Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal Friday announced the abolition of the e-trip system for major categories besides exempting traders having a turnover less than Rs.1 crore from filing VAT (value added tax) assessment.
Badal announced abolition of the existing e-transportation of information within Punjab (e-Trip) for iron and steel, yarn, vegetable oils, mustard oil, cotton and paper board.
The toll in Thursday’s mortar attacks that targeted security premises in Egypt’s North Sinai province rose to 33, a security source told Xinhua news agency Friday.
“The injured people include 31 military men and two civilians and they are being transferred from Arish to Cairo by air-ambulances for better treatment,” the source added.
On Thursday evening, massive attacks with car bombs and mortar shells targeted security premises in Arish and left dozens dead and injured. The attacks extended to two big security checkpoints in nearby Rafah city.
Manchester United legend Paul Scholes Friday supported Chelsea striker Diego Costa, who is involved in a ‘stamp’ controversy.
Spaniard Costa allegedly stamped on Liverpool’s German defender Emre Can Tuesday in the second leg of the Capital One semi-final at Stamford Bridge which the blues clinched 2-1 on aggregate.
In a column written for the Independent Scholes said he supports the Spanish striker as he believes he was under severe provocation from Liverpool defenders.
Minister of Justice and Correctional Services Michael Masutha Friday rejected the application for the release on medical parole of Clive Derby-Lewis, who killed Chris Hani, former South African Communist Party (SACP) secretary general.
“Our country is a constitutional democracy which is governed by the rule of law. Therefore, in reaching my decision, I have taken into account the relevant laws and prescripts that regulate the medical parole process,” Xinhua news agency quoted Masutha as saying in the ruling.
At least eight people have died due to swine flu in Haryana this month, health officials said here Friday.
A health department spokesman said 47 cases of swine flu have been confirmed so far in the state and the patients were being treated in the isolation wards of various hospitals.
These include eight from Faridabad, seven from Gurgaon and five from Hisar.
The spokesman said strict monitoring was being done of patients with any symptoms of swine flu.
IANS
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will Saturday embark on a three-day visit to China, where she will also attend a Russia-India-China meeting, an official statement said Friday.
During the visit, India and China would discuss bilateral, regional and global issues of their concern.
Sushma Swaraj is visiting China on the invitation of her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.
She will be accompanied by Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar and other senior ministry officials. This will be Jaishankar’s first foreign trip after he assumed charge as the foreign secretary Thursday.
In a first, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the 18th National e-Governance Conference via Twitter on Friday.
The live Twitter address revolved around his vision for a Digital India and to take e-Governance and mobile governance to the next level.
He also hoped the conference would become a focal point for the innovation of ideas to help the nation.
This was yet another innovative approach that has become characteristic of the Prime Minister. Such innovations were seen before. It was also seen during U.S. President Barack Obama’s recent visit to India.
West Bengal Transport Minister Madan Mitra, behind bars in connection with the multi-crore rupee Saradha scam, has not been cooperating in the investigations, the CBI Friday told a city court during the Trinamool Congress leader’s appearance.
Mitra, whose judicial custody expired on the day, could not appear before the court due to illness as Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Haradhan Mukherjee extended his custody till Feb 12.
Full service carrier Jet Airways Friday said it will operate 16 additional Boeing 737 flights daily effective Feb 1, 2015, to March 28, 2015, to meet increased demand on key domestic sectors.
According to the airline, it will operate additional early morning flights from Bengaluru and Chennai to Mumbai and late evening services from Mumbai to the two key southern cities.
A crude oil port in Made island in Myanmar’s western Rakhine state, jointly built by China and Myanmar, was put into service Friday.
The commissioning ceremony of Made Crude Oil Unloading Terminal and pre-commissioning of Southeast Asia Crude Oil Pipeline was attended by Myanmar’s Minister of Energy U Zay Yar Aung, Rakhine state Chief Minister U Maung Maung Ohn, Chinese Ambassador Yang Houlan and general manager of the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) Liao Yongyuan, Xinhua news agency reported.
Made island port is the starting point of China-Myanmar crude oil pipeline.
The Uttar Pradesh government has sanctioned a special economic package of Rs.691.50 crore for Bundelkhand, an official said Friday.
District officials in seven districts – Banda, Chitrakoot, Lalitpur, Banda, Chitrakoot, Hamirpur, Jalaun and Jhansi – of the region have been asked to use this fund for special warehouses and rural infrastructure centres, the official told IANS.
A court martial has been ordered for the commanding officer found culapble in the accident onboard Kilo-class submarine INS Sindhuratna, which killed two sailors, navy sources said Friday.
Six other officers, found culpable in the accident by a board of inquiry, were meanwhile awarded letter of severe displeasure (LOSD) by the navy chief, the sources said.
A stolen car may have been involved in an Indian delivery van driver’s mysterious disappearance in Australia, a police officer said Friday.
Shiva Chauhan, 27, went missing after carrying out his regular deliveries May 1 last year with his locked van found next day in Keysborough, a suburb of Melbourne.
“Our investigations suggest a stolen Toyota Camry may have been involved in Shiva’s disappearance. That vehicle is still outstanding and we’d like to locate it as it may afford evidence in relation to his disappearance,” Herald Sun quoted detective inspector Jill Dyson as saying.
US President Barack Obama will present his annual budget proposals for the 2016 fiscal year next week, with proposed boosts in expenditure on defence, health and education programmes.
In an article published in “The Huffington Post” Thursday, Obama said his budget would “fully reverse” the spending cuts known as sequestration that took effect in 2013 to reduce the deficit.
Those cuts, valued at $1.2 trillion until 2023, impacted several social welfare programmes of the government and the Pentagon’s budget, in particular.
At least 35 people were killed and over 50 injured as a blast hit a Shia mosque in Pakistan’s southern province of Sindh Friday afternoon, officials said.
Deputy Commissioner of the province’s Shikarpur district, Hadi Bakhsh, said that 35 bodies and over 50 wounded people were at hospitals of three cities in the region, Xinhua news agency reported.
Bakhsh said that the toll might rise further as some of the injured were in a critical condition and were being treated in the intensive care units of the hospitals.
A forgetful Metro commuter had good reason to be thankful to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) Friday: The force kept safe and later returned a bag containing jewellery worth Rs.2.50 lakh he left at the baggage checking system in the morning.
The bag was found at the roller of the X-ray baggage inspection system of west Delhi’s Pratap Nagar Metro station Friday around 7.30 a.m. by CISF constable Mahbub, an official said.
The telecom industry is concerned at the increase in service tax from current 12 percent under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) would increase the cost of service, the Cellular Operators’ Association of India (COAI) said in its budget recommendations to the finance ministry.
The Delhi High Court Friday slammed Delhi Police, asking why they can’t hire CCTV cameras for the safety of women in the national capital, and sought a comprehensive report on the issue.
A division bench of Justice B.D. Ahmed and Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva said if the government can install cameras for a visiting head of another country, why this cannot be done for the security of women.
The stage of “Bigg Boss Halla Bol” will turn into a dance set, courtroom and a salon for the final episode of the reality TV show.
As the show inches closer to its finale with the top five contestants — Karishma Tanna, Gautam Gulati, Pritam Singh, Dimpy and Ali Quli Mirza – a lot of special treats and grilling sessions are planned for the contestants.
First, the “Bigg Boss” house will turn into a salon to style the finalists. Actress-producer Malaika Arora Khan has also been roped in to increase the temperature with her sizzling performance. The finalists will also join her.
Having hosted the fifth season of reality TV show “Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi”, filmmaker Rohit Shetty is convinced that its “sequel” – the sixth season – is packed with more action and that it’s “better”.
Shetty is also hosting the sixth season, shot with 14 celebrity contestants in the beautiful environs of Cape Town.
At the launch of the new edition here, the “Chennai Express” and “Golmaal” director cited an example, saying how in the film world, people say they that if one’s doing a sequel to an action or comedy film, then it should be bigger than the previous movie.
Actress Sarah Jane Dias is foraying into indie music and she is delighted that her star friends Arunoday Singh, Sapna Bhavnani and VJ Bani agreed to feature in the music video of her song “Forgot to be me”.
“I have been wanting to make my own music all my life, but I was being patient with the creative process because I think, my personal expression deserved it. ‘Forgot to be me’ would not have been possible without the support of my friends and family.
Himachal Pradesh Governor Kalyan Singh Friday summoned Director General of Police Sanjay Kumar and sought a report on the clash Thursday between activists of the Youth Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha here.
At least 12 activists of both the groups were injured during the Youth Congress’ protest here Thursday against the central government’s land acquisition ordinance.
Official sources told IANS that besides the DGP, the governor summoned Additional Director General S.R. Mardi and Superintendent of Police D.W. Negi, seeking the report on the incident.
Alarm bells are ringing in the city not regarding the deadly virus swine flu but the dipping ground water levels. Making matters worse, people will now have to bear for a torrid summer. Recently Telangana Ground Water Department (TGWD) released annual report, indicates that the water levels in Hyderabad have plummeted by 2.52 metres last year.
A Delhi court today fixed February two for hearing a criminal complaint seeking action against AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal for allegedly exhorting voters to take bribes from BJP and Congress and vote for his party.
“Put up matter for February 2,” Metropolitan Magistrate Richa Gusain Solanki said.
The complaint was marked to the magistrate by the chief metropolitan magistrate. Filed by lawyer Arun Kumar, it accused Kejriwal of deliberately abetting bribery.
Superstar Mohanlal, who has been condemned for charging a hefty fee for his new musical band at the opening ceremony of the 35th National Games of India, Friday said that he is doing it for free.
“The report that I’ve charged a Rs.2 crore fee for the show is baseless. I have not taken anything as my fees. Instead I have taken only the cost of bringing in numerous singers for the event and if calculated, it’s much less than what is being said,” Mohanlal told reporters here.