US comic Joan Rivers dies: family

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NEW YORK: Joan Rivers, the acerbic US stand-up comic and television presenter, died on Thursday, a week after being rushed to a New York hospital, her family announced. She was 81.

"It is with great sadness that I announce the death of my mother, Joan Rivers. She passed peacefully at 1:17 pm surrounded by family and close friends," daughter Melissa Rivers said in a statement.

The Brooklyn-born Rivers had been at Mount Sinai Hospital since she reportedly stopped breathing during a medical procedure on her vocal cords at a private clinic on August 28.

Her daughter Melissa and grandson Cooper flew immediately from Los Angeles and kept a vigil at her bedside ever since.

They thanked hospital staff for the "amazing care" they provided the Emmy award-winning comedian and TV host.

"Cooper and I have found ourselves humbled by the outpouring of love, support and prayers we have received from around the world. They have been heard and appreciated," Melissa Rivers said.

"My mother´s greatest joy in life was to make people laugh. Although that is difficult to do right now, I know her final wish would be that we return to laughing soon." (AFP)

 

USA Today cuts jobs amid print woes

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WASHINGTON: USA Today said Thursday it was eliminating 60 to 70 jobs as the large daily responds to declining print circulation and ad revenues.

The newspaper´s move is meant "to align its staffing levels to meet current market conditions," according to a statement by parent firm Gannett cited by the publication.

The cuts will also allow the firm "to reinvest in the business to ensure the continued success of its digital transformation," the statement said.

The news comes a month after Gannett announced plans to split into two separate firms, one for broadcast and digital, and the other for newspapers.

Gannett is the latest media conglomerate to spin off struggling print news operations from faster-growth operations such as television.

Gannett will create a new publicly traded broadcasting and digital company, which has yet to be named, and which will remain headquartered in McLean, Virginia.

The publishing group, which will retain the Gannett name, will include USA Today as well as 81 other daily newspapers, some 200 weeklies and magazines and the community news service Newsquest.

USA Today is among the largest US dailies. In a recent industry audit, it had an average daily print circulation of around 1.8 million and digital readership of more than 1.4 million.

Dollar hits six-year high against yen in Asia

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TOKYO: The dollar soared to a near six-year high against the yen Friday on upbeat expectations for US jobs data, while the euro sank after the European Central Bank launched a surprise round of monetary easing.

The greenback jumped to 105.69 yen in early Asian trade, its highest level since October 2008, before easing slightly to 105.32 yen. However, it is still above the 105.22 yen seen late in New York.

The euro, which fell below $1.30 for the first time since July 2013 on Thursday, bought $1.2935 and 136.23 yen, compared with $1.2945 and 136.22 yen in US trade.

A raft of upbeat data for the world´s number one economy has helped boost the dollar recently, with key jobs data scheduled for later Friday.It has also been given a lift against the yen as investors shift out of the euro after the ECB´s announcement.

The fact that the dollar soared to its highest level against the yen since the global financial crisis has a significant meaning, said Junichi Ishikawa market analyst at IG Securities.

"This will send a signal to the market that further advances in the dollar lie ahead," Ishikawa said.

ECB policymakers on Thursday cut interest rates to 0.05 percent from 0.15 percent and the deposit rate to minus 0.2 percent from minus 0.1 percent, meaning lenders would have to pay more to keep their cash at the central bank. It also unveiled plans to purchase asset-backed securities to help kick-start lending in the region.

"The ECB over-delivered versus consensus market expectations," National Australia Bank said in a note.

Tsuyoshi Hirota, chief manager of the forex department at Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking, said some market players were "taking dollar-buying opportunities ahead of the release of the (US) jobs data" Friday. "Strong figures are expected, prompting short-term buying," he said of the August employment data.

The US economy´s upward momentum has fuelled speculation the Federal Reserve will hike interest rates sooner than later, which would boost the greenback.

Serial actress taken into custody for barging into priest’s house

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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Poonthura Police took into custody a serial and film actress for barging into a priest’s house and creating a scene there. The actress was taken into custody earlier and is involved in many cases. She reached the priest’s house in the morning and sought his release. The actress wanted him to accompany her for the puja. However, his wife did not permit him to leave the house. The police reached the spot and shifted the three to the police station.

Post titlCentre may drop mandatory police verification for govt jobse

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NEW DELHI: The Centre is considering a move to drop mandatory police verification of candidates selected for government jobs and may accept self-attestation certificates from them. The issue of omitting the need of police verification of people getting selected for government jobs and applying for passports is under consideration of the Ministry of Home Affairs, official sources said. The MHA is likely take a view of state governments and other stakeholders in the matter, they said. A concept note on the matter by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions also favoured replacement of police verification in various works including for the purpose of issuance of passport and for government jobs. It needs to be considered if this can be eliminated as (i) the police check is only about any criminal cases for which the persons concerned do provide necessary declarations and remain liable for false declaration; (ii) the police report is perfunctory as it covers the last place of residence only; (iii) in any case, neighbours' affirmation appears to have little meaning, the note says. As part of its effort to reform the public service delivery system and bridging the governance deficit, the Centre is promoting self attestation in place of notarised affidavits for a big chunk of government-related work. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently sought minimum use of affidavits and a shift to self-certification, so as to benefit the common man. "In a citizen-friendly initiative, all ministries and departments of the union government, and all state governments, have been asked to make provision for self-certification of documents in place of affidavits. "The requirement of attestation by gazetted officer is also sought to be replaced by self-certification by the citizen," the Prime Minister's Office has said in a release. The 12th report--'citizen centric administration-the heart of governance'--of the second Administrative Reforms Commission has also suggested simplifying procedures for self-certification provision

Window frame falls from building, kills minor boy

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NEW DELHI: In a tragic incident, an eight-year-old boy was killed when a window frame of an under-construction building fell on him in Chandni Mahal area of central Delhi.
The incident took place yesterday evening, when the victim, identified as Musa Ali, a class II student of a private school at Turkman Gate, was going to market to purchase clothes, along with his father.
"As Musa and his father was about to cross the Kalan Masjid road, a window frame from an under-construction building fell on him," said a police officer.
Everything happened so sudden that the victim's father fainted on the spot seeing his son critically injured lying in a pool of blood.
The child was rushed to the hospital, where he was declared brought dead.
Soon, the body was sent for post-mortem, after which it was handed over to his parents.
A case of negligence was registered at the Chandni Mahal police station and the builder has been arrested, the officer said, adding it is also being checked whether the construction was in violation of rules.

Post title Rs 5000 each for employees in 418 bars

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THIRUVANANHAPURAM: The government will give Rs 5000 as special Onam grant for each employee of 418 bars which have remained close for the past five months. 7467 bar employees who have membership in Bar employees welfare fund board will be eligible for the relief.

 

Rs 3.5 crore needed for the Onam grant had been sanctioned by the government as advance amount.

 

However, the employees of 312 bars which have been served notice for closure will not be eligible for the Onam allowance.    

Sania reaches final of US Open mixed doubles with Soares

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NEW YORK: Sania Mirza is in line to win her third Grand Slam title and first with new partner Bruno Soares as the top seeded pair struggled past Yung-Jan Chan and Ross Hutchins to reach the mixed doubles summit clash, here.

The Indo-Brazilian team overcame the unseeded but fighting Tapiei-German combine 7-5 4-6 10-7 in the semifinals, which lasted one hour and 33 minutes.

The last-four pairs contest was very close as both the teams broke each other four times and Sania and Soares won overall 74 points, only three more than their rivals.
Sania and Soares are up against unseeded pair of Abigail Spears from the USA and Santiago Gonzalez from Mexico.

It will be Sania's fifth mixed doubles final appearance at the Grand Slam level, having won Australian Open (2009) and French Open (2012) with compatriot Mahesh Bhupathi.
The 27-year old had reached the Australian Open mixed doubles final this year also but ended runners-up with Romanian partner Horea Tecau.

Sania also has the opportunity to reach only her second women's doubles final at Majors as she prepares to take on Swiss comeback queen Martina Hingis and Italian Flavia Pennetta in the semifinals.

All other Indians have already exited from the last Grand Slam of the season as Rohan Bopanna and Leander Paes fell at different stages of their respective events.
There was no Indian playing in the men's singles as Somdev could not qualify for the main draw.

US endorses India-Japan strategic partnership

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WASHINGTON: The US has welcomed the just announced India-Japan Strategic Partnership and said it is looking forward to strengthen its trilateral co-operation with them. "The US strongly supports India's  collaboration and cooperation with its neighbours in the Asia Pacific. We actively support such collaboration through our trilateral dialogue and other activities with India and Japan, and look forward to strengthening further our trilateral cooperation," State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki told PTI. The US strongly supports a prosperous India playing an important role on the global stage, she said. It is during the Obama Administration that India, Japan and the US have started trilateral meetings. "As we have long said, a strong, prosperous India contributes to regional and global peace and prosperity," Psaki said responding to questions about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Japan this week. During a meeting between Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzao Abe, the two sides announced India-Japan strategic partnership and deepening of defence relationship. The Pentagon welcomed the decision of India and Japan and said that the latter's participation in the Malabar exercise would be routine. "We are very excited that Japan's participation in Exercise Malabar is becoming routine and believe that credible, ready, and inter-operable maritime forces help to preserve peace, prevent conflict, and foster a spirit of cooperation to meet regional and global challenges for mutual benefit," Jeffrey S Pool, a Defence Department spokesperson said. American think-tank community has described Modi's Japan visit a great success. "Modi's visit to Japan has been lauded by all corners as a great success," said Alyssa Ayres, Senior Fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations, a top American think-tank. "The United States has strongly supported strengthened ties between India and Japan (the US-India-Japan trilateral just one example), and the deliverables announced in the Tokyo Declaration complement components of US-India relations," Ayres told PTI. The joint emphasis on democracy, upgraded defence relations, science and technology, and a robust catalogue of economic undertakings all illustrate similarity with priorities in the US-India relationship, she said. One major difference lies in the Japanese government's ability to mobilise large amounts of Overseas Development Assistance, particularly through soft loans, she added. "The Tokyo Declaration puts Prime Minister Abe's commitment at 3.5 trillion yen over five years (around USD USD 33 billion). That's a much larger sum than the United States government typically mobilises, and at a time when the US Congress has not renewed the US ExIm Bank’s charter, shows where Washington has a diminished ability to support similar projects," Ayres said. "Countries like Japan are working with economic policy tools to meet the strategic interests of partners like India, especially on infrastructure. Some good lessons for us here," she said. Writing for "Asia Unbound" a CFR foreign policy blog, Sheila A Smith wrote that in his five-day visit this week, Narendra Modi has made Japan's pivot to India even more enticing – and far more likely to succeed. Modi's election in May has brought more energy to the relationship, she noted. "As the television footage suggested, the two leaders seem to have a good chemistry, and enjoyed their time together. Modi even sent out messages of thanks to Abe via social media as he visited Kyoto and other spots in Japan," Smith said. Abe, according to her, must be satisfied to see one of his main diplomatic efforts take root. He has put considerable energy into developing new partners and opportunities for balancing China’s rise, and India has long been an option that Tokyo's strategic thinkers have looked to develop, she observed.

Al Qaeda announces India wing, race against ISIS for jihadi supremacy

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DUBAI: Al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahri on Wednesday announced the formation of an Indian branch of his militant group he said would spread Islamic rule and "raise the flag of jihad" across the subcontinent. In a 55-minute video posted online, Zawahri also renewed a longstanding vow of loyalty to Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar, in an apparent snub to the Islamic State armed group challenging al Qaeda for leadership of transnational Islamist militancy. Zawahri described the formation of "Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent" as a glad tidings for Muslims "in Burma, Bangladesh, Assam, Gujarat, Ahmedabad, and Kashmir" and said the new wing would rescue Muslims there from injustice and oppression. Counter-terrorism experts say al Qaeda's ageing leaders are struggling to compete for recruits with Islamic State, which has galvanised young followers around the world by carving out tracts of territory across the Iraq-Syria border. Islamic State leader Abu Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi calls himself a "caliph" or head of state and has demanded the loyalty of all Muslims. The group fell out with Zawahri in 2013 over its expansion into Syria, where Baghdadi's followers have carried out beheadings, crucifixions, and mass executions. As well being an indirect repudiation of Islamic State, the announcement could pose a challenge to India's new Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. He has already faced criticism for remaining silent about several incidents deemed anti-Muslim, underscoring fears that his Hindu nationalist followers will upset religious relations in the majority Hindi nation. However, while al Qaeda is very much at home in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border area, due to influential contacts and a long presence there, it is a minnow compared to local militant groups in terms of manpower and regional knowledge. Over the years Zawahri and his predecessor Osama bin Laden, killed by US forces in 2011, repeatedly pledged allegiance to Mullah Omar, in return for the safe haven he granted their followers in Afghanistan. The statement did not mention Islamic State or Baghdadi, but it appear to take a subtle dig at the group's efforts at administering areas it has seized in Iraq and Syria. Islamic State's effort at state-building is something never attempted by al Qaeda's central leaders, who traditionally have preferred to plot complex attacks on targets in the West. Zawahri called for unity among militants and criticised "discord" - echoing a common al Qaeda complaint against Islamic State's record of clashing with rival Islamist groups in Syria. The statement also warned al Qaeda's new wing against oppressing local populations - another complaint levelled against Islamic State by critics in Iraq and Syria. "If you said that you are doing jihad to defend the sanctities of the Muslims, then you must not transgress against them or their money or honour, and not even transgress your mujahideen brothers by word and action," he said. "Discord is a curse and torment, and disgrace for the believers and glory for the disbelievers," he said. "If you say that by your jihad you do not want but the pleasure of Allah, then you must not race for governance and leadership at the first opportunity." Muslims account for 15 percent of Indians but, numbering an estimated 175 million, theirs is the third-largest Muslim population in the world.