TAXATION UPDATES 03.05.2019

ITR 2 E-FORM ASKS FOR COMPLETE SALARY BREAK-UP; MORE DETAILS REQUIRED THAN BEFORE

The income tax department has released the software utility in excel for filing ITR2 for FY2018-19. ITR2 is the second most used form to file ITRs. It is to be used by individuals having capital gains or more than one house property but not by those individuals having income from business and profession. The format in which salary details are required to be filled in ITR2 are in sync with the salary heads given in Form 16 (the source of salary information). However, ITR2 asks for salary break up in much more detail than earlier and also in greater detail than given in the Form 16 up till now. It is also not clear as to whether the new Form 16 format will provide such a detailed break up. If the new Form 16 does not provide the break-up, then individuals will have to do a lot of number crunching and collection of figures from various sources such as salary slips etc. All the allowances received by salaried individuals have to be filed in separately. For this purpose, a drop down menu giving 17 options such as basic salary, dearness allowance, house rent allowance (HRA), gratuity and so on is provided in the form.

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GST, COS ACT BRING WINDFALL FOR CAS

With increasing regulatory scrutiny and governance standards the demand for chartered accountants (CAs) to help navigate business is at an all-time high, data from placement records of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) showed. Pay packages, too, have improved as the highest salary in case of international job postings has now doubled to Rs 36 lakh per annum compared to last year. A total of 3,815 job offers were made to the 6,646 qualified CAs who opted to take part in the placement cycle of ICAI in February-March 2019, up from 1,473 offers received by CAs during 2018. Accenture, Alstom, Barclays Global Services, Flipkart, Amazon, ITC and ANI Technologies (Ola) are some of the companies that hired CAs from ICAI campus placements this time. ICAI said there was high demand for CAs from the banking sector too. This placement programme has attracted the highest ever participation from recruiters, offering most positions since the inception of the institute, Prafulla P Chhajed told. The introduction of reforms like GST and the overall increase in economic activity have increased the demand for CAs in the business world from companies. New reforms in taxation and continuous changes in the Companies Act and rules have prompted enterprises to take a systematic approach to compliance, resulting in increased demand for CAs, CIEL HR Services director & CEO Aditya Narayan Mishra said. Out of the 3,180 CAs who accepted job offers, 730 received salary packages of over Rs 9 lakh a year, and 55% landed offers in an annual pay bracket of Rs 7.5-9 lakh. However, average salary packages — at Rs 7.43 lakh — saw a marginal dip on the back of bulk recruitment by few companies. ICAI’s placements process first began in 1995 and nearly 30,000 CAs have entered the industry through this route during the years 2006 to 2018, ICAI said. As of July 2018, ICAI had more than 2,82,000 member CAs, with over 7,25,000 students pursuing the course.

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INCOME TAX RETURNS SHRINK IN FY19 AS DEMONETISATION EFFECT WANES

After clocking steep growth rates over the last few years (an average of 25% in the three years to FY18), the number of taxpayers filing income-tax e-returns saw a marginal contraction in FY19. In FY19, only 6.68 crore returns were filed online, 1% lower than 6.74 crore filed in FY18. Though e-returns for a year continue to trickle in during the subsequent few years and so the FY19 e-filing figure could slightly look up over time, it is clear from the latest data released by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) that demonetisaton and GST primarily brought about an increase in compliance (in terms of returns filing) among the existing pool of taxpayers, rather than an expansion of the tax net. By FY18, the share of e-returns filers among all categories of taxpayers to the total taxpayer base (which include non-filers as well) had crossed 90% from around 60% in FY15. This reduced the scope for a further rise in number of returns in FY19, unless the tax base expanded considerably in the year (it hasn’t). Against the revised estimate, direct tax collection in FY19 fell short by 50,000 crore or 4.2%. In the current financial year, the budget estimate for direct tax mop-up is 13.8 lakh crore, a 15% jump from RE for FY19. According to analysts, another reason for flat growth in returns-filing in FY19 could be the increase in threshold for taxable income implemented over the last few years. In the last two years, the government reintroduced standard deduction and also allowed a higher rebate for those with total annual income up to `5 lakh. It is possible that after these measures some taxpayers went out of the tax net which exempted them from filing tax returns. However, this number was not adequately compensated by those coming into the tax net for the first time, which is reflected in lower e-returns filing for FY19, Sanjay Kumar, senior director at Deloitte India said. The government has often highlighted the recent years’ sharp increase in the number of e-returns as a sign of rapid expansion of the tax base and attributed the trend to demonetisation and greater efficiency of the tax administration. The average tax paid by each entity/person in the effective taxpayer base has been between 1-1.1 lakh between FY 12-13 and FY 16-17 while the same among returns filed has seen a drastic fall to 1.22 lakh from 1.88 lakh. The growth trajectory in direct tax collection resembles the growth in effective taxpayer base, rather than the number of returns.

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VARANASI: AS OFFICIALS REJECT PAPERS, FARMERS TO MEET CEC

Even as Varanasi officials rejected all but one of their 25 nomination papers the Nizamabad turmeric farmers refuse to budge. A group representing the farmers will visit New Delhi on Friday to lodge their complaint with the Election Commission (EC). We all filled applications alike. We got them vetted by lawyers but they have accepted the nomination papers of only S Istari, K Narasimha Naidu, leader of Turmeric Farmers Association of Telangana, told. A five-member team would meet the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and submit a representation, demanding action against the Varanasi officials who rejected their nominations. He sees foul play by the officials. They have been creating hurdles from the day one. They tried to delay our filings by making excuses such as verifying and reverifying our identity cards. They also delayed giving us the challan forms, he said. A five-member committee is trying for an appointment with the CEC to lodge their protest, Tirupati Reddy, district president of the association, said. The challan forms are meant to take deposits (₹25,000 each) from the candidates. Fifty farmers from Telangana and an equal number from Tamil Nadu had announced their plan to file nomination papers for the Varanasi Lok Sabha Constituency with a view to attract the attention of the country on the problems they are facing. However, only 25 farmers from Telangana could file papers on the last day on April 29. Of them, only one farmer could pass the scrutiny, leaving the rest seething with anger.

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PNB RUINED GITANJALI GEMS TO HIDE ITS MISDEEDS: CHOKSI

Key accused in the PNB fraud case, Mehul Choksi on Thursday said the state-run Punjab National Bank intentionally destroyed Gitanjali Gems, the luxury brand owned by him, with an aim to hide its own wrongdoings. He said that the company should not have been taken for liquidation and kept afloat instead, even if he were to be found guilty. Gitanjali Gems was cynically destroyed by the PNB in a diabolical maneuver to divert attention from its own wrongdoings, Choksi said in a statement. As the authorities begin proceedings to liquidate Gitanjali Gems and related brands -- Gili, Nakshatra and Asmi -- to recover the dues of over Rs 12,558 crores Gitanjali owes to banks, an elaborate cover-up comes full-circle, he added. He said notwithstanding the company's strong balance sheet, and a stellar track record of loan repayments, in February 2018, prompted by allegations by Punjab National Bank, which was looking to apportion blame for its own failure, investigating agencies raided and seized Gitanjali assets. The one thing I want to ask everyone who has accused me is even if I were guilty, why did no one even try to save Gitanjali, a company with Rs 12,000 crore of annual turnover, 6,000 employees and countless honors in its name? Could someone from the Indian Gems and Jewelry Council not have been tasked with running the brand? This process of liquidation is a result of the rashness displayed by PNB in its investigation, Choksi said. The statement said that Choksi's culpability is yet to be proved in the court of law and the involvement of Gitanjali Gems has not been proved either.

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ELECTION COMMISSION PINGS SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES ON INFO-SHARING FOR RTI

The Election Commission of India (EC) has sought the views of social media firms on whether it can disclose correspondence between them, including takedown requests, to multiple Right to Information applicants. The letter was written on May 1 to the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), which is acting as a gobetween for the autonomous constitutional body and the Internet firms - Facebook, Google, Twitter, ShareChat and ByteDance, the owner of popular short video app TikTok. In March, in the run up to elections, the EC established a voluntary code with social media firms, aimed at taking down ‘problematic content’ and bringing ‘transparency in political advertising’ during elections. Since the information sought includes third-party information, your opinion is sought as to whether this information can be disclosed to the applicants, the EC wrote in a letter to the lobby group. In view of the above, you are requested to obtain and convey the views of all the social media platforms for such disclosure within 10 working days of the receipt of this letter. We have been given 10 days to respond to ECI. The letter has been shared with members soliciting their views, IAMAI president Subho Roy told. The EC cited Section 11 of the RTI Act, which lists the procedure to follow to disclose third-party information. It says government bodies should seek a submission in writing or orally, regarding whether the information should be disclosed. The final decision, however, rests with the public information officer even if the third-party has objected to public disclosures. The law states that, except in the case of trade or commercial secrets protected by law, disclosure may be allowed if the public interest in disclosure outweighs in importance any possible harm or injury to the interests of such third-party. Almost a third of India’s 900 million voters are active on social media, making this one of the world’s biggest ever attempts to monitor internet content. The companies have not publicly disclosed takedowns done on the EC’s direction.

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SC SEEKS POLL PANEL'S RESPONSE ON CONGRESS PLEA AGAINST PM, SHAH BY MAY 6

The Supreme Court Thursday directed the Election Commission to decide by May 6 nine complaints of the Congress party alleging MCC violation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah. EC told a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi that it has already decided on two out of the 11 complaints which were filed by the Congress party against Modi and Shah for alleged violation of the Model Code of Conduct. A M Singhvi, appearing for Congress Lok Sabha MP Sushmita Dev, who has filed a petition in the apex court on the issue, said that they have given 11 representations to EC against the duo but it has taken decision on only two. The remaining representations of the petitioners shall be decided by the Election Commission before we hear the matter again on Monday (May 6), said the bench also comprising Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna.

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AS US DELAYS WITHDRAWING GSP BENEFITS, INDIA POSTPONES RETALIATORY TARIFFS

India on Thursday further extended its June 2018 order to impose retaliatory tariffs on 29 US products by another 14 days till 16 May as it awaits a final word from the US on its decision to withdraw duty free benefits to Indian exporters. On 20 June last year, India notified that it will hike tariffs on 29 US products, including almonds, apples and phosphoric acid worth $10.6 billion imports in retaliation to the steel and aluminium tariff hikes by the US in March 2018. The US also announced in April last year to review the eligibility criteria of India currently accessing Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) benefits of zero duty on $6.3 billion worth of India exports. India did not impose the retaliatory tariffs immediately, unlike other major trading partners of the US as the two countries began discussions for finalizing a trade package that would include a withdrawal of the GSP review. However, the talks collapsed as India refused to seed to disproportional demands by the US and the US announced its decision on 4 March to withdraw GSP benefits for India by 1 May. However, the decision needs to be effected through a presidential proclaimation which is yet to happen. Our decision is a signal that if the US notifies withdrawal of GSP benefits for India, India could impose the long pending retaliatory tariffs, a commerce ministry official said speaking under condition of anonymity. This also comes at a time when US commerce secretary Wilbur Ross is scheduled to visit India on 6 May to attend the Indo-Pacific focused business forum in New Delhi.

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CBI WANTS CUSTODIAL INTERROGATION OF FORMER KOLKATA POLICE COMMISSIONER

The tussle in Supreme Court between the CBI and West Bengal government over the latter’s alleged acts of omission and commission in the Saradha chit fund scam continued on Wednesday. The investigating agency is demanding custodial interrogation of former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar and some other officers, while the state says it’s mala fide. A bench of CJI Ranjan Gogoi, Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna is hearing the case. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta urged court to lift Kumar’s interim protection so he can be interrogated over alleged attempts to destroy evidence. Abhishek Singhvi and Indira Jaising said Kumar handed over case records to CBI when the case was transferred. Singhvi quoted a forensics report to say there was no doctoring of records and accused CBI of mala fide initiating a probe. Khanna said if the court allowed custodial interrogation, Kumar would have to be suspended. Arguments will continue on Thursday.

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GST, DEMONETISATION CAUSED SOME TROUBLE, BUT DID NOT SHAKE PEOPLE’S FAITH IN PM: HARSH VARDHAN

Admitting that demonetisation and the implementation of GST by the government had caused some disturbances Harsh Vardhan has asserted that the moves have not shaken the people’s faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision. Vardhan said these bold steps of the government were appreciated by people and the criticism was politically motivated. When demonetisation was done, certainly it was a very hard, historic reform and a bold decision on the part of the government and of course, our PM Narendra Modiji. You saw the whole country stood in queues outside banks but not even a single person was unhappy because people had faith in the vision of the PM and his intentions. Although, for a small period of time, people had some small disturbances in handling cash and going to the banks for changing it. Now everyone has realised that the PM had very pious intentions. Nobody has criticised it, the Union minister of science and technology said. Asked about the discomfort caused to businessmen and traders due to the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), he described the new tax regime as the biggest reform, which was amended from time to time on the basis of inputs given by traders. GST was a major and the biggest reform The prime minister does everything that benefits people even though, for some time, people may not like it. But after having introduced the GST reforms, he was so receptive and pragmatic in his approach that he took inputs from traders from all sections of the society, their wise suggestions were incorporated and the GST Act was amended 100-200 times, Vardhan said. Stating that the criticism of demonetisation and GST was politically motivated, he took a dig at the opposition parties, saying they had run out of issues. PM has very very pure intentions and he is trying to bring about a major change in the country. He is trying to bring about reforms in the thinking of people, whereby truthfulness and honesty in business start prevailing. People have started changing to the newer reform strategy. This (GST) is no longer an issue. I have full faith in the commitment of the traders. People have so much enthusiasm and commitment for the prime minister, because everybody in this country — whether a trader, a poor man, a student or a scientist, doctor, farmer or labourer — realises that the PM has an extraordinary ability and vision, Vardhan said.

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INDIA TO SEEK DOWNGRADING OF PAKISTAN ON TERRORISM FINANCING LIST

Arun Jaitley said on Thursday the government will request that Pakistan be downgraded by the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global body created to counter terrorism financing and money laundering. There is a meeting of FATF in mid-May, Arun Jaitley told. We would want that the FATF for Pakistan should be downgraded.

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RAHUL GANDHI SAYS IF CONGRESS COMES IN POWER, RS 72,000 WILL BE DEPOSITED WITHIN ONE YEAR UNDER NYAY SCHEME

Rahul Gandhi Thursday said if voted to power, Rs 72,000 would be deposited in bank accounts of 5 crore people of the country within one years under NYAY scheme. The amount will be given till a family earns Rs 12,000 per month, he said. Congress chief made a blistering attack at Prime Minister Narendra Modi blaming him for working only for only 15-20 people. Narendra Modi ji has not fulfilled his promises of providing two crore jobs. He did not deposit Rs 15 lakh in bank accounts of the people, Gandhi said. He (PM) only worked for 15-20 people, Gandhi said, apparently referring to industrialists. Appealing to the people to vote for Congress and Mahagathbandhan candidate Kalicharan Munda from Khunti, Gandhi further attacked Modi for not waiving farm loans while (the MSP) Rs 2500 is being given for rice in Chhatisgarh ruled by the Congress. Munda is facing BJPs Arjun Munda from Khunti LS seat. The Congress chief said the poor were hit by the GST and asserted that the Congress was committed to save tribal land. This alliance (Mahagathbandhan) has the voice of people I have not come to speak our maan ki baat but to listen to your maan ki baat and whatever you will tell us we will do it, Gandhi said. Dont forget that you are malik (master). Narendra Modi or any political leader are not your malik. You just tell us what to do and we will do, Gandhi said. He said free treatment in hospitals would be introduced and universities and technical institutions will be set up in districts if voted to power.

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PRAFUL PATEL ‘DEAR FRIEND’ OF DEEPAK TALWAR: ED TELLS COURT

Probing an alleged money-laundering case involving arrested corporate lobbyist Deepak Talwar, the Enforcement Directorate has told a Delhi court that former civil aviation minister Mr Praful Patel is a dear friend of Talwar who allegedly facilitated dispersal of profit-making Air India routes to private airlines during 2008-09 using his proximity to the minister and aviation personnel in India. The ED has told the court that in lieu of securing favourable traffic rights for three foreign airlines, Talwar received payments to the tune of 272 crore during 2008-09. The special judge also rejected the bail application of Deepak Talwar and listed the matter for further hearing on May 9 when Aditya has to be present in court. Deepak Talwar is currently in judicial custody. The alleged deliberate ceding of profitable routes and schedules to private airlines is one of four cases being probed by the ED — the remaining three are related to the Air India-Indian Airlines merger, purchase of 111 aircraft from Boeing and Airbus for Rs 70,000 crore, and opening of certain training institutes with foreign investment.

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RAHUL GANDHI CITIZENSHIP: SUPREME COURT AGREES TO HEAR PLEA FOR DIRECTIVE TO ECI TO DEBAR HIM FROM POLLS

The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear a plea to direct the Election Commission of India (ECI) to debar Congress president Rahul Gandhi from contesting the Lok Sabha polls and becoming a Member of Parliament after he had voluntarily acquired British nationality. A Bench, led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi, was responding to the plea by Delhi residents Jai Bhagwan Goyal and Chander Prakash Tyagi, who said they were social and public spirited persons who protected democratic institutions. The petition, which has arraigned the Central government, the ECI and Mr. Gandhi in person, said the court should command the government to decide the question of voluntary acquisition of British citizenship by Mr. Gandhi and consequently determine his Indian citizenship. It wanted the court to decide whether a person who has voluntarily acquired British citizenship should be allowed to contest from Amethi and Wayanad, and then fill a seat in Parliament. It was evident that Mr. Gandhi had acquired British nationality, and this was incident from the incorporation certificate of U.K. company BACKOPS Limited and the returns filed by the company, it said. The petition wanted a declaration that Mr. Gandhi is not an Indian citizen and he is incompetent to contest as per the provisions of the Constitution read with the Representation of the People Act, 1951. The plea follows a notice issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs to Mr. Gandhi on the question of his dual citizenship.

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WILL REVIEW SEDITION LAW, MAKE IT MORE STRINGENT AFTER COMING BACK TO POWER: RAJNATH SINGH

Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said the sedition law would be reviewed for any weaknesses and made more stringent after his party returns to power at the Centre. We will see if there are any weaknesses in the sedition law after coming back to power. We will make it so stringent that it will quiver the souls of traitors, the home minister said. He also lashed out at political parties for questioning the air force over the number of terrorists killed in air strikes in Balakot in Pakistan after the Pulwama terror blast that claimed the lives of 40 CRPF jawans. Only vultures count bodies, not the warriors, Singh said. How can one give the number of terrorists killed in an air strike when the figure is too big, Singh said. We would tell if one or two were killed, how can I answer if the numbers are so big, he said. Singh claimed that the number of security personnel killed in Naxal and terror-related violence has gone down by 65 percent under the Modi government's five-year term. The number of Naxalism-affected districts too has reduced to 82 from earlier 126, he said.

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MANY SURGICAL STRIKES DURING UPA REGIME, WE NEVER CLAIMED CREDIT: MANMOHAN

Multiple surgical strike took place in the UPA regime, but for Congress military operations were meant for giving befitting reply to anti-India forces and not a vote garnering exercises, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said. In the past 70 years, a government in power never had to hide behind the valour of our armed forces. Such attempts to politicise our forces are shameful and unacceptable, he told. On PM Modi's comparison with Indira Gandhi, he said there cannot be any comparison between Indira Gandhi's greatness and the pettiness of the present regime. Neither Mrs Gandhi, nor her predecessor took away the credit of our armed forces in winning these wars, he said. The former PM alleged that BJP was racking up the national security issue to draw people's attention away from Modi government's failure on the economic front. Refuting the charge that his government was weak in responding to 26/11 attack in Mumbai, Singh said different geopolitical conditions require different responses. UPA got China to agree to declare Hafiz Saeed as a global terrorist under the 1267 Sanctions Committee of UN and also ensured that a $10m bounty was placed on his head, he said. Our response was to isolate and diplomatically expose Pakistan as a terror hub, Singh said. He said there have been 17 major terror attacks on security installation, while the defence expenditure as percentage of GDP declined to a 57-year low. Modi promised 20 million jobs per year, but demonetisation and a flawed GST snatched over 40 million jobs. Joblessness and unemployment is at a 45-year high of 6.1%, he said.

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WE WERE IN ARMY, WE KNOW WHAT HAPPENED: RAJYAVARDHAN RATHORE ON CONGRESS’ ‘6 SURGICAL STRIKES’ CLAIM

Refuting claims of the Congress that it conducted six surgical strikes during the tenure of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore Thursday said he was in the army and knows what happened and what did not. After Singh asserted that multiple surgical strikes took place during his tenure in the UPA government, Rajeev Shukla detailed six instances of the strikes. Shukla said, 6 surgical strikes were conducted during the Manmohan Singh government. Reacting to Shukla’s claims, Rathore, told, Fauj mein toh hum the na, hume pata hai na kya hua kya nahi hua. Saari sena aaj Bharatiya Janta Party Modi ji ke saath khadi hai, aise hi nahi khadi huyi,hum jaante hain wahan kya hota tha (We were in the Army. We know what happened and what did not. The entire forces are standing up with the BJP and Modi ji today. It’s not without reason. We know what happens)

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NO VIOLATION IN MODI, RAHUL’S SPEECHES: EC

The Election Commission has not found any violation in the speeches of Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi, made in separate instances. Mr. Modi’s speech in Rajasthan’s Barmer on April 21 had attracted strong criticism from the Opposition. The EC took cognisance of the complaint alleging violation of its advisories and the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), and sought a detailed report from the Rajasthan Chief Electoral Officer (CEO). On receipt of the report and a 10-page certified transcript of the speech, the Commission on Thursday examined the matter in accordance with the extant advisories, provisions of the Model Code of Conduct. The poll panel ruled that Mr. Modi’s comments did not violate the rules. This is the third impugned speech of Mr. Modi in which the EC has not found any violation. The Commission had on Tuesday ruled that Mr. Modi’s speech at Wardha on April 1 also did not violate the MCC and the Representation of the People Act provisions. The complaint against Mr. Gandhi pertained to his speech in Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur on April 23, in which he had addressed BJP chief Amit Shah as a murder accused. The BJP had lodged the complaint with the EC alleging MCC violation. It cited some portions of Mr. Gandhi’s speech at a rally in Siroha (Jabalpur). The Commission received a detailed report from the State CEO along with a certified transcript of the impugned speech. After examining the evidence at hand, the poll panel said the comments did not violate the Code. Mr. Gandhi had also targeted Mr. Amit Shah’s son Ajay Shah, saying he was a magician who converted ₹50,000 into ₹80 crore in three months.

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MATCHING VVPAT SLIPS WITH EVMS: SC TO HEAR 21 OPPN PARTIES' PLEA NEXT WEEK

The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear next week a review plea filed by 21 Opposition leaders seeking further increase in random matching of VVPAT slips with EVMs in the ongoing general elections. The apex court had on April 8 directed the Election Commission to increase random matching of VVPAT slips with EVMs in five polling booths per assembly segment from one booth. Opposition leaders led by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has sought the review of the apex court's order, saying the increase from 1 to 5 is not a reasonable number and does not lead to satisfaction desired by this court. The plea was mentioned for urgent hearing before a bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Deepak Gupta. Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for petitioners, told the bench that the review plea be listed for hearing next week. The bench accepted Singhvi's submission and said the matter will be heard next week.

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25 US LAWMAKERS URGE TRUMP ADMIN NOT TO CANCEL GSP TRADE BENEFITS TO INDIA

A group of 25 influential American lawmakers has urged the US Trade Representative not to terminate the GSP programme with India after the expiry of the 60-day notice on Friday, saying the country's companies seeking to expand their exports to India could be affected. The Generalized System of Preference (GSP) is the largest and oldest US trade preference programme and is designed to promote economic development by allowing duty-free entry for thousands of products from designated beneficiary countries. On March 4, President Donald Trump announced that the US intends to terminate India's designations as a beneficiary developing country under the GSP programme. The 60-day notice period ends on May 3. In his letter, Trump said that he was determined that New Delhi had not assured the US that it would provide equitable and reasonable access to the markets of India. I will continue to assess whether the Government of India is providing equitable and reasonable access to its markets, in accordance with the GSP eligibility criteria, he wrote. The USTR through a simple notification in federal register can formally terminate GSP benefits to India. Noting that the 60-day notice period expires in the middle of Indian elections that run from mid-April to late-May, the Congressmen said that it will be up to India's next government to resolve outstanding issues with the US, but seating that government and restarting negotiations also requires time. A decision to terminate GSP in the midst of the elections risks politicising the issues further, with potentially negative consequences for broader relations with an important ally, the Congressmen wrote. The Congressmen urged Lighthizer not to terminate any GSP benefits until there is an opportunity to negotiate with India's next government.

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DEMONETISATION BIGGEST SCAM OF THE CENTURY, SAYS CONGRESS LEADER ANAND SHARMA

Terming demonetisation as the biggest scam of the century Anand Sharma Thursday said people of the country were cheated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi who made false promises to them. Modi is the first PM in whose tenure black money was used openly and he says that there is no corruption in his governance. The biggest scam of the century is demonetisation, Sharma said. If the Congress comes to power at the Centre, a judicial probe commission will be set up, accountability will be fixed and people responsible for noteban will be punished, he added. Due to demonetisation, the former commerce minister said, the economy suffered and the country’s GDP reduced by 2 per cent while 86 per cent of the money in circulation in the markets disappeared. As a result, lakhs of businesses got finished and for 43 days, 11 crore people lined-up outside banks and ATMs everyday, he said. The PM is insensitive and he should apologise to people for calling their hard earned money as black money, he alleged. The Congress leader further said that people of the country were lured by Modi’s false promises of ‘achhe din’ (good days), providing two crore jobs, increasing crop prices and smart cities. The PM cheated the voters and now when people are demanding answers, he is not willing to discuss anything. If he is an honest person, he should apologise for not fulfilling the promises, he said. The CBI, ED and Income tax departments are being misused, specially against the Opposition, he added. Questioning the election campaign of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, Sharma said instead of replying to questions, the prime minister is playing with the sentiments of the people. The PM is seeking votes in the name of soldiers killed in Pulwama, but how did they get killed? In 2014, he had stated that the country’s security will be strengthened but it has deteriorated, he said, claiming that terror attacks have increased under Modi. Modi’s ouster is necessary as the democracy and the Constitution are in danger, he said.

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DOES BJP GIVE MONEY TO VOTERS: ARVIND KEJRIWAL AFTER BJP COMPLAINT

Arvind Kejriwal Thursday said if the BJP is not giving cash to voters why is it troubled on his party asking the electorate to take money from other parties, but vote for the AAP. Gupta had lodged a complaint in this regard last month, following which the chief electoral officer of Delhi Wednesday issued a notice to Kejriwal, who is the AAP’s national convener. We are saying that take money from other parties and vote for us. So what’s your problem? Does your party also give money? If not, then why are you so troubled? Kejriwal said.

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LOK SABHA ELECTION: SC ASKS EC TO PASS ORDER ON PLEA TO ADVANCE POLL TIMING

The Supreme Court asked the Election Commission on Thursday to pass necessary orders on a representation seeking advancing of the voting time to 5 AM from 7 AM for the remaining phases of the Lok Sabha elections due to heat wave conditions and the onset of the holy month of Ramzan. A plea in this regard was mentioned for urgent hearing before a bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi. The bench, also comprising justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna, took the petition on board and said, The Election Commission of India is directed to pass necessary orders. The writ petition is disposed of in the above terms. The petition, filed by advocates Mohammad Nizamuddin Pasha and Asad Hayat, sought the advancement of polling hours by two to two-and-a half hours, and for voting to commence from 4:30 AM or 5 AM instead of the present 7 AM, in the remaining phases. The petitioners pray for a direction to the Election Commission of India to extend the polling hours during the fifth, sixth and seventh phases of the ongoing general elections, 2019 on May 6, May 12 and May 19, respectively, by 2-2.5 hours so as to commence at 4:30/5 AM (instead of the notified time of 7 AM) on account of the unprecedented heat waves prevailing in several parts of the country and the onset of the holy month of Ramzan, the plea said. The plea said that Ramzan, the holy month of fasting for Muslims, is likely to commence from May 6, the day of fifth phase of voting in the Lok Sabha elections. It said that during Ramzan, Muslims keep fast and do not consume food or water from one and a half hours before dawn till dusk every day. The petitioners said they had given a representation to the Election Commission on Monday in this regard, but the poll panel has not responded to it. On April 29, a representation was made to the respondent (EC) on this behalf bringing the aforesaid facts to its notice and requesting it to extend the polling hours in the fifth, sixth and seventh phases of the general elections 2019 so as to commence at 4.30 or 5 am instead of 7 am but no response has been received so far, the plea said. It also said that Indian Meteorological Department has issued warnings indicating severe heat wave conditions over the next few days, with temperatures rising up to five degree Celsius than normal in poll bound areas of Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Delhi, Chandigarh, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh. The plea said that the harsh weather conditions would make it difficult for Muslims to go out and vote. In the intense heat, it will be very difficult for Muslim voters to queue up at the polling booths during the day in the intense heat to exercise their franchise. During Ramzan, most practising Muslims stay up for an early morning meal and sleep after the morning prayer, it said. Thereafter, they avoid going out in the heat to the extent possible to avoid thirst, dehydration and the possibility of a heatstroke. Therefore, in the present weather conditions, a lot of Muslim will be unable to go out to exercise their franchise, the plea said.

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NAVJOT SINGH SIDHU SLAMS PM, SAYS HE IS YET TO FULFIL PROMISES

Navjot Singh Sidhu hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he ditched people of the country by promising good days which are still elusive The cricketer-turned-politician also charged that no action was taken against those involved in scams like Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi as they belonged to Gujarat. Good days have come only for people like Adani and Ambani. Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and others did scam worth crores and fled the country but no action is taken against them as they belonged to Gujarat, he said addressing an election meeting here Thursday in support of Congress President Rahul Gandhi. On black money, Sidhu said, Modi used to talk about bringing back black money. Where it is? Has it come? Modi promised 2 crore jobs per year but did not give jobs to anyone. Sidhu said, This time people of Amethi will not only elect an MP but PM also as Rahul will become PM after polls.

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DEFAMATION COMPLAINT FILED AGAINST ARVIND KEJRIWAL

Rajesh Kumar has filed a defamation complaint against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for tweeting objectional comments against his party men. The complaint was filed before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal, who has listed the matter for a hearing on May 16. Kumar, who claimed to be convenor of legal cell of Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) Purvanchal Morcha in Delhi, told the court that he was shocked to see a tweet by Kejriwal saying that BJP members kept roaming around the country and raping Hindu girls. The accused (Kejriwal) has successfully dented the reputation of the complainant in particular and his party, Kumar said in his complaint.

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YOGI ADITYANATH SERVED NOTICE FOR ‘BABAR KI AULAD’ COMMENT

The Election Commission Thursday issued a show cause notice to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for his Babur ki aulad remark. The EC pointed out that while addressing a rally in Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh on April 19, Adityanath had said would you hand over the reins of the country to terrorists, to those who call themselves children of Babur (Babur ki aulad) to those who oppose Bajrangbali. While giving him 24 hours to reply to the notice, the poll panel cited a provision under the Model Code of Conduct which states that no activity should be carried out which may aggravate existing difference or create mutual hatred between communities.

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ENFORCEMENT DIRECTORATE ATTACHES RS 50 CRORE ASSETS OF ZAKIR NAIK

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) claims to have identified proceeds of crime to the tune of Rs 212 crore in 12 terror funding cases of which properties worth Rs 59.5 crore have been attached. The agency has claimed that it has identified 52 such properties purchased from such funds. In a related development, the agency Thursday filed a charge sheet against controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik on charges of money laundering in a Mumbai Court. ED claims to have identified proceeds of his crime totalling over Rs 193 crore. Of these, Naik’s assets worth Rs 50.46 crore have been attached. ED had initiated investigation based on a criminal case registered by National Investigation Agency (NIA).

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DIVIDED POLL PANEL: ELECTION COMMISSION’S DECISIONS ON CLEAN CHIT TO PM NOT UNANIMOUS

The Election Commission’s (EC) decision to give a clean chit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his minority-majority speech at Wardha on April 1 and the appeal to first-time voters by invoking the Balakot airstrikes in Latur on April 9 was not a unanimous one. In both cases, one Commissioner had dissented and the final decisions, in favour of the PM, was taken by a majority of 2-1. The EC comprises Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora and Election Commissioners Ashok Lavasa and Sushil Chandra. The dissent points to differences within the Commission on how complaints of alleged Model Code of Conduct (MCC) violations by the PM have been handled. According to Section 10 of The Election Commission (Conditions of Service of Election Commissioners and Transaction of Business) Act, 1991, all business of the EC shall, as far as possible, be transacted unanimously. This provision also states that in case the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners differ in opinion on any matter, such matter shall be decided according to the opinion of the majority. Very rarely have decisions been taken by majority since the enactment of the above law. Among the few examples of differences within the EC is one from 2009 when a divided Commission has sent its opinion to the President on whether the then Congress President Sonia Gandhi should be disqualified as an MP for receiving a foreign award. N Gopalaswami was the chief election commissioner at that time and SY Quraishi and Navin Chawla were his colleagues on the poll panel. While Gopalaswami held the view that a further inquiry was needed into Gandhi receiving Belgium’s highest civilian award in November 2006, he was overruled by Chawla and Quraishi, who decided that the inquiry was complete and no further action was required. Differences have emerged in the incumbent Commission while addressing Congress’s complaints against Modi for alleged MCC violations. This week two complaints were decided by EC. The first clean chit to the PM came on Tuesday when the Commission found no violation of the MCC and electoral laws in Modi’s April 1 speech at Wardha where, referring to Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s decision to also contest from Wayanad, he had said that the party was running away from majority-dominated areas to take refuge in areas where the majority is in minority. The second all-clear came Wednesday for Modi’s speech at Latur on April 9 in which he had said: I want to tell my first-time voters: Can your first vote be dedicated to the brave soldiers who carried out the air strike in Balakot in Pakistan? I want to tell my first-time voters: Can your first vote be dedicated to the braves martyred in Pulwama?. The poll panel concluded that the above remark had not violated Sections 123 (3A) and 125 of the Representation of the People Act, which dealt with promotion of feelings of enmity or hatred between different classes of the citizens of India on grounds of religion, race, caste, community or language by a candidate.

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ZAKIR NAIK CHARGED WITH MONEY LAUNDERING BY ED, ASSETS WORTH RS 193 CRORE IDENTIFIED AS PROCEEDS OF CRIME

Zakir Naik, whose speeches telecast on his channels are believed to have inspired at least one of the attackers involved in the ghastly Sri Lanka bombings, has been booked for money laundering by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday. The ED lodged its first direct charge sheet against Islamic preacher Zakir Naik. The agency also registered a prosecution complaint against Naik and several others. It also identified an amount of Rs 193.06 crore as proceeds of crime and attached properties worth Rs 50.46 crore. This is the second charge sheet in the money laundering case by the Enforcement Directorate. On Wednesday, Sri Lanka’s two major cable TV operators ‘Dialogue’ and ‘SLT’ have stopped airing controversial Indian Islamic preacher’s Peace TV on their channel. The move comes following the recent terror attacks on Easter Sunday where more than 250 people were killed and over 500 injured. Though, the Islamic State militants had claimed responsibility for the attack. Last week, Naik called Interpol’s issuance of red corner notice against him a political witch- hunt. The central investigative agency had filed a money laundering case against Naik and others. Naik is wanted in India as several cases of IPC (Indian Penal Code) and UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act) under terror, money laundering and allegedly provoking youths for terror activities are under investigation. The Islamic preacher has left the country in July 2016. The 52-year-old Islamic preacher currently holds citizenship of Malaysia. Narendra Modi hit out at the Congress party for projecting the controversial Islamic preacher as an ambassador of peace. PM Modi further said that earlier the government at the Centre used to invite Naik to address police officers on terrorism.

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EC GIVES CLEAN CHIT TO MODI, BARS SADHVI PRAGYA FROM CAMPAIGNING FOR 3 DAYS

For the second consecutive day, the Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday gave a clean chit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his statement on 9 April during a rally in Latur, Maharashtra, urging the youth to cast their ballots in the name of the heroes of the Balakot air strike. The Congress had filed a complaint against Modi in this regard, but the poll watchdog said it did not find the statements violative of the model code of conduct (MCC). The matter has been examined in detail in accordance with the extant advisories, provisions of the MCC and, after examination of complete transcript of the speech the commission is of the considered view that in this matter no such violation of the extant advisories/provisions is attracted, the EC said. The Congress had alleged that Modi was seeking votes in the name of defence forces. The EC had given Modi a clean chit, saying it did not find his comments slamming Congress president Rahul Gandhi for contesting from Wayanad in Kerala in violation of the model code. The Supreme Court had on Monday agreed to admit a petition by the Congress about the comments made by Modi at a rally in Latur on 1 April. It barred Thakur from holding any public meeting, procession, rally, or road show, or giving interviews or speaking to the media for 72 hours beginning 2 May. The commission strongly condemns the impugned statements made in both the cases and warns Sadhavi Pragya Singh Thakur not to repeat such misconduct in future, the EC said on Wednesday.

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PULWAMA ATTACK PLAYED A ROLE IN MASOOD AZHAR’S LISTING AS GLOBAL TERRORIST BY UN: MEA

The Pulwama terror attack played a role in designation of JeM chief Masood Azhar as global terrorist by the UN the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday, asserting that Pakistan was making claims over the listing to divert attention from the huge diplomatic setback it has suffered. The assertion came after Pakistan claimed that it agreed to Azhar’s listing after all political references, including attempts to link him to the Pulwama attack, were removed from the proposal to designate him a global terrorist. The designation is not based on the basis of a specific incident but on the basis of evidence which we have shared with members of the UN’s 1267 Sanctions Committee, linking Azhar to several acts of terrorism, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said. He said the notification broadly covers all terrorist acts. Elements are being introduced by Pakistan to divert attention from this huge diplomatic setback, Kumar said. He asserted that India doesn’t negotiate on matters related to national security. Our objective was to ensure designation of Masood Azhar as a global terrorist, he said. The Pulwama terror attack played a role in Azhar’s designation, the spokesperson said. A UN Security Council (UNSC) designation will subject Azhar to an assets freeze, travel ban and an arms embargo. An assets freeze under the sanctions committee requires that all states freeze without delay the funds and other financial assets or economic resources of designated individuals and entities. In a huge diplomatic victory for India, the UN Sanctions Committee on Wednesday designated Azhar as a global terrorist after China lifted its hold on a proposal to ban him. However, China put a technical hold on the proposal, blocking it for a fourth time to designate Azhar a global terrorist. India had termed the Chinese move as disappointing. On Wednesday, China lifted its hold from the proposal.

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‘MODI HAI TO MUMKIN HAI’: YOGI ADITYANATH ON UN DESIGNATING OF JEM CHIEF MASOOD AZHAR GLOBAL TERRORIST

Yogi Adityanath Thursday credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for UN’s designation of JeM chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist, saying it proves Modi hai to Mumkin hai. The UN Sanctions Committee on Wednesday designated the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Azhar a global terrorist after China lifted its hold on a proposal to ban him. At an election rally in Rajasthan’s Hanumangarh, Adityanath termed the Congress a threat to the country and asked people to think whether the party, along with the supporters of Pakistan, wants to compromise with the nation’s security. The UN decision has proved that ‘Modi hai to mumkin hai’ (Modi makes it possible). The Congress could not do this, Adityanath said. The UP chief minister claimed the number of Naxal-affected districts in the country has reduced in the last five years and every citizen, irrespective of his caste and religion, can now feel safe and secure. He said, The Modi government has done things in 55 months which the Congress could not do in 50 years.

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NARENDRA MODI ISOLATED PAKISTAN ON WORLD STAGE, SAYS AMIT SHAH

Amit Shah Thursday said Modi has isolated Pakistan in the world. Shah also took a jibe at Rahul Gandhi, saying he disappears to locations unknown even to his mother when temperature soars. Masood Azhar carried out several bomb blasts for several years. Nobody could get him declared an international terrorist. But yesterday was a golden day as he was declared a global terrorist, he said. The entire world now stands with India and is supporting our country on the issue of (actions taken in) self-defense, Shah said. The entire world believes that terrorism grows on Pakistan's land. Prime Minister Narendra Modi proved this to the world, he said.

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WHY DOES IMRAN KHAN WANT MODI TO CONTINUE AS PM, ASKS CHIDAMBARAM

The Congress is happy that the process to designate Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar has concluded successfully, former Union minister P Chidambaram said on Thursday while wondering why Pakistan wants Narendra Modi to continue as Prime Minister. Congress leader said Azhar was released in 1999 by a BJP government after the hijack of an Indian Airlines aircraft. After Masood Azhar masterminded the Mumbai terror attack in 2008, the process to name him as a global terrorist was started by a Congress/UPA government in 2009, he said. We are happy that the process has concluded successfully in 2019. But why does the Prime Minister of Pakistan want Mr Modi to continue as Prime Minister of India? he added. Mayawati accused the ruling BJP of trying to gather votes on his name.

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OPPN NOT CELEBRATING SANCTIONING OF AZHAR AS THEY MAY HAVE TO PAY POLITICAL PRICE: JAITLEY

JeM chief Masood Azhar a global terrorist as a great diplomatic victory for India, the BJP on Thursday said opposition parties are reluctant to celebrate the achievement because they feel they may have to pay political price for it. The UN Sanctions Committee on Wednesday designated the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Azhar a global terrorist after China lifted its hold on a proposal to ban him. Arun Jaitley told that the current dispensation succeeded in an attempt the country has been making for the last 10 years, but then they (opposition) says 'this is trivial, what is big in it'. Addressing a press conference at the party office, he said there was a tradition in the country to speak in one voice on issues such as external affairs and national security but there has been a departure from it in the last few years. Emphasising that the labelling of Azhar as a global terrorist is a great diplomatic achievement for India, the finance minister said, If India wins, Indians win, but there are friends in opposition who are not celebrating it as they may have to pay a political price for it. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who was accompanying Jaitley attributed the success of sanctioning of JeM chief to the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Terrorism shall not be tolerated and this declaration from the UN is noteworthy. It is the result of persistent measures taken by the external affairs ministry, under leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she said.

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ARUN JAITLEY SAYS PRIYANKA GANDHI’S UP REMARK AN ADMISSION THAT CONGRESS NOW A FRINGE ORGANISATION

Arun Jaitley on Thursday hit out at the Congress and claimed that the Rahul Gandhi-led party has lost its ground and been reduced to a fringe party. FM said, The grand old party of the Indian politics is now a fringe organization. It’s not only in size but also in numbers also. Jaitley further said that the remarks made by Congress leader about vote cutting show that it is a confessional statement of the grand old party. Priyanka Gandhi said that the party has fielded candidates with a motive to either win or to damage the BJP’s chances of victory. She said that Congress has chosen its candidate very carefully and clarified that the grand old party will not cut votes of the ‘UP gathbandhan.’ In Uttar Pradesh, Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party (SP) and Ajit Singh’s Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) have forged an alliance but kept the Congress out of the seat sharing agreement. Priyanka’s suggestion that the party’s candidates would end up cutting votes for the BJP, implying that it would help the SP-BSP-RLD alliance win, has upset Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati equally. Hitting out Priyanka, the leaders unequivocally denied the Congress leader’s statements and said that it was the Congress which was acting in collusion with the BJP to scuttle the chances of the alliance. Surveys and pre-poll estimates suggest that by going solo on all seats in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress could end up dividing the anti-BJP vote in the state and hurt the chances of the SP-BSP while benefitting the Bharatiya Janata Party.

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SMRITI IRANI’S JIBE AT PRIYANKA: WILL ADVISE ‘CULTURED FAMILIES’ TO KEEP THEIR CHILDREN AWAY FROM CONGRESS GENERAL SECRETARY

Smriti Irani on Thursday took a dig at Priyanka Gandhi, saying she will ask all cultured families to ensure their children stay away from Congress general secretary after a video showing kids making derogatory remarks and using abusive language during an election campaign went viral on social media. She makes children abuse. She asked children to abuse the Prime Minister. You cannot use children for political campaigns. What will children learn out of this? I will ask all cultured families to keep their children away from Priyanka Gandhi. I am happy that the family which claims to be cultured stands unmasked, Irani was quoted. Irani also took on Congress general secretary over alleged remarks awaara pashuon ke naam bhi hain, an apparent reference to PM Modi and Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath. This is her real face. She is disrespecting a prime minister and a state chief minister. She denigrated Gorakhnath math adhyaksh. Will she do the same in Gorakhpur? Irani asked. She also took a swipe at Rahul Gandhi, pointing out that Priyanka Gandhi was standing in for her brother while the latter is nowhere to be seen in the constituency. Priyanka is not a candidate, in fact, her very presence here is recognition of Rahul’s incapacity, she added. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) asked the Election Commission (EC) to take action on the video showing children chanting Chowkidar chor hai in a reference to Rahul Gandhi’s frequent attacks PM Modi over the Rafale agreement. Such violation of children’s right for any work connected with election process like campaigning, carrying of campaigning material, etc would attract necessary action and apart from facing the consequences of the law, if any, will be taken by the commission against erring political parties, the letter said.

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CONGRESS LIKELY TO BE SINGLE LARGEST PARTY; NON-BJP FORMATION TO GET ‘COMFORTABLE MAJORITY’: ABHISHEK MANU SINGHVI

Asserting that the Congress is likely to emerge as the single largest party after the Lok Sabha elections, Abhishek Manu Singhvi says a non-BJP formation will get a comfortable majority and form the government at the Centre. Singhvi also claimed the BJP will face a deficit of 100-120 seats after suffering losses in various states and will not be able to compensate for the seats lost in those states. I have no doubt a non-BJP multi-party group will be in power after May 23. The exact complexion and numbers of that need not be talked about now, he told. Singhvi said there will be a comfortable majority of a non-BJP formation. I agree it is difficult to say that a single party will have a majority. There will be a very, very comfortable majority for pre-poll and post-poll alliance partners which are non-BJP, non-NDA, Singhvi asserted. On whether there is a possibility of the Congress being the single largest party, the Rajya Sabha MP said, Since I think I would be exaggerating if I said that a single party would get a complete majority by itself. I think it is fair statement to make that the Congress is likely to be clearly the single largest party. Asserting that the BJP will suffer huge losses electorally as compared with last time, Singhvi said a party which had a Modi wave and a strike rate of 90 per cent plus in 11 states cannot improve on its performance this time in those states. Even if it comes down by 50 per cent from its previous showing in those states, there will be no compensatory states, he asserted. There is also no compensation available in states from the northeast where the citizenship bill has had a lot if resonance against the BJP, he said. Even if you look for some improvement in the last two compensatory states — West Bengal and Odisha — a few seats here and there cannot wipe out the deficit of over 100-120 seats which they will lose only in the other states I have mentioned, he said. Singhvi alleged nationalism and patriotism are two words that have been debased and devalued by the BJP not just now, but for the last five years. The BJP’s definition of patriotism and nationalism is that anybody who thinks differently, looks differently, eats differently, dresses differently, anybody who disagrees with them, anybody with a different religion, is not a nationalist, nor a patriot. This is the most distorted understanding of these two words ever in a multi-cultural country like India, he said.

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USE OF POWERFUL IEDS BY MAOISTS A MAJOR CHALLENGE: HOME MINISTRY

Union home ministry officials have said that the use of powerful improvised explosive devices (IEDs) by Maoists to attack security forces is the next big challenge, especially after back-to-back incidents where security forces and civilians have been targeted by the left-wing extremists. On Wednesday, 15 securitymen were killed in an IED explosion in Gadhchiroli in Maharashtra, while BJP MLA Bheema Mandavi was killed in Chhattisgarh when Maoists detonated an IED last month. In fact, more policemen have been maimed in IED blasts than they have suffered in direct combats, said an official, adding that CRPF, the lead force engaged in anti-Naxal operations, has alone seized 71 IEDs with the maximum in Chhattisgarh (37), followed by Jharkhand (22) till April 30. Among the 28 security personnel killed this year, 22 were martyred in IED blasts. The number of IED fatalities were only 7 out of the 78 killed in 2017. We can say that Maoists are focussing on IEDs to avoid direct confrontation with security forces to minimise their own causalities, said a home ministry official. From the analysis of the recent IED attacks, it has come to light that Maoists have elevated IED warfare on the security forces using a cocktail of command-wire IEDs to victim-operated IEDs to radio-controlled ones. They are capable of launching rocket attacks on security force camps, blowing mine proof vehicles apart from creating a minefield for targeting a foot patrol. But these attacks were successful because of lapses on the part of security forces, said officials familiar with the matter. And one of them was not following the laid down standard operating procedure. We are trying to teach our jawans to be alert, particularly at the time of troop movement. Any unusual activity or movement should ring an alarm bell, the MHA official said, while pointing to lapses of Maharashtra police personnel in Gadhchiroli on Wednesday.

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MEA: PULWAMA ATTACK PLAYED A KEY ROLE IN UN LISTING MASOOD AZHAR A GLOBAL TERRORIST

The terror attack in Pulwama that killed 40 CRPF officials earlier this year did play a role in the UN Security Council’s decision to designate Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist though it was not mentioned in the resolution, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). The UN notification clearly states that Masood Azhar was listed for participating in the financing, planning, facilitating, and perpetrating terrorist activities associated with JeM. This broadly covers all terror activities he has been involved in. The notification is not supposed to be a bio-data of the terrorist and include all acts of terrorism perpetrated by him, said MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar. The UN Sanctions Committee designated Azhar as a global terrorist on May 1 after China lifted its hold on a proposal to ban him. Kumar said the country did not negotiate on matters related to national security. On the impact of the designation of Azhar as a global terrorist on the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) grey listing of Pakistan, Kumar said the plenary’s last meeting, this February, had decided to continue keeping Pakistan in the Grey List for International Cooperation Review Group Monitoring. If you go through the press statement by FATF, one of the action plans specifically mentions that Pakistan has to demonstrate effective implementation of targeted financial sanctions (supported by a comprehensive legal obligation) against all designated terrorists and those acting on their behalf.

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PAKISTAN HAS THIRD HIGHEST NUMBER IN UN PROSCRIBED LIST

With the United Nation Security Council designating Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar as global terrorist, the number of Pakistani citizens in the UNSC’s proscribed list has gone up to 146 Pakistan has most citizens and entities after Iraq and Afghanistan in the ISIL (Da’esh) & Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee list. UNSC updated its list of individuals and entities on Wednesday after making amendments in 80 entries on its sanctions list, according to a press statement. Pakistan has tried to distance itself from the militant groups and individuals and has claimed itself to be the victim of terrorism. However, the UN list highlights the names of terrorists who live in Pakistan, used Pakistani soil for their operations or collaborated with terrorist groups operating in Pakistan. Hafiz Saeed is listed as a person wanted by Interpol for his involvement in terrorist activities. The LeT was responsible for the 26/11 Mumbai attack that killed 166 people, including six Americans. LeT’s media contact Haji Mohammed Yahya Mujahid and Saeed’s deputies Abdul Salaam and Zafar Iqbal are listed under him. They are also wanted by Interpol. The LeT is listed with its various aliases, such as al-Paasban-i-Kashmir, Paasban-i-Ahle Hadith, Mansoorian, Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation and Jamaat-ud Dawa. The list, contains names of over 850 individuals or entities designated as global terrorist and come under travel ban, assets freeze and arms embargo, as per the UN resolution. On Wednesday, the name of JeM chief was added to the list after China removed its technical hold within the 1267 Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee.

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PAKISTAN ISSUES ORDER TO FREEZE ASSETS OF JEM CHIEF AZHAR, IMPOSE TRAVEL BAN

Pakistan has issued an official order to freeze the assets of and impose a travel ban on JeM chief Masood Azhar after the UN declared him a global terrorist. Pakistan-based Azhar is also banned from selling or purchasing arms and ammunition. The UN sanctions committee on the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda on Wednesday announced the designation of Azhar, leader of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), over its ties to Al-Qaeda. The JeM has claimed responsibility for the Pulwama suicide attack that killed 40 CRPF soldiers and led to a spike in military tensions between India and Pakistan. Pakistan's foreign ministry, in a notification issued Wednesday said: the Federal Government is pleased to order that the Resolution 2368 (2017) be fully implemented against Azhar. The government directed officials to take actions as appropriate for the implementation of sanctions against the JeM chief, according to the notification. The UN designated Azhar as a global terrorist after China lifted its hold on a proposal by the US, the UK and France to blacklist him. The US, the UK and France had moved the proposal to designate Azhar as a global terrorist in the UN Security Council's 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee in February, just days after the deadly Pulwama terror attack carried out by the JeM in Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan foreign office spokesman Mohammad Faisal on Wednesday said that Pakistan would immediately enforce the sanctions imposed on Azhar. A veto-wielding permanent member of the UNSC, China was the sole hold-out in the 15-nation body on the bid to blacklist Azhar, blocking attempts by placing a technical hold and asking for more time to examine the proposal.

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FACING FUNDING BLACKLIST THREAT, PAKISTAN SEEKS TIME TO ACT ON TERROR

Pakistan has sought more time from the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to curtail the activities of terrorist groups on its soil, worried that a knock-on effect could drag the nation’s struggling economy. Islamabad told a group of countries, including the US and India, through an intermediary that it needed some more time to put in place measures that would cut funds to terrorist groups and restrict their activities, two people familiar with the development said, requesting anonymity. Islamabad wants the reprieve in order to ensure it is not put on FATF’s blacklist from the current grey list, where it has been since June. It is worried that such a censure could take place when FATF meets next month in the US, the second of the two people cited above said. India is unlikely to relent, with senior ministers and government officials on Thursday insisting that, if anything, New Delhi would press for action against all terrorist groups and their leaders who endanger the lives of Indian citizens. Pakistan’s message on the FATF listing was conveyed during negotiations between various countries on a US- and French-backed proposal to blacklist Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist group chief Masood Azhar by the United Nations (UN). Azhar, wanted by India for several terrorist attacks, most recently the Pulwama suicide bombing that killed 40 CRPF soldiers in February, was on Wednesday designated a terrorist under UN norms. There is no direct legal implication of the FATF blacklisting, such as binding sanctions, but it brings the full weight of extra scrutiny on Pakistan from international regulators and financial institutions that can impede trade and investment flows. Masood Azhar is the top boss. He controls the entire organization. The major attacks are planned by him and then instructions are passed down the hierarchy. Reconnaissance activities, cadre recruitment and training are not overseen by him. He will continue doing what he’s doing, with active encouragement by Pakistan, said the fourth person familiar with the development.

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PAKISTAN USES 'TERRORISM AS TOOL' AGAINST INDIA: FORMER CIA DIRECTOR

Pakistan, obsessed with India as a perceived existential threat, has created terrorist groups to be a tool in its struggle against India, a former top American spymaster has said. Michael Morell, in a podcast discussion with Kurt Campbell and Rich Verma on Thursday, alleged that Pakistan is one of the most dangerous countries in the world. Pakistan has created terrorist groups to be a tool in their struggle against India, Morell said. What they don't realise is that it's impossible to keep those terrorist groups under control. And that eventually comes back to bite you. You know, I believe that Pakistan, at the end of the day, maybe the most dangerous country in the world, Morell said. Morell who played a key role in the Abbottabad raid that killed Osama bin Laden -- the al-Qaeda chief and mastermind behind the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States -- in a safe house in Pakistan, said that the population of this South Asian country is exploding, and the demographics are awful. The economy's going nowhere. It simply can't provide the jobs that need to be provided for the young people who are entering the labour force. The education system is literally broken. I went to Pakistan more often than I went to any other country when I was deputy director, he said, referring to his impression about Pakistan when he was the deputy head in the CIA during the Obama administration. There's no wonder that many Pakistani parents send their kids to madrasa and one knows what happens to a small percentage of the kids who go there. The extremism is growing from a societal perspective. It's growing within the military. So, it is not impossible, not tomorrow, not next week, not next year, but five years from now, 10 years from now that you could have a color revolution, Arab spring style movement in the streets of Islamabad that ends up with an extremist government there with nuclear weapons. That's what so scary, Morell said.

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PAKISTAN ISSUES ORDER TO FREEZE ASSETS OF MASOOD AZHAR, IMPOSE TRAVEL BAN

Pakistan has issued an official order to freeze the assets and impose travel ban on Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar after the United Nations declared him a global terrorist. In a notification issued Wednesday, the foreign ministry said, the Federal Government is pleased to order that the Resolution 2368 (2017) be fully implemented against Azhar. The government directed officials to take actions as appropriate for the implementation of sanctions against the JeM chief, according to the notification. Azhar is also banned from selling or purchasing arms and ammunition. In a major diplomatic win for India, the United Nations designated Pakistan-based Azhar as a global terrorist after China lifted its hold on a proposal by the US, the UK and France to blacklist him. The US, the UK and France had moved the proposal to designate Azhar as a global terrorist in the UN Security Council's 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee in February, just days after the deadly Pulwama terror attack carried out by the JeM in Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan foreign office spokesman Mohammad Faisal on Wednesday said that Pakistan would immediately enforce the sanctions imposed on Azhar.

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WAR ON FAKES: GOVT MAY VERIFY WHATSAPP, TWITTER, FACEBOOK ACCOUNTS USING MOBILE NUMBERS

The ministry of electronics and IT (MeitY) is exploring the option of verifying users’ profile on social media platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter through their mobile numbers, which it feels could help check fake accounts that indulge in anti-social activities like spreading dubious information and propaganda. MeitY is of the view that individual online account of users of social media platforms should be verified and fake ones weeded out. However, privacy of the user needs to be protected at all costs, a government official said. Verification or authentication through phone number is a very good option. The ministry is considering it and has sought views from stakeholders on the same, he added. Confirming the development, a senior government official said many social media platforms such as Facebook and Google already use a two factor authentication process through which the user can add an extra layer of security to his/her account. This also helps in protecting the account from unauthorised intrusion. Twitter, Instagram and Facebook already have profile verifications, where the user’s name is verified and is indicated by a blue tick. But only few users have used it. The government wants to explore whether a similar exercise can be launched for all accounts on social media, considering it will be a humongous exercise as social media users in India are in range of 350 million and counting, explained another official. This issue was also discussed during MeitY officials meeting with the parliamentary standing committee on IT earlier this year. The panel has already met officials from Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter over authenticity of information on these platforms during elections.

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FINANCIAL CYBERCRIMES, IDENTITY THEFTS ON THE RISE: FIS REPORT

New research released by FIS, a leading financial services technology firm, has found financial fraud growing substantially since last year, with the share of victims doubling to 37% of respondents, and all age segments falling victim to fraudsters. FIS’ fifth annual PACE report highlights that Indians have embraced digital transactions, but they are yet to learn the do’s and don’ts of sharing personal information, with social engineering and phishing emails are rampant. There is a dramatic correlation in India between adoption of mobile apps and digital payments and increasing rate of financial fraud. Close to 96% of Indians who fell victim to financial fraud during the last year had switched to mobile apps and digital payments from cash as mode of payment. Some of the other interesting findings are: Banks can no longer treat branches as their only channel to provide personalised service and engage customers. Mobile apps now serve as the digital face for many banks, and a record 41% of bank interactions are now performed via mobile device. Mobile has become the default banking channel across all age groups. Looking ahead, Indian consumers want banks to invest in password-free and biometric-based banking, voice banking and wallets. While cash and cards are still the preferred way to pay, mobile payments are rapidly gaining traction, especially among Gen Y (18-26 age group) who are a prime audience for banking providers. In fact, India is far ahead of the US, the UK and Germany in mobile payment adoption. Mobile wallets that offer cash back and other incentives, are also spurring adoption. UPI 2.0 is also a boon for merchants, as it supports the use of an overdraft account and the verification of invoices prior to payments, moving mobile payments squarely into the small and medium enterprise segment. Customers of top 50 global banks and private sector banks are less satisfied than they were in 2018. However, public sector banks—traditionally seen as slow to react —saw their proportion of extremely satisfied customers climb considerably, rocketing from the worst-performing category to the best.

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FACEBOOK'S SETTLEMENT WITH US MAY INCLUDE PRIVACY OVERSIGHT: REPORT

Facebook Inc and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) are negotiating a possible settlement that would require the company to create an independent privacy oversight committee and take other steps to safeguard users, Politico reported on Wednesday, citing a source. The steps would include appointing a federally-approved privacy official at the highest level of Facebook and creating a privacy oversight committee that may include Facebook board members, the report said. The potential agreement between the company and the FTC is in addition to the $3 billion Facebook said it would set aside last week to cover settlements with U.S. regulators, according to Politico. The FTC has been investigating revelations that Facebook inappropriately shared information belonging to 87 million of its users with the now-defunct British political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica. The probe has focused on whether the sharing of data and other disputes violated a 2011 agreement with the FTC to safeguard user privacy. Mark Zuckerberg would take on the role of designated compliance officer responsible for carrying out the company's privacy policies, the report said.

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FACEBOOK PACT WITH US TO ELEVATE PRIVACY OVERSIGHT TO BOARD

Facebook Inc. is nearing a settlement with U.S. regulators that would elevate responsibility for privacy oversight to the company’s board of directors, according to a person familiar with the matter. The agreement being negotiated with the Federal Trade Commission, which would resolve a year-long investigation into the social-media company, would put privacy protections on par with the board’s other responsibilities, said the person, who asked not to be named because the discussions are private. The board changes would come in addition to a record penalty of $3 billion to $5 billion, which Facebook disclosed last week. FTC Chairman Joe Simons is under pressure to craft a tough settlement following a series of privacy scandals at the company, most notably the disclosure that now-defunct consulting firm Cambridge Analytica obtained data on tens of millions of the site’s users. Simons alluded to the Facebook settlement at a privacy conference in Washington Thursday, saying he expected the agency to impose record fines against companies and that it could reach future agreements that include changes to corporate governance. Privacy experts and advocates said the agency’s main challenge is to increase the accountability of Mark Zuckerberg, the company’s founder, chairman and chief executive officer. Simons said that holding company executives personally accountable in cases was on the radar but not something where we’re expecting to do this in every case. Companies resist those moves, prompting expensive litigation that takes away resources from other cases, he said. Are you getting sufficient relief for the consumers without having to name these people? Simons said.

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NEW PRIVACY TOOL? GOOGLE TO SOON LET YOU AUTO-DELETE LOCATION TRACKING DATA

Alphabet Inc’s Google said it will let users set up their profiles to automatically delete location and web-browsing data, giving people a middle ground to the internet giant’s always-on or always-off data hoovering mechanisms. Users can now choose to have their data deleted after a three-month or 18-month period, the company said Wednesday in a blog post. The change gives people more control over their information, but it also may stop some users from opting to block out Google’s data collection altogether. While people can stop all collection now, the company relies on user data to target ads that feed its multibillion-dollar revenue machine. Google has struggled to convince customers and regulators that it respects their privacy and keeps the reams of data it collects on people safe. It shut down the Google Plus social network last year after finding a glitch that exposed the personal information of half a million users. Google and fellow online ad giant Facebook Inc. have become some of the most-valuable companies in history by collecting billions of data points on billions of people and selling targeted access to advertisers. Politicians, consumers and privacy advocates around the world are questioning those business models, and whether giving up personal information is worth the services provided by the companies.

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APPLE TO TAP INDIA ‘WITH ALL ITS MIGHT’: COOK

Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook said his company has plans to tap into the Indian market ‘with all its might’ Mr. Cook said: I think India is a very important market in the long term. It’s a challenging market in the short term but we’re learning a lot. We have started manufacturing there, which is very important to be able to serve the market in a reasonable way. And we’re growing that capability there and would like to place retail stores there, Mr. Cook said. We were working with the government to seek approval to do that and so we plan on going in there with sort of all of our might, he added. The top executive of the Cupertino-based tech major further said, We’ve opened a developer accelerator there (India). We’re very happy with some of the things coming out of there. It’s a long-term play. It’s not something that’s going to be an overnight huge business. But I think the growth potential is phenomenal and it doesn’t bother me that it’s primarily an Android business at the moment, because that just means there’s a lot of opportunities there.

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UK BECOMES FIRST PARLIAMENT TO DECLARE CLIMATE EMERGENCY

Britain's opposition Labour Party on Wednesday called for real action after parliament became the first in the world to vote to declare a climate emergency. Thanks to pressure from the Labour Party, the UK just became the first country to declare an environment and #climateemergency, the party said on its Twitter page. Now it's time for real action to tackle climate change. Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said he hoped the vote will trigger a wave of action from parliaments and governments around the world. He hopes the move will increase pressure on the government and is demanding that the country takes action to help avoid more than 1.5 degrees centigrade of warming, requiring global emissions to be cut by almost half of 2010 levels by 2030.

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'LEAVE MY COUNTRY ALONE': SRI LANKA PRESIDENT TO IS CHIEF BAGHDADI

Maithripala Sirisena Wednesday asked Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to leave my country alone after the dreaded Islamic State leader claimed the massive suicide bombings in the island nation was a revenge attack for the fall of the Syrian town of Baghuz, the terror group's final bastion. Sirisena also warned it may be possible Islamic State had launched a new strategy by targeting smaller countries. He said authorities were aware of a small group of Sri Lankans who had travelled abroad to receive training from Islamic State over the past decade. Sirisena said he had a message for Islamic State: Leave my country alone. On Monday, Islamic State's media network published a video message purporting to come from its leader, Baghdadi. The man in the IS propagada video, said to be Baghdadi referred to the deadly Easter Sunday attack in Sri Lanka and to the months-long fight for IS's final bastion Baghouz, which concluded in March. The battle for Baghouz is over, he said. God ordered us to wage 'jihad.' He did not order us to win, he said.

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SRI LANKA TO FREEZE ASSETS OF TERRORISTS INVOLVED IN EASTER BOMBINGS

The Sri Lankan authorities are taking steps to freeze the assets of terrorists involved in the Easter Sunday bomb blasts, a media report said on Thursday. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is in the process of identifying and compiling the list of assets belonging to those involved in the attacks, police spokesman S P Ruwan Gunasekera was quoted as saying. Nine suicide bombers carried out the series of devastating blasts that tore through three churches and three luxury hotels, killing 253 people and injuring 500 others. The details of the attackers and their relatives linked to the bombings was released by the police on Wednesday. The shootout occurred as the security forces continued their hunt for members of the NTJ that carried out the attacks. Meanwhile, the special panel appointed by President Maithripala Sirisena to probe the attacks will release its report on May 6.

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MUSHARRAF REQUESTS PAK COURT TO POSTPONE TRIAL IN TREASON CASE, APOLOGISES

Pakistan's former military dictator Pervez Musharraf will not attend the treason trial against him Thursday for suspending the Constitution, citing deteriorating health and requested a special court to postpone the hearing until the end of Ramazan, according to a media report. In an application, supported by a health certificate, furnished by his lawyer Salman Safdar, the former Pakistan president also apologised for not appearing before the court, the Dawn reported on Thursday. A special court indicted Gen (Retd) Musharraf for high treason in March 2014. Musharraf left for Dubai in 2016 to seek medical treatment and has not returned since. Last month, the 75-year-old former army chief was admitted to a hospital in Dubai after suffering a reaction from a rare disease for which he is already under treatment. The previous Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government had filed the treason case against Musharraf over the imposition of extra-constitutional emergency in November 2007.His application stated that despite strong willingness and eagerness to return to Pakistan, the life-threatening ailments and medical complications have forced him not to appear before the special court. Giving details of his ailments, the application stated that Musharraf is suffering from cardiac amyloidosis (congestive heart failure), chronic kidney disease (high creatinine in renal system), excessive somnolence (hypersomnia), spinal injury and fracture. According to the latest assessment of his health on April 29 at the American Hospital in Dubai, Musharraf's health has been termed unsafe in case he discontinued treatment and travelled, the application argued. On April 1, the Supreme Court directed the special court to proceed with the trial on the next date of hearing (May 2) and in case the former president surrendered and appeared before it, he would be entitled to record his statement. If he failed to appear, the special court is empowered to proceed against him even in his absence.

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CS Meetesh Shiroya