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Archives for August 2017

Facebook launches YouTube competitor called ‘Watch’

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San Fransisco: In an apparent bid to take on Google-owned YouTube, Facebook has rolled out ‘Watch’ – a redesigned video platform for creators and publishers.

The social media giant last year launched ‘Video’ tab in the US which offered a predictable place to find videos on Facebook.

“Now we want to make it even easier to catch up with shows you love. We’re introducing ‘Watch’, a new platform for shows on Facebook. ‘Watch’ will be available on mobile, on desktop and laptop and in our TV apps,” Daniel Danker, Director of Product at Facebook wrote in a blog post on Wednesday.

Shows are made up of episodes — live or recorded — and follow a theme or storyline.

“To help you keep up with the shows you follow, Watch has a ‘Watchlist’ so you never miss out on the latest episodes,” she added.

The shows available include “Nas Daily”, “Gabby Bernstein” and “Kitchen Little”.

“Nas Daily” publishes a daily show where he makes videos together with his fans from around the world.

Gabby Bernstein, a New York Times bestselling author, uses a combination of recorded and live episodes to connect with her fans and answer questions in real time.

Tastemade’s “Kitchen Little” is a funny show about kids who watch a how-to video of a recipe, then instruct professional chefs on how to make it.

Facebook has also signed a deal with Major League Baseball to broadcast one live game per week.

“To help inspire creators and seed the ecosystem, we’ve also funded some shows that are examples of community-oriented and episodic video series,” Facebook said.

“We’ll be introducing ‘Watch’ to a limited group of people in the US and plan to bring the experience to more people soon,” it added.

(IANS)

5 FILMS OF SHAH RUKH KHAN THAT NEVER GOT RELEASED

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Though with several hits in his kitty, Shah Rukh Khan has made it all by himself, not many are aware that Shah Rukh Khan has had his fair share of struggle in the industry and some of his projects were shelved after they were announced.

Amongst the list of SRK movies that never saw the light of the day are Kisi Se Dil Laga Kar Toh Dekho, directed by Kalptaru and starring Shah Rukh Khan, with Ayesha Jhuklka & Madhoo, a 1996 project that was shot but never released for reasons unknown, Raashq starring Shah Rukh Khan, Juhi Chawla, Aishwarya Rai, a 2001 project. The reasons for it being shelved are unknown. Then there was Shikhar, starring Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit. It was a Subhash Ghai project which got shelved in 1995 after his film Trimurti flopped.

He went on to direct Pardes instead but later revisited the script of Shikhar and made Taal in 1999 with Akshaye Khanna & Aishwarya Rai. Then there was Xtreme City starring Shah Rukh Khan & Leonardo DiCaprio. Ace Hollywood director Martin Scorsese was to make the film, but it never really took off! Ahamaq, a 1991 film that starred Shah Rukh Khan was a miniseries turned into Bollywood film that never got a run at the theatres.

Besides these, the animated version of Shah Rukh Khan’s hit film, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, that was titled Koochie Koochie Hota Hai got shelved for unknown reasons.

Maharashtra: To save debt-hit farmer-father, daughter commits suicide

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Parbhani: Anguished by her debt-ridden farmer-father’s precarious financial condition, a minor college girl in Maharashtra hanged herself at her home here, sending shock waves across the region, police and relatives said.

The incident occurred a day after the Raksha Bandhan festival.

On Tuesday morning, family members discovered the body of Sarika Suresh Zute, 17, hanging from a rod in the ceiling of their home in Javlajhuta village, said her distraught brother Sachin Zute, 21.

The police have recovered a page-long handwritten suicide note penned by Sarika Zute explaining the reasons behind her extreme step, said Pathri police station official Mushtaque A. Ansari.

The heart-wrenching note starts by referring to her heavily debt-struck uncle Chandikadas Zute, who committed suicide on August 3 (five days earlier) by consuming poison in the fields.

“There is a lot of tension at home after (Sharda) sister’s marriage… You have still not been able to repay the wedding loan and the agriculture loans. Now, you have the responsibility of my marriage… I don’t want you to end your life like your brother (Chandikadas). So I am killing myself,” she wrote.

“Since the past one year, after our sister Sharda’s marriage, Sarika had been tormented about her own marriage, which was being planned for next year, and has taken this step,” her oldest brother Sachin Zute told IANS with tears brimming in his eyes.

She was a quiet girl, engrossed in her studies and studied in Class 12 Arts stream in Shivani College, in adjoining Beed district.

According to Sachin Zute, the Maratha family’s collective debt through Maharashtra Gramin Bank, a District Cooperative Bank and a Credit Society amounts to around Rs 350,000, along with interest and other charges.

“My father has been regularly repaying his loans. But this year, the situation is terrible as monsoon has failed in this region, and farmers have to resort to a second or even third round of sowing. This will pile up the debt burden further,” he explained.

Besides the deceased Sarika Zute, the surviving family comprises Suresh Zute, 45, his wife Dwarka, 39, eldest son Sachin, who is studying in SYBSc in Jivandeep College, Beed, a married daughter Sharda, 20, and a school-going son Sunil, 12.

On their 11-acre farmlands near the village outskirts, the family had been cultivating cash crops like cotton and soyabean, and repaying the loan installments from the agricultural incomes, he added.

A cousin, Santosh Namdev Zute, who lodged the police complaint on Tuesday evening, said the close-knit family is devastated by two suicides in five days in their homes.

“Even our uncle Chandikadas Zute owed Rs 300,000 to a nationalized bank and a DCC besides another house-repair loan of Rs 150,000 from Mahindra Finance Co. Ltd. However, owing to failed monsoon this year, the repayments were badly hit, forcing him to end his life,” Santosh Zute told IANS.

Another uncle of Sarika Zute, Laxman B. Zute is a village head in the Parthi region which has been rocked by four suicides in barely one week.

“Sadly, despite so many deaths in such a short period, not a single official from the Collectorate, Agriculture Department or the banks have bothered to visit this region and enquire about the people’s plight as a drought looms large,” Sachin Zute pointed out.

When contacted, the state-government panel, Vasantrao Naik Shetkari Swavalambi Mission (VNSS) Chairman Kishore Tiwari said the incidents are an indicator of the continuing distress in farmlands across Maharashtra.

“This is a very serious matter. The state government has given standing instructions that in case of such suicides, the concerned officials must visit the families and make full enquiries. If this has not been done, those officials should be suspended… It’s a shame,” Tiwari told IANS.

Tiwari, who plans to visit the Zute family, confirmed that monsoon has completely bypassed Parbhani this year and the situation could worsen in farmlands if priority measures are not initiated by the concerned departments.

(IANS)

Free Android app that works in 11 Indian languages

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Agrahyah Technologies (AT) has been conceptualized by 3 friends turned entrepreneurs namely Sreeraman Thiagarajan, Rushabh Vasa & Uppal Shah. The young Turks are developing AT as software technology start – up to build a suite of apps (applications), products & content ground – up for millions of Indians who are non – English literates.

Agrahyah Technologies aim to make technology useful for everyone and remove English as a barrier for getting full advantages of the internet. Calculator for India is their 1st product. It is fully functional & free calculator that is available in 11 Indian vernacular languages including, Hindi, English, Tamil, Kannada, Marathi, Urdu, Bengali, Gujarati, Malayalam, Punjabi & Telugu.

In past 6 months since its inception, AT is working to build apps & content in Indian vernacular languages which cater to the masses in a culturally & a contextually relevant way. Technology giants & government are working to get more people online by increasing connectivity, but it raises an acute challenge in terms of inclusion. Of the approximately 400 million plus Indian users online, only 175 million users are comfortable with English.

The World Wide Web is dominated by English. India has over 400 million Hindi literates but WWW has less than 0.5% of Hindi content online. These stark differences will grow further if the language divide is not addressed adequately & urgently.

There is a huge gap in the availability of high quality apps & content in vernacular languages. This is where AT steps in to build a bridge with a unique approach of building high quality apps & content for users in vernacular languages.

The philosophy at AT is to be culturally & contextually relevant for each language. For instance, AT has developed “Calculator For India” a free Android app that works in 11 Indian languages and also has GST calculation feature.

This is the 1st ever step to build multi -vernacular web for the growing number of Android users in India. AT is also launchingHotFridayTalks.com later this month, which is a Lifestyle & Entertainment portal that aims to be a tech lead, mobile first & new age hangout for youth. The vision is to develop a lifestyle portal with content written in each of the vernacular languages rather than merely translate it.

Congress expels 14 rebel MLAs in Gujarat for six years

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Ahmedabad: After Congress veteran Ahmed Patel’s hard-fought victory in the Rajya Sabha elections, the party on Wednesday cracked the whip against 14 rebel MLAs, including former Chief Minister Shankersinh Vaghela, expelling them for six years for anti-party activities.

Ahmed Patel, also political secretary of Congress President Sonia Gandhi, meanwhile called on the party unit to gear up for a target of winning 125 seats out of 182 in the December assembly elections.

“The party has expelled all eight rebel MLAs, including Shankersinh Vaghela, who cross-voted against Ahmed bhai, defying the party whip,” Gujarat Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi told IANS.

“We have also initiated similar action against six other legislators who resigned earlier after the party had issued a whip to all MLAs to vote for the official nominee in the Rajya Sabha elections,” he said, adding that the action against them is on technical grounds.

“We will now initiate legal proceedings against all of them to ensure that they are not able to fight Assembly polls for the next six years,” Doshi said, adding that defying the party whip invites disqualification from contesting any election.

Besides Vaghela, the expelled legislators include his son Mahendrasinh and loyalists Raghavji Patel, Bholabhai Gohil, Anand Chaudhary, C.K. Raulji and Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, who had voted against official party candidate. Another MLA from Sanand, Karamshi Patel, who was one of the 44 legislators flown off to Bengaluru to prevent “further poaching” from BJP, was also expelled for cross-voting in defiance of the party’s whip.

Meanwhile, all the 43 legislators who voted for Ahmed Patel, held a meeting with the senior Congress leader and vowed to fight the forthcoming polls with more vigour.

Patel exhorted all the legislators to visit Tirupati Balaji temple to seek blessings for the victory and take a vow to bag 125 seats in the forthcoming Assembly elections.

The Congress veteran had asserted after winning his Rajya Sabha seat that the victory had pepped up the party’s ranks and “we will fight the assembly elections with all aggression and ensure their (BJP’s) defeat 100 per cent.”

A spirited state President Bharatsinh Solanki said: “The victory in Rajya Sabha elections will go a big way to boost our morale. Ahmedbhai will play a crucial role (in the assembly polls).”

(IANS)

Members laud Hamid Ansari’s role as Rajya Sabha Chairman

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New Delhi: The Rajya Sabha today heaped lavish praises on Chairman Hamid Ansari, who relinquishes office after a decade, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior members lauding him for upholding constitutional norms.

Praising Vice President Ansari, Modi said the Chairman did his best to uphold the Constitution. The Vice President is the Chairman of Rajya Sabha.

The Prime Minister said the Chairman’s experience as a career diplomat would have helped him in conducting the business of the Upper House. Modi said he too had benefited immensely from Ansari’s insights on diplomatic issues on several occasions.

The Prime Minister noted that Ansari’s family has had an illustrious history of over 100 years in public life. Conveying his best wishes to Ansari and wishing him a long life, Modi said the outgoing chairman has also kept himself physically fit.

Leader of the House and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said “in the life of this House, today is very important occasion. We are bidding farewell to you after you complete 10 years as the distinguished Chairman of this House.”

Jaitley said the House witnessed both disruptions as well as high quality debates during the tenure of Ansari. Noting that the job of the chairperson of the House was “a very challenging and thankless job”, he said while the political character of the House has changed, “nothing remains indefinitely held up” and a consensous is eventually reached.

Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad praised Ansari for the way he conducted the proceedings of the House. Recalling his long association with Ansari, Azad said the Chairman was given several honorary degrees by different countries, but he never used them.

SP member Ram Gopal Yadav said Ansari conducted the House without any discrimination and never allowed any legislation to be passed in din. He hoped the next Chairman too would continue the tradition.

Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien told the House that Ansari does Yoga and routinely goes for evening walks to maintain good health. He said Ansari has been eating sandwiches at lunch for the past 40 years and it “must be a world record”.

He appreciated Ansari for extending the working hours of Rajya Sabha from 5 pm to 6 pm.
CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury also hoped that in future too legislations would not be allowed to be passed amidst din.

He said Ansari’s decision to shift the Question Hour timing from 11 am to noon has yielded good results as more questions are now taken up. Yechury also appreciated of Ansari’s initiative of starting the Rajya Sabha TV channel.

(PTI)

“LOEV” IS A SIMPLE STORY ABOUT UNUSUAL LOVE

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THE DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

Loev is not a political film, it is a simple love story about an unusual love. But the act of making this film was a political one because of where this film was made.

At first glance, this is a universal story that could have taken place in any city from Boston to Budapest but a closer look reveals an invisible, 4th character in every scene: the politics of India. The complex legal & social codes gagging these men shape the way they express; understand & recognize love.

India’s highest court very recently passed Amendment 377 into law declaring homosexuality punishable by life imprisonment and making criminals out of millions of its citizens. By extension, the court made it very easy for any cinematic work endorsing or depicting this love to be censored, obstructed & banned. It was in this environment that our actors, technicians, investors & supporters came together to make this film, working in absolute secrecy and, in many cases, free of cost because we believe in the power of stories.

Depicting these lives authentically and with dignity in our very personal, specific story where the characters seem least interested in the Supreme court’s grand decision and is our own radical act of protest.

Gender, sexual – orientation, creed, class, all these superficial divides seem irrelevant in the court of love. Love is mercilessly confusing, painful & euphoric to its patrons, no matter how one chooses to spell it.

Given the subject matter and the political climate in India, there was no conventional way of financing Loev. There was no state – funds that could have endorsed the production, no soft – monies or no tax – rebates to take advantage of. And with no guarantee of release in place thanks to censorship, our passion for the cause is all we had. Friends, families & allies came together through a crowd – funding campaign to make this an international production with monies coming from France, Germany, USA, India, Netherlands, Hong Kong and other parts of the world.

Though the film was budgeted aggressively and made in a very short time -span, we could not cheat since the director wanted to shoot in uninterrupted long takes and on actual & real locales where this story takes place. This meant having false scripts and taking permissions with vague scene descriptions so as to not attract the attention of authorities. Nobody could publicize which film they were working on and actors were not allowed to talk about the project.

Principal photography lasted 16 days with 2 half days in the middle. The Cinematographer flew down from US on her own money and stayed on the director’s couch for a month of exclusive rehearsal. The actors, all Bollywood protégés & stars, risked getting typecast in the local film industry to participate in this unconventional project. All aspects of the production were rehearsed extensively for the month prior to principal photography because we knew we would not have any time to waste on the sets.

All our hard – work aside, this film would not have happened had our allies from around the world not supported us: ARRI contributed the Alexa camera package, music companies like Saregama, Warner – Chappell and Universal Music gave us access to their music catalogues, and India’s largest post – production studio Prime Focus gave us access to their facilities at hugely subsidized rates so the film could get made.

After the film was completed and while it was being readied for film festivals, our principal actor Dhruv Ganesh (Sahil) was diagnosed with tuberculosis. We were worried but with our infinite faith in modern medicine were convinced he would recover. It came as an immense shock to us when, earlier this year, Dhruv passed away in Delhi. Several of us attended his funeral, charged with the task of bringing his final work on celluloid to the world in the best possible way. His delicate, generous portrayal of Sahil as a flawed young man looking to find the meaning of love is truly a miracle.

Despite not having a score, the film features an eclectic collection of songs from Mary J Blige to Jose Gonzales to the legendary Bollywood maestro R. D. Burman sung by the “Nightingale Of India” Lata Mangeshwar. An original love ballad was also composed for the film by the musical whiz – kid Tony Kakkar who took the nation by storm with his Bollywood track “Mohabbat Barsa Dena Tum” in 2013.

THE CAST

SHIV PANDIT AS JAI

Shiv Pandit is an Indian actor & television host. After having featured in several T.V. commercials for popular brands (Sprite, Airtel, Tide, Colgate, LG & Rotomac to name a few), he landed the lead role in the Television Sitcom FIR in 2006. Post his stint on the show; he was contracted as the host for the 1st edition of the Indian Premier League on Set MAX for the show “Extraaa Innings T20” in 2008. Shiv Pandit made his screen debut in 2011 with the critically & commercially successful Hindi film Shaitan where he got noticed and was nominated for the Filmfare Award for “Best Male Debut.” He also went on to debut as a lead actor in the Tamil film Leelai. The film opened to extremely positive reviews, with Shiv Pandit’s performance being extremely well received by both the critics & the audiences alike.

DHRUV GANESH AS SAHIL

Dhruv Ganesh was discovered by audiences in Leena Yadav’s heist movie Teen Patti where he was cast opposite Academy Award Winner Ben Kingsley and Indian screen legend Amitabh Bachchan. He managed to hold his own and was soon flooded with offers. Ever the selective actor, he portrayed interesting &, nuanced characters in films like Table No. 21 and was also cast in many nationally televised advertisement campaigns. Loev was Ganesh’s !st ever film as the lead actor and it will, unfortunately, be his last. After the completion of principal photography, he was diagnosed with tuberculosis and passed away in Jan, 2015.

SIDDHARTH MENON AS ALEX

Siddharth Menon is a classically trained actor who got his start doing Marathi theatre in Mumbai with acclaimed theatre troupes in the region. He made his film debut in Peddlers which received its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival and was also selected for the Toronto International Film Festival. His follow up films, Rajwade And Sons, Popat, Ekulti Ek and so on, were directed at local audiences and brought him tremendous critical acclaim and a local fan following. Loev is Menon’s 2nd film in English, targeted at international audiences and is already opening up newer markets for him.

THE CHARACTERS

Sahil – Dhruv Ganesh

Alex – Siddharth Menon

Jai – Shiv Pandit,

Aditya /Junior – Rishabh R Chaddha

Porter, Mahabaleshwar – Dixit

Patrons at Music Shop – Navit Dutt, Dipankar Gupta & Jasleen Marwah

Usher -OankarChavan

Eatery Server – KamleshPatil

Patrons at Eatery – Ankur Singh, Rohit Chaturvedi & Sanjeeb Majumdar

Receptionist – Rachana Gees

Businessman -Sukhwinder Singh

Son of Businessman – Aditya Gupta

Businessman’s Accountant – Nitin Agarwal

Restaurant Manager – Suyash Bisht

Restaurant Server – Dinesh Pathak

Patron at Restaurant – Katharina Suckale
THE FILMMAKER

SUDHANSHU SARIA Writer & director

Born in the tea estates of Darjeeling, India, award – winning filmmaker Sudhanshu Saria earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Film & Photography from Ithaca College in New York. His previous film work has premiered in festivals such as Hollyshorts & Rio de Janeiro International Short Film Festival, taken him to Berlinale Talent Campus and been featured on NPR & Good Morning America. His most recent short, His New Hands, had its world premiere in competition at the 2014 Hong Kong International Film Festival, and was awarded the prestigious Remi Gold Prize for Best Dramatic Short at the World Fest – Houston International Festival & the Best Film Prize at Flyway Film Festival. The film screened at more than 25 film festivals around the world including Sarasota, Omaha, Heartland Film Festivals and the Chennai International Film Festival. It was selected by the makers of the RED camera for its annual showcase of the best films shot on this device, and awarded the “Best Cinematography” prize at the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival in Mumbai. I Am Here, his 2nd feature – length screenplay, was selected for the International Film Finance Forum at the Toronto International Film Festival, and is currently in pre – production. Loev is his writing & directing feature debut and world premiered in competition at the Black Nights Film Festival in Tallinn. The next stops on the film’s festival calendar include Guadalajara International Film Festival (Latin American premiere), BFI Flare (UK Premiere) & South By South West (North American premiere). It is being represented for sales by Wide Management & Angel Grace Worldwide and has already closed theatrical deals in key territories.

THE CREW

Written, Directed & Produced by Sudhanshu Saria, Produced by Arfi Lamba, Katharina Suckale & Jasleen Marwah, Co – Produced by Upinder Singh Lamba, Nikunj Patwari, Sameer Mahandru, Associate Producers
Prashant Gupta, Baltej Singh Sodhi, Manhar Lamba & Sameer Bhavnani, Director of Photography Sherri Kauk, Editor Nitesh Bhatia, Art Director
Sweta Gupta, Costume Designer Rohit Chaturvedi, Sound Design Pritam Das, Casting Director, Jitendra Rai Finch & Casting Studio, Colorist Sidharth Meer & Original Song by Tony Kakkar.

THE SYNOPSIS

When hot shot, Wall Street dealmaker Jai thinks of putting some pleasure into his 48 – hour business trip to Mumbai, his young, music – producer friend, Sahil, drops everything, including his reckless boyfriend Alex, to help him execute the perfect getaway. Hiking the hills & canyons of Maharashtra, amidst half – attempted conversations & sudden silences, business calls & old jokes, the friends discover there is more than just time – zones keeping them apart. Things take another turn when Alex shows up with a new male – companion at his side, throwing up old conflicts and bringing unanswered questions to the fore. Loev was shot in absolute secrecy in India, where homosexuality is punishable by life imprisonment.

Four Palestinians wounded in Israel air attacks on Gaza

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Israel says attacks carried out after rockets were fired out of Gaza, a claim that Hamas denies.

Israel and Hamas have fought three wars since the group took control of Gaza, most recently in 2014. [Mohammed Salem/Reuters]

by Al Jazeera

At least four Palestinians have been wounded, one of them seriously, after Israel carried out air attacks on Hamas locations in Gaza.

The attacks on Tuesday targeted three locations in Gaza, officials told Al Jazeera.

The Israeli military said it carried out the air attacks in response to a rocket fired towards Israel.

Hamas spokesman, Hazem Qasem, rejected Israel’s claims.

“The airstrikes targeted Hamas positions in the centre of the Gaza Strip,” Qasem told Al Jazeera.

“The occupation claims that a group from Gaza launched rockets at them, but there is no side in Gaza that has claimed responsibility.

“We are maintaining the period of calm and did not launch any rockets. It is not beneficial for the occupation to violate this period of calm.”

The emergency director at the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza, Ayman al Sahbani, told Al Jazeera that three of the injured were discharged after undergoing treatment.

“The fourth person, a 26-year-old, is in serious condition. He has a fractured skull and is unconscious in the ICU,” Sahbani said.

Israel holds Hamas responsible for all fire coming out of the Gaza Strip.

For the last decade, Hamas has been the de facto government of Gaza, while the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority has controlled the West Bank.

Israel and Hamas have fought three wars since the group took control of Gaza, most recently in 2014.

‘US-led coalition’ air raids kill 29 civilians in Raqqa

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The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 14 out of 29 killed by US-led air raids were members of the same family.

A man and woman flee Raqqa, Syria [Rodi Said/Reuters]

by Al Jazeera

US-led coalition raids on Raqqa in northern Syria have killed 29 civilians over the past 24 hours as American-backed forces battle the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group, a monitor said on Tuesday.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said nine women and 14 children had been killed in coalition air raids on Raqqa city since Monday evening.

It said 14 of the dead were members of one family, who had fled to Raqqa from Palmyra.

The death toll could rise because of the number of critically wounded, it added.

A US-backed Arab-Kurdish alliance is battling to overthrow ISIL, also known as ISIS, from Raqqa, its main Syrian stronghold, and has taken around 45 percent of the city.

A spokesman for the US-led coalition could not immediately be reached for comment. The coalition has previously said it strenuously tries to avoid civilian casualties and investigates all reports that its attacks have killed civilians.

The coalition said in July that its attacks had killed at least 600 civilians in both Iraq and Syria since it began operations in 2014, a figure that is far lower than those given by independent monitors.

Meanwhile, Syrian activists say pro-government forces have intensified their bombardment of the capital’s rebel-held Eastern Ghouta suburbs, one day after rebels frustrated a government attempt to advance.

The opposition-affiliated Ghouta Media Centre said one civilian was killed and several others injured in government shelling and aerial bombardment.

Rebels and other witnesses said shelling and air raids increased on Monday and the bombardment was at its heaviest in a two-month Syrian army campaign.

People had retreated to shelters, one resident said, noting that at least five buildings had collapsed under the shelling in two days.

Many locals have left the area over recent weeks because of the bombardment and, even under military assaults, they will still be able to do so, the resident said.

“This isn’t Aleppo, where people were surrounded. Ghouta is a bigger space and the towns are more open to each other. No town is surrounded.”

However, there was little movement between Eastern Ghouta towns because of fighting over territory between rival rebel groups who control that area.

Karnataka: Congress rally marks 75th Quit India Movement

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Bengaluru: The Karnataka Congress today marked the 75th anniversary of the Quit India Movement with a rally from Freedom Park to Town Hall in the city.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, KPCC president G. Parameshwara, working president Dinesh Gundu Rao, and party legislators wore white and participated in the rally that commenced at 10 a.m.

The police took adequate security measures in and around Freedom Park. The Halasooru traffic police were roped in to ensure smooth traffic on the route, said M.N. Anucheth, Deputy Commissioner of Police (West). KPCC vice-president L. Hanumanthaiah said over 5,000 party workers took part and held placards with photographs of freedom fighters Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Rajendra Prasad, Sarojini Naidu, C. Rajagopalachari, and Maulana Abdul Kalam.

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