US presidential debate: Poll says 62% viewers think Clinton won, only 27% say Trump did better

 Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump took to the stage on Monday to begin their first-ever presidential debate and immediately sparred over jobs, taxes, the Islamic State (IS), guns and the former secretary of state's undisclosed emails, media reports said.

According to the latest CNN Poll of Polls, released on Monday, Clinton and Trump are neck-and-neck, at 44 per cent to 42 per cent, respectively.

Moderator Leslie Holt of NBC News opened the 90-minute debate at Hofstra University, Long Island, New York, with the first topic being "Achieving Prosperity", where the first question about putting money back into Americans' pockets and creating jobs was directed to Clinton, CNN reported.

Clinton, the first woman to represent a major US party in the presidential race, mentioned her granddaughter's birthday, and talked about everything from gender pay gaps, to paid family leave, to presidential temperament.

She started her speech by defending the idea of creating "an economy for all" and stressed that she intends to do so "by having the wealthy pay their fair share", EFE news reported.

"I also want to see more companies do profit sharing. If you help create the profits, you should be able to share in them, not just the executives at the top," she said, and stressed that "the central question in this election is really what kind of country we want to be in".

Clinton insisted she would work to achieve equal pay between men and women, paid paternity leave and debt-free college.

Clinton accused her rival for being one of the real estate tycoons who benefited from the economic crisis that hit the country in 2008.

Trump conceded the point saying, "It's called business."

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Clinton and Trump are neck-and-neck, at 44 per cent to 42 per cent, respectively.

On prosperity, taxes and jobs

On Trump's business practices

On Trump's tax returns and Clinton's emails

On the Islamic State

On police shootings

On gun control

On the 'birther' issue

On supporting the result of the elections 

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Clinton said, "Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, but I certainly will support the outcome of this election."

Trump pointed that he would "... want to make America great again. We are a nation that is seriously troubled... If she wins, I will absolutely support it."

The debate is divided into 6 segments with 15 minutes given to each nominee. Two minutes will be allotted to answer a question asked by the moderator, two minutes to reply and the remaining time for the nominees to debate.

This is the 20th US presidential debate and is being organised by the Read full Story

Sushma Swaraj's fiery response to Pakistan: Top 10 quotes

Targeting Pakistan squarely, India on Monday told the United Nations that Jammu and Kashmir is an inalienable part of the country and nobody can wrest it away by force.

Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, in a retort to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's speech last week where he harped on Kashmir, said at the UNGA: "Kashmir is an integral part of India and it will remain an integral part of India. No one can take it away by force. Pakistan should stop dreaming."

Top quotes by Sushma Swaraj at UNGA-

• Giving a befitting reply to Pak, Sushma Swaraj said Those who seed extremist ideologies, reap a bitter harvest. This germ of evil has grown into a hydra-headed monster. 

• Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones at others

• Nurturing terrorism has become habit of some nations.

• Need to isolate nations that fail to crackdown on terrorsim, work together for world peace 

• Tried to resolve friendship with Pakistan via friendship not demands

• Dhaka, Uri, Paris, Pathankot attacks have left us with scars 

• Bahadur Ali living proof that terrorists come from across the border

• Terrorism is biggest violation of human rights 

The external affairs minister in her speech also spoke on Paris Agreement, poverty and Make in India

• On Oct 2, India will submit instrument of ratification for Paris Agreement 

• Our biggest challenge today is to end poverty

• Seeing a lot of foreign inflows due to Make in India scheme

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Watch full video of Sushma Swaraj speech at UNGA  &  Read full Story

Kashmir is ours, you'll never get it, Sushma Swaraj tells Pakistan at UNGA

In a sharp rebuke to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's "tirade" on Kashmir, India today said those accusing others of rights violations must introspect as it censured Pakistan for the first time at the UNGA for perpetrating the "worst form of state oppression" in Balochistan.

Taking a veiled dig at Pakistan, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in her address at the 71st UN General Assembly (UNGA) session said there are nations "in our midst" where UN designated terrorists roam freely and deliver "their poisonous sermons of hate with impunity", an apparent reference to Mumbai attack mastermind and Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed.

She also made a strong pitch for isolating such nations who speak the language of terrorism and for whom sheltering terrorists has become "their calling card".

"In our midst, there are nations that still speak the language of terrorism, that nurture it, peddle it, and export it. To shelter terrorists has become their calling card. We must identify these nations and hold them to account," Swaraj asserted in her nearly 20-minute speech.

"These nations, in which UN designated terrorists roam freely, lead processions and deliver their poisonous sermons of hate with impunity, are as culpable as the very terrorists they harbour. Such countries should have no place in the comity of nations," Swaraj said, in essence making a call to the international community to read full story

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Related Articles:

Baloch leader Brahumdagh Bugti hails Sushma Swaraj's speech at UNGA

Kashmir not integral part of India, still on UNSC agenda: Pakistan after Swaraj speech

Sushma Swaraj's fiery response to Pakistan: Top 10 quotes

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What is the Indus Waters Treaty and can India abrogate it?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called a meeting on Monday for a briefing on the implementation of the 56-year-old river water sharing Indus Waters Treaty between India and Pakistan, reported the Indian Express on Monday.

The report added that the meeting will only deal with the complexities of the treaty and is not likely to involve any move or plan towards its abrogation by India, a move which has been touted by media reports as a possible form of retaliation against Pakistan for last week's attack on an army camp in Uri.

However, according to agency reports from Sunday night, the officials of the ministries of Water Resources and External Affairs have denied any such knowledge of a meeting being convened by the prime minister.

With India saying that there have been differences over the implementation of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, a dispute that was referred to an international tribunal under the aegis of the World Bank, the issue has come back into focus because of the current tension with Pakistan following the September 18 cross-border terror attack on an army base at Uri in Jammu and Kashmir that claimed the lives of 18 Indian soldiers. On Thursday, India raised the issue saying a treaty could not be a  read full story

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So, what is the treaty all about? Here is a primer:

1. What is the Indus Waters Treaty?
2. Why was the agreement signed?
3. What does the agreement entail?
4. Is there a dispute?
5. Could India abrogate the agreement?
6. Short of abrogation, can India do something?

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Related Articles:

 Narendra Modi & Nawaz Sharif: From bonhomie to today's predicament

 PM Modi to take stock of Indus Water Treaty today

PSLV-C35 lifts off successfully with eight satellites

Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) satellite launching workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) has lifted off successfully with eight satellites.

The vehicle was launched from the first launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

The longest satellite launch event stretching over two hours and 15 minutes, started with the lift off of the vehicle PSLV-C35 at 9:12 a.m., with eight satellites, from the first launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

While SCATSAT-1 was launched soon after the launch of the vehicle, the rest of the seven satellites are expected to be launched between 11:25-11:28 a.m.

This is the first mission of PSLV in which it will be launching its payloads into two different orbits.

The PSLV-C35 is carrying SCATSAT-1 for weather related studies, five foreign satellites and two satellites from Indian academic institutes to its orbits.

The launch vehicle carries around 675 kg, including the 371 kg SCATSAT-1, which is to help provide weather forecasting services to the user communities through the generation of wind vector products for weather forecasting, cyclone detection and tracking. It is a continuity mission for the Oceansat-2 satellite, launched in 2009.

SCATSAT-1 will be launched into 730 kilometre polar Sun Synchronous Orbit inclined at an angle of 98.1 degree to the equator whereas the two Indian institutes satellites and five satellites abroad will be placed in a 689 km polar orbit of 98.21 degree inclination later, using the read full story

Neighbourhood watch: Why Pakistan is obsessed with Kashmir

In my experience, proffering the idea that Pakistan should abandon its quest for Kashmir is generally rewarded with condescension. Tell self-styled foreign policy experts of this hair-brained scheme, and you are met with the rhetorical equivalent of a patronising pat on the shoulder; one is not considered anti-national so much as naive, not unpatriotic but unserious.

In the real world of power politics, these strategic gurus tell us woolly-headed fools, states do not abandon their national interests, they fight for them — by hook or crook. Pakistan is no different. In this view, Kashmir is a vital symbolic and strategic interest, tied to both Pakistan’s foundational religious nationalism as well as its geopolitical goals. As such, it needs to continue the political, diplomatic, and yes, military struggle for Kashmir, no different to how big and small countries have fought for their interests for centuries. It’s Realism 101, kid.

Without getting mired in the intricacies of Realist theory, it is worth considering, from a realpolitik perspective, just how sensible Pakistan’s longstanding desire for Kashmir is. The costs of Pakistan’s existing strategy in Kashmir are well known and do not require extensive elaboration. On the security front, it has bred terrorism which has claimed over 50,000 citizens since 9/11. Politically, it has helped cement the army’s hold over the country, hindering the development of representative institutions.

Pakistan’s economy has suffered due to this. Extremism and militant violence affect domestic and foreign investment, while the military’s dominance in politics ensures crowding out of spending on public goods, such as education, in favour of plots and pensions for generals. Finally, insofar as diplomacy is concerned, Pakistan’s revisionism leads to isolation and opprobrium, even from its friends. In contrast to these substantial costs, the tangible gains to Pakistan of its Kashmir strategy are difficult to locate: the territorial status-quo in Kashmir has not significantly changed in close to seven decades, despite repeated attempts. For a strategy pushed by so-called realists, such a balance of costs and benefits is  read full story

The Jio effect? Vodafone India gets Rs 47,700-cr war chest

Days before the spectrum auction commences, British telecom major Vodafone Group has infused Rs 47,700 crore fresh equity capital in its Indian arm - the largest-ever foreign direct investment in rupee terms in the country. The money has been received already and Vodafone India, the country's second-largest telecom operator after Bharti Airtel, will use the funds to strengthen its spectrum portfolio, network roll-out and retire debt.

Commenting on the capital infusion, Sunil Sood, chief executive officer of Vodafone India, said: "This reaffirms our commitment to India. With this, we will focus on right-sizing our spectrum portfolio and deployment of 4G and 5G technology."

The government is putting 2,354.55 megahertz of spectrum at the auction table, giving an opportunity to operators such as Vodafone to strengthen their spectrum holdings. Vodafone is expected to be one of the strongest bidders during the spectrum auction and the company has deposited earnest money deposit (EMD) of Rs 2,740 crore towards spectrum auctions. Idea Cellular's EMD amount is Rs 2,000 crore and Bharti Airtel's is Rs 1,980 crore.

Vodafone closely competes with Bharti Airtel and is perceived as a premium brand; it has a revenue market share of 22.5 per cent. Sood said: "With our commitment to support the Digital India vision, we are building one of the most modern and scalable telecom networks to deliver connectivity."

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CAPITAL INFUSION ON SPEED DIAL

• Vodafone Group infuses Rs 47,700 crore into Indian arm
   
• Largest-ever FDI in India
   
• Funds to be used to strengthen spectrum footprint and network rollout
   
• Vodafone India's subscriber base hits 200 million
   
• Vodafone lowers debt, ahead of spectrum auctions
   
• Standalone debt at the end of FY16 was Rs 81,500 crore
   
• Vodafone India deposits earnest money deposit of Rs 2,740 crore towards spectrum auctions

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Vodafone India's revenues grew by a modest five per cent in FY16 to Rs 44,303 crore, thanks to the impact of lower interconnect and roaming charges. The standalone debt of the telco for 2015-16 stood at read full story

Nawaz Sharif's UNGA speech: Top 10 things he said and India's rebuttals to his accusations

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif raked up the Kashmir issue at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday and tried to burnish his country's credentials as an opponent of global terrorism.

His speech, which also referred to the prevailing situation in Europe and the Middle East, attempted to paint India as an uncooperative neighbour which had rebuffed Sharif's overtures for peace.

His speech came days after suspected Pakistan-based terrorists attacked an Indian army camp in Uri, in Kashmir, and killed 18 Indian soldiers. The four terrorists who participated in the attack were also eliminated by the security forces during the attack.

Here are the top 10 things Sharif said at the UNGA and India's rebuttal to some of them:

1) Describing Burhan Wani, the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen commander who was killed in an encounter with security forces on July 8, as a "young leader", Sharif said that he had emerged as a "symbol of the latest Kashmiri Intifada" after he was "murdered" by security forces.

India's Minister of State for External Affairs M J Akbar responded to Sharif's description of Wani by saying that what India saw was "... the glorification of a terrorist. Wani is declared commander of Hizbul, widely acknowledged as a terror group. It is shocking that a leader of a nation can glorify a self-advertised terrorist at such a forum. This is self incrimination by Pakistan PM."

2) Sharif said that Pakistan wanted peace with India and that he had gone "the extra mile" to achieve that aim. He added that he had repeatedly made offers for a dialogue "to address all outstanding issues".

India rejected Sharif's call for sustained dialogue, with Akbar saying that Islamabad was talking about dialogue with a "gun in its hand".

3) Insisting that resolving the Kashmir dispute was essential for peace between Pakistan and India and that dialogue was necessary for that process, Sharif alleged that India was posing "unacceptable preconditions" before being willing to participate in a read full story 

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Related Articles:

Pak PM Sharif should have talked about Balochistan not Kashmir: Baloch activist

 Pakistan ready for unconditional talks with India to resolve all issues: Sartaj Aziz

Nawaz Sharif gone beyond all shame by calling 'terrorist a leader': R K Singh

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Mukesh Ambani tops Forbes' 100 richest Indians list, Patanjali's Balkrishna enters top 50

Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani has grabbed the top most position in the Forbes' '100 Richest Indians' list with a net worth of $22.7 billion. This is the ninth year in a row that Ambani has topped the list.

According to the annual India rich list released by the Forbes India, Mukesh Ambani holds the first position followed by India's richest pharmaceutical magnate Dilip Shanghvi at number two with a net worth of $16.9 billion.

His wealth fell by $1.1 billion along with a drop in the shares of his Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, the world's fifth-largest generics maker.

However, the third spot is bagged by the Hinduja brothers with a net worth of $15.2 billion, up from $14.8 billion last year.

Tech magnate Azim Premji, who has led Wipro for five decades, slips one spot to number four on the list with a net worth of $15 billion.

Construction magnate Pallonji Mistry takes the fifth spot with net worth of $13.9 billion. The steel baron Lakshmi Mittal ranks to number six with net worth of $12.5 billion.

Taking the seventh spot is the Godrej Family with net worth of $12.4 billion Indian tech pioneer Shiv Nadar, cofounder of HCL Group clocked in a net worth of $11.4 billion to grab the eighth rank Kumar Mangalam Birla comes in at ninth spot with net worth of $8.8 billion Cyrus Poonawalla is the 10th richest Indian with a net worth of  read full story

Last Railway Budget: Promise vs performance

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu was supportive of the proposal of the finance ministry and NITI Aayog to discard the 92-year-old practice of presenting a separate Railway Budget. The move itself may save a gross amount of Rs 10,000 crore for the railways in dividend payment. As the Narendra Modi government moves away from this colonial practice, Shine Jacob takes a look at the achievements against targets set by the last Railway Budget presented in February this year.

• Economic health

The railways is expecting a revenue of Rs 1,84,820 crore during the current financial year (FY17), which officials claim will be achieved this year. However, this appears to be unrealistic considering there was a 7.74 per cent fall in freight earnings in July, compared with the year-ago period. In the first three months, earnings from freight had dropped by 11 per cent. Coal traffic, too, has dropped rapidly from 253 rakes during the first three months of FY17 to about 180 rakes. As far as passenger services are concerned, except third AC, all other passenger services are loss-making now, because of no fare hike. However, through rationalisation of freight rate for coal and dynamic pricing in premium trains, it is hoping to get higher revenue.

• New trains

One of the major announcements of Prabhu's Budget in 2016 was about the introduction of trains like Antyodaya Express, Humsafar, Tejas and UDAY. All these four trains are set to hit the tracks in the next two months. While three-tier AC train Humsafar is targeted at low-budget commuters, who want to graduate to air-conditioned travel by paying a bit more, Tejas will have service attendants such as air hostess, besides bringing the speed advantage of 130 km per hour. On the other hand, Antyodaya Express, a long-distance, fully unreserved, super-fast train service will be targeting common man and UDAY (Utkrisht Double-Decker Air-conditioned Yatri) will be overnight trains plying on the busiest routes to  read full story & more about..

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• Food and catering services
• Passenger entertainment
• Make in India
• Insurance scheme
• Rail Development Authority
• Swachh rail
• Wi-Fi stations

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