Egyptian Court Bans Muslim Brotherhood

CAIRO — An Egyptian court on Monday banned the Muslim Brotherhood and its vast social services network in what could be a devastating blow to the Islamist organization, which swept Mohamed Morsi to the presidency just last year and has fiercely resisted the military coup that ousted him in July.

The far-reaching ruling appears to apply to any group remotely associated with the world’s oldest Islamist movement, granting temporary legal cover to the military-backed government of Gen. Abdel Fatah al-Sissi to broaden a crackdown that has already left the Brotherhood battered.

Hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood supporters have been killed and thousands have been arrested, including Morsi and other top leaders. Authorities have lately reached inside mosques to bar thousands of Islamist-leaning preachers.

The ban covers “all the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood organization, the groups emerging from it, its associations, and any institution that branches from it or follows the group or receives financial support from it,” according to Egypt’s state media outlet, MENA, which offered the only account of a ruling that has not been made public.

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Monday that U.S. officials are seeking further details about the ruling, and she urged all parties to “avoid steps that would undermine” an inclusive political process.

Monday’s ruling is likely to fuel the anger that has begun to erupt in the form of attacks on police and security forces in Egypt’s eastern Sinai region, in its Nile Delta towns and in the heart of Cairo, where a suicide bomber early this month targeted the country’s interior minister, who escaped unhurt.

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- Unknown Updated at: Tuesday, September 24, 2013

JP Morgan Fined a Whooping $920m For London Whale Scandal

Investment bank JP Morgan has been fined a record $920m (£570m) for its conduct in the 'London Whale' trading scandal.

The company lost around $6bn as it failed to "keep watch" over its traders as they overvalued their portfolio to hide large losses.

The bank will pay four different banking regulators, including $220m to the UK's Financial Conduct authority.

This is the second largest fine imposed in banking history.

Emma Simpson reports.

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- Unknown Updated at: Friday, September 20, 2013

Liberian President Honoured With Indira Gandhi Prize

New Delhi: Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was conferred the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development here on Thursday, with India honouring her for being "an example and an inspiration to many women in Africa and beyond".

Sirleaf, who became Africa's first woman head of state in 2006 when she took over as president of her civil war-scarred West African nation of four million people, was given the award by President Pranab Mukherjee at a well-attended function at the historic Durbar Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Sirleaf is the 26th winner of the prize that was first given in 1986. Among those honoured have been presidents, royalty, global leaders, world statesmen and community activists.

Sonia Gandhi, the chairperson of the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust, in her tribute to Sirleaf, said: "Owing to her integrity, good governance, and courage to swim against the tide, it gives me immense pleasure that Her Excellency Dr.Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf’s name is now being added to the distinguished list of recipients of this prize.

"The extraordinary story of her life, her charismatic personality, and her strength of character, are an inspiration to all of us, women and men alike, around the world."

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also paid her handsome tributes, saying, "You have made history as the first elected female head of state in Africa. More importantly, you have set your country on the path of peace, stability, democracy and development after two decades of suppression, violence and conflict."

"Your success shows the hope and promise of your country, your region and your continent. You have therefore richly deserved the accolades and awards that have been bestowed upon you," the Prime Minister said.

He expressed gratitude to her "for hosting a small community of Indians and a growing number of Indian investors in Liberia".

President Pranab Mukherjee called her "a powerful voice for conflict resolution, harmony, peace and democracy in Africa".

The citation said the award was being given to "President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf for serving as an example and an inspiration to many women in Africa and beyond; for ensuring the return of peace, democracy, development, security and order in Liberia; and for her strong interest in the consolidation and improvement of Liberia's relations and India".

IANS

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- Unknown Updated at: Thursday, September 12, 2013

Did N.Korea Restart Yongbyon Nuclear Reactor?

Pyongyang: In what may reignite furore over North Korean nukes, a white steam was seen rising from a building near Pyongyang's Yongbyon nuclear reactor, a US institute report said Thursday.

The BBC cited a report on 38 North website written by US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University according to which the 5 MW reactor of North Korea might have already started function or might do so in few days.

"The reactor looks like it either is or will within a matter of days be fully operational, and as soon as that happens, it will start producing plutonium," the BBC quoted report author Jeffrey Lewis.

According to the report on 38 North website, it is a gas-graphite plutonium production reactor and the colour and the volume of the steam rising from its steam turbines building suggests that the reactor may be "in or nearing operation".

The report comes five months after Pyongyang had threatened to restart its nuclear facility in April amid tensions.

The institute that uses satellite imagery to keep track of North Korean reactor, said in the report that an August 31 image showed that reactor's electricity system was about to come online.

The reactor which can produce 6 kilograms of plutonium a year, was closed by North Korea in July 2007 in compliance with a disarmament-for-aid deal.

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- Unknown Updated at: Thursday, September 12, 2013

Iphone 5C : Much Hyped Price Cut Dissappoints, India Price

Apple launched the iPhone 5S & the iPhone 5C amidst huge hype and brouhaha over its features and pricing, most of which were already leaked out pretty accurately.

We bring to you all the information you would need to know about the iPhone 5S & iPhone 5C.

Apple iPhone 5S Features & Pricing in India

Display & Body

The display on the iPhone 5S remains the same at 4.0 inches with a pixel density of 326 ppi. As expected, the design is also the same as the iPhone 5.

64 bit A7 chip and M7 motion co-processor

The iPhone 5S comes with the new A7 chip which Apple claims to be the world’s first 64 bit desktop-class architecture in a smartphone. Apparently Huawei Ascend D Quad launched in Feb 2012 last year also boasted of a 64 bit chipset.

M7 motion coprocessor gathers data from the accelerometer, gyroscope and compass to offload work from the A7 for improved power efficiency. Apple has allowed developers’ access to the new CoreMotion APIs that take advantage of M7, thus allowing them to create better fitness and activity apps.

Touch ID – Fingerprint Scanner

Built into the home button, Touch ID uses a laser cut sapphire crystal, together with the capacitive touch sensor, to take a high-resolution image at about 550ppi of your fingerprint. Touch ID will allow you to authenticate Appstore purchases and app updates besides providing security lock to the iPhone 5S.

8MP iSight Camera with True Tone Flash

The iPhone 5S boasts of a new 8MP iSight camera, which features a larger f/2.2 aperture and a new, larger sensor with 1.5μ pixels for better sensitivity and low-light performance. The camera has capability to shoot 10 frames-per-second in burst mode, and 120 frames-per-second slow motion video at 720p.

The dual LED Flash, called the True Tone Flash by Apple adjusts colour and intensity for over 1,000 combinations to give better images under dark light conditions.

Colours

The new iPhone 5S now comes in three new different colours called Gold, Silver and Space Grey. Apple has also introduced new leather covers for the device with 6 colours to choose from i.e. beige, black, blue, brown, yellow and red.

iOS 7

The iPhone 5S comes with iOS 7, Apple’s latest redesigned UI along with the option to download the iWorks apps Suite for free which includes iPhoto, iMovie, Pages, Numbers and Keynote apps that are otherwise paid for apps.

Availability and Pricing

The iPhone 5S is priced at $199 for 16GB, $299 for 32GB and $399 for 64GB on two-year contract in the US, while you can expect it to be priced at around Rs. 50,000 in India for the 16GB version and upwards for the others.

The iPhone 5S will be available starting Sep 20th in the US, while it is expected to be made available in India sometime during mid-November.

Apple iPhone 5C Features & Pricing in India

Body & Design

The iPhone 5C comes in a new polycarbonate shell design which we feel, resembles the Nokia Lumia 620 a bit. It’s available in five colours viz, blue, green, pink, yellow and white.

Other Features

It sports the same features as the iPhone 5 which include:

4.0 inch Retina display
8MP iSight Camera
The A6 chip
iOS 7

The iPhone 5C comes with iOS 7, Apple’s latest redesigned UI along with the option to download the iWorks apps suite for free which includes iPhoto, iMovie, Pages, Numbers and Keynote apps that are otherwise paid apps.

Pricing & Availability

The iPhone 5C is priced at $99 for 16GB and $199 for the 32 GB version, both on a two year contract in the US. The iPhone 5C is expected to be priced at around Rs. 35,000 in India.

While the iPhone 5C will be made available in the US on the 20th of September, it is expected to arrive in India only by the mid week of November.

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- Unknown Updated at: Thursday, September 12, 2013

Syria Welcomes The Russian Proposal To Handover Chem. Weapons

Moscow: Syria has "welcomed" Russia's proposal for President Bashar al-Assad's regime to put chemical weapons under international control, CNN reported on Monday.

Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had told reporters that Russia will urge Syria to put its chemical weapons supply under international control if it doing so would avert U.S. military action.

Lavrov had called for international talks in Moscow to avert a military strike and end Syria's two-year-old conflict.

Speaking in Moscow alongside his Syrian counterpart, Lavrov blamed US-backed rebels in Syria for preventing a peace conference in Geneva.

Reports also said that Russia had pressed upon the UN atomic agency to report on the nuclear risk of air strikes on Syria in efforts to stave off possible US attack.

Two diplomats said Russian envoy Grigory Berdennikov urged action on an earlier request in comments today to the International Atomic Energy Agency's 35-nation board.

A confidential letter from the Russian foreign ministry to IAEA chief Yukiya Amano obtained by The Associated Press today warns of the "catastrophic" consequences of a strike on a research reactor near Damascus.

The diplomats, who were inside the closed meeting, demanded anonymity because they were not authorised to report on the discussion.

The IAEA has said it is assessing Russia's request.

With agency inputs

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- Unknown Updated at: Monday, September 09, 2013

Serena Williams Nails The 17th Grand Slam, Matches Federer

It has been 14 years since Serena Williams won her first US Open but there was no hint of decline as the 31-year-old American outlasted Victoria Azarenka to claim her fifth US Open singles title on Sunday.

Initially frustrated by a swirling wind at Arthur Ashe Stadium and shaken by Azarenka's second set comeback from 4-1 down, Williams regained the momentum in the third set with her power and range of strokes propelling her to a 17th grand slam title.

Williams will be 32 later this month but she seems far from even contemplating life after tennis. "I feel great. I have never felt better. I feel really fit," she said.

"I can play a tournament like this, singles, doubles, with tough, tough schedules. For the most part, I felt really good. "I haven't felt like this in a number of years. I'm excited about the possibilities. I don't know what can happen. I just keep playing and do the best that I can."

Certainly Azarenka, who put up a brave fight throughout and looks easily the most likely to take over Williams' mantle whenever she does retire, had no doubts about the qualities of her opponent.

"She's a champion, and she knows how to repeat that. She knows what it takes to get there," said the Belarussian. "I think it's incredible what she's achieving. She's playing definitely her best tennis right now. It is just really exciting for me to be able to compete against that type of player who can be the greatest of all time."

The 17th slam victory puts Williams on a par with Roger Federer among contemporary players of both genders and brings her within one title of Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert, the fourth most successful women of all-time.

"It's an honor to be even with Roger," said Williams, "He's been such a great champion throughout the years, and he's just an unbelievable competitor and he's still playing, and he can probably still win more. ... "He's just been so incredibly consistent, so we have had really different careers," Williams said.

"Then to be compared with Chrissy and Martina - not yet, because I'm still not quite there yet. I can't necessarily compare myself to them, because, you know, numbers-wise they're still greater."

$50 MILLION

But while she is willing to contemplate history, she is less fond of thinking about what all her success has brought her. Williams picked up $3.6 million in prize money for her win combined with her bonus from securing the US Open Series of events, which took her past the $50 million mark in career prize money. "I don't play tennis for the money. I honestly love to play. I love grand slams," she said.

"When I grew up playing tennis in Compton, I just never thought about any of this. I didn't even know all this came with everything. "I think my dad got me into tennis because of the money, but me being naive and silly, I never thought about it." Winning was always the aim, she said. "I wanted to do what (sister) Venus does. I want to win and I want to do more and I want to do more," Williams said.

"To this day I have never ever picked up a check in my life. I remember back in the day before wiring they used to mail it because I just would forget it. "Someone told me today I passed 50 (million), but half of that goes to my Uncle Sam. I love him. I'm always giving him half my money," she said with a smile. What Williams does appreciate though is her ability to have been a winner at Arthur Ashe Stadium from the age of 17 to 31.

"I have won this tournament over three decades, '90s, the 2000s, and this one. You can only do that when you're younger and older, so I'm happy that I have had this opportunity."

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- Unknown Updated at: Monday, September 09, 2013

Wrestling Back On Olympics 2020, Fought Tough To Be Back

Wrestling was reinstated into the Olympic programme for the 2020 and 2024 Games on Sunday, beating baseball/softball and squash after the ancient sport underwent sweeping reforms since being provisionally dropped in February.

Wrestling obtained a majority of 49 votes in a secret ballot among 95 members of the International Olympic Committee after all three sports had made a 20-minute presentation.

Baseball/softball, not on the programme since 2008, got 24 votes. Squash, bidding to become a new Olympic sport, had to settle for 22.

Wrestling was dropped by the IOC executive board in February 2013, but got into a shortlist with the other two in order to get back into the Games through widespread reform and lobbying from many countries including an unlikely Russia-Iran-U.S. alliance.

The vote came after a proposal from Canadian member Dick Pound was rejected to postpone the decision for five months until the Session ahead of the Sochi Winter Games in order to allow a new sport into the programme.

Earlier, the IOC approved the 25 core sports at Summer Games with a 77-16 majority. Rugby sevens and golf will be added in 2016 and wrestling now brings the number of sports back to the maximum 28.

“Thank you for this opportunity of saving our sport. This is the most important day in our 3,000-year history. Remaining in the Olympics is crucial for wrestling’s survival,” new wrestling federation FILA president Nenad Lalovic told the IOC.

Former U.S. Olympic chief and 1988 Games wrestler Jim Scherr said that the ancient sport is practiced among 30 million people in 177 countries.

Scherr said that FILA has undergone “extraordinary progress” since being provisionally dropped by the IOC in February, changing its leadership, bringing athletes and women into executive positions and revising competition formats and scoring.

“We made mistakes and admitted to them,” Lalovic said as wrestling had to field many questions from IOC members.

Baseball/softball lobbied with being played by 65 million people around the world, and with black-and-white footage of legendary players Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig for a return after being dropped following the 2008 Games.

“Give young people a chance to play our game at your Games,” federation co-president Don Porter tearfully pleaded to the IOC, while the son of former Cuban president Fidel Castro, Antonio Castro, named it “not just a sport but a business and a culture.”

Squash federation president N. Ramachandran named his sport the only new one on the shortlist which “represents the future and not the past” and “is more than ready to join the Olympics.” Practiced in 185 countries and boasting world champions from all continents, the presentation included Egyptian world champion Ramy Ashour and highlighted the sport being played in glass cages at exciting locations such as the Pyramids.

But wrestling eventually won and will also benefit from large income through the IOC which distributes a large chunk of its earnings to the sports federations competing in summer and winter Games.

In his final report to a session, outgoing IOC president Jacques Rogge said that federations received 728 million dollars from the 2010 and 2012 Games, a huge increase to the 211 million for 1998 and 2000.

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- Unknown Updated at: Sunday, September 08, 2013

Russia Prepares Its Fleet At Syrian Shore

The Russian military is bracing for what is seen as an imminent U.S. strike in Syria even as Moscow warned that the attack could trigger a nuclear Armageddon.

In addition to five warships deployed in the East Mediterranean, Russia, in recent days, has sent six more ships to the region, including the guided missile cruiser Moskva.

On Wednesday, Russia placed on heightened alert the Central Command Post of the General Staff, the Aerospace Defence command and the country’s intelligence agencies, Defence Ministry officials said.

Armed Forces Chief-of-Staff Valery Gerasimov cancelled a planned visit to Austria on Wednesday, while Deputy Defence Minister Anatoly Antonov summoned the U.S. and Israeli military attaches over a test launch of an Israeli missile on Tuesday.

Mr. Antonov described the region a “powder keg” and warned that its fire “may spread, not only to neighbouring states, but to other regions of the world.”

The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a stark warning that a U.S. strike on Syria’s nuclear facilities might result in a nuclear catastrophe.

“If a warhead, by design or by chance, were to hit the Miniature Neutron Source Reactor (MNSR) near Damascus, the consequences could be catastrophic," Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said in a statement.

The region would face the risk of “contamination by highly enriched uranium and it would be virtually impossible to account for nuclear material at the facility, its control and safety,” the Russian statement said.

Moscow urged the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to “react swiftly” and carry out “an analysis of the risks linked to possible American strikes on the MNSR and other facilities in Syria.”

Russia intends to bring up the issue at a 35-nation IAEA board meeting that opens on Monday, the Interfax news agency said.

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- Unknown Updated at: Thursday, September 05, 2013

US Senate Backs Attack On Syria

WASHINGTON — The Senate took a crucial step Wednesday toward authorizing a punitive strike on Syria but deep reluctance was evident in the House, where lawmakers questioned whether the U.S. was in danger of being drawn into another Middle East war.

President Obama, who announced Saturday that he would seek legislative backing for military action in response to Syria's alleged use of chemical weapons, sought to raise the pressure on Congress as well as U.S. allies, warning that their reputations were at stake.

"My credibility's not on the line. The international community's credibility's on the line. And America and Congress' credibility's on the line," Obama said during a visit to Stockholm.

Administration officials have repeatedly compared Syrian President Bashar Assad to Saddam Hussein and Adolf Hitler, and said he needs to be deterred from using chemical weapons again.

On a 10-7 vote, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved a resolution to authorize U.S. missile strikes. The committee chairman, Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), said Congress should "make sure Assad understands he can't just wait us out, use chemical weapons and face no consequences."

Several senators from both parties, including opponents of the resolution, predicted the Senate would approve it next week. Yet the Senate's conflicted views were clear in the vote, which saw Democrats and Republicans on each side. Menendez and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) supported the resolution, while conservative Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) voted with liberal Tom Udall (D-N.M.) against it.

Serious doubts on U.S. military action were aired in a hearing in the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) and other lawmakers repeatedly asked about the risks of U.S. involvement in Syria's civil war, while Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) questioned why the United States should side with Syrian rebels when "radical Islamists" make up most of their forces.

Obama, meanwhile, insisted he was not alone in demanding a response to the alleged use of chemical weapons in the suburbs of Damascus on Aug. 21, but was joined by nations that signed treaties banning chemical weapons and by Congress, which ratified them. "I didn't set a red line; the world set a red line" he said. "That wasn't something I just kind of made up."

The Senate committee's resolution limits any U.S. mission to 90 days and prohibits the use of ground troops...

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- Unknown Updated at: Thursday, September 05, 2013

Russia Warns America Of Catastrophic Consequences on Syria Attack

Russia on Tuesday warned a military intervention in Syria could have "catastrophic consequences" for the region and called on the international community to show "prudence" over the crisis.

"Attempts to bypass the Security Council, once again to create artificial groundless excuses for a military intervention in the region are fraught with new suffering in Syria and catastrophic consequences for other countries of the Middle East and North Africa," a foreign ministry spokesman said.

"We are calling on our American partners and all members of the world community to demonstrate prudence (and) strict observance of international law, especially the fundamental principles of the UN Charter," ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said in a statement.

Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, who is known for his sharp tongue, said on Twitter that "the West behaves towards the Islamic world like a monkey with a grenade."

Earlier Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said that Moscow regretted Monday's decision by the US to postpone a meeting on the Syria crisis, as Western powers mulled military action over last week's chemical attack in Syria.

The scrapping of the meeting, which was due to take place at The Hague later in the week, is the latest sign of a new peak in tensions between Moscow and the West over the possibility of military strikes against President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

"It arouses regret that our partners decided to cancel the bilateral meeting," Gatilov said on Twitter. "Working out the parameters of a political solution in Syria would have been especially helpful right now, when military action is hanging over this country," Gatilov said.

In such a climate, it was especially important to work in concert to try to organise the repeatedly postponed peace conference bringing together the Damascus regime and the rebels, Lukashevich said.

"However, the United States' decision to postpone the meeting in The Hague is sending precisely the opposite signal to the opposition, encouraging their intransigence as they await outside intervention," he said.

Western countries including the United States are considering their response to an alleged chemical weapons attack by Assad's regime on August 21.

On Monday Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov condemned the "hysteria" over the claimed chemical attack and said the West had yet to come up with proof that Assad's regime was behind it. He also said Russia would not get involved in a military conflict in Syria.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told British Prime Minister David Cameron in a telephone call on Monday there was no evidence yet that the Syrian regime had used chemical weapons against rebels, Cameron's office said.

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- Unknown Updated at: Wednesday, September 04, 2013

No Attack On Syria means US Risks Loosing Allies

The United States risks not only losing its international allies and friends, but also its credibility at the world stage if no military action is taken against the Bashar al-Assad regime for alleged use of chemical weapons, the Obama Administration has told American lawmakers.

"If we fail to act, we're going to have fewer allies. We are going to have fewer people that count on us, certainly in the region," Secretary of State John Kerry told the US Senate. Kerry, who has spent hours talking to world leaders over phone after the alleged chemical

attack in Syria on August 21 that killed more than 1,400 people, said on Tuesday that the credibility of US is at stake.

"It's fair to say that our interests would be seriously set back in many respects if we are viewed as not capable, or willing to follow through on the things that we say matter to us," the Secretary of State said.

Describing the use of chemical weapons a violation of the world's "red line", Kerry said that no action by the US would set a dangerous precedent.

"We would be opening Pandora's box with respect to a whole set of dangerous consequences as a result of the United States not keeping its word. And it would make our life very, very difficult with respect to North Korea and Iran," he said.

Congressional debate on President Barack Obama's request for authorisation to strike Syria intensified as Kerry, Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel and General Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff, briefed the lawmakers on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

"A refusal to act would undermine the credibility of America's other security commitments, including the president's commitment to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. The word of the United States must mean something. It is vital currency in foreign relations and international and allied commitments," Hagel told lawmakers at a Senate hearing on Syria.

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- Unknown Updated at: Wednesday, September 04, 2013