slamic State detonates car bomb in Baghdad market, kills 45

An explosives-laden car bomb ripped through a commercial area in a predominantly Shiite neighborhood of Baghdad on Wednesday, killing at least 45 people and wounding dozens in an attack that was swiftly claimed by the extremist Islamic State group.

Shortly after the explosion, one of the deadliest recently in the Iraqi capital, the Sunni extremist group — which sees Shiite Muslims as apostates — said it was behind the assault. IS said the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber, but Iraqi officials denied that.
Security forces and citizens inspect the scene after a car bomb explosion at a crowded outdoor market in Baghdad. AP

Security forces and citizens inspect the scene after a car bomb explosion at a crowded outdoor market in Baghdad. AP

The bombing showed that while IS has suffered a number of territorial defeats in the past year, the militants are still capable of launching significant attacks across the country. They also have recently stepped-up assaults inside Baghdad, something officials say is an attempt to distract from their recent battlefield defeats.

Wednesday's bomb struck a crowded outdoor market in Baghdad's eastern district of Sadr City, two police officials said, adding that the blast also wounded up to 65 people, several seriously, prompting fears the death toll could rise further.

Ambulances rushed to the scene where dozens of residents walked through the twisted and mangled wreckage of cars and other debris that littered the pavement, trying to help the victims. The street was stained red with blood in many places and front-side facades of several buildings were heavily damaged. Smoke billowed from ground-level stores gutted out by the explosion.

Karim Salih, a 45-year old grocer, said the bomb was a pickup truck loaded with fruits and vegetables that was parked by a man who quickly disappeared among the crowds of people.

"It was such a thunderous explosion that jolted the ground," Salih told The Associated Press.

"The force of the explosion threw me for meters (yards) away and I lost consciousness for a few minutes," the merchant added. He suffered no injuries, but two of his workers were wounded.
Islamic State claimed responsibility for the car bomb. AP

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the car bomb. AP

Four medical officials confirmed the casualty figures. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they are not authorised to release the information to reporters.

In its online statement, IS said it had carried out a suicide attack that targeted a gathering of Shiite militiamen. The AP could not immediately verify the authenticity of the claim but it appeared on a website commonly used by the Sunni militants.

IS also a controls significant area in northern and western Iraq, including Iraq's second-largest city of Mosul. Commercial and public places in Shiite-dominated areas are among the most frequent targets for the Sunni militants seeking to undermine Iraqi government efforts to maintain security inside the capital.

In February, the group carried out devastating back-to-back market bombings in Sadr City, the stronghold of followers of an influential Shiite cleric. That attack claimed the lives of at least 73 people.

According to the United Nations, at least 741 Iraqis were killed in April due to ongoing violence. The U.N. mission to Iraq put the number of civilians killed at 410, while the rest it said were members of the security forces. A total of 1,374 Iraqis were wounded that month, UNAMI said.

In March, at least 1,119 people were killed and 1,561 wounded in the ongoing violence.

Source: http://www.firstpost.com

Xiaomi Mi Max: Top 5 Features of Xiaomi's Largest Smartphone

Xiaomi launched its largest display smartphone on Tuesday, the Mi Max. Featuring a 6.44-inch display, the smartphone is available in three variants, ranging from a 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage model up to a 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage model.

China and its massive adoption of large-screen smartphones, or phablets as they are called, was single-handedly responsible for making Apple reverse its decision on smartphone display sizes being limited to 4 inches. It's in this phablet-obsessed market that Xiaomi has launched its largest smartphone till date.

(Also see: Xiaomi Mi Max Full Specifications)

The company says the "supersized screen" on the Xiaomi Mi Max makes it ideal for watching movies and TV shows on the go. We take a look at the new smartphone from the Chinese manufacturer, and try to single out its top features.

Large display
Of course, without question, the top feature of the Mi Max is its large display. The 6.44-inch screen features a full-HD resolution of 1080x1920 pixels, and comes with a Sunlight Display mode that enhances legibility even under harsh sunlight. The company is also touting a night reading mode, apart from the "dynamic global pixel adjustment".

Large battery
Of course, with such a large display, a large battery would also be required. The Xiaomi Mi Max bears a 4850mAh battery, the highest capacity battery on any of the company's smartphones. While Xiaomi has not provided detailed battery life figures, it says the battery can support up to 14 hours of streaming video (via Wi-Fi) on a single charge.

High-res camera
The Xiaomi Mi Max features a 16-megapixel rear camera with a 5-lens setup and a large f/2.0 aperture. It is accompanied by a dual-tone flash, and supports phase detection autofocus (PDAF) apart from HDR. The front-facing camera on the other hand sports a 5-megapixel sensor, and is accompanied by the same large f/2.0 aperture apart from an 85-degree wide-angle lens.

Slim build
While not especially slim for a phablet - after all, as the size of the smartphone increases, it is easier to space out components to keep thickness in check - the Xiaomi Mi Max is just 7.5mm thick. This was touted by CEO Jun Lei ahead of the launch as well, and should be useful in slipping the massive phone away into a pocket.

Fingerprint sensor, infrared emitter
Once again, while the fingerprint scanner is by no means an extraordinary addition in the smartphone segment, the inclusion of the sensor on the Mi Max will be useful for users, from authorising online payments to unlocking the smartphone. The Mi Max also comes with an infrared emitter, which can be used as a universal remote controller - a handy feature.

Honourable mentions
Other standout features of the Xiaomi Mi Max that didn't make the list include the presence of 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage in the top variant, the ability to expand storage via a microSD card, as well as VoLTE connectivity.

SOurce: http://gadgets.ndtv.com

Donald Trump, Bucking Calls to Unite, Claims ‘Mandate’ to Be Provocative

Donald J. Trump’s behavior in recent days — the political threats to the House speaker, Paul D. Ryan; the name-calling on Twitter; the attacks on Hillary Clinton’s marriage — has deeply puzzled Republicans who expected him to move to unite the party, start acting presidential and begin courting the female voters he will need in the general election.

But Mr. Trump’s choices reflect an unusual conviction: He said he had a “mandate” from his supporters to run as a fiery populist outsider and to rely on his raucous rallies to build support through “word of mouth,” rather than to embrace a traditional, mellower and more inclusive approach that congressional Republicans will advocate in meetings with him on Thursday.

Mr. Trump’s strategy is replete with risks. Roughly 60 percent of Americans view him negatively, according to pollsters, who say more-of-the-same Trump is not likely to improve those numbers. While a majority of Republican primary voters said they were looking for a political outsider, Mr. Trump will face a majority of voters in November who prefer a candidate with political experience, according to primary exit polls and several national polls. Many Republicans think they will lose the presidency and seats in the House and Senate if he continues using language that offends women and some racial and religious groups.

Still, Mr. Trump’s message, tone and policy ideas have drawn followers who are more passionate than Republican nominees typically enjoy, and he has monopolized the political conversation and news coverage of the race. Some Republicans argue that he cannot afford to change his stripes too much, while strategists in both parties say he is shrewdly sticking with a style that drowns out attacks that could deepen his negative rating.

“His rally rants and Twitter brawls are meant to dominate the media coverage and public conversation so that Democratic challenges have less space to break through all of the noise,” said Guy Cecil, the chief strategist and co-chairman of Priorities USA, the “super PAC” supporting Mrs. Clinton. “He doesn’t want people talking about his record or positions.”

Mr. Trump, in a telephone interview, compared his candidacy to hit Broadway shows and championship baseball teams, saying that success begot success and that he would be foolish to change his behavior now.

“You win the pennant and now you’re in the World Series — you gonna change?” Mr. Trump said. “People like the way I’m doing.”
Graphic: Why Republicans in Congress Are Opposing or Supporting Trump

He argued that he stood a better chance of inspiring voters in states like Ohio and Pennsylvania if he was his authentic self, rather than shifting from populist outsider to political insider to please a relative handful of Republican elites who are part of the establishment he has railed against for months. He said his huge rallies, where outbursts of violence and racist taunts have vexed many Republican leaders, and his attacks against adversaries on Twitter and in television interviews would continue because he believes Americans admire his aggressive, take-charge style.
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“I think I have a mandate from the people,” Mr. Trump continued, referring to his victories in 29 states, including Nebraska and West Virginia on Tuesday night. “The people are tired of incompetent leadership at the highest level. They’re tired of trade deals that are ripping our jobs apart and taking their wages.”

Mandates are usually claimed after a presidential candidate wins a general election, not a party nomination, but part of Mr. Trump’s style and strategy is to project a supreme confidence in himself and his popularity with voters. Several Republicans said they put little stock in his claim, arguing that he had won support from only a fraction of the electorate and that he had yet to prove he was worthy of leading the entire Republican Party, rather than just his fractious and highly visible wing.

“Donald Trump did earn a mandate from Republican primary voters,” said Senator Patrick J. Toomey, a Republican facing a tough re-election fight in Pennsylvania, whose primary Mr. Trump won with 57 percent of the vote. “My advice to him is that he should now consider how he will appeal to the many Republican and non-Republican voters who have serious concerns about his candidacy.”

Former Senator Judd Gregg of New Hampshire said that electoral mandates were a fallacy in American politics, and that leaders only did well when they focused on “ideas in the center that unite people.”

“I don’t even think the 1980 Reagan landslide gave Reagan a mandate,” said Mr. Gregg, whose state gave Mr. Trump his first win in the primaries, and who has not decided if he will follow through on his pledge to support the Republican nominee. “He was effective because the country was in terrible shape and he was able to bring large numbers of people behind his ideas. Trump hasn’t done that.”

But Patrick J. Buchanan, the conservative commentator and past presidential candidate, said Mr. Trump was rallying historic numbers of voters with a mix of conservative ideas and anti-establishment populism that evoked, among other politicians, Ross Perot and his magnetic appeal in the 1992 campaign. Mr. Perot lost, of course, but Mr. Buchanan said that Mr. Trump might stand a better chance.

“With the largest Republican turnout ever, Trump eliminated 16 rivals and is on track to winning more votes than any Republican nominee in history,” Mr. Buchanan said. “That gives him a mandate to lead the Republican Party and move ahead with his plans to secure the border, pull back from foreign interventions and wars, and end these terrible trade deals.”
The Electoral Map Looks Challenging for Trump

With many Republican leaders and elected officials torn between supporting their presumptive nominee and withholding their endorsement as leverage, Mr. Trump sounded torn himself. He said he wanted party unity but was unwilling to abandon the brand of politics and communication that has energized many Americans and divided others. He described his eight million followers on Twitter as a singular “advantage” and indicated that their support mattered more to him than the backing of Mr. Ryan, whose statement last week that he was “not ready” to endorse Mr. Trump led to the meetings Mr. Ryan is organizing on Thursday.

David Winston, a Republican pollster who worked on Newt Gingrich’s presidential campaign in 2012, said Mr. Trump was putting himself at a severe disadvantage in the general election.

“At this point, at a minimum, he’s at least 50 million voters short of what he’s going to need,” Mr. Winston said. “He has created an interesting dynamic in that, during the course of the campaign, he was basically calling those individuals names, which didn’t endear him to their supporters.”

Uniting people behind Mr. Trump is “eminently doable, but it will take significant focus,” he said.

In Mr. Trump’s view, the rallies and the Twitter wars — even when he is punching down against a little-known evangelical leader (Russell Moore of the Southern Baptist Convention) and a cable talk show host (Joe Scarborough of MSNBC), as he did recently — are crowd-pleasers, creating buzz that is critical to dominating the political landscape and overshadowing Mrs. Clinton’s message and attacks. Last week, he kept his commitments for rallies in Nebraska, Oregon and Washington State, even though he already had a lock on the nomination.

“In a Broadway theater, the best, the best, absolute best sale is called ‘word of mouth,’ ” said Mr. Trump, who once dabbled in theater producing. “If people love a Broadway show, it’s better than if you write a good review. Word of mouth is the No. 1 thing. And the word of mouth at my rallies is like, ‘You’ve got to go see it.’ And, you know, one person goes and they talk about it to 20 people.”

Over the coming weeks, Mr. Trump will offer policy speeches, including one on law and order, and another on judges — the latter being, in part, a response to conservatives who have said he cannot be trusted to pick Supreme Court justices.

But Mr. Trump is reluctant to trade in pitchfork populism for something more demure. He was gleeful, in fact, that so much attention was being paid to his Capitol Hill meetings on Thursday.

“Somebody said the paparazzi is going crazy over that meeting,” he said.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com

Is the worst behind Axis Bank post disclosure?

Some of the private sector banks are increasingly looking like public sector ones. After ICICI Bank declared that Rs 44,000 crore are at risk of turning toxic, it was the turn of Axis Bank to declare that it was monitoring Rs 22,600 crore worth of assets, 60% of which can turn non-performing. The result: ICICI Bank reacted negatively to the disclosure, but Axis Bank trades higher.

Part of the reason for no reaction in the market is that the news was already discounted because the disclosure was made at the time of results in April. Further, the maximum stress in Axis Bank’s books is in the power and iron and steel sector. Most of the issues in the power sector are sorted out, especially on the environment and fuel availability fronts. Similarly, iron and steel sector is in a revival mode with the government imposing heavy import duties on cheap imports from China, Japan and South Korea.

According to veteran banker KV Kamath,  the economic growth and asset resolution will take care of the challenge. Kamath pointed out that China, nearly 13 years back, had a non-performing asset of nearly 50% of its GDP. India’s NPAs were then only 5 to 10%, the same proportion as of now.

Indian banks have been disclosing their non-performing assets that were earlier hidden. The sharp rise in provisioning by banks across the board in the final quarter is a result of the change in norms.

In a conference call with analysts, Axis Bank said they are maintaining provision coverage of 70% which adds up to Rs 9,000 crore, much higher than the average of Rs 2,208 crore. Axis Bank’s management pointed out that there is scope of NPA’s increasing from outside the watch list. Accretion to the list can be from small and medium enterprises books and the retail book.

Motilal Oswal, in a note on the bank’s results, has said that with the disclosures, Axis Bank has identified nearly 14% of corporate loans as additional stress. Giving some colour to the watchlist, Motilal Oswal’s report points out that nearly 79% of these loans were disbursed between FY10 to FY12 and 17% were prior to FY09. Iron and steel account for 24% while Power accounts for 23%.

But what is worrying is that out of the known ‘leveraged groups’, nearly 75% of them are outside the watch list. Also, 28 per cent of loans of restructured assets are not in the list.

So is the worst behind Axis Bank now that it has transparently declared its problem assets?

As in the case of ICICI Bank, analysts downgraded their earnings estimate of Axis Bank. Motilal Oswal has downgraded its earnings estimates by 10% for the present fiscal and the next. But given the strength of the bank’s network and presence, the research firm says that the bank is geared up to ride the next growth cycle. Its strong presence in the retail and SME (small and medium enterprises), strong capitalisation of 12.5% and expanding liability franchise makes it rightly positioned to catch the next wave of growth.

Analysts have appreciated the transparency shown by the bank. Angel Broking in its note says that the disclosure by the bank gives better clarity on earnings going ahead; further, the core business of the bank continues to grow strong.

In the analyst community, all seems to have been forgiven for Axis Bank.

Source: http://www.business-standard.com

Google proposes new set of emoji to better represent professional women

A team of four Google employees has developed a set of 13 emoji designed to better represent women in the professional world. In a presentation to the Unicode Consortium, the body that approves and standardizes emoji, the team says the new emoji depict "a wide range of professions for women and men, with a goal of highlighting the diversity of women's careers and empowering girls everywhere."

These aren't just female versions of existing male emoji. The Google team is proposing that new male and female emoji be displayed by combining characters that are already in place; for example, a female farmer would be coded under the hood as woman plus tractor, while a male surgeon would be man plus hospital. The professional fields include business, healthcare, science, education, technology, industry, farming, food service, and music, with the latter category featuring an homage to the late David Bowie.

the Google team cites a recent New York Times op-ed called "Emoji Feminism" as capturing the motivation behind its work, quoting the following excerpt:

    "Where, I wanted to know, was the fierce professor working her way to tenure? Where was the lawyer? The accountant? The surgeon? How was there space for both a bento box and a single fried coconut shrimp, and yet women were restricted to a smattering of tired, beauty-centric roles? This was not a problem for our male emoji brethren. Men were serving on the police force, working construction and being Santa. Meanwhile, on our phones, it was Saturday at the Mall of America —” women shopping while men wrote the checks."

"We believe we can have a larger positive impact by adding 13 new emoji that depict women across a representative sample of professions," the Google team writes. "We believe this will empower young women (the heaviest emoji users), and better reflect the pivotal roles women play in the world."

The team says it would like to get the new emoji standardized by the end of 2016, and it probably has a good shot of achieving that goal — one member, Mark Davis, is co-founder and president of the Unicode Consortium.

Source: http://www.theverge.com

Cong has lost confidence of people in Uttarakhand: BJP

With its hopes of wresting power in Uttarakhand dashed, BJP today lashed out Congress and Rahul Gandhi, saying he should not give sermons as his party has "murdered" democracy by "paying off" legislators and has "lost" the confidence of the people of the state. "Congress, which is a murderer of democracy, is undemocratic and is a champion of corruption, should not give sermons to BJP on democracy. Congress has lost the confidence of people of Uttarakhand by purchasing the majority in the state assembly," BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma alleged.

He said Congress has not just lost its MLAs, but also the confidence of the people of the state, who will give a "befitting" reply to it in the next assembly elections slated a few months away.

"The people will give a befitting reply to Congress for the insult heaped on them," he told reporters.

Sharma claimed the constitutional crisis in Uttarakhand was created because of Congress' "anti-people" policies and due to "anger" of its leaders against the party's central leadership.

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi today termed Rawat's reinstatement as a victory of democracy and voiced hoped that the Prime Minister will "learn the lesson".

"They (BJP) did their worst. We did our best. Democracy won in Uttarakhand.

"Hope the PM learns the lesson that people of India and institutions built by our founding fathers will not tolerate murder of democracy," Rahul said on Twitter.

Attacking Rahul Gandhi, the BJP leader said, "Congress leadership does not meet its own leaders and Chief Ministers, but spends time with anti-national elements who raise anti-India slogans."

Sharma also questioned Rahul for his "silence" on the sting videos purportedly showing Harish Rawat and said "it was shameful" as Congress has "looted" the state.

The BJP leader also accused Rawat of having "sold out Dev Bhoomi" for saving his own chair in the state and for "paying off" lakhs and crores to legislators. "Congress is celebrating today as it is hoping to clean the muck of corruption that it is embroiled in.

"The sting videos have shown how Harish Rawat was paying his MLAs to save his own chair, which made it clear that he trying to sell Uttarakhand," he alleged.

Rawat yesterday won the trust vote in the Assembly and the Supreme Court today put its stamp on it, clearing the decks for his reinstatement.
It was a setback for BJP which had earlier claimed that Rawat would lose the trust vote and it will form government in the state. SKC RT

Source: TOI

UK's refusal to deport Vijay Mallya is a big setback for the Modi government

The decision of the UK government to turn down India’s request to deport liquor-baron Vijay Mallya is a big blow to the Narendra-Modi government and kills any remaining hope for 17 banks, including State Bank of India, to get back Rs 9,000 crore Mallya’s grounded airline, Kingfisher owes to them. This is a classic case of banks and investigative agencies acting too late in a high profile case and ending up letting the defaulter escape the law.

This is also a egg on the face of Modi government, which has hurriedly taken up the issue at bilateral level even before making a foolproof case against Mallya.
Vijay Mallya. Reuters

Vijay Mallya. Reuters

As Firstpost highlighted from the very beginning, the Modi government hurried in this case taking it to a bilateral level even before making a foolproof case against Mallya. It is too difficult to handle now and would even raise questions on the bilateral commitment between India and UK on the cooperation of dealing with offenders.

Mallya has been defiant to the threats of the Indian government to deport him and arrest him in the case and is least shaken even after multiple courts have issued arrest warrants against him in cheque-bouncing cases. This was evident from the tycoon’s interview to UK based Financial Times, where he said ‘they aren’t getting any money by arresting me’ and he is more than happy to stay safe in the UK as the outcry in the UK continues.

Though the UK has offered India further assistance in the case asking the country to request extradition, it wouldn’t be easy for India. Extradition from the UK is a too difficult a process and Mallya can easily fight his case in the UK courts.

If one goes by reports, there are around 131 extradition requests from India in the UK, which involves even wanted criminals. Chances are very little that India can make a convincing case for Mallya’s extradition given that it doesn’t have a foolproof case against him beyond loan default and alleged financial fraud.

Legal experts point out several cases in the past where the Indian government has failed to bring back absconders and criminals (Iqbal Mirchi, Nadeem Saifi and Abu Salem). For someone like Mallya, it wouldn’t be difficult to seek asylum using his money power. This is why the case is going out of hands of India government, which has hurried to take up the case at a bilateral government level before gathering convincing evidences against Mallya.

There is apparent difference between India’s investigating agencies — the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) on the Mallya case.

While the government’s action of cancelling Mallya’s passport and seeking his deportation from UK was primarily due to pressure from ED, CBI has largely remained silent on the case.

Even if India manages to get back Mallya from the UK, it would be difficult to nail him in the court of law unless there is strong evidence of fund diversion by the promoter.

What makes the case even more difficult is the fact that a section of banks, including IDBI, in the lender consortium, has so far maintained that there is no evidence of fund diversion to abroad by Mallya as alleged by ED.

On the whole, this case is going in the Lalit Modi way, where India’s chances are pretty less to get the alleged offender back. Chances of Mallya never returning to the country cannot be ruled out since this case grown far beyond the definitions of a typical banker-borrower default for Modi government, hence the government is politically responsible to take follow up actions.

The possibility of a friendly settlement in the Kiingfisher case is absent since banks have twice rejected Mallya’s offer for partial payment.

The onus, as mentioned earlier, lies on the government and its investigating agencies for letting Mallya flee the country just in time to escape the proceedings of the law. When Mallya left on 2 March, there were already investigations on against him and banks were on the final stages of moving to Supreme Court to seek his detention.

There is very less probability of banks getting back their Rs 9,000 crores form Mallya now, which is ultimately a loss to the taxpayer. There is all probability that the Mallya episode would turn into another version of Lait Modi case.

If Mallya is a lost case for the Indian government, the ones to be blamed are the banks and investigating agencies for acting too late in this case, and the government for acting prematurely. The whole episode raises more questions than answers.

Source: http://www.firstpost.com