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Friday 26 September 2014

Congress aligns with SP for Maharashtra Assembly polls


Samajwadi Party spokesman Abdul Qadir Chaudhary said Abu Asim Azmi, the state SP chief, met Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and Congress President Manikrao Thakare last night and decided to finalize the new alliance.

He said Samajwadi Party will contest eight seats in alliance in Congress.

"About four to five seats including Shivajinagar-Mankhurd from where Azmi himself is sitting MLA and is seeking re-election (would be contested)," Chaudhary said.

Talks are on for seats like Bhiwandi, Kurla, Miraj, Nagpur Central among others, he said.

Congress will also align with Jogendra Kawade and Sulabha Kumbhare's political outfits which have presence in Vidarbha.

Thakre said the party had a tie-up with them in the Lok Sabha elections as well.

Meanwhile, Congress has also decided to take support of Sanjay Khodke, formerly with NCP in Amravati district.

"Khodke's wife Sulabha, a former NCP MLA, will be the congress candidate from Badnera. While Khodke will help the Congress in other constituencies of Amravati district.

On Thursday, the NCP announced its decision to break ties with Congress soon after the crumbling of the 25-year-old Shiv Sena-BJP alliance.

Source:Latest News from State News

Assam flood toll rises to 40, situation grim

Gogoi made an aerial survey of the two districts for about 45 minutes but could not land to visit relief camps in Goalpara district because of inclement weather there, CMO officials said.

Two bodies were found in Goalpara and Kamrup (Rural) districts each taking the toll to 40 in the deluge so far.

Intermittent rainfall was reported from parts of Kamrup (Rural) district where the water level had been subsiding in Boko, Chaygaon and Palashbari though in Goroimari, Chamaria, Sontoli, Kalatoli and Nagarberra, vast tracts of land continued to be under water.

Traffic was moving along NH-37 very slowly with the vehicles carrying essential commodities only were being allowed to ply, a district administration official said. Supply of electricity to the severely affected areas of the district was restored today after five days, he said.

However, in Goalpara, the National Highway was still under water and there was no movement of traffic while a wooden bridge Aagia-Darek Road has been washed away.

Of the affected districts, Goalpara recorded the maximum deaths (18), followed by Kamrup Rural (14), Kamrup Metro (six), Dhubri and Tinsukia (both one).

Five persons were killed in Guwahati, which falls under Kamrup Metro district, during the downpour for three days since Saturday. Situation was gradually improving with the water ebbing out.

The current wave of flood, triggered by heavy rains in neighbouring Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh has affected a population of nearly 10 lakh in eleven districts of the state, a release by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority said.

The highest population of 3,40,000 of 715 villages have been affected in Kamrup (Rural) while the figure is 2,85,000 in Goalpara.

Source:Latest News from State News

Indian markets can generate USD 3 trillion wealth in 10 years: BJP MP

Sinha, who was here at the India Investment Forum organised ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's five-day visit to US, said that India was determined to show to the world that there can be an 'India model of development' and it could be much better than the China model and those based on 'authoritarian powers'.

Son of former Finance Minister and senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha, Jayant won Lok Sabha elections from Hazaribagh in Jharkhand state earlier this year and formerly he was Managing Director of Omidyar Network India Advisors.

He also served on the five-member global Executive Committee of Omdiyar Network, which is the world's leading impact investment firm with about USD 700 million in deployed capital. ON was founded by Pam and Pierre Omidyar (Founder and Chairperson, eBay).

Talking about his days before elections, Sinha said "notlong ago I used to sit in such conferences as an investor and I'm privileged to talk to you today and I am grateful that my party, BJP, has given me an opportunity to present our economic policy on such platforms.”

“I was often equated with Nandan Nilekani and Meera Sanyal when I was fighting elections during Lok Sabha polls. But I've always said that my story was different, as I was staying in US earlier and I decided to contest from a place which was among the poorest in the country and was also naxal-infested," he said.

In contrast, the other two fought from heavily urbanised places and both of them stayed for most part in India.

The degree of difficulties I had to face was much more different, but as luck would have it, I won elections and other two lost.

"Even people got it wrong when they said Jayant Sinha was moving from Harvard (where he studied) to Hazaribagh. It was the other way round as I was born and brought up in Hazaribagh and went to Harvard from there," he said.

Speaking on the topic of what India needs from the world and what the world can expect from India at the conference organised by the Institutional Investor Forums, Sinha said, "The Indian economy is today a USD 2-trillion economy and we have also grown at 7-8 percent growth and we can double the economy to USD 4 trillion in ten years if we are able to regain that growth rate.”

"Even rupee can go from Rs 60 level to become stronger and in US dollar terms we can become a USD 5-trillion economy in ten years. The market cap of India has also broadly been in the same ratio to the economy and the Indian market can also therefore go to USD 3 trillion in the next ten years and that too only for listed companies and the unlisted companies can add another trillion dollar," Sinha noted.

DHL to hike prices by about 10 percent in India from January

In India, the average price increase will be 9.9 percent and the new prices will be effective from January 1, 2015," DHL Express said in a statement.

"DHL Express is committed to delivering great value for customers, and our annual price increase is one of the number of factors that allows us to ensure service excellence and a competitive offering over the long-term," said Ken Allen, CEO, DHL Express.

"We have a world-class express delivery network, in which we invest around euro 500 million each year. Our major investments in 2014, including new facilities in Japan, the Middle East and North Africa, upgraded facilities across the UK and additional flights in all regions, have further
strengthened this network," Allen said.

More importantly, the company continued to invest significantly in its employees and these measures are focused on helping customers connect with their international partners, grow and prosper, he added.

"DHL’s annual rate increase is driven by the continuous investments made in the country to support growth and improve quality despite the impact of inflation on input costs. We are also faced with the added pressure of the depreciating rupee but are committed to continuously improve our service quality to our customers," said RS Subramanian, SVP & MD, India, DHL Express.

DHL Express adjusts its prices annually, taking into account inflation and other rising costs in each of the more than 220 countries and territories that it serves. Price adjustments vary from country to country, depending on local conditions.

'3 AM' not a sexual horror film: Rannvijay Singh

"It is not a sexual horror film but a simple love story that deals with paranormal angle. So don't expect a girl running around in a bikini in the middle of the night," Rannvijay said.

The film about a guy, who loses his love interest (played by Anindita Nayar), and sets out to explore the supernatural world to reconnect with her, has hit the screens on Friday.

Rannvijay essays Sunny, who makes TV shows, and visits a haunted location with his friends in search of the supernatural elements.
The genre was not new for the actor, who gained popularity as a host of reality show 'MTV Roadies', as he did a show on similar lines called 'MTV Girls Night Out'.

So what's his connection with the supernatural stuff? "Everyone wants to know about life after death and I am also intrigued by the same topic. Hence, I keep doing these type of things to find out more about the unknown," the actor said.

The actor has a strong belief in ghosts and spirits but does not have any real life experience to share.

"I do believe in ghost but have no proof. I know people who have undergone first hand encounter. In fact I have also felt eerie and cold at some places but it's not a valid poof," Rannvijay said.

He insists that the movie, directed by Vishal Mahadkar, will keep the audience on the edge of their seats.

Tuesday 23 September 2014

Congress demands statement from PM Modi on Chinese incursions

The party also demanded an ‘apology’ from the Prime Minister alleging that an official of the Gujarat government, while signing three MoUs with a province of China in the national capital in the presence of Modi a few days back, had distributed a handout showing Arunachal Pradesh as a disputed territory.
  
"Now the question arises whether in the MoU too, has this particular map (showing Arunachal Pradesh as disputed territory) been shown. Modi during his election campaign in Arunachal Pradesh made rhetorical speech and promised that he will not allow the country to bow down and and will not allow even an inch of the country's land to go away.
  
"In this MoU, Arunachal Pradesh has been shown as a disputed territory. The Prime Minister should apologise for this major lapse and blunder," party general secretary Ajay Maken said on his blog.
  
He was referring to a meeting on September 17 in New Delhi in which three MoUs were signed between the government of Gujarat and Gaundang province of China in presence of Modi during which the Additional Chief Secretary of the state D Pandian had distributed a handout showing map of Gaundong province.
  
Dubbing the "incursions, intrusions and infiltration" by China in the Indian territory as "brazen and blatant", party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said that such a scenario is "absolutely unacceptable" for the sovereignty, ethos and foreign policy of the country.
  
Accusing the government of "treating a very serious issue lightly", Singhvi rued that there is "no statement either from the Prime Minister or anybody else sufficiently senior and high in government hierarchy".
  
"We demand that the Prime Minister must make a proper statement on the issue and unequivocally and firmly write to the Chinese President a strongly worded letter, which should be made public," Singhvi said, asking Modi to "walk the talk".

Russia intensifies efforts inside Ukraine: Pentagon

Russian forces are ‘facilitating the movement and then helping the separatists to use the weapons, if not using it themselves in support of separatists’ John Kirby, Pentagon press secretary said.

Kirby called Russian actions an ‘intensification’ of the behaviours the Kremlin has exhibited for months.
“We continue to look for ways to reassure our NATO allies and partners, and we continue to call for Russia to pull its forces back and to stop escalating the tension there,” the spokesman added.

The accusation came a day after the UN Security Council warned of a dangerous escalation of the Ukraine crisis as illegal armed groups in Ukraine "reportedly intensified their activities over the last two days."

Russia, however, rejected those reports and accused Kiev of torpedoing all political agreements on resolving the crisis in Ukraine.

“The current escalation of crisis in the southeast of Ukraine is a direct consequence of the reckless policy of Kiev, which is conducting war against its own people,” said Vitaly Churkin, Russia's ambassador to the UN.
The five-month-old conflict between government troops and pro-independence militias has killed more than 2,000 people in eastern and southeastern Ukraine.

Source:Latest News from World News

Experimental US hypersonic weapon destroyed seconds after launch

The weapon is part of a program to create a missile that will destroy targets anywhere on Earth within an hour of getting data and permission to launch.

The mission was aborted to ensure public safety, and no one was injured in the incident, which occurred shortly after 4 am EDT (0800 GMT) at the Kodiak Launch Complex in Alaska, said Maureen Schumann, a spokeswoman for the US defense department.

"We had to terminate," Schumann said. "The weapon exploded during takeoff and fell back down in the range complex," she added.

The incident caused an undetermined amount of damage to the launch facility, Schumann said.

It was a setback for the US program, which some analysts see as countering the growing development of ballistic missiles by Iran and North Korea but others say is part of an arms race with China, which tested a hypersonic system in January.

Riki Ellison, founder of the nonprofit Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, said he did not think Monday's failure would lead to the program's termination. "This is such an important mission and there is promise in this technology," he said.

He said officials aborted the mission after detecting a fault in the computers.

Anthony Cordesman, a defense analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, said the technology was best suited for use against smaller, less-developed countries with missiles.

"The United States has never assumed that these ... are going to be systems that you can use against a power like China by themselves," he said. "For a country like Iran or North Korea, they could be a very significant deterrent."

James Acton, a defense analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said the Pentagon had never been clear about the mission for the weapon, with some viewing it as an effective tool against terrorists and others seeing it as a counter to China or Iran and North Korea.

While hypersonic weapons are unlikely to be fielded for a decade, Acton said the fact that Washington and Beijing were both testing the weapons indicated there was a real potential for an arms race.

"I believe the US program is significantly more sophisticated than the Chinese program," he said.

The weapon, known as the Advanced Hypersonic Weapon, was developed by Sandia National Laboratory and the US Army. Mr Schumann said it included a glide body mounted on a three-stage, solid-propellant booster system known as STARS, for Strategic Target System.

In a previous test in November 2011, the craft had successfully flown from Hawaii to the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, she said. On Monday, it was supposed to fly from Alaska to the Kwajalein Atoll.

Acton said no conclusions could be drawn about the weapon based on Monday's accident because the launcher detonated before the glide vehicle could be deployed.

Source:Latest News from World News

US, partner nations launch first strike in Syria: Pentagon

"I can confirm that US military and partner nation forces are undertaking military action against (Islamic State) terrorists in Syria using a mix of fighter, bomber and Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles," Rear Admiral John Kirby, Pentagon press secretary, said in a statement.
             
"Given that these operations are ongoing, we are not in a position to provide additional details at this time," Kirby said.
             
Kirby did not disclose which nations joined the United States, which has been building a coalition to combat an extremist Sunni Muslim force that has seized large expanses of territory in Iraq and Syria and proclaimed a caliphate erasing borders in the heart of the Middle East.
             
But a US official, speaking on condition of anonymity said that there were Arab partners helping to carry out the strikes. Still, the official declined to specify their roles or name the countries.

            
 The strikes took place hours before Obama goes to New York for the UN General Assembly where he will try to rally more nations behind his drive to aggressively take on Islamic State.
             
"We will provide Obama had shied away from getting involved in Syria's civil war a year ago, seeing no positive outcome for United States, but the rise of Islamic State and the beheading of two American captives forced him to change course.
            
General Lloyd Austin, commander of US military's Central Command, made the decision to conduct the strikes under authorization granted to him by Obama, Kirby said.
             
"We will provide more details later as operationally appropriate," Kirby said.

Source: Latest News from World News

PLA should be ready to win a regional war: Xi

"Headquarters of PLA forces must have absolute loyalty and firm faith in the Communist Party of China, guarantee a smooth chain of command and make sure all decisions from the central leadership are fully implemented," said Xi, chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) and the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

"Headquarters of all PLA forces should improve their combat readiness and sharpen their ability to win a regional war in the age of information technology," Xi, who returned from India last week after a three-day visit, was quoted as saying by the state-run news agency.

Though this is not the first time that Xi has asked the PLA to be ready for a "regional war", his statement assumes significance in the context of repeated incursions into Indian territory along the Line of Actual Control which cast a shadow during his visit.

All PLA forces should follow the instructions of President Xi and update their operations to meet new goals and missions set by the CMC, an official statement said.
It is not yet clear why the emphasis was made on absolute loyalty and to follow the orders to ensure smooth chain of command.

Xi's directives come in the midst of a standoff between the PLA and Indian troops in Chumar area in Ladakh region along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

The standoff took a new turn yesterday with the PLA pitching seven tents well within the Indian territory and showing no signs of withdrawing from the territory.

Xi, 61, acquired the image of China's most powerful leader after Deng Xiaoping, who succeeded Mao, as he headed the Presidency, the CPC and the military from day one of coming to power unlike his predecessor Hu Jintao.

Since then, Xi has reshuffled the military postings of the generals loyal to him at the top and removed and prosecuted some top PLA generals for corruption.

General Fang Fenghui, PLA chief, said in a statement that all PLA forces follow the instructions of President Xi who is also the chairman of the CMC, which is the overall high command of the Chinese military.

Fang said the forces should update their operations to meet new goals and missions set by the CMC.

Meanwhile, the PLA chiefs of staff met in Beijing to discuss how to improve the efficiency of military command under new circumstances. Fang attended the meeting.

Source: Latest News from World News

Friday 19 September 2014

Jivi launches entry-level Android smartphone for Rs 1,999 in India

The dual SIM-JSP20, which will sold exclusively through ecommerce firm Amazon.in, features 3.5-inch screen, 1 GHz processor and Android Gingerbread OS.
  
It also sports 128MB RAM, 256MB memory (expandable up to 32GB), 2MP camera and 1350 mAh battery.
  
The company aims to sell about 2 lakh units of the device, claims this is the cheapest Android-based smartphone available in the country.
  
"The intent was clear. We want to make available a good quality smartphone at an extremely affordable price, we are doing this on very thin margins," Jivi Mobiles CEO Pankaj Anand said at an event.
  
Earlier this week, another homegrown firm Intex had launched an Android KitKat powered smartphone for Rs 2,699 with Flipkart, which it claimed was the cheapest in the country.

Source: Technology News

Brazil, Colombia rise in FIFA rankings

The Selecao's rise follows 1-0 victories over Colombia and Ecuador in United States earlier this month.

Despite the loss to their regional rivals, Colombia jumped one spot to third, equalling their highest ranking.

Germany, who won the World Cup final in July, lead the standings followed by tournament runners up Argentina.

According to the announcement on Thursday, the Netherlands dropped one spot to fourth and Belgium remained fifth.

African leaders Algeria were the biggest movers in the top 20 - rising four places to 20th - while Croatia slipped three rungs to 19th.

New Zealand (118th) were the highest ranked team in Oceania while Iran (44th) headed Asia.

Source:Latest News from Sports News

New 'sleep node' in brain discovered

Researchers at Harvard School of Medicine and the University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences said this is only the second ‘sleep node’ identified in the mammalian brain whose activity appears to be both necessary and sufficient to produce deep sleep.
  
The study demonstrated that fully half of all of the brain's sleep-promoting activity originates from the par facial zone (PZ) in the brainstem.
  
The brainstem is a primordial part of the brain that regulates basic functions necessary for survival, such as breathing, blood pressure, heart rate and body temperature.
  
"The close association of a sleep centre with other regions that are critical for life highlights the evolutionary importance of sleep in the brain," said Caroline E Bass, assistant professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology in the UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and a co-author on the paper.
  
The researchers found that a specific type of neuron in the PZ that makes the neurotransmitter gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) is responsible for deep sleep.
  
They used a set of innovative tools to precisely control these neurons remotely, in essence giving them the ability to turn the neurons on and off at will.
  
"To get the precision required for these experiments, we introduced a virus into the PZ that expressed a 'designer' receptor on GABA neurons only but didn't otherwise alter brain function," said Patrick Fuller, assistant professor at Harvard and senior author on the paper.  

"When we turned on the GABA neurons in the PZ, the animals quickly fell into a deep sleep without the use of sedatives or sleep aids," he said.

How these neurons interact in the brain with other sleep and wake-promoting brain regions still need to be studied, the researchers said, but eventually these findings may translate into new medications for treating sleep disorders, including insomnia, and the development of better and safer anaesthetics.
  
The study was published in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

No dialogue till release of protesters: Imran Khan

He said the government should understand that the PTI movement would not stop until Sharif resigned, as per the reports.

"I am ready to sit with the protesters at the sit-in for one year but will not leave the place without the Prime Minister's resignation," Imran Khan said.

He said the government was afraid of the ideology of the participants of the sit-in.

He appealed to the PTI supporters across the country to reach Islamabad and participate in what he called the historical sit in.

"Nawaz Sharif, if you try to arrest my supporters I will not spare you," Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Tahirul Qadri said.

Qadri added that he would lead his supporters in the fight against police if the government tried to arrest PAT workers.

The protests led by Imran Khan and Qadri began on August 15 in an attempt to overthrow Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, whom they have accused of rigging the 2013 general election.

Source:Latest News from World News

India concerned about religious radicalism along Nepal border: Rajnath

"The (Indian) Home Minister expressed his concern on the growth of religious fundamentalism in the border areas," an official statement said.

New Delhi has been raising the issue of spurt in activities of fundamentalist elements along the border of the two countries with Kathmandu and had asked Nepal in the past to take action to check such activities.

Indian agencies have reported to the government that many religious institutes have come up just across the border some of which are being used by jehadi elements, sources said.

Singh underlined the need for more focused efforts to control the activities of criminal elements, terrorists and other Indian insurgent groups along the Indo-Nepal border.

The Nepalese Home Minister informed Singh that several steps have already been taken to check cross-border crimes.

Gautam assured full cooperation to India. He made it clear that Nepal will ensure that there is no security threat to India from his country.

Singh appreciated the efforts of the Nepal government in dealing with trans-border crimes. He also expressed concern on the smuggling of fake Indian currency notes and human trafficking.

Singh stated that there is a need for evolving a bilateral mechanism for dealing with the issue of human trafficking.

Thursday 4 September 2014

Preity-Ness case: Four new witnesses support Wadia

These witnesses are Nicholas Chen, Saumitra Srivastava, Rustom Lawyer and his wife Gia, official sources said on Thursday.

The Lawyer couple - Rustom and Gia - told the police on Wednesday that during the match they were seated in the 4th row of Garware Pavilion block where the incident, alleged by Preity, occurred.

Wadia came with his family 15 minutes after the match started. But his mother and nephew had to keep standing for about 15 minutes as there were no seats available.

Later, two aisle seats in the third row were vacated which they occupied and after another few minutes, they got seats in the first row.

After this, Wadia went to Preity and had a brief talk with her but neither of them seemed upset and both continued to watch the match and cheered for their team.

Chen said that since Wadia's mother and nephew did not have seats, he vacated his two seats after which Wadia went to ask the Kings XI team staff why no seats were reserved for his family.

After 10 minutes, the staff arranged for two seats in the front row right aisle, following which Chen returned to his original seat.

Subsequently, Wadia and Preity had a short conversation and later he proceeded up the stairs.

"The conversation lasted about a minute and never during the conversation did I see Ness (Wadia) abuse, shout, touch or grab Zinta's hand...Later on, during the match half-time, Zinta came to the AC box, where we were also present, and even spoke to Ness's sister-in-law and her children," Chen's statement said.

Srivastava said he wished Wadia on his birthday and though he had a ticket for a seat, he watched the match standing in the aisle as no seat was available.

He also noticed Wadia and his family without a seat and then saw him having a conversation with Preity.

"I could not hear what they said nor did it look anything more than a normal conversation so I didn't pay any attention," Srivastava said in his testimony to the investigators.

In the past couple of months, four other witnesses have also testified in favour of Wadia at different times to the Mumbai police.

They are Nimish Mahintura, Pooja Dadlani, Farah Oomerbhoy and Sawan Daru.

Wadia had provided a list of nine witnesses to the police in the incident during the Kings XI versus Chennai Super Kings IPL match here.

Besides, police have also questioned several of the 14 witnesses listed by Preity, but are yet to question Wadia in the matter.

Preity on June 12 had accused Wadia of abusing her publicly and manhandling her.

Wadia responded by dismissing the allegations as "totally false and baseless."

S Africa denies visa to Dalai Lama third time

The Dalai Lama's representative in South Africa, Nangsa Choedon, said that Department of International Relations and Co-operation officials had informed her over phone that the Tibetan spiritual leader would not be granted a visa.
  
"For now the Dalai Lama has decided to cancel his trip to South Africa," Choedon said.
  
Choedon, however, said that her office was yet to receive a written confirmation from the South African Government.
  
She said the Dalai Lama, who lives in India, had applied for visa in New Delhi on August 27.
  
The summit, an annual gathering, is being held in Cape Town for the first time with the arrangements being made by a local organising committee formed by foundations representing four South African peace laureates -- Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela, FW de Klerk and Albert Luthuli.
  
The refusal could provoke a boycott of the 14th annual peace summit to be held from October 13 to 15 as some Nobel Peace Laureates have told Tutu they will not come if the Dalai Lama is not permitted to enter the country.
  
"I have heard that if the Dalai Lama is not allowed into the country, other invited guests have said they will not come," Tutu's spokesman Roger Friedman was quoted as saying by an English news website.
  
Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille, who is to host the event, said she had instructed city officials to write to the government to establish whether the Dalai Lama had been denied a visa.
  
"We have not heard from them yet, but I will not give up hope that our government will not humiliate the Dalai Lama again," De Lille said.
  
China accuses the Dalai Lama of campaigning for Tibet's independence and regularly uses its economic and political might to put pressure on governments around the world to prevent contacts with him.
  
It is the third time in five years that 79-year-old Dalai Lama had to cancel his visit to South Africa because of a failure to secure a visa.
  
In 2009, a peace conference in Johannesburg, arranged to highlight the World Cup in South Africa, was cancelled because the Dalai Lama was refused a visa.
  
In 2011, the Dalai Lama cancelled his visit to Tutu virtually on the eve of his departure, saying he had failed to get a response to his visa application.

Source:Latest News from World News

Banking services back to normal after Meghalaya government assurance

"30 out of 41 branches of the SBI have re-opened their offices," West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner Pravin Bakshi said on Thursday.

The re-opening followed an assurance from the state government to adequately address the grievances of bank employees, especially of those whose branches were located in remote areas prone to militant attacks, he said.

The banks were closed since August 12 in protest against the abduction of an employee Subod Kumar on August 5 from Gasuapara in South Garo Hills and also a branch manager in the South West Garo Hills.

While both were released later, the morale of bank employees in the region had gone down in the wake of heightened insurgency operations and problems.

Chief Minister Mukul Sangma deputed Power Minister Clement Marak to review and discuss issues faced by bank employees including security and functioning of the banks.

Marak presided over a three-day review meeting to discuss the issues in view of the prevalent law and order situation in the region with the district administration and bank employees.

The closure of banks had also jolted the recently launched Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yajna (PMJDY) in the region after which the state government requested the banks to re-open the branches for smooth implementation of the scheme.

According to Bakshi, bank employees demanded security of the branches, besides police escorts for the to and fro movement of officials and cash.

Bank authorities also explained that cash remittance would be affected since cash had to be collected from the Regional Bank of India branch in Guwahati and transported to Tura, over 200 km away, the DC said, adding, they have also requested that at least two armed police personnel be sent to the branches to liaise with the bank security guards.

'Mardaani' not a crusade against men: Rani Mukerji

The 36-year-old actress is basking in the glory of the success of her latest release and says not all men have wrong intentions and those who do should be brought to justice just the way it has been shown in the film.
  
"The film is for men as well. I have come across a lot of men who have cried buckets after watching the film. I think they were also touched after seeing the film. It is not about men bashing at all. We are not saying that all men are wrong. There are some men who turn into animals and they should be punished. This is definitely not a crusade against men," Rani said.
  
'Mardaani', directed by Pradeep Sarkar, hit theatres on August 22 and has been well received by critics as well as the audience. The film is about how Rani's character Shivani Shivaji Roy while searching for a missing girl, stumbles across a sex trafficking syndicate.
  
The actress, who began working on the project last year, says although she was aware about trafficking, it was after researching on her role and the film that she came to know the issue more deeply.
  
"As a citizen I have always been sensitized about this. But through this film I have got very close to this cause. It is very disheartening. I got to know about it on a deeper level ever since I started working on the film last year. I am more aware," she said.
  
Rani is elated that 'Mardaani' has been appreciated by the audience and the message that they have been trying to get out has reached the masses.
  
"The film reinforces the belief that women should speak up, fight against the wrongs. Our sole intention was that the film reaches people so that more women get inspired. And when I hear how girls want to be a 'mardaani', I just feel so happy. It is an achievement," Rani said.
  
'Mardaani' has been produced by Rani's husband Aditya Chopra.

HTC unveils Desire 820 with 64-bit Snapdragon 615 Soc processor

The smartphone will be available worldwide beginning late-September.

The smartphone packs a 64-bit octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 SoC (1.5GHz quad-core + 1.0GHz quad-core) coupled with 2GB of RAM.

The dual-SIM (Nano-SIM) HTC Desire 820 runs Android 4.4 KitKat with HTC Sense UI skinned on top. The smartphone is the successor to HTC Desire 816.  It features a 5.5-inch HD (720x1280 pixels) display.

The 16GB internal storage on the Desire 820 is expandable via microSD card (up to 128GB). Connectivity options on the handset include Wi-Fi, FM radio, Bluetooth, GPRS/ EDGE, GPS/ A-GPS, 3G and 4G LTE connectivity.

The Desire 820 packs a 13-megapixel (with f/2.2 lens) rear facing camera with LED flash and BSI sensor, apart from an 8-megapixel secondary front-facing camera.

The handset measures 157.7x78.74x7.74mm and weighs 155 grams. The HTC Desire 820 packs a 2600mAh battery which is rated to deliver up to 22.4 hours (3G) of talk time and 424 hours (3G) of standby time.

HTC has said that with the Snapdragon 615 processor, the HTC Desire 820 will offer 'lightning-fast Cat 4 4G connectivity at speeds of up to 150Mbps.' It also supports HTC's Dot View case which will provide 'instant access to your phone without opening the cover.