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Ex-TN Chief Secy’s son ‘admits to Rs 17 cr unaccounted income’

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p-rama-mohana-rao

Chennai: Income Tax officials today claimed that former Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary P Rama Mohana Rao’s son has “admitted to a total unaccounted income of about Rs 17 crore”, a day after I-T raids were carried out at the top bureaucrat’s house, office and other premises linked to his kin in connection with a tax evasion probe.

“Vivek has admitted to a total unaccounted income of about [approximately] Rs 17 crore which includes Rs five crore disclosure made by him yesterday,” a top tax official told PTI on the condition of anonymity.

He said disclosure of income made by Vivek happened against the backdrop of evidence gathered by tax sleuths after they zeroed in on Shekar Reddy and his associate from whose premises cash of Rs 135 crore and 177 kg gold bars were seized recently. Vivek could not be contacted for his comment.

Rao was today replaced from the top post and Additional Chief Secretary Girija Vaidyanathan was appointed as the new Chief Secretary. Similarly, in related searches conducted by I-T sleuths at the premises of two individuals here one of them a former IFS official who headed the state’s Environment Impact Assessment Authority the duo had also admitted unaccounted money, the official said.

“While the former IFS official has admitted to unaccounted money an income of about Rs 1.1 crore, another person has admitted to Rs 1.75 crore,” the official said, adding such disclosures by them have come close on the heels of “evidence following the Shekar Reddy case”.

To a query if they had seized anything from the duo, the official said “some seizures,” without elaborating further. Continuing its crackdown on black money post demonetisation, the Income Tax department had yesterday searched 11 locations linked to Rao, including his official chamber and residence, besides those of his son, and claimed to have seized Rs 30 lakh in new currency and five kg gold.

The searches were also conducted in Chitoor on premises of Rao’s relatives in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. IT officials had yesterday claimed Vivek had admitted to having undisclosed income of Rs five crore.

(PTI)

Lalu Prasad Yadav backs Rahul Gandhi, demands SC-Monitored probe against Modi

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lalu prasad yadav

Patna: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav has backed Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi”s assertion that corporates paid crores as bribes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2013-14 and demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the same.

Lalu told ANI that Prime Minister Modi, who is now completely trapped, owes an explanation to the nation.

“Rahul Gandhi has alleged Aditya Birla and Sahara Group had given ₹40 crores to Narendra Modi. The Prime Minister is completely trapped and now he will have to give an explanation. If any BJP spokesperson comes up with justification on his behalf then that would be unfair,” he added.

The RJD chief further stated that the Congress vice-president wouldn”t have made such allegations against the Prime Minister without any proof.

“Without proof, Rahul Gandhi won”t say this…or any leader won”t accuse the Prime Minister of this. It proves that the Prime Minister was involved in corruption. I demand a Supreme Court-monitored probe in this regard,” he added.

Speaking in Gujarat”s Mehsana on Wednesday, Gandhi alleged that in the records with the Income Tax, there were nothings of Sahara officials” claims that they paid Prime Minister Modi nine times between October 2013 and February 2014 and that the total amount was ₹40 crore.

He also alleged that according to documents with the IT department, the Birla Group too paid ₹12 crore to the Prime Minister.

Seeking an independent inquiry, Gandhi said that he was raising the issue “on behalf of the country”.

(Agencies)

Nigerian with about Rs 54 L in new notes intercepted at IGIA

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new-notes-india

New Delhi: A Nigerian national was found in possession of about Rs 54 lakh in new notes today at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) here.

Officials said the incident was reported at about 2:30 AM when CISF personnel intercepted the Nigerian travelling to Coimbatore from here.

“He was allowed to travel after information was shared with tax and customs sleuths. A total cash of over Rs 58 lakh was detected with the Nigerian with Rs 53.78 lakh in new currency and Rs 4.29 lakh in old notes,” they said.

(PTI)

Jerusalem: 19-year-old shot protesting home demolition

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Ahmad al-Kharoubi, 19, killed during protest against home demolition by Israeli forces in occupied East Jerusalem.

Palestinian rights groups say Israeli forces operate with impunity in the occupied territories [File: Alaa Badarneh/EPA]

Palestinian rights groups say Israeli forces operate with impunity in the occupied territories [File: Alaa Badarneh/EPA]

by Patrick Strickland, Al Jazeera

Israeli forces have shot dead a Palestinian teen during clashes that erupted when soldiers arrived to demolish the home of an alleged attacker.

Soldiers opened fire on a crowd and fatally hit Ahmad al-Kharoubi, a 19-year-old Palestinian, during clashes with youth before dawn on Thursday in occupied East Jerusalem’s Kafr Aqab neighbourhood.

Including Kharoubi, the Al-Haq human rights organisation has documented the killing of at least 107 Palestinians by Israeli security forces or settlers.

“Perpetrators include soldiers (regular and so-called border police), settlers, police, settlement guards, settler escorts, private security company personnel, light train guards, undercover units and municipality guards,” Al-Haq’s Tahseen Elayyan told Al Jazeera.

An Israeli army spokesperson said the soldiers were sent to raze the home of Misbah Abu Sbeih, a 39-year-old Palestinian who was killed by Israeli security forces after he carried out a drive-by shooting on a police station in East Jerusalem, leaving an Israeli woman and a police officer dead.

“During the activity, suspects shot and hurled improvised explosive devices at Israeli forces,” the spokesperson told Al Jazeera.

“In response to the threat, forces fired toward the suspect throwing an IED, resulting in his death.”

At least nine Israeli civilians were killed by Palestinian assailants between January and October of this year, according to United Nations statistics.

‘Impunity is continuing’

Al-Haq’s Elayyan argued Israeli soldiers and settlers who kill Palestinians are rarely held accountable.

“Impunity is continuing,” he said, pointing to the case of Israel Shomer, an Israeli soldier who was acquitted after he shot dead 17-year Muhammad al-Kusbeh near a military checkpoint between Jerusalem and Ramallah in 2015.

According to the Israeli rights group Yesh Din’s most recent statistics, only 3.5 percent of legal complaints about Israeli soldiers harming or killing Palestinians led to an indictment in 2014.

“We believe that the Israeli judicial system is not impartial when it comes to the rights of the Palestinians,” Elayyan added.

“This system is part of the occupation enterprise in general. The goal of these so-called investigations is to shield perpetrators.”

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs documented the destruction of at least 986 Palestinian-owned structures between January and October of this year. At least 1,501 people were displaced during that period.

In addition to Syrian and Lebanese land, Israel has occupied the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the besieged Gaza Strip since the 1967 Middle East war.

More than half-a-million Israelis live in Jewish-only settlements – considered illegal under international law – throughout the West Bank and East Jerusalem, according to the Israeli rights group B’Tselem.

‘No attention on their actions’

Ibrahim Abrash, a writer and political analyst, said the wars in Syria, Iraq and Yemen resulted in the international community paying little attention Israel’s killing of Palestinians and settlement expansions in 2016.

“Israel has it easy now with no attention on their actions,” he told Al Jazeera.

“The Palestinian Authority’s attempts to hold Israel accountable in the International Criminal Court have not produced results,” he explained.

“There’s no Palestinian strategy to face Israel, and they are focused on internal problems within and between Hamas and Fatah,” he said, referring the the two largest Palestinian political parties.

Abrash, who is based in Gaza, said he expects the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States to usher in a new period of relations between Israel and the US.

“The Trump stage will be very hard on Palestinians,” he said, citing president-elect’s decision to appoint right-wing lawyer and pro-settlement figure David Friedman as ambassador to the US.

“All of this says that Washington is not a neutral broker between the two sides in peace talks.”

In September, US President Barack Obama signed an agreement to give Israel $38bn in military aid despite public spats between Obama and right-wing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Between 2009 and 2014, settlements were expanded by at least 23 percent.

Ashwin elated at being named ICC Cricketer of the Year

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Ravichandran-Ashwin

Dubai: After being adjudged the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Cricketer of the Year, India’s premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Thursday termed the award as a recognition of his performance both with the bat and ball in the last couple of years.

Ashwin+ , who was also named the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year, said he was delighted to see the team on the right track in the longest format even after Mahendra Singh Dhoni retired from it.

“It’s an absolute pleasure to be awarded with this great honour. It feels great to follow the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid in being named as the ICC Cricketer of the Year. To also win the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year makes it even better,” said the Chennai tweaker, who helped India thrash New Zealand 3-0 and England 4-0 at home recently.

“There are a lot of people to thank for this wonderful achievement I have made. It has been a great couple of years but this year has been even more special. What is very noticeable is the way I have bowled and batted and the way I have gone about doing my business. What is more important, as far as I am concerned, is the number of people who have gone behind my success.”

“I’d like to dedicate this award to my family. I’d like to thank ICC and most importantly my team-mates. I’d also like to thank the support staff for our success. We’ve had a great transition ever since Mahendra Singh Dhoni hung up his boots. A young captain has taken over, we fell on the right track, and we now have a new bunch of boys,” he added.

ICC Chief Executive David Richardson congratulated Ashwin, saying: “It has been a memorable period for Ashwin, whose consistent all round and match winning performances have been reflected in the MRF player rankings. He is justifiably now being counted among the best spinners of his generation.

“To win both the ICC Cricketer of the Year and ICC Test Cricketer of the Year awards is a major accomplishment. Ashwin’s performances speak for themselves and he is a deserving recipient of the honours. I congratulate him on behalf of the ICC,” he added.

(IANS)

Multiple deposits in KYC accounts allowed till Dec 30, RBI clarifies

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Black money

Mumbai: A day after the Reserve Bank withdrew the notification that barred people from depositing old notes in bank accounts more than once, the central bank on Thursday clarified that people are free to make more than one deposit till December 30.

The old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes can be deposited at bank branches or in cash deposit machines more than once till December 30, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said in the updated Frequently asked questions (FAQ).

The customers should use separate pay-in-slips for making deposits in the mixed bunch of demonetised and legal tender notes, it said.

Anybody depositing more than Rs 50,000 in cash in their bank account needs to submit a copy of the PAN card in case the bank account is not seeded with the information.

The clarification on the part of the RBI comes a day after it took a U-turn on its notification of December 19 after widespread protests from the public.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had clarified the same evening on December 19 that one-time deposit would not attract any scrutiny by bankers. However, on Tuesday, he had insisted that only a one-time deposit would be allowed till December 30. On Wednesday, the RBI withdrew its norms on KYC deposits, but left it unclear whether multiple deposits would be allowed.

The RBI said that for non-KYC accounts, if a person deposits more than Rs 5,000 in withdrawn currencies, the account will be credited only after questioning him or her, in the presence of two bank officials, as to why the money was not deposited earlier. The bankers will also have to keep the explanatory statement on record for future audit trail.

Even if the non-KYC deposits are less than Rs 5,000 at a time but cumulatively exceed the amount, the bank officials have to get on record an explanation from the depositor of a non-KYC account.

The upper limit of deposits for such accounts is also restricted to Rs 50,000.

The above restrictions do not apply to deposits under the Taxation and Investment Regime for the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana.

(IANS)

Siddaramaiah govt mulls 100% quota for Kannadigas in private blue-collar jobs

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Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru: The Karnataka government is planning to provide Kannadigas 100% reservation in mainly blue-collar jobs in private sector industries across the state. The state labour department has released the draft amendments to the Karnataka Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Rules of 1961 to this end.

The 100% horizontal reservation for Kannadigas is meant for all private industries -except those in the infotech and biotech sector -that secure concessions under the industrial policy of Karnataka.

If industries do not follow these new guidelines, the government will cancel all concessions given to them. The amendments will be implemented once the law department gives its approval the second time.

Karnataka labour minister Santosh Lad said: “The amendment will give us the means to ensure that all private sector industries open their doors to us, to identify how many Kannadigas work in each company and rectify any discrepancies.”

The minister said the labour department may adopt a lenient approach if the companies employed Kannadigas to 70% of all whiteand bluecollar jobs or 100% of blue-collar jobs alone. “We’re not saying they have to pick a Kannadiga if there is none for the job. But we’re insisting that private industries employ Kannadigas as the first option,” he said.

The department also provided 5% reservation for a disabled person who is also a Kannadiga. The IT-BT (information technology-biotechnology) vertical has been exempted as they are not covered under the Karnataka Industrial Employ ment (Standing Orders) Rules of 1961 for a period of five years from 2014.

Sources in the labour department said the government did not want to hamper the “bread and butter” of the state GDP with the reservation policy . “We did not want to invite a problem with the powerful IT-BT lobby at this point in time. Let’s first implement this reservation and then take on the IT-BT vertical later,” a department official said.

The labour department has got the concurrence of Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah for the amendment, and the law department will vet the amendment once again before implementing it.

(Agencies)

Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung Submits Resignation To Centre

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New Delhi: Najeeb Jung, the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, has resigned 18 months short of his tenure and said he wants to return to his “first love, academics”.

Mr Jung’s two years in office were dogged by his constant battle with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government.

His announcement surprised many and was seen in the context of his clashes with Mr Kejriwal, but sources close to Mr Jung claimed he had been thinking of quitting for a few months.

In a statement, Mr Jung thanked “the people of Delhi for all their support and affection, especially during the one year’s President Rule in Delhi, when he got unstinted support from them and which in turn helped run the administration in Delhi smoothly and effortlessly.”

He also thanked Mr Kejriwal.

(Agencies)

Aleppo evacuation will be complete ‘in days’

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Russian and Turkish ministers expect operation to be complete by the week’s end as Syria agrees to sending UN observers.

Dozens+of+civilians+killed+in+Syria

by Al Jazeera

The evacuation of Aleppo should take no more than two days, Russian and Turkish foreign ministers say, following a rare breakthrough and show of unity by world powers over Syria that allows UN monitors to observe the operation.

A total 37,500 evacuees have so far left the war-torn Syrian city and the goal is to complete all evacuations by Wednesday, Mevlut Cavusoglu, Turkish foreign minister, wrote on Twitter on Tuesday.

The evacuation of of Aleppo would be complete in a maximum of two days, Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, said.

Lavrov said that Russia, Iran and Turkey had used their influence to make the evacuation happen and that the 19-member International Syria Support Group including Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the US had not been able to enforce its decisions.

Cavusoglu travelled to Moscow after holding talks with his Russian and Iranian counterparts to discuss the future of Syria.

At a meeting on Tuesday in the Russian capital, Turkey, Iran and Russia agreed to guarantee the Syria peace talks and backed expanding a ceasefire in the country, laying down their claim as the main power brokers in the conflict.

“Iran, Russia and Turkey are ready to assist in preparing the agreement in the making between the Syrian government and the opposition and to become its guarantor,” Lavrov said, citing a joint statement.

“The ministers agree with the importance of widening the ceasefire, of free access for humanitarian aid and movement of civilians on Syrian territory.”

Cavusoglu said in comments translated into Russian that the ceasefire should cover the entire Syrian territory but exclude the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group and the Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (formerly known as al-Nusra Front, which was linked to al-Qaeda).

UN observers

For its part, the Syrian government has authorised the UN to send an additional 20 expatriate staff to east Aleppo, where they will monitor the ongoing evacuation of thousands of people, according to a UN spokesperson.

Jens Laerke, speaking in Geneva, said: “This will almost triple the number of international staff currently deployed to Aleppod.

“The task is to monitor and observe the evacuations.”

The UN Security Council on Monday unanimously called for UN officials and others to observe the evacuation and monitor the safety of civilians.

The UN staff, already in its Damascus office, will travel to Aleppo “as soon as possible”, Laerke said.

Aleppo, Syria’s second city, was once a cultural and economic hub before being split between government and rebel control in late 2012.

Al Jazeera’s Charles Stratford, reporting from Reyhanli in neighbouring Turkey, said there were concerns about “the kind of access” UN monitors would be granted once they are in Syria.

“There are reports of harassment by some of the Iranian-backed militias in that area,” he said.

“And of course … there are concerns about how rebel forces may cooperate.”

Arrivals in Idlib

According to UN aid partners, the number of people who had arrived in Idlib – where Aleppo evacuees are being taken – was around 19,000, the UN’s Laerke said.

“We do not have independent UN access to the buses, so we are not able to enter and access people; that does not take away from the protection concerns that we do have and continue to have,” he said.

About 43 unwell people were medically evacuated from east Aleppo on Monday, bringing the total to 301 since last Thursday, according to Tarik Jasarevic, World Health Organization’s spokesman.

“Out of those 301, 93 patients were referred to hospitals in Turkey, others are in hospitals in [opposition-held] Idlib and western rural Aleppo.”

The vast majority have trauma injuries. The sick and wounded include 67 children, Jasarevic said.

The UN refugee agency UNHCR said there was no sign of a heavy influx of people fleeing Aleppo into neighbouring Turkey.

“All the borders of Syria are very tightly managed at present. People, we understand, are being allowed to cross into Turkey when they come. But I think this is speculative as we are not yet seeing people move across in relation to Aleppo,” Adrian Edwards, UNHCR spokesperson, said.

Laerke said some 750 people have been evacuated from Foua and Kefraya, two Shia-majority villages besieged for months by rebel groups.

Syria’s conflict started as a largely unarmed uprising against President Bashar al-Assad’s rule in March 2011, but it quickly turned into a full-scale civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands.

Attempts to negotiate a lasting ceasefire have failed time and again.

Modi got Rs 40 crore bribe as Gujarat CM: Rahul Gandhi

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Rahul-Gandhi

New Delhi: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi Wednesday alleged that Sahara paid Rs 40 crore to Narendra Modi before he became prime minister. He claimed that when Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat, he received multiple payments spread across 2013-14 from the company. Rahul claimed that when the Income-Tax department raided Sahara’s premises in 2014, they recovered documents showing that payments have been made to Modi between the months of October 2013 and February 2014.

“As per record with IT, Rs 2.5 cr was given to PM Modi on 30 Oct ’13; Rs 5 cr on 12 Nov ’13; Rs 2.5 cr on 27 Nov ’13; Rs 5cr on 29 Nov ’13. Entries showed Rs 5cr given to PM Modi on 6 Dec ’13; Rs 5 cr on 19 Dec ’13; Rs 5cr on 13 Jan ’14; Rs 5 cr on 28 Jan ’14; Rs 5 cr 22 Feb ’14,” Gandhi said.

Modi became prime minister in May 2014, after the National Democratic Alliance swept the Lok Sabha polls. During the Parliament Winter Session, Rahul claimed that he had evidence linking PM Modi directly with corruption. He also claimed that if he was allowed to speak in the Parliament it would cause an “earthquake” in the country. The Bharatiya Janata Party immediately rubbished the allegations, saying that Rahul is a “non-serious political leader”. “It become their (Cong) habit to level baseless allegations against PM. Rahul Gandhi is a part time non-serious political leader,” said BJP.

Addressing a rally in Mehsana, he continued his tirade against PM Modi over demonetisation. Rahul Gandhi said the government’s step is not against corruption or black money, but it was against the honest poor people. Gandhi said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demonetisation is not a surgical strike on black money, but against poor and honest people of the this country.” Talking about the difficulties faced by the farmers after demonetisation, Gandhi said, “A farmer does not purchase his seeds by cheque or card but in cash, you (PM Modi) have taken away that cash from them.”

He also said that the Congress would have supported the government if it had taken any step to eradicate corruption. “If Narendra Modi ji’s government take any big or small step to eradicate corruption, Congress party will support them,” said Gandhi. He also said that the prime minister had made fun of labourers in Parliament.

He also accused the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Chattisgarh of snatching the land of tribals. “The BJP ruled government in MP, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh is snatching the land of tribals. And when somebody stand for his right, they are being shot,” said Gandhi. “You kill Dalit here in Gujarat, they live in fear,” Gandhi added.

Hitting out at the government over scrapping of high value notes, Gandhi reiterated that all cash is not black money and all black money is not in cash. Referring to the writing off of Vijay Mallya’s loan by the government, Gandhi said, “Modi ji cannot bring back money taken as loans by 1% rich people and hence he is using money of poor to waive of this bad debt. When Switzerland government has given you the list of names of people having black money deposited in Swiss bank, why are you not disclosing their name in Parliament.”

(IANS)

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