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying there
has never been a weaker government and weaker Prime Minister than the incumbent
ones. Priyanka, who is in Wayanad, where her brother and party chief Rahul
Gandhi, is contesting besides Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, sought to know whether
suppressing the voice of those who criticise the government’s policies amounts
to nationalism She questioned the nationalism of those who refused to listen to
thousands of farmers who had marched barefoot to Delhi to highlight their
problems. Priyanka said people deserve a Prime Minister who respects them and
does not dismiss his own promises casually. Sisters and brothers of Wayanad, I
have never seen a weaker government, than the government that has been in power
for last five years in India. I have never seen a weaker Prime Minister than
the Prime Minister of India today. My sisters and brothers, I think you deserve
better. I think you deserve a government that speaks for you, she said. You
deserve a government that encourages you to raise your voice even when it is
against the government. I believe you deserve a Prime Minister who respects you
and who respects every word that he speaks before you and does not dismiss
casually his own promises, she added. The AICC in-charge of Eastern Uttar
Pradesh wanted to know if attempts to destroy the Constitution and weakening
institutions that protect the rights of the people was nationalism. They (BJP)
attempt to divide you and talk about nationalism. When thousands of farmers
marched barefoot from all corners of the country to your doorstep and you send
them away without listening to their suffering. When people raise their voice
in protest against you, when they criticise your policies you jail them, beat
them.. Is that nationalism?, she asked. Priyanka said they never speak of what
they were going to do for the people of the country. When you come to election rallies
and speak of Pakistan, but you do not speak of what you are going to do for the
people of India or what you promised them and did not deliver, is that
nationalism? Priyanka questioned.
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I-T RAIDS HAPPENING AS PER LAW, NOT PART OF POLITICAL
VENDETTA, SAYS PM NARENDRA MODI
Modi Saturday said the
recent Income Tax raids on certain politicians were not part of political
vendetta and things were happening as per the law. Modi also defended the
decision to field Malegaon blast accused Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur from the
Bhopal Lok Sabha seat, saying she is a symbol for those who described Hindus as
terrorists. She will give a tough fight to the Congress there, he said. Thakur
is pitted against senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh from the seat in
Madhya Pradesh. The decision (to field Thakur) is a befitting reply to
individuals who linked a whole religion and culture to terror, the prime
minister said taking a jibe at the Congress over saffron terror remarks. He said
the raids have all yielded proof of corruption, including siphoning of money
from schemes meant for the most vulnerable sections of the society like
children and expectant mothers. Responding to a question on loan defaulters
Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi escaping the country, Modi said when
they realised that under the present government, they will have to return the
loan. They escaped taking benefit of the system, he said. In 2019, they have
been brought to the steps of jails, after 2019, they will be in jail, Modi
said.
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'FARZI' FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN BSP, SP WILL END ON MAY 23: MODI
Mayawati termed the prime
minister a 'fake' backward class member, Narendra Modi Saturday said the 'farzi'
friendship of the SP and the Bahujan Samaj Party will fall apart the day Lok
Sabha election results are announced. You all remember the friendship that was
struck during the assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh which came to an end with the
announcement of results and turned into rivalry, he said referring to the
understanding in 2017 between the Congress and the Samajwadi Party. The farzi
dosti of bua and babua will also end the same way, Modi said.
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FORMED ALLIANCE BECAUSE WE WANT PM WHO CAN ATTACK PAKISTAN,
SAYS UDDHAV THACKERAY
Uddhav Thackeray said
Friday that he formed a fresh alliance with the BJP because his party wanted a
prime minister who has the courage to attack Pakistan The Sena, which
frequently attacked its alliance partner BJP in the last four and a half years,
nevertheless chose to form alliance with the saffron party again ahead of the
2019 general elections. Chandrakant Khaire, Thackeray referred to the criticism
he faced for doing a U-turn on not going with the BJP, and said, We wanted a
prime minister who could attack Pakistan by entering its home. That is why we
formed this alliance. I have formed alliance with the BJP (also) for the
welfare of Marathwada and Maharashtra, he added. The Congress does not want
abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution which gives a special status to
Jammu and Kashmir, Thackeray said, and added that his party wants that every
law applicable to rest of India should also apply in Jammu and Kashmir. While
lambasting the Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM, Thackeray said he did not consider
Muslims as enemies, and mentioned that Naveed Antulay, son of former
Maharashtra chief minister Abdul Rahman Antulay, shared the dais with him only
two days ago.
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COURT TO HEAR ON APRIL 24 POLICE PLEA TO CANCEL BAIL OF FORMER
SUPREME COURT STAFFER IN CHEATING CASE
A Delhi court on Saturday
said it will hear on April 24 a police plea to cancel bail of a former Supreme
Court employee who has accused Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi of sexual
harassment, in a cheating and criminal intimidation case. Manish Khurana listed
the matter for the next date as the accused was not served with a copy of the
police’s plea. The police sought cancellation of bail granted to the woman on
March 12, after the complainant claimed that he was being threatened by the
woman and her associates. Kumar has alleged that the former apex court employee
had defrauded him of Rs 50,000, which he claimed she took as part of a bribe,
promising him a job at the court in exchange.
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PANDYA, RAHUL FINED RS 20 LAKH EACH FOR THEIR SEXIST COMMENTS
India cricketers Hardik
Pandya and K L Rahul were on Saturday fined Rs 20 lakh each by the BCCI
Ombudsman D. K. Jain for their sexist comments on a popular TV show. In the
order published on the official BCCI website, Jain wrote that no further action
will be taken against Pandya and Rahul, who have already served a provisional
suspension and tendered an unconditional apology for their loose comments on
women. Instead, he directed the World Cup bound players to pay a fine of Rs 20
lakh each that included a payment of Rs 1 lakh each to each of the most
deserving widows of ten constables in the para-military forces who have lost
their lives while on duty, through ‘Bharat Ke Veer App. Jain also instructed
them to deposit Rs 10 lakh each in the fund created by the Cricket Association
for the blind. All payments are to be made within four weeks from the date of
the order -- April 19, 2019.
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NOT ALL WHO RECEIVED J&J HIP IMPLANTS MAY GET COMPENSATION
All patients with Johnson
& Johnson's faulty hip implant may not get compensation from the company as
key changes to the mechanism are being considered by the regulatory expert
committee on the issue, sources said. The American multinational company, which
has challenged the government's compensation formula in the Delhi High Court,
has proposed to pay a fixed compensation of Rs 25 lakh to patients,
irrespective of their disability or other factors. It has also suggested that
payment of compensation be restricted to only those patients who had to undergo
revision surgery because of faulty hip implant. The proposal will be taken up
for discussion by the regulatory expert committee in a meeting scheduled for
April 24. Though the committee is unlikely to agree on a fixed compensation, it
might consider restricting compensation to patients who have undergone revision
surgery or suffered serious injury, top official sources told. Every patient
implanted with the ASR device may not be an ideal case for compensation.
Moreover, in some cases it is difficult to ascertain the cause of disability.
So, we will discuss this in the meeting and some changes may be considered in
the eligibility criteria, an official said. The committee must also consider
that majority of patients are yet to be traced, says Malini Aisola. Though
around 200 applications seeking compensation have been received, the Centre has
so far ordered the company to pay Rs 65 lakh and Rs 74 lakh to only two
patients.
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PANEL TO REVIEW APPROVAL OF BOEING 737 MAX FLIGHT CONTROL
SYSTEM
A global team of experts
next week will begin reviewing how the Boeing 737 Max’s flight control system
was approved by the US Federal Aviation Administration The FAA says experts
from nine international civil aviation authorities have confirmed participation
in a technical review promised by the agency. Former National Transportation
Safety Board Chairman Chris Hart will lead the group, which also will have
experts from the FAA and NASA. They will look at the plane’s automated system
including the way it interacts with pilots. The group will meet Tuesday and is
expected to finish in 90 days. The Boeing jetliner has been grounded around the
world since mid-March after two crashes killed 346 people. Investigators are
focusing on anti-stall software that pushed the planes’ noses down based on
erroneous sensor readings. In a statement Friday, the FAA said aviation
authorities from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, Japan,
Indonesia, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to help with the
work, called a Joint Authorities Technical Review. The group will evaluate the
automated flight control design and determine whether it complies with
regulations. It also will decide if changes need to be made in the FAA’s
approval process. Chicago-based Boeing is working on a software fix to the
planes’ anti-stall system, known by its acronym, MCAS. In both an October crash
off the coast of Indonesia and a March crash in Ethiopia, a faulty sensor
reading triggered MCAS and pushed the plane’s nose down, and pilots were unable
to recover. We are making steady progress toward certification and returning
the Max to service, Muilenburg said as he stood in front of a Max jet at Boeing
Field in Seattle. Muilenburg said he went on a test flight that day and saw the
updated software operating as designed across a range of flight conditions.
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BHOPAL GAS TRAGEDY AMONG WORLD'S MAJOR INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS OF
20TH CENTURY: UN
The 1984 Bhopal gas
tragedy which killed thousands of people is among the world's major industrial
accidents of the 20th century, a UN report has said, warning that 2.78 million
workers die from occupational accidents and work-related diseases each year.
The report released by the the UN labour agency International Labour
Organization (ILO) said in 1984, at least 30 tons of methyl isocyanate gas,
which was released from the Union Carbide pesticide plant in the Madhya Pradesh
capital, affected more than 600,000 workers and nearby inhabitants. The
Government figures estimate that there have been 15,000 deaths as a result of
the disaster over the years. Toxic material remains and thousands of survivors
and their descendants have suffered from respiratory diseases and from damage
to internal organs and immune systems, it said. Among the other nine major
industrial disasters after 1919 listed in the report are the Chernobyl and
Fukushima nuclear disasters as well as the Rana Plaza building collapse. In the
Chernobyl disaster in April 1986, one of four nuclear reactors at the Chernobyl
power station in Ukraine exploded, releasing at least 100 times more radiation
than the atom bombs dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima. The explosion killed 31
people immediately and thousands of people in the aftermath. The number of
casualties in the region increases every year due to long term effects
including a sharp increase in thyroid cancer, the report said. Following a
major 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami which struck north-eastern Japan in
March 2011, the Fukushima nuclear power plants experienced equipment failures
which caused a series of explosions, fires and radiation releases, causing
injuries to plant workers and emergency responders, it said. In one of the
worst industrial disasters in Bangladesh, the Rana Plaza building in Dhaka
collapsed in April 2013. The building, which housed five garment factories,
killed at least 1,132 people and injured more than 2,500. According to recent
estimates released by the ILO, each year 2.78 million workers die from
occupational accidents and work-related diseases (of which 2.4 million are
disease-related). An additional 374 million workers suffer from non-fatal
occupational accidents. It is estimated that lost work days globally represent
almost four per cent of the world's GDP, and in some countries, this rises to
six per cent or more. The report attributes stress, excessively-long working
hours and disease to worker casualty every year, underlining ILO's message that
no paid work should threaten a worker's wellbeing, safety or life. The agency
also identified several new or existing occupational risks of growing concern,
that affect women more than men. These include modern working practices
overall, world population growth, increased digital connectivity and climate
change, which are believed to account for losses of almost four per cent of the
global economy. The world of work has changed, we're working differently, we're
working longer hours, we're using more technology, ILO's Manal Azzi told. The
report says 36 per cent of workers are working excessive long hours, meaning
more than 48 hours per week, she said. The greatest proportion of work-related
deaths – 86 per cent – come from disease, according to the ILO, with some 6,500
people a day dying from occupational diseases, compared to 1,000 from fatal
occupational accidents. The greatest causes of mortality are circulatory
diseases (31 per cent), work-related cancers (26 per cent) and respiratory
diseases (17 per cent). As well as the economic cost we must recognise the
immeasurable human suffering such illnesses and accidents cause. These are
all-the-more tragic because they are largely preventable, Azzi said.
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SRI LANKA BLASTS: EASTER DEATH TOLL RISES TO 290, OVER 500
INJURED
The toll in a series of eight
blasts targeting mostly churches and hotels in Sri Lanka on Sunday has risen to
290, a police spokesman said on Monday. More than 500 people were wounded in
the blasts he added, in the deadliest violence since the end of the country's
long-running civil war a decade ago. Sri Lanka confirmed that 11 foreigners who
died in the attacks had been identified -- including citizens of India,
Portugal, Turkey, the UK and US -- and said 25 unidentified bodies believed to
be foreigners were in a Colombo morgue. Most were targeted at the Shangri-La,
Kingsbury and Cinnamon Grand hotels in the capital. Several blasts occurred
hours after the first explosions on Sunday, and experts detonated a pipe bomb
found on a road near Colombo’s airport. Authorities imposed a nationwide curfew
and blocked platforms like Facebook and Whatsapp.
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TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TO ELIMINATE IRAN OIL WAIVERS AFTER MAY 2
EXPIRATION
The Trump administration
won’t renew the waivers that let countries buy Iranian crude oil without facing
U.S. sanctions, according to four people familiar with the matter, a move that
could roil energy markets and risks upsetting major importers such as India and
China. Michael Pompeo will announce the decision on Monday morning, said the
people, who asked not to be identified discussing a plan that hasn’t been
formally unveiled. The current set of waivers -- issued to China, India, Japan,
South Korea, Italy, Greece, Turkey and Taiwan -- expire on May 2. The
administration also will announce commitments from other suppliers, including
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, that will offset the loss of Iranian
crude on the market, according to two of the people. The decision not to renew
the waivers is a victory for National Security Advisor John Bolton and his
allies who had argued that U.S. promises to get tough on Iran were meaningless
with waivers still in place. Pompeo and his team had been more cautious, though
they also had argued that the market was well-enough supplied to ramp up the
pressure on Iran. The maximum pressure campaign could not be maximalist until
the administration cut off Iran’s oil exports, said Mark Dubowitz. With this
decision, Iran’s economy will be under severe pressure as its hard currency earnings
dry up and its foreign exchange reserves plummet. Trump withdrew from the 2015
nuclear deal between Iran and world powers almost a year ago and revived a
range of sanctions against Iran and any countries doing business with the
Islamic Republic. But he and his top advisers have been wary of roiling energy
markets -- and spurring a hike in prices at the pump in the U.S. For that
reason, they allowed waivers for Iran’s biggest buyers of crude, including
China, India and Turkey.
#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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