"Will Give Rs. 500 To Buy Mobile Phone": Vasundhara Raje's Election Pitch

Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje said the mobile and internet schemes 

will help people access government services, all of which have gone online

 

Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje is taking a break from her yatra for two days. She has been holding rallies in Jaipur instead of hitting the road in her rath. On Tuesday, she organised a rally for people from the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes, who have benefitted from her government's schemes.

Ms Raje has lined up another rally today, where 68,000 teachers are expected to attend on Teachers' Day. The teachers are the ones appointed during her government's tenure.

The chief minister is looking to create a support base of people who have benefitted from her government's schemes and convert them into votes.

Under the Bhamshah Digital Pariwar Yojana, Ms Raje announced that over the next one month, the government plans to give money to people -- NFSA beneficiaries and those who have Bhamshah cards -- to buy smartphones. This will be followed by another Rs. 500 to recharge them.

She said it will help people access government services, all of which have gone online now.

"We will give you Rs. 500 as a first instalment and then if you buy a phone another Rs. 500 to connect with the Internet will be given. If you don't buy a phone you won't get the second instalment," Ms Raje said in Jaipur.

"By going online we will be able to see whether all our beneficiaries have bought phones... They will be able to see and access government schemes at the click of a button," the chief minister said.

Rajasthan is among the first states in India that has gone completely online for transfer of social security benefits to the poor by linking them with their Aadhaar numbers. The Bhamshah card for widow pension, MGNREGS, rations and scholarships are among 163 welfare schemes that have been linked to a single-window delivery system.

Ms Raje's freebies don't stop at money for smartphones - she has also promised to give scooters to people with special needs.

She said the loan debt of over 20,000 people from economically weak families up to Rs. 2 lakh has been waived off.

Some 22,000 sanitation workers who recently joined 184 municipal agencies in the state attended the rally. "The idea is to create a level playing field for those who are socially weak. This rally was all about the SC, ST, OBC and differently abled who have benefitted under Vasundhara-ji's tenure," social justice minister Arun Chaturvedi said.

The Congress hit back, asking whether it is fair to "exploit them" as a vote bank.

COMMENT

"If someone is getting benefits from a government scheme, the government is not doing a favour. It's the government's job to provide schemes. Whatever promises they are making today, from giving money for phones to internet, they are doing it to hide their failures," Congress leader Sachin Pilot said

After Tension Over Aid, US To "Reset The Relationship" With Pakistan

Mike Pompeo's conciliatory remarks toward the South Asian nation come days after

 Washington confirmed plans to cancel $300 million in military aid to Pakistan.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday said he was hoping to "reset the relationship" with Pakistan ahead of a trip to Islamabad to meet with new Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Speaking on a plane ahead of a trip to South Asia, Pompeo also announced that Zalmay Khalilzad, a high profile former US ambassador, had been named to a new role to lead peace efforts in Afghanistan.

Pompeo's conciliatory remarks toward the South Asian giant come days after Washington confirmed plans to cancel $300 million in military aid over Islamabad's lack of "decisive actions" in support of American strategy in the region.

But the former CIA director, who is making his first visit as his nation's top diplomat to the wayward ally whose support is vital in the long-running Afghan conflict, said it was time to "turn the page."

"So first stop -- Pakistan. New leader there, wanted to get out there at the beginning of his time in an effort to reset the relationship between the two countries," he said.

"There are lot of challenges between our two nations for sure but we're hopeful that with the new leadership that we can find common ground and we can begin to work on some of our shared problems together," added Pompeo, who will be joined by General Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

US officials accuse Islamabad of ignoring or even collaborating with groups such as the Afghan Taliban and Haqqani Network which attack Afghanistan from safe havens along the border between the two countries.

The White House believes that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency and other military bodies have long helped fund and arm the Taliban for ideological reasons, but also to counter rising Indian influence in Afghanistan.

It also believes that a Pakistani crackdown could be pivotal in deciding the outcome of the long-running war in Afghanistan.

But Pompeo suggested that the election of Khan, who has vowed to seek better relations with the US, could provide a fresh impetus.

"Look, I think there is a new government this time, most of this took place long before prime minister was in power and I hope we can turn the page and begin to make progress. But there are real expectations," he said.

"I'm hopeful we can convince them to provide that assistance," he continued, adding that in his conversations with Khan, they had agreed that peace in Afghanistan was a "shared goal."

Pompeo also held out the possibility the military aid could be restored under the right circumstances.

"We were providing these resources when it made sense for the United States because the partnership was in a place where the actions of our two countries made sense to do that," he said. "If that arises again, I'm confident we'll present to the president the rationale for that."

Pompeo added he would also meet with Pakistan's powerful army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa as well as his own counterpart, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

- A new tone? -

The latest remarks represent a shift in tone toward the nuclear-armed Muslim country and its new prime minister, a former playboy cricketer who came to office in July amid concerns he would remain tolerant of terror groups.

At the time of the vote, the US noted what it called "flaws" in Pakistan's pre-electoral process but said it was nonetheless ready to work with the new government.

Pompeo also confirmed that Khalilzad, who previously served as US ambassador to Kabul, Baghdad and the United Nations, would be appointed to lead peace efforts in Afghanistan.

"Ambassador Khalilzad is going to join the State Department team to assist us in the reconciliation effort, so he will come on and be the State Department's lead person for that purpose," he said.

COMMENT

Pompeo will then travel to India where he will be joined by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to meet with their Indian counterparts on a range of key defense and trade issues.

Separate Constitution For Jammu And Kashmir Was An Aberration: Ajit Doval

Ajit Doval's remarks on Jammu and Kashmir come at a time the Supreme Court is hearing pleas challenging the constitutional validity of Article 35-A of the Constitution, which provides special rights and privileges to permanent residents of the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Having a separate constitution for Jammu and Kashmir was probably an "aberration", National Security Advisor Ajit Doval said on Tuesday, as he stressed that India's sovereignty can never be compromised.

Mr Doval's remarks on Jammu and Kashmir come at a time the Supreme Court is hearing pleas challenging the constitutional validity of Article 35-A of the Constitution, which provides special rights and privileges to permanent residents of the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Speaking at the launch of a book on Vallabhbhai Patel, Mr Doval also paid glowing tributes to the first home minister of India, saying he had made significant contributions in laying a strong foundation of the country.

Mr Doval said sovereignty "cannot be a diluted and ill-defined", and added that when the "British left, probably they did not want to leave India as a strong sovereign state."

In this context, he said Vallabhbhai Patel could see through the plan of the British to sow seeds of disintegration in the country.

"His contribution is not about the merger of the states, it is only a means to an end. The thing was that to make a sovereign state in which there was the sovereignty of the people was established in the Constitution, which is applicable to the whole of it. Probably with Jammu and Kashmir, where the Constitution was...in a truncated form...another constitution of J&K continued to exist, which is an aberration," Mr Doval said at the event at Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF), a think-tank.

Ajit Doval is also one of the founders of the Vivekananda International Foundation.

Talking about the British rule, Mr Doval said one of the their plans was to let the princely states decide for themselves, hoping that there would be chaos in the country. "He (Patel) has been able to lay the foundation of a nation-state. And in nation-state, there was one law, one Constitution...Sovereignty can never be divided," Mr Doval said.

The National Security Advisor said nation building is an "exothermic process" that generates a lot of heat. Unless that heat is generated it is not able to have that melting point in which all the different identities can merge and become one identity.

"Probably the heat was not sufficiently generated during our Independence movement because of the route that was taken. I am not criticising that...but the non-violence way was the route in which the cost of Independence was not really understood by our people," Mr Doval said.
 

US Open 2018: Six-Time Champion Serena Williams Into Semi-Finals, Defending Champion Sloane Stephens Exits

Six-time champion Serena Williams shook off a sluggish start to power past eighth-seeded Karolina Pliskova 6-4, 6-3 on Tuesday and into the US Open semi-finals.

Six-time champion Serena Williams shook off a sluggish start to power past eighth-seeded Karolina Pliskova 6-4, 6-3 on Tuesday and into the US Opensemi-finals. The US superstar, chasing a record-equalling 24th major title, surrendered an early break to Pliskova, but she roared back with a streak of eight straight games to put away the opening set and take a 4-0 lead in the second against the woman who beat her in the semi-finals at Flushing Meadows in 2016. "I just wanted to play better," Williams said of her mindset as she trailed 3-1 in the first. "I was thinking, you know, I can play better, so that was the good news."

Williams did indeed cut down on the errors, and came up with the big serves when she needed them.

She finished the match with 13 aces and will take on Anastasija Sevastova for a place in the final after the 19th-seeded Latvian toppled defending champion Sloane Stephens 6-2, 6-3.

Pliskova, who managed to convert just two of 12 break point chances in the contest, said Williams was simply too good in the important moments.

"She hit all first serves on the break points, which is always a little bit tougher to return," Pliskova said.

"The second set, she was just mixing the serve. She was going a lot of wide. Not much that I could do on the break points."

Williams did drop her serve once in the second, coughing up one of her five double faults on break point as Pliskova narrowed the gap to 4-1.

But when she fell behind 0-40 in the seventh game she rescued herself with 112 mph (180 Km/h) service winner followed by a another service winner and an ace.

Pliskova got another chance when Williams batted a forehand into the net, but another booming serve, a backhand winner and an unreturnable serve saw her safely through the danger.

Serving for the match at 5-3 Williams didn't allow any room for doubt, holding at love with two aces and an overhead smash followed by one last ace.

"I really feel like right now I'm playing free because I was having a baby this time last year, so I have nothing to prove," said Williams, who is seeking her first major title since her daughter Olympia was born on September 1 of 2017.

With a win she would break out of a tie with Chris Evert for most US Open titles, and equal Margaret Court's all-time record for Grand Slams.

Stephens 'not connecting'

World number three Stephens, refused to blame the punishing afternoon heat and humidity for her lapses against Sevastova, including an inability to convert any of seven break chances in the opening set.

"When you don't play big points well, the match can get away from you," she said. "Mentally, physically, I just wasn't connecting."

Sevastova herself relies on variety more than power, and she caught a slow-moving Stephens with a number of drop shots and drop shot-lob combinations.

After taking a 4-1 lead in the second set, Sevastova admitted she had flash backs to last year's quarter-finals, when an 83rd-ranked Stephens rallied from a break down in the third to upset Sevastova in a tiebreaker.

Indeed Stephens fought back to narrow the gap to 4-3, but Sevastova grabbed another break with a well-timed drop shot for a 5-3 lead and sealed the victory on her third match point when a weary Sephens put a backhand into the net.

"I lost my nerves a little bit," Sevastova admitted. "I think she lost also her nerves a little bit, it's normal. It's for semi-finals of US Open."

The defeats of Stephens and Pliskova completed the exodus of top 10 seeds, although Pliskova noted that Williams' 17th seeding -- nine spots above her world ranking as she continues her post-baby comeback -- was not reflective of her true abilities.

"She's 17, but she's not a player which should be 17," Pliskova said.

The semi-final lineup will be completed on Wednesday when Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro takes on 2017 runner-up Madison Keys and Japan's Naomi Osaka faces Ukraine's Lesia Tsurenko.

As Hardik Patel Loses 20 Kg In Hunger Strike, Gujarat Government Steps In

The BJP-led state government held a meeting with several key leaders of the Patidar

 community at Gandhinagar on Tuesday night, hours after doctors expressed concern

 over the health of Hardik Patel, who has lost almost 20 kgs weight in the last eleven 

days.

As doctors expressed concern over the health of Hardik Patel, the Gujarat government, on Tuesday, stepped up its efforts to persuade the Patidar leader to end his indefinite hunger strike which entered eleventh day.

Hardik Patel had launched his fast on August 25 for demands, including farm loan waiver and reservation for the Patidar community under OBC category in government jobs and education sector.

The BJP-led state government held a meeting with several key leaders of the Patidar community at Gandhinagar on Tuesday night, hours after doctors expressed concern over the health of Hardik Patel, who has lost almost 20 kgs weight in the last eleven days.

The doctors attached to the Sola civil hospital said Hardik Patel had lost weight and should get admitted to the hospital.

After meeting Patidar leaders associated with six different bodies of the community, Energy Minister Saurabh Patel said the government's priority is to ensure that the Patidar leader calls off his hunger strike.

Revenue minister Kaushik Patel and Minister of State for Home Pradeepsinh Jadeja also spoke with Patidar leaders associated with Vishwa Umiya Foundation, Umiya Mata Sansthan and Khodaldham Trust among others.

"During the meeting, we conveyed that the government is worried about Hardik Patel. We appealed to the leaders to persuade Hardik Patel to end his fast. The leaders have promised us that they would meet Hardik Patel in this regard," the energy minister said after the meeting.

CK Patel, who led the delegation of Patidar leaders, told reporters that they would convey the feelings of the government to the 25-year-old quota spearhead.

"This is just a first meeting over many issues of Patidars. Such meetings will take place in the future too. The government showed a positive approach to many of our demands. We will meet Hardik Patel to convince him to end his fast," he told reporters.

Earlier in the day, Saurabh Patel had claimed that Hardik Patel's quota movement was a politically-motivated agitation with the backing of the Congress.

Meanwhile, more support poured in for Hardik Patel Tuesday, as former Union minister Yashwant Sinha along with Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Shatrughan Sinha met him at his residence near here and extended their support.

After the meeting, Yashwant Sinha announced that he would take Hardik Patel's agitation, particularly with regard to farmers, to the national level.

"During my short meeting with Hardik, it has been decided that we will take this agitation to the national level and fight strongly. Not just Gujarat, we will take this movement to every corner of the country," Mr Sinha told reporters.

"The issues on which Hardik Patel is holding fast have created an impact across the country. The issues are being discussed everywhere," he added.

While the former Union finance minister maintained that he and others were with Hardik Patel in his "fight for farmers", he also opined that the government should pay attention to the demand of reservation.

Responding to a query on caste quota, Mr Sinha said the Union government should chart out a way forward as people from various communities who were outside the scope of reservation have demanded it.

"The Central government should think about this. It has formed a backward class commission. It should think on how to take this matter forward. As far as possible, we should try to work to improve (lives) of many communities who have lagged behind, as per Constitution," he said.

Shatrughan Sinha said their meeting with Hardik Patel was not politically motivated.

"We gathered here in a non-political capacity on the basis of humanity. We are here because our aim is to construct the temple of humanity. We have no objection on mandir-masjid (sic)," he said.

He alleged that the BJP governments in Centre and Gujarat were not bothered even as the entire Patidar community was worried about Hardik.

"When farmers' loans can be waived in other BJP-ruled states, why it cannot happen in Gujarat? Farmers must get justice. I appeal to the government to waive farm loans," Shatrughan Sinha said, adding democracy needs to be strengthened to fight autocracy.

Meanwhile, the state government Tuesday told the Gujarat High Court that it was not trying to suppress or "demoralise" the agitation of Hardik Patel.

The government, in a written reply, said it was only trying to ensure that there was no violence such as witnessed during the Patidar quota agitation three years ago.

The Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) led by Hardik Patel has moved the high court, alleging that police were not letting people enter the bungalow on the outskirts of Ahmedabad where the quota leader is on hunger strike since August 25.

Hardik Patel had launched his hunger strike on the third anniversary of his mega pro-quota rally in Ahmedabad.

He had on Sunday released his "will" in which he divided his property among his parents, sister, 14 youths killed during the quota agitation in 2015 and a 'panjrapole' (shelter for ill and old cows) near his village.

Apart from the Congress, leaders and representatives of the Aam Aadmi Party, Trinamool Congress, Nationalist Congress Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal and Hindustani Awami Morcha (HAM) have visited Hardik Patel at his residence and extended their support.

Facebook, Twitter Face US Congress Over Politics And Internet

Google offered to send its chief legal officer, Kent Walker, to Wednesday's hearing, 

but he was rejected by the committee, which said it wanted to hear from corporate 

decision-makers.

Top Twitter Inc and Facebook Inc executives will defend their companies before US lawmakers on Wednesday, with Facebook insisting it takes election interference seriously and Twitter denying its operations are influenced by politics.

But no executive from Alphabet Inc's Google is expected to testify, after the company declined the Senate Intelligence Committee's request to send one of its most senior executives, frustrating lawmakers.

Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, appearing alongside Twitter Chief Executive Jack Dorsey, will say that her company's efforts to combat foreign influence efforts have improved since the 2016 U.S. election, according to written testimony released on Tuesday.

"The actions we've taken in response ... show our determination to do everything we can to stop this kind of interference from happening," Sandberg said.

The company is getting better at finding and removing "inauthentic" content and now has more than 20,000 people working on safety and security, she said.

Technology executives have repeatedly testified in Congress over the past year, on the defensive over political influence activity on their sites as well as concerns over user privacy.

The Senate Intelligence Committee has been looking into efforts to influence U.S. public opinion for more than a year, after U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that Kremlin-backed entities sought to boost Republican President Donald Trump's chances of winning the White House in 2016.

Moscow has denied involvement.

Google offered to send its chief legal officer, Kent Walker, to Wednesday's hearing, but he was rejected by the committee, which said it wanted to hear from corporate decision-makers.

'DON'T UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEM'

Senator Richard Burr, the committee's Republican chairman, said he expected the hearing would focus on solutions to the problem of foreign efforts to influence U.S. elections and sow political discord, with a jab at Google.

"You don't understand the problem if you don't see this as a large effort from whole of government and the private sector," Burr told reporters at the Senate.

Google said Walker would be in Washington on Wednesday and be available to meet with lawmakers. On Tuesday it released written "testimony" describing the company's efforts to combat influence operations.

Twitter's Dorsey also will testify at a House of Representatives hearing on Wednesday that the company "does not use political ideology to make any decisions," according to written testimony also made public on Tuesday.

Dorsey will appear before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, addressing Republican concerns about how the social media platform polices content.

"From a simple business perspective and to serve the public conversation, Twitter is incentivised to keep all voices on the platform," Dorsey said.

Conservative Republicans in Congress have criticized social media companies for what they say are politically motivated practices in removing some content, a charge the companies have repeatedly rejected.

Trump faulted Twitter on July 26, without citing any evidence, for limiting the visibility of prominent Republicans through a practice known as shadow banning.

Democratic Representative David Cicilline blasted Wednesday's hearing and his Republican colleagues, calling claims of political bias baseless.

"There is no evidence that the algorithms of social networks or search results are biased against conservatives. It is a made-up narrative pushed by the conservative propaganda machine to convince voters of a conspiracy that does not exist," Cicilline said.

Xiaomi Redmi 6 Series India Launch Today, How to Watch Live Stream

Xiaomi is all set to launch the successors of the Redmi 5 series today, and the Chinese company is said to bring three smartphones - the Redmi 6, Redmi 6A, and Redmi 6 Pro - to India. Out of the three devices, two devices will be exclusively available on Amazon India. The three smartphones will sport different specifications and design, and will sell at different price points suiting to the Indian consumers varied needs. All of the three variants are confirmed to come with dual 4G VoLTE support. The Redmi 6 and Redmi 6A sport MediaTek processors, and if past Xiaomi India launches are anything to go by, the company will offer these smartphones with Qualcomm processors in the country.

Xiaomi Redmi 6 series price, availability, live stream

Xiaomi's Redmi 6 series India price will be announced today, and as we mentioned,
two variants will be sold on Amazon. One variant is said to sport a notch (therefore the
 Redmi 6 Pro), and one is said to be without the notch (therefore could be Redmi 6 or
 Redmi 6A). The third variant could be made available on Flipkart, or availability
 could be pegged for a later date as well. Xiaomi is all set to begin the Redmi 6 series
 launch event at 12.30pm IST, and you can watch the live stream here.
You will need to register on Mi.com to watch the live stream, and we recommend you do
 it beforehand. Amazon's listed a 2pm IST time on its Redmi 6 series landing page,
tipping either the start of sales or registrations for the first sale.

As for price, the Redmi 6 series was launched in China in June, and the price of Redmi 6
 in that region is CNY 799 (roughly Rs. 8,400) for the 3GB RAM/ 32GB storage model,
and CNY 999 (roughly Rs. 10,500) for the 4GB RAM/ 64GB storage model.
The price of Redmi 6A is set at CNY 599 (roughly Rs. 6,300) for its 2GB RAM/ 16GB inbuilt
 storage variant. Lastly, the Redmi 6 Pro costs CNY 999 (roughly Rs. 10,400) for
the 3GB RAM/ 32GB storage variant, CNY 1,199 (roughly Rs. 12,500) for
the 4GB RAM/ 32GB storage variant, and CNY 1,299 (roughly Rs. 13,600) for
the 4GB/ 64GB model. We can expect the three devices to be priced in
the budget segment in India as well.

Redmi 6 specifications

In China, the Redmi 6 runs MIUI 9 on top of Android 8.1 Oreo out-of-the-box,
and sports a 5.45-inch HD+ (720x1440 pixels) display with an 18:9 aspect ratio and
a 80.7 percent screen-to-body ratio. As for internals, the budget smartphone is powered by
 an octa-core 12nm MediaTek Helio P22 SoC (clocked at 2GHz), paired with 3GB/ 4GB
of RAM. The Xiaomi Redmi 6 gets horizontally stacked dual camera setup at the back,
 with a 12-megapixel primary sensor and a 5-megapixel secondary sensor, with 1.25-micron
 pixels and an f/2.2 aperture. It features Portrait mode. On the front, the smartphone gets a
5-megapixel selfie sensor with f/2.2 aperture and 1.12-micron pixels, as well as
AI beautification features. There is 32GB/ 64GB of inbuilt storage, expandable via
 microSD card (up to 256GB), with its own card slot.

Connectivity options on the Redmi 6 include 4G LTE, Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi, GPS/ A-GPS,
a 3.5mm headphone jack, and Micro-USB. Sensors on board include accelerometer,
ambient light sensor, digital compass, gyroscope, infrared, and proximity sensor.
 The Redmi 6 measures in at 147.5x71.5x8.3mm, and weighs 146 grams.
It is powered by a 3000mAh battery.

Xiaomi Redmi 6A specifications

The dual-SIM (Nano) Redmi 6A runs MIUI 9 on top of Android 8.1 Oreo out-of-the-box.
 It sports a 5.45-inch HD+ (720x1440 pixels) display, with an 18:9 aspect ratio and pixel
density of 295ppi. It is powered by a quad-core 12nm MediaTek Helio A22 SoC, coupled
 with 2GB of RAM. As for the camera department, the Redmi 6A gets a single
13-megapixel rear sensor with f/2.2 aperture and PDAF, unlike its big brother Redmi 6
 that has two sensors on the back. The front of the smartphone gets a 5-megapixel
 camera sensor and Portrait mode, for selfies and video calling.

There is 16GB of inbuilt storage in this budget smartphone, expandable via microSD
card (up to 256GB) with its own dedicated card slot. Connectivity options on the Redmi
6A include 4G VoLTE, Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n (only 2.4GHz), GPS/ A-GPS,
 and Micro-USB. Sensors onboard the budget handset include accelerometer, ambient
light sensor, digital compass, and proximity sensor. The phone also comes with
a 3000mAh battery under the hood. Dimensions of the smartphone are 147.5x71.5x8.3mm
 and weight is 145 grams.

Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro specifications

The most premium of the lot, the dual-SIM (Nano) Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro runs on
Android-based MIUI 9, and sports a 5.84-inch full-HD+ (1080x2280 pixels) display
with 84-percent NTSC colour gamut. It is powered by an octa-core Snapdragon 625
 SoC clocked up to 2GHz, coupled with the Adreno 506 GPU, and 3GB or 4GB of RAM.
The Redmi 6 Pro sports a dual rear camera setup, with a 12-megapixel primary sensor
 featuring 1.25-micron pixels, an f/2.2 aperture, PDAF, LED flash, apart from the 5-megapixel
 secondary sensor. It sports a 5-megapixel front camera, with AI Portrait mode and HDR.
 It has a fingerprint sensor on the rear panel.

There are 32GB and 64GB inbuilt storage variants of the Redmi 6 Pro, expandable via microSD card (up to 256GB) with a dedicated slot. Connectivity options on the Redmi 6 Pro include 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n (dual-band 2.4GHz, 5GHz), Bluetooth v4.2, GPS/ A-GPS, Micro-USB, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. It measures 149.33x71.68x8.75mm, and weighs 178 grams. The Redmi 6 Pro sports a 4000mAh battery. Sensors on board include an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, digital compass, gyroscope, infrared, and a proximity sensor

Pak President's India Connect: His Father Was Jawaharlal Nehru's Dentist

Dr Elahi Alvi was a dentist to Jawaharlal Nehru and the family has letters from 

Mr Nehru to Dr Alvi in their possession, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf party website says.

 

Pakistan's newly elected President Dr Arif Alvi shares an interesting connection with India as his father was a dentist to India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, according to the short biography of the President on the website of his Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf party.

Mr Alvi, a close ally of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and one of the founding members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, was elected as the new President of Pakistan Tuesday.

The 69-year-old former dentist defeated Pakistan Peoples Party candidate Aitzaz Ahsan and the Pakistan Muslim League-N nominee Maulana Fazl ur Rehman in a three-way contest to become the 13th president.

Being a son of Nehru's dentist is not the only connection that Mr Alvi has with India. He is yet another Pakistani president whose family migrated to Pakistan from India after partition.

Mr Alvi's predecessors Mamnoon Hussain's family came from Agra and Pervez Musharraf's parents migrated from New Delhi.

His father Dr Habib ur Rehman Elahi Alvi was a dentist to Nehru before partition, according to short biography of the new president on the website of his Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf party.

"Dr Elahi Alvi was a dentist to Jawaharlal Nehru and the family has letters from Mr Nehru to Dr Alvi in their possession," according to the website.

Mr Alvi, whose full name is Dr Arif ur Rehman Alvi, was born in Karachi in 1947 where his father settled after partition. He inherited the profession of a dentist from his father who practised dentistry in India before partition and opened a dental practice in Saddar, Karachi after migration.

His father was also connected with the Jinnah family and was made a Trustee of the trust established by Shirinbai Jinnah (Quaid-e-Azam's siter) to which she gift all her worldly belongings including the Mohatta Palace in Karachi.

Mr Alvi started his political career about five decades ago when he was a student of de'Montmonrency College of Dentistry, an affiliate of University of Punjab in Lahore. He was part of the students' wing of Jamaat-i-Islami and protested against military ruler Ayub Khan.

"During one of the protests on the Mall Road in Lahore he was shot and wounded and still proudly carries a bullet embedded in his right arm as a mark of his struggle for democracy in Pakistan," according to the PTI website.

He also participated in elections from the platform of Jamaat-i-Islami in 1979 but lost. Later he became disillusioned with the politics of Jamaat-i-Islami and joined PTI as its founding member in 1996.  He also helped in writing the Constitution of the new party.

Mr Alvi contested his first election for PTI in 1997 but lost it. His affiliation with the party continued and he steadily rose in its ranks.

He was the Secretary-General of the party from 2006 till 2013. In 2013 he was elected as a Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from Constituency NA-250 Karachi and was re-elected in July 2018.

Apart from his political struggle, Mr Alvi is also through professional dentist.

He acquired his dental degree BDS (Dentistry) from de'Montmonrency College of Dentistry, Lahore and Master of Science degree in Prosthodontics from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in 1975 and Master of Science in Orthodontics in 1984 from University of the Pacific, San Francisco.

In 1997, Mr Alvi was declared a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics. He was the primary author of the constitution of the Pakistan Dental Association and has been the elected President of the Pakistan Dental Association.

He was also Chairman of the first Pakistan International Dental Conference in 1981 and also elected Chairman of the 28th Asia Pacific Dental Congress.

He also served as Dean of the Faculty of Orthodontics of the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan. In 2006, he was elected as the President of Asia Pacific Dental Federation.

In 2007, he was elected as a Councillor of the FDI World Dental Federation, the first time a Pakistani had been elected.

COMMENT

The new President is married with Samina Alvi and the couple has four children.

"Rahul Gandhi's Mansarovar Yatra Is A Farce," Tweets BJP Lawmaker

The BJP leader alleged that the Congress earlier showed its "anti-Hindu" mentality

 through its stand on the Ram Sethu issue.BJP MP Anurag Thakur has slammed a

 Facebook post by a former Congress legislator on Janmashtami, drawing Rahul 

Gandhi's attention to the "anti-Hindu" sentiment displayed there.

Former Congress MLA from Jawali in the Kangra district Neeraj Bharti's post carried an 

illustration from the story of Krishna, watching gopis bathe in the Yamuna. It asked 

"Aaj Iska Janmadin Hai Kya" (Is today His birthday)." 

Alleging that Mr Gandhi's Kailash Mansarovar Yatra is a farce, the BJP chief whip in 

parliament stated, "Such a derogatory post under your protection is an attack on the 

religious sentiments of the people." Mr Thakur also attached two photographs with his

 tweet where Mr Bharti can be seen with former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister 

Virbhadra Singh.Mr Thakur, member of parliament from Hamirpur, said the controversial 

post by Mr Bharti on Krishna showed the party's "anti-Hindu" mentality.

The BJP leader alleged that the Congress earlier showed its "anti-Hindu" mentality through 

its stand on the Ram Sethu issue.

Meanwhile, Kangra Superintendent of Police Santosh Patial told PTI that the district police

 had not received any complaint in this connection.

"If we receive any complaint, appropriate legal action will be taken against him," the police

 offier said.

On August 20, Mr Bharti was booked for allegedly making derogatory remarks on Facebook 

against BJP leader Pratibha Bali, a Shimla police official said.

COMMENT

Mr Bharti, former chief parliamentary secretary during the previous government in Himachal 

Pradesh, had earlier posted controversial remarks against former prime minister Atal Bihari

 Vajpayee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Yoga guru Baba Ramdev,  and spiritual guru

 Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. 

Donald Trump Slams CNN And NBC, Urges "Look At Their License" Tweet

Trump blasted NBC and other TV networks last October, calling their news 

"Fake" and suggesting he would "challenge" their licenses.

US President Donald Trump blasted CNN and NBC News yet again in a tweet on Tuesday, criticizing NBC's handling of a story on movie producer Harvey Weinstein and suggesting a "look at their license," without specifying what exactly he was calling for.

Trump has frequently criticized the US news media for what he has said is unfair coverage of him.

"I have long criticized NBC and their journalistic standards-worse than even CNN. Look at their license?" he wrote in the tweet, which cited the outlet's coverage of Weinstein.

Ronan Farrow, a reporter, has said NBC News blocked him from working on a story about Weinstein, who is facing criminal rape and sexual assault charges and a civil lawsuit for sex 

trafficking. A former NBC producer corroborated Farrow's allegations.

Farrow later published the story in the New Yorker magazine. NBC News has defended its handling of the story. Weinstein has denied ever having nonconsensual sex.

Comcast Corp, which owns NBC News, declined to comment. Following the tweet, a decline in the price of Comcast shares on the Nasdaq extended slightly.

The US Federal Communications Commission did not immediately comment on the tweet, but in October the FCC's chairman said the agency does not have authority to revoke broadcast licenses over editorial decisions.

Trump blasted NBC and other TV networks last October, calling their news "Fake" and suggesting he would "challenge" their licenses.

Democratic FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel responded to Trump's most recent tweet by posting the FCC rules on licensing.
"One more time...this is not how it works," she wrote on Twitter.

The FCC, an independent agency, does not issue licenses to individual networks but to local stations, including those directly owned by broadcasters such as Comcast through NBC.

COMMENT

The agency has said the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution "expressly prohibits the commission from censoring broadcast matter" and that its role "in overseeing program content is very limited."

Iran To Move Main Oil Export Terminal From Gulf

Rouhani said exports were already being shifted from the Kharg Island terminal, 

deep in the Gulf, to Bandar-e-Jask in the Oman Sea and would be completed by

 the end of his term in 2021.

Iran is to move its main oil export terminal from the Gulf to the Oman Sea, President
Hassan Rouhani announced on Tuesday, sparing its tankers from using the strategic
 Strait of Hormuz.

Rouhani said exports were already being shifted from the Kharg Island terminal, deep in the Gulf, to Bandar-e-Jask in the Oman Sea and would be completed by the end of his term in 2021.

"This is very important for me, it is a very strategic issue for me. A major part of our oil sales must move from Kharg to Jask," Rouhani said in a televised speech as he inaugurated three new petrochemical plants in the southern energy hub of Asaluyeh.

To reach the oil terminal on Kharg Island, tankers must currently pass through the narrow Strait of Hormuz, slowing down deliveries.

Iran has in the past repeatedly threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz -- which is used by its Gulf rivals including Saudi Arabia -- when faced with sanctions on its oil exports and possible military action by the US.

The latest threat was in July when Rouhani said Iran has always guaranteed the security of the strait but warned the US "should not play with the lion's tail."

Moving its terminal to the Oman Sea would in theory allow Iran to continue exporting oil even if the strait was closed.

The US pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal in May and will reimpose sanctions on Iran's oil sector in November.

The last time there was a major disruption in the flow of oil through Hormuz was in 1984 during the Iran-Iraq war when both sides attacked each other's oil facilities and tankers.

The strait is the world's most important oil chokepoint with roughly 35 percent of all seaborne oil passing through it, according to the US Energy Information Administration.

Bloomberg reported that Iran exported 2.1 million barrels per day (bpd) of oil in August, but analysts say US sanctions could reduce sales to around 1 million bpd.