Dubai: The Burj Khalifa’s record as the world’s tallest building is well known. Not so well known is its connection with India. Indians own the most number of apartments in the building, which has more than 160 stories and a height of over 828 metres. BR Shetty, an Indian industrialist based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), paid United Arab Emirates dirham (AED) 45 million in 2005 to buy the entire 100th floor. BK Modi, a Singaporebased businessman, Rizwan Sajan, chairman of real estate company Danube Group, and Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty, to name but three, are other Indians or people of Indian origin who own apartments in Burj Khalifa.

Last year, building materials supplier, Danube Group launched a project to develop 175 townhouses at Al Furjan — a residential hub in Dubai — by 2016. The three- and four-bedroom houses, with a built-up area of 2,500-3,000 square feet, have prices starting at AED 2.5 million (1 AED = Rs 17.01). The entire project was sold out on the very first day. The largest number of buyers was again that of Indians. Indians have long been flocking to the UAE for jobs. They form the largest number of expatriates in the Gulf (in Dubai alone, 30% of the population are Indians). But in recent years, they have also — as the cases of Burj Khalifa and Danube illustrate — been buying property by the hordes in Dubai, one of the seven federates of UAE.

Destination Dubai

Indians now are the largest non-Arab investors in Dubai real estate in terms of value and volumes, according to Dubai Government Land Department (see India Shining). They have invested AED 44 billion in Dubai’s real estate market in the last three years, including AED 18.1 billion in 2014, according to Dubai Land Department data. “Many Indians consider Dubai as their second home. Property prices in Dubai are cheaper than the corresponding places in India or other international cities,” said Rizwan Sajan, chairman of Danube Group. The average price of an apartment in prime locations in Mumbai is Rs 6 crore whereas the corresponding price for a posh apartment or villa in Dubai is AED 2 million to AED 3 million, or Rs 3.4 crore to Rs 5.1 crore.

Even in an upscale location like Dubai Marina, whose expansive waterfront is packed with idling yachts, property prices are cheaper than in many Indian cities. Or, for that matter, London. Properties in London cost three to four times more than in Dubai. It is no wonder then that a number of developers in India such as Sobha Group and Danube are developing prime property in Downtown Dubai and Dubai Studio City.

Most of the buyers are typically Indians. “70% of the investors in our first two projects are working Asian expatriates, especially from India and Pakistan, because they saw a good investment opportunity,” said Sajan. Indians in Dubai, particularly from the middle class, buy property for pretty much the same reason as most people working in places far from home do: it makes sense to own a property than pay rent for one. The rents in Dubai pinch: ranging from AED 80,000 to AED 1,00,000 a year for a one-bedroom apartment in some of the premium properties, rising by up to 8% a year. Buying makes sense: a decent, spacious property in an upscale locality typically costs about AED 1 million.

A recent survey by Bayut.com, an online property portal, showed that the majority of Indians living in Dubai planned to buy an apartment rather than a villa or a townhouse. About 60.8% of Indians surveyed in the study said they have been looking to buy a house for the past three months. Of this lot, 82.86% said they are interested in buying apartments. Only 13.71% of Indians showed an interest in buying villas. The search for townhouses was limited to just 1.71% Indians.

At Burj Khalifa, the buyers are not just the affluent. In fact, the number of investors buying apartments through home loans in the tower had doubled in the first nine months of 2014 compared to the same period in 2013, according to authorities. Even so, the most sought-after localities happen to be the toniest in Dubai — Dubai Marina, Downtown Dubai and Jumeirah Lake Towers. According to Luxhabitat, a Dubai-based real estate brokerage firm, the maximum number of properties above AED 5 million were sold in Downtown Dubai followed by Dubai Marina and Palm Jumeirah.
An Indian businessman in the UAE who owns 27 residences in Burj Khalifa said Indians are investing in the UAE because it is very difficult to invest or do business in India, especially in Kerala. “There are trade union problems, shortage of labour and even restrictions on using land. So instead of attracting trouble by investing in India, we find peace of mind and reasonable return of investments in the UAE,” he said, requesting anonymity

The Duchess of Cambridge, née Kate Middleton, is set to name her second royal baby Alice, if bets made by the public are anything to go by. According to William Hill, the bookmakers have seen a fresh wave of punters believing that Prince William and Kate’s second baby will be called Alice.

The name is a traditional one in the British royal family and has been thrown around in recent weeks as a popular choice.

Bookmakers noted that a group of royal fans in Tunbridge, Kent have placed a large amount of bets on the name Alice, causing them to slash the odds to 4/1. Competing company Ladbrokes have also cut the odds to 3/1.

We have seen a significant number of bets, particularly from the Tunbridge area – you have to think there is a good reason for the gamble,” a statement from William Hill revealed.

One person wagered approximately £300 on the name, meaning it would cost bookies over £4,500 if the royal baby did turn out to be called Alice.

The pretty name would give a nod to Queen Victoria’s second daughter, Alice Maud Mary. The late royal was famous for her compassionate nature and relentless advocacy of women’s rights – two qualities that would be encouraged in a modern monarch.

William and Kate themselves do not know the gender of their second child, but with Kate’s April due date fast approaching, the majority of punters are betting that the Duchess will have a daughter. Over 70 per cent of William Hill customers are backing a baby girl.

Elizabeth is proving to be the second most popular name with odds at 9/2, followed by Charlotte at 11/2 and Victoria at 12/1. The front-runner for a boy’s name is Arthur at 20/1.

Kate recently revealed that she was due in “mid-to-late April” and if she does give birth near the Queen’s birthday on 21 April, Elizabeth would make for a fitting choice.

Whatever they choose to name their little Prince or Princess, William and Kate will take joy in the fact that their second child will be born just days within their fourth-wedding anniversary, which falls on 29 April.

In a remark that could land him in trouble, Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar on Tuesday allegedly advised the agitating nurses that they should not stage hunger strike in the sun because it will make them ‘dark’ and ‘ruin their marital prospects’.

“When we met the Chief Minister over our demands at Ponda today, he said the girls should not sit on hunger strike in hot sun as their complexion will become dark and they will not find a good bridegroom,” said Anusha Sawant, one of the nurses.

“The comment was unwarranted. We expect the CM to meet our demands if he is really worried about us,” she said.

Parsekar was not available for reaction.

Ethelbari(WB), Apr 1 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today stressed on development of tourism in north Bengal and said the government would take steps in the direction.

Banerjee, who inaugurated a total 45 projects for the region at a programme at Ethelbari in Alipurduar district, said the government would sanction Rs 400 crore for the development of Dooars.

She mentioned scenic spots like Suntalikhola and Mouchuki, where stress would be given for tourism.

“Development is most important so that all of you live in peace. Let there be no riots, no clashes, no violence,” she said.

Inaugurating a slew of projects, Banerjee said the government was contemplating distributing 20 lakh cycles for students – both girls and boys across the state. The cycles would be distributed among poor students irrespective of whether they belonged to tribal or SC/ST sections.

She announced distribution of 900 cycles among girl students and an enhanced stipend of Rs 750 yearly for the 14,000 girls under Kanyashri project in Alipurduar district.

Banerjee also announced 35 kg of rice for workers in tea gardens at Rs 2 per kg and monthly allowance of Rs 1,500 if the garden is closed for over three months.

She also laid the foundation of the Rs 50 crore integrated Alipurduar collectorate building, inaugurated krishak bazars in various areas, a drinking water project at Falakata and a police station at Shamuktala among others.

New Delhi, Apr 1 (PTI) Budget carrier SpiceJet has made a part payment of its dues to the state-run Airports Authority of India (AAI) and also signed an agreement with aircraft leasing firm BBAM to settle out of court the dispute over Boeing rentals.

“SpiceJet has paid a part payment of Rs 25 crore to the Airports Authority of India towards the dues it had accumulated due to the cash crunch last year,” sources told PTI here today.

The AAI received the part payment of around Rs 300 crore dues yesterday, they said.

Meanwhile, the airline said that aircraft leasing firm BBAM has agreed in-principle to settle out of court the dispute over aircraft rentals.

“SpiceJet has entered into an in-principle understanding with its five lessors managed by BBAM Aircraft Leasing and Finance with regard to five aircraft operated by the company,” SpiceJet said in a regulatory filing today.

Under the understanding, the lessors have agreed to suspend court proceedings, including winding these up, and the de-registration process of aircraft, subject to SpiceJet satisfying the terms of settlement and parties executing definitive agreements, the airline said.

SpiceJet was dragged to court by several aircraft leasing firms including BBAM after it had failed to pay rentals for some of its Boeing 737 aircraft due to financial crunch last year.

A single judge bench of the high court had on March 19 directed the DGCA to de-register six Boeing 737 aircraft given to the carrier.

But on March 23, another of its lessors Wilmington Trust SP Services (Dublin) Ltd decided to withdraw the court proceedings and de-registration process of aircraft after the parties reached an agreement on the issue.

Currently, the budget carrier has a fleet of 32 aircraft, of which 27 are Boeing 737 and the rest Bombardier Q400s. The airline plans to add seven more such planes between this month and May.
PTI

New Delhi, Apr 1 (PTI) In a relief to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the Supreme Court today stayed the trial court order summoning him as accused in a case pertaining to grant of Talabira-II coal block in Odisha in 2005 to Aditya Birla group company Hindalco.

The stay, which also applied to Hindalco Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla, former Coal Secretary P C Parakh and three others, came after senior counsel Kapil Sibal questioned the legality of the summons to the former Prime Minister citing lack of sanction as required under the CrPC and contended that allocation of a coal block was an administrative act without any criminal intent.

“We issue notice on all six petitions. The trial court order shall remain stayed,” a bench of justices V Gopala Gowda and C Nagappan said after hearing arguments by Sibal, who represented the former Prime Minister, and other lawyers in the case.

82-year-old Singh’s daughters, Upinder Singh and Daman Singh, were present in the court during the proceedings.

The bench also stayed the proceedings before the trial court and issued notice to the Centre on a plea challenging constitutional validity of section 13 (1)(d)(iii) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The other three summoned as accused are Hindalco, Shubhendu Amitabh and D Bhattacharya, its officials. All the six were summoned by Special CBI Judge Bharat Parashar to appear before the court on April 8.

“I must confess that I have not been able to find out what is the illegal act done by the petitioner in the case,” Sibal said at the outset of the 35-minute proceedings.

The Gujarat Assembly on Tuesday passed a stringent anti-terror Bill retaining controversial provisions that had twice earlier led to a previous such Bill being rejected by the President.

The Gujarat Control of Terrorism and Organised Crime (GCTOC) Bill 2015 makes only minor changes in the controversial Gujarat Control of Organised Crime (GUJCOC) Bill, including adding the word ‘terrorism’ in the name. However, it retains clauses such as permitting admissibility of evidence collected through interception of mobile calls of an accused or through confessions made before an investigating officer, in a court of law.

The Gujarat government, at the time led by Narendra Modi, first introduced the GUJCOC Bill in 2003, with the same clauses, including increasing the period to file chargesheet from 90 to 180 days, and laying down strict conditions for bail to be given to the accused. The Bill was rejected by then President A P J Abdul Kalam in 2004, demanding that the clause relating to interception of communication be removed. The NDA was in power at the time.
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The state Assembly passed the GUJCOC Bill again twice after that, each time under Modi as CM. In 2008, it was without the clause objected to by Kalam. But then President Pratibha Patil also refused to clear the Bill, seeking more changes, including deletion of the provision allowing confessions before a police officer as evidence in court. The Centre had a UPA government then.

The Gujarat government, however, ignored Patil’s suggestions and cleared the Bill for the third time in 2009. This Bill is still pending clearance by the President.

The GCTOC Bill, while reintroducing the provision allowing interception of communication and retaining the one relating to confessions made before a police officer, only proposes that the officer concerned be of the rank of superintendent of police and above.

Minister of State for Home Rajnikant Patel, who tabled the GCTOC Bill, argued that the legislation was required for the safety and security of the residents of Gujarat, which shares its border with Pakistan. “Pakistan cannot win the war against India. We all know about terrorist activities in Pakistan. To protect every single citizen from the bullet of terrorists, we need to strengthen the law,” Patel said.

The Congress, which objected to the Bill, eventually abstained from voting on it.

While Gujarat has been relatively peaceful the past 10 years, the Bill’s ‘Statement of Objects of Reasons’ says, “It is noticed that organised criminal syndicates make common cause with terrorist gangs and foster macro terrorism, which extends beyond national boundaries. There is a reason to believe that organised criminal syndicates are operating in the state and… there is immediate need to curb their activities.”

Congress Abdasa MLA Shaktisinh Gohil objected that clauses in the Bill contradicted Central laws that do not allow an investigating agency to take confession and use it as evidence. “Besides, when the Union Act has fixed chargesheet filing period as 90

days, where is the need for change?” he said.

Pointing out that the GUJCOC Bill had earlier been rejected by the president including when the BJP was in power at the Centre, Gohil added, “The argument that it was stalled by the UPA is baseless. The Bill has been reintroduced to get political mileage as it cannot get clearance in its present form.”

Leader of the Opposition Shankersinh Vaghela said the Bill was “not for protection of the people but for the protection of the BJP”.

Justifying allowing evidence collected through “interception of wire, electronic or oral communication”, the GCTOC Bill, in the ‘Statement of Objects and Reasons’, says this is necessary as organised criminal syndicates make extensive use of wire and oral communication.

Another of its clauses says, “A confession made by a person before a police officer not below the rank of SP… shall be admissible in the trial of such accused, co-accused, abettor or conspirator for an offence under the provisions of this Act.”

Defending the clause allowing 180 days for filing of a chargesheet in a case under the GCTOC, minister Patel said, “Neighbouring Maharashtra, in its MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act), has changed certain rules, including the period given for filing a chargesheet. Sometimes more investigation time is required to solve sensitive cases.”

At a time when rape incidents are been reported from different parts of the country Mumbai comes as a shock with a woman raping a young school boy.

Mumbai- A 16 year old boy was continuously raped for a period of three months by his friend’s mother.
A young boy who is studying in Class 10 had gone to visit his friend at Chembur. His friend’s mother told him that he was not a home and asked him to wait. She then offered him a cold drink which was spiked with a chemical.

The boy fell unconscious. She then stripped him off and raped him. She also managed to video shoot the entire episode which she later used it as weapon to blackmail him. With the fear of being exposed he reluctantly accepted her sexual exploitations.

The boy at home had started to behave abnormally with the pressure that was going on this young boy’s innocent mind. When the parent’s felt the sudden change him, after coaxing him many times he relented and narrated the whole horrifying experience and filed a written complaint with the RCF police station. The shocked RCF police have opened a preliminary inquiry into the matter.