Trump Shooting Suspect Isn't Republican Or Democratic But An Independent Voter

Social media users are variously claiming the man accused of planning to assassinate Donald Trump in Florida is registered as a Republican or a Democratic voter, but public records indicate he is currently neither.

Numerous posts tying the alleged plot to political parties ricocheted across platforms after Ryan Wesley Routh was foiled Sunday when a Secret Service agent spotted his rifle protruding from bushes while the former US president was playing golf nearby.

Many claims centred on Routh, 58, saying in one 2020 post that Trump was his "choice" in 2016 but had disappointed him as president, adding: "I will be glad when you gone (sic)."

However, Patrick Gannon, public information director for the North Carolina State Board of Elections, told AFP that Routh requested an absentee ballot in 2016, but did not actually vote.

Data from North Carolina shows Routh -- a self-employed builder now based in Hawaii with a decades-long arrest record -- is actively registered as an unaffiliated, or independent, voter in the swing state. He most recently cast an in-person ballot during the 2024 Democratic primary.

Routh was removed from the rolls in 2003 following a felony conviction, re-registered in 2005 as an unaffiliated voter, but was removed again in 2010 after another felony conviction, Gannon said.

In 2012, Routh submitted his current registration as unaffiliated.

In a book he self-published in 2023 about the war in Ukraine, Routh maintained he was politically independent.

"I get so tired of people asking me if I am a Democrat or Republican as I refuse to be put in a category and I must always answer independent," he wrote.

Scattered social media posts on Routh's since-suspended X account show his political opinions shifting over time, with support shown for both Trump and President Joe Biden, as well as Bernie Sanders and Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman turned Trump adviser.

In several posts earlier this year, Routh called for a Republican presidential ticket featuring entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley.

He has also posted fervently about his support for Ukraine's fight against Russia's invasion, and in 2022 was interviewed by AFP while demonstrating in Kyiv.

AFP photos from his Hawaii home show a Biden-Harris bumper sticker -- the decal Biden used before dropping out of the race -- on the back of a truck in the driveway.

Electoral information indicates he is a registered voter in Hawaii, as well as North Carolina.

A spokesperson for the City and County of Honolulu said Routh was registered there and that his status is active. The authorities do not collect information on voters' party affiliation, the official added.

Federal Election Commission data shows various small-dollar donations from a Ryan Routh in Hawaii to 2020 Democratic presidential candidates including Gabbard, Andrew Yang, Elizabeth Warren, Tom Steyer and Beto O'Rourke.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Opinion: BJP Faces Three Big Challenges In Haryana

With the final date for nominations closing in Haryana, frenzied campaigning has begun in the state, which will vote on October 5. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is grappling with a triple anti-incumbency situation and is fighting an uphill battle in an election where the Congress is considered the favourite to win.

Although trends in both Lok Sabha and assembly elections are not favourable for the BJP, the 2024 general elections demonstrate that no election in India is a foregone conclusion until the last vote is counted.

As of September 12, there were 1,745 candidates in the fray - about 20 per seat - with the final date for withdrawal set for September 16. The ticket distribution has sparked rebellion, particularly within the BJP, while the Congress has faced less dissent. Many candidates who were denied tickets have filed nominations as independents. The BJP has replaced 15 MLAs, while Congress has not re-nominated three.

With five main parties contesting - Congress, BJP, Indian National Lok Dal-Bahujan Samaj Party, Jannayak Janta Party-Azad Samaj Party, and Aam Aadmi Party-approximately 15 candidates from smaller parties and independents have filed their papers. Over the next few days, parties will attempt to persuade rebels to withdraw their nominations.

Haryana is experiencing several competing and parallel trends. No party has won a third consecutive term in the state since its inception in 1966. However, the BJP, which replaced its Chief Minister just before the general elections, has never lost an election when employing this strategy - evident in Gujarat, Uttarakhand, and Tripura.

The BJP faces anti-incumbency on three fronts: the central government, the state government and Chief Minister, and local MLAs.

The first level of anti-incumbency partially manifested in the general elections. Discontent among voters arose from the mishandling of farmers' protests. 61% of farmers (up 20 percentage points, or pp) supported the INDIA bloc, with many belonging to the influential Jat community, exacerbating the party's troubles.

Women were displeased with the BJP's inaction against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh despite sexual harassment charges by wrestlers. As many as 49% of women (up 20 pp) voted against the BJP. Notably, 20% of the Olympic team representing India in Paris hailed from Haryana.

Youth protests against the new Agniveer Scheme of the armed forces went unaddressed by the BJP. 11% of soldiers in the Indian army come from Haryana, and 47% of voters aged 18-25 years supported the INDIA bloc.

These issues led to significant losses for the BJP in Haryana. The party, which won all 10 seats in 2019, saw its tally dropping to five seats in 2024, with the Congress winning the other five. The BJP's vote share decreased by 12 pp, while Congress gained 16 pp. The BJP led in 44 assembly segments (down 35 from 2019), while the INDIA bloc led in 46 (up 36).

State Level Anti-Incumbency

The second level of anti-incumbency is directed at the Chief Minister and state government. The BJP replaced Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar just six months before the state polls. Khattar was the face of the BJP's anti-dominant caste politics strategy, which had previously succeeded in Maharashtra and Jharkhand after the 2014 victory.

However, the party nominated OBC Nayab Singh Saini instead of someone from the Jat community, failing to placate the influential caste. Haryana has one of the highest unemployment rates in India, according to CMIE, and an inflation rate of 4.12% for August 2024, compared to the all-India average of 3.65%. Unemployment and price rises were top issues in the 2024 general elections.

The Congress has criticised the BJP government for a significant rise in crime. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report for 2022 shows a troubling 17.6% increase in criminal cases, totalling 2.43 lakh cases. Haryana, after Delhi, has the second-highest number of crimes against women in the country.

Local MLA Anti-Incumbency

The third level of anti-incumbency is against the local MLAs. In state elections, the local candidate is crucial, as 36% of voters considered this the primary factor in the 2014 state polls, according to a CSDS post-poll study.

To address this, the BJP has dropped 15 MLAs and changed the seats for three others, including the Chief Minister, resulting in a 37% denial/replacement ratio. New candidates have been fielded in 57 seats, nearly two-thirds of the assembly, to dilute local anti-incumbency.

Haryana has a history of punishing incumbent MLAs. In the 2019 state elections, the BJP repeated 34 of its 47 sitting MLAs, and half of them lost. The Congress repeated all its MLAs, with half also losing. Out of the 49 repeated MLAs by Congress and BJP, half lost their elections.

Another worrisome trend for the BJP is its tendency to lose seats and vote share in state elections held after general elections. In Haryana, BJP led in 52 assembly segments in the 2014 general elections, which dropped to 47 in the state polls held six months later. In 2019, the party led in 79 assembly segments, which fell to 40 in the state polls. Its Lok Sabha vote share of 58% reduced to 37% in state polls.

The Congress is currently favoured to win Haryana according to initial surveys. However, with elections becoming increasingly complex and pollsters having struggled in both the 2023 state and 2024 general elections, no election in India is a sure thing until the last vote is counted. BJP supporters hope for an upset similar to the 2023 results in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh or a hung verdict due to smaller parties' influence. A fascinating contest is on the horizon.

(Amitabh Tiwari is a political strategist and commentator. In his earlier avatar, he was a corporate and investment banker.)

Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author

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Meta To Start Using Public Posts On Facebook, Instagram In UK To Train AI

Meta Platforms will begin training its AI models using public content shared by adults on Facebook and Instagram in the UK over the coming months, the company said, after it had paused the training in the region following a regulatory backlash.

The company will use public posts including photos, captions and comments to train its generative artificial intelligence models, it said on Friday, adding that the training content will not include private messages or information from accounts of users under the age of 18.

The update follows Meta's decision in mid-June to pause the launch of its AI models in Europe after the Irish privacy regulator told the company to delay its plan to harness data from social media posts.

The company had then said the delay would also allow it to address requests from Britain's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

"Since we paused training our generative AI models in the UK to address regulatory feedback, we've engaged positively with the ICO ... this clarity and certainty will help us bring AI at Meta products to the UK much sooner," Meta said on Friday.

Facebook and Instagram users in the UK will start receiving in-app notifications from next week explaining the company's procedure and how users can object to their data being used for the training, Meta added.

Meta has made changes to its approach since it paused the plans in June, the ICO said in a statement, adding the company has simplified the way users can object to the processing of their data and has extended the window in which they can do so.

In June, Meta's plans faced backlash from advocacy group NOYB, which urged national privacy watchdogs across Europe to stop such use of social media content, saying the notifications were insufficient to meet EU's stringent privacy and transparency rules.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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"Women Judges Need To Be Tougher Because...": Justice Hima Kohli To NDTV

Justice Hima Kohli (retired), who has always been vocal about women's rights and is considered a tough judge, recently retired from the Supreme Court. In an exclusive conversation with NDTV, Justice Kohli spoke on a range of issues from her long experience in the legal profession.

"Women judges need to be tougher because they face more difficulties in the judiciary. It was very difficult to become a woman judge back in the 1980s. Women also face many difficulties in advocacy," Justice Kohli told NDTV.

She was the ninth woman judge in the history of the Supreme Court, and the first woman judge in the Delhi High Court.

Justice Kohli has been known as a tough judge, and has been part of many historic decisions, with a focus on women's rights.

Explaining some of the difficulties that women face, Justice Kohli said first and foremost they have to take care of family and children. "Why should only women judges run family courts, child welfare, etc? Women judges should get jurisdiction in other areas too... Gender bias as far as bench composition is concerned is absolutely abhorrent. They face problems in working on criminal cases... First-generation lawyers face the biggest challenge as they do not have any resources, office or anyone to handle files," she said.

"A woman choosing to be a lawyer was difficult in itself. While judicial officers had it easier to make it to the bench, going to the bench from the bar was more difficult for a woman lawyer," Justice Kohli told NDTV.

"How well you handle any situation could determine if you reach there. As a judge, I never had a problem with my colleagues. Senior peers were quite supportive," she said.

She asked the public to keep their trust in the Supreme Court as judges listen to their conscience. Though there have been controversial cases, it is only natural for judges to make mistakes sometimes as they are also human, Justice Kohli said.

She praised the use of virtual hearings as it has enabled justice to reach the homes of the common people directly.

On professionalism, Justice Kohli said it is important for judges to see everyone equally. "Whatever kind of relationship you have with someone outside, you should not cross the line. Mutual relations should not come in the way of work. As judges, we have to look only at the merit of the case and not the face," Justice Kohli said.
 
She pointed at the need for judges to be aware of what's happening in today's world and not to stay disconnected. "Judges should know the problems of the common people. While judges are not on social media, it is important to be aware of what's happening online," Justice Kohli said.

She said her advice to young lawyers would be to sit in court in their free time, or head to the library and not the canteen. "If there is no case, do not sit at home," she said.

Justice Kohli said she was fond of writing poetry, but had to keep some things on the backburner after becoming a judge, which she served for 18 years, as she had to spend a lot of time writing judgments.

She learnt gardening from her sister, and has been an avid music listener, but that gradually faded away after becoming a judge due to workload, Justice Kohli said, adding listening to music in the car was a rarity.

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Another Hit-And-Run In Mumbai, Teen Dead After Speeding Car Rams Bike

A 17-year-old boy died and another teenager was injured after a speeding car hit a bike from behind in Mumbai suburb Dahisar Friday evening. Police have registered a case under multiple sections of Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, including causing death by negligence, and the Motor Vehicles Act. A search is on for the car that hit the bike.

The past few months have seen several deaths due to hit-and-run in the Maximum City and other cities in Maharashtra. Many of them turned out to be high-profile cases involving relatives of political leaders or businessmen, and luxury cars such as BMW or Porsche.

In the latest incident, Karan Rajput and his friend Aditya were riding from Dahisar to Kandivli on a two-wheeler. A speeding car hit the bike from behind, leaving the two teenagers seriously injured. They were rushed to a hospital, where Aditya died during treatment. Karan's condition is critical and he is being treated.

Police have registered a case under sections of the Motor Vehicles Act and the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita. The charges include death due to negligent act, putting human life at risk, and rash driving.

Police are now scanning footage of CCTV cameras on the route to identify the vehicle and track it down. A special team has been formed to handle the case.

According to preliminary information, the speeding car hit the bike from behind while overtaking. According to an official, the two teenagers were thrown off in opposite directions and crashed high on the ground. The victim, Aditya, suffered head injuries and was heavily bleeding when he was rushed to the hospital. He died soon after.

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"Tu Suicide Kar Le": Paralympian Navdeep Singh Shares Heartbreaking Tale

Competing in the men's javelin throw F41 category, India's Navdeep Singh clinched the gold medal in the Paris Paralympic Games. Once taunted for his condition (Dwarfism), Navdeep earned India its first-ever Paralympics medal in the F41 men's javelin throw category. Back home after his heroics in Paris, Navdeep has emerged as a celebrated figure, with even Prime Minister Narendra Modi singing his praises. In an interview, however, Navdeep shared a heartbreaking tale when asked about the motivation behind his performances.

Navdeep revealed that he was asked to commit suicide as he would not be able to do anything in life, because of his condition.

"Aapko kya lagta hai hume hausla kaha se aata hai? Jab wo bolte hain ki tu kuch nahi kar sakta. Isse acha to tu suicide kar le. Ye kya jeewan hai tera [Where do you think we get our courage from? When they say you can't do anything. It's better if you just commit suicide. What kind of life is this for you?]," Navdeep recalled, during Shubhankar Mishra's podcast.

Navdeep also paid tribute to his father who stood by him at every step, and motivated him to do well in life despite the challenges that he encountered.

"Shuruwat unhone karwai thi. Har jagah saath they [He was the one who got me started. He was with me every step of the way]," Navdeep said about his father, who sadly passed away before he could see his son make history on the global stage.

Question: Motivation कहां से मिलता है ?
Answer: #NavdeepSingh pic.twitter.com/JMkKQNKZAB

— Shubhankar Mishra (@shubhankrmishra) September 13, 2024

Navdeep was one of India's top performers in the Paris Paralympics, producing a distance of 47.32 meters in the final, that also had its share of controversy over the Iranian athlete's gesture.

Navdeep's gold medal performance isn't just an achievement for him and the country, but also a lesson for those who doubted his ability to succeed almost his entire life and pulled him down rather than giving him the courage to push for bigger things.

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(If you need support or know someone who does, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist.)

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World's Top 10 Most-Visited Theme Parks

As the global tourism industry continues its recovery from the pandemic, theme parks worldwide are experiencing significant growth. The sector grew by 2.9% in 2024 and 3% in 2023, according to the World Economic Outlook Report.

The latest data from the Theme Index Report by the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) and AECOM Economics & Advisory highlights Disney's continued dominance in the theme park industry. Disney operates eight of the top 10 most-visited parks globally for the 2023-24 period.

Leading the pack, Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom in Orlando retained its title as the most-visited theme park, drawing 17.7 million guests. Disneyland Park in Anaheim followed, with just under 17.2 million visitors. Universal Studios Japan in Osaka ranked third with 16 million attendees, while Tokyo Disneyland came fourth, hosting 15 million visitors.

Overall, theme park attendance surged by 23% in 2023, with over 240 million visitors, marking a notable increase from the previous year. The top 10 theme parks alone contributed significantly to this rise, with the combined total for the top 10 theme park operator groups reaching 512.3 million visitors.

World's 10 most-visited theme parks in 2023-24:
 Rank Theme Park                    Location                           Attendance (in millions)

Disney's Magic Kingdom         Orlando, Florida, USA            17.7
Disneyland Park    Anaheim    California, USA                       17.3
Universal Studios Japan         Osaka, Japan                          16.0
Tokyo Disneyland                  Tokyo, Japan                             15.1
Shanghai Disneyland            Shanghai, China                       14.0
Chimelong Ocean Kingdom   Zhuhai, China                          12.5
Tokyo DisneySea                   Tokyo, Japan                            12.4
EPCOT                                 Orlando, USA                             12.0
Paris Disneyland Park         Marne-la-Vallee, France              10.4

Disney's Hollywood Studios Orlando, USA                              10.3

Chinese theme parks saw dramatic increases in attendance due to eased Covid restrictions. Chimelong Ocean Kingdom saw a 184.5% rise in visitors, Zigong Fantawild Dino Kingdom saw a 178% increase, Shanghai Disneyland experienced a 164% boost, Chimelong Paradise observed a 142% uptick, and Universal Studios Beijing saw a 109% gain.

In a historic first, Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi entered the global top 25 theme parks, securing the 17th spot with 1.75 million annual visitors, underscoring the growing appeal of Middle Eastern attractions.

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Indian Man Working With Russian Military Amid War With Ukraine Returns Home

Mohammed Sufiyan, a Telangana native who ended up working as a support staff for the Russian army after being duped by an employment agent, returned home on September 14. The return of Sufiyan (22), who belongs to the Narayanpet district, ends the agonising wait of his family members who were worried about his safety as he was helping the Russian military in its war with Ukraine.

Mr Sufiyan said he was promised a security-related job and not told about having to help the troops in the war. He was told that he would have to undergo training for three months after which his salary would increase.

Mr Sufiyan, who left India in November last year, has been working for the Russian military as a support staff.

Speaking to PTI in July this year, Sufiyan's brother Salman hoped for his brother's early return home following PM Narendra Modi's visit to Russia.

Russia had agreed to India's demand to ensure early release of Indian nationals working with the Russian military as support staff after PM Modi "very strongly" raised the issue with President Vladimir Putin during his visit. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Indian Man Working With Russian Military Amid War With Ukraine Returns Home

Mohammed Sufiyan, a Telangana native who ended up working as a support staff for the Russian army after being duped by an employment agent, returned home on September 14. The return of Sufiyan (22), who belongs to the Narayanpet district, ends the agonising wait of his family members who were worried about his safety as he was helping the Russian military in its war with Ukraine.

Mr Sufiyan said he was promised a security-related job and not told about having to help the troops in the war. He was told that he would have to undergo training for three months after which his salary would increase.

Mr Sufiyan, who left India in November last year, has been working for the Russian military as a support staff.

Speaking to PTI in July this year, Sufiyan's brother Salman hoped for his brother's early return home following PM Narendra Modi's visit to Russia.

Russia had agreed to India's demand to ensure early release of Indian nationals working with the Russian military as support staff after PM Modi "very strongly" raised the issue with President Vladimir Putin during his visit. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Opinion: Kerala: Pinarayi Vijayan May Have A 'Trojan Horse' In His Ranks

A week is a long time in politics, and the last few days in Kerala have proven that yet again. August 31 saw the dramatic removal of Kannur strongman E.P. Jayarajan from his exalted position as the convener of the Left Front. Although many saw that coming in light of the Communist Party of India-Marxist's (CPI-M) performance in the Lok Sabha election - Jayarajan faced heavy criticism for it - the timing took everyone by surprise.

Sources within the party revealed that it couldn't wait any longer as the CPI(M) was beginning its triennial cycle of branch, local, area and district committee meetings in the run-up to the state conference in February, to be followed by the 'Party Congress' to follow in April. The party doesn't generally take disciplinary action against its leaders once the calendar is set in motion.

The Many Allegations Against Jayarajan

Seeing red, Jayarajan quickly proceeded to vacate the flat provided to state secretariat members of CPI(M) and left for his native Kannur the next day, without waiting to partake in the party state committee meeting scheduled for September 1. Mathrubhumi reported that the decision to oust Jayarajan was taken in the meeting of four Kerala Politburo members of the CPI(M) - Pinarayi Vijayan, M.A. Baby, A. Vijayaraghavan and M.V. Govindan - where the chief minister was overruled over by the others through a majority of 3-1.

Jayarajan had been cutting a sorry figure ever since he began acting up after the elevation in 2022 of Govindan, his junior, as the state secretary of the CPI(M). The sulking had gone to the extent of not fulfilling his duties as the Left convener. To make things worse, he was accused of amassing wealth by fellow Kannur strongman P. Jayarajan, pointing out that his wife and son owned shares of the Vaidekam resort in Kannur. He was further pushed on the back foot when it came to light that the Rajeev Chandrasekhar-backed 'Niramaya' had taken over the operations of the resort following the revelation.

The BJP Link

Things came to a head when prominent state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sobha Surendran accused him of parlaying with the Kerala BJP in-charge Prakash Javadekar. Jayarajan confirmed it on April 26, the day Kerala voted for the Lok Sabha election. It also did not help his case that he had talked up the chances of the BJP candidates in the Lok Sabha polls when the CPI(M) had made its non-compromising attitude with the party the prime poll focus. All this, coupled with Left ally Communist Party of India (CPI)'s discomfort with Jayarajan, had made his position untenable-although he was expected to keep his chair till at least the party's state conference in February.

It may be recalled here that E.P. Jayarajan's biggest calling card was his unflinching loyalty to Pinarayi Vijayan over the years. In a 2014 interview with Malayala Manorama, Jayarajan had recalled how he met Vijayan as a student leader in 1963 and how the duo had remained close since then. In fact, it was due to Vijayan's backing that Jayarajan escaped party censure on many past occasions.

A Malabar Rebellion

The exit of Jayarajan had barely registered when P.V. Anwar, a Left-backed independent legislator from Nilambur, launched another volley. He publicly leaked damaging phone transcripts between himself and the (former) Pathanamthitta Superintendent of Police (SP) Sujith Kumar, levelling a string of sensational allegations against the Chief Minister's Office and the home department, which is held by Vijayan himself.

Anwar suggested that Kerala's Additional Director-General of Police (ADGP)-in charge of law and order, M.R. Ajith Kumar, known to be Vijayan's close aide, was operating a crime syndicate. It supposedly involved gold smuggling and phone-tapping of state ministers, among other violations. Anwar accused Kumar of being involved in a murder case too. He further targeted Vijayan's powerful political secretary P. Sasi - who is an old Kannur hand with a controversial past and known to steer the state home department from behind the scenes - for the mess.

Anwar's Tactful Ways

Vijayan was left in a bind. At an official function in Kottayam - attended by Ajith Kumar - he hinted that he was willing to act against the officer, but, by that very evening, he did a volte-face. By then it must have dawned on him that if Ajith Kumar was sacked, it would only lead to the demand for the ouster of Sasi, and that would ultimately put the blame on himself. Ultimately, Vijayan did institute an inquiry against Ajith Kumar, but it seemed largely farcical given that the probe officers were Kumar's subordinates. 

Anwar treaded tactfully. He met Vijayan soon after and personally handed over a list of his allegations, careful not to launch a frontal assault at the CM. But the fact that he found public support from another Left-backed independent legislator from Malappuram, K.T. Jaleel, a minister during Vijayan's first term, only piqued curiosity. Both Jaleel and Anwar have been mired in controversies in the past for corruption and nepotism. In fact, Jaleel was disqualified as minister following a Lokayukta verdict against him; Anwar has had multiple run-ins with the law over allegations of encroaching and squatting on public property, and the illegal construction of a check dam.

What is also interesting is that on social media, the CPI(M) rank-and-file has been backing Anwar and his allegations to the hilt, putting the party in a quandary. It is a fact that the home department has had a lot of flak in the past couple of years ever since P. Sasi took over. The lack of democratic functioning of the CPI(M) meant that the lower rungs in the department could hardly raise their voices against anything.

For Brutus Is An Honourable Man

It has now been a week since Anwar went to the press with his allegations. But there has been no let-up. If anything, he has only raised the stakes by playing up his claims, capturing Kerala's airtime like none other in recent times. For some, Anwar is a hero. For others, he is a useful instrument. The only commonality is that for most people, his past indiscretions seem easily forgettable now. 

Anwar has also been careful not to take on the CM directly. In fact, he keeps reiterating his faith that Vijayan will turn things around, just like Marc Antony kept referring to Brutus as an honourable man. But the real intent isn't lost on anyone. When SP Sujith Kumar was finally suspended in a couple of days, Anwar celebrated it on social media, saying that this was the "first wicket to fall". So, is M.R. Ajith Kumar the 'second wicket', to be followed by Sasi - and then Vijayan? 

Can Vijayan Survive This Coup?

As of now, nobody seems to know what Anwar's exact plan of action is. Some, like former CPI(M) Malappuram district secretary P.P Vasudevan, have called him a 'trojan horse'. It is also more than probable that a faction within the CPI(M) is backing Anwar. Anwar is purportedly close to P. Jayarajan, but he is equally close to the CPI(M) Kozhikode district secretary, P. Mohanan. It is also being assumed that he has M.V. Govindan's backing.

Anwar's charges have already caused enough damage to Vijayan. The CPI(M) branch meetings underway have been witnessing heavy criticism of P. Sasi and the chief minister himself, virtually unheard of in the recent past. Is Vijayan's grip on the party apparatus loosening? Or is this a palace coup in motion? Whatever it is, only time will tell whether Vijayan can survive the ides of March come April, when the CPI(M) Party Congress will be held. 

(Anand Kochukudy is a senior journalist and columnist)

Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author

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OpenAI Releases New Model With Reasoning Capabilities

OpenAI is releasing a new artificial intelligence model known internally as "Strawberry" that can perform some human-like reasoning tasks, as it looks to stay at the top of a crowded market of rivals.
The new model, called o1, is designed to spend more time computing the answer before responding to user queries, the company said in a blog post Thursday. With the model, OpenAI's tools should be able to solve multi-step problems, including complicated math and coding questions.

"As an early model, it doesn't yet have many of the features that make ChatGPT useful, like browsing the web for information and uploading files and images," the company said. "But for complex reasoning tasks this is a significant advancement and represents a new level of AI capability. Given this, we are resetting the counter back to 1 and naming this series OpenAI o1."

A preview version of the model will be available through OpenAI's popular chatbot, ChatGPT, to paid Plus and Team users on Thursday. Bloomberg previously reported the company could release the new model as soon as this week.

The model's release comes as San Francisco-based OpenAI is looking to raise billions in funding and faces heightened competition in the race to develop ever more sophisticated artificial intelligence systems. OpenAI isn't the only company working on such capabilities; competitors Anthropic and Google have also touted "reasoning" skills with their advanced AI models.

In its blog post, OpenAI gave examples of the AI model's responses to questions on topics including coding, English, and math, and asked it to solve a simple crossword puzzle. In a series of posts on X, Noam Brown, a research scientist at OpenAI, said the company is releasing the model in preview now in part to get a sense for how people use it, and where it needs to be improved.

The experience of using OpenAI's updated AI system will differ somewhat from what people have come to expect with ChatGPT, the company's chatbot. Before responding to a user's prompt, the new software will pause for a matter of seconds while, behind the scenes and invisible to the user, it considers a number of related prompts and then summarizes what appears to be the best response. This technique is sometimes referred to as "chain of thought" prompting.

OpenAI has been working to get computers to carry out multi-step actions for some time. In May 2023, for instance, the company released a blog post and an accompanying research paper about its efforts to improve AI systems' abilities to solve math problems. According to the paper, the company trained a model by rewarding it for each correct step in the process toward coming up with an answer to a problem, rather than by just rewarding it for generating an accurate answer.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Assam Actress Sumi Bora, Husband Detained In Stock Trading Scam

Assamese actress, choreographer and social media influencer Sumi Bora and her husband Tarkik Bora, who were wanted in connection with the multi-crore online stock trading scam, were detained by the Special Task Force (STF) on Thursday, a senior police officer said.

The STF detained the two in Dibrugarh, the officer told PTI.

A lookout notice was issued against the couple and four others after they failed to appear before the police following a notice issued to them in the wake of the arrest of the prime accused, 22-year-old Bishal Phukan in the case.

The actress in a video message to a few local television channels had claimed that she would ''surrender and fully cooperate with the police''.

Phukan, who owned the company that allegedly duped investors, was arrested along with his manager in Dibrugarh last week.

The probe was taken over by the CID and an SIT was formed.

The DGP posted a photograph of the husband and wife with their faces masked with the remark ‘'The game is up for them. Compliments to the Team STF''.

He, however, did not mention their names.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Surfer To 'Trump Whisperer': Who Can Become Japan's Next Prime Minister?

A photogenic political scion, a military model-maker and a hardliner hoping to become Japan's first woman prime minister are among nine candidates vying to lead the world's fourth-largest economy.

AFP gives a rundown of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lawmakers competing to win the ruling party's leadership contest -- and therefore become prime minister -- on September 27:

The surfer

Surfing, media-savvy Shinjiro Koizumi is the youthful, photogenic son of the popular former premier Junichiro Koizumi.

As environment minister, Koizumi backed greater use of renewables.

He also took paternity leave in the post, saying he wants to share parenting duties with his television presenter wife.

But this doesn't endear him to LDP elders, who might see Koizumi, 43, as too young and too lightweight to be prime minister.

Model-maker

Shigeru Ishiba is a former defence minister who is popular with voters but less so with LDP lawmakers, resulting in four failed attempts to be party leader.

The 67-year-old has questioned the Bank of Japan's maverick interest rate policy while calling for efforts to counter rural depopulation.

He likes making military models -- including one of a Soviet aircraft carrier for the visit of a Russian defence minister -- as well as trains and 1970s pop idols.

The nationalist

Sanae Takaichi is a vocal nationalist popular with the LDP's conservative wing. She was close to assassinated ex-premier Shinzo Abe, whose supporters are still powerful.

Takaichi, 63, is a regular visitor to the Yasukuni shrine to Japan's war dead -- including convicted war criminals -- so her nomination would likely rile China and South Korea.

Like Abe, Takaichi, who also ran for the leadership in 2021, backs aggressive monetary easing, active fiscal spending and nuclear power. 

But unlike her hero Margaret Thatcher, the former British prime minister, she played drums in a student heavy metal band.

The liberal

Taro Kono, currently minister for digital transformation, is an experienced and outspoken reformist who was defeated by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in the last leadership race in 2021.

US-educated Kono, 61, has held multiple minister jobs and has 2.5 million followers on X. His views are liberal-leaning by LDP standards.

Thirteen years after the Fukushima disaster, he has softened his opposition to nuclear power to meet growing energy demands, including from AI data centres.

The diplomat

Harvard-educated former consultant and current foreign minister Yoko Kamikawa is one of two women in the running along with Takaichi.

While justice minister, Kamikawa ordered 16 executions, including that of the head of the Aum doomsday cult responsible for the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway.

As Japan's top diplomat, the 71-year-old has won plaudits, including for a visit to Kyiv, but she reportedly struggled to secure the support needed to run as a candidate.

'Trump Whisperer'

With strong English, Abe's former golf partner Toshimitsu Motegi was dubbed the "Trump whisperer" for his deft handling of tricky US-Japan trade talks.

The Harvard-educated LDP secretary-general has been economy and foreign minister, and is respected for his policy knowledge.

But Motegi, 68, is reportedly feared for having a short fuse. Even Trump reportedly told Abe that he thought Motegi was "too tough".

The others

Former foreign minister and current chief cabinet secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, former health minister Katsunobu Kato and former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi are also in the running.

Anything could happen, with the race more open this time around after most of the LDP's factions were disbanded in the wake of a funding scandal.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Peru's Ex-President Alberto Fujimori Dies At 86

Peru's former president Alberto Fujimori, who ruled his country with an iron fist and then spent 16 years in prison for crimes against humanity, died on Wednesday at age 86 in the capital Lima.

"After a long battle with cancer, our father, Alberto Fujimori, has just departed to meet the Lord," his children Keiko, Hiro, Sachie and Kenji Fujimori wrote on social media platform X. 

"Thank you for so much, Dad!" they added.

Fujimori, who led Peru from 1990 to 2000, was released from prison on humanitarian grounds in December, two-thirds of the way through a 25-year sentence for crimes against humanity during his rule.

He was a key part of Peru's so-called war on terrorism in the form of Shining Path and Tupac Amaru leftist rebels. It left more than 69,000 people dead and 21,000 missing from 1980 to 2000, most of them civilians, according to a government truth commission.

Sources close to his family told AFP earlier Wednesday that Fujimori's health had deteriorated rapidly after completing treatment for tongue cancer in August.

He was last seen in public on Thursday as he was leaving a clinic in the Miraflores district of Lima, where he said he had undergone a CT scan.

As news of his death spread quickly on social media, supporters and detractors quarrelled over his legacy.

Many Peruvians called Fujimori, who was of Japanese descent, "el chino," or the Chinese man.

After his death Wednesday supporters gathered outside his house chanting "El chino did not die! El chino is present!"

Just a month earlier his daughter Keiko had announced that the rightwinger would run for president again in 2026.

Prime Minister Gustavo Adrianzen expressed his condolences to the Fujimori family. "We want his children and relatives to know we feel sorrow," he said.

Adrianzen said he would talk to the family about what kind of funeral they want. It was not clear whether Fujimori would receive a state funeral.

Fujimori was convicted and sent to prison in 2009 over massacres committed by army death squads in 1991 and 1992 in which 25 people, including a child, were killed in what he presented as anti-terrorist operations.

In December 2017, then-president Pedro Pablo Kuczynski pardoned Fujimori due to his ill health.

But the Supreme Court later annulled the pardon and in January 2019, he was returned to jail from hospital.

Hostage crisis 

He was released again in December 2023 after a court reinstated his pardon.

He was adored and reviled in equal measures in Peru.

As he turned 80 in 2018, Fujimori sent a message to AFP which read in part: "Let history judge what I got right and what I got wrong."

He also expressed the conviction that he had paved the way for Peru to become one of the leading countries of Latin America.

Supporters credited him with saving the nation from left-wing Shining Path and Tupac Amaru guerrillas and shoring up the economy.

Opponents saw him as a power-thirsty autocrat.

Sociologist Eduardo Toche expressed scathing criticism of Fujimori when he was convicted of crimes against humanity in 2009, saying the Fujimori government represented the lowest, worst point in the history of Peru as he made up his own rules and ignored the country's institutions.

"For him there was no legal framework. The legal framework was that of his will and that of his friends, nothing more," Toche told AFP at the time.

One of the most dramatic episodes of his presidency was a four-month hostage ordeal at the Japanese embassy in Lima in late 1996 and early 1997.

The standoff ended with Fujimori sending in commandos who rescued all 72 hostages and killed 14 rebels.

But the later Fujimori years were dominated by a bribery scandal involving his intelligence chief Vladimiro Montesinos.

Fujimori went into self-imposed exile in Japan and memorably faxed in his resignation but was arrested years later in Chile and sent back to Peru for trial.

His daughter Keiko has made three failed bids for the presidency.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Trump Claims He Sent Taliban Head Pic Of His House, Spark Memes

Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump's suggestion that he had sent a Taliban leader the photo of his own house has sparked a meme fest on social media.

The former president was talking about his negotiation with the Taliban before the 2021 withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, during the televised debate with his Democratic rival Kamala Harris. He was the President that time.

Criticised by Harris for brokering the "one of the weakest deals" with Taliban, Trump said that he spoke to Abdul, "the head of Taliban", at a time when the Taliban were killing US soldiers with snipers.

"I told Abdul don't do it anymore, you do it anymore you're going to have problems. And he said why do you send me a picture of my house? I said you're going to have to figure that out, Abdul. And for 18 months we had nobody killed," the former President said.

In all likelihood, he was referring to Abdul Ghani Baradar, a senior Taliban commander and Afghanistan's first deputy prime minister.

The comment evoked a laugh from her rival Harris and a plethora of memes online - some suggesting that it would have been really an awkward moment for Abdul to find the photo of his own in the chat with the US President.

Here are some memes:

Abdul when trump sent him a picture of his house pic.twitter.com/dNrWch9fC2

— ? (@Eaststarr6) September 11, 2024

“Abdul: “why did you send me a picture of my house?”

Trump: “you gotta figure that out yourself, Abdul”

AY YOOOO ??#Debate2024 pic.twitter.com/XPwxhCXTZw

— K o n ? (@IAmMrEllis) September 11, 2024

A man even joked that the former president was talking about him and that he had been following him like a paparazzi.

oh god is trump talking about me again he's obsessed

— abdul ?? (@Advil) September 11, 2024

Trump: I sent Abdul a picture of his house.

Abdul watching the #Debate2024: pic.twitter.com/8D76wgouJN

— Public Enemies Podcast (@TheEnemiesPE3) September 11, 2024

abdul from the taliban watching the abc news debate #Debate2024 #Trump pic.twitter.com/yQ4khVT3dg

— tony (@IceCreamTony) September 11, 2024

Trump has been searching all over Springfield for Abdul Oblongata pic.twitter.com/A6Qt7tnxaP

— ?The Great Hero, Jim Thorpe (@abrasive_j) September 11, 2024

Trump: Abdul, you're gonna have to cut it out Abdul

Abdul: Why are you sending me pictures of my house?

Trump: pic.twitter.com/tf2AFut81F

— ? Snail ? (@SnailcoreFan) September 11, 2024

Abdul when trump sent him that picture of his house #Debate2024 pic.twitter.com/fihTsumxs4

— ?? (@intr0vertedtris) September 11, 2024

Trump and Harris faced off in their first televised debate on Tuesday.

Harris, who was passed the baton after President Joe Biden opted out of his re-election bid, targeted Trump over his criminal cases and favouring corporations and vowed to help small businesses prosper.

Trump was initially leading in national polls, but the entry of Harris changed the game. Latest polls suggest the two leaders are neck and neck with the Democrat maintaining a marginal lead over her Republican rival.

If she wins the November polls, Harris will become the first woman president of the US.

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Harvey Weinstein Undergoes Emergency Heart Surgery After Chest Pain In Jail

Disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein was rushed from Rikers Island jail to Bellevue Hospital in New York City on Sunday for emergency heart surgery after experiencing severe chest pains. 

The news was confirmed by his representatives, Craig Rothfeld and Juda Engelmayer, who issued a statement saying, “Mr Weinstein was rushed to Bellevue Hospital last night due to several medical conditions.” No further details were provided. 

Weinstein's lawyer, Arthur Aidala, revealed that the request for Weinstein's immediate transfer to the hospital was made following his complaints of chest pains. Mr Aidala reportedly warned jail officials, “This guy is going to die on your watch if you don't do something,” as per The Guardian. 

The 72-year-old has a history of serious health issues. In July, he was hospitalised for treatment of COVID-19, pneumonia, diabetes, high blood pressure and other conditions. His health problems have been recurrent, leading to multiple hospital visits over the years, including in 2020 when he had surgery to open a blocked artery.

Currently, Weinstein is awaiting a retrial for rape and sexual assault charges after New York's top court overturned his 2020 conviction earlier this year. The court ruled that the original trial allowed testimony from women whose accusations were not part of the case, thus stating that he did not receive a fair trial.

Despite the reversal, Weinstein faces the prospect of a new indictment in New York, with the Manhattan district attorney's office investigating additional sexual assault allegations. Furthermore, Weinstein has been sentenced to 16 years in prison in a separate rape trial in California, which he is appealing.

Over 100 people have made allegations of rape and misconduct against Weinstein, dating back to the late 1970s. His case has been a significant moment in the #MeToo movement against sexual abuse by powerful men. Despite the overwhelming accusations, Weinstein has consistently maintained his innocence, claiming he was the victim of a “set-up.”

Once a prominent figure in the film industry, Weinstein co-founded the Miramax film studio and produced some of Hollywood's most iconic films, including Pulp Fiction and Shakespeare in Love. 

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Historian's 13-Key Method Predicts A Kamala Harris Win In US Election

Forget the polls, ditch the data and stop sending journalists to swing-state diners to interview undecided voters: historian Allan Lichtman already knows who is going to win the US presidential election. "Harris will win," Lichtman confidently announced to AFP.

He was speaking at his home in the leafy Washington suburb of Bethesda shortly after unveiling his much-discussed, once-every-four-years White House prediction, based on what he calls the "13 keys" method.

It can be easy to dismiss Lichtman's signature methodology as just another gimmick in the endless, drawn-out "horse race" style coverage of US elections -- where journalists, pollsters and pundits are constantly trying to see who is up and who is down.

But the American University history professor has answers for his critics -- and a track record that's hard to beat, having correctly called all but one election since 1984.

Lichtman pays no attention to opinion polls.

Instead, his predictions are based on a series of true-or-false propositions applied to the current presidential administration. If six or more of these "keys" are false, the election will go to the out-of-power challenger -- in this case, Republican candidate Donald Trump.

Sage of Bethesda?

One of the keys, for example, posits that the president's party won seats in the most recent midterm elections. The Democrats actually lost control of the House in the 2022 midterms, meaning this particular key is termed "false," tipping the scales toward Trump.

A few more keys break Trump's way: President Joe Biden stepped down, meaning Democrats lost the key which determines the "incumbency," a vital advantage.

Biden's vice president and replacement as nominee, Kamala Harris, is surging on optimism among party faithful. But Lichtman rules that she does not qualify for another of the keys, which is being a charismatic, "once-in-a-generation" candidate in the style of Ronald Reagan or Franklin Roosevelt.

More points to Trump, yes. But after that the keys start breaking in rapid succession for Harris.

For example, the Biden administration's massive environment and infrastructure legislation ticks the box for the key requiring a "major policy change" by the current White House.

Another key for Harris is the exit of fringe independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

She also satisfies the key demanding lack of major scandal.

Do the math and it turns out that only three keys are falling for Trump. But to be declared the presumptive winner, he would have needed six.

And there's another key which could go Harris's way, if the administration reaches a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza.

It's a move that would likely require Democrats to push harder against the Israeli government -- sure to cause strain among poll-obsessed advisors in a party trying to straddle a base that is heavily divided over the issue. Yet, a ceasefire would mean the Democrats actually delivered a policy achievement, Lichtman argues, and deliver one of the keys on foreign policy.

"I don't like to speculate, because the devil is in the details, but that could be seen as a big success," he said.

Forget the 'noise'

Critics of the "13 keys" home in on the speculative nature of some of the true-false propositions. What is a charismatic leader, for example?

Yet the sage of Bethesda, as some have dubbed him, is well-versed in arguing his case.

"I've been doing this for 40 years. I think I've heard every conceivable question," he said. "'Aren't your keys subjective?' I obviously have an answer to that -- they're not subjective, they're judgmental.

"We're dealing with human beings. Historians make judgments all the time, and the judgments are very tightly constrained."

Amid the "noise" of national political punditry, Lichtman argues, presidential elections are a simple "vote up or down on the strength and performance of the White House party."

In that way, his method is anti-horse race -- focused on good governance rather than campaigns, since in reality "we forget virtually anything a candidate has to say."

The one election where Lichtman's calculations did not predict the president was the 2000 victory of George W. Bush. Lichtman can defend his record by pointing out that this was a legally complicated nail-biter in which Democrat Al Gore won the popular vote but Bush took victory courtesy of a Supreme Court decision.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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iPhone 16 Launch Today: Your Questions Answered On What To Expect From Apple

Apple is gearing up for its much-anticipated ‘It's Glowtime' event on September 9, 2024. The tech giant's September events have traditionally centred around new flagship devices. Occasionally, other products have also made appearances. However, major updates for Macs and high-end iPads usually occur later in the year, often in October or November.

This year, too, the pattern is expected to be similar. New iPhones and Apple Watches are almost certain. Here is what you can expect at the event on Monday, September 9:

When and where to watch the Apple ‘It's Glowtime' event?

The Apple ‘It's Glowtime' event is scheduled for Monday, September 9, at 10 am PT / 1 pm ET in the USA. In India, viewers can watch the livestream of the Apple 2024 event from 10:30 pm IST on September 9.

How can I watch the Apple ‘It's Glowtime' event?

You can watch the event live on Apple's official website, YouTube channel, and through the Apple TV app. Apple will livestream the entire presentation online for global audiences.

Where will Apple host the September 9 event?

Apple will host the event at the iconic Steve Jobs Theater at its headquarters in Cupertino, California. This venue has been a home for Apple's major launches and serves as a hub for tech innovation.

Is Apple launching a new iPhone?

The iPhone 16 series is expected to be the highlight of the event. Apple is likely to unveil four new iPhone models, with anticipated upgrades to camera technology, processing power and display features. New colour options may also be unveiled.

What about the Apple Watch?

Apple may also reveal the Apple Watch Series 10, which will feature larger screen sizes, a thinner design and enhanced durability. There's also speculation about new health features, although some, like sleep apnoea detection, might not be ready yet.

Will there be updates to the AirPods lineup?

Apple is expected to announce the fourth-generation AirPods, which will feature better audio quality, improved noise cancellation and the inclusion of a USB-C port. For the first time, Active Noise Cancellation could be offered at a lower price point.

What software updates can be expected at the Apple ‘It's Glowtime' event?

Apple is expected to announce the release date for iOS 18 during the event, with the rollout happening shortly after. Additionally, updates for iPadOS 18, watchOS 11 and tvOS 18 are likely to be unveiled.

Are new accessories being launched by Apple on September 9?

As per Apple's tradition, new iPhone cases and Apple Watch bands are expected to be launched, with fresh colours and designs. These accessories will likely be available for purchase immediately following the event.

Will there be another Apple event in 2024?

Apple usually hosts another event in October with a focus on Mac and iPad updates. However, given the iPad event held this year in May, further iPad announcements might be minimal.

Stay tuned as Apple unveils its latest innovations at the ‘It's Glowtime' event on September 9. With the iPhone 16, Apple Watch Series 10, and more expected, the event is set to be a showcase of cutting-edge technology and exciting new products.

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"Truly Delighted": Rahul Gandhi Gets Warm Welcome In US

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi began his three-day visit to the US, arriving in Dallas, Texas, on Sunday, where he was warmly welcomed by members of the Indian diaspora and the Indian Overseas Congress (IOC).

Taking to his social media, the Congress leader shared the pictures of his welcome and wrote, "I am truly delighted by the warm welcome I've received in Dallas, Texas, USA, from the Indian Diaspora and members of the Indian Overseas Congress."

"I eagerly look forward to engaging in meaningful discussions and insightful conversations that will further strengthen the bond between our two nations during this visit," he added.

This is Rahul Gandhi's first trip to America since the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The Congress leader will be in Dallas, Texas, on September 8 and in Washington, DC, on September 9-10.

Earlier, announcing Rahul Gandhi's visit, IOC chief Sam Pitroda said that the Indian diaspora, including NRI residents, technocrats, business leaders, students, media fraternity and even political leaders, are eager to welcome the Congress MP and are looking forward to having an interaction with him.

"There are lots of events planned with a variety of people because they also have interest in the states where Congress party runs governments, particularly the tech cities like Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Pune. We see great interest in conversation with business and technological community," he further informed.

"We look forward to a very successful visit and look forward to welcoming Rahul Gandhi to the US," Pitroda said on a concluding note.

He also said that he was 'bombarded' with questions about Rahul Gandhi's US visit from various quarters, and this video message was apparently to inform them about the Congress leader's short but highly anticipated trip to the US.

Notably, Rahul Gandhi, after the 2024 Lok Sabha results, has been creating good momentum and garnering people's support with his views on many issues of public interest. Political watchers anticipate his US visit to be more newsworthy and stir larger controversy back home this time.

Rahul won elections from two Lok Sabha constituencies – Rae Bareli and Wayanad, however, he chose to retain the former and leave the latter for his sister, Priyanka Gandhi.

In June this year, he was appointed the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha after getting a nod from the Congress Working Committee (CWC).

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Prince Hisahito Becomes Japan's 1st Royal Male To Turn 18 In 40 Years

Prince Hisahito, the son of Crown Prince Akishino, turned 18 on Friday and joined the Imperial family as an adult. With this, Hisahito became the first male member of the family to reach adulthood in 39 years, reported Japan Times. It is a major milestone for the family that has governed the country for over a millennium but faces the same issues as the rest of the country: a rapidly ageing and declining population.

Hisahito is the nephew of Japanese Emperor Naruhito and is second in line to the throne after his father Crown Prince Akishino, who reached adulthood in 1985. 

"I hope to learn more through each and every experience, absorbing various aspects and growing through them," the prince said in a statement released by the Imperial Household Agency.

He conveyed his gratitude to his parents and sisters, Mako Komuro, who left the imperial family after getting married, and Princess Kako. He also shared his desire to work hard for his future. "I want to cherish my remaining time at high school," Hisahito added. 

According to the agency, Prince Hisahito is a third-year student at the University of Tsukuba's Senior High School at Otsuka in Tokyo. While the custom is to hold a Coming-of-Age Ceremony and a press conference to mark the occasion, his ceremony has been postponed to the spring of 2025, or later. The ceremony will take place after his high school graduation to avoid interference with his academic pursuits.

Hisahito is the youngest member of the 17-member, all-adult imperial family, which only has four men. His position as the last heir apparent presents a challenge to Japanese society, which forbids women from taking the throne.

The 1947 Imperial House Law only permits a man to ascend to the throne and requires female royal members who marry commoners to renounce their royal position. 

Aside from Hisahito and the crown prince Akishino, Prince Hitachi, the 88-year-old childless uncle of the emperor, is the only other successor to the Chrysanthemum Throne. 

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"Could Have Stopped The Split ": Salim Khan To NDTV On The Big B Factor

Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar, the iconic screenwriters of Hindi cinema revolutionised the film industry in the 1970s. However, after years of working together, the duo split ways. In an interaction with NDTV, Salim Khan revealed that his jodi with Javed Akhtar might have lasted longer if Amitabh Bachchan had pacified the situation. Recalling the time when Javed Akhtar told him that he wanted to make separate films, Salim Khan said, “Jab unhone mujhse kaha ki mei alag (films) banana chahta huun, maine kaha thik hai, koi dikkat nahi. Kisiko zabardasti rok nahi sakte. Mujhe toh abhi bhi nahi malum kyun alag hue. Ho gaya toh ho gaya. [When he informed me that he wanted to work separately, I said okay, no problem. You can't force someone to stay. Even now, I don't know why we separated. It just happened.]”

Salim Khan said, “Kyun alag hue yeh bhi kisiko pith piche nahi bataye, uska zikar hi nahi kiya. Milna-julna thha, baat karte thhe, unke ghar ke samne se hi nikalta thha mai, roz walk karta thha, hath hilata tha woh bhi haath hilate thhe. Joh rishta hai joh dosti hai woh thha. [Why we separated, we didn't tell anyone, or spoke behind each other's backs, or even mentioned it. We used to meet, talk, and I would pass by his house every day. While walking, I would wave, and he would wave back. The friendship is still there.]”

When asked whether the break of Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar's partnership affected megastar Amitabh Bachchan, Salim Khan said that “zaroor hua hoga”. He also disclosed that if he was in the place of Amitabh Bachchan, he would have acted as a mediator and stopped the split. Salim Khan said, “Lekin mei agar hota unki [Amitabh Bachchan] jagah… unko [Javed Akhtar] yehi raye deta  ‘Maat chodo accha khasa tumhari ek jodi hai, kaam kar raahe ho accha khasa chal raha kahe ke liye isko chodhte ho?' Mai hota toh yeh karta. [But if I were in his [Amitabh Bachchan's] place... I would have given him [Javed Akhtar] the advice: ‘Don't leave, you have a great partnership, you're doing well, everything's going fine, why would you want to end this?' If it were me, I would have done that.]”

Salim Khan added that although he often meets Amitabh Bachchan, they do not talk about this issue. “Baat toh hoti rehti hai, mulaqat ho jati hai. Zyada sakhti se baat nahi karte. Zyada kisike karib nahi aate [We still talk and even meet. We don't speak harshly. We don't get too close to anyone],” he said. 

On August 21, Javed Akhtar and Salim Khan attended Sholay's special screening in Mumbai on the occasion of the film completing 49 years. Read all about it here. 

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Explained: Where Donald Trump's Criminal Trials Stand Ahead Of US Polls

The year 2024 was set to be a judicial minefield for Donald Trump, with some thinking the former president could be behind bars before the November 5 presidential election.

However, the Republican candidate has managed to delay three of the four trials until after the election, despite facing 88 criminal charges in total.

He pulled it off via an array of appeals and other tactics by his army of lawyers, including a broad immunity ruling by the US Supreme Court.

He was only found guilty in the least serious case, which involved falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels.

The latest good news for Trump came Friday, when a judge officially delayed his sentencing in that case to November 26 -- weeks after the US presidential election.

Here's an overview of how his legal woes look currently.

Challenging the 2020 election results

Donald Trump faces federal charges for his illegal attempts to reverse the results of the 2020 election won by US President Joe Biden.

Special prosecutor Jack Smith has charged Trump with the likes of "conspiracy to defraud the United States" and "obstructing an official proceeding," among others.

Although Trump is not directly accused of the Capitol insurrection on January 6, 2021, Smith has alleged he stirred up violence and chaos.

The trial was initially set to begin March 4 in Washington, with Trump facing a potential sentence of decades in prison if found guilty.

However, the case was delayed significantly when the Supreme Court decided to rule on presidential immunity, issuing a decision in July that Trump had broad protection for "official acts" as president.

Smith filed a revised indictment in late August accounting for the ruling, but now has to restart the battle with Trump's legal team about the trial's timeline.

The judge in the case, Tanya Chutkan, acknowledged during a hearing Thursday that it would be impossible to set a new trial date in the two months before the election.

The 2020 election in Georgia

The former Republican president also faces charges in the southeastern US state of Georgia for alleged election interference, including a phone call where he asked a local official to "find" him 11,000 missing votes -- the margin by which he lost the state to Joe Biden in 2020.

Trump had to visit an Atlanta prison to get his mug shot taken for the case, a humiliating first for a former US president.

However, the progress of the case suffered when it came out that the local prosecutor, Fani Willis, had an intimate relationship with an investigator she hired for it, Nathan Wade.

Trump's lawyers advocated for the case to be dismissed due to the conflict of interest, and the Supreme Court's ruling on presidential immunity has not helped either.

As a result, the trial, which was initially supposed to start on August 5, has been officially paused while the matter winds through the court system for months to come.

The classified documents at Mar-a-Lago

In another federal case under special prosecutor Jack Smith, Trump faces accusations of retaining top-secret documents at his private residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida.

He is also accused of attempting to destroy evidence of the retention. The most serious charges carry a prison sentence of 10 years.

Though originally set to go to trial on May 20, Trump scored a victory when Judge Aileen Cannon -- who was appointed by the former president -- stopped criminal proceedings on July 15, based on allegations that Smith had been appointed illegally.

Smith appealed the decision at the end of August to get the case back on track, but given the pace of federal appellate courts, it will likely be months before a decision is made.

The hush money sentencing

The financial crimes case in New York was the only one that made it to trial for Trump, taking place from mid-April until the end of May.

Despite claims by Trump the trial was "rigged," a jury found Trump guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records to make hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels in order to avoid a scandal right before the 2016 presidential election.

Facing up to four years in prison, Trump was originally set to be sentenced in September.

However, on Friday, Judge Juan Merchan postponed the hearing until three weeks after the election, offering reprieve for the Republican candidate.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Prince Hisahito Becomes Japan's 1st Royal Male To Turn 18 In 40 Years

Prince Hisahito, the son of Crown Prince Akishino, turned 18 on Friday and joined the Imperial family as an adult. With this, Hisahito became the first male member of the family to reach adulthood in 39 years, reported Japan Times. It is a major milestone for the family that has governed the country for over a millennium but faces the same issues as the rest of the country: a rapidly ageing and declining population.

Hisahito is the nephew of Japanese Emperor Naruhito and is second in line to the throne after his father Crown Prince Akishino, who reached adulthood in 1985. 

"I hope to learn more through each and every experience, absorbing various aspects and growing through them," the prince said in a statement released by the Imperial Household Agency.

He conveyed his gratitude to his parents and sisters, Mako Komuro, who left the imperial family after getting married, and Princess Kako. He also shared his desire to work hard for his future. "I want to cherish my remaining time at high school," Hisahito added. 

According to the agency, Prince Hisahito is a third-year student at the University of Tsukuba's Senior High School at Otsuka in Tokyo. While the custom is to hold a Coming-of-Age Ceremony and a press conference to mark the occasion, his ceremony has been postponed to the spring of 2025, or later. The ceremony will take place after his high school graduation to avoid interference with his academic pursuits.

Hisahito is the youngest member of the 17-member, all-adult imperial family, which only has four men. His position as the last heir apparent presents a challenge to Japanese society, which forbids women from taking the throne.

The 1947 Imperial House Law only permits a man to ascend to the throne and requires female royal members who marry commoners to renounce their royal position. 

Aside from Hisahito and the crown prince Akishino, Prince Hitachi, the 88-year-old childless uncle of the emperor, is the only other successor to the Chrysanthemum Throne. 

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8-Year-Old Boy, Playing Outside House, Injured In Fresh Wolf Attack In UP

An eight-year-old boy was injured in a wolf attack while playing outside his home in the Mahsi tehsil here, his family alleged on Friday.

The boy has suffered injuries, including some on his face, and has been hospitalized, a government doctor said.

In the last two months, Bahraich district has recorded eight deaths, including seven children in a series of attacks by wolves while around three dozen other people were left injured, according to official figures.

The latest attack took place Thursday evening at the Golwa village of the Mahsi tehsil -- a rural area a little closer to the city but away from the areas of all the previous attacks.

Sangam Lal's mother Phoolmati told PTI, "The child was playing near the door of the house. Then the wolf knocked him down and injured him. As soon as the wolf knocked him down, the child started screaming. When we all heard the scream, we ran shouting. Hearing the noise, the wolf left the child and ran away. We all have seen the wolf running away."

The local medical college's principal Dr. Sanjay Khatri said that the child was attacked from behind by the wolf.

"He is being treated after being admitted to the medical college. The child has suffered super facial injuries on the left side of his cheek and neck, and has been given two stitches. The child's condition is out of danger," Mr Khatri said.

Since March, wolves have been attacking children and humans in the Mahsi tehsil area of Bahraich.

The attacks increased from July 17 during the rainy season and till date, a total of eight people, including seven children, have died due to these attacks.

About three dozen people, including women, children and the elderly, have been injured and about 20 among them are seriously injured.

Four wolves have been caught in the past but the attacks are continuing. Therefore, experts believe that the real man-eaters have not been caught yet.

Thermal drones and thermos-sensor cameras have been installed to catch the wolves. The forest department and administration are fully prepared to catch the man-eating wolves.

Hundreds of officers and employees of various departments are engaged in catching wolves and awareness campaigns. The forest department has formed six teams in three sections and a team of nine shooters along with 165 officers have been engaged in the search operation for wolves day and night.

These teams are being led by IFS officers called from outside the district. A team of experts specially brought from Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun are also involved in the operation.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Muhammad Yunus Says Issues Over Water Treaty With India Must Be Resolved

Bangladesh's Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus has said the interim government would pursue with India ways to resolve the differences over the long-pending Teesta water sharing treaty, as delaying it for years serves no purpose for either nation.

In an interview with PTI at his official residence in Dhaka, Muhammad Yunus stated that the water-sharing issue between the two countries must be resolved according to international norms, emphasising that lower riparian countries like Bangladesh have specific rights that they seek to uphold.

"By sitting over this issue (water sharing), it is not serving any purpose. If I know how much water I will get, even if I am not happy and sign it, it would be better. This issue has to be resolved," he said.

Replying to a query on whether the interim government would push for resolving the issues over the Teesta water-sharing treaty at the earliest, he said the new regime will pursue it.

"Push is a big word; I am not saying it. We will pursue it. But we have to sit together and resolve it," he told PTI.

India and Bangladesh were set to sign a deal on Teesta water sharing during then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Dhaka in 2011, but West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee declined to endorse it, citing a scarcity of water in her state.

"This is not a new issue but a very old issue. We have spoken on this issue on several occasions. The discussions began during the period of Pakistan's rule. While we all wanted this treaty to be finalised, even the Indian government was ready for it. However, the state government of West Bengal was not ready for it. We need to resolve it," he said.

Muhammad Yunus reiterated that lower riparian countries like Bangladesh have specific rights that they seek to uphold.

"We have to resolve this issue according to international norms. The lower riparian countries have certain rights, and we want those rights," he said.

His remarks come days after the interim government's Adviser on Water Resources, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, told PTI that Dhaka would push for restarting the dialogue regarding the Teesta water-sharing treaty with New Delhi and asserted that both countries should adhere to international principles regarding water-sharing between upper riparian and lower riparian countries.

Speaking about the flood situation in Bangladesh and reports from Dhaka blaming India for the floods, Muhammad Yunus said that until the treaty is signed, a humanitarian approach can be adopted to deal with such crises.

"When the High Commissioner (of India) came to meet me, I said that we can work on better management to see how the situation can be controlled during the floods. For such coordination between two countries, we don't need any treaty." "We can work on this together on humanitarian grounds and resolve this, as this will ease the suffering of the masses. Such humanitarian steps would really help," he said.

Monsoon rainfall-triggered floods in deltaic Bangladesh and upstream Indian regions have killed several people and marooned or affected nearly three million others in Bangladesh, posing a huge administrative challenge to the newly installed interim government amid a political transition.

India has described as factually incorrect the reports from Bangladesh that the current flood situation in certain parts of the country has been caused by the opening of a dam on the Gumti River in Tripura.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi stated that floods in the shared rivers between the two countries are a "shared" problem affecting people on both sides and require close mutual cooperation to resolve.

Speaking about the contentious issue of border killings, Muhammad Yunus condemned it and said killing is not a solution to dealing with it.

The Border Security Force (BSF) of India has accused Bangladeshi smugglers and infiltrators of crossing over the border and attacking Indian forces when challenged.

They have raised the issue with the Bangladesh counterpart BGB on several occasions. West Bengal shares a total of 2,217 kilometres of its border with Bangladesh, along with Tripura (856 km), Meghalaya (443 km), Assam (262 km), and Mizoram (318 km).

Deaths at times occur along the Bangladesh-India border due to alleged infiltrators trying to cross into India illegally, cross-border firing, and cattle smuggling.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Kamala Harris Or Donald Trump? "Nostradamus" Of US Polls Tells NDTV

Polls prophet Allan Lichtman, often called the "Nostradamus of US presidential elections", has predicted that Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris will win the race to the White House this year. In an exclusive interview with NDTV, Mr Litchman, who has correctly predicted nine out of 10 election results, said that Vice President Kamala Harris will beat Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump.

To accurately predict who will occupy the Oval Office, Mr Lichtman has designed what he calls "13 keys to the White House," a groundbreaking method that revolutionized election forecasting. The keys, comprising a series of true or false questions, assess various factors such as party mandate, contest, incumbency, third party, short-term economy, long-term economy, foreign success, social unrest, incumbent charisma and challenger charisma.

Mr Lichtman explained that if six or more keys go against the White House party, they are predicted losers, or else they are predicted winners. While Kamala Harris has secured eight of Mr Litchman's keys to the White House, Trump only has three of his keys.

"They lost the mandate key, which is based on losses in US house election. They have obviously lost the incumbency key with Biden not running. But with the party uniting around Harris, the avoided the loss of the contest key. Finally, the third key that they lost was incumbent charisma key," he explained, adding that Democrats will hold on the White House.

ALSO READ | 'Nostradamus' Of US Presidential Polls Makes His Prediction For 2024

Foreign Policy Success, Failures Undecided

Mr Litchman, who has successfully predicted election outcomes since 1984, said foreign policy failure and success remain undecided.

"The only other two keys that are shaky are the two foreign policy keys, he explains, because the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine are so fluid. I think those keys will split and Harris will be down 4 keys. But even if they both flip negative, this means Harris is down only 5 keys, still one key short of defeat. All other keys are locked in her favour," he added.

Asked about areas of uncertainty, the US historian said "Two areas of uncertainty are two foreign policy keys- foreign military success and failure. We don't know exactly what could happen in Ukraine or Middle East. But they won't affect my prediction that Kamala Harris is going to be the next President of the United States. These two keys are not enough to predict that Donald Trump could regain the White House."

On Short-Term, Long-Term Economy

"My two economic keys are statistical and they are very specifically defined. The short-term economy key says there is no recession in the election year. You can't just have recession in a couple of months, it takes much longer than that.

"The long term economy key asks whether the per capita growth on the current term is equal to the average of previous two terms.  And per capita growth under Biden is double or more that that of the average of previous two terms," he explained.

Asked if Republicans could do anything to fare better, the election forecaster said, "There is actually nothing they can do. That's the whole point of the keys. It is fundamentally different that all of the conventional wisdoms."

Mr Lichtman's predictive prowess faced its most significant test in the tumultuous 2000 election between Al Gore and George W Bush. While he forecasted a victory for Gore, the controversial outcome cast a shadow over his prediction.

ALSO READ | Factbox: What New Proposals Did Trump Make During His Economic Speech?

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"We Perform Last Rites Of Evil Forces When They Reach India": RSS Chief

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Chief Mohan Bhagwat has stated that while evil forces grow larger across the globe, they eventually face decline when they reach India, where "we perform their last rites."

He made these remarks on Wednesday during the 'Vedsevak Sanman Sohala,' an award ceremony organised by the Sadguru Group to felicitate 200 'gurujis' who participated in the 'anushthan' (rituals) of the four Vedas for 16 months during the construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.

Mr Bhagwat noted that evil forces are always active and united, requiring no coaching, unlike virtuous people, who need to meet frequently to receive guidance and support.

"Evil Forces exist globally, with their evil acts occurring everywhere. Bangladesh is not the first case. The first case is America. I read a book by an American author titled Cultural Development of America, which discusses the cultural degradation in America over the last 100 years. This degradation was replicated in Poland, then spread to Arab countries during the Arab Spring, and recently it happened in Bangladesh. Those who seek to tighten their grip on the world and believe they are the only ones who are right--while others are wrong--are the ones who promote these divisive tendencies for their own benefit," he said.

Mr Bhagwat emphasised that such tendencies lead to catastrophes and the downfall of nations. "We need to monitor these tendencies without fear. History shows that while these tendencies grow larger and eventually reach India, they decline here as we perform their last rites. This is possible because we possess the knowledge to tame them," he added.

The RSS chief also expressed concern over the increasing disbelief (anastha and ashraddha), particularly among the educated class, due to the lack of role models. "Ideals exist, but if a person is to change, there must be someone around to guide them," he said.

He further remarked that untouchability has no basis in the Shastras (Hindu scriptures), yet it persists. "If someone, frustrated with the stubborn practices within Hinduism, converts to another religion, who is to blame?" he questioned.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Setback For Canada's Trudeau As Key Ally Jagmeet Singh Pulls Out Support

In a major setback to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, key ally Jagmeet Singh's New Democratic Party has pulled out support for his minority Liberal government ahead of the general election next year.

In a video message shared on social media, Jagmeet Singh said Mr Trudeau will not be able to take on the opposition Conservatives amid recent polls showing them securing an easy win in elections.

"Justin Trudeau has proven again and again he will always cave to corporate greed. The Liberals have let people down. They don't deserve another chance from Canadians," Mr Singh said in the video.

The deal is done.

The Liberals are too weak, too selfish and too beholden to corporate interests to stop the Conservatives and their plans to cut. But the NDP can.

Big corporations and CEOs have had their governments. It's the people's time. pic.twitter.com/BsE9zT0CwF

— Jagmeet Singh (@theJagmeetSingh) September 4, 2024

The leader said that the "big battle" now is defeating the Conservatives to stop them from choosing big corporations over the young people and Canadian families.

"There is another, even bigger battle ahead. The threat of Pierre Poilievre and Conservative cuts. From workers, from retirees, from young people, from patients, from families -- he will cut in order to give more to big corporations and wealthy CEOs," he said.

The two leaders had struck in 2022 to come together to boost the Liberal party's minority government. The deal was supposed to go on till October next year but an NDP spokesperson said the plan to end the agreement was in the works for the past two weeks.

Reports suggest the sudden social media post was a surprise for the Canadian PM's party as within minutes of informing them of their decision to withdraw Mr Singh posted the video on social media.

Mr Singh said "the NDP is ready for an election, and voting non-confidence will be on the table with each and every confidence measure."

Reacting to Mr Singh's announcement, Mr Trudeau said his government will continue to focuse on tackling the affordability crisis in the country. 

"These are the things that we're focused on. I'll let others focus on politics.I really hope the NDP stays focused on how we can deliver for Canadians, as we have over the past years, rather than focusing on politics," he said.

The Canadian prime minister also said he remained hopeful that the next election will not happen "until next fall" so that his government can also work on pharmacare, dental care, and school food programmes.

Mr Singh's NDP kept the Mr Trudeau's Liberal government in power through a confidence-and-supply agreement. In exchange for its support, the government agreed to address key priorities, including introducing dental care benefits, providing one-time rental supplements for low-income tenants, and temporarily doubling the GST rebate.

But some of the promises made to Mr Singh's party are yet to be fulfilled. 

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Teen Kills Momo Seller In Delhi After Blaming Him For Mother's Death: Cops

A 15-year-old boy stabbed a momo seller to death in Delhi's Preet Vihar in order to avenge his mother's death, police said on Wednesday, adding that the case was solved within three hours.

On Tuesday, 35-year-old Kapil, a resident of Jagat Puri, was admitted to Hedgewar Hospital sustained severe injuries after he was stabbed multiple times. He later died of his injuries.

A case of murder was registered by the police who began analysing CCTV footage around Kapil's house. Locals said Kapil ran a momo shop in Jagat Puri and lived alone after his wife. His wife has recently left him and returned to Nepal, his father told police.

Based on investigation, a 15-year-old was detained and he confessed to committing the murder, police said. The weapon he used was recovered at his instance.

Police said the teen worked at Kapil's momo shop with his mother before she died from electrocution a month ago. The boy blamed Kapil for his mother's death and planned the murder as an act of revenge, police said.

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Kim Jong Un Executes 30 Officials For Failing To Prevent Floods: Report

Several South Korean media reports suggest that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered the execution of up to 30 officials, allegedly due to their failure to prevent devastating flooding and landslides. The disasters reportedly resulted in approximately 1,000 deaths. According to a report by South Korea's Chosun TV, citing a North Korean official, Kim Jong Un called for ''strict punishment'' to be meted out to those deemed responsible for the ''unacceptable loss'' of life caused by the recent flooding. Officials were also charged with corruption and dereliction of duty. The executions reportedly took place late last month.

''It has been determined that 20 to 30 cadres in the flood-stricken area were executed at the same time late last month,'' the official was quoted as saying.

Although the identities of the executed officials remain undisclosed, the North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that Kang Bong-hoon, the secretary of the Chagang Province Provincial Party Committee since 2019, was among the leaders removed from their positions by Kim Jong-un.

In July, severe rainfall triggered landslides and flooding in North Korea, affecting over 4,000 homes and leaving 15,000 residents displaced. Kim Jong Un himself visited the affected areas and stated that it would take several months to rebuild and restore the neighbourhoods that were completely inundated by the floods. The government also provided shelter in Pyongyang facilities for 15,400 people, including vulnerable groups such as mothers, children, the elderly, and disabled soldiers.

However, the North Korean leader denied reports of a high death toll from the flooding, dismissing the claims as "false rumours." He accused South Korea of spreading these rumours as part of a deliberate "smear campaign" designed to damage North Korea's international reputation.

Lee Il-gyu, a former North Korean diplomat at the International Korean Peninsula Forum remarked, "Even though there was recent flood damage, they were dismissed for social security reasons, and the executives themselves are so anxious that they don't know when their necks will fall off."

According to the Korea Times, North Korea's public executions have surged dramatically since the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the pandemic, the country typically saw around 10 public executions per year. However, that number has skyrocketed to approximately 100 annual public executions, representing a tenfold increase.

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