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Showing posts from September 10, 2018

Bangkok meet fails to finalise draft on climate change rules

The Economics Times September 09, 2018 An international meeting in Bangkok fell short  of its aim of completing fruitful preparations to  help an agreement be reached in December on guidelines for implementing the 2015 Paris   climate change agreement. The six-day  meeting, which ended on Sunday, was  scheduled to step up progress in the battle  against rising global carbon emissions by  adopting a completed text that could be  presented at the COP24 conference in  Katowice, Poland, three months from now. A primary objective of the 2015 Paris  agreement, to which 190 nations subscribe, is to limit the global temperature increase by 2100 to less than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) and as close as possible to 1.5 degrees, which is vital to the survival of island nations threatened by rising seas. But the absence of guidelines for meeting that goal has led to fears that not enough action is being taken. There have been notable disagreements over fair financ

Data of 1.5 lakh bank customers leaked

The Times of India September 09,2018 Sarfaraz Shaikh AHMEDABAD: With data on more than 1.5 lakh customers of seven banks across 13 states leaked to online fraudsters, the cyber cell of city crime branch is tracking down the mastermind of the racket, Samir Khan. Cyber cell sources said they are close to nabbing him and a big racket of cheating credit card and debit card users is likely to emerge. Cyber cell officials said bank officials from seven banks will come to the cyber cell office on Monday to help police identify the moles who was allegedly leaked customer data to Samir Khan, a resident of Delhi. On August 31, city crime branch arrested Prakashchandra Kishansingh (24), Pooja Jadav (21) and Kirti Saikya (23) of Delhi, who were calling people in thirteen states — Gujarat, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, UP, Delhi, Rajasthan, Bihar, Punjab, MP, AP, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka , Tamil Nadu and Chandigarh — on the pretext of “verifying credit and debit cards”.

Bangladesh says Pakistan trying to use its land for smuggling of Fake India Currency Notes in India

Times Now September 08,2018 New Delhi:  Bangladesh Home Minister Asadduzaman Khan admitted that Pakistan was trying to use Bangladesh land for smuggling of fake Indian currency note (FICN). Khan told  Times Now  that Islamabad is trying to use their land but Dhaka is very careful while giving them a visa. He also said that they are careful about Pakistan citizens who are entering the country.  Khan said, “We are very careful while giving them a visa and we are careful about Pakistani citizens also who are coming. Let me assure you that Bangladesh will not allow even an inch of land to any foreign country to operate and harm our friendly neighbours. Fake currency notes influx are a problem but we are taking measures to curb them.” Yesterday, Border Security Forces (BSF) Director General KK Sharma, in a veiled attack Pakistan, accused them of using Bangladesh’s land as a transit route to smuggle fake Indian currency notes. But, he also pointed out the activity has come down

Vaiko flays Centre for awarding hydrocarbon exploration contracts

The Hindu September 09,2018 MDMK general secretary Vaiko on Saturday condemned the Central government for awarding contracts for hydrocarbon exploration in two locations in the Cauvery basin to Vedanta Limited. Addressing mediapersons, he said the decision was aimed at instilling fear in the minds of the people and dissuading them from protesting against the Sterlite copper plant in Thoothukudi. While the police firing on anti-Sterlite protesters in Thoothukudi, which claimed 13 lives, was still fresh in public memory, the Centre had awarded contracts to Vedanta for hydrocarbon exploration in the delta region, he noted. “We want to make the Cauvery basin a protected zone for agriculture. But the Centre is taking steps to make it a ‘chemical zone’, for which the State government has allotted 55,000 acres,” he claimed. The MDMK would support and participate in the nationwide strike against rising fuel prices on September 10, he said, adding, “The price of fuel is nearing ₹10

Cyberabad police busts Hisar-based MLM fraud worth Rs 1,200 crore

The Indian Express September 08,2018   Sreenivas Janyala   The Economic Offence Wing of Cyberabad police on Saturday arrested two people for carrying a multi-level marketing (MLM) money circulation scheme fraud of more than Rs 1,200 crore. The two accused, Radhe Shyam, Chairman and Managing Director of M/s Future Maker Life Care Global Marketing and Director Surender Singh, operated from Hisar, Haryana, claimed officials. In addition, the EOW officials have seized Rs 200 crores from the company which was registered at Registrar of Companies (ROC), New Delhi. Cyberabad Commissioner of Police V C Sajjanar claimed that Radhe Shyam, the CMD, who earlier worked with MLM companies formed his own company and floated a binary scheme–which means one person has to enroll two persons each and build a chain. The MLM charged a joining fee of Rs 7,500 for the scheme and promised a return of Rs 2,500 a month after joining and the remaining amount could be utilized to purchase clothes and

Article 35A: Farooq Abdullah threatens to boycott assembly, Lok Sabha polls

The Indian Express September 09,2018   Bashaarat Masood FORMER CHIEF Minister and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah said on Saturday that if the separate Constitution for Jammu and Kashmir is an aberration, then the state’s “accession to India is also an aberration”. He also warned that his party would boycott elections to the state assembly and Lok Sabha if the Centre does not clear its stand on Article 35A. “Their National Security Advisor, Doval Sahib, has stabbed Kashmir once again. He has said that the separate Constitution for Jammu and Kashmir is an aberration, it should not have happened,” said Abdullah, addressing people on the death anniversary of his father, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah. “Sitting in this mausoleum, I want to tell Doval Sahib and the government that if this Constitution is an aberration, then the accession (of Jammu and Kashmir to India) is also an aberration”. Earlier this week, NSA Ajit Doval had said that a separate Constitution for Ja

A shot in the arm for Manipur’s intrepid women

The Hindu       September 08,2018       Iboyaima Laithangbam After their long battle, Supreme Court orders filing of chargesheets in 1,528 cases of extra-judicial killings under the contentious AFSPA September 8 was the grim anniversary of the imposition of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958, (AFSPA) in  Manipur  in 1980. Allegations of extra-judicial excesses and killings by security forces have persisted since then. The  Supreme Court,  which is hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) petition, seeking a probe into as many as 1,528 cases of extra-judicial killings that allegedly took place in Manipur between 1979 to 2012 under the contentious Act, on July 14, 2017, constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and ordered the framing of chargesheets in a time-bound manner against Army and police officers involved in the encounters. Quest for truth Renu Takhellambam, president, Extra-Judicial Execution V

China's Aug trade surplus with US hits $31 bln

The Economic Times September  08,2018 China's politically charged trade surplus with the United States widened to a record $31.05 billion in August, compared with $28.09 billion in July, customs data showed on Saturday.  The amount surpassed the previous record of $28.93 billion set in June.  The August surplus with the U.S. was larger than China's overall surplus of $27.91 billion for the month.  For January-August, China's trade surplus with the United States was $192.64 billion, compared with about $167.94 billion in the same period last year.  China's large trade surplus with the United States has long been a sore point in relations and is at the centre of an increasing bitter dispute between the world's two biggest economies.  Beijing and Washington have slapped each other with tit-for-tat tariffs in recent months and threatened more duties on each other's goods. Talks aimed at easing tensions have yielded no major breakthroughs and

FATF measures help make bank operations clean

The Express Tribune September 10, 2018 KARACHI:  The tightening of the monitoring regime to combat terror financing and money laundering under the umbrella of the inter-governmental Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is a positive move for the banking industry and the economy at large. “It (FATF move) is good for us (banks), the economy and from the perspective of tax payments,” JS Bank President and CEO Basir Shamsie said while talking with the media on Friday. The measures are helping banks make their operations clean. “Banks are recording all the suspicious transactions, doesn’t matter how big or small they are and are reporting to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on a regular basis,” he said. Pakistan enacts ambitious reforms to comply with FATF It remained no more a difficult job to detect suspicious financial transactions through banks as “availability of modern technology and software have made the job of detectors easier”, he said. He said FATF measures are also

China 'not saddling Pakistan with debt': Chinese FM

The Express Tribune September 08,2018 ISLAMABAD:  The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will usher in an era of unprecedented prosperity without saddling Pakistan’s economy with expensive debt, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Saturday. Rejecting criticism over CPEC projects, he said that both Pakistan and China had agreed to re-prioritise project benefits. “CPEC has not inflicted a debt burden on Pakistan … when these projects are completed and enter into operation, they will unleash huge economic benefits … creating considerable returns for Pakistan’s economy,” Wang said at a news conference. Wang, who is also a state councillor, is visiting the country in the wake of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s visit to Pakistan. Beijing has pledged $57 billion for CPEC projects in the shape of soft-term loans and investments. Some CPEC projects have already been completed and the programme is set to enter into its second phase. Whether China is overburden

Nirav Modi bank fraud case: Sleuths caught in legal tangle

Hindustan Times September 07, 2018 Rajesh Ahuja In a potential legal tangle for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), a suspect in the alleged bank fraud carried out by jeweller Nirav Modi has approached a court saying his trial should be discontinued because the agency does not have the sanction to prosecute two retired Punjab National Bank (PNB) employees together with whom he has been charged. Before the Prevention of Corruption Act was amended in July, the prosecution’s sanction was not required to try retired government servants or employees of public sector organisations. PNB is a government-run bank which Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi are alleged to have defrauded to the tune of ₹14,000 crore. Under the amended section 19 of the Act, the prosecution’s sanction is now required to try retired government personnel. Hemant Bhatt, an employee of Nirav Modi, was charged by the CBI in the case along with retired PNB employees Gokulnath Shetty and Bishnubrata Mishr