Lok Sabha passes Income Tax Amendment Bill

Representational image (Photo: Getty Images)

The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed by a voice vote a bill to amend the income tax laws to facilitate levy of 60 per cent tax on undisclosed income or investment or cash credit deposited in banks after the November 8 demonetisation.

The bill was passed even as the opposition members protested and raised slogans against the government.

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, while moving the bill for consideration and passing, called it one of the steps by the Centre to curb black money.

“This is an attempt to get the (black) money into the mainstream,” he said.

However, the opposition members insisted the lower house first take up a debate on demonetisation under the rule pertaining to an adjournment motion, and the bill be taken up thereafter.

Trinamool Congress member Sudip Bandyopadhyay suggested that the debate and the bill can be clubbed, which Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said was not possible.

While the opposition protested, the Speaker put the bill to vote amid the din, and it was passed by a voice vote.

According to the Taxation Laws (Second Amendment) Bill, 2016, the declarant will have to pay a tax of 60 per cent and an additional surcharge of 25 per cent of the tax (i.e. 15 per cent of such income), resulting in a total tax component of 75 per cent.

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Fat to fit Aamir for ‘Dangal’

Aamir Khan

Aamir Khan was present at a promotional event for his film Dangal on Monday. The makers of the film chose this moment to launch a making video showcasing Amir’s transformation from fat to fit. The actor plays the role of former wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat in his upcoming flick.

Aamir interacted with the media and shared his experience of how he gained weight and then worked hard to become fit.

The film shows the two phases of Mahavir Phogat. The older version had to weigh around 95 kg on the contrary the younger version had to weigh not more than 75 kg.

For 80 per cent of the movie, Aamir had to play the older version of Phogat and thus, he chose to shoot that part first.

In the beginning of the video Aamir is fat and bulky with 38% body fat. This was easy and fun for him but this hampered his wrestling training. He said, “Being bulky made it difficult to move during the training.”

The actor suffered from breathing issues and had multiple injuries while wrestling in that gigantic body structure.

After filming for the older bit, Aamir started to work on building his physique like a wrestler and underwent training. He followed a rigorous fitness regime along with long hours of work out to get into shape in less than 6 months, weighing 70 kgs with 9 per cent body fat.

The initial phase was very strenuous. With a lot of hard work and dedication, the Dangal actor made it to the desired look.

The filmmakers appreciated his efforts and said, “Looking at the kind of effort, blood and sweat that Aamir Khan has put in for the character of Mahavir Singh Phogat, we feel the actor has done a phenomenal job.”

The film is directed by Nitesh Tiwari and will hit the big screen on December 23.

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‘GoT’ star Michiel Huisman joins Lily James in ‘Guernsey’

Michiel Huisman (Photo: Instagram)

Game of Thrones star Michiel Huisman will star opposite actress Lily James in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, based on the novel of the same name by Annie Barros and Mary Ann Shaffer.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire director Mike Newell will helm the project from a script by Don Roos and Tom Bezucha, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The film, set in the aftermath of World War II, follows a journalist, who forms a bond with the eccentric Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, a book club formed on Guernsey Island.

Paula Mazur, Mitchell Kaplan, Graham Broadbent and Pete Czernin will produce the film.

Huisman most recently appeared in horror hit The Invitation, The Age of Adaline opposite Blake Lively and Wild with Reese Witherspoon.

On TV, he played Daario Naharis on HBO's hit Game of Thrones and also appeared on Orphan Black and Nashville.

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Brothers In Arms: India-China

South Korean President sends resignation amid allegations of graft

South Korean President Park Geun-hye (Photo: Twitter)

South Korean President Park Geun-hye, troubled by a howl of allegations of corruption and her involvement in the “Korean Rasputin” scandal, on Tuesday yielded to increasing demands for her resignation.

Park offered her resignation to the National Assembly, where she was being threatened to be impeached, Efe news reported.

“I will leave to the National Assembly the possibility of shortening my term,” said Park Geun-hye in her third public speech since the biggest political scandal in South Korea was uncovered more than a month ago.

Park said she was also “committed to collaborate with the investigation and resign” if necessary.

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Women, men see faces differently

(Photo: Getty Images)

Women and men look at faces and absorb visual information in different ways, according to a new study which suggests that there is a gender difference in understanding visual cues.

Researchers from Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) in the UK used an eye tracking device on almost 500 participants over a five-week period to monitor and judge how much eye contact they felt comfortable with while looking at a face on a computer screen.

They found that women looked more at the left-hand side of faces and had a strong left eye bias, but that they also explored the face much more than men.

They observed that it was possible to tell the gender of the participant based on the scanning pattern of how they looked at the face with nearly 80 per cent accuracy.

Given the very large sample size the researchers suggest this is not due to chance.

“This study is the first demonstration of a clear gender difference in how men and women look at faces,” said lead author Antoine Coutrot from QMUL.

We are able to establish the gender of the participant based on how they scan the actor's face, and can eliminate that it is not based on the culture of the participant as nearly 60 nationalities have been tested,” said Coutrot.

“We can also eliminate any other observable characteristics like perceived attractiveness or trustworthiness,” Coutrot added.

The participants were asked to judge how comfortable the amount of eye contact they made was with the actor in a Skype-like scenario.

Each participant saw the same actor (there were eight in total) during the testing period, which was around 15 minutes.

At the end of the session the researchers collected personality information about the participants through questionnaires.

“There are numerous claims in popular culture that women and men look at things differently – this is the first demonstration, using eye tracking, to support this claim that they take in visual information in different ways,” said Isabelle Mareschal from QMUL.

Researchers also suggest that the gender difference in scanning visual information might impact many research fields, such as autism diagnosis or even everyday behaviours like watching a movie or looking at the road while driving.

The study appears in the Journal of Vision.

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Harmanpreet leads India to five wicket win over Pakistan

Mithali Raj's 36 off 57 balls at the top of the order were also of high value for the Women in Blue.

Harmanpreet Kaur (Photo: AFP)

Captain Harmanpreet Kaur led from the front with an all-round show as India outplayed arch-rivals Pakistan by five wickets to remain the sole unbeaten team in the Women's Asia Cup T20 tournament, here on Tuesday.

Kaur bagged two crucial wickets helping India restrict Pakistan to 97 for seven in 20 overs before taking her team over the line with an unbeaten 26 off 22 balls.

She was batting alongside Anuja Patil (2 not out) when India overcame the modest target with four balls to spare.

Mithali Raj's 36 off 57 balls at the top of the order were also of high value and so were the three wickets from left-arm spinner Ekta Bisht.

There was suspense till the end whether India would face Pakistan in the tournament considering the escalated tensions at the border. Earlier in November, the International Cricket Council (ICC) had docked India six points for not playing Pakistan between August 1 to October 31 as per the ICC Women's Championship.

As it turned out, India took the field in the keenly followed clash and emerged on top, avenging their narrow defeat in the World T20 at home in March.

The win was also India's third in as many games. They now sit on the top of the table with six points followed by Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The other teams in the competition are Bangladesh, Thailand and Nepal.

India were in control for the major part of the match after they won the toss and put Pakistan in to bat.

They took wickets at regular intervals, not allowing Pakistan to build a partnership. The Pakistan batting line-up put up an ordinary effort barring opener Ayesha Zafar (28) and Iram Javed, who remained unbeaten on 37 off 41 balls.

India made a cautious start to the chase and by the 11th over they had seen the back of opener Smriti Mandhana (14) and number three Sabbhineni Meghana (8).

The experienced Raj held the innings together with a fighting knock before Kaur took over from her and got the job done.

Brief scores:

Pakistan 97 for 7 in 20 overs (Iram Javed 37 not out; Ekta Bisht 3/20, Harmanpreet Kaur 2/16).

India 98 for 5 in 19.2 overs (Mithali Raj 36, Harmanpreet Kaur 26 not out; Dar 2/11).

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SC asks Centre to take a decision on framing national yoga

Schools in MP asked to hold Surya Namaskar sessions

Representational image Photo: Getty Images

The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Centre to take a decision within three months on pleas seeking framing of a national yoga policy and making yoga compulsory for students of Class I-VIII across the country.

A bench headed by Justice M B Lokur asked the Centre to treat the petitions filed on the issue as a representation and take a decision.

The court was hearing the pleas filed by Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, a lawyer and Delhi BJP spokesperson and J C Seth on the issue.

Upadhyay has sought a direction to the Ministry of Human Resources Development, NCERT, NCTE and CBSE to “provide standard textbooks of ‘yoga and health education’ for students of Class I-VIII keeping in spirit various fundamental rights such as right to life, education and equality.”

‘Right to health’ is an integral part of right to life under the Article 21, it said, noting that it includes protection of health and is a minimum requirement to enable a person to live with human dignity.

“State has an obligation to provide health facilities to all the citizens, especially to children and adolescents. In a welfare state, it is obligation of the State to ensure the creation and sustenance of conditions congenial to good health,” the plea has said.

It said that right to health cannot be secured without providing ‘yoga and health education’ to all children or framing a ‘national yoga policy’ to promote and propagate it.

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Mohali Test Day 4: England bundled out for 236

Joe Root (78) and Haseeb Hameed (59*) were the highest scorers for the visitors.

Haseeb Hameed (L) (Photo: AFP)

Despite Joe Root’s counter-attacking 78 and Haseeb Hameed’s laborious 59*, England could only manage 236 in their second innings, setting India a target of a 103 runs with well over a day’s play remaining.

Root looked immovable in his crease but thanks to Rahane’s excellent reflexes, walked back to the pavilion before he could complete a century but England’s lower-order didn’t fold up as expected.

Hameed, batting lower down the order after injuring his finger in the first innings remained unbeaten on 59, making the Indian bowlers toil for over 150 deliveries without any reward.

He had able support for a while from Chris Woakes, who fell at 30 and Adil Rashid followed suit in a span of two balls thanks to some superb swing bowling from Mohammad Shami.

Last man Jimmy Anderson was run-out after some good work from Ravindra Jadeja in the field, Ravichandran Ashwin directing his throw onto the stumps in the nick of time.

Jadeja has been superb with both bat and bawl in this Test, emerging as a strong contender for Man of the Match in a game India just cannot lose.

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More efficient use of sunlight can improve crop yields

(Photo: Getty Images)

Researchers in the US, led by one of Indian origin, have developed a genetic manipulation technique that results in more efficient use of sunlight in photosynthesis by plants. They say the findings observed in tobacco plants could potentially be used to increase the yield of food crops like wheat and rice.

Photosynthesis is a process in which green plants use energy from the sun to transform water, carbon dioxide and minerals into biomass that is used for food, fuel, and fibre.

However, when there is too much sunlight, the photosynthetic machinery in chloroplasts inside the plant cells can be damaged. To protect plants from such damage, nature has endowed the chloroplasts with a system called non-photochemical quenching or NPQ.

Scientists at the University of California-Berkeley (UCB) and the University of Illinois targeted the three genes involved in the “quenching” process. They figured that boosting the expression of these genes might improve photosynthetic efficiency and hence yield. To test this concept, the team inserted a “cassette” of the three genes (taken from the model plant Arabidopsis) into tobacco plants for testing in the field.

By boosting the expression of the three genes involved in NPQ, the scientists saw up to 20 per cent increase in the productivity of the modified tobacco plants in field experiments. The researchers have reported their findings in a paper published in the journal “Science”.

“We just used tobacco plant for the proof of concept experiments because it is easy to work with,” Krishna Niyogi, a UCB professor of plant and microbial biology and co-senior author, told this correspondent in an email.

“All plants have the NPQ photo-protection system. So we expect this will work for food crops too,” Niyogi said, adding: “In plants like rice and wheat, we hope to see an increased yield of seeds, which are the harvested parts of those crops.”

Niyogi teamed up with Stephen Long, a plant biology and crop sciences professor at the University of Illinois, for the study.

“It is very important to have these new technologies on the shelf now because it can take 20 years before such inventions can reach the farmer’s fields,” an official release from the university quoted Long as saying. “If we don’t do it now, we won’t have this solution when we need it.”

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Nabha jailbreak ‘mastermind’ shifted to high-security prison

Representational image (Photo: Getty Images)

Parminder Singh, the alleged “mastermind” of the daring daylight jailbreak in Punjab, has been shifted to a high security prison in the district, jail officials said on Tuesday.

Singh along with Khalistan Liberation Front militant outfit Harminder Mintoo and four other prisoners escaped after armed men in police uniform stormed the high-security Nabha prison at Patiala in Punjab on November 27.

Singh was arrested from Kairana in Uttar Pradesh’s Shamli district on the day itself when the getaway vehicle was stopped at a police picket.

Superintendent of district jail Rakesh Singh said the accused, Parminder Singh, was shifted to a high security barrack here on Monday.

No inmate is allowed to meet him, he said, adding that security of the jail has been upped.

An alert has been sounded in 65 district jails of Uttar Pradesh in the wake of the Nabha jailbreak.

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Hardik Pandya out for 6 weeks, may miss England ODIs

Opener KL Rahul and wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha are already in the injured list.

Hardik Pandya (Photo: Facebook)

India all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been ruled out of competitive cricket for a minimum of six weeks after the shoulder injury he sustained during the net-session here turned out to be a hairline fracture.

The rehabilitation will start post recovery and it makes Hardik a doubt for India's ODI series against England starting in Pune on January 15.

“BCCI medical team confirms that India all-rounder Hardik Pandya has sustained a hairline fracture on his right shoulder. He will take minimum six weeks to recover from this injury,” a BCCI release stated.

“BCCI medical team will monitor his progress and rehabilitation programme and update accordingly. Hardik was struck by a ball during a net session before the start of the third Test match against England in Mohali,” the release added.

Opener KL Rahul and wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha are already in the injured list.

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Iraqi PM says his country will cut oil production

(Getty Images)

Iraq’s prime minister says his country will agree to cut its own oil production as part of a plan by OPEC to push crude prices higher.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi told The Associated Press that current prices are not sustainable for oil-producing countries.

Al-Abadi’s comments could be critical because Iraq along with Iran has been reluctant to go along with cuts, creating an obstacle for an OPEC deal, according to published reports.

Al-Abadi said he understands that OPEC members will agree to reduce production by between 900,000 and 1.2 million barrels per day that would be a cut of between 2.7 per cent and 3.6 per cent from October levels. He said it would be enough to push prices up.

“Yes, we will take our share and we agreed to this,” he told the AP.

Benchmark international oil rose $1, or 2 per cent, on Monday to close at $48.24 a barrel. Al-Abadi said for every Dollar oil prices rise, Iraq gains about $1 billion.

In late 2014, as crude prices tumbled from more than $100 a barrel, OPEC countries decided not to intervene they expected falling prices to drive high-cost producers in the US out of business.

But a worldwide glut of oil has persisted and OPEC has been pumping at record levels. Now the cartel is trying to regain some of its historical ability to affect prices.

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HIV vaccine efficacy study begins in South Africa

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The first HIV vaccine efficacy study in seven years has begun in South Africa to test whether a modified vaccine candidate can provide effective protection against the AIDS virus, the US National Institutes of Health said.

The study — called HVTN 702 — aims to enroll 5,400 sexually active men and women aged 18 to 35 years, making it the largest and most advanced HIV vaccine clinical trial to take place in South Africa, Xinhua news agency reported.

“If deployed alongside our current armoury of proven HIV prevention tools, a safe and effective vaccine could be the final nail in the coffin for HIV,” said Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Anthony Fauci in a statement.

The experimental vaccine regimen being tested in HVTN 702 is based on the one investigated in the RV144 clinical trial in Thailand that was found to be 31.2 per cent effective at preventing HIV infection over the 3.5-year follow-up after vaccination.

The new trial, to be conducted at 15 sites across South Africa, where more than 1,000 people become infected with HIV every day, aims to test whether it will provide greater and more sustained protection than the RV144 regimen.

Volunteers will been randomly assigned to receive either the investigational vaccine regimen or a placebo. All participants will receive a total of five injections over one year, and results are expected in late 2020.

“If an HIV vaccine were found to work in South Africa, it could dramatically alter the course of the pandemic,” said HVTN 702 Protocol Chair and President of the South African Medical Research Council Glenda Gray.

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Rupee recoups 5 paise against Dollar

(Getty Images)

The Rupee edged higher by 5 paise to 68.71 against the US Dollar at the forex market in early trade on Tuesday on fresh selling of the American currency by exporters and banks.

The Rupee on Monday had tumbled by 30 paise to end at a fresh 2016 low of 68.76. It had hit an intraday low of 68.80 mainly due to deteriorating sentiment and worsening impact of fund outflows. The Rupee has shed 3.95 per cent of its value since the beginning of 2016.

Weakness of the Dollar against some currencies overseas and early gains in the domestic equity market supported the Rupee, dealers said.

Foreign investors have pulled out close to $5 billion from the capital markets in November so far amid concerns over the impact of demonetisation mingled with an imminent rate hike by the US Federal Reserve.

Meanwhile, the benchmark BSE Sensex was trading higher by 108.84 points, or 0.41 per cent, at 26,459.01 in early trade on Tuesday.

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Indian shares rally for 3rd session ahead of monthly sales data

(Getty Images)

Indian stocks rallied for the third session in a row on Tuesday as investors bought into beaten down valuations among frontline stocks and traders turned aggressive buyers in banking, real estate and automobile shares. A mildly weak trend in major Asian markets failed to deter local bulls.

The Nifty rose 64 points to 8,190 points in late morning deals as the 50-share index rebounded from a 6-month low hit on previous Thursday. Auto stocks were among top gainers on the index with Eicher Motors, Maruti and Mahindra & Mahindra gaining between 2.3-3.4 percent. The gains come ahead of monthly volume sales data for for such companies as it will reveal the pain of demonetization of 1,000-rupee and 500-rupee notes that came into effect from November 8.

The subsequent sucking out of financial liquidity from the $2 Trillion economy is likely to adversely impact economic activity. As a consequence, brokerages have substantially cut their GDP estimates and market targets for the current quarter and the ongoing financial year. However, analysts expect the disruption to last for just about two quarters after which the resilience of the economy will resurface. Meanwhile, stock prices have already adjusted to this impact with the Nifty slipping nearly 8 percent from the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced his ambitious plan to destroy black money holdings in the economy.

Meanwhile, traders enjoyed the bounce in Coal India, GAIL, Idea Cellular and Reliance Industries within the Nifty. Pharma shares continued to remain weak with Sun Pharma, Lupin and Cipla slipping a bit in trade. Also ticking lower were Hindustan Unilever, TCS and Kotak Bank.

Overall, the bulls were firmly in command of the market sentiment with 1,254 shares advancing compared with 260 that fell.

Strong volume action was seen in Ganesh Housing, Graphite India and ITI Ltd.

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BSF foils border infiltration bid in J&K

Representational Image (Photo: Getty Images)

Security forces on Tuesday foiled an infiltration bid by a group of militants who tried to sneak in from Pakistan through the International Border in Jammu, officials said.

A police officer said “heavy firing exchange” was on between the militants and the troopers of the Border Security Force in the Ramgarh sector of Jammu.

The infiltration bid on the border in Jammu came amid a fierce gun battle between security forces and heavily armed militants who opened fire on an army camp in the garrison town of Nagrota hear here.

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Lok Sabha passes Income Tax Amendment Bill

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Fat to fit Aamir for ‘Dangal’

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‘GoT’ star Michiel Huisman joins Lily James in ‘Guernsey’

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Brothers In Arms: India-China

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South Korean President sends resignation amid allegations of graft

Related Latest News

Women, men see faces differently

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Harmanpreet leads India to five wicket win over Pakistan

Mithali Raj's 36 off 57 balls at the top of the order were also of high value for the Women in Blue.

Related Latest News

SC asks Centre to take a decision on framing national yoga

Related Latest News

Mohali Test Day 4: England bundled out for 236

Joe Root (78) and Haseeb Hameed (59*) were the highest scorers for the visitors.

Related Latest News

More efficient use of sunlight can improve crop yields

Related Latest News

Nabha jailbreak ‘mastermind’ shifted to high-security prison

Related Latest News

Hardik Pandya out for 6 weeks, may miss England ODIs

Opener KL Rahul and wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha are already in the injured list.

Related Latest News

Iraqi PM says his country will cut oil production

Related Latest News

HIV vaccine efficacy study begins in South Africa

Related Latest News

Rupee recoups 5 paise against Dollar

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Indian shares rally for 3rd session ahead of monthly sales data

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BSF foils border infiltration bid in J&K

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