Government Plan to bring affluent in tax net

Government Plan to bring affluent in tax net- Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has finalised a comprehensive plan to bring affluent people in the tax net in a countrywide tax broadening drive to be launched from July 1, a tax official told Dawn. The proposed target for bringing rich people in the tax net for the next fiscal year is 500,000 persons, who would be traced on the basis of financial transactions and data collected from NADRA. Income tax return filers fell to less than 800,000 in tax year 2012, showing that less than 0.5pc of the...

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On Musharraf case, govt acting on Supreme Court directions

On Musharraf case, govt acting on Supreme Court directions-  Interior Minister, Ch. Nisar Ali Khan Thursday clarifing government’s stance on high treason case against Musharraf said no double standards were adopted and it was following only Supreme Court’s instructions in this regard. Responding to various questions raised by the opposition members in the  parliament here, the Interior Minister said that the government did only what the Supreme Court of Pakistan had directed it to do. He said the Supreme Court had asked the government...

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Gaga tops Forbes' Most Powerful Musicians list

Gaga tops Forbes' Most Powerful Musicians list- Pop star Lady Gaga has beaten Beyonce and Madonna to the title of World's Most Powerful Musician according to Forbes Magazine's 2013 list. The 27-year-old came first in the annual ranking, which is determined by earnings, social media influence and press mentions, largely thanks to the star's 'Born This Way' world tour grossing a massive USD 168 million, despite it being cut short due to her hip injury. The eccentric performer, who also ranked second on Forbes' Most Powerful Celebrities list,...

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Latest PTI distributes mangoes from Zardari among poor

Latest PTI distributes mangoes from Zardari among poor- Wednesday was a hot but sweet day for the poor inhabitants of katchi abadi (slum locality) in G-7, as Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) distributed free mangoes worth thousands of rupees among them. The PTI’s Central Secretariat received 40 crates of mangoes for its Chairman Imran Khan from President Asif Ali Zardari. The party leadership pondered over the matter and it was decided that the fruit should be given to the slum dwellers. “It was practically a mouthwatering feast for the hundreds...

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Improvement in Indo-Pak ties will benefit Afghanistan

Improvement in Indo-Pak ties will benefit Afghanistan- Any improvement of ties between New Delhi and Islamabad will automatically improve the situation in Afghanistan, US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Ambassador James Dobbins said today. Dobbins, who arrived here to brief Indian officials on the proposed talks with Taliban as part of stabilising war- torn Afghanistan, also said that there is no prospect of any agreement with Taliban unless they decide on severing ties with all terror groups, including al-Qaeda. 'We...

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Deep inside Windows 8.1's hidden new features

Windows 8.1 preview now available: Here's what you need to know,  After months of teasing and torture, the Windows 8.1 Developer Preview is finally here, ready to deliver us from many of Windows 8’s glaring flaws. You’ve no doubt already heard about Windows 8.1’s biggest new features: The Start button is back, Bing owns the Search charm, the split-screen Snap feature is customizable, yada yada yada. You know the drill. What hasn’t been talked about much are the subtler changes—the hidden secrets tucked away in the dark corners of Windows...

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Latest News Nelson Mandela's condition critical but 'stable'

Latest News Nelson Mandela's condition critical but 'stable'- Former South African leader Nelson Mandela is in a stable condition, his granddaughter says, though he remains critical. Ndileka Mandela said the 94-year-old's family were taking comfort from messages of support from the public. Mr Mandela's health had worsened in recent days, prompting President Jacob Zuma to cancel a foreign visit. South Africa's first black president has been in hospital since 8 June with a lung infection. Emotional crowds continue to gather outside...

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Prosecutors say NFL star Aaron Hernandez 'orchestrated execution,' concealed evidence

Prosecutors say NFL star Aaron Hernandez 'orchestrated execution,' concealed evidence- Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez drove his friend to a remote spot in an industrial park in the dead of night and — still fuming from a fight at a nightclub three nights earlier — "orchestrated his execution," prosecutors alleged in a Massachusetts court Wednesday. Hernandez pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and five firearms charges, including possessing a large-capacity firearm, more than a week after the body of Odin Lloyd,...

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DOMA widow says on hearing of Supreme Court win

DOMA widow says on hearing of Supreme Court win I cried, I cried, The 84-year-old widow at the center of an historic gay-rights marriage case before the Supreme Court said she cried on Wednesday upon learning of her win, with the justices deeming unconstitutional a federal law that bars recognition of same-sex marriage. Smiling and at some times emotional, Edie Windsor said: “I cried, I cried,” after learning of her landmark victory, hailed by one of her attorneys, James Esseks, as a “watershed” moment in the decades-long battle for gay...

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Breaking News Jared Leto Covers Candy

Breaking News Jared Leto Covers Candy- Jared Leto covers the latest issue of Candy, a magazine that bills itself as the center of "transversal style." So it only makes sense the actor would do so in drag, right? Yes, this really is a photo of the man after whom Angela Chase lusted on My So-Called Life, decked out in a short pink wig, cherry lipstick and long eyelashes The publication has dressed such stars as James Franco, Chloë Sevigny and Andrej Pejic in drag garb over the year, creating...

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Weddings must wait, but couples celebrate as Supreme Court rulings push gay marriage forward

Weddings must wait, but couples celebrate as Supreme Court rulings push gay marriage forward- Backed by rainbow flags and confetti, thousands celebrated in California’s streets after U.S. Supreme Court rulings brought major advances for gay marriage proponents in the state and across the country. Though wedding bells may be weeks away, same-sex couples and their supporters filled city blocks of San Francisco and West Hollywood on Wednesday night to savor the long awaited decisions as thumping music resounded.  “Today the words emblazoned...

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Latest EU reaches political deal on seven-year budget

Latest EU reaches political deal on seven-year budget- A political deal on the EU's hotly contested seven-year budget has been struck, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has announced. The deal on the 2014-2020 960bn euro (£822bn; $1.3tn) budget was reached between member states and European Parliament leaders, he said. Leaders of the 27 countries are gathering for a summit in Brussels. They are expected to focus on Europe's record unemployment, and youth unemployment especially. Nearly a quarter of people aged 18 to...

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Julia Gillard calls leadership ballot in bid to head off Kevin Rudd challenge

Julia Gillard calls leadership ballot in bid to head off Kevin Rudd challenge-Returning Officer Chris Hayes said there was no spill for the deputy position, but Treasurer Wayne Swan, Craig Emerson, Joe Ludwig and Communications Minister Stephen Conroy are thought to have quit. Penny Wong has been elected as the new Labor leader in the Senate, a position previously held by Mr Conroy. Mr Hayes said the meeting was quite sombre but people were glad the issue was resolved. The Governor-General is tonight seeking high-level advice before confirming...

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Latest Science A new species seen in Phnom Penh

Latest Science A new species seen in Phnom Penh-It is exceptionally uncommon for undiscovered bird species to be found in urban contexts, but Oriental Bird Club council member Richard Thomas said that earlier in the year, he "went and saw this remarkable new tailorbird myself - in the middle of a road construction site". The authors of the paper suggest that O. chaktomuk inhabits a small area, made up largely of dense scrubland in the floodplain of the Mekong river - at the edge of which Phnom...

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Breaking Supreme Court Set to Rule on Gay Marriage

Breaking Supreme Court Set to Rule on Gay Marriage-It's the big day for gay marriage. Supporters and opponents braced Wednesday—the last day of the court's current session—for the Supreme Court's expected release of decisions on gay marriage. The rulings could give the final word on the law after years of battles—or leave the high court's views still murky. The court was set to rule on California's Proposition 8 ban on gay marriage and the 1996 federal Defense of Marriage Act, which denied federal benefits to lawfully married same-sex couples....

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Latest Breaking Bigger posts absorb cuts as Army downsizes

Latest Breaking Bigger posts absorb cuts as Army downsizes-In axing a dozen combat brigades in the face of steep spending cuts and the wind-down of two wars, the Army says it is trying to ease the sting by spreading it around. But one post stands out on the list of 10 installations targeted in Tuesday's announcement of a major restructuring that has been a long time coming: Kentucky's Fort Knox. In losing the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, the famed post an hour south of Louisville will soon know what it's like to be an Army...

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Latest Sports Williams Runs Winning Streak to 32 at Wimbledon

Latest Sports Williams Runs Winning Streak to 32 at Wimbledon- A reporter wanted to know whether Serena Williams contemplates adding more variety to her power-based game. She did not take kindly to the question's premise. "I don't only play hard tennis. Maybe if you want to get out there, I can show you, like, how I mix things up. I hit a lob today. I'm hitting slices and drop shots, especially more recently," Williams replied. "Power's often extremely good to have in your game," she continued. "But if I were to sit here and hit every...

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Breaking Edward Snowden may be stuck in Russia

Breaking Edward Snowden may be stuck in Russia-Time may be running out for U.S. fugitive Edward Snowden to get out of Russia. The former National Security Agency contractor has been holed up in the transit area of Moscow airport since Sunday, but Snowden may only have been given a Russian transit visa valid for three days, RIA Novosti cited a source close to the case as saying on Wednesday. "Transit passengers who have a ticket for a connecting flight and documents necessary to enter a third country can get a Russian transit visa," the source...

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Latest Australian PM Gillard ousted; Rudd takes over

Latest Australian PM Gillard ousted; Rudd takes over- Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has been ousted as Labor Party leader by her predecessor, Kevin Rudd, in vote of party lawmakers hoping to avoid a huge defeat in upcoming elections. The ballot took place on Wednesday three years and two days after Gillard ousted Rudd in a similar internal government showdown. It makes him leader of the party, but not prime minister. Party official Chris Hayes says Gillard lost 57 votes to 45. Rudd will likely have to demonstrate that he can...

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Obama confronts Bush legacy in voting rights case

Obama confronts Bush legacy in voting rights case-President Barack Obama faced an uncomfortable truth Tuesday: He was powerless to stop George W. Bush’s Supreme Court from eviscerating the most consequential civil rights law of the past half-century. The constitutional law professor sat by helplessly — “deeply disappointed” — as Chief Justice John Roberts wrote a 5-4 majority opinion that tore down one section of the Voting Rights Act and effectively killed another. Obama, who voted against Roberts in 2005, could see it coming. Everyone in...

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Breaking Texas Filibuster on abortion bill rivets online

Breaking Texas Filibuster on abortion bill rivets online- Democratic Senator Wendy Davis took to the floor the Texas Senate at 11:18 a.m. in pink tennis shoes and began what she hoped would be a nearly 13 hour filibuster of an abortion bill. As the day went on, the story of Senator Davis' filibuster caught fire on Twitter, and by the evening it was trending worldwide. There were 730,00 total tweets about the filibuster on Tuesday. The excitement peaked at 11:58 p.m. central time, just two minutes before the midnight deadline, with 5,776 tweets...

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