Month: March 2013

Though northeast Poor and backward, legislators are billionaires

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Although the industry-starved northeast is the most economically backward region in India, over 60 percent legislators in Nagaland and Meghalaya are billionaires, a report said Sunday.

“Out of the 59 newly elected members in Nagaland, 36 (61 percent) are crorepatis (billionaires) while in Meghalaya, out of 60 just-elected legislators, 36 (60 percent) are crorepatis,” National Election Watch (NEW) programme cordinator Biswendu Bhattacharjee said here after releasing the report.

However, in the Left-ruled Tripura, of the 60 newly voted members, eight (13 percent) are billionaires.

Only 900,000 people in Pak pay taxes!

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Islamabad, Mar. 3 (ANI): Pakistani Finance Minister Saleem Mandviwalla has said that around 1.5 million people have the National Tax Number (NTN), out of which only 0.9 million pay their taxes. Mandviwalla, while commenting on the new budget, said that the federal budget of the year 2013-14 will be prepared by the new elected government and not the caretaker government, reports The Express Tribune. He said that if the new national assembly and elected government come into power before the elections, then they would prepare and present the budget.

Asian ”madams” take over crime bosses as new face of Queensland sex trade

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Sydney, Mar. 3 (ANI): Young Asian ”madams” operating multimillion-dollar call-girl rings have taken over old organised crime bosses as the emerging face of Queensland”s lucrative illicit sex trade. These new ”madams” don”t need underworld muscle, but only a steady stream of in-demand sex workers from China, Taiwan, Korea and Thailand, to run their rackets, reports the Herald Sun. One of Brisbane”s big players is accused of using as many as 40 different mobile phones to run a highly profitable ring of up to eight call-girls a night.

Livid Hindus in Pak demand reinstatement of voting rights

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Lahore, Mar. 3 (ANI): Members of the Hindu community in Pakistan have protested outside the Lahore Press Club, demanding their due right to vote. The community demanded the Election Commission of Pakistan to take steps for giving proper representation to Hindus in the electoral process, reports the Daily Times. The protest was organised by Hindu Sudhar Subha (HSS). The HSS leaders claimed that Hindus made up the biggest minority group, with more than 600,000 members in Punjab, more than 80,000 of which were voters.

Taliban warns mobile phone sellers in Peshawar against ”promoting vulgarity”

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Peshawar, Mar. 3 (ANI): Police in Peshawar banned parking of motorcycles in the premises of Bilour Plaza and the nearby Time Centre in the city on Saturday, after threat-bearing letters from militants warned mobile phone dealers against “promoting vulgarity”. In the letters, local Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leader Mullah Qari Ahmad Yar said his informers repeatedly told him that traders and mobile phone dealers in the two buildings were spreading pornographic films and songs via memory cards, reports The Express Tribune.

Social media not allowed aboard Titanic II

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London, Mar. 3 (ANI): The internet, Twitter and e-mails will be banned on board the replica of the ill-fated Titanic to give passengers a chance to relax and talk to each other. Mining tycoon Clive Palmer, 58, is using his own money to build an exact copy of the liner that hit an iceberg and sank off the coast of Newfoundland during its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York in April 1912 with the loss of 1,502 lives, reports Express.co.uk.

India-Pak hockey series meeting gets delayed

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Islamabad, Mar 3 (ANI): President of Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) Qasim Zia has said that an expected meeting with their Indian counterparts Hockey India (HI) officials has been delayed.

Zia, who is in Kuala Lumpur along with Secretary Asif Bajwa, said the meeting with HI officials was scheduled after the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) session, which ended late yesterday evening.

According to the Express Tribune, he also revealed that the agenda for the PHF was to make sure that the India-Pakistan series should take place in time.

‘Millionaire’ Pistorius racks up £200,000 legal bill

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London, Mar 3 (ANI): Paralympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius’ legal fees have gone up to a massive 200,000 pounds in just two weeks after his arrest for the murder of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in the early hours of Valentine’s Day. However, the Blade Runner, who had spent at least 100,000 pounds on legal representation and a bail amount of 75,000 pounds, is ready to do whatever it costs to clear his name, as he is one of the heirs to the wealth of his millionaire elephant-hunting family, the Daily Star reports.

Assam preserves age-old tradition of pony race

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Guwahati, Mar 3 (ANI): A heritage pony race held every year in Assam”s Jorhat district is one of the oldest sporting events that witnesses record footfalls.

This was the 133rd edition of Jorhat Races, the historical equestrian event which was held at the Gymkhana Club in Jorhat.

More than 100 jockeys participated in the grand event this year. Unlike other equestrian events, this one is exclusively open to local ponies.

The first Pony Race in Jorhat was held on January 16, 1877. And, every year, the organizers try to keep the tradition alive.

Authorities give a facelift to centuries old Muslim shrine in Srinagar

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Srinagar, Mar.3 (ANI): Authorities in Srinagar have begun restoration and expansion of the Muslim Sufi shrine of Hazrat Naqshband Mushkil-Kusha on Saturday with the objective of accommodating more devotees.

Final touches Are being given to Hazrat Naqshband Mushkil-Kusha, which is located in Srinagar’s Kahwja Bazar area. The main purpose of this restoration is to maintain the heritage value of old shrines in the Kashmir Valley.

Assad ready for talks with rebels ‘if they lay down arms’

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Sydney, Mar 3 (ANI): Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said that he is willing to conduct peace talks with the country”s opposition, but has refused to consider stepping down.

Assad offered to hold talks with rebels in a bid to end the crisis on the condition they lay down their arms.

In a rare interview with UK newspaper The Sunday Times he, however, made the distinction between the “political entities” he would talk with and “armed terrorists”.

5.5 magnitude quake jolts southwest China

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A 5.5-magnitude earthquake jolted southwest China’s Yunnan province today. The quake struck Eryuan county at 1:41 pm local time, located in Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, close to Myanmar border.

The China Earthquake Networks Center said the epicenter was detected at a depth of 9 km, state-run Xinhua reported.

No reports of damage to life or property have been received as yet.

PTI

Budget 2013: Rs 270.05 cr for Union Ministers’ travel; Rs 5.8 cr for salaries

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The government has earmarked Rs 270.05 crore for the tour expenses of Union Ministers in the General Budget 2013-14 which is slightly more than the last fiscal’s allocation of Rs 269.94 crore.

The General Budget 2013-14 also hiked the allocation for the Prime Minister’s Office to Rs 32.22 crore from the last year’s Rs 31.72 crore.

The provision of Rs 270.05 crore under the head ‘Tour Expenses’ is for expenditure on travel by Cabinet Ministers, Ministers of State and ex-prime ministers. This also includes provision for maintenance of aircraft used for VVIPs travel.

Ceremonial welcome for Mukherjee in Dhaka

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Bangladesh Sunday accorded a red-carpet welcome to President Pranab Mukherjee, complete with a 21-gun salute, as he arrived here on a three-day visit, his first trip abroad as India’s head of state.

Mukherjee, who is accompanied by his wife Suvra Mukherjee and an official delegation, was received by President Zillur Rahman at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

‘Munnabhai 3’ to go on floors early next year

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Filmmaker Subash Kapoor, who has been roped in to direct the third instalment of “Munnabhai” franchise, says the film will go on the floors early next year.

“Right now, I am completely tied up with ‘Jolly LLB’ and after the film’s release, we will start scripting for ‘Munnabhai’. So most probably the film will go on the floors early next year,” Kapoor told IANS.

‘Sharad Pawar will be ready to become PM’

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NCP chief Sharad Pawar will be certainly ready to become the Prime Minister if there is situation where there is a consensus on the issue, his party leader and Union Minister Praful Patel has said.

“And this gossip of merger with Congress, which happens many times, that is never possible,” Patel said in an interview.

“If there is a situation where there is consensus on the issue, then why not Prabhuji, Sharad Pawarji will be certainly ready (to become Prime Minister),” he said, adding, “But I think to talk like this now is basically wrong.”

Violence continues in Bangladesh, six more people killed

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Bangladesh on Sunday deployed troops in the country’s north as six more people were killed in fresh rioting over death sentence given to a top leader of fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami for “crimes against humanity” during the 1971 liberation war, taking the death toll to 56.

Violence broke out on Thursday after 73-year-old Delwar Hossain Sayedee, vice-president of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), was sentenced to death by International Crimes Tribunal.

Benazir Bhutto murder case witnesses under Taliban death threats

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A key prosecution witness in the Benazir Bhutto murder case did not testify in the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) of Rawalpindi on Saturday after receiving threats from the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

The witness, Sub Inspector Ashfaq Ahmed, who works in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Lahore, failed to appear in court to record his statement, fearing a terrorist attack, reports The Dawn.

Pak anti-terrorism court rejects plea by Musharraf

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A Pakistani anti-terrorism court today rejected a plea by former military ruler Pervez Musharraf’s wife challenging the confiscation of his property and freezing of his bank accounts after he was declared a “proclaimed offender” or fugitive.

Judge Chaudhry Habib-ur-Rehman upheld the court’s earlier decision to seize Musharraf’s assets and disposed of the petition filed by Sehba Musharraf.

Rehman gave his ruling after Sehba’s lawyer was unable to present record of her income deposited in the couple’s joint bank accounts.

Chandigarh Shatabdi to have first Anubhuti coach

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Chandigarh Shatabdi will be the first train to have “Anubhuti” coaches, the special AC luxury class proposed in this year’s rail budget, providing higher travel comfort to passengers.

Railways will roll out 10 state-of-the-art AC coaches from Rae Bareli coach factory by October.

“We will be beginning the Anubhuti trial with Chandigarh Shatabdi to be followed with Jaipur Shatabdi. Later on, all Shatabdi trains will be equipped with one Anubhuti coach in a phase-wise manner,” said a senior Railway Ministry official.

More announcements to promote growth: Chidambaram

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New Delhi: A number of non-legislative decisions covering customs, excise, service tax, insurance and banking to promote growth will be announced in Parliament before the passage of the Finance Bill.

Disclosing this here Sunday, Finance Minister P Chidambaram said that the budget presented by him on February 28 focussed on the legislative areas and the broad agenda. The government was now working on non-legislative decisions.

CM nods for Sports University in Hyderabad

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State chief minister Mr. N Kiran Kumar Reddy has given a nod for establishing Sports University in Hyderabad on the lines of National Institute of sports in Chandigarh. Addressing the function on the occasion of 76th birth anniversary of late Sripad Rao, former speaker legislative assembly at Jubilee Hall chief minister told that mini sports cum cultural stadiums at all mandals with an expenditure of 210 crore will be set up within the next 3 to 4 years; while 117 such stadiums have been given sanction so far.

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