Sunday 9 February 2014

Timesexclusive late edition

Sanjay Dutt seeks further parole to nurse wife
Mumbai: Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt has sought further extension of his parole to nurse his wife Maanyata, who is recovering after surgery, police said here Sunday.

Dutt, currently out on parole since Dec 21, 2013, was due to return to jail Jan 21, but he sought and was given extension of another month (till Feb 21) in his parole.

Now, he has applied for another month-long extension.

Dutt has written to the Pune divisional commissioner, who has directed the Khar Police in Mumbai to verify the reasons for parole extension cited in the application, a police official said. The verification report is expected in the next few days.

An accused in the March 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, Dutt is serving the remaining 42 months of his five year prison sentence.

A few months ago, Maanyata was diagnosed as suffering from multiple heart and liver ailments. She was admitted to Global Hospital, Parel last month and underwent surgery.
Did Salman Khan ignore Daisy Shah at a social event?
Salman Khan’s interest in social causes is not hidden from anyone. His NGO, Being Humans works for the betterment of needful kids. The superstar was recently spotted at a social welfare event in Mumbai, where he donated money for the needful kids.

While Salman Khan was surrounded by kids and the organizers of the event, co-star of his recent film Daisy Shah, who was also present at the event, was captured standing alone. Dino Morea and Salman Khan’s sister Arpita later joined the diva.


Home buyers' confidence turns positive again
New Delhi, February 09:
The new year has held some hope for realtors as the sentiments and confidence levels of home buyers have turned positive, shedding their reluctance to invest in residential real estate. This is in sharp contrast to last year when their mood had taken a severe beating amid high property prices, rising interest rates and large defaults in delivery. With low sales and high inventory, both end-users and investors stayed away.
These are the findings of the national-level Consumer Confidence Index Survey, conducted jointly by Realty Plus magazine and leading realty portal 99acres.com that presents an insight into the minds of home buyers. This first of its kind of online survey sought to differentiate between the buying behaviour of end-users and that of investors.
It confirmed the marked trend of a market driven by investors and speculators giving way to one steered by end users. The survey reflects the buoyancy in the overall confidence level of home buyers. End users, with renewed confidence, are now showing a strong intent to purchase a home.
The survey findings have revealed that an overwhelming 75 percent of prospective home buyers have shown their definite intent to purchase a home in the near future. There is also a marked increase in their confidence levels, with 39 percent being bullish about home-buying and 46 percent displaying reasonable confidence.
Prospective home buyers, especially fence-sitters, are now shedding their apprehension to invest as they realise that in view of uncontrollable inflation, home loan rates may not decline soon. They have also realised that with a new land acquisition policy in place and with increasing material and labour cost, property prices will only go up in the coming months.
Close to a fourth of the respondents are of the view that prices will rise after elections, and once the economy revives in the second half of 2014. And as such, it is not wise to keep on waiting for property prices and interest rates to soften -- rather, it is beneficial to invest now when prices are comparatively depressed or stable.
In view of exceptionally large occasions of project delays and delivery defaults adversely impacting the confidence level and buying sentiment, those intending to buy homes were extremely cautious about builder's track record and his financial strength. The survey established that in order to ensure safety of their investment, a majority (51 percent) of the respondents opted for "ready-to-move" properties and those nearing completion compared to projects under under construction or newly launched.
The survey highlights that compared to end users, more investors are playing the "wait and watch" to reflect their low risk appetite. This is further reinforced by the survey finding that it is not high net worth individuals, but retail investors who are active and they are opting for affordable and mid-income properties.
But the overall optimism of investors is reflected in survey findings with 61 percent respondents saying that they are inclined towards investing in residential property in 6-12 months while 50 percent say it is the right time to invest as prices will go up in the future.
Real estate also continues to be the best bet for investment as the survey establishes that 47 percent of the respondents vouched for it as the best asset class, compared to just 19 percent votes for equity, 17 percent in gold and 14 percent for mutual funds. About a fourth of investors think it is wise to play safe by investing in deposits, as it is a volatile period.
Historically, annual returns from real estate have been in the range of 15-20 percent. While one-fourth of investors are bullish about a 20-percent-plus return on investment, 43 percent expect it in the range of 15-20 percent. According to the survey findings, a third of the respondents also settled for less than 12 percent return.
This implies that retail investors are now dominating the current market. High net worth individuals, investors and speculators have taken a back seat, as they have been finding it difficult to exit the market, and also do not see any positive change in this regard in the short term.


Ranveer Singh doubts over the credibility of awards ceremonies
Mumbai: Actor Ranveer Singh, who has been attending numerous award functions of late, says that sometimes he is not so sure about them.

"Sometimes I find awards questionable. At times I get surprised looking at the winners' list... at times it glares out to me as well, but it's all subjective. For me, awards means live performance and I love live performances," Ranveer told IANS.

This year, Ranveer's "Ram-leela" got nominations, but his "Lootera" was snubbed.

Just like his co-star Sonakshi Sinha, he too is disappointed that the period love saga was not nominated despite getting critical acclaim.

He said: "It is very disappointing that the technical team of 'Lootera' didn't get their due credit. 'Lootera' is technically one of the superior films of Hindi cinema.

"I would rate 'Lootera' more than 'Ram-leela' as 'Ram-leela' was easier for me to do, while Lootera was tougher. I am proud of 'Lootera'. It's a timeless film. It's sad that 'Lootera' went unnoticed by many."

After the success of "Ram-leela", Ranveer will be next seen in "Gunday" and currently he is busy promoting the action thriller.

Directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, the drama, set in 1970s Kolkata, will see Ranveer teaming up with Arjun Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra
Afghan candidates urged to respect human rights
Presidential candidates' positions on human rights should be a central focus in the run-up to the April presidential election in Afghanistan, Human Rights Watch said Sunday. Four of the 11 candidates in the April 5 election responded to a Human Rights Watch questionnaire on key human rights challenges. Topics covered include accountability for war crimes, women's rights, and torture. "The four presidential candidates who responded to this survey deserve credit for sharing their views on these critically important issues," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "Afghan voters need to know what commitments the prospective future presidents of Afghanistan are willing to make to address torture, women's rights, militias and accountability." The Human Rights Watch survey of Afghan presidential candidates is part of a broader effort in Afghanistan to assess candidates' views on key human rights issues.
Woman attempts self-immolation over alleged harassment
A woman on Saturday allegedly attempted self-immolation claiming harassment by Jabalpur Municipal Corporation officials.

Girl gang-raped while meeting Facebook friend

BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh police on Saturday identified four people who allegedly gang-raped a Class X girl who had gone to a picnic spot with her Facebook friend in Raisen district.

The incident took place at around 5 pm on Thursday near Sehatganj village, 20 km from Bhopal.

Police said the couple was overpowered by a group of four youths from a nomadic community settled near Sehatganj village. Threatening the boy with an axe they tied him to a tree before raping the girl in turns.

Later the girl untied her friend and the duo returned to Bhopal. The accused snatched the boy's mobile before escaping. The survivor went to her aunt's house and stayed there. On Friday, she told her parents after which they went to the police station and lodged a case of gang-rape.

She had befriended the boy on the social networking site and had told her parents that she was going for her tuition but him instead on Thursday.

The case was transferred to
Raisen police for further investigation. The medical examination confirmed rape.

"All four accused have been identified and would be arrested soon," said Ajay Sharma, ADG Hoshangabad range. The girl and her friend have identified two of them with the pictures which were collected by police during raids at their settlements. Police also traced their bike.

"The last location of the boy's mobile which was taken away by the accused was found near the settlement that was raided. They have fled from homes but would be arrested soon," said a police officer.

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