Harley-Davidson issue: India's import duty unfair, says Trump

MILWAUKEE: Harley-Davidson has introduced new Iron 1200 and Forty-Eight Special models to its Sportster motorcycle line. The latest in a line of 100 high-impact motorcycles the company plans to introduce by 2027 these new high-bar Sportsters combine the custom-bike scene with the successful Sportster platform and the tested Evolution 1200 V-Twin engine. New fuel tank graphics distinguish both the Iron 1200 and the Forty-Eight Special and combine bold colour stripes with a formal typeface colour and graphic elements originally popular in the 1970s. The Iron 1200 carries the same design from the smaller capacity version while gets a bigger and more powerful motor. The iconic Evolution 1200 V-Twin engine delivers 99Nm of peak torque around 36 per cent more than the 73Nm of the 883 Evolution engine that powers the Iron 883. The burly front end of the Forty-Eight gets even chunkier in the Special version with a 130mm front tire framed by 49mm forks secured in massive forged aluminium triple clamps. The bike looks especially menacing when topped with a gloss-black 7.25-inch high Tallboy handlebar. The Harley-Davidson Smart Security System and anti-lock braking system (ABS) are factory-installed options for the Iron 1200 and Forty-Eight Special.
Harley-Davidson has been quite actively building towards https://www.shapeways.com/designer/arfplayer an electric future and even showcased the Project LiveWire concept in 2014 as a preview for what s to come. Moving in the same direction Harley-Davidson has filed a trademark application to use the name H-D Revelation for its upcoming electric motorcycle technology. The trademark was filed with the US Patent Trademark Office (USPTO) for use on batteries and chargers also including motors transmissions and electric drives. The H-D Revelation name however would not be used on a motorcycle. Harley-Davidson Bikes Street 750 Iron 883 Roadster Street Rod Fat Bob Fat Boy Forty-Eight CVO Limited 1200 Custom Street Bob Road King Heritage Softail Classic Road Glide Special Street Glide Special Harley-Davidson always names its motorcycles and engines differently and the tradition is likely to continue with the electric motorcycle line-up as well it seems. In January this year the bike maker announced plans to introduce a new electric model in the next 18 months which would be a result of Project LiveWire. The H-D Revelation is something we could see finally being badged on an electric motor then. (The Harley-Davidson Project LiveWire garnered positive feedback when showcased) However it should be noted that the trademark was only filed on February 15 2018 and is yet to receive an approval from the USPTO. The name Revelation has also been trademarked by Revelation Choppers and while the trademark may not be valid presently it may raise a concern for a Harley. That would explain why the bike maker has opted for H-D Revelation. More recently Harley-Davidson also filed patents for three new model names - Bronx Pan America and 48X. The bikes are expected to debut sometime later this year and yes they might just make their way to India too. Meanwhile Harley s electric bike line-up can be only expected in the Indian market at the turn of the next decade. However with e-mobility catching up fast in the country high-performance electric motorcycles are certainly a welcome. For the latest auto news and reviews follow CarAndBike on Twitter Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel. GUWAHATI: Meghalaya and Nagaland which went to polls on Tuesday saw a relatively lower voter turnout of 75% each. Nagaland registered a voter turnout of 90.19% and Meghalaya 86.82% in the 2013 assembly elections. Stray incidents of violence were reported in Nagaland where one person was killed and three others injured in a clash between supporters of the ruling Naga People s Front (NPF) and BJP in the Akuluto constituency of Zunheboto district. Security forces had to fire tear gas shells to disperse the mob. Polling in Meghalaya was by and large incident-free. Polling started at 7 am in 59 of the 60 assembly constituencies in both the states. National Democratic Political Party (NDPP) candidate and former chief minister Neiphiu Rio was elected unopposed to the Nagaland Assembly as his opponent withdrew nomination to the Northern Angami-II seat. Chief Minister TR Zeliang exercised his franchise in Jalukie town of Peren district. Around 107 EVMs and VVPATs machines were replaced in the state. In Nagaland the electoral battle is between NPF and BJP and its ally NDPP. Meghalaya s capital Shillong remained mostly closed for people to exercise their franchise. Meghalaya CM Mukul Sangma who is contesting from two assembly seats in Ampati and Songsak constituencies cast his vote in Chenkompara polling station in Ampati. Sangma had tweeted: Citizens of Meghalaya do exercise your voting rights in a responsible and judicious manner. Counting on you all for peaceful elections throughout the state. National People s Party (NPP) chief Conrad K Sangma cast his vote in Selsella constituency in the West Garo Hills district. The state is witnessing a triangular fight between the ruling Congress BJP and regional parties. People will vote for change we have presented our vision for the state Conard said. NPP is the challenger to the ruling Congress in the state. Meghalaya Governor Ganga Prasad cast his vote is Oakland polling station in North Shillong. NCP candidate from Williamnagar Jonathone N Sangma was killed in an IED blast in East Garo Hills on February 18.
Written by Patricia Mukhim | Updated: February 27 2018 4:49 pm Voters at a polling booth in Dimapur (Express Photo by Kallol Dey) As Meghalaya and Nagaland went to the polls it may be time to look at the issues that were different this time as compared to 2013 as well as the aftermath of the voting. Judging by the long queues in Shillong today where I voted voter interest remained high despite reports of EVMs playing up in some parts of the state and rural voters unable to vote because they need to finish their work in the fields. Still it isn t everyday that the BJP makes a serious bid for power in the North-East although it has certainly been emboldened by its victories in Assam and Manipur. Undoubtedly this time the Churches have played a prominent role in the election. The Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC) the apex body of all Baptist churches in Nagaland even asked voters not to vote for the BJP and its ally the Neiphiu Rio-led National Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) reminding people about the time carolers were attacked on Christmas and priests taken to the police station for questioning in Madhya Pradesh. The BJP did field Tourism Minister KJ Alphons its only visible Christian face but some remarks by the former civil servant didn t seem to have gone down too well. When Alphons declared in Meghalaya that the Tourism ministry would spend Rs 70 crore on churches to give them a facelift Church leaders didn t take too kindly to his offer. At least two churches publicly declined the offer. The campaigns by both political parties the Congress and the BJP seemed particularly vitriolic. Voters wondered what the Congress had done for Meghalaya despite being in power for eight years but then asked themselves what the alternatives were. There is No Alternative (TINA) factor is alive and well in both states. The BJP may not do well on its own some say it is unlikely to cross the single digit mark. But the National People s Party (launched by former Lok Sabha Speaker P A Sangma in 2013 and now led by his son and MP from Tura in the Garo Hills Conrad Sangma) is expected to fare much better. The BJP is certainly betting on its behind-the-scenes links with the NPP. A polling booth outside Chakhesang Baptist Church in Dimapur. (Express photo by Kallol Dey) The key issues confronting both Nagaland and Meghalaya are many but the greatest problem is that governments don t seem to care. The school and college drop-out rate is on the rise but successive governments have failed to come up with strategies to mainstream disaffected youth many of whom are on substance abuse. Children beg on the streets of Shillong despite the fact that Meghalaya is a matrilineal society where women are supposed to wield economic power. But when divorce is rife and children become the responsibility of mothers how do women cope? Read | Assembly elections 2018 LIVE UPDATES: Nagaland registers 67% voter turnout till 3 pm The Socio-Economic-Caste Survey 2011 revealed that 76% of rural Meghalaya is landless. For a tribal state which boasts of community ownership of land this figure is frighteningly high. It also means that traditional institutions have failed to safeguard the rights of their people while the modern state has reneged on its responsibility to ensure equity and fair play. But the question is worth asking : Why has the rural population of Meghalaya become landless? Is it because of the land-guzzling coal-mining activity? Have cement companies taken over large tracts of tribal land despite the existence of a Land Transfer Regulation Act (1978)? The answer to both questions is yes. There is a lot of benami ownership of land in Meghalaya. Land in the name of an affluent tribal elite is being used by non-tribal businessmen who see the state s huge limestone resources as natural capital. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) banned coal mining in April 2014 after a student s body from Assam filed a PIL stating that rivers flowing downstream from the Jaintia Hills coal belt are toxic and no longer sustain riverine life. The NGT asked the state government to come up with a Mining Policy but that is still hanging in the balance. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supporters at a polling booth in Nagaland (Express photo by Kallol Dey) The Congress led- Meghalaya United Alliance (MUA) government which served two terms laid the foundation stones for two medical colleges five years ago. But till date not even a single brick has come up. Meghalaya s state assembly building was gutted in 2001. Several architects have submitted several designs but to no avail. Shillong doesn t even have an airport. Even the rail link came only three years ago and that only to Garo Hills. The Fifth Annual Employment-Unemployment Survey (2015 16) from the Ministry of Labour and Employment shows Meghalaya s unemployment rate to be 48/1 000. There is no data for Nagaland. Imagine 48 young people out of every thousand not having any work to do. How do they spend their waking hours? Is this also the reason why militancy in both states is an alternative lucrative employment avenue? People standing in queue at a polling booth in Kohima Nagaland (Express photo by Dipankar Ghose) Sadly all these issues have been given short shrift by all political parties. Early in the campaign the BJP came up with a document called Chargesheet against the Congress-led government in Meghalaya. It listed out all its wrongdoings including the White Ink Scam notable for the alleged large-scale nepotism in the appointment of primary school teachers by then Education Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh. The BJP now promises to turn the economy of the state around if elected. It says it will revoke the ban on coal mining if it comes to power in Meghalaya. The Congress meanwhile came up with its manifesto only three days ago. All eyes are now on March 3 when results will out. What do the stars portend for Meghalaya and Nagaland a coalition or a government with an absolute majority? Luckily we don t have long to wait. Patricia Mukhim is the Editor of Shillong Times and tweets @meipat For all the latest Opinion News download Indian Express App Get assembly election result LIVE updates from each constituency in Tripura Nagaland and Meghalaya More From Patricia Mukhim Why PM Modi is talking infrastructure and development in Meghalaya For a PM who is intuitive and can read the signs well Narendra Modi must have realised the exuberance and spontaneous warmth he experienced in Against Delhi Golf Club a PIL to redeem the Jainsem The two pieces of fabric are embroidered (festooned) at the bottom and made to size. The Jainsem is worn over a skirt/petticoat and blouse. Some Tags: Meghalaya polls Nagaland polls deepak sankhlaFeb 27 2018 at 6:13 pmPer MSM its perfectly secular for church to issue Surmon against voting to BJP but it becomes communal if any Hindu relgious body issues a similar statement. Heights of biased behavior!(1)(0) ReplyJJamai RajaFeb 27 2018 at 7:20 pmWhen and where has any Hindu group issued diktat not to vote for any party? I only hear of diktat to vote for a party.(0)(0) Reply
Shillong/Kohima: Faults in EVMs and VVPATs in Meghalaya and violent clashes in Nagaland were reported amid an otherwise peaceful assembly election in both states on Tuesday. Until 5 pm Meghalaya saw a turnout of 67 percent while 75 percent voters turned up in Nagaland. Similar loopholes in voting process reported in Tripura Assembly polls on 18 February had led to repolls in one booth each in six constituencies of the state on 26 February.A 98-year-old ex-serviceman M Kire the oldest voter in Upper Midland under 8 Western Angami assembly constituency in Nagaland. Input by Armstrong Chanambam/101Reporters Meghalaya and Nagaland have a 60-member House each but voting was held for 59 constituencies in both. In Meghalaya the election has been countermanded in Williamnagar in the wake of the killing of NCP candidate Jonathone N Sangma in East Garo Hills district on 18 February. In Nagaland NDPP chief Neiphiu Rio has been declared elected unopposed from the Northern Angami-II constituency. While Meghalaya had witnessed 86.82 percent turnout in the 2013 assembly polls Nagaland had polled 90.19 percent in the last state elections. The results of the polls in the two states along with that of Tripura will be declared on 3 March. Only 28.5 percent voted in the first five hours in Meghalaya Complaints of EVM and VVPAT malfunction poured in from all over Meghalaya. While some voters who had arrived early at 7 am were still waiting others started to leave. An election official said that batteries went down in some of the new machines. As of 1 pm the polling percentage in Meghalaya stood at 28.5 percent. According to Meghalaya chief election officer (CEO) Fredrick R Kharkongor a total of 106 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) along with the state armed personnel and police were deployed across the state especially in the troubled Garo Hills region. Repolling was ordered at one polling station (Kyndon Tuber) in Raliang constituency in Meghalaya s Jowai district due to mix up of EVMs but the dates have not been announced. Ampareen Lyngdoh the Congress candidate from East Shillong constituency and cabinet minister in the Mukul Sangma-led government felt the EVM malfunctions definitely slowed down the poll process in Meghalaya which has traditionally witnessed high polling percentage. Most of the issues were really simple and they should have been sorted out. If you want to use this technology you better be sure it is error-proof. A lot of time was wasted and the people in my constituency were irritated. A lot of the staff were not adequately exposed to the process I feel. We should really take care because EVMs are supposed to speed up polling not slow it down Lyngdoh said. Tuesday s polling will decide the fate of 361 candidates in Meghalaya including 33 women and 80 Independents election office sources said adding that 18.09 lakh voters of which 9.24 lakh are women were eligible to exercise their franchise in 3 025 polling stations across the state. For the first time 67 all-women polling stations and 61 model polling stations were set up in the state the CEO said. State DGP SB Singh said 580 polling stations were categorised as vulnerable and that strict security measures were in place across Meghalaya to ensure a free-and-fair election. Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee working president James Lyngdoh said the Congress was happy with the way polling was conducted in the state. One dead in fire exchange According to Nagaland election commission a crude bomb made of gelatine blew up at polling station 20 in Mon district s Tizit constituency at 5.45 am on Tuesday. A civilian had sustained minor injuries. Stone pelting was also reported at polling station 21 in Tizit. The chief electoral officer said that some polling materials were damaged but they were replaced in time and the polling continued. Abhijit Sinha CEO in the state also informed that at 11.10am in Akuluto assembly constituency two groups from NPF and NDPP clashed and the party people opened fire in which one person died and two got injured. He said the incident did not disturb the polling process in the area. Repolling will be held at the Ladigarh polling station in Tamlu constituency. The CEO informed that their team was unable to reach the designated polling station due to obstruction by Assam Police . An agitated mob opposed the setting up of a makeshift polling booth at Yonglok or elsewhere he said. Sinha had earlier said that the issue has been cropping up since 2006. Polling was obstructed in Ladigarh during 2013 assembly polls and 2014 Lok Sabha elections too. The territory has been under dispute with Assam since the formation of Nagaland in 1963. Meanwhile NPF has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission alleging that the NDPP-BJP alliance in Nagaland had violated the model code of conduct by publishing full-page advertisements in daily newspapers on Monday. Dominic Toppo a 37-year-old voter from Kohima hoped that the new government would provide better road connectivity and medical facilities. On the political instability that hit Nagaland during the last government s term he said That s part of politics done by the leaders we elect. It s on them. He nevertheless hoped the new government would be stable and give good governance. Armstrong Chanambam is a Manipur-based freelance writer and Kyrmenlang Uriah is a Meghalaya-based freelance writer. Both are members of 101Reporters.com a pan-India network of grassroots reporters. With inputs from Syeda Ambia Zahan a Guwahati-based journalist.
Written by Samudra Gupta Kashyap | Guwahati | Updated: February 28 2018 1:57 am polling will be conducted for 59 seats in both the states with one candidate declared unopposed in Nagaland and election in one constituency of Meghalaya countermanded. Related News Tripura Assembly election: Two exit polls give state to BJP third says photo finishMeghalaya Nagaland elections see 75% voter turnout one killed in violenceExit polls LIVE updates: BJP to snatch Tripura from Left Congress may lose MeghalayaAround 75 per cent votes were polled in Meghalaya on Tuesday and the Assembly elections were by and large peaceful Chief Electoral Officer F R Kharkongor said. The election office is awaiting data from remote places in the Garo Hills and East Jaintia Hills districts he added. More than 13.5 lakh of the 18.09 lakh voters in Meghalaya cast their votes. This means around 74.62 per cent polling was recorded he said. The final figure could go up after data from remote areas is added. Kharkongor said repolling could be held in one booth of Raliang constituency in West Jaintia Hills district after polling was stopped due to EVM related problems. A report from the district election officer is awaited. Two more polling stations in South Garo Hills and South West Garo Hills districts may also go for repoll as officials forgot to delete mock poll data from the machines Kharkongor said. Of the 3 025 EVMs used only 28 malfunctioned the CEO said. Altogether 361 candidates are in the fray for 59 seats for which elections were held on Tuesday. Election was countermanded in Williamnagar constituency following the death of NCP candidate Jonathone N Sangma in a militant attack on February 18. The Congress which has been ruling for nine years is hoping to retain power despite an aggressive campaign mounted by the BJP. The BJP which had tied up with regional parties in the Assam and Manipur elections in 2016 and 2017 respectively is going it alone in Meghalaya calling for a change in the state. The National People s Party (NPP) founded by former Lok Sabha Speaker late Purno A Sangma in 2013 which is an ally of the BJP at the Centre is also fighting alone and has fielded 52 candidates against 60 of the Congress. The BJP which is optimistic of winning a majority has fielded candidates in only 47 of the 60 constituencies. with pti For all the latest North East India News download Indian Express App Get assembly election result LIVE updates from each constituency in Tripura Nagaland and Meghalaya More Related News Assembly elections 2018 highlights: Nagaland registers 75% voter turnout till 5 pm Meghalaya Assembly elections: Ruling Congress pins hopes on Opposition divide Tags: Meghalaya Meghalaya elections No Comments.
As Meghalaya voted to elect a new legislative Assembly on February 27 several polling booths in the state saw extraordinarily long queues. Electronic voting machines had malfunctioned in these booths slowing down the process significantly. Prospective voters complained that for large parts of the morning the queues had completely stagnated. From 8.30 am to 9.30 am the line just didn t move so I decided to go back home said a voter in state capital Shillong.Meghalaya s Chief Electoral Officer Frederick Roy Kharkongor confirmed that voting in many booths had been delayed due to machine problems . According to Kharkongor around 56 electronic voting machines malfunctioned at various points of time. Apart from that the newly-introduced Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail or VVPAT system failed in 88 places.The paper audit trailThe Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail system allows a machine to dispense a slip to the voter that bears the symbol of the party they have voted for on the electronic voting machine. It allows voters to verify if their vote has been cast correctly. In 2013 the Supreme Court had asked the Election Commission to begin using this system in a phased manner in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.The paper trail was introduced in Assembly elections for the first time last year with Goa Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh being test cases. It was supposed to be a transparency measure as several Opposition parties had alleged that electronic voting machines were rigged in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Earlier this month the Gujarat High Court issued a notice to the Election Commission and the BJP among others after four petitions challenged the state Assembly election results. The petitioners asked that the paper slips be counted. Yet Gujarat had also seen instances of the paper audit trail malfunctioning at various places during December s elections. Bureaucratic chaos?Kharkongor insisted that there were only a few glitches. And the problems were minor they were linking errors or low battery problems he said.Why did it then create so much confusion stalling voting in several areas for hours? The delay caused by these snags forced the Election Commission to extend the 4 pm deadline of the polls. Till 5 pm the state witnessed 67% voting a significant mark-down from the 2013 Assembly elections when the voter turnout was 87%. Most of these problems happened in city areas where queues were already long averred Kharkongor.However Vasava Raj a senior deputy general manager with Bharat Electronics Limited the public sector undertaking that has manufactured electronic voting machines and the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail modules used in Meghalaya said unfamiliarity of polling staff with the paper trial machines in addition to technical snags were responsible for the problems.Raj who is in charge of the company s technical team responsible for the maintenance of the polling machines in Meghalaya said the problems arose because the paper audits trails were being used for the first time in the state. Earlier an EVM used to have two units the ballot unit and the control unit explained Raj. Control unit is where counting takes place and ballot unit where you are casting the vote. But now there is a new unit the VVPAT which is used for the first time in Meghalaya. Raj said that while polling officials knew how to connect the control unit and the ballot unit there was confusion about how to connect the new paper audit trail module. In spite of training there was confusion and some connection mistakes were made claimed Raj.Raj said mistakes in rectifying these connection errors further delayed proceedings. Whenever there is an error they are supposed to identify where the error is: the control unit the ballot unit or the VVPAT. Then they are supposed to isolate that particular module. But in the confusion and stress they must have thought let me replace the entire system.
According to ANI 75 % voter turnout was recorded in Nagaland and 67% turnout was recorded in Meghalaya till 4 pm. Meghalaya chief minister Mukul Sangma sounded confident that the Congress will retain power crossing the magic figure of 31 MLAs. While the two states have a 60-member house each voting will be held only for 59 constituencies in both. Restrictions on the conduct of any exit poll and publication and dissemination of result of such exit poll have also been imposed till 4:30 PM tomorrow. #Nagaland: 1 person dead 2 injured after clash erupted between groups of Naga People s Front and Nationalist Democ https://t.co/5M30doiaG0 — ANI (@ANI) 1519718169000 Polling in Williamnagar seat (Meghalaya) was countermanded following the killing of Nationalist Congress Party candidate Jonathone Sangma in an IED blast at Sawilgre area in East Garo Hills district on February 18. One person was injured in a bomb blast in Mon District on Tuesday. The blast happened at a polling station in Tizit. According to reports the bomb was handmade and was hurled at the polling station in the wee hours of Tuesday morning. Meanwhile Nagaland Chief Minister TR Zeliang spoke to ANI and said We expect that polling will finish smoothly and we will get absolute majority as per voice of the people. We hope peace will prevail in the state and we will move for Naga political solution . A total of 18 09 818 electorates including 9 13 702 women and 89 405 first-time voters are eligible to exercise their franchise to decide the fate of 361 candidates including 31 women and many independents in Meghalaya. As many as 340 polling stations have been categorised as critical and 580 as vulnerable . Balloting in 183 polling stations will be webcast to be made available at the offices of Chief Electoral Officer or District Electoral Officer and the Election Commission of India Kharkongor said. As many as 66 all-women polling stations and 61 model polling stations have been set up. Mawlai constituency in East Khasi Hills district has the highest voters at 42 670 and Dalu in West Garo Hills the lowest 18 640 voters. In all 106 companies of central armed police forces have been deployed to ensure peaceful polls he said. In 2013 Meghalaya Assembly elections the voters turnout was recorded at 87.97 per cent. With Nationalist Democratic People s Party(NDPP) chief Neiphiu Rio winning unopposed the Northern Angami-II seat polling is being held in 59 seats. Voting will continue till 4 pm except in some polling stations of the interior districts where it will end at 3 pm election office sources said. Officials said many as 281 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) beside the state police force have been deployed throughout Nagaland to ensure peaceful polling. Nagaland Chief Electoral Officer Abhijit Sinha said of the 2 156 polling stations in Nagaland 1 100 have been declared critical 530 vulnerable and 526 normal. All the polling stations would be manned by the CAPF personnel and the state police would also be assisting them he added. A total of 11 76 432 voters comprising of 5 97 281 male 5 79 151 female and 5884 service voters are eligible to exercise their franchise during the day to decide the fate of 195 candidates. There are no third-gender voters in the state while the first time voters between the age group 18-19 years are 26 900 Assistant Chief Electoral Officer Awa Lorin said today. Voting will be conducted in 2 156 polling stations as 40 polling stations fall under the Northern Angami-II seat from where Rio has been declared elected unopposed. Out of the 2156 polling stations 1062 are critical 530 vulnerable and 564 normal polling stations he said. Over 15 000 government employees will be on poll duty and there will be 177 all-women polling stations across 25 constituencies in the state. Sinha said there are 55 election observers include 22 general and expenditure observers each and 11 police observers besides 442 mirco observers. Electronic voting machines with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail machines will be used for voting he added. The election process in Nagaland had started on a difficult note with the Core Committee of Nagaland Tribal Hohos and Civil Organisations (CCNTHCO) advocating solution (to the Naga political issue) before election . Following this no-election diktat the political parties had initially kept away from the poll process and the first batch of 22 contestants filed their candidature only on the penultimate day on February 5 though filing of nominations had begun on January 31. There was a heavy rush of nominees filing their papers on the last day. BJP which is determined to expand its foot print in the northeast this time after Assam Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh is relying on its partner the NDPP. In Nagaland BJP s hope hinges on its alliance partner NDPP which is contesting from 40 seats. The saffron party has fielded candidates from the remaining 20 seats. The Congress which has given three chief ministers to Nagaland since the state s inception in 1963 is contesting from only 18 seats - two less than the BJP. The results of the polls in Nagaland will be declared along with those of Tripura and Meghalaya on March 3.
The Bharatiya Janata Party in Meghalaya on Tuesday filed a complaint against a private radio channel for allegedly broadcasting objectionable advertisement . It has come to our notice that an illegal propaganda is being broadcast on Radio Mirchi (91.1 FM) with the aim and intent of communalising the ongoing election process BJP leader Ankur Kumar said in a letter to Chief Electoral Officer of Meghalaya FR Kharkongor. He accused the radio channel of airing a message that urged the electorate not to vote for the anti-Christian party . One such message was aired at 12.48 pm Kumar alleged. We insist that such divisive advertisements that try to communalise the elections and the society should be immediately stopped and action should be taken against the radio channel as well as the advertiser Kumar said. Complaint filed with #ElectionCommission against private FM channel by #BJP for allegedly airing objectionable advertisement. pic.twitter.com/y8eChslvHn All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) February 27 2018 Meghalaya went to the polls on Tuesday. Till 5 pm 67% polling was recorded. Voting will continue till late in the evening after 30 electronic voting machines in Garo Hills area reportedly malfunctioned.
By: PTI | Shillong | Published: February 27 2018 8:18 pm The channel however aired an apology by the RJ soon after and said influencing the voters was not its intention. Top News Sridevi funeral LIVE UPDATES: Mortal remains reach Lokhandwala s Celebration Sports ClubApple to launch its largest iPhone and a lower-priced model in 2018: ReportMWC 2018: Reliance Jio aims for 99 per cent India coverage by October 2018 announces new IoT network with SamsungA private radio station in Shillong came under fire from the BJP on Tuesday for allegedly airing objectionable content in violation of the model code of conduct. http://ebusinesspages.com/arfplayer.user Polling for 59 of the 60 Assembly seats in Meghalaya was held today with over 67 per cent votes polled till 4 pm. In a letter forwarded to the state election department the saffron party alleged that a woman radio jockey (RJ) of the channel urged listeners to refrain from voting for any anti-christian party . The illegal propaganda was broadcast on the radio station with the aim and intent of communalising the election process BJP leader Ankur Kumar said in his complaint to Meghalaya s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) F R Kharkongor. Read | Exit polls LIVE updates The channel however aired an apology by the RJ soon after and said influencing the voters was not its intention. I may have said something which contravened the guidelines of the Election Commission but I did not mean to influence the voters. I am sorry she said. Seeking stern action against the FM station BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli said The objectionable broadcast is in clear violation of the model code of conduct and is vitiating the atmosphere here. The CEO said that the district election officer has been asked to look into the matter and take necessary actions as per the directives of the Election Commission. Polling was countermanded in the Williamnagar constituency due to the killing of NCP candidate Jonathone N Sangma ahead of the election. For all the latest North East India News download Indian Express App Get assembly election result LIVE updates from each constituency in Tripura Nagaland and Meghalaya More Top News Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 review: At Rs 9 999 the new budget smartphone to beat Xiaomi Mi LED Smart TV 4 review: The TV of the future at yesterday s price No Comments.

Facebook Says Donald Trump Paid More for Online Ads Than Hillary Clinton

Breaking News
United States President Donald Trump said on Monday that America was getting nothing from India s announcement that it had slashed import duty on Harley Davidson motorbikes to 50%. We want fair trade deals. We want reciprocal trade deals Trump said at a gathering of the governors of all states at the White House. So when they Harley Davidson send a motorcycle to India they have to pay 100% tax 100%. Trump said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi who the US president described as a beautiful man had called him and said that India had lowered import duty on the motorbikes to 50%. I said okay but so far we re getting nothing http://studyo81.org/user/arfplayer/ Trump added. So we get nothing he gets 50% and they think they re doing us a favour. That s not a favour. He claimed that India sold a lot of motorbikes to the United States without paying any duty on its exports while the US had to pay 50% to export Harley Davidson motorcycles to the country. That s not good for you people especially as governors the US president told the attendees. It s just not right. And we have many deals like that. On Friday Trump had criticised India and China for unfairly benefiting from the Paris climate agreement from which the United States pulled out in June 2017.
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump declared he s willing to take on the National Rifle Association over gun legislation but Republicans who control Congress aren t so sure. They prefer to consider only modest changes to firearms limits in response to the mass shooting at a Florida high school. Congress returned to work Monday without following Trump s lead on any of the major initiatives he has tossed into the debate since the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Despite public calls for stricter gun laws Republican leaders have largely kept quiet after the shooting which left 17 dead and ushered in another phase in the gun debate prompted in large part by the activism of the young survivors. Some students visited with lawmakers Monday. Over the weekend Trump spent time talking to Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin and the White House is inviting lawmakers from both parties for meetings this week. But Trump s ideas to arm many teachers lift the minimum age for purchasing assault rifles to 21 and impose stricter background checks were falling flat. You guys half of you are so afraid of the NRA the president said Monday at a meeting with the nation s governors. There s nothing to be afraid of. And you know what? If they re not with you we have to fight them every once in a while. That s OK. Instead Senate Republicans are hoping to consider more modest legislation from Sens. John Cornyn R-Texas and Chris Murphy D-Conn. to strengthen the National Instant Criminal Background Check System or NICS. The Fix NICS bill similar to one approved last year in the House would penalize federal agencies that don t properly report required records used to determine whether someone can legally buy a gun. Cornyn the Senate s No. 2 Republican questioned Trump s proposal to raise the age limit for assault weapons noting that the minimum age to enlist in the military is 18. I m not sure I understand the 21 age. I think there are better ways to address it than just an arbitrary age increase he told The Washington Times. Trump insisted Monday that sometimes political leaders need to buck the NRA which builds its political power by major campaign spending and motivating gun rights supporters to vote. Though he did not mention increasing the minimum age for rifle purchases he wants to toughen the Cornyn bill with stricter background checks a change the NRA has opposed. We re going to strengthen it Trump said. We re going to make it more pertinent to what we re discussing. Democrats have long pressed for more sweeping changes toward a universal background check system including requiring inquiries for online and gun show purchases. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said Monday that if all Congress can accomplish is passage of the Fix NICS bill it would be an abject failure and a dereliction of our duty. Sens. Joe Manchin D-W.Va. and Pat Toomey R-Pa. are reviving their background check bill which failed earlier including after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012. Manchin said opponents at the time worried then-President Barack Obama would impose even stricter restrictions. Well they re not having that fear right now with President Trump he said. At a minimum Congress should approve universal background checks Schumer said denouncing NRA-backed bills that make Republicans feel better without meaningfully addressing the issue of gun safety. In the House many Democrats want to reinstate an assault weapons ban that expired more than a decade ago. But House Republican leaders believe it s up to the Senate to take the next steps according to a top House GOP aide who spoke only on condition of anonymity because he wasn t authorized to discuss legislative strategy. The House passed legislation in December that included changes to the background-check system. It was part of a broader package that stalled in the Senate because it included expanded gun rights by requiring states to recognize conceal-carry permits issued by other states. The House package also included a measure to study bump stocks the devices that turn rifles into automatic-style weapons and were used in the Las Vegas assault last fall the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. In the Senate Republican leaders see the best route to passage in separating the issues of background checks and state reciprocity measures. They were testing support Monday for quick consideration of the background checks bill which was introduced last fall after the shooting of churchgoers in Texas. At the time authorities acknowledged having failed to report the Texas gunman s domestic violence conviction to the National Criminal Information Center database. I m for doing what s achievable Cornyn told reporters. But even the Fix NICS bill faced resistance from some in the GOP ranks. Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Rand Paul of Kentucky said the bill would encourage federal agencies to encroach upon constitutionally guaranteed rights without affording robust due-process protections. At the same time some Republican lawmakers appeared willing to go further particularly in outlawing bump stocks which the Trump administration wants to do through administrative action as the NRA prefers rather than legislation. Rep. Ryan Costello of Pennsylvania said he supports a ban on bump stocks whether it s done through legislation or a change in federal regulations. That s sort of simple stuff that we should get done for the American public he told The Associated Press. Costello who faces a stiff re-election challenge in a district that has been redrawn to favor Democrats also supports the Fix NICS bill and a measure to raise age limits on purchases of certain assault weapons. At the White House Washington Gov. Jay Inslee one of two Democrats to address Trump publicly expressed his concerns over the idea of arming teachers as a response to the school shootings. We need a little less tweeting a little more listening Inslee said.
Breaking News
US President Donald Trump has reached an agreement with the Boeing to provide two Air Force One planes for 3.9bn ( 2.8bn) the White House said on Tuesday. President Trump has reached an informal deal with Boeing on a fixed-price contract for the new Air Force One Program Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley told Reuters. He said the contract will save taxpayers more than 1.4bn but those savings could not be independently confirmed. Mr Trump had previously said Boeing s costs to build replacements for Air Force One aircraft - one of the most visible symbols of the US presidency - were too high and urged the federal government in a tweet to Cancel order! Read more Bombardier wins trade dispute with Boeing The Boeing 747-8s are designed to be an airborne White House able to fly in worst-case security scenarios such as nuclear war and are modified with military avionics advanced communications and a self-defence system. President Trump negotiated a good deal on behalf of the American people Boeing said in a news release. US aerospace analyst Richard Aboulafia said the White House was engaging in political theater. There s no evidence of a discount said Aboulafia vice president of analysis at Teal Group. Earlier this month the Pentagon released Air Force budget documents for fiscal year 2019 disclosing the 3.9bn cost for the two-aircraft program. The same 2018 budget document not adjusted for inflation showed the price at 3.6bn. Boeing would only have so much room to offer discounts given the high proportion of supplier content on Air Force One from refrigerators to missile warning systems Aboulafia said by phone. The big US defense contractor said the deal includes work to develop and build two planes including unique items such as a communications package internal and external stairs large galleys and other equipment. The informal deal will need to be codified in a formal contract with comprehensive complex terms and conditions said Franklin Turner a partner specializing in government contracts at law firm McCarter & English suggesting a final deal was still a ways off. Reuters More about: Boeing Donald Trump Air Force One Reuse content
Breaking News
Late-night hosts on Monday discussed president Trump s suggestion to arm teachers in the wake of the school shooting in Parkland Florida and his comments regarding how he would have acted had he been at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High. Stephen Colbert mocks Trump for cheat sheet on how to react to shooting survivors Read more Trump met with the nation s governors and at the top of the agenda of course was the urgent problem of school shootings Stephen Colbert said referring to a summit held at the White House. Donald Trump has said that maybe we should arm teachers. This idea has not been received well by people who have had or been a teacher. Showing footage of Trump doubling down on his suggestion to arm teachers particularly adept with guns Colbert said: If you re in the pocket of the NRA like he is the solution is never fewer guns. The solution is always more guns. Then again the school in Florida did have an armed sheriff deputy and even with guns and training he didn t enter the building nor did the next three armed deputies who showed up. Who among us could honestly say what they think they would do in that situation? Colbert asked. He then showed a clip of Trump at the event with the nation s governors saying I d run in there even if I didn t have a weapon. Facebook Twitter Pinterest There s a lot in there that I doubt but the part I really don t believe is that he can run Colbert responded. Sir we already know how you react to combat situations. You got five deferments from Vietnam! Trevor Noah also tore into Trump for saying he would have entered the high school unarmed. While the shooting was happening an armed deputy stayed outside the school doing nothing Noah said before showing footage of various pundits and lawmakers sharply criticizing the deputy for his unconscionable inaction. Trump renews attack on Florida deputy: I d run in there even if I didn t have a weapon Read more Damn that was harsh the host said. That was like hearing the white people version of Fuck the police. For some people this shows exactly why there s no point in arming teachers because if a trained officer didn t come to the rescue then how is Mrs Flanderson going to do any better? Noah explained before noting that there s no cure-all to the country s epidemic of gun violence. Here s what frustrates me about this gun violence discussion. It s the guns! No it s the cops! Maybe it s both? Noah said. Maybe with training the deputy would have known how to go into the situation while keeping himself relatively safe? But maybe with better gun laws once the deputy did go into the school he wouldn t have to face a teenager with an AR-15? The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) Here s what frustrates me in the gun violence discussion. People make it seem like there s only one problem and only one solution. It s the guns! No it s the cops! Maybe it s both. -Trevor on the finger-pointing in the wake of ParklandFull episode: https://t.co/CdPO2TNxfL pic.twitter.com/mVrRCukX1y February 27 2018 There s no one solution that will solve all shootings. Except for this one solution the host said before showing Trump extolling how he d respond to the situation. To be fair if Donald Trump ran into a school during a shooting I do believe he would actually stop the shooting Noah joked. How distracting would that be? He d be like That s right it s me Donald Trump. I don t have a gun but what I do have is an amazing electoral college victory. Finally Seth Meyers also discussed the administration s response to the country s reckoning with guns and the attacks on the students of Stoneman Douglas. The immediate crisis facing Trump and the rest of the government right now is our country s epidemic of gun violence Meyers said. The national conversation over gun safety had only intensified in the days since the Parkland shooting. And people are demanding action. In response to those demands Trump has spent the last week or so rambling nonsensically about his truly deranged idea to arm teachers Meyers said showing a clip from Monday s White House event comparing a deft handler of firearms to someone who consistently makes four-foot putts. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Even when he s laying out his plan to prevent school shootings he can t hide how much he d rather be playing golf Meyers joked. The only reason we re still talking about the issue of gun violence is because of the students at Stonemason Douglas high school who have demanded action and sparked a national movement for gun https://arfplayer.wufoo.com/forms/zuip8g101j7oje/ reform. Meyers went on to note that as a result of their outspokenness the Parkland students have been subjected to attacks on their credibility and tone. The host mentioned Sarah Chadwick a survivor of the shooting who tweeted We should change the name of AR-15s to Marco Rubio because they are so easy to buy. Damn that is a white-hot burn Meyers said before detailing Fox News anchor Laura Ingraham s response. How teens speak to and abt adults Ingraham wrote referring to Chadwick as a Stoneman Douglas sophomore. The student responded to Ingraham s tweet: I m a junior. Laura Ingraham what is wrong with you? Meyers said. Don t go after teenagers on social media. You saw what happened to Marco Rubio. Topics Late-night TV roundup Stephen Colbert Trevor Noah Donald Trump US gun control US television news Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via Email Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Google Share on WhatsApp Share on Messenger Reuse this content
Breaking News

View: Why India should not delay its fighter jet procurement

By Yusuf T Unjhawala By cancelling the single engine fighter jet procurement and expanding it to include twin engine fighters the government is trying to find a different result by trying the same thing as it was done in the previous MMRCA tender which it scrapped in 2015. The reason apparently is due to the furore created over the Rafale deal and the government does not want allegations later as there were only two contenders for the single engine jet Lockheed Martin F-16 and SAAB Gripen. Confused and pushed on the defensive the government has taken a step that will hurt the operational readiness of the Indian Air Force. It is clear that a twin engine fighter will cost a lot more than what the government is willing to spend. In October last year Chief of Air Staff B.S Dhanoa stated that the IAF is prioritising the single engine fighter over twin engine to make up numbers at lower cost. So the http://hawkee.com/profile/651220/ decision to include twin engine fighters makes no sense. IAF squadron strength is down to 32 while its sanctioned 42 and it includes old MiGs that are well past their expiry date and will be retired soon. It s projected that India will need over 350 new fighter jets by 2032. The 200 single engine jets that the government has scrapped would have made a bulk of that. The IAF can however use the cancellation of the deal to its advantage. With elections due next year no progress can be expected and it will be left to the next government to take it forward. Even if the process is fast tracked it will take another 4-5 years before a contract is signed and the first jet won t join the IAF till about 2028. Will the IAF want to induct 4.5 gen fighters between 2028-2035 when India s principal adversary China has already inducted its 5th generation J-20 fighter? China is also working on another 5th gen fighter the J-31 for exports and Pakistan is likely to be its first export customer. Given the timeline the IAF should look for a 5th generation fighter. It will narrow India s options down to Lockheed Martin s single engine F-35 and the Russian twin engine Su-57. Since those are the only two 5th gen fighter options available in the world it will not require much explaining. India has already invested 300 million for initial design of the Su 57 with the intention to make them in India in the future. But that project has hit a wall as IAF is not happy with is stealth characteristics and the engine. The IAF has shown interest in Lockheed Martin s F-35 which has its order books full with over 3100 jets on order with over 250 already delivered. Lockheed intends to ramp up production to over 300 per annum bringing down its flyway cost to 80 million making it cheaper than any 4.5 Gen fighter today. India should look for a production line which will not only will it create jobs but also get India into the global supply chain of what will the most widely produced fighter jet this century. With a requirement of over 200 jets India will become the second largest operator of the F-35 after the US. India should negotiate a waiver similar to Israel to incorporate some of its own weapons and electronics. India should also look to become a maintenance repair and overhaul hub for the F-35. With the Indian Navy also looking for 57 new jets it will make sense to acquire a 5th gen fighter for it and share commonality with the IAF. As India looks to coordinate with the Quad to secure the Indo-Pacific buying the F-35 will help in interoperability as Japan and Australia will operate the F-35s in their airforce as well as in their navy from their helicopter carriers. India plans its own 5th generation fighter the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) but it is a long way from its first flight. India can waste the next few years looking for a 4.5 Gen fighter while leading countries induct 5th Gen fighters or take the call to initiate a 5 Gen fighter purchase of its own. It will require political and diplomatic will for what will be a strategic purchase. The writer is editor Defence Forum India. Views expressed above are the author s own.
NEW DELHI: In the throes of an internal political crisis Maldives has refused an Indian invitation to participate in a biennial multilateral naval exercise in the Indian Ocean beginning on March 6. We have invited Maldives but they declined it. They did not give any reasons but I think it is due to the current situation there Indian Navy Chief Adm Sunil Lanba told journalists on the sidelines of an Indo-Pacific Maritime Dialogue jointly organized by the Indian Navy and National Maritime Foundation. Questioned on the issue Maldives ambassador Ahmed Mohamed said: I would like to clarify that Maldives is unable to participate in the naval exercise during this time due to current circumstances of a state of emergency being in effect for those under investigation for serious crimes. During such a time security personnel are expected to be at a heightened stance of readiness. When situations warrant that officers be at their post back at home we have held back on deploying them to participate in exercises and training programmes held overseas and as such not being able to participate in the naval exercise at this time is not extraordinary he added. However he asserted that Maldives and India enjoy a long history of excellent defence and military cooperation and it is a tradition that we are confident that will endure and continue indefinitely . Ties between India and Maldives nosedived after Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen declared emergency on February 5 after the Supreme Court ordered release of opposition leaders from prison. The exercise-MILAN - is taking place in the backdrop of China s growing military posturing in the Indo-Pacific region and officials indicated that the issue is likely to figure during deliberations at the event. The exercise is a congregation of littoral navies conducted by the Indian Navy under the aegis of the Andaman and Nicobar Command. The aim of the initiative is to have an effective forum to discuss common concerns in the Indian Ocean Region and forge deeper cooperation among friendly navies. Asked about the presence of Chinese ships in the Indo-Pacific region an official said The deployment of ships by China s Navy has been since 2008. At any point of time there are 6-8 ships in the region. We monitor them and know what is happening. Admiral Lanba added There is no cause for concern it is standard deployment in the Indian Ocean. As per what we have monitored there is no change in it in the past few years. We are well aware of what is happening.
NEW DELHI: Maldives has declined India s invitation to participate in the eight-day-long mega naval exercise Milan beginning March 6. Maldives was invited to join the Milan exercise but they have declined Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba told reporters and indicated that the country may have taken the decision possibly due to the current situation there. They have not given any reason he said. Admiral Lanba was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event. The Maldivian Ambassador in Delhi on Tuesday said Maldives declined India s invitation to participate in a naval exercise due to the emergency situation in his country but asserted that the two nations enjoy a history of excellent defence and military cooperation a tradition which they are confident will endure and continue indefinitely. I would like to clarify that the Maldives is unable to participate in the naval exercise during this time due to the current circumstances of a State of Emergency being in effect for those under investigation for serious crimes. During such a time especially security personnel are expected to be at a heightened stance of readiness the envoy told PTI while noting that the participation of Maldives naval officers would have been as observers only. When situations warrant that officers be at their post back at home we have held back on deploying them to participate in exercises and training programs held overseas and as such not being able to participate in the naval exercise at this time is not extraordinary he added. Ties between India and Maldives nosedived after Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen declared emergency on February 5 following an order by the country s Supreme Court to release a group of Opposition leaders who had been convicted in widely criticised trials. On February 21 India had reacted strongly over the extension of emergency by a month. India will host navies from at least 16 countries for the mega naval exercise at the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The exercise is taking place in the backdrop of China s growing military posturing in the Indo-Pacific region and officials indicated that the issue is likely to figure during deliberations at the event. Officials said China s military manoeuvres in the South China Sea may figure during discussions among navy chiefs of the participating countries at the event. Milan was first held in 1995 with the participation of just five navies. The aim of the initiative was to have an effective forum to discuss common concerns in the Indian Ocean Region and forge deeper cooperation among friendly navies. Milan exercise will be held at Port Blair from March 6 to 13. Asked about the presence of Chinese ships in the Indo-Pacific region an official said The deployment of ships by China s Navy has been since 2008. At any point of time there are 6-8 ships in the region. We monitor them and know what is happening.
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump lit into India again on Monday in a rambling critique on trade issues picking on a minor dispute with New Delhi over motorcycle tariffs to highlight his grievance that other nations have taken advantage of previous US administration s negligence on trade. For the second time this month Trump latched on to an issue that does not even account for 0.05 per cent of the 140 billion US-India bilateral trade itself ranked tenth in the US commercial sweepstakes. After lamenting how China Canada and Mexico - the top three American trade partners - were ripping off US Trump settled on the Harley Davidson dispute with India to build a case for his version of fair trade. So we want fair trade deals. We want reciprocal trade deals. Scott Walker has a wonderful company called Harley Davidson in Wisconsin. Right? Great. So when they send a motorcycle to India as an example they have to pay 100 percent tax - 100 percent Trump began even though he acknowledged Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally intervened to reduce it to 50 per cent. It isn t enough for Trump. Now the Prime Minister who I think is a fantastic man called me the other day. He said We are lowering it to 50 percent. I said Okay but so far we re getting nothing. So we get nothing he gets 50 percent and they think we re doing - like they re doing us a favor. That s not a favour. And you know what I m talking about he rambled on. Trump then revealed that Harley itself had not asked for concessions and he was the one who was spending time on an issue that is laughably insignificant in terms of US world trade. It s a great company. When I spoke with your chairman or the president of Harley they weren t even asking for it because they ve been ripped off with trade so long that they were surprised that I brought it up. I m the one that s pushing it more than they are but it s unfair he said. And India sells us a lot of motorbike So when they have a motorbike - a big number by the way - they have a company that does a lot of business. So they have a motorcycle that comes into our country - We get zero. They get 100 percent brought down to 75; brought down now to 50. Okay he rambled on. Then he returned to Modi. And I wasn t sure - he said it so beautifully. He s a beautiful man. And he said I just want to inform you that we have reduced it to 75 but we have further reduced it to 50. And I said Huh. What do I say? Am I supposed to be thrilled? And that s not good for you people especially as governors. It s just not right. And we have many deals like that he told a meeting of the nation s governors who were further gobsmacked when he later told them he would have confronted the Florida shooter unarmed. India exports less than 1 000 motorcycles to US; African and Latin-American countries buy many times more. Besides Harley manufactures its bikes in India now and the tariff would largely be on the few imported bikes and semi- and completely knocked down components. The US President s obsession with Harley and its effort to get greater traction in India is attributed to the motorbike users demographic profile - mostly white middle-aged men in middle America who typically voted for Trump as attested by Bikers for Trump rallies during the election. Trump also narrowly won narrowly won Wisconsin (47.2 per cent to Hillary s 46.5 per cent) where the Harley headquarters is located (in Milwaukee) and ostensibly wants to show his gratitude to the state s working class voters who ditched Democrats making him the first Republican candidate to carry the state since Ronald Reagan in 1984. So despite the insignificance of the dispute and the negligible numbers he wants to make it a signature issue on manufacturing ignoring the fact that Harley manufactures from India. It is an easy illustrative example for his voters because Harley is an iconic brand one trade expert told ToI on background. US and India actually have much bigger trade disputes on medical devices for example. What Trump also doesn t know or prefers to ignore is Harley s entry to India was premised on a mangoes for motorbikes deal in 2007 between then President George Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh an agreement that took a long time to fructify for India because mango exporters had to jump through all kinds of hoops (including irradiating mangoes to get rid of pests) making the mangoes almost unaffordable in the US (up to 36 for a box of 12).
Not too long ago it looked like Suresh Raina s India career was done.In Uttar Pradesh s five matches in the Ranji Trophy late last year Raina - the captain - made 105 runs at an average of 11.66. His highest across the season was 33. He was eighth in the list of top run-getters among his teammates. He had not played for India since the T20I against Engalind in February that year. He was not picked again in 2017 amid reports that he had failed the yo-yo test.And you could see why. He didn t look his fittest self even during the IPL campaign. It was by his own account a tough phase for Raina - with reports of his family members being unwell and his focus not entirely on playing cricket. But at the start of 2018 he turned things around. His form surged in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 trophy - an unbeaten 56-ball 126 was a stunning innings that caught everyone s attention. And then came the confirmation that Chennai Super Kings were retaining him alongside MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja - another vote of confidence. The call-up to the India squad for South Africa duly followed.Three T20Is in South Africa is not definitive enough to call his comeback to India s colours as a success but Raina showed he is not done yet. Comebacks more difficultBefore departing for South Africa Raina was combative about his chances of making the opportunity that has been presented to him count. I was hurt on getting dropped even after performing well in his final T20I before this SA. But now I have cleared the Yo-Yo test and feeling so strong. During all these months of hard training the desire to play for India again grew only so much stronger. I won t leave it here. I have to play for India for as long as possible. I have to play the 2019 World Cup because I know I have done well in England. There is still a lot left in me and I am extremely confident of doing well in these three games in South Africa. And he lived up to his word. Scores of 15 (7 balls) 31 (24 balls) and 43 (27 balls) are not earth-shattering at first glance. But the manner in which those runs were scored is what will fill Raina with confidence.Being promoted to No 3 ahead of Virat Kohli was an invitation to go big from the first ball. One of India s problem areas in T20Is was a sedate batting powerplay (by T20 standards) and this team clearly wanted to address that without having to sacrifice Kohli. And that s where Raina came in handy. In the first match he hit the third ball he faced for a six and the fourth for a four. In the second match the third ball he faced was sent to the boundary. In the third match all it took was one ball for Raina to score his first six - a stylish whip over square leg. Raina was batting with the confidence of a man who has played many a crucial innings for the Chennai franchise at this very position. There was a hint of fearlessness to his presence in the middle during all three outings. He did not seem to get bogged down by the pressure of having to attack without getting his eye in - a task especially harder on comeback as failures might mean end of the road.Instead Raina showed the one ability that made him a constant feature in all of MS Dhoni s teams - the ability to adapt to the situation and shift gears with alarming ease. Before his international slump began Raina was earmarked as the man to take over the finisher s role in ODIs with Dhoni wanting to move up the order because of the same reason Kohli promoted him to No 3 in these T20Is.A successful outingHis man-of-the-match trophy in the third T20I for his 27-ball 43 and a useful wicket that of David Miller when he came to roll his arm over was a just reward. And just as he mentioned before the series began he reiterated that his ultimate aim is to win back the spot in the ODI squad to play for India at a World Cup again confidently proclaiming that it was only a matter of time. What the 5-1 scoreline in the ODI series against South Africa doesn t convey is that the middle order problem continues to persist for Kohli. The top three did all the heavy-lifting finishing on top of the run-scoring charts both sides combined. And No 4 onwards confusion persists. Ajinkya Rahane looked good in patches but threw his wicket away on a couple of occasions. Kedar Jadhav Shreyas Iyer Manish Pandey Dinesh Karthik - none of these names have grabbed their opportunities by the scruff of the neck. And that has left a door open for the likes of Raina who - let s not forget - is still only 31 years old and boasts a http://kkmyntra.qowap.com/11114195/shopozo-deals-in-myntra good record in ODIs at Nos 4 and 5.ODI career: 192 innings 5568 runs Average 35.46 SR 93.76 Five 100s At No 4 and 5: 99 innings 3077 runs Average 37.07 SR 95.73 Four 100s The importance of this comeback was not lost on Raina. Speaking after the T20I series he said: I worked really hard for two years. Each and every session I was doing in the gym on the field I was just (thinking) when I am going to play for India again. I think God helped. Thanks to my wife my kid to make me believe I can go there and wear the jersey again. That s what I think the Indian team does. When you make a lot of sacrifices in your life and at the same time you enjoy your game (it works out). I worked really hard on my game and my mental toughness. Raina knows this is his ticket to England for the World Cup. With the big guns being rested for the upcoming T20I tri-series in Sri Lanka Raina has a few more opportunities to solidify his claims before the IPL comes along and he is reunited with Dhoni and CSK.Should he have a good couple of months with the bat don t be surprised if Raina makes the flight to England one year ahead of the World Cup.
P Bharatiraaja s Solva Saawan released in 1979 a remake of his Tamil super hit 16 Vayad hinille hardly failed to make the mark the original it had done in Tamil but it brought to Bollywood a fresh female face - Sridevi. Its limited success meant that it would be four years before the north saw Sridevi again. She starred opposite Jeetendra in Himmatwala (1983) which became one of the biggest blockbusters of the year and made people take notice of the southern beauty with twinkle steps and dreams in her eyes. The same year saw the remake of another Tamil superhit Balu Mahendra s Sadma in which she played opposite Kamal Haasan the challenging role of a child-woman suffering from amnesia. Sridevi audiences found could not just dance she could act too. The mid-80s then saw a torrent of Sridevi films some of them with Jumping Jack Jeetendra which led to film magazines of the time concluding that she was unquestionably India s female star. Tohfa was released in 1985 Mawaali Maqsad and Justice Chaudhry followed. She broke the trend with the snake fantasy Nagina which not only stayed on as one of the top movies of the genre but the song main tera dushman set major gyration goals for other ichhadhaari naagins to follow. One of her most famous films Mr India was released in 1987. She played an eccentric crime reporter and stole screen-space from co-star Anil Kapoor so much that trade journals joked it should have been called Miss India. Her talented Charlie Chaplin sequence in the film was eclipsed by the dance number Hawa Hawaii and earned the actress one of her many sobriquets. With Chaalbaaz she became one of the rare Indian heroines to do a double role playing diverse characters and underlining that her claim to her rising fame was not just sprightly expressions and sensuous dance numbers. She showed she also had comic timing - which any actor would swear is the most difficult bit - and went on to prove it again in later films like Roop ki Rani Choron ka Raja that sunk miserably at the box office. If Sridevi rode across the Vindhyas initially on southern productions she was lifted to the next level by mega houses of Mumbai. Yash Chopra s Chandni gave her iconic status and crowned her standing as the biggest female actor of the 80s. Apart from the songs the romantic saga was mostly about Sridevi in her ethereally-white salwar kurtas. Her next Yash Raj film Lamhe won critical acclaim by testing limits of boldness acceptable in popular cinema and made her a star in overseas markets. Khuda Gawah opposite Amitabh Bachchan a heroic romance set on the other side of the Khyber pass still remains one of the most famous films in Afghanistan. With Madhuri Dixit now taking central stage Sridevi still continued to spring a few big releases. There was Mahesh Bhatt s Gumrah opposite Sanjay Dutt and Laadla and then her big hurrah in Judaai where she played a woman who sold her family for money. While she was charting success in Hindi Sridevi s audiences in the south missed her. Long before she became Thunder Thighs and Hawa Hawaii and Chandni Sridevi was the baby-faced Mayil of 16 Vayadhinile - and Viji of Moondram Pirai . Remakes and dubbed versions of these and others hits like Premabishekham had already made her a big name in the industries of Tamil Telugu and Malayalam. Born Shree Amma Yanger Ayyapan Sridevi started acting at the age of four as Tamil deity Lord Murugan in Thunaivan. She went on to do a clutch of films as a child artiste before her first major role in Moondru Mudichu . Sigappu Rojakkal and Varumayin Niram Sigappu established her as a hit pair with Kamal Haasan. She also starred in a few Malayalam films including Thulavarsham before her northern sojourn. Her popularity in Bollywood later brought her back to Telugu in 1988 where she went on to do Aakhari Poratam Jagadeka Veerudu Atiloka Sundari and Kshana Kshanam opposite the leading Tollywood men of the day. After her 15- year break Sridevi was back in Gauri Shinde s English Vinglish (2012) as the homemaker who goes to learn English but instead discovers her identity. The film travelled to international festivals and spawned a clutch of lookalikes in other languages. She then acted with Vijay in the Tamil fantasy Puli before her final film the thriller Mom produced by her husband Boney Kapoor. Mom was her 300th film. It was the end of a remarkable journey which started at the age of four and ended at fifty-four when she was looking good for many more. An oeuvre that cast her in beautiful roles in the dryland of Tamil Nadu and the forests of Kerala and plains and hills of the North and even in the mountains across the Khyber. In which she was paired with Kamal and Rajinikanth in Tamil Akkineni Nagarjuna and Chiranjeevi and Venkatesh in Telugu and then a host of Bollywood superstars from Jeetendra to Anil Kapoor to Rishi Kapoor to Rajesh Khanna to Amitabh Bachchan. Sridevi was India s first female superstar. And the only actor in the country with a substantially pan-Indian list of work. Sridevi: The actress who made her male co-stars feel insecure of 9NextPrevPlay SlideshowGone Too Soon25 Feb 2018Veteran Bollywood actress and Padma Shri awardee Sridevi passed away at the age of 54 after suffering a cardiac arrest in Dubai. In the four decades spanning across the Tamil and Hindi film industry she has left an indelible mark.A Born Star25 Feb 2018Sridevi was born as Shree Amma Yanger Ayappan in Sivakasi of Tamil Nadu on August 13 1963. Her mother was from Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh. So Sridevi grew up speaking Telugu and Tamil. She has a sister named Srilatha and a stepbrother named Satish. Her dad passed away during the year 1991 while her mom died during 1997.Actor Par Excellence25 Feb 2018Sridevi started her career as a child artist in M.A. Thirumugham s devotional Thunaivan at the age of four. She continued to act as a child artist in Tamil Telugu Malayalam and Kannada films. She made her Bollywood debut as a child artist in the hit Julie (1975) and played her first adult role at the age of 13 in the Tamil film Moondru Mudichu .First Female Superstar25 Feb 2018Sridevi made her Bollywood debut in 1978 with Solva Sawan . But it was only after five years with Jeetendra-starrer Himmatwala that she gained commercial success. Her beguiling eyes scintillating screen presence and acting prowess soon made her one of the most sought-after artistes in the Hindi film industry. While films like Mawaali (1983) Tohfa (1984) Mr India (1987) and Chandni (1989) kept her at the top in the box-office game her outings like Sadma (1983) ChaalBaaz (1989) Lamhe (1991) and Gumrah (1993) earned her critical acclaim.The Queen Of Expressions25 Feb 2018Among other things Sridevi was known for her unique facial expressions beautiful eyes and of course her comic timing. She had the unique ability to make the audience laugh and cry at the same time while giving an emotional performance.Next
Exit polls on Tuesday predicted a massive expansion of BJP s footprint in the northeast with wins for its alliances in Tripura and Nagaland. In Meghalaya NPP founded by former Speaker P A Sangma is projected to lead in a hung House unseating ruling Congress. Wins in Tripura and Nagaland would be a big plus for BJP which has had a marginal presence in Tripura and Nagaland. Given that NPP is an NDA member BJP wouldn t be too unhappy with it replacing Congress in Meghalaya either even if its own projected tally is rather modest. Of the three exit polls two gave BJP and its ally IPFT a clear win in Tripura (see graph) while the third suggested a neck and neck fight with the ruling Left Front. Congress which was the main opposition party in the last elections in 2013 may fail to win a single seat in the state all the polls indicated. In Nagaland where BJP fought the election in alliance with NDPP led by former chief minister Neiphiu Rio the alliance is projected by the CVoter and NewsX polls to have a clear edge and perhaps to get a majority in the 60-member house. The ruling NPF also an NDA constituent is seen to be not too far behind while Congress could fail to register its presence in this state too. The poll by Axis MyIndia made no seat projections on Nagaland but said NPF seemed to have an edge. In Meghalaya CVoter and NewsX saw NPP as the front runner in a hung house while Axis suggested Congress would finish as the largest party. In either case though the dice seem to be loaded against incumbent chief minister Mukul Sangma since it would be far easier for NPP to find allies among the BJP and regional parties than it would be for Congress. If the results come true Congress may for the first time be reduced to having just one government in the entire northeast the one in Mizoram.
Mumbai: ASK Wealth Advisors is set to raise about Rs 750 crore from wealthy Indians to invest in US-listed new-age companies like Google Netflix Facebook Nike and Amazon through liberalised remittance scheme amid rising demand for overseas assets. US-based Polen Capital and Scout Investment which manage billions of dollars would manage the funds raised by ASK Wealth. The fund is expected to return 11-15% CAGR in dollar terms. The idea is to find business which are disruptive with strong brands ASK Wealth managing director Rajesh Saluja said. You don t find such companies in India. Those companies have much higher growth potential as the US and Europe macro economies are showing signs of improvement. These companies have unique business models with high ROE (return on equity) strong earnings growth momentum and are run by high quality managements said Saluja who is also its chief executive. The time horizon for the investments should be at least five year he said. ASK Wealth is primarily aiming to sell the idea to high net worth individuals who are looking to diversify their portfolios with not much upside in sight in local bourses he said. The US remains an attractive https://profiles.wordpress.org/arfsplayer/ investment destination as it is the largest consumer market. The fund will also target those who already have money abroad and wish to create a corpus for the future. Such people could include parents whose children wish to go for studies in the US and want to settle abroad. The fund will invest in both large-cap and midcap stocks. Subscription will be done through the liberalised remittance scheme. Under this route Indians including minors are allowed to freely remit up to 250 000 per financial year. But investors need to consider the tax implications. Dividend income or capital gains earned on redemption of units or shares of the fund is taxable in the same year of receipt. Short-term capital gains are taxable at 30%. The minimum application amount to the fund is 15 000 (Rs 9.73 lakh) and the minimum additional subscription amount is 25 000. The ASK Group manages assets of about Rs 40 000 crore. Its wealth adviser arm provides investment advice to affluent families in the country.

More trouble for Nirav Modi; IT attaches 29 properties, 105 bank accounts

NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: In further trouble for beleaguered jewellery designer Nirav Modi the Income Tax Department today provisionally attached 29 properties and 105 bank accounts of the diamond merchant his family and firms as part of its tax evasion probe officials said. The departmen t also slapped the new anti-black money act against him for allegedly holding illegal assets abroad. The asset is suspected to be in Singapore. The Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act 2015) deals with cases of overseas illegal assets which till recently were probed under the Income Tax Act 1961. The new legislation has provisions for a steep 120 per cent tax and penalty on undisclosed foreign assets and income besides carrying a jail term of up to 10 years. The taxman also filed a charge sheet against Modi before a special court in Mumbai under sections 276 C (1) wilful attempt to evade tax 277 A (false statement in verification) 278 B (offences by companies) and 278 E (presumption as to culpable mental state) of the Income Tax Act 1961. The court will take up the case on February 27. Tax sleuths also pasted attachment notices at immovable properties of Modi his wife Ami and his firms located in Mumbai Surat Jaipur and Delhi. In the Maharashtra capital the properties that have been provisIonally attached pending assessment include Modi s premises in the posh Peddar road area Worli Bandra Lower Parel and Opera House. A total of 105 bank accounts of Modi his family and companies have also been attached they said. These attachments have been made keeping in view the huge demand which is http://raceiq.us/index.php?option=com_k2&view=itemlist&task=user&id=1786293 likely to be raised in the assessment proceedings which are underway in the case of Nirav Modi his family members and group concerns an I-T report accessed by PTI said. The I-T had first raided Modi in January last year on charges of alleged tax evasion. Nirav Modi and others are accused in a Rs 11 400-crore fraud involving Punjab National Bank. The accused are believed to have left the country. 150 shell cos linked to Nirav Modi identified Intensifying the probe into the country s biggest banking fraud the government has identified as many as 150 shell companies related to billionaire Nirav Modi his relatives and associates according to a senior official. As a multi-agency probe is underway in the USD 1.77 billion fraud perpetrated at state-owned Punjab National Bank the corporate affairs ministry has identified 150 shell companies for investigation. A senior government official today said that in parallel with the actions of the law enforcement agencies and income tax authorities the ministry has identified 150 shell companies for investigation . Generally shell companies are those used for illicit fund flows and do not have much business activities. The CBI and ED continued their crackdown on the bank fraud registering a fresh case against Nirav Modi s maternal uncle Mehul Choksi and claimed to have seized ornaments worth Rs 549 crore during raids today. Choksi Managing Director of listed Gitanjali Gems has also come under the lens of markets regulator Sebi and stock exchanges. Punjab National Bank has disclosed USD 1.77 billion (nearly Rs 11 400 crore) fraud perpetrated by way of fraudulently procured Letters of Undertaking (LoUs) of the lender.
NEW YORK: Holed up in a swish Marriott hotel suite facing New York City s Central Park with his cell phone switched off and receiving no calls Nirav Modi could well be contemplating the rise and fall of India s first globally branded diamond business exemplified by his boutique store right around the corner at 734 Madison Avenue. To the right of the Nirav Modi store is Kwiat a family owned house of diamond jewellery design going back to 1907. To the left is the luxury Swiss watch manufacture Vacheron Constantin founded in 1755. Across the street is Chanel Givenchy. Roberto Cavalli and other pricey brands that form the core and lore of the world of high fashion. On this bleak winter day the Nirav Modi store is open and a store manager who gives her first name as Tatiana and politely declines to giver her last name has a spare cryptic statement about a man who is said to be on the lam from India after allegedly defrauding one of the country premier banks: This matter has no affiliation legal or otherwise with Firestar International Limited which is the flagship enterprise of Mr Nirav Modi she says rapidly. No other questions are entertained and the conversation is terminated abruptly when asked if Modi will address allegations relating to his transactions with the Punjab National Bank. Of course it is not hard to trace Tatiana Waldman s association with Nirav Modi. She was a sales associate with Cartier for eight years before joined Nirav Modi in January 2016 as a high jewelry specialist after a brief stint with De Grisogono. That would have been just months after the Mumbai-born Antwerp-raised Indian diamantaire opened his first stores in New York City and Hong Kong. Stores in Beijing Macau Mumbai New Delhi Hawaii and Las Vegas followed in keeping with Modi s ambitious vision to open down a staggering 100 stores worldwide by 2025 a feat that would have eclipsed even the legendary Harry Winston. Even allowing for spectacular success stories in modern entrepreneurship Modi s rise even at current form is dizzying in what is considered a legacy business. Brands such as Tiffany Chopard Harry Winston Cartier Bvlgari and others have taken decades to build and burnish a brand and here was a young upstart going toe-to-toe neck-and-neck with them (at least in terms of visibility if not revenue) less than a decade after he dipped his toes in the retail branded business. In fairness it might be uncharitable to call him a neophyte. Modi belongs to a third-generation diamond trading family in Antwerp Belgium whose diamantaires largely trace their origins to Palanpur and whose scions are mostly interlinked by marriage. Although many of them including Modi s family have made fortunes in the business by selling diamonds to American retailers such as JC Penney and Zales few have dared to take a stab at the high-profile global branded business dominated by the likes of Cartier Tiffany Bvlgari Piaget etc. Dropping out of Wharton Nirav Modi embarked on precisely that path in 2010 and by 2017 he was the talk of the trade not only for his boutique stores the craftsmen he hired and the jewelry he produced but who wore them and where. Among those who were swathed in his pieces at last year s Oscar s were Kate Winslet Naomi Watts Karlie Kloss Kate Upton and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. The stand out though was Taraji Henson who was accessorised with a showstopping 103-carat diamond-crusted collar by Nirav Modi that attracted rave reviews besides winning Town and Country s Red Carpet Award for the Luminance Necklace. That necklace was outrageously well reviewed gem-watcher Marion Fasel of The Adventurine an online magazine dedicated to covering contemporary new designers and celebrity favorites wrote. Modi is every-where his jewelry has been on so many stars at the red carpet. Back in India too there was the red carpet before the red flags began to be raised particularly when he roped in Priyanka Chopra also a part-time New York City-resident like him to buff the brand. Towering several inches above Modi Chopra endorsed his vision of becoming India s first luxury brand with a Say Yes Forever campaign before it became it turned into maybe not. The actress is now said to be seeking legal opinion to terminate her contract with Modi after the PNB matter came to light.
Written by Deeptiman Tiwary | New Delhi | Updated: February 17 2018 7:45 am ED officers at a Nirav Modi showroom in New Delhi Thursday. (Express Photo: Tashi Tobgyal) AS the BJP and Congress blame each other for looking the other way while diamond czar Nirav Modi and his family allegedly defrauded the Punjab National Bank the CBI has said that a majority of the Letters of Understanding (LoUs) in the Rs 11 400-crore scam were either issued or were renewed in the bank in 2017-18. The CBI on Thursday registered a fresh FIR in the case against Mehul Choksi maternal uncle of Nirav Modi and his three companies claiming that they swindled PNB to the tune of Rs 4 886.72 crore in 2017-18 by way of getting 143 LoUs issued through the bank. Read | PNB scam effect: LIC Gitanjali loses Rs 1400 crore in three days Notably the first FIR in the case dealing with alleged swindling of Rs 280.7 crore through eight LoUs registered by the agency on January 31 also mentions that the LoUs were issued in 2017. To this FIR CBI has now added new information provided by PNB on Wednesday and estimated the total loss in the first FIR at Rs 6 498 crore. The cumulative figure for the total loss to PNB thus stands close to Rs 11 400 crore. CBI sources said that since the accused Modi and his relatives were rolling over the LoU money by way of getting them renewed many old LoUs too have been renewed in 2017.The CBI on Friday questioned four PNB officials in connection with the case. Notably they are all being probed for their dealings with Modi and his companies between 2014 and 2017. Also read | Punjab National Bank: Opposition govt trade charges These included Bechu B Tiwari chief manager of the Bank s Nariman Point Branch in Mumbai between February 2015 and October 2017; Sanjay Kumar Prasad current DGM of the bank and then AGM of Brady House Branch between May 2016 and May 2017; Mohinder K Sharma then concurrent auditor between November 2015 and July 2017 and Manoj Kharat then Single Window Operator holding office between November 2014 and December 2017. Boxes of jewellery sealed by investigators line a display at a Nirav Modi showroom in Delhi The FIR registered on Thursday against Choksi says: Accused Bank officials Gokulnath Shetty and Manoj Kharat in connivance with accused companies and directors during 2017-18 defrauded PNB to the tune of Rs 4886.72 crore in issuance of fraudulent and unauthorised LoUs in favour of foreign branches of different India-based banks and purported LCs (Letters of Credit) in favour of foreign suppliers of the accused companies. The FIR names 16 accused which includes Choksi his three companies Gitanjali Gems Gili India and Nakshatra Brand; one managing director 10 directors and two PNB officials apart from unknown people. It alleges that apart from getting 143 LoUs issued Choksi also got 224 Foreign Letters of Credit (FLCs) through PNB. According to the FIR Shetty and Kharat deliberately omitted making entries of LoUs issued on behalf of Choksi s companies in the Core Banking System (CBS) of the bank to avoid detection. Funds raised were meant to be used for payment of import bills of accused companies whereas it was dishonestly and fraudulently utilised for discharging the earlier liabilities on account of buyer s credit facility by overseas branches of Indian banks the FIR said. The modus operandi regarding issue of FLCs (Foreign Letters of Credit) the FIR says was that they were opened initially by entering smaller amounts in the CBS and sending FLCs through SWIFT messages. The accused bank officials unauthorisedly enhanced the value of FLCs manifold and issued amendments to said FLCs but did not enter the same in CBS the FIR said. In its complaint to CBI PNB has raised questions on the conduct of officials in the foreign branches of various banks as well. It has said that according to RBI guidelines LoUs for trade in jewellery and diamonds is issued only for a period of 90 days but PNB officials were issuing LoUs for a period of even six months to a year. This PNB said should have raised an alarm in the foreign branches. CBI on Friday conducted raids at 26 locations across six cities in five different states in connection with the PNB scam case. ED too has searched 35 locations across 11 states in connection with the case and seized jewellery and diamonds worth Rs 549 crore. The searches were conducted at locations connected to Modi and Choksi. All premises searched by CBI are connected to companies owned by Mehul Choksi. The companies include Gitanjali Gems Gili India and Nakshatra Brand. CBI sources said these three companies have 36 subsidiaries in India and abroad. The agency has carried out searches at premises connected to 18 subsidiaries in India. Of these 17 are in Mumbai and one in Hyderabad. The searches were conducted in Maharashtra (Mumbai and Pune) Gujarat (Surat) Rajasthan (Jaipur) Telangana (Hyderabad) & Tamil Nadu (Coimbatore). Following the CBI FIR on Choksi ED has also identified 29 immovable properties belonging to the accused. It has summoned Modi and Choksi to its Mumbai office on February 23. It has also got orders issued from Nirav Modi s office that their subsidiaries and showrooms in Macau Beijing New York and London not make any further sales. Meanwhile prosecution in the case of Nirav Modi has been filed under Income Tax Act for which hearing has been fixed on February 27. The Government said that the 105 bank accounts of Modi and his family and group concerns have been attached by the Income Tax department. The accused mentioned in the fresh FIR filed by CBI include Choksi (Managing Director Gitanjali Gems); Gokulnath Shetty (retired DGM of PNB); Manoj Kharat (then single window officer of PNB); and companies Gitanjali Gems Ltd Gili India Ltd Nakshatra Brand Ltd; directors of the companies Krishnan Sangameshwaran Nazura Yash Ajaney Dinesh Gopaldas Bhatia Aniyath Shivraman Nair and Dhanesh Vrajlal Sheth Jyoti Bharat Vora Anil Umesh Haldipur Chandrakant Kanu Karkare Pankhuri Abhijeet Warange Mihir Bhaskar Joshi and unidentified bank officials. For all the latest India News download Indian Express App Tags: Nirav Modi PNB Mayur PanghaalFeb 17 2018 at 7:48 amBJP is least concerned.They have milked so much money in the past 5 years that they can go without coming to power for atleast 50 years more.(3)(0) Reply Anthony Deodaunia WilliamFeb 17 2018 at 7:32 amAnd the indians are forced to believe that everything happened during Congress. When is Modi and Bkhats going to accept that BJP was voted not to dig into past. Cant keep money in Bank-NiMO will take Cant keep money at Home-NaMO will take Cant invest in cricket-LiMO will take(4)(0) Reply SSphinxFeb 17 2018 at 7:22 amNow the bjp politicians must shut up with their political blame game and focus on recovery. So-called clean and nationalistic BJP is now at same level as UPA1 when it comes to scam or controlling the terror attacks.(3)(0) Reply Rakesh Kumar TalwarFeb 17 2018 at 7:18 amToday I am going to withdraw all the money which has been deposited by me in PNB.(5)(0) Reply Prasanta MishraFeb 17 2018 at 6:51 amNo ur honour it is upa and khangress we are milkwashed..understand our deshbhakti.(34)(0) Reply Load More Comments
KOCHI: The State Bank of India does not have any direct exposure to the billionaire diamond trader Nirav Modi who is involved in over Rs 11 000 crore letter of undertaking scam stated its chairman Rajnish Kumar here. Though the bank has an indirect link through Punjab National Bank Kumar preferred to play it down and said it is a small one. Our exposure to gem and jewellery segment is less than 1 % of our total domestic loan portfolio amounting to Rs 16 lakh crore and is quite manageable he told media persons. He later said the exposure to PNB was to the tune of 200 million. SBI chairman was in Kochi to inaugurate the bank s global NRI centre which will be a one-stop customer service centre for all NRI related services of the bank. Terming the LoU scam incident as unfortunate he said SBI is in the process of further strengthening its credit risk advisory system which it had beefed up two years ago. The credit risk advisory system will play a much bigger role though the loan decision will be a collective one he said. Describing the banking transactions as risky business he said SBI has elaborate system of risk management including internal and external audits and surprise checks. The effort is a continuous one and we keep plugging any gaps in the processes. . But he added that despite checks a breach of trust can happen. The SBI chairman admitted that in the last two years there had been problems revolving around projects for corporate loans which he referred to as unsual . He said the percentage of NPAs has gone beyond the tolerance limit for any credit risk process which he believed was a transitory phase. Though the NPAs in the retail loan sector particularly in agriculture has gone up too the bank has been focusing more on retail loans. Dispelling the notion that banks have been granting more loans to corporates Kumar said 60% of SBI loans are in the retail sector. The global NRI centre will centralise operations of the bank currently spread across 16 circles 92 NRI branches in 66 different locations and several NRI intensive branches. NRI accounts amounted to 8% of its total deposits with Kerala Gujarat Punjab and Delhi having a prominent share. Who is Nirav Modi the man at the centre of Rs 11 300-crore PNB fr... of 6NextPrevPlay SlideshowHautest diamantiere15 Feb 2018 Nirav Modi was more than just another diamond merchant whose eponymous jewellery label blazed its trail across high streets of Madison Avenue or MGM Macau and Marina Bay Sands within a span of a decade to emerge as the biggest luxury label to have ever come out of Asia. Till the law caught up with him. Here are things we bet you did not know about Nirav Modi the man in the eye of PNB storm.High ambitions15 Feb 2018The 46-year-old diamond merchant who has always been at the centre of a glittering and effervescent universe is a quintessentially sharp Gujarati entrepreneur dead serious about building a global empire. The selection of his models stores or even roping in former Facebook country head Krithiga Reddy as an advisor underscores that burning ambition. Diamonds in DNA15 Feb 2018For Modi who has built a billion dollar enterprise diamonds are in his DNA. His father also a diamond jeweller migrated to Antwerp Belgium but Modi returned to Mumbai to learn the trade from maternal uncle Mehul Choksi who like Modi have also faced allegations of fraud.Breakout moment15 Feb 2018The Diamond Czar whose pieces ranging from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 50 crore have found a permanent perch across celebrity collarbones had a breakout moment in 2010 when an intricately designed lattice necklace in pink and colourless diamonds racked up 3.56 million at the Christie s Hong Kong auction.Thinking big15 Feb 2018His associates however argue that Modi-- the first Indian jeweller to get featured on the cover of Christie s catalogue-- had been plotting his moves from much before. He had already in 2005 bought into Frederick Goldman his biggest customer in the US. Two years later Modi expanded his US distribution through a majority partnership in Sandberg & Sikorski owners of the 120-year-old luxury bridal jewellery brand A Jaffe.Next
New Delhi: HighlightsNirav Modi wanted for 11 300-crore Punjab National Bank fraud Modi s uncle Mehul Choksi and other relatives also among accused Modi is celebrity jeweller India moves to cancel his passport As everyone talks about the billionaire Nirav Modi and his alleged 11 300- crore swindling of Punjab National Bank(PNB) investigators are now uncovering the extent of his ultra-lush lifestyle.He made frequent appearances in glossy magazines for his A-lister parties in cities and enrolled top actresses and models (Priyanka Chopra Rosie Huntington Whiteley) as the brand ambassadors for his jewellery. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley (centre) wearing Nirav Modi s three-strand Maharani necklace with emerald beads and over 146 carats of diamondsIn November two months before he left the country (now a major controversy given the scam he s accused of) he threw a party at the Four Seasons in Mumbai. Attendees included actress Sonam Kapoor. They were catered to by a three-star Michelin chef Massimo Bottura from Italy who has appeared on TV talk shows including the one hosted by Jimmy Kimmel. The chef whose restaurant in Modena is voted as one of the world s 50 best restaurants prepared a seven-course exclusive meal for Nirav Modi s guests. If they wanted to eat at his exclusive restaurant called Osteria Francescana they d probably have to wait for months just to get a reservation. Nirav Modi with Chef Massimo Bottura from ItalyWhen he wasn t throwing lavish dinners in India Nirav Modi one of the richest Indians at age 47 was showering his brand ambassadors with mega TLC. When model and actor Lisa Haydon came back work modelling after having her baby last year Nirav Modi threw her a party at Le Grand Palais in Paris in September. It was just months after she had a baby boy and so it was an opportunity to host her as she showed off Pear Emerald Suite. Lisa Haydon wearing Nirav Modi s Pear Emerald Suite at the Le Grand Palais in ParisPriyanka Chopra has said she is weighing whether to end her contract with Nirav Modi. Nirav Modi s company had named Priyanka Chopra as its brand ambassador last year.But for agencies like the Enforcement Directorate and CBI the details of his lifestyle and associates are a minefield of information and leads about excess of wealth and how to pin it down to the cheating and forgery case that has now to be proved in courts.Nirav Modi a Wharton dropout is known for his love of Bentley cars and expensive Italian suits. Sonam Kapoor wearing the Nirav Modi Tutti Frutti Ring and Constellation HoopsLast month Punjab National Bank (PNB) -- India s second-biggest state-owned lender -- approached the Central Bureau of Investigation alleging that Mr Modi and members of his family defrauded it of 43.8 million. PNB then said this week that it has detected fraud of almost 1.6 billion at a single branch in Mumbai.Yesterday investigators raided his Mumbai home and his offices in Delhi. The Enforcement Directorate claims it has recovered gold and diamond jewellery worth nearly 5 000 crores in those searches.The government say that Nirav Modi left India in early January before PNB detected either of the two fraud cases. The Enforcement Directorate raided 17 premises linked to Nirav Modi.It was under the tutelage of his entrepreneurial uncle Mehul Choksi the head of India s Gitanjali Diamonds and now also caught up in the fraud storm that Nirav Modi learned his trade. CommentsClose X In 1999 he founded Firestone -- now called Firestar -- a diamond giant currently boasting revenues of 2.3 billion.He set up the eponymous Nirav Modi brand in 2010. The high-end chain has showrooms in some of the world s major cities including London Beijing and Hong Kong.
NEW DELHI: The gems and jewellery portfolio is fast becoming a hot potato for banks that have been caught off-guard by the alleged financial irregularities in state-owned Punjab National Bank. A fraud of this magnitude allegedly by Nirav Modi the man at the centre of the storm who hails from a family of diamond merchants with an empire spread across continents has raised eyebrows and questions alike. The alleged involvement of Modi s uncle Mehul Choksi of Geetanjali Gems has cast its shadow on the gems and jewellery portfolio of the banking sector given the big names that have cropped up. These raise concerns particularly with respect to exposure in gems & jewellery segment said Edelweiss Securities. The brokerage though noted that high exposure to the segment does not necessarily suggest stress as the transaction being discussed is one-off intentional and unauthorised incident. Here is a table that throws light on the exposure each bank -- private or state-owned -- has in the gems and jewellery sector according to their latest quarterly filings. At the time of filing this report the PNB stock has already fallen by one-fourth since the Rs 11 400-crore alleged fraud at one of its Mumbai branches came to light. Big lenders SBI and Union Bank are believed to have an exposure of 1.8 billion in the PNB fraud case. Allahabad Bank s is seen at about Rs 4 000 crore while that of Union Bank is projected at around Rs 1 000-2 000 crore. The corresponding figure for Axis Bank reads about Rs 2 000-3 000 crore. According to news reports the RBI has asked PNB to pay the entire Rs 11 300 crore owed to counterparty banks. Market watchers said the issue has surely dented the image of banks especially the PSU lenders as it reminds them of a similar fraud by Winsome Diamond a few years ago. Such instances of financial oversight and the resultant pressure on asset quality will be an overhang on valuations for PSU banks said Edelweiss Securities. Industry leaders meanwhile hope this should be a one-off issue. Unfortunately these things unnecessarily add a bad name to the banking sector. I am sure that this is not a systemic issue in the banking system and is one-off incident Keki Mistry of HDFC told ET Now.
PNB Fraud Case LIVE Updates: Nirav Modi is the main accused in the Rs 11 300 crore PNB scamNew Delhi / New York: The passports of Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi have been suspended for four weeks today as CBI and Enforcement Directorate are carrying out investigations and sought its revocation. Billionaire jewellery designer Nirav Modi and his partner Mehul Choksi are the main accused in the Rs 11 300 crore Punjab National Bank fraud termed India s biggest banking scandal. Earlier today NDTV traced Nirav Modi to an upscale apartment in Midtown Manhattan.Sources have confirmed to NDTV that Nirav Modi the main accused in alleged fraudulent transactions of over Rs 11 300 crore through 150 letters of understanding issued by Punjab National Bank has been discreetly living at New York s JW Marriott Essex House at 160 Central Park South which includes both a hotel and apartments. The section where Nirav Modi has been living is situated in a premier location overlooking New York s well known Central Park.Nirav Modi who holds an Indian passport left India on January 1 while his brother Nishal a Belgian citizen left the country on the same day. However whether they travelled together has to be investigated. Nirav Modi s wife Ami a US citizen also left on January 6 and his uncle and business partner Mehul Choksi the promoter of Gitanjali jewellery chain left on January 4 the officials said.Apart from the CBI the Enforcement Directorate also moved a separate application with the External Affairs Ministry seeking urgent and immediate revocation of passports of Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi. Here are the latest and LIVE updates about billionaire jewellery designer Nirav Modi and the Punjab National Bank Fraud: Feb 16 201817:28 (IST)Replying to a question by a reporter during a press conference today about the PNB Fraud MEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said I thing you are asking the wrong person. We come into the picture only when we are advised by the agencies. We do not know where Nirav Modi is. We aren t in touch with him. Feb 16 201817:24 (IST) CBI is carrying out searches in 26 places across India after naming three companies in fresh police complaint registered in PNB fraud case news agency PTI reported. Feb 16 201817:23 (IST) We must understand that a banking fraud has nothing to do with the government. Coal Scam 2G Scam Jijaji Scam were all government scams. Jijaji ghotala you know very well..that s a scam Mr Javadekar said as he referred to Robert Vadra. The banking system was destroyed by the UPA and this issue is something we have inherited from them he added. Feb 16 201817:16 (IST)BJP Government Brought Scam To Light: Prakash JavadekarThe issue came to light when we decided to make the banking system more transparent. So it was the BJP government that brought the scam to light. It originated during the UPA government. All these scams took place during this time. We want to ask why didn t the Punjab National Bank fraud case come to light earlier but in 2017... because there was no proper system. Feb 16 201817:15 (IST) It is a bank related matter not a government related one. If the bank issued unreasonable loans how is the government responsible for this Mr Javadekar said while addressing the reporters. Feb 16 201817:14 (IST)The banking system was destroyed by the UPA and this issue is something we have inherited from them: HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar Feb 16 201817:02 (IST)Rahul Gandhi had attended a show held by Nirav Modi on September 13 and on September 14 the Allahabad bank was alerted about this case. After this Mr Dubey complains to the finance secretary who instead of investigating asked Mr Dubey to resign. We want had put pressure against investigating the matter? This happened during the UPA rule in 2011: Prakash JavadekarFeb 16 201814:19 (IST)Breaking News: Passports of Nirav Modi Mehul Choksi suspended for 4 weeks by government amid bank scam investigation. They both left India in JanuaryFeb 16 201812:39 (IST)Enforcement Directorate Raids Nirav Modi s Mumbai Botique And OfficeThis morning officials from ED raided Nirav Modi s showroom and office in Mumbai s Kala Ghoda area. Yesterday in searches at 17 Nirav Modi properties in multiple cities the Enforcement Directorate claimed found diamonds jewellery and gold worth Rs. 5 000 crore. More assets will be seized more premises will be raided. Till now we have found assets only half the fraud money. Our priority right now to recover assets worth at least equivalent to fraud amount an official told NDTV this morning.Watch the video below:Feb 16 201811:06 (IST)10 Latest Developments About Nirav Modi And The Rs 11 300 Crore Punjab National Bank FraudAmid investigations against celebrity jeweller Nirav Modi in connection with a massive bank scam the CBI has contacted Interpol. Nirav Modi who left India days before the CBI started investigating him in connection with the bank scam is in New York staying at the JW Marriott Essex House a luxury hotel not far from his Manhattan showroom NDTV has learnt. Raids on Nirav Modi will continue until investigators can seize enough wealth to cover the amount involved in the Punjab National Bank (PNB) swindle - Rs 11 300 crore - sources have told NDTV. This morning teams of officials returned to the celebrity jeweller s showroom and office in Mumbai.Here are the 10 latest updates about billionaire jewellery designer Nirav Modi and India s biggest banking fraud - the PNB scandal:1) Yesterday in searches at 17 Nirav Modi properties in multiple cities the Enforcement Directorate found diamonds jewellery and gold worth Rs. 5 100 crore.2) More assets will be seized more premises will be raided. Till now we have found assets only half the fraud money. Our priority right now to recover assets worth at least equivalent to fraud amount an official told NDTV this morning.3) The government has said that Nirav Modi s passport will be cancelled. The billionaire left India on January 1 long before the bank scam exploded.4) The raids on Nirav Modi 48 followed PNB s http://www.magcloud.com/user/kkabhibus complaint that it had been cheated of around Rs 11 300 crore of taxpayer s money by Nirav Modi his family members and business partner Mehul Choksi who are accused of using fake guarantees to get credit from banks overseas.5) The CBI filed a formal case charging four Nirav Modi his wife Ami brother Nishal and Mehul Choksi on January 31 after PNB complained of fraud worth Rs 280 crore.6) Earlier this week India s second biggest government bank told the CBI that the amount was closer to a staggering Rs 11 300 crore.7) Nirav Modi and the others left India in the first week of January long before the CBI filed the case. In the first week of February deeper into the investigations the investigating agency put out a lookout notice against the four.8) Nirav Modi s exit has fueled political sparring with opposition parties like the Congress drawing comparisons with Vijay Mallya s flight out of the country in the middle of attempts to recover billions in unpaid loans from him.9) The jeweller for stars in India and abroad was recently seen in a group photo in Davos with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Congress accused PM Modi of helping Chhota Modi escape the country though he had been aware of a scam since 2016 when a whistleblower wrote to him on Nirav Modi s uncle Mehul Choksi and warned that he would leave the country. The government called the charge shameful and declared that no one will be spared no matter how big . Nirav Modi s passport will be revoked said Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.10) Last month the diamond billionaire was raided over charges that he and his associates had swindled Rs.280 crore from PNB. In a new complaint this week PNB pegged the scam at much more - around 1.8 billion or Rs. 11 300 crore. PNB told the stock exchange that its own officials at a single branch in Mumbai had helped Nirav Modi and others get credit without proper guarantees and in violation of rules. Taxpayers money had been illegally transferred abroad the bank said.Feb 16 201810:51 (IST)PNB Fraud: 10 Facts About Nirav Modi At The Centre Of India s Biggest Banking FraudNirav Modi the name on glossy billboards promising exclusive diamond jewellery is now at the centre of a colossal banking scandal involving fraud worth Rs 11 300 crore. Punjab National Bank has said that its own officials violated rules and put out illegal guarantee documents to help the celebrity jeweler secure credit from banks abroad.Feb 16 201810:48 (IST)Actor Priyanka Chopra Seeks Legal Opinion On Exiting Deal With Nirav ModiActor and former Miss World Priyanka Chopra roped in last year as the brand ambassador for Nirav Modi s designer jewellery hasn t sued the billionaire but is getting legal opinion on how to cancel her deal the actor s spokesperson said after the 48-year-old emerged as the target of a massive investigation into the Rs 11 300 crore scandal termed India s biggest banking fraud. There are speculative reports that Priyanka Chopra has sued Nirav Modi. This is not true. However she is currently seeking legal opinion with respect to terminating her contract with the brand in light of allegations of financial fraud against Nirav Modi her spokesperson said in a brief statement.Ms Chopra who scored Hollywood success with her hit series Quantico has been associated with the luxury diamond jewellery brand as its brand ambassador since January 2017. Priyanka embodies all the symbols of modern India while paving her own path which also represents the ethos of our brand the firm that has boutiques across three continents to sell its jewellery for prices varying between 5 lakhs to 50 crores had announced. The banking scandal however has led Ms Chopra to consider snapping ties with the brand.(Photo: Priyanka Chopra was roped in last year as the ambassador for Nirav Modi s jewellery designer brand)Feb 16 201810:35 (IST)Nirav Modi And The 2 Billion Fraud: What We Know So FarOn Valentine s Day one of India s biggest banks disclosed an almost 2 billion fraud allegedly by one of the country s richest men who deals in pearls and diamonds. Shares of the lender Punjab National Bank plunged on the news dragging down other lenders when it said the scam may extend to multiple banks. With several questions still unanswered here s what we know about the case so far.Feb 16 201810:27 (IST)Nirav Modi LIVE Updates: NDTV Investigates The Whereabouts Of Nirav Modi Main Accused In India s Biggest Banking FraudNDTV s in person questions to his staff at Madison Avenue showroom were not answered but this statement was given This matter has no affiliation legal or otherwise with Firestar International Limited which is the flagship enterprise of Mr. Nirav Modi. NDTV is currently awaiting a promised call from Nirav Modi s US management. In the mean while NDTV has also reached out to the FBI US Department of Justice and is awaiting a response. Watch the video here:Feb 16 201810:17 (IST)Nirav Modi LIVE Updates: What Happened At Nirav Modi s New York Apartment When News Of The PNB Scam BrokeNDTV s Namrata Brar managed to reach Nirav Modi s upscale suite on the 36th floor of Manhattan s JW Marriott Essex House overlooking New York s Central Park on Thursday afternoon. Three staff members informed NDTV that Nirav Modi and his wife Ami were out and only their children were home. Another source told NDTV the news is only in India he is safe in America right? . NDTV has also learnt that there was a great deal of activity on Wednesday night when multiple people gathered in his apartment at the same time that the news of the scam broke in India. Hotel staff claim to have seen the 48-year-old Nirav Modi who is unusually reticent at odd hours late into the night. His wife Ami Modi has been seen entering and exiting the building frequently during the day. By the time CBI a sent out the lookout notice in the first week of February a month had passed since Nirav Modi his uncle and business partner Mehul Choksi his brother Nishal Modi and his wife Ami Modi had long left the country in early January. Feb 16 201810:07 (IST) NDTV has learnt that Nirav Modi is staying in a luxe suite at the JW Marriott s Essex House in Manhattan a short walk away from his luxurious Madison Avenue jewelry retail store. The diamond billionaire is the main accused behind India s biggest banking fraud of 1.8 billion or over Rs. 11 300 crore. He left India on January 1 and was last seen in Davos Switzerland.Feb 16 201810:01 (IST)NDTV Exclusive Video: Nirav Modi s Suite At JW Marriott s Essex House In ManhattanFeb 16 201809:55 (IST) Apart from the CBI the Enforcement Directorate also moved a separate application with the External Affairs Ministry seeking urgent and immediate revocation of passports of Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi.Feb 16 201809:25 (IST) Nirav Modi who holds an Indian passport left India on January 1 while his brother Nishal a Belgian citizen left the country on the same day. However whether they travelled together has to be investigated. Nirav Modi s wife Ami a US citizen also left on January 6 and his uncle and business partner Mehul Choksi the promoter of Gitanjali jewellery chain left on January 4 the officials said.(Photo: Billionaire jewellery designer Nirav Modi is being investigated in connection with the Rs. 11 400 crore Punjab National Bank scam)Feb 16 201808:55 (IST)Nirav Modi s New York Apartment At JW Marriott Essex House ManhattanNDTV has traced Nirav Modi to this upscale apartment in Manhattan s JW Marriott Essex House. Mr Modi s apartment overlooks New York s well known Central Park and is minutes away from his fancy showroom in the city.(Photo: Sources have told NDTV that billionaire jewellery designer Nirav Modi has been living in this upscale New York apartment)Feb 16 201808:46 (IST)Nirav Modi Latest Updates: Billionaire Jewelley Designer Traced To Upscale New York ApartmentSources have confirmed to NDTV that Nirav Modi the main accused in alleged fraudulent transactions of over Rs 11 400 crore through 150 letters of understanding issued by Punjab National Bank has been discreetly living at New York s JW Marriott Essex House at 160 Central Park South which includes both a hotel and apartments. The section where Nirav Modi has been living is situated in a premier location overlooking New York s well known Central Park.(Photo: Nirav Modi has been living discreetly at New York s JW Marriott Essex House. The section where Nirav Modi has been living is situated in a premier location overlooking New York s well known Central Park)Feb 16 201808:36 (IST) A day after the Central Bureau of Investigation or CBI India s premier investigation agency sought the revocation of passports of billionaire jewellery designer Nirav Modi and his partner Mehul Choksi in connection with a Rs 11 400 crore bank fraud NDTV has traced Nirav Modi to an upscale apartment in Midtown Manhattan.No more content CommentsClose X
MUMBAI: Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra has been seeking a legal opinion with respect to terminating her contract with famous jewelry designer Nirav Modi s brand in light of allegations of financial fraud her spokesperson Natasha Pal said on Thursday. There are speculative reports that Priyanka Chopra has sued Nirav Modi. This is not true. She is seeking a legal opinion with respect to terminating her contract Pal said. The designer is entangled in controversy after 10 Punjab National Bank officials were suspended over financial fraud to the tune of 1.77 billion. According to the CBI Nirav Modi left India on January 1 days before CBI issued lookout circulars against the celebrated designer and his wife Ami an American citizen who left India on January 6. The CBI issued the circulars on January 31. Meanwhile the Enforcement Directorate on Thursday searched 17 premises of Nirav Modi Geetanjali Gems in relation to the PNB fraud case. Stocks of gold diamond and precious stones worth Rs 5100 crore were seized.