Apple unveils bigger iPhones, Apple Watch & Apple Pay

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Washington: Apple Tuesday unveiled a new Apple Watch, touting it as a comprehensive health and fitness device, a mobile wallet called Apple Pay and two bigger screen versions of the iPhone, the 6 and the 6 Plus.

'What we didn't do was take the iPhone and shrink the user interface and strap it on your wrist,' said Chief Executive Tim Cook dressed in a purple, untucked shirt at Apple's splashy launch event at Flint Centre in Cupertino, California.

'It's the most personal device we've ever created,' he said of the new watch with a traditional square watch face, calling it 'a comprehensive health and fitness device'.

The Apple Watch pairs with the new iPhones to display notifications. It features a magnetic charger, health and fitness apps and a crown that controls zoom and scrolling with a twist. It also tells time.

Apple said it will sell three versions of the Apple Watch, including a sports model and an 18 carat gold model called the 'Apple Watch Edition'.

The Apple Watch also comes in two sizes, one slightly smaller than the other.

Announcing its version of the mobile wallet Cook said: 'We've created an entirely new payment process, and we call it Apple Pay.'

Apple Senior Vice President Eddy Cue described the basics of the payment method, calling it 'fast, secure and private'. American Express, MasterCard and Visa are on board, he noted.

'Today, we are launching the biggest advancement in the history of iPhone,' Cook said as executives unveiled the iPhone 6 in two versions. 'They are without a doubt the best iPhones we've ever done.'

The iPhones have curved edges and bigger screens that measure 4.7 inches and 5.5 inches, up from just four inches on the iPhone 5S. The smaller one is 6.9 mm thick and the 5.5-inch version is 7.1 mm thick.

Senior Vice President Phil Schiller said the battery would be equal to or better than the iPhone 5s.

The larger iPhones have what Apple is calling 'Retina HD' displays.

The iPhone 6 comes with more than 1 million pixels -- a third more pixels than the iPhone 5S. The iPhone 6 Plus has 2 million pixels, double the iPhone 5S' screen.

Both iPhones feature an 8 megapixel camera with a new sensor that Apple claims will help the camera focus faster.

The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus feature Apple's new A8 processor, which is 25 percent faster than the iPhone 5S.

The M8 co-processor will allow fitness apps to tell the difference between walking and biking and even measure your relative elevation.

Apple said iOS 8 will be available Sep 17 to customers who have an iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPhone 5C or iPhone 5S. Both iPhones will be available Sep 19 in the US and eight other countries.

Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal's bowling action found to be illegal

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The International Cricket Council today confirmed that an independent analysis has found the bowling action of Pakistan's off-spinner Saeed Ajmal to be illegal and, as such, the player has been suspended from bowling in international cricket with immediate effect. The analysis revealed that all his deliveries exceeded the 15 degrees level of tolerance permitted under the regulations.

Saeed, who was reported after the first Test match against Sri Lanka in Galle last month, can apply a re-assessment after he has modified his bowling action in accordance with clause 2.4 of the Regulations for the Review of Bowlers Reported with Suspected Illegal Bowling Actions. The analysis was performed on 25 August by the ICC's accredited team of Human Movement Specialists using the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane. 

Man dies as idli gets stuck in throat

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PALAKKAD:  An eating competition held as part of the Onam celebrations ended on a sad note as a 55-year-old contender for the title died as an idli got stuck in his throat in a village near here. According to police, Kandamuthan got suffocated as he downed idlis in quick succession on the Thiruonam day on Monday. Though he was rushed to a local hospital, he died soon. The competition was organised by a village arts club.

Egyptian Brotherhood members get 20 years in jail

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Cairo: An Egyptian court Tuesday sentenced two prominent members of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood to 20 years in prison over torturing and killing policemen, and joining and managing a banned group.

Muslim Brotherhood senior member Mohamed al-Beltagi and Brotherhood-oriented preacher Safwat Hegazi were accused of kidnapping a police officer and security personnel following the ouster of the Islamist president Mohamed Morsi last year, Xinhua reported.

The two also faced charges of attempting to murder the policemen.

Two other people, both doctors who used to work at Rabaa field hospital, received five years in jail for joining a terrorist group.

Both Beltagi and Hegazi have been handed a death sentence over charges of inciting violence outside a mosque in Giza province in 2013, that left 10 people people dead and 20 injured.

Since the ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi by the military in July 2013, the leadership has launched a massive security crackdown on his supporters and affiliates, leaving more than 1,000 dead while thousands of others have been arrested.

Morsi is now standing trial for charges including jailbreak, ordering the killing of protesters, spying and insulting the judiciary.

369 Malayalis stranded by J&K floods, CM says all are safe -

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Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Tuesday said that 369 Malayalis are stranded in various places in flood-hit Jammu and Kashmir.

“369 Malayalis are stranded by the floods but all of them are safe. Arrangements have been made to airlift them from Srinagar to Delhi and their onward passage to Kerala,” Chandy told reporters here.

The first batch of 22 Keralites had reached Srinagar airport by Tuesday afternoon and are expected to be brought to Delhi by evening, Revenue Minister Adoor Prakash said.

Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala had been deputed to co-ordinate the efforts to bringing home all the Keralites, who had gone to Kashmir in different batches from various parts of the state.

Meanwhile, many of those from Kashmir who run business in tourist spots like Kovalam and Fort Kochi, said they were worried about the situation of their kin in home state. Some of them said that for the last few days they could not keep in touch with their relatives over phone.

- See more at: http://www.madhyamam.com/en/kerala/2014/sep/9/369-malayalis-stranded-jk-floods-cm-says-all-are-safe#sthash.foD45nDS.dpuf

AAA 'Mary Kom' spins gold at box office; northeast contribution negligible

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Bollywood film 'Mary Kom' hit 1,800 screens in the country and raked in Rs.28.32 crore in the opening weekend with maximum collections from Delhi and Mumbai. The film is going houseful in Assam and Meghalaya, but the overall contribution to the box office earnings from the region is just one percent, said trade experts.

About Manipur's five-time World boxing champion M.C. Mary Kom, the film hit 72 cinemas in Assam and just two in Meghalaya. The footfall is overwhelming, but the total contribution is not much.

'The subject of the film is known and Mary is from the northeast, so naturally there are sentiments attached,' a distributor from Assam told IANS.

'There were many students who watched it on the first day itself. In both Assam and Meghalaya, the shows were houseful. Many were left inspired and clapped in the end of the film too,' he added.

The northeast region, made of eight states, also including Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Sikkim, has a handful of operational cinema halls.

'The Assam government is trying to pull the crowds by exempting entertainment tax on 'Mary Kom'. But only one percent contribution was made to the domestic box office collection,' said the distributor.

Assam's Ashiq Zaman, a government official, was lucky to watch it on the first day and he found it 'inspiring', but he was not too convinced with Priyanka Chopra in the title role.

'Northeast states are hardly highlighted in mainstream cinema, so I wanted to see how they would present Manipur and its people. Priyanka has done well, but it was like watching Tom Hanks (Hollywood actor) playing Muhammad Ali (former African American boxer),' said Zaman.

'There were lot of Manipuri people in the audience. About 50 percent of the audience must have been Manipuri who are staying in Assam,' he added.

Meanwhile, producers are trying to release the film in Kom's hometown, where around 60 to 70 films in Meitei language are made in a year. But Hindi films screenings are banned since early 2000 due to an insurgent groups' diktat.

'Manipur release was initiated earlier, but there was no positive response as Hindi films are not screened there. However, all efforts are in the direction of getting a theatrical release in Manipur,' said a source from Viacom18 Motion Pictures.

Whether it releases in Manipur or not, the people in the state are certainly not going to miss it.

'Hindi movies are banned in Manipur, but there are so many CDs available in the market. If not theatre, people here will definitely get their hands on 'Mary Kom' CD like they do for other Hindi films,' said Ningthoujam Nongdamba, a teacher.

Manipuris in the capital, however, are a privileged lot.

'I took an off and watched the first day, first show. Lot of people are saying that a Manipuri actress should've played the role, but had it been an unknown face from the state, it wouldn't have done well in terms of business. I liked the script. Women can learn something from it,' said S.S. Kom, an HR executive.

PR professional N. Khayi from the state also managed to catch it in a theatre in the capital. He enjoyed the film, but he wanted to see more of Mary's struggle.

'Even the use of Manipuri language in the film was little weird because the words were not pronounced properly and non-Manipuris found it difficult to understand. And it wasn't shot in the state,' said Khayi.

Despite the flaws, people from the northeast are simply delighted as for the first time a biopic has been made on someone from the region, which has helped people to understand the state is part of India.

The film has opened to positive reviews down south.

'It's a hit in the multiplexes, but not in smaller markets as audiences here favour watching a male superstar's Hindi film,' said trade analyst Trinath.

Omung Kumar's directorial debut, which was co-produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Viacom18 Motion Pictures, is minting money in metro cities.

'Maximum business is from Mumbai and Delhi. It should be able to earn Rs.45 crore in one week at least. The subject and Priyanka's performance are the highpoints of the film,' said Rajesh Thadani of Multimedia Combines.

Working with Priyadarshan is like homecoming: Piaa Bajpai

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Actress Piaa Bajpai, who has reunited with her mentor-filmmaker Priyadarshan for upcoming Malayalam film 'Aamayum Muyalum', says she feels like she's come home to a family she's been away from for sometime.

Piaa made her acting debut in Priyadarshan-produced 2008 Tamil comedy 'Poi Solla Poram'.

'Working with Priyan sir is like coming back home. He saw my potential and launched me when I was invisible to everybody else. He didn't care about who I was or where I came from, when he introduced me in 'Poi Solla Poram'. He liked my audition and cast me,' Piaa told IANS.

She always wished to be directed by Priyadarshan, and when it finally happened she felt as though one her dreams came true.

'While working on my first film, I had told Priyan sir that I would like to work with him. Both of us got busy with our respective careers, but we stayed in touch. Recently, he called me and said that he's working on something and asked me to keep my fingers crossed,' she said.

'When I received that call, I had a premonition because soon after the auditions of 'Poi Solla Poram', he had messaged me something very similar, and I got the film. When I finally signed this film, I was extremely happy because I was being directed by Priyadarshan sir,' she added.

Piaa remains tight-lipped about her character in 'Aamayum Muyalum', but she assures that 'she will be seen in an extremely different role'.

This is Piaa's second Malayalam outing after 'Masters', and she says it's an important film in her career.

'This is important because it's a Priyadarshan film. He's my mentor and I'm giving it my best to not disappoint him. I even told Priyan sir to tell me if there's something he would like me to do exclusively for this film,' she said.

Piaa, who has been very choosy, doesn't believe in doing films just for the sake of money.

'I don't want to be part of films I'm not proud of. If I have to sign films for money, I would end up signing at least two films every month. When you do films for money, you're happy while receiving the cheque, but when you finally watch it with audiences you'll regret big time,' she said.

Piaa currently has two films 'Kelvi' and 'Nerungi Vaa Muthamidathe', which are getting ready for release.

Prithviraj becomes a dad

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Malayalam star Prithviraj has become a dad. His wife Supriya gave birth to a baby girl at a private hospital in Kochi on Monday. Prithiviraj was away during the time of delivery. According to sources, the mother and baby are doing fine.

Prithviraj is currently busy with Ennu Ninte Moideen. The baby's arrival was announced by the actor on Facebook.

5 minute walk every office hour good for your heart

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New York : If you are working long hours at the desk, do make it a point to take a five minute walk every hour to reverse negative effects of prolonged sitting, says an Indian-origin researcher.

'We found that easy five minute walks can reverse harm caused to leg arteries during hours of prolonged sitting,' claimed Saurabh Thosar, a post-doctoral researcher from the Oregon Health and Science University.

When people sit, slack muscles do not contract to effectively pump blood to the heart.

Blood can pool in the legs and affect the endothelial function of arteries or the ability of blood vessels to expand from increased blood flow.

'We have shown that prolonged sitting impairs endothelial function, which is an early marker of cardio-vascular disease and that breaking sitting time prevents the decline in that function,' added Thosar, who led the study as a doctoral candidate from Indiana University's school of public health.

The study involved 11 non-obese, healthy men between ages 20-35.

In one trial, they sat for three hours without moving their legs.

In the second trial, the men sat during a three-hour period but also walked on a treadmill for five minutes at a speed of two mph at the half hour, 1.5 and 2.5 hour marks respectively.

Researchers demonstrated that during a three-hour period, the flow mediated dilation, or the expansion of the arteries as a result of increased blood flow, of the main artery in the legs was impaired by as much as 50 percent after just one hour.

The participants who walked for five minutes each hour of sitting saw their arterial function stay the same - it did not drop throughout the three-hour period.

'Normally, a working adult sits for approximately eight hours a day. The impairment in endothelial function is significant after just one hour of sitting. It is interesting to see that light physical activity can help in preventing this impairment,' Thosar concluded.

Sexual harassment at workplace to be redefined: Minister

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New Delhi: Rules are being 'amended' to 'widen the definition of sexual harassment at workplace', Minister of State in PMO Jitendra Singh said here Tuesday.

'Rules are being amended to widen the definition of 'sexual harassment' and 'workplace' in law and to make work environment more conducive for women,' Singh told the media at the National Media Centre.

Singh, who is also the minister of state for personnel and public grievances, said the order that a person can attest a document himself and need not get a document attested by a gazetted officer will be a boon for unemployed youth.

'.. It (self-attestation) is going to be a boon for unemployed youth. As India goes into the 21st century, everyone would recognize the stakes involved in false attestation,' said Singh.

The minister also said that long pending grievances in issuing OBC certificates have been addressed by the government.