Facebook Trains Self-Help Groups in Telangana

Facebook on Friday launched a training programme for rural self-help groups (SHGs) in Telangana 

to equip them with technological knowledge to promote their products in the digital space.

The first batch of 10 SHG representatives were trained in basics of Facebook, and the various features of the platform, at Facebook's office here and given an overview of how to use Facebook to promote their products online.

The SHG representatives were given a step-by-step walk through of Facebook Page creation and also some tips on posting engaging content, said a statement.

"This programme is part of our continued investment in businesses, developers and the 132 million people who use Facebook in India. These events, which we are rolling out nationwide, will help entrepreneurs in rural India reach new customers and ultimately grow," said Ritesh Mehta, head of Economic Growth Initiatives for Facebook India.

Telangana's IT Secretary Jayesh Ranjan said that the SHGs would immensely benefit as they would now be able to market their products globally, with assistance from Facebook.

Elsewhere, in New York, a small team of Facebook engineers has been working together with a group of local educators on a project that's going to reshape learning through technology.

The Facebook team has chipped in to help create a classroom experience that is centred around students' ambitions at Summit Public Schools, Facebook Chief Product Officer Chris Cox wrote in a blog post recently. These schools have taken a very different approach to learning, with online classrooms and complete personalisation.

Tax Filing Tips for Start-Ups and Work From Home People

With the increasing growth of the internet and diverse opportunities in the economy, the number of self-employed people has increased over the past decade. Every business has the potential to become big but everyone begins small by working from home, by freelancing or by setting up a start-up.

Apart from the work, one aspect of being independent which scares or bothers people is the tax aspect. How does one deal with tax when running a start-up or working from home on a freelance basis? What tax filing tips should be kept in mind? And how does one make this process efficient?

Here are some pointers.

Understand the applicability of taxes

It is necessary to understand the different dynamics of taxes. At a personal level, an individual needs to pay income tax for the income earned. If one renders a service and the income earned is higher than Rs. 10 lakh a year, then service tax needs to be paid at a rate of 14 per cent. This is applicable to all tax assessees, including individuals. If the receipts are higher than Rs. 25 lakh a year, then the assessee should get a tax audit done. Advance tax needs to be paid by the assessee. In case the start-up is registered as a partnership, the firm needs to file returns separately and the partners need to then file their individual returns.

Tax deducted at source (TDS) needs to be considered and accounted for

A customer who pays a professional in excess of Rs. 30,000 in a year as professional fees or technical fees is required to deduct tax at source and remit the remaining amount to the professional. While drawing up the accounts, the professional needs to account for this TDS and file the returns accordingly.

If you are a work from home professional and your tax liability is lower than the minimum threshold, you can claim the deducted TDS as a tax refund. TDS is applicable for assessees other than individuals also, including sole proprietorships, partnership firms, and companies. Tax is applicable on any income on which tax has not been deducted at source.

Tax filing forms vary with different cases

The income tax returns forms are different for different assessees. Therefore, one has to use the correct form while filing the returns. For example, in the Assessment Year 2015-16, one must use ITR 3 for filing returns as a partner in a partnership firm, ITR 4S in case of income from presumptive business, and ITR 5 for partnership firms. This may change from one year to another. Refer the income tax notifications or take the help of a qualified chartered accountant before filing returns in order to avoid complications.

Business expenses can be used to reduce tax liability

One of the biggest advantages of being an independent professional is that expenses directly related to running the business are allowed as a deduction from income while computing the tax liability. Start-up expenses prior to commencement of the business can be claimed as preliminary expenses. On commencement of the business, one can claim all business expenses as a deduction from taxable income. These include rent, postage, vehicle expenses, and telephone and internet expenses. Depreciation on car can be claimed at standard rates. Partners can be paid salary, which can also be shown as a deduction, provided this is specifically provided for in the partnership agreement. It must be remembered that partner salary will be taxed as income in the individual returns of the partners, whereas partners' share in the firm's profits is exempt in their hands.

Keeping record of transactions is important

While running a start-up or working from home on an independent basis, one cannot hold a third party responsible for mistakes in tax calculations and returns filing. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the assessee to keep safely all documentation that need to be produced any time they are required by the authorities. As per the law, records need to be preserved for at least 6 years from the end of the relevant assessment year. This is all the more critical if you are claiming expenses as a deduction from the taxable income.

Handling taxes for a start-up or work-from-home professional may not be easy. However, with discipline and order, it is not as complicated as it sounds. Alternatively, one can seek the help of a qualified chartered accountant to make the process easy.

Man Arrested for Threatening to Bomb Patna Railway Station

MOTIHARI:  A youth was today arrested in East Champaran district here in connection with an SMS that had threatened to blow off Patna railway station two days ago.

Acting on a tip-off, the railway police arrested the youth from Raxual railway station this morning, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Rail) Rajendra Ram said.

The youth has been identified as Niranjan Kumar, a resident of Narkatiaganj under Sikarpur police station of West Champaran district.

An SMS had come to Patna Railway junction from the mobile of Niranjan Kumar with a threat to trigger a blast at the junction day before yesterday, the DSP said.

The Patna rail police with the help of Raxual rail police arrested the youth from Platform number one of Raxual railway station, the DSP said, adding, he has been taken to Patna for questioning.

Chaina Hails India's Presence at World War II Commemoration Events

Minister of State for External Affairs General (Retd.) VK Singh with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing (Press Trust of India)

BEIJING:  China today lauded India's presence at the 70th anniversary events held to commemorate its victory over Japan in World War II, saying it sent a "clear signal" to the global community that the two countries stand together.

"Chinese people's fight against foreign aggression is part of historical fight of all nations rising against foreign aggression and for national independence," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Minister of State for External Affair General VK Singh when the two leaders met here for talks to review bilateral ties.

"So it (the anniversary day) belonged to the people of world. On such a momentous day we cannot allow not to have the presence of Indian friends and your support," Mr Wang said.

"So your coming has sent a clear signal to the international community that China and India have and will continue to be together," he said.

Mr Singh visited Beijing as a special envoy of the Indian government to attend the reception and a grand parade hosted by China to commemorate the 70th anniversary of its victory over Japan in World War II.

Apart from a special reception hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping, a massive military parade was held yesterday to commemorate the event.

Recalling the help rendered by Dr Dwarakanath Kotnis, the Indian doctor who took part in the international medical mission to treat the Chinese forces during the World War II,

Mr Wang said he was a household name in China and his name was mentioned during yesterday's parade as a mark of gratitude and respect of the entire Chinese nation.

"We will cherish his memory," he said.

Singh, who is here on a third visit to China after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government took office, said last year's visit of the Chinese President to India and Premier Modi's trip here in May have created an atmosphere of "great friendship and created mutual understanding of each other".

He said the forthcoming visit Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao was expected to result in substantive outcomes. Officials said Mr Li's visit was expected to take place later this year.

Considering the political sensitivities involved in yesterday's parade with anti-Japan overtones, India had a low key presence.

The Indian government deputed Singh to attend the function while refraining from sending troops to take part in the parade. Troops of 17 countries, including Russia and Pakistan, took part in the event.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and dignitaries of 28 other countries were present on the occasion.

Standed for Days, Over 1,000 Migrants Leave Budapest Train Station on Foot for Austria

Standed for Days, Over 1,000 Migrants Leave Budapest Train Station on Foot for AustriaBUDAPEST:  More than 1,000 migrants stranded for days at Budapest's main train station left the building on Friday, intent on walking to the Austrian border, according to an AFP journalist on the scene.

The huge crowd included people in wheelchairs and on crutches, as well as parents carrying children on their shoulders, all prepared to march 175 kilometres (110 miles) to the border.

Some flashed victory signs while others waved images of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who recently announced that Berlin was easing asylum restrictions for Syrians.

"We are very happy that something is happening at last. The next stop is Austria. The children are very tired, Hungary is very bad, we have to go somehow," 23-year-old Osama from Syria told AFP.

The migrants were part of an estimated 2,000 people stuck in makeshift refugee camps at Keleti station, after railway authorities had blocked them from boarding trains to Austria and Germany because they lacked EU visas.

Police watched the silent migrants walk through the Hungarian capital but did not intervene, the AFP correspondent said.

The march was causing traffic jams on the main route into the city from the western Buda area.

It came as Hungarian lawmakers debated tough new anti-immigration measures, including criminalising illegal border crossing and vandalism to the new anti-immigrant razor-wire fence erected along the border with Serbia.

Hungary has in recent months joined Italy and Greece as a "frontline" state in Europe's migrant crisis, with 50,000 people trekking up the western Balkans and entering the country in August alone.

A record 3,300 migrants crossed into Hungary on Thursday, according to the latest figures from the UN refugee agency.

The right-wing government headed by Prime Minister Viktor Orban has responded to the influx by erecting a controversial razor-wire barrier along its 175-kilometre (110-mile) border with Serbia.

On Thursday, Orban defended his handling of the crisis, blaming Germany's lifting of asylum rules for the thousands of migrants travelling through his nation.

"Nobody wants to stay in Hungary, neither in Slovakia, nor Poland, nor Estonia. All want to go to Germany. Our job is just to register them," he said while in Brussels for talks on the crisis with European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker and EU president Donald Tusk

Confirmed MH370 Wing Part Won't Change Search: Australia

Australia is leading the difficult search in the southern Indian Ocean for the Malaysia Airlines plane which mysteriously diverted off course on March 8 last year and disappeared with 239 people on board.

SYDNEY:  Confirmation that a plane part that washed up on a remote island was from missing jet MH370 was useful but would not alter the search for the plane, Australian investigators said today.

Martin Dolan, chief commissioner of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, welcomed this week's news from France that the flaperon found on the Indian Ocean island of Reunion was part of the missing Boeing 777.

"We have been working on the assumption that the flaperon was associated with MH370," Dolan told AFP.

"It's useful to have formal confirmation of this, so it's good for us. But it hasn't actually made a significant difference to our search."

Australia is leading the difficult search in the southern Indian Ocean for the Malaysia Airlines plane which mysteriously diverted off course on March 8 last year and disappeared with 239 people on board.

Based on satellite analysis of the plane's likely trajectory, searchers are scouring the seabed off Australia's west coast, so far covering some 60,000 square kilometres (24,000 square miles) without result.

Dolan said Australia was considering bringing in new vessels and equipment to take advantage of the upcoming southern hemisphere summer when the weather in the harsh and remote place will improve.

"We are currently reviewing the options available to us to see whether we will acquire other vessels and equipment for the summer period," he said. "We haven't made any decisions on that yet."

Dolan said finding the flaperon, a two-metre (almost seven foot) wing part on Reunion, a French overseas territory, in late July was consistent with drift modelling based on the plane crashing in the search area.

"It hasn't changed our thinking about the search area," he said, adding that the flaperon also had not yielded any clues on what caused the plane to disappear en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

"All we know is that the flaperon at some point became detached from the aircraft and there are a range of possible scenarios from that," he said.

"We will watch developments obviously but at this stage we haven't seen anything that actually assists in refining or changing the search area."

Dolan said he had hoped the flaperon would reveal more but had known from the start that, although interesting for the broader investigation, it was unlikely to assist in refining the search area.

Islamic State Militants Blow Up Palmyra's Ancient Tower Tombs: Syria's Antiquities Chief

Maamoun Abdulkarim told Reuters that sources in Palmyra had confirmed the destruction of three tombs including that of Elahbel, built in 103 AD.

DAMASCUS:  Islamic State has blown up three ancient tower tombs in Palmyra built between the years 44 and 103 AD, Syria's antiquities chief said today, having also destroyed two ancient temples at the site in central Syria in the last few weeks.

Maamoun Abdulkarim told Reuters that sources in Palmyra had confirmed the destruction of three tombs including that of Elahbel, built in 103 AD, which he said was four storeys high and had an underground floor.

Islamic State militants blew up two temples at the Roman-era, UNESCO World Heritage site, which it has controlled since capturing Palmyra from Syrian government control in May. The group considers the buildings sacriligeous.