Prince Andrew vacates his Royal Lodge residence as scrutiny over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein intensifies. UK police investigate new information, while a former UK ambassador faces investigation over his relationship with the convicted sex offender.
Glimpses from India and around the world that will make you smile and cry.
The real estate sector wants "high-impact" measures, like special schemes and tax breaks for developers, to revive the fortunes of the affordable housing segment in the country, multiple executives told Business Standard. This segment has been struggling since the Covid-19 outbreak, in contrast to larger and costlier homes which have been selling like hot cakes. The demand comes at a time when the government is taking suggestions from industry players before tabling the General Budget in the Parliament next month.
It is expected to be completed in around 22 months from the start of construction work. The new building will come up on plot number 118 of the Parliament House Estate.
'We don't have a say which MP stays where. We prepare everything and allot according to the list we get from Parliament.'
Modi will also perform the ground-breaking ceremony for the building, which is expected to be completed by 2022 at an estimated cost of Rs 971 crore.
Indian Parliament's new building will have a triangular shape to reflect the importance of triangles being a sacred geometry in various religions, while its interiors will have three national symbols as their main themes -- Lotus, Peacock and Banyan Tree.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Saturday rejected suggestions that the suspension of 13 opposition members was linked to their protests over the recent security breach and recalled that the House had displayed exemplary solidarity and collective resolve when breaches had happened in the past.
The existing Parliament building will be conserved as it is an archaeological asset of the country.
In Kerala's society, known for its high material standard of living, plunging into a state of having nothing overnight can be terrible for one's social standing and sense of self-esteem. Rehabilitation entails piecing a community back together after a disturbance and while its aim is noble, the act of reassembling will bring alive disparities and inequalities, explains Shyam G Menon.
In the months immediately following the 2024 tragedy, reporting on the landslide per se had been a straightforward affair. On one side was death and destruction. On the other side, survivors and the business of survival. It was black and white. What direction to take was clear. Rehabilitation in comparison, felt like a complex situation. One that is fraught with shades of grey. As grey as human life, explains Shyam G Menon.
The Monsoon Session of Parliament will begin on August 5 and the Bill, after its introduction, is likely to be referred to the Standing Committee of Parliament for examination.
The new Parliament building will be constructed close to the existing one under the Central Vista redevelopment project, and it is expected to be completed in 21 months.
The Congress and other opposition parties had opposed the amendments.
Doubling standard deduction to Rs 1 lakh, increasing tax break on interest paid on housing loan and rationalisation of capital gains tax regime are some of the expectations that consultancy firm KPMG has from the Budget 2024-25 to be unveiled on July 23 in Parliament. There has been a significant rise in medical expenses, fuel costs and overall inflation.
The judgement came on a plea of 'Forum For People's Collective Efforts' , an umbrella homebuyers association, challenging the constitutional validity of West Bengal Housing Industry Regulation Act, 2017, which is more or less identical to the Centre's RERA.
Important legislations like the Goods and Service Tax Bill, Land Acquisition bill, the Real Estate Regulation and Development Bill and Negotiable Instruments Arbitration Bill will be taken up.
The government's move to tweak the long-term capital gains (LTCG) tax regime proposed in the Finance Bill 2024 and re-introduce the indexation benefit is likely to boost the investments and spur housing sales in the country, industry executives believe. "By enabling taxpayers to choose the lower tax burden between the new and old schemes, the amendment is poised to drive investment and enhance sales across housing segments," said Niranjan Hiranandani, chairman of the Hiranandani Group. In Budget 2024, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman proposed an overhaul in the capital gains tax regime, including lowering the LTCG tax to 12.5 per cent from 20 per cent.
She has already challenged her expulsion in the Supreme Court after the Lok Sabha adopted the report of its ethics committee recommending her ouster. The case is listed for hearing on January 3, 2024.
Former Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra on Friday vacated her government accommodation in New Delhi, her lawyer said.
Officials also said that sufficient steps have been taken to control air and noise pollution during the construction work for the new parliament building, which will have separate offices for all MPs and those will be equipped with the latest digital interfaces as a step towards creating 'paperless offices'.
Government on Wednesday rejected the opposition demand for Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into Adarsh housing scam, saying the centre has nothing to do with it.
What some of our leaders were up to on Tuesday, December 13.
The TMC leader, who was expelled from the Lok Sabha on December 8 last year, was earlier asked to vacate the house by January 7 after her allotment was cancelled.
It proposes to set up a regulator in every state.
Incumbent DMK MP T Sumathy alias Tamizhachi Thangapandian will face-off former Telangana Governor and BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan, while the the AIADMK has fielded ex-MP Dr J Jayavardhan, who won from here in 2014.
'The 2024 general elections proved that UP is not Gujarat.'
The Lok Sabha witnessed a heated debate Friday on an Ethics Committee report recommending Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra's expulsion in the cash-for-query issue, with the Opposition demanding she be allowed to speak in the House, and the government contending her views were heard by the panel.
The court was informed by the central government that a security review of Swamy's private house, where he would be residing after vacating the government-allotted bungalow, has been undertaken.
Developers have demanded lower borrowing cost for the housing sector as well as reduced taxes to promote affordable housing.
Laws in several states are inconsistent with the model Bill passed by Parliament.
Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra was expelled on Friday from the Lok Sabha after the House adopted the report of its Ethics Committee that held her guilty of accepting gifts and illegal gratification from a businessman to further his interest.
Housing prices could drop by up to 30% over 6 to 12 months after demonetisation.
Government will make a fresh bid to pass crucial bills on GST and real estate in the last week of the Winter session.
The Land Acquisition Bill was cleared by the Union Cabinet on Thursday, making the consent of 80 per cent of owners mandatory for private projects.
Chaos is expected to return to Parliament.
If the concerns over risking political capital are overcome, the long-term gains for the Indian economy will be immense, asserts A K Bhattacharya.
With the controversial Land Acquisition Bill pending for long, government on Tuesday made a strong pitch in the Lok Sabha for "some sort of understanding" on it, saying passage of the legislation is necessary to make land available for the programme of 'Housing-for-All' by 2020.
Expelled Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra on Thursday failed to get any relief from the Delhi high court which refused to stay the eviction notice issued to the TMC leader asking her to vacate the government bungalow.
'Since there is no photo-op, or quick fix solutions, politicians do not want to address climate change. It is very unfashionable.'