QBullet: Apple iPhone 7 Launch, Trains Employ Surge Pricing & More
The Quint’s compilation of the stories making headlines in dailies across the country.
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1. Most Rajdhani, Duronto, Shatabdi Fares Up by 30-40%
Starting Friday, most Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Duronto train tickets will cost 30-40% more than they do now. This dramatic rise is because the railways has introduced surge pricing on these trains for all classes except first class AC and executive chair car.
Under the scheme, dubbed “flexi fares“ by the railways, the current base fares will increase by 10% with every 10% of berths sold, subject to a ceiling of 1.5 times the base fare, for most classes except third AC, for which the ceiling will be 1.4. This means a half-empty train will still see fares at one-and-a-half times the current levels.
The cash-strapped railways expects to mop up Rs 500 crore from this exercise and the decision to leave out 1st AC and executive class was taken because of the fear of losing passengers to airlines.
Read more on The Quint.
(Source: Times of India)
2. Apple iPhone 7/7 Plus India Pricing Starts from Rs 60,000
Apple’s latest iPhone is coming to India sooner than we expected. Both the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus will be available in India from 7 October.
The phone is also expected to last longer, albeit just a couple of hours more than the iPhone 6S. Now that we know the iPhone 7 series will be priced from Rs 60,000 onwards, it will be interesting to see as to how high will the 256GB variant will cost: we’re thinking definitely close to a lakh.
Apple is using lightning port to play audio via brand new earpods and also debuted wireless Airpods that will launch in India for Rs 15,400.
Read more on The Quint.
3. Delhi Mulls Bigger Role for The Army
The Centre is considering an enhancement of the powers of the army in Jammu and Kashmir but the force is reluctant to be cast in a crowd-control role.
Army chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag met Union home minister Rajnath Singh before an all-party meeting on Kashmir on Thursday morning. The home minister took an assessment of the situation in the Valley before he began consultations with all the parties.
But an increased role for the army is being foreseen in the security establishment with the persistent street protests taking a toll on government officials and the Jammu and Kashmir police. The police have also reported a growing number of desertions.
An increased role may involve placing the central armed police forces such as the CRPF and the BSF under the command of the army. The army is already part of the Unified Command in the state.
(Source: The Telegraph)
4. Government Sidesteps Dispute as Rivals Refuse to Give Jio More Interconnect Points
The government appears to be taking a handsoff approach in the tussle between Reliance Jio and incumbent telecom operators over interconnection points.
It has asked the two sides to sort out the matter among themselves. The government’s stand comes just as the existing telcos have flatly refused to provide fresh points for interconnection to Jio while also staying cold to requests for mobile number portability.
In a communication sent to Reliance Jio, on Tuesday-a day after the company formally launched its service -the telecom ministry sidestepped the dispute by saying that “the matter related to interconnectivity between service providers was within the purview of Trai.”
(Source: Times of India)
5. Surrogacy Rules Make Adoption Wait Longer
With surrogacy rules being tightened, the list of parents aspiring for children will only get longer, not the least because agencies handling adoptions are unable to declare children legally free for adoption quickly enough.
As such, Delhi is listed among the six states with the highest pending number of such declarations.
According to the state Child Welfare Committees, there are 107 children awaiting legal clearance for adoption in the capital. There are 74 who are now free for adoption, with 41of them being children with special needs.
(Source: Times of India)
6. Siwan Strongman Shahbuddin to Walk Out of Jail After 11 Years
Patna High Court today granted bail to Mohammad Shahabuddin, the RJD leader better known as the undisputed lord of Siwan’s underworld, clearing the decks for his release from jail after 11 years.
The single judge bench of Justice Jitendra Mohan Sharma upheld Shahabuddin’s bail application in the case related to the murder of Rajiv Roshan, the prime witness in the chilling murder by acid bath of two brothers in Siwan in 2004.
Shahabuddin has already got bail from the high court in the case related to the murder of the brothers, Girish Raj and Satish Raj.
The RJD leader, who has been a four-term MP from Siwan, faces around 40 criminal cases lodged against him of which a dozen are in trial stage.
At present lodged in Bhagalpur central jail, Shahabuddin “will be now a free man”, said his counsel YV Giri.
(Source: The Telegraph)
7. Publish FIRs online within 24 hours: SC
Upholding the right of an accused to information and putting a check on the authority of the police to deprive a person of his liberty, the Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered States and Union Territories to upload, on police or government websites, First Information Reports (FIRs) within 24 hours of their registration in police stations.
A Bench of Justices Dipak Misra and C Nagappan directed the implementation of this step to usher in transparency in police work. It said an accused had every right to know what he was accused of. “Where liberty of a person is at stake and the criminal law is set in motion, the accused should have all the information,” the Bench observed.
It said access to the FIR would help the accused prepare his defence and “seek redressal of his grievances.”
The court order came on a writ petition by the Youth Bar Association of India earlier this year seeking such a direction to the Union government, States and UTs.
(Source: The Hindu)
8. Pakistan Told to Let Diplomats Work Without Hindrance
Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit was summoned to the Ministry of External Affairs on Wednesday, and told that Islamabad should let Indian diplomats posted in Pakistan work “without hindrance.”
Meeting Mr Basit, Sujata Mehta, Secretary (West) took up the issue of “discourtesy” to Indian envoy Gautam Bambawale in Karachi.
“He was conveyed our hope that our accredited diplomats in Pakistan will be allowed to discharge their normal functions without hindrance,” said an MEA source.
The incident of discourtesy involved the Karachi Chamber of Commerce where a speech on India-Pakistan trade ties by Mr Bambawale was cancelled barely an hour before the event was to take place on Tuesday.
Read more on The Quint.
(Source: The Hindu)
9. Vyapam Scam: Man Sets Himself Ablaze Seeking MP Governor’s Arrest
An RTI activist set himself on fire in front of Raj Bhawan in Bhopal, demanding the arrest of Governor Ram Naresh Yadav, in connection to the Vyapam scam, police said. Yadav demitted office on Wednesday evening after his tenure ended.
The activist, Manoj Tripathi, has not suffered major burn injuries, but he has been taken for medical examination, police added. Manoj will be booked for his act.
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