Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (AHN) – The Financial Action Task Force in Canada said Thursday the multi-government group tasked with putting in place anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing practices in the country has plugged loopholes.

The task force held a closed-door meeting that ended Friday in preparation for a Paris meeting this week of international anti-money laundering authorities. Ottawa had previously been criticized for failing to meet several key anti-money laundering benchmarks, particularly to diligently check the background of customers.

The task force discovered that Canada did not comply with 11 of 49 recommendations in the basic framework for anti-money laundering efforts, which placed the country behind the U.S., Germany, and even India and Saudi Arabia. But Ottawa met seven recommendations and partially or compliant with most of the recommendations.

Among the measures Ottawa has put in place are tougher requirements to check on customer due diligence and stricter tracking of wire transfers to casinos and check-cashing firms, which are the usual conduits of money launderers.

Toronto is the site of the permanent headquarters of the secretariat of the Egmont Group. The group is an organization of 101 of the world’s financial intelligence units, including the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Center of Canada. Ottawa contributed $5 million in 2006 spread over five years to help the secretariat get established.

However, experts said that even if Canada has plugged some of the more obvious loopholes, the lack of investigation, enforcement and prosecution still makes the country vulnerable to money laundering activities.

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Washington, D.C., United States (AHN) – Indian diaspora on the East coast was treated to a visual display of real estate investment opportunities at a gala dinner featuring finished and planned projects by New York based Ireo on Saturday in Vienna, Virginia.

“If you are interested in real estate space in India, be it for yourself – your family – or simply an investment, there is no better place to put your money then with Ireo,” Vijay Amritraj, international tennis legend and former United Nations Ambassador told AHN on the sidelines of the glittering show.

Answering, “Why should I mess (read: invest) in India – when I live here?” the core question of Indian Americans settled in the United States, Anjali Grover, of Ireo, told the select audience of rich and famous gathered at the “Bombay Tandoor Restaurant,” that the projects, some of which are completed, some are in the building stage while others are on the architects’ drawing tables, are all on par with the American standards in quality and safety.

Sitting in the United States, the investor can use easy means to invest and own or sell later with Ireo providing personalized services all the way, she added.

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Washington, D.C., United States (AHN) – Hollywood siren Pamela Anderson appeared to have proved too saucy for India, said Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada on Thursday.

Zed, in a detailed email, noted that Anderson entered the House in India’s popular and controversial daily television reality show “Bigg Boss” in Lonawala (near Mumbai) on Wednesday night for a three-day cameo appearance and India Government issued an order earlier in the day to ban the show in prime time relegating it to slot between 11pm-5am.

The Hindu statesman, cited the official reason being that its content “offends against good taste and decency” and “objectionable and not suitable for children and unrestricted public exhibition.”

“Bigg Boss”, however, went ahead on Wednesday during its regular earlier time slot of nine pm. But Bombay High Court, being moved by show’s owner ‘Viacom 18′ on Thursday, stayed the India Government’s order to reschedule the time of broadcast till next hearing on November 22 on the issue.

Commenting on the censorship Zed called it “was not acceptable, but many times television producers crossed the line for mercantile greed without consideration to families and children. Their race to boost the ratings had frequently resulted in sensationalization of the content.”

“They should regulate themselves so that the freedom of expression was not jeopardized. Television producers needed to grow-up and show maturity to analyze themselves what was good for the Indian nation and the world,” Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, added.

Zed, however, welcomed Anderson to India and applauded her interest in Indian ethos and other things Indian.

Describing the Anderson saga, Zed said she entered the House, where she is Khaas Mehmaan (Special Guest), with a white chiffon sari, jhumkas (ear hangings), bangles, bindi, and “namaste”.

She cleaned the floor with a broom, gyrated to Bollywood number “Dhak dhak karne lagaa”, and ate paranthas (Indian stuffed bread).

It is her first visit to India and she has reportedly said that she was not a fan of reality shows. She has reportedly been paid $550,000 for this stint, Zed disclosed.

Zed also cited Television rating agency Audience Measurement and Analytics Limited as reportedly revealing that, “Bigg Boss” gained substantially from Pamela Anderson’s appearance.

“Big Boss”, in its fourth season, follows the “Big Brother” format. Filmfare winner Bollywood megastar Salman Khan (Tere Naam), 44, is the current presenter.

Anderson joined ten remaining housemates, who included Bollywood actors, models, singer, former dacoit, and wrestler. British celebrity Jade Goody appeared in this show in 2008.

Thrice divorced/annulled MTV nominated Pamela Anderson (Baywatch), 43, is a Canadian-American actress-model-author-producer-former Playboy Playmate.

She is vegetarian and an animal rights activist, Zed concluded in his long email release on the subject.

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Washington, DC, United States (AHN) – President Barack Obama on Sunday looked forward to accountability and responsibility from the newly-elected Republicans in the House.

“My expectation is, when I sit down with Mitch McConnell and John Boehner this week, along with the Democratic leaders, that there are a set of things that need to get done during the lame duck, and that they are not going to want to just obstruct, that they’re going to want to engage constructively,” he said.

The President made the comments Sunday to journalists aboard Air Force One as he returned from a 10-day trip to India, Indonesia, Korea and Japan.

Obama noted that “I believe it is a mistake for us to borrow $700 billion to make tax cuts permanent for millionaires and billionaires. It won’t significantly boost the economy, and it’s hugely expensive. So we can’t afford it.”

The president, however, expressed his willingness to learn “how they (the Republicans) intend to spend–how they intend to pay for it,” as he recalled that, “during the campaign at least, the Republicans expressed some strong feelings about (those tax-cuts).”

“I want to hear from them how strongly they feel about it, particularly given that they’re also saying they want to control the deficit and debt,” he added.

“Campaigning is very different from governing,” noted Obama. “All of us learn that. And they’re (the Republicans) still flush with victory, having run a strategy that was all about saying no.”

The American people “want to see us make progress precisely because they understand instinctually how competitive things are and how we have to step up our game.” Obama hoped that “we should be able at least to get through the lame duck, making sure that taxes don’t go up for middle-class families starting January 1st, that some of the key business provisions that can assure economic growth get done.”

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New Delhi, India (AHN) – Traditional earthen lamps, delicious sweets, noisy fireworks and loads of fun is how Diwali or Deepawali is usually described in India and wherever the Hindu community celebrates this important festival that marks the victory of good over bad.

This is also the day when Hindus worship the goddess of wealth, Lakshmi, and the god of hosts, ‘Ganesha,’ invoking the former to become rich and the latter to remove all obstacles from their path to wealth and happiness.

Diwali is the time when people visit relatives, friends, neighbors and colleagues and exchange gifts and sweets. The whole country wears a festive look, complete with multi-colored patterns called rangolis made by hand, while kids and adults alike blast their way through fireworks worth thousands of rupees.

The bonhomie marking this festival is visible even along the India-Pakistan border. At several posts along the border, troops from both sides exchange sweets and dry fruit in a clear departure from the otherwise hostile situation between the two traditional rivals.

In a significant gesture, U.S. President Barack Obama, who began a three-day visit to India on Saturday, will celebrate the festival Sunday with students of Holy Name High School in Mumbai. Recognizing the significance of Diwali, also known as the “festival of lights,” President Obama also conveyed his wishes to Indians through a White House statement. In it, he said, “Diwali is a time for celebration, but it is also a time for reflection and a time when we must remember that there are always others less fortunate than ourselves. This holiday reminds us all that we should commit ourselves to helping those in need. To those celebrating Diwali in India, I look forward to visiting you over the next few days.”

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued her own message. “We join the people of India to celebrate this joyful festival, the auspicious partnership between our two countries, and the great friendship between our people. I wish all people of Indian descent a very happy Diwali and a safe and prosperous year.”

Although fun and frolic, sweets and savouries are the common thread in Diwali, the festival is celebrated in different ways in different regions of the country, in keeping with the diverse cultural fabric of India.

In Punjab, Hindus and Sikhs visit the sanctum sanctorum of Harmandir Sahib, also known as the Golden Temple, to pay obeisance to the God Almighty. while in Mumbai Diwali is marked with a traditional bath with fragrant oils called the “Abhyang Snan.”

In Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal, a culturally-rich eastern state of India, Diwali is signified with Kali Puja, an incarnation of Goddess Durga, the goddess of courage and bravery. The Kolkatans throng Kali temples throughout the capital city, prominent among which are those at Kalighat, Dakshineswar and Tarapith.

Right from the urban landscape dotted with shopping malls, well-lit apartment blocks, glittering sidewalks to the rustic environs, where the poor celebrate this festival in more subdued ways, Diwali presents a juxtaposition of sorts, where the extremes of India are visible.

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Of the additional $1.5 billion additional investment in the real estate sector in India in 2010-11, domestic contributors will put in to the tune of $400 million. The remaining fund of $1.2 billion is to come from international investors. In the words of Amit Goenka, national director, Kinght Frank Indian (P) Ltd: “These estimates are based on the total active domestic and international funds and their existing corpus strengths. There are some active domestic players like HDFC, ICICI Prudential Fund, IndiaREIT, Milestone and ASK who are expected to do deals in 2010. The bulk of the funds are, however, foreign, with much larger corpuses.” Nagarjuna Constructions, Parsvanath, Godrej Properties and a few others have already struck deals with these fund investors.

In the context of real estate India ,This sector has $1.5 billion additional investment in 2010-11, real estate groups in India like Emaar, MGF, Purvankara, Omaxe, Ambience, etc. are reported to be planning to enter in to private equity (PE) deals for their residential property projects. Some other real estate majors have announced qualified institutional placements (QIP) and initial public offerings (IPO). Reportedly, a number of Tier 2 developers in the Delhi NCR, Bangalore and MMR regions are in negotiations regarding PE funds for their residential units at various locations in the country. Most of the projects are located in metro centres such as Delhi NCR, Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Gurgaon, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Pune, Hyderabad, Bhopal, Bhubeneswar, Jaipur, Lucknow, Goa, Chandigarh, etc. In the words of Abhishek Kiran Gupta, research head of the property consultants of global repute, Jones Lang LaSalle Meghraj (JLLM): “While abnormally large returns can be found in specific projects throughout the country, we have limited our analysis to India’s seven largest cities due to high residential demand from their large populations, relatively higher transparency levels and presence of premium regional and national developers. In order to round out our top 10 list, we have also included three additional noteworthy cities which we feel have the potential to provide significant returns to investors.”

Joseph Smith have 3+ years of experience in content writing of Property India,property in India,properties in india to buy,real estate India,commercial properties india, Real Estate Gurgaon .

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