Fraud case against another immigration firm

Chandigarh, October 4
Tightening the noose around immigration firms duping people on the pretext of sending them abroad, the Chandigarh Police has registered a case against M/S Expo Universe for cheating an Ambala resident of Rs 8.1 lakh on the pretext of sending his son abroad.
Ashok Kumar of Gobind Nagar at Ambala Cantonment reported that he paid Rs 8.1 lakh to the Sector-9 firm for sending his son to Canada on a work visa. He alleged that the immigration firm neither sent his son abroad, nor returned the money despite repeated requests.
According to the police, Neena Sharma, Vikram and Nidhi, employees of the firm operating from SCO 46-47 at Sector 9, had been booked under Sections 420 and 120-B of the IPC. Police officials said they would trace other customers of the firm during investigations to establish whether there were more victims.
In another development, District Magistrate Brijendra Singh today imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC for 60 days regarding liabilities of immigration companies in Chandigarh to check their unlawful activities and made it mandatory to such companies to furnish information about themselves to the police within seven days.

High Court summons education board secretary

Chandigarh, October 4
Just a fortnight after the Punjab and Haryana High Court virtually passed strictures on the Punjab School Education Board for hiding behind the rules and regulations, instead of coming to the rescue of a school student duped by an agent, its secretary is now in the contempt loop.
Justice Surya Kant has directed the board secretary to remain present in the court to show cause why contempt of court proceedings be not initiated against him for disobeying the orders of September 26.
The High Court had directed the respondents to issue a roll number to the student. Directions were also issued to allow the petitioner to take the class 12 examinations, subject to the outcome of the writ petition.
Taking up the matter this morning, Justice Surya Kant directed the secretary to ensure that the petitioner is allowed to appear in the class 12 examination scheduled to commence a day later.
Justice Surya Kant also warned him against “serious consequences” in case the orders were not complied with.
The student, through her mother, was seeking the quashing of letter issued on September 24, vide which she was again treated as a private candidate.
In her earlier petition regarding class X examinations filed through her mother, Dr Indu Sharma, the student had contended that she had applied through Zee Study Point School, Manupur, Fatehgarh Sahib district, as a regular/open school candidate for the matriculation examination.
A receipt of Rs 7,400 was also issued to her by the agent before she received the roll number from the board. But, the petitioner was declared fail in the examination, as she did not pass in Punjabi, mathematics and social studies.
An inquiry into the entire affair revealed that the agent had forwarded her form as a private candidate, instead of a regular/open school candidate.
Taking up the case, Justice Rajive Bhalla asserted: “A clear finding has been recorded that the petitioner was duped by the agent, as he forwarded her examination form as a private candidate, whereas she had applied as a regular/open school candidate.
“The difference between the two types of candidates is that a private candidate is required to pass Punjabi with four subjects from group-A, whereas a regular school/open school candidate is required to pass Punjabi with three subjects.”

IT professional held for hacking company code, destroying data

Mohali, October 4
Deepak Sharma, a former employee of Mohali-based company Dell, was today arrested by the cyber wing of the crime branch of the Punjab Police for allegedly destroying vital data of the company and tampering with the service record of employees. He was found to have hacked the source code of the company.
Acting out of revenge for being thrown out of job, the Panchkula-based IT professional, by accessing the internal email-ID of the HR department of the company, tampered with service records of certain employees “by giving them promotion and salary hike”. In one specific case, an employee was given a salary of 140 per cent. He was also paid the amount.
The company runs a call centre in Industrial Area, Phase 8, here. The cyber wing swung into action after Prabhakar Raju, site director of the company, approached the police for investigation and registration of case.
A spokesman of the company said a terminated employee had gained unauthorised access to internal Dell systems. There has been no access to or compromise on customer data. The unauthorised access was discovered early due to the stringent systemic checks within our systems. This is a violation of our code of business conduct and are working closely with the relevant authorities for appropriate action.
SSP Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh said within a day of receiving the complaint, the police tracked down Deepak Sharma and arrested him. He was remanded to police custody after being produced in Mohali Courts here today. An FIR under various provisions of Information Technology (IT) Act and IPC has been registered against the IT professional.
In the complaint to the police, Prabhakar Raju stated that somebody had got unauthorised access to the system and used internal mail-ID of the HR department. Many unauthorised transactions were made in the system, it was pointed out.
The SSP said on the basis of the investigation it was established beyond doubt that Deepak was the main culprit behind all these manipulations. The police has seized his home computer that he had used to make these unauthorised changes. The police was hopeful of getting more details about the extent of damage done by the suspect and the name of other persons involved, if any.

Another blot on khaki

Police Complaint Authority recommends action against two cops
Chandigarh, October 4
In yet another embarrassment for the Chandigarh Police, the Police Complaint Authority (PCA) has recommended that Mani Majra police station SHO Rajesh Kumar Shukla and sub-inspector (SI) Harish Chander be immediately shifted to the Police Lines for a year and be ‘censured’.
A complaint had been filed with the PCA by Jaspal Singh that the SHO had delayed taking action on court orders for approximately 176 days and had favoured the accused in a case of cheating.
Jaspal had pointed out that a court passed orders on September 20 the previous year, directing the SHO to lodge an FIR against Duni Chand and Sham Rani for having cheated Jaspal in the case of sale of their house.
Jaspal had stated that an FIR was finally registered on March 25 this year, but the SHO and the SI, who was the investigating officer, had again favoured the accused by not arresting them and helping them get anticipatory bail.
Jaspal had added that the cops concerned failed to complete the inquiry within 15 days and failed to prepare a report even 194 days after the registration of the FIR.
The PCA passed an order for immediate action by the Inspector-General of Police against the police officials.
Four days back, the PCA recommended the suspension of and a subsequent departmental inquiry against Shukla for illegally detaining a woman at the police station for a night.

PPP to have 2 manifestos for polls

Sangrur, October 4
Claiming that the People’s Party of Punjab will create history by having two manifestos for the state elections, PPP president Manpreet Singh Badal today said in addition to the manifesto for five years, the party will have a second manifesto which will list the agenda for first 100 days of governance, if elected to power.
He was talking to mediapersons on the sidelines of a public meeting in the grain market here. He said public opinion would be invited and incorporated in the manifestos.
Criticising the Punjab Government for its ‘inefficiency’ in handling Bhakra Dam issue in the Supreme Court and ultimately “losing” the case, Manpreet said Punjab had lost 16% of power from the dam which would now be given to Himachal Pradesh. He also criticised the Punjab Government for “improper handling” of the Hansi Butana case, saying that “the government only considered it as a political fodder for petty politics”. He also said if the canal was constructed, Sangrur district would be the worst sufferer.
Commenting on the possibility of alliance with the CPI and CPI(M), Manpreet said alliance with the two parties was almost certain and the decision for the same would be announced after a four-member committee formed for the purpose submits its report.
Earlier, while addressing the public meeting, Manpreet launched a scathing attack on his bette noire, cousin and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal, saying that the latter had ruined the state during the current SAD-BJP rule in the state.
“Punjab is under the grip of unemployment, corruption and starvation even as the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister are making hollow claims of making state prosperous and self-reliant,” Manpreet said.
He claimed that huge turnout at today’s rally showed that people of Punjab were supporting his party.

CYBER FRAUD

High Court directive to Centre, RBI 

Chandigarh, October 4Acting on a petition filed in public interest against companies allegedly involved in large-scale cyber fraud through online investments, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today directed the Centre and the Reserve Bank of India to take action for stopping deceitful practices. The steps could include seizing the bank accounts opened by the companies.
The Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice MM Kumar and Justice RN Raina directed the Union ministries concerned and the RBI: “To proceed with any action in order to stop the fraudulent practices, which are being perpetrated by various companies based in India and abroad.”
The Bench added the authorities “may take steps including the seizing of bank accounts which have been opened by those companies in various banks in order to siphon off funds of gullible public.”
The direction came on a petition filed by a Zirakpur resident Nardeep Saini and 29 other petitioners from the States of Punjab, Haryana and UT. The Bench directed the State to file its reply before November 8.
The petitioners had earlier alleged that three companies had fleeced a large number of innocent persons to the tune of Rs 1,500 crore.
The petitioners had contended that a large number of Indians were lured in the online investment scheme with assured results of doubling the amount within 10 months.

Former Addl Advocate-Gen’s book finds place in UK library

Chandigarh, October 4
Former Additional Advocate-General of Punjab Harpreet Sandhu’s book, Indo-European Legal System- A Comparative Study, has been placed in the Trinity Hall, Cambridge University library, as a valuable edition.
The book is based on both his personal experience of visiting the courts in Europe during the previous two years and subsequent studies, comparing the legal system of the two countries.
Sandhu was initially invited by the Swiss Federal Supreme Court at Lausanne for release of the first edition of the book on June 30.
On July 4, the book was launched and presented at the Supreme Court, Cour de Cassation, Paris, France.
The book was also presented at the UIA Head Quarters in Paris. It was then launched by Jenny Rowe, Chief Executive, United Kingdom Supreme Court at England. It was also presented to the Member of Parliament for Ealing, at the House of Commons, London.

Punjab Govt. refuses to change timings of liquor vends

Chandigarh, October 4
The State of Punjab has refused to carry out changes in the timings of liquor vends. The State is also not against opening of the vends in the evenings of certain dry days.
The assertion came during the hearing of a petition filed in public interest by an advocate, HC Arora. He has challenged Punjab's Excise Policy for 2011-12 as far as it provides for opening of liquor vends at 7 am and provides that the vends shall remain open 5 pm onwards on the Independence Day the and Republic Day.
In its affidavit placed before the Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice MM Kumar and Justice RN Raina, Excise and Taxation Commissioner A Venu Prasad asserted: "The opening and closing hours have been fixed by the State Cabinet while formulating the Excise Policy for the year 2011-2012. It is with a view to check and control the illegal activities of bootleggers and smugglers of liquor."
"The grant of these liquor licences constitutes a contract between the State and the licencees. The fixed opening and closing hours of liquor vends constitute a term and condition of such a licence, which could not be altered between period of the year. Large revenues received from these liquor licences by way of licence fee and other levies could be put at a stake," he maintained.
On the issue of permitting liquor vends to remain open 5.00 pm onwards on the Independence Day and Republic Day, the IAS officer, in the affidavit, said: "The opening and closure of liquor vends are not against the directive principles of State policy…the whole of the day of Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti, viz., the 2nd of October is observed as dry day."
The affidavit, however, states the suggestions put forth by the petitioner could be examined while formulating excise policy for the next year. The Bench directed the PIL to be listed on October 12 in "urgent matters" for further hearing.
The petitioner had earlier contended the opening of liquor vends at 7.00 am was unjustified as large majority of youths in Punjab were increasingly taking to drugs.

3 booked in yet another passport scam in Moga

Travel agent already facing similar cases among the accused

Moga, October 4
In what reminds of the infamous passport scam that came to light in 2008, another such illegal practice of making passports on fake addresses has come to light in the district.
The scam involves a travel agent who is already facing charges of forging documents for preparing passports by fraudulent means.
The police has registered a criminal case under sections 420, 465, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B of the IPC and section 12 of the Passport Act, 1967, against Manjit Singh, the travel agent, Ranjit Singh Gehotra and Gurtej Singh. The trio was at large.
ASI Gurpal Singh, who is investigating the case, said the scam was detected by the Regional Passport Officer, Chandigarh, during verification of documents. The Regional Passport Officer lodged a complaint with local SSP Sneh Deep Sharma who ordered an inquiry to Baghapurana DSP, following which the case was registered.
During the inquiry, the police found that Ranjit Singh had, in 2010, given a fake address of Bhekha village with the help of Gurtej Singh to apply for a passport. The travel agent allegedly forged the documents.
On September 30, in a similar fraud, an FIR was registered in the police station (rural) against two persons for making passport on forged documents.
It may be mentioned that over 300 persons, including NRIs, cops, officials of the passport office and travel agents, were already facing charges in the infamous Moga passport scam that rocked the nation in 2008. Three policemen, Jaswinder Singh, Ranjit Singh and Gurdial Singh; Ranjit Singh, an employee of the Municipal Council; Om Prakash, a postman and Didar Singh, former employee of the RPO, Chandigarh, were the kingpin of the scam.
Many subsequent FIRs had also been registered in the scam, besides the main case. Over 100 people had been arrested so far and lookout certificates issued against 300 NRIs who made fake passports to go abroad. This case is pending for trial before the Faridkot district and sessions court.
The modus operandi was that the police employees posted between the years 1995 to 2008 in the passport branch here prepared fake documents of police verifications and then by manipulating with the travel agents or employees of the RPO office tampered with the original forms.

India, Afghanistan establish strategic partnership

War-torn nation to get assistance in capacity building programmes

New Delhi, September 4
In what is bound to irk Pakistan, India and Afghanistan today entered into a strategic partnership under which India will, among other things, assist the war-ravaged nation in training, equipping and capacity building programmes for Afghan National Security Forces.

Key agreements An MoU on cooperation in the field mineral resource development concluded. The two sides will engage in close political cooperation India to assist in training, equipping and capacity building programmes for Afghan security forces Both nations committed to strengthening trade, economic, scientific and technological cooperation

The landmark agreement was signed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Afghan President Hamid Karzai late this evening after their wide ranging discussions on the situation in the embattled nation and how India could strengthen its capacity building programmes in that country.
The two countries also concluded an MoU on cooperation in the field of development of hydrocarbons and another on cooperation in the field of mineral resource development.
Karzai's visit had been planned for months, but it finally took place at a time when his country is getting increasingly frustrated with Pakistan. Many senior officials accuse Pakistan's ISI of masterminding the assassination last month of Burhanuddin Rabbani, Afghanistan’s chief peace negotiator with the Taliban. Karzai himself has said there was a Pakistani link to the killing.
Though he was quite careful not to mention Pakistan by name on the Indian soil while addressing the media with the Indian PM, Karzai did take Islamabad to task for continuing to foment trouble in his country. “Radicalism is being used as an instrument of state policy against citizens’’ of Afghanistan, he said.
Prime Minister Singh, in his brief remarks, said India and Afghanistan were committed to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. “The people of Afghanistan have suffered enough…they should be allowed to decide their own destiny without outside interference, coercion or intimidation.’’ Wary of Pakistan which has been vehemently opposed to India’s involvement in Afghanistan’s development programme, Indian officials have always said they want to focus on what they like to call "soft power" — economic aid and trade.
In the past, India has trained a small number of officers from the Afghan National Army but avoided getting involved in security operations. The strategic partnership accord will certainly annoy Islamabad, which has stepped up its attempts to control the future dispensation in Kabul after the withdrawal of the US-led NATO forces by 2014.
Under the agreement, the two sides will engage in close political cooperation by establishing a mechanism for regular bilateral political and Foreign Office Consultations. Political consultations will be led by the Foreign Ministries of both countries and include summit level consultations convened at least once a year.
The two sides will also consult and cooperate at the United Nations and other international, regional and multilateral fora. India and Afghanistan also agreed to establish a Strategic Dialogue to provide a framework for cooperation in the area of national security. The dialogue will be led by National Security Advisers (NSAs) and involve regular consultations with the aim of intensifying mutual efforts towards strengthening regional peace and security.
Security cooperation between the sides was intended to help enhance their respective and mutual efforts in the fight against international terrorism, organised crime, illegal trafficking in narcotics, money laundering and so on, the text of the strategic partnership document said. India agreed to assist, as mutually determined, in the training, equipping and capacity building programmes for Afghan National Security Forces.
The two countries committed themselves to strengthening trade, economic, scientific and technological cooperation, as well as cooperation between other bodies of business and industry representatives, with a view to expanding trade and economic relations. 

Lokpal: Hazare puts Congress on notice

Tells party to pass his version of the Bill or he will campaign against it in the poll-bound states  

Ralegan Siddhi, October 4
Putting the Congress on notice on the Lokpal issue, Anna Hazare today said he will ask people to inflict a “comprehensive” defeat to the ruling party in the five election-bound states if the Centre fails to pass the Jan Lokpal Bill in the winter session of Parliament.
To begin with, Hazare said, he will appeal to voters in Hisar Lok Sabha constituency in Haryana where bypolls are scheduled on October 13 not to vote for the Congress candidate as the party was “deliberately” not bringing the Jan Lokpal Bill.
“We are not going to tell the voters whom they should vote for. If the Bill is not passed in the winter session, we will ask people to vote for any party except the Congress and choose a candidate who is clean and with a good character,” Hazare told a press conference in his native village, 50 km from Pune.
The activist also announced that he would undertake a four-day fast in Lucknow, three days before the UP Assembly elections commence.
Making it clear that his opposition to the Congress was limited to the issue of Jan Lokpal Bill, Hazare, who was flanked by his key team-member Arvind Kejriwal, said that if the Bill was passed, he would still go ahead with his campaign asking people to elect people with integrity.
He said preparations were underway for his nation-wide tour, which is likely to start from October 15, and he had advised his team to arrange his rallies in constituencies, where the Congress had won the last Assembly elections in UP. Hazare, who had withdrawn his 12-day hunger strike in Ramlila Maidan on August 28 following assurances from the Centre that three of his main demands would be considered, made it clear that his agitation would be intensified across the country in the coming months.
Noting that the Parliamentary Standing committee was supposed to conclude its deliberations on the Lokpal Bill by October end, Hazare said, “If the Bill is not passed in the winter session, it would amount to yet another betrayal of nation by the Congress.”
Describing the Hisar bypoll as the “first step” of his campaign, Hazare said, if the Congress failed to give a written commitment to the passing of the Bill, as other parties have done, before Dasehra, he would urge the electorate not to vote for the Congress. He said he has got letters from BJP chief Nitin Gadkari and others supporting Jan Lokpal Bill but none from Congress. The activist said he will wait for two days for the letter from Congress and will start his campaign against them if the party fails to do so. The Gandhian sought a clarification from the PM Manmohan Singh on allegations in 2G Spectrum case. He said the PM should come clean on his alleged role therein. — PTI 

Bill in winter session: Khursheed

As Anna Hazare threatened to campaign against the Congress, Union Law Minister Salman Khursheed on Tuesday said the anti-graft Bill will be introduced in the winter session. “Every citizen is free to vote for anybody. The Congress will only do its work, perform its duties and will then go back to people when the duty is performed,” he said.

Hisar to be first step

Hazare said he would appeal to voters in the Hisar Lok Sabha constituency, where a bypoll is scheduled on October 13, not to vote for the Congress if the party failed to give a written commitment before Dasehra to pass the Bill. Hazare said he would try to visit Hisar in the coming days but if he cannot do so, he will send a video message to the people.

Right to property is a human right: Supreme Court

New Delhi, October 4
Widening the scope of human rights, the Supreme Court has ruled that people’s right to own property fell very much within the domain of human rights. Pointing out that human rights were “gaining a multi-faceted dimension,” a Bench comprising Justices Dalveer Bhandari and Deepak Verma observed that these rights had already covered the “individual rights such as right to health, right to livelihood, right to shelter and employment etc.”
“Right to property is also considered very much a part of the new dimension now,” the Bench held in a verdict that questioned the rationale behind the law on adverse possession under which any person in illegal occupation of a property for 12 years could claim legal ownership of it. Providing yet another new dimension to human rights, the SC opined that “even claim of adverse possession has to be read in that context.” This clearly implied that depriving an individual of his property amounted to violation of his human rights.

Indo-Canadian student, actress shot to death in B.C.

A 19-year-old actress who had a role in a popular 2011 children's film was shot to death in a parking garage near Simon Fraser University's Surrey campus early Wednesday morning.

RCMP identified the victim as Maple Batalia of Surrey. Batalia was a model and actress, and also a nursing student at SFU. She is from a Punjabi Canadian Family.

The shooting happened around 1:10 a.m. on Wednesday when police were dispatched to a parking garage near SFU's Surrey campus. Witnesses reported hearing multiple shots fired. Emergency services workers found the young woman on the third floor of the parking garage, suffering from gunshot wounds.

The girl's father, Harkirat Batalia, said his daughter had gone to school for a late-night study session with her friends. He was overcome with emotion when speaking to reporters about his daughter.

"I lost my child, I lost my child," Harkirat Batalia said through tears. "God should have taken me instead of my cute darling child. It's all over."

The elder Batalia said his daughter was considering a career in medicine, but also loved being in front of the camera. Friends and relatives who gathered at the Batalia home called the young woman "special," and said "she was going places." Twenty-five officers are devoted to the case, many of whom spent Wednesday combing the parking garage for evidence. Police dogs were also brought in to help with the search for clues.

Police towed two cars from the scene. There is no evidence to suggest the murder is linked to drugs or organized crime. Michelle Cyr, one of the victim's friends, said Batalia had recently broken up with a boyfriend. Batalia's family suggests the shooting was not random, and have an idea of the assailant's identity. South Asian Media is also discussing the identity of the suspect without naming anybody.

Police haven't revealed whether there are any suspects in the case. Homicide investigators are probing the shooting.

Apple Quashes iPhone 5 Hopes, Unveils iPhone 4S

Ever since Jefferies & Co. analyst Peter Misek predicted back in May that we wouldn't be seeing an official iPhone 5 this year, rumors have poured in both supporting and negating that theory. Well, after Apple CEO Tim Cook took the stage in Cupertino, we learned that Misek was totally right.

Apple has gone subtle with an iPhone 4S.

Guests crammed themselves into Apple's home theater at its One Infinite Loop headquarters -- a significantly smaller venue to the usual fare at WWDC. Warming the crowd up with a little Who and Stones, a cool and collected Cook stepped onto the stage. "This is my first product launch since being named CEO. I'm sure you didn't know that," he quipped.

Cook channeled former CEO Steve Jobs with the usual pleasantries that opened Apple events -- sweeping product hype, new Apple Store announcements, booming software downloads, expanding market share. But after he went through the sales and usage matrices, Cook brought up Scott Forestall and Eddie Cue -- SVPs of iPhone software and Internet Software/Services, respectively -- to talk about some of the iOS 5 features we first heard about at WWDC 2011. Notification Center, iMessage, iCloud, Reminders, Twitter integration, Newsstand, Camera updates, OTA updates, etc.

One of the new features we haven't seen, however, was the Cards app which allows users to design and print greeting cards that Apple will actually print and mail out automatically.

These features and iOS 5 roll out on October 12 -- available for the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPad, iPad 2, third- and fourth-generation iPod Touch. (iTunes Match will launch "end of October.")

SVP of Worldwide Product Marketing Phil Schiller then took the stage to talk about some changes to the iPod line. The iPod Nano got some updates to its UI, clock face, and fitness features. And the iPod Touch, well, will now come in white. Despite avoiding the rumor that we'll all be saying goodbye to the iPod Classic and iPod Shuffle, the Classic wasn't featured in among the slide of all iPod products, which also included the Shuffle.

But then it was time to get down to business: the iPhone 4S.

The design is the same but, "Inside," Schiller promises, "it's all new."

Complete with the A5 chip and dual-core processor, it boasts CPU speeds "twice as fast" and graphics "up to seven times faster" than the iPhone 4. Mike Capps from Epic showed off the graphical capabilities and demoedInfinity Blade 2, available December 1. Battery life remains passable with eight hours of talk time, 14 hours of 2G talk time, six hours of 3G browsing, and nine hours of Wi-Fi browsing.

The internal antennas has been tweaked to switch between antennas for better call quality and faster download speeds of 14.4Mbps. Schiller added, "This is what our competitors call 4G. We're not going to debate it. But when it comes to real world performance, it's just as fast as these phones. We think it's even faster with our updates."

The iPhone 4S camera also comes with a new 8 megapixel sensor with backside illumination and better color accuracy, and it's 33% faster in capturing that snapshot. Schiller took the event-requisite dig at Android, specifically regarding the Droid Bionic's lengthy time between camera photos, "I don't know what Droid Bionic customers have to do between taking pictures. Llike, go get coffee."

Oh, Phil.

Next, it was time to show off Siri -- the iPhone 4S' new voice recognition system and personal assistant.

With a friendly "How can I help you?" greeting, Siri will provide answers to your spoken questions. Ask, "Do I need a raincoat today?" and Siri will respond, for example, "It sure looks like rain today." Order Siri to "wake me up tomorrow at 6AM," and Siri schedules the alarm. Schiller also showed off the voice navigation feature -- which Android users are already familiar with -- and had Siri read a text message aloud. Schedule a meeting, reminder to call your wife before you leave work, use WolframAlpha to find out how many days are left until Christmas -- all done through Siri.

"It's that easy," Schiller assured. It's also the highlight of the whole event and the iPhone 4S' coolest feature. (Your move, Google.)

On a two year contract, the new device goes for $199 for the 16GB model, $299 for the 32GB model, and $399 for the 64GB model. The 8GB iPhone 4 -- now the only model -- gets reduced to $99 and the 8GB 3GS is now free.

Pre-orders start October 7, with a launch date of October 14. (With Sprint!)

So, there you have it. The iPhone 4S: Better than the iPhone 4, and for many, that's all that really matters.

Starbucks Canada raises coffee prices across country

TORONTO - Starbucks Canada raised prices for coffee and other beverages on Tuesday at stores across the country.

The American coffee chain declined to say exactly how much it's boosting the price for a cup of coffee, but a random sampling of locations in the Toronto area suggested a rough increase of about 10 to 15 cents for a grande bold coffee.

Other specialty coffees saw larger increases. A grande caramel macchiato rose by 88 cents to $5.03 at one location.

The Seattle-based corporation said the price increases vary by region and the size and type of drink.

Starbucks does not break out market specifics, so the company said it can't be certain how much prices have gone up on average.

The chain said the changes come as a response to rising coffee and commodity prices.

"Starbucks carefully monitors and evaluates costs, including green coffee prices, commodity costs and competitive dynamics, and we respond with pricing adjustments that balance our need to run the business effectively while providing maximum value to our customers in Canada," the company said in a statement.

The adjustments come as Starbucks positions itself in the highly competitive Canadian coffee market, where chains like Tim Hortons (TSX:THI) and McDonald's are vying for a larger chunk of the market with expanded offerings of lattes and cappuccinos.

All of the chains have grappled with increased prices for commodities such as coffee and the wheat and sugar used in its baked goods.

In August, Tim Hortons chief executive Paul House said the price of coffee keeps climbing because major coffee grower Colombia has been hit by a fungus that destroys coffee plants. Also, more people in growing economies like China and India are willing to spend their money on a java jolt, which has led to dwindling world coffee stockpiles.

Starbucks said it also lowered the prices of some of its drinks, though it was unable to provide examples.

Greece says 'planning enough austerity measures'

Greece does not need new austerity measures as long as commitments already made are applied, its finance minister said Tuesday, a day after eurozone ministers called for more sacrifices from Athens.

"New measures are unnecessary as long as the announced measures are applied," Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos said at a press conference after his return from eurozone finance minister talks in Luxembourg.

"The measures already taken were deemed impressive and have changed the mood," he added.

Late on Monday, the eurozone ministers demanded that Greece adopt deeper cuts and undertake more privatisations to cover budget shortfalls for 2013 and 2014, and delayed a decision to unblock key rescue loans until later this month.

In Athens meanwhile, according to local media, auditors from the European Union and International Monetary Fund demanded the employment ministry revisit private sector labour agreements in order to lower the Greek minimum wage from the current 750 euros a month.

Prime Minister George Papandreou firmly opposed the demand, public TV channel NET reported.

About 200 protestors occupied the employment ministry Tuesday morning opposing the auditor demands that "threaten worker rights".

Apple launches iPhone 4S, new iPods with iOS5

Edmonton: Apple's newer-gen iPhone is finally out, putting at rest all the frenzied rumours floating for past few months. And there is no iPhone 5, at least not for next few months!
The new phone - Apple's first launch since founder Steve Jobs stepped down from CEO's post in August - is expected to raise the benchmark for smartphone manufacturers afresh.
The iPhone 4S with Apple's A5 dual core processor (as in iPad2) will be seven times faster than the iPhone 4. The new 'World Phone' which can run on both CDMA and GSM networks and has an advanced, faster 8 megapixel camera with backside illuminated CMOS sensor that gives 73 percent more light. The phone is capable of shooting videos in full HD (1080 pixels) mode unlike the 702 pixels in iPhone 4.
The new iPhone has been priced at $199, $299 and $399 with two-year contract for 16GB, 32 GB and 64 GB models respectively.
Most incredibly, Apple has ensured its earlier generation iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 will stay on and get more popular. It has changed the price tag on iPhone 4 to just $99 for 8GB while announced the 8GB 3GS will be made free, bundled with data contracts by carriers.
Apple also claimed the new iPhone has a much better battery life. It offers "eight hours of 3G talk time, six hours of browsing, nine for WiFi, 10 hours of video, and 40 hours of music," according to the company.
The new iPhone will come with voice recognition software Siri built-in. It also has Wireless Mirroring AirPlay technology, using which a user can for instance mirror the gaming content on a bigger screen.
It will be launched on October 14 in seven countries, followed by another 22 on October 28 and 70 countries by end of the year. Apple will be launching with over 100 carriers, making it the fastest and widest iPhone launch ever.
However, there is disappointment in store for potential Indian buyers, as the country does not figure in the first two stages of launch. This is despite Apple CEO Tim Cook's acknowledgement that Apple is likely to witness maximum growth in the emerging countries.
The new iPod Touch will have iOS 5 with Retina Display, HD video and gyroscope. It is priced at $199 for the 8GB touch, $299 for the 32 GB, $399 for the 64GB.The new iPod nano will have Nike+ app built in.
"iPhone 4S plus iOS 5 plus iCloud is a breakthrough combination that makes the iPhone 4S the best iPhone ever," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "While our competitors try to imitate iPhone with a checklist of features, only iPhone can deliver these breakthrough innovations that work seamlessly together."

iPhone 4S's new native feature Siri is touted to be like an intelligent assistant that helps you get things done just by asking. Artificial intelligence, if you will! Siri "understands the context, allowing you to speak naturally when you ask it questions."

It is also claimed to be smart enough about using the personal information you allow it to access. Siri helps you make calls, send text messages or email, schedule meetings and reminders, make notes, search the Internet, find local businesses and get directions. Users can also get answers, find facts and even perform complex calculations just by asking, according to Apple.

The 8 MP camera of iPhone 4S claims to pack 60 per cent more pixels for better, detailed pictures. It has a new custom lens, a larger f/2.4 aperture and an advanced hybrid infrared filter for sharper and accurate images. With the new A5 processor, the Camera app launches much faster and can be launched even with the phone in locked state.

Cook made the announcements at the much anticipated but compact, media-only event at its Cupertino headquarters on Tuesday which was not streamed live, unlike earlier times.According to Cook, iPhone comprises 5 per cent of the overall global mobile market. Apple has so far sold 60 million Mac computers. Its iPod has 70 per cent share of the portable music player market. Despite "everybody and their brother' trying to compete very hard in the tablet market in past one year, Apple's iPad still enjoys 74 per cent market share, he pointed out.
Steve Jobs, who stepped down as CEO due to health reasons in August, was not present at an Apple launch event, perhaps for the first time in many years. His last engagement as CEO was the launch of new operating system Lion and iCloud service
The first iPhone launch in over a year - during which Google's Android based handsets more than doubled the market-share in mobile OS - is a litmus test for Cook, who officially took charge barely a month ago, but had been the shadow CEO during Job's long illness leaves.
Apple is currently the world's largest smartphone manufacturer and its riches are reportedly more than the US government . The challenge posed by over a dozen Android-based device manufacturers has so far not dented the mania for its iconic smartphones, but today's announcement is an indicator Apple will never sit on past laurels.
Its contract manufacturer went in overdrive to make 1,50,000 iPhone 4S a day to meet the anticipated surge in demand.
About 18 billion apps have been downloaded from Apple's App Store so far, roughly a billion downloads a month. Of this, iPad alone has 1.4 lakh apps. Apple has paid $3 billion in payouts to the developers.
Apple's mobile operating system, iOS, is now the number one mobile operating system, 43 percent share compared to Android's 33 per cent as per the ComScore data for July, claimed Apple's senior VP Scott Forstall.
The company's new mobile OS, iOS5 and iCloud service will be finally launched on October 12 for iPad, iPad2, iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS users. The company also said its new mobile OS, iOS5 and iCloud service will be finally launched on October 12 for iPad, iPad2, iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS users.
iTunes Match, using which Apple's multiple device users can stream their music stored on one iOS device across all iOS devices, will be launched by the end of the month in the US and by year end in rest of the world.
iOS 5 includes over 200 new features including Notification Center, using which one can easily view and manage notifications in one place without interruption. It also has in-built Message messaging service - a rival akin to Blackberry Messenger - that lets the users easily share text messages, photos and videos between all iOS 5 users. iOS 5 will also be available as a free software update for iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS customers.