Knoxville Challenger: Leander Paes and Purav Raja lift men’s doubles title
Leander Paes and Purav Raja have lifted Knoxville Challenger men’s doubles title at Tennessee in United States. Top seeded Indians defeated American-Australian duo of James Cerretani and John Patrick Smith 7-6, 7-6 in the final of the men’s doubles ATP challenger at the indoor hard court of Goodfriend Tennis Center tonight.
Paes and Raja won their first ever title after joining forces in August this year. Earlier, Leander Paes won three Challenger level titles this season pairing with Canadian Adil Shamasdin and American Scott Lipsky. Purav Raja before teaming up with Paes had won Bordeaux Challenger with Divij Sharan and also made the final of the Chennai Open.
Top seeded Indian team of Leander Paes and Purav Raja take on the American-Australian duo of James Cerretani and John Patrick Smith in the men’s doubles final of the Knoxville Challenger tennis tournament.
In the semi-final of the competition at Knoxville in the United States, the Indian pair defeated the South African-British combination of R. Roelofse and J Salisbury in straight sets 7-6, 6-3.
In the other semi-final, Cerretani and Smith overcame the Venezuelan-British pair of Maytin R and Narrie C also in straight sets 6-4, 6-2.
Launch of BharatNet phase 2 project
To provide high-speed broadband service in all Gram Panchayats by March 2019, government today launched its second and final phase of BharatNet project. It will be implemented at an outlay of around 34 thousand crore rupees.
Communication Minister Manoj Sinha, Electronics and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar and Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Sushil Modi and IT ministers of different states launched this at a function in New Delhi.
Department of Telecommunications (DoT) today signed MoUs with states for the implementation of the second phase of BharatNet. Under this phase, broadband connectivity will be provided in remaining 1.5 lakh Gram Panchayats in the country.
Broadband infrastructure on Optical Fibre network has been made available in more than one lakh Gram Panchayats as part of BharatNet Phase-1 and by December this year, all these Panchayats will be operational on the BharatNet infrastructure.
Almost 90 thousand installations have been completed and broadband services are expected to commence in 80 thousand Gram Panchayats soon.
SC to hear plea to curb rising pollution in Delhi-NCR
Supreme Court has agreed to hear today itself a fresh plea seeking to curb rising pollution in Delhi and the national capital region (NCR).
A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud considered the submission of lawyer R K Kapoor that rise in dust particles on roads and stubble burning in Delhi’s neighbouring states have led to an alarming rise in pollution levels in the NCR and its adjoining areas.
Asserting that the pollution cannot be ignored, the bench decided to hear the plea today after finishing the listed matters.The plea seeks direction to the Centre and the states concerned to take measures on curbing road dust and stubble burning. It also seeks effective implementation of the odd-even car rationing scheme.
PM Modi holds talks with Donald Trump
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump today held bilateral talks on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Manila.
Both leaders discussed a range of key issues including defence and security.
The meeting in the Philippines capital came a day after officials of India, the US, Japan and Australia held talks to give shape to the much talked about quadrilateral alliance to keep the strategically important Indo-Pacific region free, open and inclusive.
ICG EVACUATES GERMAN PASSENGER
ICG EVACUATES 75 YEARS OLD CARDIAC STROKE GERMAN PASSENGER AT HIGH SEAS OFF GOA
In a swift response operation undertaken by Indian Coast Guard on 11 Nov 2017, a 75 years old German passenger who suffered from cardiac stroke at sea was successfully evacuated from MV ‘Mein Schiff I’ off Goa.
At about 1415 Hrs on 11 Nov, Indian Coast Guard Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre at Goa received a call from master of a Cruise Liner ‘MV Mein Schiff I’ for urgent Medical evacuation of a 75 years old German Passenger who suffered from Cardiac Stroke, Hypertension and Lung fibrosis. The Malta flagged passenger vessel was on passage from Mumbai to Colombo.
On receipt of information Coast Guard District Headquarter, Goa launched helicopter and deployed a fast interceptor vessel C-148 with medical team. Meanwhile the agent of the vessel was directed to arrange cardiac ambulance with medical team near shore.
In a well calibrated operation at high sea, the Coast Guard helicopter evacuated the patient by winching up while taking all precautions as there was no landing area onboard the vessel. The patient was thereafter safely handed over to vessel agent at Miramar beach, Goa. The patient is reported to be stable and under medical observation at Manipal Hospital, Goa.
The Indian Coast Guard, being the Nodal Agency for Maritime Search and Rescue in the Indian Search and Rescue Region, has been providing yeoman service by responding to calls of distress from mariners and sea farers in tune with its moto..We Protect. The prompt response and daring evacuation of the critically ill patient by Coast Guard helicopter was highly applauded by the 1855 foreign tourists onboard the Cruise Liner.
Recommendations made by the GST Council
Recommendations made by the GST Council
| The GST Council has recommended the following facilitative measures for taxpayers in its 23rd meeting held at Guwahati on 10th November 2017.
Return Filing
a) The return filing process is to be further simplified in the following manner:
· All taxpayers would file return in FORM GSTR-3B along with payment of tax by 20th of the succeeding month till March, 2018.
· For filing of details in FORM GSTR-1 till March 2018, taxpayers would be divided into two categories. Details of these two categories along with the last date of filing GSTR 1 are as follows:
(a) Taxpayers with annual aggregate turnover upto Rs. 1.5 crore need to file GSTR-1 on quarterly basis as per following frequency:
(b) Taxpayers with annual aggregate turnover more than Rs. 1.5 crore need to file GSTR-1 on monthly basis as per following frequency:
· The time period for filing GSTR-2 and GSTR-3 for the months of July, 2017 to March 2018 would be worked out by a Committee of Officers. However, filing of GSTR-1 will continue for the entire period without requiring filing of GSTR-2 & GSTR-3 for the previous month / period.
A large number of taxpayers were unable to file their return in FORM GSTR-3B within due date for the months of July, August and September, 2017.Late fee was waived in all such cases. It has been decided that where such late fee was paid, it will be re-credited to their Electronic Cash Ledger under “Tax” head instead of “Fee” head so as to enable them to use that amount for discharge of their future tax liabilities. The software changes for this would be made and thereafter this decision will be implemented.
For subsequent months, i.e. October 2017 onwards, the amount of late fee payable by a taxpayer whose tax liability for that month was ‘NIL’ will be Rs. 20/- per day (Rs. 10/- per day each under CGST & SGST Acts) instead of Rs. 200/- per day (Rs. 100/- per day each under CGST & SGST Acts).
Manual Filing
· A facility for manual filing of application for advance ruling is being introduced for the time being.
Further benefits for service providers
· Exports of services to Nepal and Bhutan have already been exempted from GST. It has now been decided that such exporters will also be eligible for claiming Input Tax Credit in respect of goods or services used for effecting such exempt supply of services to Nepal and Bhutan.
· In an earlier meeting of the GST Council, it was decided to exempt those service providers whose annual aggregate turnover is less than Rs. 20 lakhs (Rs. 10 lakhs in special category states except J & K) from obtaining registration even if they are making inter-State taxable supplies of services. As a further measure towards taxpayer facilitation, it has been decided to exempt such suppliers providing services through an e-commerce platform from obtaining compulsory registration provided their aggregate turnover does not exceed twenty lakh rupees. As a result, all service providers, whether supplying intra-State, inter-State or through e-commerce operator, will be exempt from obtaining GST registration, provided their aggregate turnover does not exceed Rs. 20 lakhs (Rs. 10 lakhs in special category States except J & K).
Extension of dates
· Taking cognizance of the late availability or unavailability of some forms on the common portal, it has been decided that the due dates for furnishing the following forms shall be extended as under:
Revised due dates for subsequent tax periods will be announced in due course.
Benefits for Diplomatic Missions/UN organizations
· In order to lessen the compliance burden on Foreign Diplomatic Missions / UN Organizations, a centralized UIN will be issued to every Foreign Diplomatic Mission / UN Organization by the Central Government and all compliance for such agencies will be done by the Central Government in coordination with the Ministry of External Affairs.
Relevant notifications for all of the above decisions will be issued shorty, so as to be effective from 15.11.2017.
Changes recommended in Composition Scheme
The following changes were recommended in the Composition Scheme on the basis of discussions held in the 23rd meeting of the GST Council held at Guwahati on 10th November 2017.
i. Uniform rate of tax @ 1% under composition scheme for manufacturers and traders (for traders, turnover will be counted only for supply of taxable goods). No change for composition scheme for restaurant.
ii. Supply of services by Composition taxpayer upto Rs 5 lakh per annum will be allowed by exempting the same
iii. Annual turnover eligibility for composition scheme will be increased to Rs 2 crore from the present limit of Rupees 1 crore under the law. Thereafter, eligibility for composition will be increased to Rs. 1.5 Crore per annum.
iv. The changes recommended by GST Council at (ii) and (iii) above will be implemented only after the necessary amendment of the CGST Act and SGST Acts.
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Bollywood celebs, cricketers & other well-known personalities came together to Celebrate Women Achievers of India!
Naaz women Achiever’s award
Bollywood celebs, cricketers & other well-known personalities came together to Celebrate Women Achievers of India!
Nation’s capital Delhi went away with a delightful Sunday by the presence of big shots from Bollywood, Cricket, and other professions, who came along to celebrate the Women Achievers of India by the All India Mahila Empowerment Party. The entire event took place at The Lalit Hotel in Barakhamba Avenue. The main motive behind the celebration was to reward the women, who showed their incredible bravery in the face of some very dangerous situations and got neglected by society.
The evening was graced by the presence of Dr. Nowhera Sheikh the President of All India Mahila Empowerment Party & Shri Vineet Dhanda the Advocate Supreme Court of India. It started with a grand feel of Red Carpet which included heavy loaded personalities like, Sanjay Dutt, Bobby Deol, Suniel Shetty, Sohail Khan, Athiya Shetty, Sania Mirza, Farah Khan, Helen, Sana Khan, The Great Khali Alka Yagnik, Raveena Tandon, Chitrangada Singh, Zeenat Aman, Urmila Matondkar, Poonam Dhillon, Huma Qureshi, Neha Dhupia, Aftab Shivdasani, Azharuddin, Ashish Nehra cricketer, Ileana D Cruz, Lata Haya.
While interacting with media about the highlight of the evening, Sunil Shetty stated, “I am really proud that I am a part of such an occasion and yes it’s always true that behind every successful man there is a Woman, and what I believe that behind every successful man there are lots of Women that are Mother, Sister, Daughter, and Wife. Women are the strongest being.” Sohail Khan also seemed excited about the evening, he said, “I have two mothers, and I love them and respect them equally. We should always respect women.” Sania Mirza said, “We should always appreciate Women Strength, hard work always shines whether it’s a men or women it doesn’t matter. People say and write a lot about empowerment but true empowerment comes from women.” Huma Qureshi said, “We are here to greet the ladies, it’s really important to make society realize the actual place of Women. We should this cause, its true motivation.” Zeenat Amaan stated a message to all the women, “You are strong you are beautiful, you deserve the best. Just be what you are.” Bobby Deol while asking about women empowerment said, “Things are changing nowadays, people’s thinking is changed, the most beloved person in my life is my Mother and I never ever thought that men and women are different from each other.” Farah Khan as always seemed confident about the entire scenario of women, she said, “It’s since the start and always women are number one in every field. If I get information then I will definitely make a movie on such a concept.” Neha Dhupia also shared similar and respectful thought about women empowerment. On the other hand, Athiya Shetty got a question regarding Nepotism, where she very smartly stated, “I won’t say anything about Nepotism, I think today we should talk about the proud event, our strength, and empowerment. Nothing about nepotism.” The Great Khali also shared his point of view regarding women, he told media, “Empowerment starts from home, I would say even housemates should not demotivate women, there is no difference between men and women.”
Well, through the All India Mahila Empowerment Party, Women across the India got a chance to showcase them and share their life experiences, which were somehow hidden from the world. Delhi witnessed the proud moment to recognize the transformational impact of such strong women who have been through a lot in their life. But still gives everyone the message that “Life Must Go On”.
Ladies who got rewarded for their strength were:
1.) UMMUL KHER had the bone disorder and was disowned by parents at a young age because of her illness but she is appearing for IAS examination on her own.
2.) ARUNIMA SINHA First Indian amputee (she doesn’t have both legs) to climb Mount Everest.
3.) RUKHSANA KAUSAR, the daughter of a farmer and killed a LeT militant at her home in Jammu and Kashmir.
4.) MAMTA RAWAT Despite losing her own home in Uttarakhand floods in 2013 she saved hundreds of people stuck in floods.
5.) SOHAILA ABDULALI was gang-raped at the age of 17 and now works for the rape victims.
6.) RITU BIYANI suffered from breast cancer and now she has traveled across the country spreading awareness of breast cancer among women.
7.) BINALAKSHMI NEPRAM, She is a female activist who fights for gender rights and women led disarmament movement.
8.) SITA SAHU, double Special Olympics medallist from Madhya Pradesh but now sells pani puri.
9.) SHACHI SINGH has an NGO Ehsaas and it helps Charbagh station in Lucknow child labor free.
10.) ASHA ROY, Won silver medal for 200m in Asian Athletics is a daughter of the vegetable seller.
11.) SUNITHA KRISHNAN, Founder of ‘Prajwala’ she helps in rehabilitation of sex-trafficked victims.
12.) SAFEENA HUSAIN tackles issues of gender inequality in India’s Education system and Educate girls.
13.) SINDHUTAI SAPKAL, social worker and social activist who is known as ‘Mother of Orphans’ she has 1042 adopted children.
14.) DIPIKA PALLIKAL KARTHIK, First Indian Squash player. TANIA SACHDEV, chess player from India.
15.) BHAKTI SHARMA, First Asian woman and youngest in the world to set record in open swimming in Antarctic waters.
16.) ROOPA DEVI, First woman referee to be selected in FIFA.
17.) REENA KAUSHAL DHARMSHAKTU, the first woman to reach the southernmost tip of the world, the South Pole, all in 38 days.
18.) PHOOL BASAN BAI YADAV, known for her efforts towards the development of economically and socially backward women of Chhattisgarh, India.
19.) SHAIL MISHRA, She now drives metro train in New Delhi at 120 km per hour and feels honored to be the first woman loco pilot from the state and Delhi.
20.) LALTHANZAMI, Mizoram lady left behind a life of domestic violence and inspired other victims to stand on their feet too. She not only earned her own bread and butter with pride but has also learned not to suffer in silence. Her journey from abuse to empowerment is inspiring.
21.) LEELA CHARAN DUTTA, most successful honey producer and beekeeper in North East India.
Quake Iran – Iraq border
The death toll from yesterday’s seven-point-three magnitude earthquake that struck the border region between Iran and Iraq on Sunday has risen to 213.
Spokesman for Iran’s National Disaster Management Organization, Behnam Saeedi, said on the state television that at least 207 people were killed and more than 1700 injured in Iran alone.
The Legal Medical Organization of Kermanshah has also confirmed that it received 207 bodies.
Iran’s emergency services chief, Pir Hossein Koolivand said most of the victims were in the town of Sarpol-e Zahab.
The head of Iran’s Red Crescent Organisation, Morteza Salim, said damage was reported in at least eight villages.The worst-hit towns in Iran were Qasr-e Shirin in Kermanshah and Azgaleh, about 40 kilometres northwest.
Officials said the casualty toll may rise when search and rescue teams reached remote areas.
On the Iraqi side of the border, six persons were killed and around 150 injured in the quake. Iraqi officials said the quake had killed six people in Sulaimaniyah province.
The most extensive damage was in the town of Darbandikhan, 75 kilometres east of the city of Sulaimaniyah in the Kurdistan Region. Kurdish Health Minister Rekawt Hama Rasheed said the situation is very critical.
According to US Geological Survey (USGS) the powerful quake hit close to Halabjah, southeast of Sulaymaniyah, a city in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq.
The quake and its aftershocks have been felt in many Iranian provinces. The quake was also felt in Turkey, Kuwait, Armenia, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and Israel too.
M7.2 – Iran-Iraq border region
| Magnitude | 7.2 |
| Date-Time |
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| Location | 34.930N 45.794E |
| Depth | 33 km |
| Distances |
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| Location Uncertainty | Horizontal: 8.1 km; Vertical 5.1 km |
