IT sleuths continue raid on Haldiram Group

     Nagpur: Sleuths of the Income Tax (IT) Department's investigation wing on Friday continued their crackdown on the commercial and residential premises of the Haldiram group in the city, which owns the famous nationwide 'Haldiram' ready-to-serve sweets and snacks retail chain and brand. Over 200 IT personnel, divided into different teams, simultaneously raided about 20 establishments of the group in six localities of the city. The 'Haldiram' brand, owned by the Shivkisan Agrawal family, has a chain of sweetmeat shops, swanky restaurants and a superstore. It also has manufacturing facilities for ice-cream and snacks with its head office on Bhandara road near here. Besides Maharashtra, the group also has business associates in Jaipur, New Delhi, Kolkata and other cities in the country. For the past two days all Haldiram restaurants and establishments in the city have been shut due to the continuing raids.

French police fine Muslims for slaughtering lambs during Eid (Go To Top)

     Paris: Muslims may be celebrating the festival of Id across the world today , but police in southern France have reportedly fined hundreds of Muslims for illegally slaughtering some 40 lambs for the important Islamic feast. The crackdown on the transport and killing of lambs took place on Thursday in regions around the city of Montpellier. In France, where an estimated five million Muslims live, government-approved abattoirs have to be used for the killing of lambs eaten at for Islamic holy ceremonies. Individuals who carry out the slaughter themselves, as is often the case in Arab and Muslim countries, risk fines of 135 euros (177 dollars) and the wrath of animal rights campaigners.

China, India to hold first strategic dialogue (Go To Top)

     New Delhi: India and China will hold their first strategic dialogue here on Monday against a backdrop of efforts to settle their long-running Himalayan border dispute. China's Vice-Foreign Minister Wu Dawei would arrive in New Delhi on Sunday for talks with Indian Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran, a fluent Mandarin speaker. The two-day dialogue aims to broaden the scope of the India-China relationship allowing both sides to exchange notes on global and regional security issues. It was expected to provide a forum to forge greater understanding on issues including terrorism, energy security, disarmament and United Nations reforms. Discussions on exploiting energy reserves in Central Asia could also figure in the meetings. Both sides are presently engaged in discussions to resolve a lingering boundary dispute, a fallout of the 1962 war - with special representatives of India and China holding several rounds of talks since June 2003. India's army chief Nirmal Chandra Vij was in China last month for a week-long visit, the first such trip in a decade. The Saran-Wu talks will also prepare the ground for the upcoming visit of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao who is expected in March. During his two-day stay in New Delhi, Wu will call on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Foreign Minister Natwar Singh, MEA sources were quoted as saying.