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Modi to visit Facebook HQ in San Francisco, says Mark Zuckerberg

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Mark Zuckerberg Narendra Modi

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Facebook headquarters in California, US, later this month, the social networking site’s co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced on Sunday.

“I am excited to announce that Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India will be visiting Facebook HQ later this month for a Townhall Q&A. Prime Minister Modi and I will discuss how communities can work together to address social and economic challenges,” Zuckerberg wrote on his Facebook page.

The prime minister is scheduled to be in the US September 23-28 during which he will attend meetings at the United Nations.

Modi thanked Zuckerberg on his facebook page for inviting him.

“I thank Mr. Mark Zuckerberg for the invite to visit the Facebook HQ. I look forward to the Townhall Q&A on 27th September at 10 pm IST,” he wrote.

“The interaction will cover a wide range of issues and will surely be a memorable one,” he added.

Stating that the event would be held on September 27, Zuckerberg invited Facebook users to ask questions by posting them in the comments section. “We’ll try to get to as many as possible.”

“I’ll post the live video here and it will also be on Prime Minister Modi’s page. I had the chance to visit Prime Minister Modi in India last year and it’s an honour to have the chance to host him here at Facebook,” he said.

“This programme will be incomplete without your participation! Share your questions on Facebook. I urge you all to share your questions on the ‘Narendra Modi Mobile App’. Your questions will make this a programme to be remembered,” Modi wrote.

(Agencies)

Hundreds of inmates escape as Taliban raid Afghan jail

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Taliban fighters storm prison in eastern Afghan province of Ghazni, freeing hundreds of inmates, police officials say.

The interior ministry said up to 400 inmates managed to escape the prison following the Taliban attack [FILE - AP]

The interior ministry said up to 400 inmates managed to escape the prison following the Taliban attack [FILE – AP]

by Al Jazeera

Taliban fighters have stormed a prison in the central Afghan city of Ghazni, killing police officers and releasing many prisoners, police officials said.

A Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility for the attack, which occurred early on Monday.

“Around 2:30am six Taliban insurgents wearing military uniforms attacked Ghazni prison. First they detonated a car bomb in front of the gate, fired an RPG and then raided the prison,” deputy provincial governor Mohammad Ali Ahmadi told AFP news agency.

Ahmadi said at least four police guards were killed and seven others were wounded, and that three Taliban fighters were also killed in the early morning battle.

The interior ministry said 355 of the prison’s 436 inmates escaped. Most were charged with crimes against national security and other criminal offences.

“This successful operation was carried out at 2:00am and continued for several hours. The jail was under Taliban control,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement.

“In this operation, 400 of our innocent countrymen were freed … and were taken to mujahideen-controlled areas,” it added.

In 2011 almost 500 Taliban fighters and commanders escaped from a prison in an audacious jailbreak in Kandahar province, in what the government described as a security “disaster”.

The Taliban at the time said they sprang the inmates through a one-kilometre tunnel that took five months to dig.

The Taliban are stepping up their summer offensive despite a simmering leadership succession dispute after the confirmation of the death of longtime chief Mullah Omar.

Renewed clashes at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque compound

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At least three arrested in second day of clashes as Israeli security forces storm the compound of Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Al-Aqsa Mosque

by Al Jazeera

Palestinians and Israeli police clashed at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque compound for a second straight day on Monday, prompting several arrests.

“As the police entered the compound, masked youths fled inside the mosque and threw stones at the force,” an Israeli police statement said.

Police said they entered the hilltop compound to ensure that Muslim youths massing there did not harass Jews or tourists during the morning visiting hours. The statement added that three protesters were arrested.

Israeli security personnel on Sunday used tear gas and stun grenades in a move condemned by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, as they entered the compound to arrest what they called Palestinian “stone throwers”.

“The presidency strongly condemns the attack by the occupier’s military and police against the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the aggression against the faithful who were there,” a statement from his office said.

Non-Muslims are allowed to visit the compound, but Jews must display national symbols for fear of triggering tensions with Muslim worshippers.

Muslims fear Israel will seek to change rules governing the site, with far-right Jewish groups pushing for more access and even efforts by fringe organisations to erect a new temple. Al-Aqsa Mosque is Muslim’s third holiest site.

Israel seized East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, in the Six Day War of 1967 and later annexed it in a move never recognised by the international community.

Djokovic wins US Open singles crown, takes third Major of year

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Novak Djokovic

New York: Serbian star Novak Djokovic vanquished Roger Federer in a four-set battle to clinch the men’s singles title at the US Open here.

The top seeded Djokovic survived a strong fightback from the Swiss veteran to carve out a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 victory in three hours and 20 minutes at Flushing Meadows on Sunday evening.

Djokovic thus claimed the 10th Glam Slam title of his career. The 28-year-old from Serbia took home his second US Open crown. He had won his first US Open title in 2011.

This was the third Glam Slam title of the season for Djokovic. The Serbian ace had clinched the Australian Open and Wimbledon earlier this year.

This was the second consecutive time this year that Federer has been denied an 18th Grand Slam title by Djokovic. He had been ousted by the Serb in the Wimbledon final in July as well.

In a battle of the top two seeds at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, the spirited Federer was egged on by the crowd as the 34-year-old went for his 18th major title.

The match was delayed by three hours due to rain. When the contest finally started, both Federer and Djokovic took time to find their rhythm and footing due to the slippery conditions.

Djokovic suffered a fall during the opening set, badly scraping his arm and leg. But when the world number one regained his composure, he quickly asserted his dominance, breaking Federer’s serve six times and saving 19 of 23 break points to battle his way to his 27th win in 28 Grand Slam matches this year.

Federer, who was broken just twice during his run to the final, was in fine form, not having lost a set since his loos in the Wimbledon final.

But he was made made to struggle right from the start as Djokovic forced three break points in the opening game.

Federer managed to hold serve on that occasion, but could not fight off another three break chances on his next service game as Djokovic made the breakthrough to take a 2-1 lead.

The second seed broke back immediately, but Djokovic broke Federer’s serve in the seventh game as well and then held serve to clinch the set after 41 minutes.

With the 23,000-strong crowd firmly behind him, Federer fought back in the second set. The highlight of the set was a hard-fought 15-minute battle for the 10th game which Djokovic held to draw level at 5-5.

But Federer eventually broke Djokovic with a powerful crosscourt winner to take the set and draw level at 2-2.

The Swiss star deployed the net-rushing return that he has developed this season, which has been called SABR or Sneak Attack By Roger. But it had very little effect on Djokovic who kept finding a way past, or over, Federer.

Djokovic seemed to be struggling in the early stages of the third set, but he saved two break points at 4-4 before forcing a break in the next game to take control of the set thanks to a backhand error by Federer.

The top seed kept up the momentum, opening the fourth set by breaking his opponent’s serve. He claimed another break in the seventh game as well to force a commanding 5-2 lead.

But Federer was determined not to go down without a fight. The 17-time Grand Slam winner brought the crowd to their feet by winning two consecutive games.

But Djokovic managed to stand firm, seeing off the break points as Federer floated the ball long on championship point.

(IANS)

Sania-Martina wins US Open women’s doubles title

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sania-mirza-martina-hingis

New York: Women’s doubles top seeds Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis defeated fourth seeded Casey Dellacqua and Yaroslava Shvedova 6-3, 6-3 here on Sunday to claim the US Open title.

The Indo-Swiss pair took only 69 minutes to conquer the Australian-Kazakh pair at the Arthur Ashe stadium.

It was Sania and Martina’s second women’s doubles Grand Slam title together after winning the Wimbledon earlier this year and they played with supreme confidence to win the tournament without dropping a set. It was Sania’s fifth success at the Majors (two women’s doubles and three mixed doubles crowns).

Sania’s partnership with Martina has helped her become the first Indian women’s player to be ranked World No. 1 in the doubles rankings.

Sunday’s final was Sania’s first in the category here at US Open. She won the mixed doubles title last year with Brazilian Bruno Soares here.

For Martina, the tournament turned out to be a memorable won as she lifted her second trophy at the Flushing Meadows this year on Sunday, after bagging the mixed doubles crown on Friday with another Indian, Leander Paes. It was also her fifth Grand Slam title this year, and 20th of her career across all three disciplines (five singles, 11 doubles and four mixed doubles).

The Swiss now just the third active player to have 20 major trophies (after Serena Willams’ 36 and Venus Williams’ 22).

On Sunday, the top seeds quickly jumped to a 3-1 lead breaking the second service game of their opponents.

But the fourth seeds immediately broke Sania’s serve to make it 2-3.

Sania-Martina though remained undeterred to bring about the third and fourth successive service breaks to extend their advantage to 5-2.

Sania then served out the first set at 6-3 in only 31 minutes. They hit 16 winners – four more than their opponents – to claim the first set, converting three of the eight break points. Dellacqua-Shvedova could only break their opponents once.

The reigning Wimbledon champions continued their dominant return of serves in the second set and broke their opponents to take an early 2-0 lead.

As the match went on, the top seeds grew more confident and started unleashing terrific ground strokes, both cross court and down the line, to march towards victory.

But they were made to wait for the win as Dellacqua-Shvedova converted their second break point to put up a resistance and reduce the margin to 3-5.

But that only delayed the inevitable as Martina put away a volley at the net to seal the fate of the match, with the pair clinching 62 of the total 108 points played.

Sania and Martina entered the title round easing past Italian 11th seeds Sara Errani and Flavia Pennetta 6-4, 6-1. Dellacqua-Shvedova defeated unseeded German-American pair of Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Coco Vandeweghe 6-7 (3), 7-5, 7-5 to reach the final.

“It has been a great year for us,” Sania said after the win.

“To win Wimbledon was a great year. Then to come back and back it up to win the US Open, we feel like we’re a really solid team. And we came through again today.”

“From the start, we hit it off,” Martina said.

“Our games work well together.”

(IANS)

Australia to get new PM after Abbott loses challenge

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Tony Abbott to step aside as prime minister after losing leadership challenge to Malcolm Turnbull.

Tony Abbott

by Al Jazeera

Australia is to get a new Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, after embattled leader Tony Abbott lost a challenge for the leadership of the Liberal Party, the senior partner in the ruling conservative coalition.

The former communications minister, Malcolm Turnbull, is to become Australia’s 29th prime minister after defeating Abbott in party room spill with 54 votes to 44.

Turnbull is expected to be sworn in as prime minister by Australia’s governor-general Peter Cosgrove on Tuesday.

Turnbull on Monday said he informed Abbott he would challenge him for the leadership after losing confidence in his management of the economy.

“The prime minister has not been capable of providing the economic leadership our nation needs. He has not been capable of providing the economic confidence that business needs,” Turnbull told reporters in Canberra.

Volatile

The leadership vote continues an extraordinarily volatile period in Australian federal politics, especially as the Liberals were elected in 2013 as a stable alternative to the then Labor government.

Labor came to power under Kevin Rudd at the 2007 elections, only to dump him in the face of poor opinion polling for his deputy Julia Gillard in 2010, months ahead of elections.

The bitterly divided and chaotic government then dumped Gillard for Rudd just months before the 2013 election.

Before Rudd was elected in 2007, John Howard was in power for almost 12 years.

The government has trailed the opposition in a range of opinion polls since April last year.

Bombay HC allows sale of meat on September 17

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Bombay High Court

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court today stayed the controversial ban on sale of meat in Mumbai on September 17, but refused to interfere with the bar on animal slaughter on that day.

The High Court, which was hearing a petition filed by Bombay Mutton Dealers Association challenging the ban imposed in the wake of Jain community’s ‘Paryushan’ fasting period, said the stay will be limited to Mumbai jurisdiction area.

Though a similar ban has been imposed in Mira-Bhayander and Navi Mumbai municipal corporations in Mumbai’s adjoining Thane district, the court said it was not concerned about it “as nobody has come forward challenging the ban there.”

A division bench of Justices Anoop V Mohta and Amjad Sayyed in their order said, “We are staying the ban on sale of meat on September 17, but we are not interfering with the ban on slaughter of meat and closure of abattoirs on that date.”

The High Court also observed that though the Maharashtra government issued a circular in 2004 banning meat sale on two days, it was never implemented fully.

“Though there was a ban since 2004, it was never implemented in its true sense,” the judges said.

The court said there has been inconsistency in the stands of Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) and the state government.

The state government had on September 7, 2004, issued a circular stating that for two days during the Jain community’s ‘Paryushan’ fasting period there will be closure of abattoirs and ban on slaughter and sale of meat.

“Although the circular was of 2004, we are very clear that the MCGM never fully implemented the ban on sale of meat. It never insisted on this (ban on sale of meat), but only insisted on closure of abattoirs,” the court said.

“We are only going by the law and not dealing with this matter via sentiments and political things,” the judges further observed.

The High Court also clarified that since the petition has challenged the ban only in Mumbai area, the stay too will be limited to the Mumbai jurisdiction area.

The court said, “We are not concerned about what is happening in Mira-Bhayander or Navi Mumbai as nobody has come forward challenging the ban there.”

The HC also queried as to why fish and eggs were excluded from the ban. “If it is a question of practice of non-violence by the Jain community, then why only mutton and chicken have been included in the ban and not fish and eggs?” the court asked.

(PTI)

Jhabua blast aftermath: 69 detonators, gelatin sticks seized

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The blast site at Petlwad town in Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh on Saturday

The blast site at Petlwad town in Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh on Saturday

Jhabua: Two days after an explosion claimed 89 lives in Petlawad town in tribal Jhabua district, police today recovered 69 detonators and large number of gelatin sticks from the residence of the brother of the main accused in the incident.

Rajendra Kasawa, the main accused in connection with the incident, is absconding since the explosion occurred on Saturday, a police official said. Police recovered 69 detonators and two batteries from the Mahavir Colony residence of Narendra Kasawa, Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Virendra Singh Bais said.

Gelatin sticks too were recovered from the place, but their exact number is not yet known, he said. Narendra is also absconding along with his family from Petlawad, he said. An intensive search operation was launched following reports of large number of persons storing gelatin sticks in an illegal manner for carrying out mining and blasting rocks for construction work, he said.

A reward of Rs one lakh was earlier announced by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for information leading to the arrest of Rajendra Kasawa, as his administration came under scanner over allowing storage of explosives in a crowded residential area.

Meanwhile, Chouhan, who had visited the blast site yesterday and also gone door-to-door meeting the affected families, reached Petlawad again today to meet the victims. The state government had yesterday announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of those killed in the explosion.

At least 89 people were killed and nearly 100 injured after a massive blast caused by mining explosives stored in a building ripped through a crowded area in Petlawad town.

The blast completely destroyed at least two buildings –one in which explosive material for digging wells was stored and an adjacent restaurant, and damaging several houses.

The explosion took place in the building of Kasawa who had a licence to use explosive material for digging wells. He stored the explosive material, including gelatin sticks in huge quantity, in the residential building having two shops in it and situated close to the busy Sethia Restaurant in new bus stand area, a police official said.

(Agencies)

Bihar polls: NDA, Manjhi’s party reach seat-sharing agreement

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Jitan Ram Manjhi

New Delhi: The BJP and Jitan Ram Manjhi have finally reached a seat-sharing agreement for the Bihar assembly elections with the former chief minister party’s being allotted 20 seats.

“All is well and a positive outcome is expected,” PTI quoted a senior BJP leader as saying on Sunday after the talks with Manjhi’s Hindustani Avam Morcha (Secular) party in Delhi.

The seat sharing agreement was said to have been reached at a meeting the Bharatiya Janata Party’s in-charge for Bihar elections and Union minister Ananth Kumar and party general secretary in-charge of the state Bhupendra Yadav had with Manjhi in Bihar Niwas.

After the late night meeting, a HAM(S) leader claimed the party would get to field about 20 candidates, while five others would contest on the BJP’s symbol under the arrangement worked out.

BJP president Amit Shah, party sources said, cancelled his Mysore visit on Sunday to oversee the negotiations. Manjhi met Shah at the latter’s residence twice on Sunday.

Manjhi and his aides also held a series of meetings with BJP leaders including Kumar, Yadav and Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan throughout the day.

On Saturday, Manjhi’s associates had threatened to reconsider continuing in the alliance if a “respectable” offer was not made after the BJP agreed to spare 13-15 seats for them.

A final announcement on the seat sharing arrangement between BJP and its three allies – Ram Vilas Paswan’ Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), Upendra Kushwaha-led Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) and Manjhi’s HAM(S) – was held up after Manjhi played hardball.

The LJP and RLSP have already agreed to the seat-sharing formula brought forth by the BJP.

Though the BJP has a strong Dalit ally in Paswan, it wants Manjhi on its side in the high-stakes state elections to bring in the Mahadalit votes.

Manjhi was said to be unhappy after he was offered 13-15 seats by the BJP and sought to draw a parity with Paswan’s LJP, which was tipped to get around 40 seats.

Those privy to the talks said the BJP wanted to contest around 160 of the state’s 243 seats, leaving 25 for RLSP.

BJP sources said its Central Election Committee is likely to meet on Tuesday as the party is keen to announce the names of its nominees at least for the seats which go to polls in the first few phases.

The five-phase polling for the 243-member assembly begins from October 12 and concludes on November 5.

(PTI)

Hindu Mahasabha’s Om Ji, and woman astrologer clash on live TV show

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Rakhi Bai Om Ji Hindu Mahasabha

New Delhi: Shocking scenes were witnessed on the national tv today when two guests on a live show used expletives, slapped and grappled with each other, leaving the audience aghast and prompting the channel to condemn the incident.

Om Ji of the Hindu Mahasabha and and woman astrologer Rakhi Bai were seen having sharp exchanges on tv show ‘Aaj Ka Mudda’ on IBN 7.

Om Ji was seen engaged in a heated discussion with Rakhi Bai over some controversy related to self-styled god woman Radhe Ma, who is embroiled in a case of alleged domestic violence.

“How can you criticise Radhe Ma, you correct yourself first,” Om Ji was heard saying. When Rakhi Bai protested, he said he was talking about another participant on the show Deepa Sharma whom the channel described as ‘Dharma Guru’ (religious teacher).

He referred to some alleged controversies about the family life of Sharma and criminal cases against her. Sharma, who had looked calm by then, stood up and approached Om Ji from behind and interrupted his harangue by patting on his back.

“Tameez se baat kariye (behave yourself),” she was seen warning the self-styled god man and then slapped him. Om Ji also hurled a slap at her and was seen tightly holding both her hands. “Tu kya maregi?” he said as the two were shown grappling on screen.

Meanwhile, the channel has “condemned” the incident. “We invite responsible people to our shows and expect our guests to behave responsibly. We don’t expect such behaviour from them and condemn it,” it said. N K Singh, general secretary of Broadcast Editors Association also disapproved of the incident.

“The purpose of such shows is to give information from both sides and let viewers make a decision. This is shameful,” he said.

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