1 terrorist killed in Lucknow encounter: Know about ISIS terrorism in India

The IG ATS Aseem Arun confirmed that the slain terror suspect was an active member of the ISIS

A suspected terrorist believed to be part of a group that was planning a major terror attack in Uttar Pradesh was killed early Wednesday morning after nearly 12 hours of anti-terror operation in Lucknow. According to police sources, the target of the operation was a house in Haji Ali Colony in Thakurganj, on the outskirts of Lucknow. The standoff began early Tuesday evening, hours after at least ten people were injured in a blast on the Ujjain Express.

Previously there were reports of two terrorists being holed up in the room, however, as it turned out, only one suspect was found dead along with weapons.

"After opening the doors of the house (where the terrorist was holed up), the force went inside and found the suspect dead along with weapons," Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Daljit Chaudhary said.

Chaudhary said that the operation "stands closed now. Rest of the legal formalities will subsequently take place."

The IG ATS Aseem Arun confirmed that the slain terror suspect was an active member of the ISIS.

"The slain terror suspect belongs to the Khurasan module of the ISIS and was an active member. But, whether he has been indoctrinated or not is a matter of investigation," Arun said.

ALSO READ: ATS guns down IS suspect in Lucknow after 11-hour operation

Anti-terror operations were carried out to get hold of terrorists, suspected to be linked with the Bhopal-Ujjain train blast near Jabdi station in Shajapur district of Madhya Pradesh yesterday in which at least 10 people were injured, three of them seriously.

Speaking to the media after the anti-terror operation was over, Arun said, "Efforts were made to catch the suspected terrorist (identified as Saifullah) alive, but unfortunately this did not materialise. We fired tear gas shells and chilly bombs, so that he comes out. But, he did not come out."

Here is all you need to know about the Lucknow siege

TomTom Spark 3: A fitness tracker that will never let you lose your way

GPS navigation, heart rate monitor, Bluetooth music playback set the device apart from peers

The third iteration of fitness tracker from the stable of satellite navigation expert TomTom, the Spark 3 is the latest entrant in the smart wearables market. Being a fitness tracker, the TomTom Spark 3does not sync notifications or offer other attractions of a Smartwatch, but it has some features that make it one of the best fitness trackers in the market.

The TomTom Spark 3 takes care of your daily activities and also throws in some extra goodies like sports tracking, GPS satellite navigation, compass for route exploration, efficient heart rate monitor, sleep monitoring and music playback capabilities via Bluetooth in-ear headphones that come bundled along with the device.

Getting ready

The TomTom Spark 3 features a touchpad that makes it easier and relatively quick to set up. Once the basic set-up is done, the device can be connected to the smartphone through a Bluetooth connection. Because the device is a standalone fitness tracker, there is no need to keep it connected with a smartphone. While connected with a smartphone, the fitness tracker syncs data with it and takes the ‘QuickGPS’ fix to help track the GPS location within 30 seconds. Read more

26/11 Mumbai attack carried out by our own terror groups: Pakistan ex-NSA

At the same time, he, however, said the Pakistani government had no role in the attack

Pakistan's former national security adviser Mahmud Ali Durrani today said the 26/11 Mumbai attack was carried out by a terror group based in Pakistan and called it a "classic" example of cross-border terror.

At the same time, he, however, said the Pakistani government had no role in the attack.

Durrani was speaking at a conference on combating terrorism at the Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis.

26/11 Mumbai strike, carried out by a terror group based in Pakistan, was a classic trans-border terrorist event, he said. Read more

Music Broadcast Limited IPO: Should you invest?

According to reports, Radio City is ranked No. 1 in terms of number of listeners

The initial public offer (IPO) of Music Broadcast Limited (MBL) that owns FM radio channel, Radio City, opens today for subscription. The issue consists of equity shares of face value of Rs 10 each for cash at a premium consisting of a fresh issue of up to Rs 400 crore and an offer for sale up to 2,658,518 equity shares. The price band for the offer is fixed from Rs 324 to Rs 333 per equity share.

The issue proceeds will be used to repay most of its Rs 300 crore debt, thereby reducing its interest cost and improving the overall cash flow. Last week, Music Broadcast Limited finalised allocation of 44,01,158 equity shares to anchor investors at Rs 333 per equity share, aggregating Rs 146.56 crore.

According to reports, Radio City is ranked No. 1 in terms of number of listeners, total 49.6 million listeners across top 23 cities, followed by Entertainment Network India Ltd (ENIL) with 40.5 million listeners. Even in the metro cities like Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi, Music Broadcast owned Radio City enjoys a leadership position.

So, should you invest in this IPO? Here is what leading brokerages across the country suggest?

ANGEL BROKING

Radio City operates 20 markets, while ENIL operates a total of 38 markets. Despite this, Radio City has 23% revenue share compared to 24% share of ENIL. We attribute this to its dominant position in listenership and ability to charge premium advertising rates. Read More

Reliance Jio prime vs non prime plan: Data, validity, benefits explained

The benefit to non-prime members differs in terms of 4G data and plan validity

Reliance Jio’s ‘New Year Offer’ – free voice, sms, apps and data – is due to expire on 31 March, 2017 and the company is finally gearing up to charge its customers by pushing ‘ Reliance Jio Prime ’ aka ‘unlimited maza…continue hoynga’ subscription plan which can be activated by paying a onetime fee of Rs 99, which activates the Jio prime membership valid till 31 March, 2018.

To soften the blow on Jio users, who have become accustomed to Jio’s free offers, the company has extended the benefits of its prime membership plan to non-prime members. The benefit to non-prime members remain identical to what the prime members will get – free calls, sms, app -- but with a cap on data and limitation on validity.

Prepaid users get to choose from 10 different plans ranging from daily Rs 19 plan to yearly Rs 9,999 plan. For postpaid users there are 3 plans -- Rs 303, Rs 499 and Rs 999. Both, postpaid and prepaid users can opt for boosters after they exhaust their data limits.

Let’s look at how the benefits differ for Jio prime and non-prime plans:

Read More

Free withdrawal days are over: ICICI, Axis, HDFC Bank restore cash charges

The new charges would apply to savings as well as salary accounts effective from today

Some banks, including HDFC Bank, have begun charging a minimum amount of Rs 150 per transaction for cash deposits and withdrawals beyond four free transactions in a month.

The new charges would apply to savings as well as salary accounts effective from today, leading private sector player HDFC Bank said in a circular.

The bank would also cap the third party cash transactions at Rs 25,000 per day, while cash handling charges would be withdrawn effective today, the circular added.

In the case of several banks, including ICICI Bank and Axis Bank, these charges came into effect early in January and are same as they were before the demonetisation move announced on November 8, while there is an increase in such fees in case of some others, including HDFC Bank, today onwards.

These charges are for cash transactions in the branches, and not through ATMs.

The move was seen in some quarters as aimed at discouraging cash transactions and furthering the digital payment drive.

For the basic no-frills accounts, maximum four cash withdrawals would continue to remain free and there would be no fees for cash deposits.

According to details on ICICI Bank website, there will be no charge for first four transactions a month at branches in home city while Rs 5 per thousand rupees would be charged thereafter subject to a minimum of Rs 150 in the same month.

The third party limit would be Rs 50,000 per day. Read More

Exploring Untapped Potential of Mutual Funds

The MUTUAL FUND industry has seen unprecedented growth in the past 3 years. In November 2016, total assets managed by mutual funds touched a record high of ?16.5 lakh crores rupees, a year on year growth of 27%.

Total number of folios in India also reached a record number of 4.7 crore. However, mutual funds still suffer extremely low penetration in India. A 7% share of Assets under Management (AUM) of Mutual Funds to GDP is significantly lower than some other emerging economies like Brazil (42%) and South Africa (33%).

INTRODUCING DIRECT PLANS OF MUTUAL FUNDS

MoneyFront aims to highlight the true potential of mutual funds to investors by firstly adopting the no-conflict option of direct plan of mutual funds. Direct plans are an alternative to the regular plans of mutual funds where you can skip the distributors and agents and invest directly with the Fund House.

Exploring Untapped Potential of Mutual Funds A direct consequence of this is an increase in returns by up to 1.5% annually, as the commissions paid to the distributors/agent are not charged to the scheme. MoneyFront, in its endeavour to provide maximum benefits to clients offers only ‘Direct Plans’.

For investors who are not well-versed about mutual funds or who need help with their asset allocation, MONEYFRONT also offers investment advisory that provides model portfolios and scheme recommendations tailor-made to the investor’s financial goals and risk tolerance levels. Over and above that, the investors have access to a vast library of news, views, developments, and statistics related to mutual fund schemes and everything else that impacts them.(READ MORE…)

Your Loan Eligibility Holds the Key to Your Dream Home

LATEST NEWS – Have you ever been hounded by telemarketers urging you to apply for a loan? Calls, text messages, WhatsApp or even meeting you in person, representatives of financial companies leave no stone unturned when it comes to convincing you to take a loan.

But how is the LOAN ELIGIBILITY application processed? Do lenders really bend over backwards to hand you the loan cheque? It does not quite work that way.

Yes, sales personnel employed by financial institutions are aggressive in their attempts to lure you. They have to be; their commissions depend on it. And if one takes the bait and applies for a loan, the situation is likely to change by the time the application is processed.

It is the borrower who is expected to satisfy the credit parameters and fulfil all the eligibility criteria for the Home Loan.

Let’s get down to the basics. What do you think is the main eligibility criteria for taking a Home Loan?

The simple answer is the borrower’s ability to repay the loan.

This means the income of the loan applicant must be enough to pay the instalments on time. The lender provides a schedule for paying the equated monthly instalments (EMIs).

With interest rates favourable, now is as good a time to take a Home Loan as any. And non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) such as BAJAJ FINSERV offer instant approvals and Home Loans at attractive interest rates when you apply online.

Find out how:(READ MORE...)

Why are More People Applying for Personal Loans?

WHY DO PEOPLE PREFER PERSONAL LOANS

There are many factors that make Personal Loans more attractive.

• Easy to get: Personal Loans are easier to obtain than many other types of loans.
• Flexible usage: You can use the funds in a variety of ways. You can use it to pay for a vacation or a medical emergency. You can use it to fund a wedding, renovate a house, and more.
• Quick process: It can take as little as three days to get approval for a Personal Loan. Just make sure you have all the necessary documentation.
• No collateral: Personal Loans are unsecured loans. In other words, they are not backed by any collateral. This helps reduce the documents required for your loan application or even the duration of the vetting process.

You can even apply for a PERSONAL LOAN from the convenience of your home. All you need to do is visit the lender’s website. An application for a Personal Loan from Bajaj Finserv , for instance, usually takes seconds for approval and you can get funds of up to Rs.25 lakh in as little as 72 hours.

 

 

The bottom line

Personal Loans are popular today, but it is important that you opt for a professional lender to avail financing. Keep the various factors in mind when you apply for a Personal Loan and take the first step towards fulfilling your financial goals. (read more…)

BJP vs Kargil martyr's daughter: Rijiju asks who's 'polluting' her mind

Pratap Simha, BJP MP from Mysuru, compared her to dreaded gangster Dawood

 

The campaign of Gurmehar Kaur a Kargil martyr’s daughter, against the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) on Monday drew controversial reactions from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders with Union minister Kiren Rijiju wondering who was “polluting” her mind and another comparing her with wanted gangster Dawood Ibrahim.

Pratap Simha, BJP MP from Mysuru, tweeted, “At least Dawood did not use the crutches of his father’s name to justify his anti-national stand.”

 

 

His tweet came as Kaur’s campaign went viral online with her photograph in which she said, “Pakistan did not kill my father. War killed him.”

To mock her, Simha also posted a photograph showing Dawood with the message, “I didn’t kill people in 1993. Bombs killed them.”

Rijiju also took to Twitter to take a dig at her.

“Who’s polluting this young girl’s mind? Strong armed forces prevent a war. India never attacked anyone but a weak India was always invaded,” the minister of state for home affairs said.

Kiren Rijiju

@KirenRijiju

Who’s polluting this young girl’s mind? A strong Arm Force prevents a war. India never attacked anyone but a weak India was always invaded.

Kiren Rijiju

@KirenRijiju

Some people say they need Freedom in India. Listen to those people taking shelter in India after facing torture in neighbouring countries. 

Talking to reporters, he later said, “One should not say things which could demoralise the countrymen and the forces. Everybody has freedom but that does not mean that you raise slogans to weaken the country.”

The daughter of Kargil martyr Captain Mandeep Singh and a Delhi University student, 24-year-old Kaur had started a social media campaign “I am not afraid of ABVP” following the violence at Ramjas college. Her campaign has gone viral and received support from students across various universities.

“Everyone has right of views but she said Pakistan didn’t kill our brave martyr and India should shun war. India never perpetrated violence,” Rijiju said.

The Union minister of state for home said freedom of expression is not a licence to shout anti-national slogans in campuses. “Criticise the government but don’t abuse the motherland,” he said.

 

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