Tuesday, March 21TRUSTED FEARLESS INTERNATIONAL & NATIONAL NEWS PORTAL
Politics

Rs 8,800 crore assets seized in 5,931 I-T searches in 8 years: Govt | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: The government on Monday told the Lok Sabha that the income tax department has seized assets of over Rs 8,800 crore during the 5,931 search operations conducted by it between 2014-15 and 2021-22.Replying to a question, minister of state for finance Pankaj Chaudhary told Parliament also said that tax demand of over Rs 13,500 crore has been raised under the Black Money Act. The demand was raised in close to 350 cases since the law was enacted in 2015.Further, the minister said, 648 disclosures involving undisclosed foreign assets worth Rs 4,164 crore were made under the one-time three months compliance window, which closed on 30 September. 2015. Penalty and tax from this added up to Rs 2,476 crore.The government on Monday also told the Lok Sabha that it has not issued any instr...
Politics

Second G20 Sustainable Finance Working Group meeting to commence on Tuesday

The Second G20 Sustainable Finance Working Group (SFWG) meeting under India’s G20 Presidency is set to take place in Udaipur, Rajasthan from Tuesday. During the three-day long meeting in Udaipur, over 90 delegates from various countries who are members of the G20 as well as those who have been invited by the Indian Presidency along with International Organisations will engage in detailed deliberations on the agreed upon workplan and priority areas for 2023. The First G20 Sustainable Finance Working Group (SFWG) was held in Guwahati, Assam on February 2-3 where members showed wide-ranging support and cooperation for the SFWG workplan in 2023, an official statement said. The Second G20 Sustainable Finance Working Group meeting is expected to take forward the discussions and revisit the k...
Business

Biden to present 2021 National Humanities Medals to Indian-American Mindy Kaling: WH

Washington, Mar 21 (PTI): US President Joe Biden would present the 2021 National Humanities Medals to Indian-American Vera Mindy Chokalingam, known professionally as Mindy Kaling, among others, the White House announced Monday.The National Medal of Arts is the highest award given to artists, arts patrons, and groups by the US government and honors exemplary individuals and organisations that have advanced the arts in America and offered inspiration to others through their distinguished achievement, support, or patronage.It honors individuals or groups whose work has deepened the nation's understanding of the humanities and broadened citizens’ engagement with history, literature, languages, philosophy, and other humanities subjects, the White House said. Biden would pr...
Politics

India to be growth engine: Samsung – Times of India

Fuelled by 5G and a techsavvy, dataconsuming young population, India will emerge as the “growth engine” for technology and smartphone makers globally as Western Europe and the US battle recession and face demand reversals, T M Roh, global president of Samsung’s mobile business, said. Roh tells TOIthat the Korean company — which has been in India since 1995 and runs its biggest factory at Noida, apart from the largest R&D centre outside its home market — believes in PM Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Make in India’ and domestic manufacturing as the company lines up new investments, products, and hirings. He predicts that the Indian smartphone population will hit a billion users by 2026, against the estimated 650 million now. Excerpts:How do you see Indian market at a time when Western wor...
Politics

Molesters ‘turn life hell’, girl quits school, and life | India News – Times of India

BAREILLY: A class 12 student in UP consumed poison and killed herself after being allegedly molested by a bunch of goons on multiple occasions spanning months. Before breathing her last in Moradabad at around 4am on Monday, the 17-year-old left behind a suicide note blaming the local police for “inaction” despite numerous pleas. The accused men turned her “life into hell”, she said.In her suicide note, she wrote that she had stopped going to school and missed out on her education because of the alleged perpetrators, and claimed that “the cops didn’t take action against them as they were rich”.An FIR for “attempt to rape” and “criminal intimidation” was registered earlier, but no steps were taken by the cops to arrest the culprits, alleged the girl’s family.SSP (Moradabad) Hemraj Meena s...
Politics

Biden signs law declassifying US intel on Covid origin – Times of India

WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden on Monday signed into law a bill requiring the release of intelligence materials on potential links between the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and a laboratory in the Chinese city of Wuhan."We need to get to the bottom of Covid-19's origins..., including potential links to the Wuhan Institute of Virology," Biden said in a statement."In implementing this legislation, my administration will declassify and share as much of that information as possible," he added."I share the Congress's goal of releasing as much information as possible about the origin" of Covid, he said.Biden said that in 2021, after taking office, he had "directed the Intelligence Community to use every tool at its disposal to investigate."That work is "ongoing," but as much as possib...
Politics

US condemns attack on Indian consulate in San Francisco | India News – Times of India

WASHINGTON: The United States on Monday strongly condemned the attack on the Indian consulate in San Francisco by a group of separatist Sikhs, terming it absolutely unacceptable.Raising pro-Khalistan slogans, the protesters on Sunday broke open the makeshift security barriers raised by the city police and installed two so-called Khalistani flags inside the Consulate premises. Two consulate personnel soon removed these flags.Soon thereafter, a group of angry protesters entered the consulate premises and started hitting the door and windows with the iron rods."That vandalism, it's just absolutely unacceptable," John Kirby, National Security Council Coordinator for strategic communications at the White House told reporters at a daily news conference, strongly condemning the incident."The S...
Uncategorized

UN warns of permanent 1.5°C warming in 20 years – Times of India

NEW DELHI: The pace and scale of what has been done so far, as well as the current pledges of emission cuts by nations, are insufficient to tackle climate change and the world may well breach the dangerous threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius temperature rise (from the 1850-1900 level) by 2030, warns UN climate panel IPCC in its latest report.The IPCC, while releasing its “synthesis report” on six previous findings post-2015, said on Monday that the planet will warm permanently by at least 1.5 degrees C in the next two decades in all scenarios.The report said a 1.5 degrees C warming is likely to trigger a trail of destruction across the world due to an increase in the number of extreme weather events and sea level rise resulting from the melting of polar ice.Pitching for global “net zero” e...
Business

‘Can’t confirm that’: WH on report that US provided intelligence to Indian military on Chinese ‘incursion’

Washington, Mar 21 (PTI): The White House on Monday refused to confirm a news report that the United States provided crucial intelligence to the Indian military last year that helped it successfully tackle the Chinese "incursions"."No, I can't confirm that," John Kirby, National Security Council coordinator for Strategic Communications at the White House told reporters at a daily news conference here when asked about the news report.In an exclusive news report, the US News said that India was able to repel a Chinese military incursion in border territory in the high Himalayas late last year due to unprecedented intelligence-sharing with the US military, an act that caught China's People's Liberation Army off-guard, enraged Beijing; and appears to have forced the Chines...
Politics

French government survives no-confidence votes over pensions

A protester stands in front of French Gendarmes during a demonstration a few days after the government pushed a pensions reform through parliament without a vote, using the article 49,3 of the constitution in Strasbourg on March 20, 2023. - The French government survived two no-confidence motions in parliament on March 20, 2023 but still faces intense pressure over its handling of a controversial pensions reform. | Photo Credit: AFP Parliament adopted a divisive pension bill Monday raising the retirement age in France from 62 to 64, after lawmakers in the lower chamber rejected two no-confidence votes against the government.But the bill pushed through by President Emmanuel Macron without lawmakers' approval still faces a review by the Constitutional Council before it can be signed into...
Politics

Interpol junks RCN, fugitive Mehul Choksi now free to travel | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: The Interpol is learnt to have withdrawn its Red Notice against fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi, causing an apparent setback to Indian law enforcement agencies’ efforts in extraditing the absconding diamantaire from Antigua.Choksi, accused of defrauding Punjab National Bank of over Rs 13,000 crore, had recently filed a petition in the Antigua high court accusing the Indian government and two Indian agents of having abducted him from Antigua and forcibly taking him to Dominican Republic in June 2021.This incident and Choksi’s plea is learnt to have played a role in swinging Interpol’s decision with its officials being of the view that followup action (extradition to India) based on the Red Notice may deprive Choksi of a fair trial given the strong possibility that the 2021 i...
Business

Biden intends to nominates Nisha Desai Biswal as Dy CEO of US International Development Finance Corporation

Washington, Mar 21 (PTI): US President Joe Biden intends to nominate Indian-American Nisha Desai Biswal to a top administrative position in the US International Development Finance Commission, the White House said Monday. Biswal, who served as Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia during the Obama Administration, brings over 30 years of work experience in US foreign policy, international development programs within the Executive Branch, Congress, and the private sector. She is currently Senior Vice President for International Strategy and Global Initiatives at the US Chamber of Commerce, overseeing the US India Business Council and the US Bangladesh Business Council.Biswal served as Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs at the US Dep...
Politics

Delhi budget stalled over MHA queries; AAP, LG trade charges | Delhi News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: In an unprecedented development that has escalated the face-off between the Centre and the Delhi government to a new level, the latter was on Monday virtually stopped by the Union ministry of home affairs from presenting its annual budget in the Vidhan Sabha over queries on its proposed expenditure on advertisements and publicity in the 2023-24 financial year.Sources in the central government told TOI that the MHA had on examination of the budget found the outlay for advertisements and publicity higher than for heads like infrastructure development and public welfare initiatives. “A clarification was sought on this from the Delhi government and it has not been received yet,” a senior official told TOI.The Delhi government, however, claimed that the budget allocation for adver...
Business

US condemns attack on Indian consulate in San Francisco

Washington, Mar 21 (PTI): The United States on Monday strongly condemned the attack on the Indian consulate in San Francisco by a group of separatist Sikhs, terming it absolutely unacceptable.Raising pro-Khalistan slogans, the protesters on Sunday broke open the makeshift security barriers raised by the city police and installed two so-called Khalistani flags inside the Consulate premises. Two consulate personnel soon removed these flags.Soon thereafter, a group of angry protesters entered the consulate premises and started hitting the door and windows with the iron rods. "That vandalism, it's just absolutely unacceptable," John Kirby, National Security Council Coordinator for strategic communications at the White House told reporters at a daily news conference, strong...
Politics

Frame policy on menstrual leave: Panel | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: A parliamentary panel in its report tabled in the Parliament has sought that the government hold consultations to frame a policy and consider granting menstrual leave without seeking any medical certification or justification in return.The department related standing committee on personnel, public grievances and law and justice in its report on demands for grants (2023-24) of the department of personnel and training of ministry of personnel, public grievances and pensions notes that “on being asked whether DoPT is considering introducing menstrual leave for the benefit of women employees of central government, the department said there is no such proposal under consideration.”However, the 31-member panel led by Sushil Modi goes on to make a strong case for menstrual leave.!(f...
Entertainment

‘Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar’ box-office collection day 12: The Ranbir Kapoor starrer does reasonable on its second weekend – Times of India

'Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar' completed its second weekend at the box-office. This Ranbir Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor starrer has been holding up quite well even after its first extended week. But from Friday onwards, the shows had become less at most places to accommodate newer releases like 'Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway', 'Zwigato' and 'Kabzaa'. The business over the second weekend was reasonable but could have been higher considering its weekday trend. But the lesser number of screens affected the numbers. 'Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar' made 15 crore nett in its second weekend and took its overall total to 94 crore nett as per boxofficeindia.com. However, some trade analysts like Taran Adarsh had already tweeted yesterday that the film has crossed the 100 crore mark. This 100 crore mark is too late f...
Politics

White House urges China’s Xi to press Putin on Ukraine – Times of India

WASHINGTON: The White House urged Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday to use his visit to Moscow this week to tell Russian President Vladimir Putin to respect Ukraine's sovereignty and end Russia's war against Ukraine.John Kirby, the White House national security spokesperson, told reporters the United States is concerned that Xi, currently on a trip to Moscow, will reiterate calls for a ceasefire that would leave Russian forces inside Ukrainian sovereign territory.Kirby said Xi should speak with Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskiy about the impact of the war on Ukraine."We encourage President Xi to press President Putin directly on the need to respect Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The world and China's neighbors will certainly be watching closely," he said.Xi ...
Sports

India’s middle-order muddle: of Shreyas’ injury and Suryakumar’s struggle

Quandary: Suryakumar’s continuing failure in ODIs has upset India’s World Cup plans.  | Photo Credit: K.R. DEEPAK With less than six months to go for the World Cup, India is busy trying to figure out its combinations and bench-strength. The two-time champion lost in the semifinals of the previous two editions in 2015 and 2019, and has been looking to cover all bases to recreate the magic of its 2011 triumph at home.In 2019, the lack of clarity in the middle-order tripped India in the semifinals against New Zealand when the top four failed to give the start. It is an area the current management has made a conscious effort in the last few years. One piece of the puzzle was pushing K.L. Rahul down the order to the No. 5 as wicketkeeper bat, which has worked so far. Another player ident...
Politics

Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam scheme to benefit industrial workers, including migrants

The Tamil Nadu government will expand its flagship healthcare programme ‘Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam’ (MTM) to workers in factories and unorganised sectors, including migrant workers, Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan announced in his Budget speech on Monday. The scheme will cover 8.35 lakh workers in 711 factories across the State in the first phase. The MTM scheme aims at identifying and addressing non-communicable diseases at an early stage through proactive screening of the population. The Minister said the government was “deeply concerned about the welfare of the workers, who are the bedrock of our economy”. The expansion of scheme will help tackle non-communicable diseases among workers in factories and unorganised sectors, he said. Health check-up camps will be held in id...
Entertainment

Sanjay Dutt, Deepika Padukone to join Shah Rukh Khan for a the last leg of ‘Jawan’: Report – Times of India

While 'Pathaan' continues to bring in money even in its week 8, Shah Rukh Khan is currently shooting for his next, 'Jawan'. This film directed by Atlee is currently in its last leg of shoot, with just 10-12 days of schedule remaining. While fans are already looking forward to what the film has to offer, there are now more reasons for them to get excited for this one. As per a report in Pinkvilla, Sanjay Dutt is going to join SRK for an action packed sequence in 'Jawan', the shoot of which started yesterday. Dutt and SRK can be seen reuniting for a brief segment in the film but it promises to be adrenaline pumping and huge! The two actors will shoot together for the next 4-5 days and this sequence is a very important part of the narrative. Dutt was shooting for 'Leo' with Thalapathy Vija...