Month: May 2015

Changing demography of Kashmir against UN resolutions: Pakistan

by

Pakistan today said that any effort to establish dedicated townships to change the demography of Jammu and Kashmir would be in violation of UN resolutions.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said at a news briefing that India cannot change the population mix by settling outsiders in the Kashmir valley.

“Any effort to establish dedicated townships or special zones to change the demographic makeup of the territory will be in violation of UN resolutions,” she said.

Black money: Govt amends FEMA for stricter punishment

by

Tightening the noose on Indians holding black money abroad, the government today provided for confiscation of domestic property of offenders and punishment of up to five years under the Foreign Exchange Management Act.

The changes to this affect have been made by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in the Finance Bill, 2015 passed by Lok Sabha today. It will now be taken up by the Rajya Sabha.

Moga again: Woman gangraped by 10 people; attackers record video clip

by

Close on the heels of a teenage girl dying in Moga after being molested and thrown off a moving bus, a case of alleged gangrape of a young woman has been reported from the district.

The woman, in her complaint, has alleged that she was abducted and raped by a family friend and his accomplices at a deserted place in the district yesterday.

Police sources said they were looking into the complaint and action has been initiated to nab the culprits.

Further details are awaited, they said.

Petrol prices dearer by Rs 3.96 a litre, diesel Rs 2.37

by

After two rounds of cuts, petrol prices were today raised by Rs 3.96 per litre and diesel by Rs 2.37 a litre, tracking global cues.

The increase in petrol and diesel prices will be effective from midnight tonight.

Prices of petrol in Delhi will be Rs 63.16 a litre from tomorrow as against the current Rs 59.20; while diesel will cost Rs 49.57 per litre as against Rs 47.20, Indian Oil Corp (IOC), the nation’s largest oil company, said.

BJP world’s largest party, claims Amit Shah

by

BJP today claimed that the party’s membership has touched around 10.5 crore and it has emerged as the “largest party” in the world.

“I feel pride in saying that BJP with around 10.5 crore members has become the largest party in the world. We are happy about it,” BJP President Amit Shah told a news conference.

Wish come true: 10-year-old boy becomes Jaipur police commissioner for a day

by

Ten-year-old Girish Sharma wanted to be police commissioner and his dream came true today when he was made Jaipur Police Commissioner for a day.

“A social organisation – Make-a-wish foundation – told us about the boy, who suffers a serious kidney ailment. He wants to become a police officer. The organisation requested to make him feel like a CP for a day. The wish was fulfilled today,” Police Commissioner Janga Srinivas Rao said.

With cloud, Microsoft has real opportunity in India: Nadella

by

With the emergence of cloud computing, Microsoft has a real opportunity in India, the company’s India-born CEO Satya Nadella has said.

“It was hard selling softwares. But now with cloud, we have real opportunity in India. That definitely is the transformative thing. And of course by design, it has anti-piracy built into it, which also is very helpful,” Nadella told an investors conference being held here on the sidelines of the Build 2015 conference.

Founders, investors not looking to exit: Micromax

by

Mobile handset maker Micromax today said it is looking at raising funds to beef up its war chest for strategic acquisitions and ruled out the possibility of its founders exiting the firm.

Reports suggest that the city-based company is looking at raising as much as USD 1 billion from overseas investors, including Japan’s SoftBank and Alibaba Group’s online financial services firm Ant Financial.

While the company confirmed that it is looking to raise funds, it has declined to comment on the timeline or the size of the funding it seeks.

Microsoft opens Windows 10 to Apple, Android apps

by

Opening up new vistas for India’s nearly 1.6 million-strong developers community, Microsoft has unveiled a set of software development kits to help them adapt Android applications to the upcoming Windows 10 operating system.

The launch date for Windows 10 has not been announced yet, but is expected to be before the festival season this fall.

Toyota India launches updated versions of Camry

by

Japanese carmaker Toyota on Thursday launched updated versions of its sedan Camry in India, priced up to Rs 31.92 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

The company, which is present in the Indian market through a joint venture with the Kirloskar Group – Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) – on Thursday introduced an updated hybrid version of the sedan priced at Rs 31.92 lakh. It also launched an updated version of petrol powered Camry priced at Rs 28.80 lakh.

TVS Motor launches Phoenix 2015 edition at Rs 51,990

by

Two and three-wheeler maker TVS Motor Company has launched an upgraded version of its Phoenix edition bike, in a bid to consolidate its position in the 125cc motorcycle segment.

The two-wheeler comes with a refined 125cc ecothrust engine, new tank scoops, a premium 3D logo, bold-body coloured front visor and pillion grab rails.

It also features a first-time comprehensive white backlit, fully digital speedometer and low battery indicator, the Chennai-based company said in a statement.

The earlier version of Phoenix 125cc motorcycle was launched in September 2012.

Vodafone slashes roaming rates up to 75 pc to woo customers

by

Vodafone India has slashed its national roaming rates by up to 75 per cent with effect from May 1, days after telecom regulator TRAI reduced the ceiling tariffs.

For a local text while on roaming, users will pay 25 paise as compared to Re 1; and for STD texts, 38 paise from Rs 1.50 earlier in accordance with the Telecom Regulator Authority of India (TRAI) guidelines, Vodafone India said in a statement.

Vodafone India customers will pay 45 paise/minute instead of the earlier 75 paise/minute for receiving calls outside their home network, a reduction of 40 per cent.

Sensex slips below 27k level, rupee opens sharply lower at 63.52

by

The benchmark BSE Sensex tanked over 295 points to slip below the 27,000-level in early trade today as participants indulged in offloading positions in view of April series expiry in the derivatives segment.

The 30-share barometer, which had lost 170.45 points in yesterday’s volatile session, dipped below the 27,000-mark by falling 295.25 points or 1.08 per cent to 26,930.68.

All the sectoral indices led by metal, IT and healthcare were trading in negative zone with losses up to 1.55 per cent.

Sensex slips 214 points to four month low

by

Logging its third straight weekly fall, the benchmark BSE Sensex slipped by 214 points to end at 27,011.31, while Nifty ended below the 8,200-mark on account of declines in blue-chips as the monthly derivative contract expired today.

Across-the-board selling on the last day of April series derivative contracts, MAT worries, disappointing Q4 results so far and sluggish global cues pulled down markets.

Participants were seen offloading their long positions in Futures and Options (F&O) segment instead of carrying them forward to the next May series, brokers said.

12th Plan’s private investment in infra will not happen: Govt

by

The projected private investment of Rs 26.83 lakh crore in infrastructure sectors during the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17) is unlikely to materialise, Parliament was informed today.

“..investment in infrastructure sector particularly the private investment including PPPs has slowed down during the first three years of the Plan, the projected private investment during the 12th Plan is unlikely to materialise,” Planning Minister Rao Inderjit Singh said in written Reply to Rajya Sabha.

Jaitley drops PDMA; RBI to regulate govt bonds for now

by

Setting at rest the controversy with regard to regulation of government bonds for the time being, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today dropped from the Finance Bill 2015 the proposal to set up a separate Public Debt Management Agency (PDMA), outside of the RBI’s ambit.

The minister said however that the government, in consultation with the Reserve Bank, will prepare a roadmap to pursue a separate debt management agency later in line with the global practice.

Extremely simplified tax form soon: Arun Jaitley

by

An “extremely simplified” income tax return form will soon replace the controversial 14-page ITR that sought information like all bank accounts and foreign trip details, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced in the Lok Sabha today.

“I am having the entire matter reviewed and very soon you will hear an extremely simplified procedure coming for us,” he said replying to the debate on the Finance Bill, 2015.

Gr Noida company fined for burning garbage in open

by

A private company here has been fined Rs 25,000 by the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority today for burning garbage in open areas.

Assistant Chief Executive Officer (ACEO) Greater Noida Authority Yogendra Yadav today visited the city and found garbage burning at five places in the company’s premises, officials said.

The ACEO imposed on the company a fine of Rs 25,000 under the National green Tribunal (NGT) order which prohibits burning of garbage in open areas and laid provision for a fine of Rs 5,000 on each default.

Woman commits suicide after killing her 3 children

by

A middle-aged-woman allegedly committed suicide after killing her three children in Bhood colony area of the city, police said today.

The woman was apparently depressed with the financial conditions of her family due to which she took this extreme step, police said.

It is understood that first she killed the children by forcing them to consume poison and then killed herself on Tuesday, Investigating Officer ASI Dharmchand said.

AAP rebel Anand Kumar hits out at farmer’s suicide, Tomar’s degree

by

Expelled Aam Aadmi Party leader Anand Kumar today slammed the party over the alleged suicide of Rajasthan-based farmer at Jantar Mantar rally in Delhi, saying he was an innocent man who was “sacrificed”.

“They (AAP members) call us idealistic, while they think that they are pragmatic. A person with a fake degree has been made a minister (in Delhi) and a farmer, who tried to ask question, that innocent one was sacrificed in mysterious circumstances. If that is their pragmatism, then definitely we are not going to support that,” professor Kumar said, speaking to PTI.

Fake degree row: Cong holds protest, demands Delhi Law Minister Jitender Singh Tomar’s dismissal

by

Stepping up its offensive, Congress today held a protest demanding immediate dismissal of Delhi Law Minister Jitender Singh Tomar in the wake of the row over his alleged fake degree which has snowballed into a major political controversy.

Police used water canon when scores of agitated Congress workers tried to break barricades to march towards the Delhi Secretariat, which houses the offices of the Chief Minister and his Cabinet colleagues.

Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken, who led the protest, said his party will not relent till Tomar was removed from the Delhi Cabinet.

Mekedatu dam: Karnataka CM leads all-party delegation to PM

by

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today led an all-party delegation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking the Centre’s “cooperation” for implementing the Mekedatu dam project in his state, which is being opposed by neighbouring Tamil Nadu.

“We sought support from the Government of India to go ahead with the project,” Siddaramaiah told reporters outside Parliament House after meeting Modi.

Terming Tamil Nadu’s opposition to the project as “politically motivated”, he stressed that interests of the neighbouring state would not be affected by this project.

Nationwide transport strike affects services in Karnataka

by

Services of public buses and auto rickshaws were affected in different parts of Karnataka today due to the nationwide strike called by transport sector workers in protest against the proposed Road Transport and Safety Bill, 2015.

Incidents of stone pelting on public buses were reported from different parts of the state including Bengaluru, Hubballi, Bellary and Raichur, Mysuru, official reports said.

Verdict in poll code breach case against Modi likely on May 11

by

A local court today concluded hearing in the case related to an alleged breach of election laws by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during Lok Sabha elections last year and the order may be pronounced on May 11.

Chief Judicial Magistrate S R Sinha of Ahmedabad rural court concluded the hearing on the complaint filed by Aam Aadmi Party member Nishant Verma.

Verma has sought registration of first information report against Modi with some fresh charges.

Gadkari to inaugurate Shillong bypass today

by

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari will on Friday dedicate the Shillong bypass to the people of Meghalaya.

The inaugural function will take place at Umeit village in Ri Bhoi district.

The Shillong by-pass connects the National Highway-40 starting at Umiam in Ri-Bhoi district to NH-44 at Mawryngkneng in the East Khasi Hills district.

The 47.06 kilometer road constructed at the cost of Rs. 220.35 crores, was completed in 2013, two years after the project began in 2011, ahead of the scheduled completion date.