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Tue, 12 September 2017
Apple announces iPhone X

Timeline  Refresh

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23:54   Apple announces iPhone X
JUST IN: Apple announces iPhone X, which is 'all screen' and has glass on front and back.

More details awaited. -- Reuters
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23:38  
The phones will be available in three colours -- silver, gray and gold.

The iPhone 8 display is 4.7 inches (5.5 inches on the iPhone 8 Plus), with a Retina HDR display.

It is also dust- and water-resistant.

The glass, according to Apple, is 'the most durable ever in any cell phone'.
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23:34   Apple launches iPhone 8
"No other device in our lifetimes has had the impact on the world the iPhone has," said Cook.

"It's truly amazing how much iPhone impacts the world each and every day. Our intention with iPhone has always been to create something so powerful, so immersive and so magical, that the hardware virtually disappears," he says.

Photograph: Stephen Lam/Reuters
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23:20  
JUST IN: Apple launches 4K TV with higher resolution.
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23:19   Apple watch series 3 launched, has cellular built-in
Apple watch series 3 has cellular built in. One can make calls through it.

It can also detect irregular heartbeat.

It can store up to 40 million songs.

IMAGE: Jeff Williams, Apple COO, speaks as product images are shown behind him during a launch event in Cupertino, California. Photograph: Stephen Lam/Reuters
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23:03  
Jeff Williams, Apple COO, says Apple Watch is the most-used heart-rate monitor in the world.

Apple Watch OS 4 will be available from September 19.
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22:58   Cook announces updated Apple Watch
Ahrendts says the company will also invite creative professionals into its facilities for something called 'Today at Apple'.

Cook is back on stage and says, Apple Watch is now numero uno in the world, above Rolex, Fossil, Omega, Cartier, quotes ET.
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22:50  
Angela Ahrendts from Apple Retail addresses the gathering.

Some of the new features of Apple stores, said Ahrendts are open gathering places and avenues.
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22:43   Steve's vision and passion live on everywhere in Apple: Cook
"Steve means so much to me and to all of us," CBS News quotes Tim Cook as saying.

"There's not a day that goes by I don't think about him."

"Steve's vision and passion live on here at Apple Park, and everywhere in Apple."

ET quotes Cook as saying, "Jobs' vision for Apple Park was to create an incredible new workplace of the future where designers and engineers could collaborate on the next generations of Apple products."
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22:38   Apple's mega 10th anniversary event begins
Tim Cook takes centretsage, dedicates the theatre to founder Steve Jobs.

Also condoles lives lost in Huricane Harvey and Irma in Florida and Houston.
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22:32   Countdown begins for Apple's 10th anniversary launch
A 10th anniversary iPhone is expected to star at a keenly anticipated Apple event today at its new campus in Silicon Valley.

A fresh leak of new software for Apple devices appeared to confirm rumors that the company will unveil three new iPhone models, with the most radical changes packed into atop-of-the-line 'X' version.

Evidence suggests that two iPhone 8 models would essentially be improved versions of their predecessors, while the 'X' version will boast an improved quality edge-to-edge screen, advanced augmented reality capabilities, and facial recognition instead of a 'home' button to unlock the screen, analysts said.

There has been unconfirmed talk that an iPhone X, or whatever name Apple choses for it, could be priced as high as $1,400.

The leaks appeared to come from within the company, offering key details of new hardware and software.

A key question for the tech giant is whether it can dazzle the world the way it did with the first iPhone a decade ago.

The media event is the first in the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple's new 'spaceship' campus in Cupertino, evoking the memory of the company's late co-founder and iconic pitchman.  -- Agencies

Also read
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21:24   Army's new howitzer damaged while firing Indian ammunition
The Army's new long-range ultra- light (ULH) howitzer M-777 was damaged during a field trial in Pokhran firing range and a probe has been ordered into the incident, Army sources said in New Delhi.

The sources said the barrel of the United States-manufactured gun exploded when it was firing Indian ammunition on September 2.

India had received two M-777 ultra-light howitzers in May, each worth around Rs 35 crore, after a gap of 30 years since the Bofors scandal broke out, and the accident took place in one of them.

The field trials of the 155 mm, 39-calibre guns manufactured by BAE systems were being carried out at Pokhran in Rajasthan with an aim to collate and determine various critical data like trajectory, speed and frequency.

"During the firing, the projectile which was fifth of the series, exited the barrel in multiple pieces, causing the accident," an army source said.

There was no injury to anyone.

"The barrel of the gun has been damaged, extent of which is being assessed by Joint Investigation Team," the source said.

The Army had received the howitzers as part of an order for 145 guns. Three more guns are to be supplied to the Army in September 2018 for training.

Thereafter, induction will commence from March 2019 onwards with five guns per month till the complete consignment is received by mid-2021.

The Army badly needs the howitzers considering the evolving regional security scenario.

India had last procured howitzers in the mid-1980s from Swedish defence major Bofors.

The alleged pay-offs in the deal and its subsequent political ramifications had severely crippled the Indian Army's procurement of artillery guns.

India had struck a government-to-government deal with the US last November for supply of the 145 howitzers at a cost of nearly Rs 5,000 crore.

While 25 guns will come in a fly-away condition, the rest will be assembled in India by the BAE Systems in partnership with Mahindra Defence.

The Army has been pressing the government to speed up its modernisation programme.  -- PTI

Image only for representation. Photograph: Arko Datta/Reuters
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21:08   EC rejects Sharad Yadav's claim over JD-U symbol
The Election Commission today refused to take cognisance of the Sharad Yadav faction's claim of being the real Janata Dal-United, citing lack of documents filed by its leaders to back it, an EC official said.

The EC's decision is a setback to Yadav, who had claimed that the party's rank and file was with him even though an overwhelming numbers of its elected leaders and office bearers sided with party chief and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

EC sources said the Yadav faction is free to file another application with documents to effectively buttress its claim, a task that would be difficult for the veteran leader given the kind of support Kumar enjoys in the party.

The Yadav faction had approached the EC on August 25, staking its claim over the party's election symbol and insisting that a majority of its national council members were with it.

In response, a group of party leaders, including Rajya Sabha MP R C P Singh and JD-U secretary general K C Tyagi, met the EC last week and submitted affidavits of its leaders and office bearers reposing faith in Kumar's leadership.

They had also demanded that the Yadav faction's application be rejected.

Tyagi said they had submitted the affidavits of all the 71 party MLAs and 30 MLCs, two Lok Sabha members and seven of the 10 Rajya Sabha lawmakers of the party, besides office bearers in their support.  -- PTI
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20:14   BJP stopped politics of appeasement: Amit Shah
Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah today said that his party has stopped the politics of appeasement in the country and introduced politics of performance.

The Narendra Modi government has in the last three years shown the political will to take decisions unlike the previous Congress-led government which had suffered from policy paralysis, he said during an interaction with intellectuals on the second day of his three-day visit to this city.

Shah said that in the last three years India has 'emerged as the fastest growing economy in the world' and this was not an easy task.

He said no opposition party could level corruption charges against the Modi government, adding that it has taken decisions for the benefit of the people.

Shah stressed that the BJP believed in the politics of performance and those who performed survived.

"We do not believe in the politics of appeasement which is votebank politics," Shah said.  -- PTI
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19:55   Amritsar: Man kills boy for scratching tractor's paint
A six-year-old boy has mercilessly been strangled to death allegedly by his neighbour who was furious with him for scratching his tractor's colour in Amritsar, police said today.

Shubhpreet went missing at around 9.30 pm last night from village Malikpur in Jandiala and later his body was found in a wheat husk room, they said.

Gurpreet Singh alias Gopi, 18, has been arrested in connection with the killing, said Gurpartap Singh Sahota, Deputy Superintendent of Police, (Jandiala), Amritsar. During preliminary investigation, it came to light that Gopi was annoyed with Shubhpreet's behaviour.

"Gopi never liked the boy's mischievous behaviour and was furious with Shubhpreet for spoiling the paint of his tractor with scratches and had even warned the kid not to do so," the officer said.

"Yesterday, in a fit of rage, Gopi strangled Shubhpreet to death," the officer claimed.

One more person has been rounded up by the police in connection with the killing of Shubhpreet, he said.

A murder case has been registered against the accused. -- PTI

Image only for representation.
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19:03  
The roadmap of bullet trains in India.
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19:02   No bail for Haryana BJP chief's son Vikas Barala
A court in Chandigarh today dismissed the bail plea of Haryana Bharatiya Janata Party chief Subhash Barala's son Vikas, who had been booked on charges of stalking and attempting to abduct a 29-year-old woman.

The court of Additional District and Sessions judge Rajnish Kumar Sharma dismissed the plea after arguments in the case carried on for over an hour, defence counsel Surya Prakash said.

The woman, the daughter of a senior IAS officer, had accused Vikas, 23, and his friend Ashish Kumar, 27, of stalking her last month.

The two men were arrested on the intervening night of August 4 and 5 following her complaint but were released on bail as they had been booked under bailable sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Motor Vehicles Act.

They were arrested again on August 9 after they joined the police investigation and were then charged with attempted abduction under sections 365 and 511 of the Indian Penal Code.

On August 29, the court of civil judge Barjidner Pal Singh had dismissed the bail pleas of the two accused.

The stalking incident had triggered widespread outrage and a spate of protests.  -- PTI
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18:47  
Bombay Stock Exchange: Sensex today.
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18:46  
BSE Sensex: Top gainers today.
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18:10   No sexual assault on slain Ryan school student: Doc
Ryan International murder update: Deepak Mathur, one of the doctors who conducted a post-mortem on seven-year-old Pradyuman, rules out sexual assault. Two knife marks were found on Pradyuman's neck, said Dr Mathur.


The police have claimed that evidence from the scene of crime had been tampered with and said they would bring the guilty to book. Ryan International Group Chief Executive Officer Ryan Pinto and his parents, who are its founders, approached the Bombay high court on Monday to seek anticipatory bail in connection with the child's murder in the chain's Gurugram school.


Protests continued at other places with the parents of children studying in Ryan International School's Noida and Greater Noida branches seeking an assurance regarding safety of their wards.


IMAGE: Varun Thakur, father of Pradyumna Thakur, the seven-year-old boy who was found murdered inside a Gurugram school, addresses the media outside the Supreme Court in New Delhi on Monday.
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18:01   70% people want scrapped Rs 1000 note back, claims survey
Ten months after the note-ban which saw the scrapping of the 1000 and 500 rupee notes, nearly 70 per cent of the population want the Rs 1,000 banknotes back, says a survey. Last November, government scrapped Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, which accounted over 86 per cent of the total Rs 16.24 trillion value of banknotes in circulation as of March 2016. To the consternation of the pro-note-ban advocates and the government which was expecting trillions in savings from the move, last week the Reserve Bank had said as much as 99 per cent of the scrapped notes have come back to the system.


"Nearly 69 per cent of the of surveyed population responded with 'yes' when asked if there is a need for Rs 1,000 banknotes," according to a survey conducted by Way2Online, a Hyderabad-based local language short news app.


Following demonetisation, the Reserve Bank had also introduced new Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 notes. Having released the new Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 bills for easy swapping of old notes, the choice of denominations severely hurt the section of population that deal with smaller denomination notes, the survey said.
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17:31   NSE withdraws its Rs100 crore defamation suit against Moneylife
The National Stock Exchange on Tuesday withdrew its Rs100 crore defamation case against Moneywise Media Pvt Ltd, publisher of the fortnightly magazine Moneylife, Debashis Basu and Sucheta Dalal, founders of Moneylife (together Moneylife). The defamation case related to the publication of a whistleblower's letter in Moneylife's web portal that laid bare how certain NSE officials were giving undue advantage to specific brokers in their co-location facility set up for high-frequency trading.  Read more
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17:20   Justified in a democracy to condemn prime minister: Congress defends Rahul's remarks
The Congress on Tuesday defended party vice-president Rahul Gandhi's remarks at the University of California in Berkeley, USA, saying that in a democracy, it is justified to condemn a prime minister and he should have been prepared for this by now.


Congress leader Anand Sharma, in a press briefing, clarified that Rahul's intentions were not to belittle the prime minister.


"Rahul Gandhi wasn't belittling the prime minister. He did refer to him as the prime minister of the country. But it is justified to condemn a prime minister in a democracy," Anand told the reporters here.He even accused the ruling government of forcefully imposing their ideology on the people."Rahul Gandhi made India proud in foreign country. It's the prime minister who has humiliated the country time and again," Sharma said."If they think we will ask them before making any statement, they are wrong. They should be prepared for this kind of attacks," he added.He even hit back at Union Minister Smriti Irani for her remark on Rahul Gandhi and advised her to focus on her work to bring some fruitful result."Smriti Irani has achieved nothing. She failed in her role as an HRD minister. It would be good if she focusses on the new portfolio assigned to her. Smriti Irani is unaware of the history. She even modifies the fact," he said.Earlier in the day, Irani unleashed a tirade against Rahul and asserted that latter highlighting the fact that the grand old party donned arrogance in the 2012 under the helm of her mother Sonia Gandhi and hence, lost elections is a huge political confession.
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17:10   Sunanda death: Hotel Leela suite to be unlocked
The Patiala House Court in Delhi on Tuesday directed the Delhi Police to de-seal the Hotel Leela's suite no. 345 where Congress MP Shashi Tharoor's wife Sunanda pushkar was found dead, back in 2014.


The court ordered the concerned authorities to de-seal the room within four weeks.


Earlier in the day, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Ishwar Singh appeared before the court to submit the reports of the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) team and demand more time for investigation.


The report stated that the police are still waiting for the reports from the CFSL team.The court denied the police an extension on the grounds that the suite has been sealed for three and a half years and that the applicant is facing huge financial losses.The court further granted liberty to the Police to take anything from the room which they deemed to be important for the investigation.


The court has further instructed the Delhi Police to file the compliance report by September 26.


Earlier on August 30, the Leela Hotel told the court that the police had sent a letter to the hotel, saying that the CFSL will have to visit the hotel again on September 1 to collect further evidence, and hence the room can't be de-sealed yet.


The lawyer representing the hotel told the court that the room had been sealed since 2015, and that no evidence was collected.On July 14, acting on a plea filed by Hotel Leela Palace seeking to de-seal the room, the court had sought a damage report of the sealed suite from the Delhi Police.


Metropolitan Magistrate Pankaj Sharma asked the Investigating Officer of the case to file the reply by July 21.On July 12, the Delhi High Court adjourned the hearing of the Sunanda Pushkar's death case on a plea by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy till July 20.Swamy on July 6 had filed a PIL in the Delhi High Court seeking a court-monitored enquiry into the mysterious death of Pushkar.


The Delhi High Court had asked the Home Ministry, the CBI and the Delhi Police to file their stand on the current status in the matter.Sunanda Pushkar was found dead on the night of January 17, 2014
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16:54   Only bus conductor was involved in Ryan child murder: Police
Gurugram police on Tuesday said that they have finished questioning of the bus conductor accused of killing seven-year-old Pradymna Thakur at Ryan International School and they don't see involvement of more persons in the crime.

"The questioning of bus conductor Ashok is complete and his remand has ended. He told us whatever we needed to know. We are satisfied with the information," Birem Singh, ACP Sohna Road told reporters.

"It is clear that only Ashok is involved in the murder of the seven-year-old," Singh said.

He, however, made it clear the 'act of negligence' by the school is a separate matter, which is also being probed.

"Only Ashok has murdered Pradyumna, no other person involved in the murder. Act of negligence by the school is a separate matter and two people are being questioned for the same," ACP Singh said.

He said that two children disclosed the accused bus conductor was present in the toilet before the incident.

The ACP said they will 'try their best' to file chargesheet in court by Saturday. -- ANI

IMAGE: Police team investigating the spot inside the Ryan International School after the murder of the 7-year-old in Gurugram. Photograph: PTI Photo
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16:03   Matrimony.com's IPO is oversubscribed
The initial public offer (IPO) of Matrimony.com, which runs online match-making portals, was oversubscribed 1.10 times so far on the second day of bidding today.   

The IPO, with an aim to raise over Rs 500 crore, received bids for 30,98,820 shares against the total issue size of 28,11,280 shares, data available with the NSE till 1500 hrs showed.   

Till yesterday, the IPO was subscribed 67 per cent.   The company had on Friday raised nearly Rs 226 crore from anchor investors. The price band is Rs 983-985 per share for the IPO which will close tomorrow.   

The IPO comprises fresh issue aggregating up to Rs 130 crore and an offer for sale of up to 37.67 lakh equity shares.   

Matrimony.com, which runs online match-making business under the BharatMatrimony brand, among others, is expected to raise over Rs 500 crore.   

Net proceeds from the issue will be utilised towards advertising and business promotion activities, purchase of land for construction of office premises in Chennai, repayment of overdraft facilities and general corporate purposes.
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15:50   Indian priest held captive by ISIS in Yemen rescued
Abducted Indian priest rescued from Yemen. The priest had been held captive for over 17 months by the ISIS. External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted, "I am happy to inform that Father Tom Uzhunnalil has been rescued."


Father Tom Uzhunnalil, an Indian Catholic priest, abducted by the ISIS in strife-torn Yemen, had made several video appeals for urgent help after getting a "poor response" from authorities, saying his health was deteriorating quickly and required hospitalisation.


Father Tom, 58, who hails from Kerala, was abducted in March last year by a terror group. He had gone missing in Yemen after the Islamic State militant group attacked a care home run by Mother Teresas Missionaries of Charity.


Gunmen had stormed the refuge for the elderly in April last year and killed a Yemeni guard before tying up and shooting 15 other employees. Four foreign nuns, including an Indian, working as nurses were among those killed.


Father Tom was captured from the southern Yemeni city of Aden by gunmen who killed at least 15 people at an old people's home in an attack that was condemned by Pope Francis.
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15:28  
As scandals dent his approval at home, Japan's Shinzo Abe hobbles along. Read
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15:20   Booted out of AIADMK, Dinakaran lies low
Sidelined AIADMK leader TTV Dinakaran today sought to play down the unified AIADMK's decision annulling the appointment of his aunt V K Sasikala as party interim chief, indicating court could have a final say on the matter.


A combative Dinakaran also dubbed the general council meeting, where the decision was taken, as a 'public meeting' and said he had undertaken efforts to "send home this regime" (led by Chief Minister K Palaniswami).


Referring to the Madras High Court's order that decisions taken at today's General Council will be subject to the final outcome of an appeal on the matter, he said only then will it be known if the ouster of Sasikala was 'valid.'


While hearing an appeal by an MLA of Dinakaran faction against a single judge's order dismissing his plea for a stay on the general council meeting, the court last night gave the go ahead for the meeting and posted the matter to October 23. "So we need not make big (a big issue) of it," Dinakaran, who is involved in a tussle for power with Palaniswami, said about the General council resolution on Sasikala.


He said it was the same decision-making body which last year appointed her to the post of interim general secretary. Training his guns against "Palaniswami and Co", Dinakaran alleged the Chief Minister was not taking forward the policies of late Jayalalithaa as being claimed by him. This was evident in the implementation of the National Entrance Cum Eligibility Test (NEET), he charged.


He said members in the government were thinking that they were the real AIADMK because they were in power, but their real strength would be known at the time of elections. "All those with the Palaniswami group will come back to us if the government is not there," claimed Diinakaran, who was appointed deputy general secretary in February last by Sasikala just before she left for Bengaluru to serve her term in the disproportionate assets case.


The unified AIADMK had earlier said Dinakaran had been removed from the post on August 10 itself. "Whoever I meet, whether it is party supporters, youth or general public, want this government to go. I have undertaken efforts to send this regime home," he said. "Betrayal has aligned with betrayal," he said in an apparent reference to the August 21 merger of the two factions led by Palaniswami and his deputy O Panneerselvam.
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14:51   'I'm a bit Muslim because I'm a real Hindu'
"Nobody is killing you in Kerala because you are Hindu unlike in North India where Muslims have been killed only because they are Muslims and were carrying some meat."


Rediff.com's Archana Masih met novelist KP Ramanunni, who has been threatened with the amputation of his hand and leg if he does not convert to Islam in six months, for his writings in the Malayalam newspaper Madhyamam. Read the interview here.
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14:28   Air Forces of Pakistan, China Begin 'Shaheen VI' Exercises
Last week, the Pakistan Air Force and the Chinese People's Liberation Army-Air Force (PLAAF) began joint training exercises dubbed "Shaheen VI" in China. The exercises began on Thursday and will run until September 27. Read more
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13:58   Failed dynast: BJP's response to Rahul's US speech
Union Minister Smriti Irani on Tuesday unleashed a tirade against Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and asserted that latter highlighting the fact that the grand old party donned arrogance in the 2012 under the helm of her mother Sonia Gandhi and hence lost elections is a huge political confession.


Cornering Gandhi over his comments in regard with 'dynasty politics', Irani said none of the incumbent top leaders of the nation are dynasts.


"Rahul Gandhi said in 2012 he realized that the Congress is becoming arrogant but he forgot that it was the year when his mother Sonia Gandhi took over as the Congress president. To say that Congress became arrogant under Smt. Gandhi and hence lost election is a big political confession in itself," Irani said.


"Rahul Gandhi said dynasts run India, but our own Prime Minister, our President and our Vice-President are not dynasts," she added.


Downplaying Gandhi's comments against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Irani said that it was not surprising rather was expected out of a failed dynast.


"A failed dynast today chose to speak about his failed political journeys in US. Rahul Gandhi belittled his political opponents in America. It is not surprising that a dynast has absolutely no support," said Irani.


"The fact that Rahul Gandhi chose to belittle the Prime Minister is not surprising rather it was expected. After not getting any support within the country, Rahul Gandhi is expressing his pain in foreign land," she added.


Gandhi yesterday hit back at those who have accused him of reaping the benefits of "dynasty politics", and justified the charges against him, saying that the entire nation is running on it and hence, one should not go only after him.


Responding to a poser at the University of California in Berkeley, Rahul didn't even spare the Ambanis and the Bachchans and said that in every field, there are numerous dynasts.


"Most of the country runs like this. Akhilesh Yadav is a dynast. Stalin is a dynast. Dhumal's son is a dynast. Even Abhishek Bachchan is a dynast. Also Mr. Ambani, that's how India runs. Don't go after me," he said.


The Congress vice-president even said that there are many people in the party, who are not a part of the dynasty politics.
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13:43  
TADA Court announces life imprisonment to Riyaz Siddiqu in builder Pradeep Jain murder case.
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13:38   Harry Potter's Hogwarts letter auctioned for 7,000 pounds
A sealed envelope used in the first Harry Potter movie - bearing the crest of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and addressed to the boy wizard - has been sold for 7,000 pounds at an auction in the US.


The prop envelope was used in the scene in the movie Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone where the owl post inundated the Dursley household with letters informing Harry Potter of his acceptance into Hogwarts. Made from marble-effect paper, Potter's address - The cupboard under the Stairs, 4, Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey - is printed in green on the front of the envelope.


The Hogwarts crest is printed on the reverse. It also features a real red wax Hogwarts seal, unlike the many entirely printed versions that were also used in the scene. The envelope remains sealed with letters seemingly contained within, according to the Prop Store Auction. The 13x8x0.5 centimetres envelope is accompanied by a letter of donation from Warner Brothers.
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13:34   Child murder: Ryan International head gets one-day bail
The Bombay High Court today granted interim protection from arrest to Ryan International Group's founding chairman and managing director till tomorrow in connection with the murder of a boy in the school's premises in Gurgaon.


Ryan International Group's founding chairman Augustine Pinto (73) and his wife Grace Pinto (62), who is the group's managing director, had yesterday approached the high court seeking anticipatory bail apprehending arrest in the case. Their counsel Niteen Pradhan had yesterday said that along with Augustine Pinto and Grace Pinto, their son Ryan Pinto, the group's CEO, also filed an anticipatory bail plea.


Image: The bathroom in the school where the child was found murdered.

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12:13  
Chetan Bhagat @chetan_bhagat Sometimes it is easier be a hero in Berkeley than in Bikaner, where it really matters.

Ouch!
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12:10  
Edward Luce @EdwardGLuce  Moving & deeply troubling. The west is choosing to ignore the advance of Hindu nationalism and its assault on Indian secular democracy.
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12:09  
Gauri Lankesh was a brilliant and brave journalist. She was my friend. And they murdered her. Read Shikha Dalmia's tribute.
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12:00   Defence minister visits Sir Creek
Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman posts this image, 12 hours ago, saying, "Somewhere close to Sir Creek, the international border area in Gujarat, with our soldiers."

Do read: Sitharaman must not let PMO run her ship
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11:52  
AIADMK General Body also resolves to retrieve impounded two leaves symbol.
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11:46  
Ryan International School student murder case: Augustine Pinto and Grace Pinto given interim protection from arrest till tomorrow.
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11:41   AIADMK expels Sasikala, Dinakaran from party
Just in: The AIADMK general council passes six resolutions expelling both VK Sasikala and her nephew TTV Dinakaran from the party. The party named the late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa as the party's permanent general secretary. It also declare all appointments made by Dinakaran as invalid.


The general council meeting took place at the Shrivaaru Venkatachalapathy Palace on the outskirts of Chennai. The council comprised a 11-member panel headed by deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam and chief minister Edapaddi Palaniswami .


Even at the previous AIADMK MLAs meet , there was a strong buzz of the impending removal of Sasikala but the absence of some 40 MLAs made the leaders nervous.
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11:25   Al-Qaeda's leader-in-waiting
Hamza bin Ladin was among his father's favorite sons, and he has always been among the most consistently fervent of his siblings in his support for violent jihad. Now in his late 20s, Hamza is being prepared for a leadership role in the organization his father founded. As a member of the bin Ladin dynasty, Hamza is likely to be perceived favorably by the jihadi rank-and-file. With the Islamic State's 'caliphate' apparently on the verge of collapse, Hamza is now the figure best placed to reunify the global jihadi movement.   Read more
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11:23   Police team heads to Nepal border to nab Honeypreet
Haryana police has dispatched high level team to Nepal border on suspicion that Honeypreet Insaan might try to cross the border.

The Haryana Police have already issued a lookout notice two weeks ago against the jailed Dera Sacha Sauda chief's adopted daughter and another key aide following apprehensions that they might try to "escape from the country'.

The step was taken following questioning of another arrested functionary of the sect in connection with an alleged conspiracy to facilitate Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim's escape after he was convicted for raping two disciples, police said.  

Panchkula Police Commissioner A S Chawla said they have to question Honeypreet and Dera spokesperson Aditya Insaan in the wake of new "revelations' and have issued a look out notice against them.

Honeypreet is among those considered as likely successor of Ram Rahim. However, a sect leader Vipashna Insaan had said earlier that there was no move to immediately name a successor.


Also read: Justice for family of journalist killed by Ram Rahim.
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10:36   Ready to be PM candidate: Rahul
The big takeaway from Rahul Gandhi's address to students at the University of California, Berkeley: The Congress VP indicated today that he is open to being the Congress's Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2019 national election.  Asked by the moderator if he was ready to be the prime ministerial candidate of the Congress party, Rahul said, "I am absolutely ready to do that....We have an organisational party that decides that and that process is currently ongoing...That decision is something the Congress party should make.

Rahul is in the US for a two-week tour.

He also said that when the UPA, led by the Congress, was in power, he had worked with former prime minister Manmohan Singh and senior leaders like P Chidambaram and Jairam Ramesh to resolve the problems facing Jammu and Kashmir for nine years.

"For nine years, I worked behind the scenes with former prime minister Manmohan Singh, P. Chidambaram, Jairam Ramesh and others on Jammu and Kashmir. When we started, terrorism was rampant in Kashmir, when we finished there was peace, we had broken the back of terrorism. By 2013, we basically broke the back of terror, I hugged then prime minister Manmohan Singh and told him it was one of the biggest achievements," he added.

He further said that the PDP had been instrumental in bringing youngsters in politics, but the day Prime Minister Modi made alliance with the PDP, he destroyed them.
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10:27   How not to be the next Gauri
Less than 72 hours before Narendra Modi spread Swami Vivekananda's message of love and brotherhood among students, an admirer of the Prime Minister had given a survival tip to progressive writers.

"What I can tell the progressive writers here (in Kerala) is that, children, please do the mruthyanjaya homam as we never know what's going to happen next. So remember, please go to the nearest Siva temple or you may become the next Gauri," a frail, middle-aged woman is purportedly heard saying on a video clip.

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10:12   AIADMK meeting to sack Sasikala today, but conditions apply*
An AIADMK meeting has been called to sack its jailed leader VK Sasikala today.

Yesterday, the Madras High Court had dismissed a petition by Sasikala loyalist asking that it put a stop to today's General Council meeting.

MLA V Vetrivel, who filed the petition, has been fined Rs 1 lakh for wasting the court's time.

However, any decision taken today is conditional. The decision will be subject to what the court says in the matter, which will be announced in the next hearing on October 23.

A united AIADMK led by Chief Minister E Palaniswami and his predecessor O Panneerselvam, said they would stick to the Madras High Court order.

The expulsion of Sasikala has been one of the key conditions of the merger by the faction led by Panneerselvam.
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09:53   Market rally continues; Sensex tops 32,000 in early trade
The BSE benchmark Sensex reclaimed the 32,000-mark by surging about 156 points in early trade today on sustained buying by domestic investors ahead of key macroeconomic data to be released later in the day.


Besides, a firming trend on other Asian bourses fuelled the domestic market sentiment. The 30-share Sensex was up 155.78 points, or 0.48 per cent, higher at 32,037.94 with sectoral indices led by metal, realty, consumer durables, FMCG and capital goods stocks trading in the positive zone.


The gauge had gained 220.19 points in the previous three sessions. Also, the NSE Nifty was trading higher by 50.80 points or 0.50 per cent at 10,056.85.
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09:46   Even Bachchans, Ambanis are dynasts: Rahul
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi addressed students of the prestigious University of California, Berkeley on 'India at 70: Reflections on the Path Forward', in which he offered his views on contemporary India and the path forward for the world's largest democracy. Excerpts from his speech.


- There's a BJP machine, 1000 guys with computers, to abuse me, tell you I'm reluctant, I'm stupid. Here I am. Listen to me. Judge for yourself.

- All day they spread abuse about me, and the operation is run by the gentleman who is running our country

- Mr. Modi clamped down on the RTI (Right to Information). He shut it down. We got in trouble as we dramatically increased transparency 

- Most of the country runs like this, so don't go after me,  Akhilesh Yadav a dynast, Mr Stalin a dynast, Mr Dhumal's son a dynast 

- Around 2012, arrogance crept into Congress party and we stopped having conversations with people

- Congress decides policy and vision through conversations and not by imposition

- I lost my father, my grandmother to violence, if I don't understand violence then who will?

- I am with 1984 riot victims in their quest for justice, violence again anybody I strongly condemn 

- Government's economic policy of demonetisation and hastily implemented GST has caused tremendous pressure on economy

- Mr. Modi has certain skills, he is a very good communicator, much better than me

-- For 9 years I worked behind the scenes with PM Manmohan Singh,P Chidambaram,Jairam Ramesh and others on J&K

-- When we started, terrorism was rampant in Kashmir, when we finished there was peace, we had broken the back of terrorists.

-- By 2013,we basically broke the back of terror, I hugged PM Manmohan Singh and told him it was one of the biggest achievements.

-- PDP was instrumental in bringing youngsters in politics, but the day PM Modi made alliance with PDP, he destroyed them.

-- So he (PM Modi) massively opened up space for the terrorists in Kashmir, and you saw the increase in violence.

-- A lady from crowd heckles moderators at Rahul Gandhi programme and asks, "how is this free speech if you are controlling what is being asked.

-- Even Mr Abhishek Bachchan is a dynast, also Mr Ambani, that's how entire country is running.
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09:15   Dalit writer Kancha Ilaiah receives threats over his book on Arya Vysya
Prominent Dalit thinker and writer Kancha Ilaiah on Monday lodged a police complaint alleging threat to life over his book on Arya Vysyas caste.
In the complaint lodged with the Osmania University police station, Ilaiah said he received threatening and abusive phone calls from unidentified persons over his book 'Samajika Smugglurlu Komatollu' (Vysyas are social
smugglers).
Following the complaint, the police have registered a case under section 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC against unidentified persons and launched an investigation, a police official said.
Arya Vysya associations had held protests in the city alleging that the title of the book and some of its contents were "derogatory and demeaning" to the community.
Demanding withdrawal of the book, the associations have threatened to lodge a police complaint against Ilaiah.

Ilaiah stated that he felt "terribly threatened" as some unidentified persons have been calling him continuously and speaking rudely since Sunday evening.
"I feel terribly threatened with their abuses, phone calls and messages. They are doing fearful activities against me on the streets," he said in the complaint.
Meanwhile, a complaint was also filed against the Dalit thinker over his book. However, no case was registered as the police are still verifying the plaint. 
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09:02   UNSC imposes tough sanctions on North Korea
The United Nations Security Council has unanimously passed a United States-drafted resolution that imposes strongest sanctions ever on North Korea, with measures targeting its last remaining major exports and reducing about 30 percent of oil provided to it.
"Today, we are saying the world will never accept a nuclear-armed North Korea. And today, the Security Council is saying that if the North Korean regime does not halt its nuclear program, we will act to stop it ourselves," the US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, said as the 15-membered UN body passed the resolution 2375 on North Korea.
"We are done trying to prod the regime to do the right thing. We are now acting to stop it from having the ability to continue doing the wrong thing," she said.
Haley said the international community is doing that by hitting North Korea's ability to fuel and fund its weapons program.
Noting that oil is the lifeblood of North Korea's effort to build and deliver a nuclear weapon, Haley said the resolution reduces almost 30 per cent of oil provided to North Korea by cutting off over 55 per cent of its gas, diesel, and heavy fuel oil.
"Further, today's resolution completely bans natural gas and other oil byproducts that could be used as substitutes for the reduced petroleum. This will cut deep," she said.
Haley said these are by far the strongest measures ever imposed on North Korea.
"They give us a much better chance to halt the regime's ability to fuel and finance its nuclear and missile programs. But we all know these steps only work if all nations implement them completely and aggressively," she said.
When these new stronger sanctions are added to those passed last month, over 90 percent of North Koreas publicly reported exports are now fully banned.
Moreover, this resolution also puts an end to the regime making money from the 93,000 North Korean citizens it sends overseas to work and heavily taxes, she noted.
This ban will eventually starve the regime of an additional USD 500 million or more in annual revenues, she added.
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08:37   Arrogance crept into Congress, we stopped talking with people: Rahul
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday, who is on a two-week visit to the United States, attacked the Narendra Modi government saying that "violence and anger and the politics of polarisation have raised their ugly head in India", a development "that is new to the country".

While addressing students of the prestigious University of California, Barkley on 'India at 70: Reflections on the Path Forward, he also talked about what has led to the Congress party's decline.

"Around 2012, arrogance crept into the Congress party and we stopped having conversations with people," he said when asked about the Congress party's path forward and whether it had any shortcomings.

When asked about taking up executive role in the Congress, he said, "I am absolutely ready for that, but our party works according to organizational elections."
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00:15   President Trump on 9/11: 'America cannot be intimidated'
Leading his first commemoration of the solemn 9/11 anniversary, President Donald Trump said on Monday that 'the living, breathing soul of America wept with grief' for each of the nearly 3,000 lives that were lost on that day 16 years ago.

Addressing an audience at the Pentagon, one of three sites attacked on September 11, 2001, Trump used the anniversary to sternly warn terrorists that 'America cannot be intimidated'.

He said those who try are destined to join a long list of vanquished enemies 'who dared to test our mettle'.

Trump and first lady Melania Trump observed a moment of silence at the White House on Monday at the exact moment that a hijacked airplane was slammed into the World Trade Centre.

The Trumps bowed their heads and placed their hands over their hearts as 'Taps' rang out across the South Lawn.

They were surrounded by White House aides and other administration officials in what has become an annual day of remembrance.

Nearly 3,000 people were killed when hijackers flew commercial airplanes into New York's World Trade Centre, the Pentagon and a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Trump, a native New Yorker who was in the city on 9/11, said the attack was worse than the Japanese assault on Pearl Harbor during World War II because it targeted civilians. He vowed that it would never be repeated.

"The terrorists who attacked us thought they could incite fear and weaken our spirit," Trump said later at the Pentagon, where he was joined by Defence Secretary Jim Mattis and General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"But America cannot be intimidated and those who try will join a long list of vanquished enemies who dared test our mettle."

He said that when America is united, 'no force on earth can break us apart'.

Trump also offered words of comfort the many whose loved ones perished in the attacks. -- PTI

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