Demonetisation was ‘biggest scam’ of Modi Government, says Rahul

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on September 17 termed the demonetisation as the “biggest scam” of the Modi government to convert black money into white. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on November 8, 2016 announced demonetisation, under which the Rs 500 and Rs 1000 currency notes existing then were scrapped with immediate effect.
Rahul Gandhi attacked the government while addressing a public meeting after carrying out a 15-km roadshow, virtually kicking the party’s campaign for the upcoming Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh. “Demonetisation was the biggest scam that the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has undertaken in four years which the Congress had not done in the last 70 years,” Gandhi said at the BHEL Dusshera Maidan. “The scam was aimed at taking out money from the small traders to put into the pockets of 15 richest persons of the country,” the Congress leader alleged. He claimed that the BJP -led government has waived loans worth Rs 1.5 lakh crore which was the NPA of 15 big industries. He questioned why the loans of farmers, who “have borrowed just Rs 5000”, could not be waived. “Those who took loans in lakhs and crores were called as ‘Non-Performing Assets (NPA)’, but when a farmer fails to pay Rs 5000 loan, you term him as ‘defaulter’,” Gandhi said.
“When Congress comes to power in the country, it will waive the entire loan of farmers. The Congress had already done so by waiving Rs 70,000 crore loan earlier of the peasants,” he said. For generating jobs for the youth, the Congress government will ensure that mobile phones and other items will be manufactured here under ‘Made-in-Madhya Pradesh‘ and ‘Made-in-Bhopal, he added.
Rahul Gandhi in Madhya Pradesh: Will sack CM or minister in 15 minutes if they won’t be accessible to party workers

Expressing confidence that his party will dislodge the BJP from Madhya Pradesh, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday warned party leaders to be prepared to face action if they aren’t accessible to workers. “Whoever becomes minister or the chief minister if their doors are not open for Congress workers he will neither be minister or chief minister after 15 minutes,” the Congress president told party workers in poll-bound MP. “You have given your blood and sweat. It’s my responsibility to ensure that you benefit from the government,” he said drawing a loud round of applause from workers. “Agar neta aapke beech nahi rahega to wo neta nahi rahege (the leader who does not spend time with you will not remain a leader),” he said and declared that tickets will be given in the assembly elections only to those who work for the party and only the criterion of winnability will be followed. Gandhi reached Dusshera Maidan in BHEL area after a roadshow that began at Lal Ghati and passed through areas of old and new Bhopal. He was given a shawl and coconut for completing the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, a gesture in keeping with the party’s attempt to project a pro- Hindu image. He promised loan waiver for farmers, saying he would not listen to any economist. “Unpaid loans running into thousands of crores by few industrialists is given a nice name of Non Performing Assets (NPA) and they are allowed to go scot-free but farmer is called a defaulter and thief for not repaying a loan of Rs 5,000,” the Congress leader said. He launched a scathing attack on the Prime Minister repeatedly deriding him as chowkidar while referring to the Rafale deal and the escape of Vijay Mallya. He also ridiculed MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan as Ghoshna machine (one who makes empty promises).
Congress president Rahul Gandhi Monday said people involved in Vyapam scam — an admission and recruitment racket — and e-tendering scam in Madhya Pradesh will not be allowed to flee the country like liquor baron Vijay Mallya. Several central agencies are probing irregularities in the examinations conducted by Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board, also called VYAPAM (Vyavasayik Pareeksha Mandal) in Hindi, for admission in professional courses and recruitment for government jobs. “India’s biggest Vyapam scam has taken place in MP, in which 50 persons were killed. The whole state knows who indulged in the theft and the people who profited from it. All know (about it),” Gandhi said at a public meeting at BHEL Dushhera Maidan here. “Likewise, e-tendering scam has taken place in MP,” he added. It may be noted that the MP State Economic Offences Wing (EOW) is probing the e-tendering scam, allegedly running into several crore of rupees, since June.

“If the Congress forms government in MP, these (corrupt) people will not be allowed to flee like Vijay Mallya,” Gandhi told the crowd, adding that Vyapam had ruined the state’s education and employment scene. In his address, MP Congress president Kamal Nath said, “Among all states, the highest number of farmers’ suicides, unemployment, corruption cases, rapes and atrocities on women have taken place in MP.” Taking a swipe at the ruling BJP, Nath said, “The Congress fought hard to throw off the British yoke. First we fought the Englishmen, now we are going to fight thieves.” In his address, Congress chief whip in the Lok Sabha Jyotiraditya Scindia attacked the NDA government over skyrocketing fuel prices. In a sarcastic vein, Scindia said that fuel prices were rising at the speed of a bullet train, a reference to a pet project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Earlier, Gandhi released the Congress theme song “Madhya Pradesh pukare dil se, wakt hai badlaav ka” for the upcoming Assembly polls.

BSP to go it alone if seat share not respectable in anti-BJP alliance: Mayawati

The Bahujan Samaj Party will be compelled to go it alone if it does not get a “respectable” number of seats in the anti- BJP alliance that is shaping up before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati said on September 16. The BSP chief also said that instances of mob lynching in the name of cow protection were a “blot on democracy” and accused BJP governments in various States of being indifferent to the problem. At a press conference, held for the first time in her new accommodation in Lucknow after she was forced to vacate her sprawling bungalow on Supreme Court orders, Ms. Mayawati made clear her party might be compelled to go it alone if it does not get a “respectable number” of seats in the anti- BJP alliance. “Our party is not against the alliance, but our stand is very clear that we will ally with a political party only if we get a respectable share of seats. Otherwise, our party feels it better to contest the elections alone,” she said. On the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and the upcoming Assembly elections in certain States, Ms. Mayawati said, the effort of the Opposition parties will be to stop the BJP from coming to power at any cost. Ms. Mayawati targeted the BJP claiming that its governments in the Centre and States had “worsened” the condition of the people by showing them false dreams. “These governments have done no good to people barring a few industrialists,” she alleged adding that “both the NDA and the previous UPA governments were equally responsible for shielding the corrupt”.
Ms. Mayawati also said the “increasing tendency” of mobs indulging in lynching in the name of cow protection in “ BJP -ruled States” was a blot on democracy. Yet the governments (in these States) are exercising laxity and are being indifferent to it, she claimed. “These activities of the BJP governments against the Dalits, Tribals, backwards, Muslims and Christians are going on from their inception and are a result of the party’s intention to go against the Constitution…This has been part of the basic policy of the BJP, which has assumed alarming proportions after they came to power.” Continuing her attack on the BJP, Ms. Mayawati claimed that the party after forming the government was trying to crush the democratic movements and resorting to “terror tactics” in this regard. “After the April 2 Bharat Bandh called by Dalit organisations, atrocities are going on,” she alleged. Accusing the BJP of resorting to “diversionary tactics” as Lok Sabha elections were approaching, Ms. Mayawati said the saffron party was not leaving any stone unturned to “derive advantage from the demise of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee”.
“As the Lok Sabha elections and Assembly elections are approaching in certain States, the BJP is resorting to different tactics to hide its failures and is making lucrative announcements. In this matter, they (the BJP) are not leaving any stone unturned to derive advantage from the demise of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. They never followed his footsteps, when he was alive,” she alleged. “If Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP followed the footsteps of Vajpayee and ran the government accordingly, there would not have been religious frenzy and communal incidents. Nor there would have been the rule of mobocracy,” she claimed. People know the campaign undertaken by the BJP and the RSS in the name of Vajpayee is an attempt to hide failures, she said continuing her attack. The BJP will not get any benefit from this, she claimed. The people of the country now understand that none of the election promises made in 2014 Lok Sabha elections was fulfilled, she said. Mayawati also alleged that the Centre was not able to come clean on the Rafale deal. Referring to demonetisation, she said it was done in an unplanned manner leading to a “financial emergency”. The BJP government should now at least tender an apology over the “national tragedy”, she said. On the possibility of misuse of SC/ST Act, Ms. Mayawati said, “The BSP is of the view that if the current state governments follow the ‘Sarvajan Hitay, Sarvajan Sukhay’ policy of her party, there will be no misuse of this law.”

‘Not his Bua’: Mayawati Attacks Chandrashekhar ‘Ravan’, Sets Alliance Terms for Congress and SP

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Sunday targeted Bhim Army president Chandrashekar Azad ‘Ravan’, who was released from Saharanpur jail on Friday. Speaking at her new house in Mall Avenue in Lucknow on Sunday, the former chief minister of the state said, “For the past few days, a man who was recently released from jail is trying to call me ‘Bua’. I can never have a relation with these sort of people. My party and I can never be associated with people who were jailed for violence and were freed as part of a strategy against Bahujan Samaj Party. If people would have been following the path shown by Baba Saheb and Kanshiram Ji, then they would have come out in support and taken the BSP movement forward instead of forming a separate outfit.” Chandrashekar was booked under the National Security Act (NSA) by the UP government and spent 15 months in jail for his alleged role in the violence that broke out in Shabbirpur village in May 2017.

After coming out of jail, Chandarshekar met Imran Masood, the Congress heavy-weight in West UP. The political observers feel that the meeting comes as a testimony to speculations of ‘Ravan’ being in touch with the top Congress leadership, which is again a matter of concern for the BSP leadership. The move gives Congress a better bargaining power vis-a-vis the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). It’s no hidden secret that BSP chief Mayawati has been playing a hard negotiator with the Congress on the issue of seat-sharing for 2019 polls.

The BSP supremo added that she is not averse to joining a grand alliance against the BJP, but will agree only if her party is allocated a respectable share of seats in states where it is currently a minor player. “We are not against having an alliance in the upcoming polls. But it will happen only if we are given a respectable number of seats. Otherwise, we will go alone.” Mayawati told reports in Lucknow on Sunday afternoon. “BJP Governments in states and in the Centre are trying to hide their failures by diversionary tactics. They have not fulfilled their election promises. They are trying to use Atal ji’s death for political gains,” she was quoted as saying by ANI. BSP is said to be in talks with the Congress for alliance in the poll bound Madya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. In all the three states, it has a pocket of influence which has fetched the party only a few seats in the last two decades. An alliance with the Congress here could also lay the foundation for a larger understanding between the two parties and other non-BJP outfits in the Hindi heartland including politically crucial UP and Bihar. Mayawati also extended support for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, saying that there is no need to make changes to the existing Act. “No need to change the Act. It should be used judiciously.”

BJP to Apply ‘T20’ Formula for 2019 Lok Sabha Polls, Sets ‘Har Booth, Das Youth’ Target for Party Workers

The Bharatiya Janata Party will apply the “T20 formula” to ensure victory in the 2019 general elections, a senior party leader said. The T20 here, differs from the one popular in cricketing parlance as the party has set a target for every worker to visit at least 20 houses in their area and publicise the Narendra Modi -led government’s achievements while having tea. As the party targets to secure another term, it has asked its workers to promote the government achievements to each and every house through “Har Booth, Das Youth” (roughly translated as ‘each booth ten youth’), NaMo app contact initiative, and booth ‘toli’, apart from the T20 formula. The BJP has asked its MPs, MLAs, local and booth-level workers to spread awareness among people in their respective area about the government’s schemes. “The party workers have been asked to visit every village in their area and have tea at at least 20 houses there,” a senior BJP leader told PTI -Bhasha. He said the initiative is for establishing direct dialogue with public.

Notably, the party had campaigned aggressively before the last general elections and used information and technology to connect with voters. A major highlight of the technology-driven campaign was 3-D rally in which Modi delivered speech through 3D projections of himself. Using the technology, Modi, BJP then prime ministerial candidate, would address people at several locations simultaneously. The BJP in the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections had started the “chai pe charcha” (conversations over tea) campaign, using which Modi connected with the common man over the brew and discussed several issues. The party now aims to take the campaign to a wider level for the upcoming elections. It has formulated a detailed strategy for booth level under which the party workers have been asked to add more people to the Narendra Modi (NaMo app).

According to party sources, a new version of the app, which will have a section regarding the assignments for workers, is on the cards next week. The section will contain things such as assignments for workers, how to include more people, information in texts, video clips and graphics, they said. According to them, the BJP has set a target of adding 100 people to NaMo app at every polling booth. “A toli (team) of chief workers at every booth is being formed which will publicise the direct benefits from the schemes of the Modi government or the state governments (where the BJP is in power),” the sources said. The senior BJP leader said efforts are on to add 20 new members at every booth. He said they are trying to include people from all class and communities. After brainstorming at the BJP national executive meeting, the workers have been asked to speed up the implementation of the “Ghar Ghar Dastak” campaign. A team (toli) of at least two dozen workers is being formed at every booth as part of the party’s door-to-door outreach program. The BJP will counter the narrative of the opposition parties over various issues using the campaign which would run in several phases. It will highlight the government’s achievements in the 5-year tenure and make people aware about roadmap for the next term. According to party sources, the BJP workers will use facts and figures to help people understand as to ” how important it is for them to keep the BJP government in power”.
Election 2019 will be an intense, high-stakes tussle for power like all others but with one difference – in a first, it is likely to be as hotly contested in the virtual world as in the real one with parties already busy getting their social media warriors battle-ready.

Social media played a key role in propelling the BJP to power in 2014, but is set to take on a different dimension altogether in 2019 with the opposition led by the Congress getting their arsenal ready to combat the ruling party’s formidable cyber army.

War rooms are getting ready and thousands of volunteers being trained in data analytics and communication through digital platforms as parties, including not just the Congress and the BJP but also smaller players like the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), prep for the electoral battle ahead.

The Congress, which seems to have learnt its lessons from 2014, is scaling up its operations to challenge the BJP on a front which has been the saffron party’s forte.

The process to widen the Congress digital presence started a long time ago and digital war rooms have already been set up in every state, said the party’s social media department head Divya Spandana. “We have a (social media) unit in every state and now we are going down to districts. Since it’s digital, everybody is already connected. Everybody has data on their phone and everything is managed through the state teams,” Spandana told PTI.

Last week, Congress president Rahul Gandhi put out a Facebook post inviting people to fill out a customised form to improve the party’s communications. The party also shared a WhatsApp number and asked users to connect on the platform.

The BJP, the first party to realise the potential of social media, is still formidable in the digital space with a robust organisation ready to face the opposition’s challenge. It has approximately 1.2 million volunteers, an ever-increasing network, said BJP national information and technology in-charge Amit Malviya. “BJP social media strategy relies on its well-trained cadre, who are adept at using the medium for political communication, and committed volunteer network,” Malviya told PTI. The Congress hopes to match up. Spandana, who is credited with the turnaround in the party’s popularity online, said a “significant number” of people was working in the social media team. The team will be further strengthened in the run up to the 2019 polls, she asserted. The “social media warriors” are fully geared for the elections, she said, adding that the challenge would be to counter BJP “misuse” of digital presence to “spread fake news”. The Congress is not alone in realising the importance of social media to checkmate the BJP.

Even the CPI (M), which has relied on traditional outreach initiatives in the past, is looking to expand its digital presence. The party’s social media team coordinator Pranjal said 2019 would be fought in the digital space and on the ground as most parties are looking to match the challenge posed by the BJP. “We started quite late when it comes to social media. Actually, it was in 2014 that we started realising that we need to go for it. I think over the last two years, we have covered large ground,” he said. The CPI (M) has dedicated teams in states such as Kerala, West Bengal, Tripura and Tamil Nadu looking after the digital space, he added. The party has a presence on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and is working to scale up activity on all of these as well as its YouTube channel. “We don’t function in the BJP manner. We don’t have secret war rooms or secret underground bunkers. But we have a lot of volunteers,” said AAP social media strategist Ankit Lal.

Parties are also looking at data analytics to expand their connect with workers and voters. Praveen Chakravarty, head of the Congress data analytics department, said a lot of initiatives were being taken to strengthen the party’s base. These include Project Shakti which aims at organizing all party workers on a common digital platform and has become a “roaring success” over the last five months. “Establishing a data analytics department in a major political party is a big step…the party has recognised the importance of making decisions through data,” he said. BJP  Malviya said studying electoral data to interpret voting patterns is not new to electoral politics, but the advent of big data and machine learning facilitated deeper analysis and insights. CPI(M) Pranjal also acknowledged that data analytics was an important sphere, but conceded that it needed a special skill set and wondered how his party would meet the challenge. Noting that data analytics would be crucial for elections, AAP Lal cautioned, “After the Cambridge Analytica scandal, we will be very careful as to how the data is being procured and we will be very cautious how others use it, keeping a watch on others.”

The UK-based data mining firm was accused of harvesting personal user data from Facebook illegally to influence polls in several countries. At an estimated 462.12 million, India has the second highest number of internet users in the world after China. In 2019, it is estimated there will be 258.27 million social network users in India, up from close to 168 million in 2016, according to market research firm Statista.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi turns 68, to celebrate birthday in Varanasi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi turns 68 on Monday. The Prime Minister is slated to celebrate his birthday in Varanasi, his Lok Sabha constituency. According to reports, Prime Minister Modi will celebrate his birthday with children from schools in the district. He is expected to reach Varanasi by Monday afternoon and the preparations are in full swing to welcome the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) strongman. During the day, the Prime Minister will also visit Jayapur, Nagepur and Kakrahia – villages adopted by him. Chalo Jeete Hain, a film based on the life of Prime Minister Modi, will also reportedly be screened during the event. On Tuesday, the Prime Minister will visit the Banaras Hindu University. President Ram Nath Kovind, among others, took to microblogging site Twitter to wish the Prime Minister on his birthday. Others who wished him on Twitter included Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, Miss World Manushi Chillar, former Karnataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa and Bollywood actor Anupam Kher. Prime Minister Modi was born in Vadnagar in Gujarat on September 17, 1950. He rose from being a tea seller to the Prime Minister of the country. Modi became a full time worker of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in 1971, and was assigned to the BJP more than a decade later, in 1985. His first major political achievement was in 2001 when he was appointed the Chief Minister of Gujarat. Modi became the Prime Minister of the country in 2014 when the BJP got a thumping majority in the Lok Sabha elections. The BJP -led NDA won the elections riding on Modi wave.
PM Modi To Celebrate His 68th Birthday In Varanasi Today

Narendra Modi will celebrate his 68th birthday in his parliamentary constituency of Varanasi. The preparations for his visit are currently underway in the town. The prime minister will spend the day with children of a primary school aided by a non-profit organisation. In Tamil Nadu, BJP celebrated PM Modi birthday by gifting gold rings to newborns. According to officials, he will later pray to Lord Shiva at the Kashi Vishwanath temple and later watch a film “Chalo Jeete Hain” inspired by his life along with a few school children. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited his 98-year-old mother, Hiraba, on the outskirts of Gujarat’s Gandhinagar on his last birthday, before going on to dedicate the Sardar Sarovar Dam to the nation. Launching the 15-day “Swachhata Hi Seva” campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday took up a broom to clean a school named after Dalit icon BR Ambedkar in Paharganj as ministers of his government and BJP leaders and workers participated in similar exercise across the country. After the launch, he shared experiences with a cross-section of people at 17 locations in 13 states through video-conferencing, during which he congratulated people for making the cleanliness drive a success. Subsequently, he paid floral tributes to the statute of Dr Ambedkar at Babasaheb Ambedkar Higher Secondary School. In his address before the interactive session, he said: “Cleanliness drive cannot be successful unless adopted by people at large.” He cited 450 districts and 20 states and UTs becoming Open Defecation Free (ODF) among key achievements during four years of Swachh Bharat Mission.

“Nine crore toilets have been constructed and more than 4.5 lakh villages have become ODF,” he added.

“A WHO report has said the drive has increased hygiene and sanitary awareness level in India,” he said. In his interface with students at Dibrugarh in Assam, Modi lauded women participation and said the cases of school dropouts had reduced on account of construction of toilets. Interacting with Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan and industrialist Ratan Tata at the Mumbai centre, he thanked them for their contributions and acknowledged the private sector’s role to create a clean India. Women’s participation in Indian elections is now at a historic high. With growing evidence that women voters clearly prefer certain leaders and parties, the way women vote has the potential to swing future elections. Official statistics can only tell us how many men and women registered to vote and how many actually voted. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, female voter turnout rose to a historic high of 65.5% as against 67% for men – nearly closing the gap between male and female turnout which was in double digits (or close) until the early nineties. The absolute number of male voters still exceeds the number of female voters by over three crore, given that even now significantly more men than women are registered to vote.

Congress Appoints Nine AICC Secretaries, Telangana Screening Panel Formed

Congress president Rahul Gandhi today cleared the appointment of nine new AICC secretaries and a screening committee for poll-bound Telangana. Senior Congress leader Bhakt Charan Dass is the chairperson of Telangana screening committee, while Jothimani Sennimalai and Sharmistha Mukherjee have been appointed as panel members. Mr Gandhi also cleared the appointment of Nana Patole, a former MP, as chairman of the Kisan Khet Mazdoor (farmers-farm labourers) Congress, with immediate effect, a statement from AICC general secretary Ashok Gehlot said. He hails from Maharashtra and resigned from the BJP to join the Congress earlier this year. Mr Patole, currently the vice president of Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee, was elected to the Lok Sabha on a BJP ticket from Bhandara-Gondiya in 2014 defeating NCP heavyweight and former Union Civil Aviation minister Praful Patel, but quit the party in December accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of failing to address issues of farmers. Zenith Sangma from Meghalaya for Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur’s Victor Keishing for Meghalaya were appointed secretaries. Charles Pyngrope of Meghalaya was made AICC secretary for Manipur.

Ampareen Lyngdoh was made secretary for Meghayala and Pradyut Bordoloi from Assam was made secretary for Nagaland, while Pradyot Deb Burman from Tripura was made AICC secretary of Sikkim, another statement from Mr Gehlot said. Bhupen Kumar Borah, who hails from Assam, has been appointed AICC Secretary and assigned the state of Tripura, while Sudhir Sharma from Himachal Pradesh has been assigned Jammu and Kashmir. Sirivella Prasad from Andhra Pradesh has been made Secretary for Tamil Nadu. The Congress president also approved the appointment of Mehendra Singh Bodh as acting chairman of SC department of Madhya Pradesh PCC. Besides, Lalit Mehra was made chairman of research department for Rajasthan, B S Shiju for Kerala PCC and Ulhas Parab for Goa PCC and Idris Gandhi as chairman of research department for Chhattisgarh PCC.

Don’t give ‘negative news’ to media: Rahul Gandhi warns Telangana leaders

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday warned party leaders from Telangana of stern action if they take their internal struggles to the media, and also cautioned that indiscipline would not be tolerated in the organisation, as the southern state heads to early assembly elections. Gandhi issued the stern warning at a meeting he had with 38 leaders, including All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge RC Khuntia and state chief Uttam Kumar Reddy. He later met the leaders individually.

Earlier this month, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) president and chief minister K. Chandrasehkhar Rao dissolved the state assembly, paving the way for early elections in the state. The Congress, Telugu Desam Party and the Left have allied in a bid to unseat the TRS. “The Congress president has asked all the leaders to bury their differences and unitedly work for the party. If any leader has any grievance, the person can approach the top central and state leadership for redressal,” Khuntia said after the meeting. “Rahul Gandhi warned the leaders against giving negative news to the media under any circumstances,” he added.

Infighting has plagued the Congress in Telangana for many years . A section in the party has repeatedly demanded removal of the state party chief for his “failure” in addressing factionalism in the organisation. On the proposed alliance with the TDP and other parties, Khuntia said the Congress is not averse to such a partnership to defeat the TRS in the upcoming assembly elections. Although the party is keen on an alliance, he added, it was also clear that it would not sacrifice seats it had a chance of winning. An alliance had to recognise the Congress strengths, Khuntia said. Khuntia said state leaders have requested Gandhi to address 10 meetings in as many districts in the coming days. “But these will not be regular public meetings. These will be on key issues such as atrocities on Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, distress faced by the farmers, and unemployment,” he added. Political experts said the warning was much needed at a time when the Congress was gearing up for a crucial election. “Rahul Gandhi needs to enforce this warning strictly because the Congress is very weak in Telangana and to give a fight to TRS it needs to have a disciplined force,” said Hyderabad-based political analyst C Narasimha Rao.

Apple Watch Series 4 ECG ‘FDA Approval’ Comes With These Warnings And Limitations For The App Use

The September 12 event by Apple undoubtedly had the Watch Series 4 as its highlight, among the three more iPhone models unveiled. A major talking point has for those excited for the Watch has been the electrocardiogram (EKG) embedded into the device to assess the user’s heart rate in real-time. Accompanying this is a notification system in place that alerts the user in case his or her heart rhythm is irregular. Both the features will be rolled out later in 2018 as per the company. The question, however, lies with the ‘FDA approval‘ that both the applications have got. What exactly are these cleared for and what are the limitations to the use of these apps, we find out here. An important thing to note is that both the EKG and irregular rhythm notification on the Watch Series 4 are not meant to be used by people under the age of 22. The same FDA Clearance also mentions that the ECG app “is not recommended for users with other known arrhythmias (irregular heartbeat)”. Meaning only users who are already free from any medical condition leading to an irregular heartbeat can find a use for the ECG app in the Apple Watch Series 4.

There also seems to be a perplex regarding the “FDA approvals” that many seem to mention for the Apple Watch Series 4. In case you happened to watch the Apple ‘Gather Round’ event, the term used to indicate the apps’ FDA approval’ was in fact “FDA Clearance”. The distinction here lies in the “risk and benefit” involved in both categories. While the FDA Approval is given to the Class III products involving high risk but delivering higher benefit to the end-user, the Class I and Class II categories involve “lower risk products”. The Watch Series 4 lies in the class II category and hence, just the FDA Clearance. As per FDA, class II (special) controls offer “reasonable assurance of the safety and effectiveness of the device type”. A device type, that is the first-of-its-kind. This is specified by the ‘De Novo’ classification that the association has granted it.

In its entirety, the ECG app “is a software-only mobile medical application” whose sole purpose is to present a person’s heart rhythm in a user-friendly and understandable data format which can also be stored and used for medical assessments. The diagnosis, and the treatment of any medical condition detected, should be best left to the professional help of a cardiologist. Abiding by this law, the concerning features on the Apple Watch Series 4 should come in handy for the end-users to keep a check on their health. A recent example of this was seen back in May when the Apple Watch was hailed to save a 76 year-old man’s life with its heart rate alert.

Maybe the Apple Watch Series 4 doesn’t get the attention it deserves. But the fact is that the Apple Watch is not just the top smartwatch, but also the top watch in the world. This is because Apple was very careful from the very start not sell the Apple Watch as just a smartwatch, it was always a lifestyle accessory, even a piece of jewellery if the need arises. We often tend to forget the fact that for men a watch is among the few personal accessories on which money can be splurged. But Apple has over the years also developed the Apple Watch into a unique health product too. With deep integration with Medical Kit and collaboration with top institutes on how to use this data, along with the accessibility aspects of the Watch, it has moved into a territory where there is hardly any competition.

Now with the Apple Watch Series 4, the watch will have a better grip on your health, thanks to the addition of ECG in the features with an electrode ring enabling the process. And that is not the only insight the new Apple Watch will have on your cardiac health. It will also wake up when the heart beat is a bit too low to be normal, or when your heart is beating irregularly indicating something could be wrong. Just these three features can help hundreds of lives across the world.

But having these features, especially the ECG, on your wrist could open up a whole lot of new use cases and challenges. For instance, we don’t know how people will react to having real-time data on how their heart is working. Will we become more cautious or will that make us more care-free? These are new questions for new times… no pun intended. There is more. When the watch detects you have had a hard fall, it will alert your SOS contact. Since falls are usually involuntary and not all of them might happen in places you want to be found in, would you want the world to know right-away? Again questions we will need to explore soon. But the positives of having a device that literally keep an eye on your health, I think, far outweigh the nuances of getting to live with new technology. I have been a diabetic for a decade and, trust me, I know how some extra data helps.
Apple Watch Series 4 has had some design changes too with the sizes going 2mm up to 40mm and 44mm. This also means there is a 30 per cent larger display, though the watch is pretty much the same size. On close inspection you can see that the display now blends into the sides and looks more like a composite unit, but overall the watch does look almost similar to earlier versions. The microphone and speaker are now on different sides so as to cut echo on calls. I really enjoyed the new watch faces that show more complications and give you more data in one glance. Also, pushing the breathe app to become a full watch face seems like a very good idea at the moment. There is no date yet on when the Apple Watch Series 4 will be available in India and what it will cost. Also, the best feature, the ECG, will be limited to the US when it is rolled out later this year.

Google Pixel 3 and Google Pixel 3 XL forums are now open

You may have heard Google has a couple of devices coming out soon. The Pixel 3 phones, especially the Pixel 3 XL, have been leaked before the official event more than maybe any other phone in history. It’s safe to say we know what to expect on October 9th. If you’re already hyped about these devices, the forums are open now! The Pixel 3 XL has leaked many times over the past few weeks. We’ve seen the retail packaging, multiple colors, sample photos from the camera, and hands-on video. The smaller Pixel 3, however, has been much shyer. We did finally get a look at this notch-less device recently. The specs are expected to be the same as the Pixel 3 XL, but with a smaller 5.5-inch display and 2915 mAh battery. Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are next in line in the tech giant’s flagship smartphone lineup for 2018. The launch event is scheduled for October 9 and, with less than a month to go before the announcement, Google has teased the launch on its online store. The official Google Store has received a new listing page that mentions a huge “3” on the lines of the official media invite sent out earlier this month. Coincidentally, or not, this development comes just a day after Apple unveiled its iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR at an event at its Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California.

The teaser page is now live on Google Store and carries the text, “Stay tuned! Looks like you’ve already enrolled for updates from the Google Store. Be on the lookout for some news from us on Oct. 9.” While the teaser does not mention the presence of both the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, it is expected from previous generations that two variants would be launched if not more. The design of the upcoming Pixel 3 duo has been spurring controversies over the past few weeks. Certain leaks have claimed that the next Google flagship will sport a substantially-sized display notch, which appears to be bigger than the one on the iPhone X and iPhone XS. Add to that, an alleged unit of the Google Pixel 3 XL was spotted, in a Lyft cab, in the US with a huge notch. While all reports point towards this kind of a design, it remains to be seen whether this is a ploy by Google to divert media from the actual design, which might be more subtle in appearance. High-resolution renders leaked in the past have pointed towards the presence of a dual selfie camera setup on both Pixel handsets. Apart from that, renders also point towards the presence of a slight chin on the bottom of the display.

Google upcoming Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL have leaked so much already that there haven’t been many details left unknown. And now you can pretty much scratch another one off the list – the color versions. Google seems to be prepping three of those (how fitting for the Pixel 3, right?). Black, white, and something that can be described both as mint or turquoise. These have been revealed by the promo website put up by the search giant, which you can visit by hitting the Source link below. It shows outlines of phones with three separate backgrounds, and the fact that those are two-tone is what gives it away. The new Pixels will keep that look on the back even if they’re expected to have all- glass rears, unlike their predecessors which mixed glass with aluminum. The white model having a mint outline may imply you should expect another mint-colored power button. Obviously this is speculation, but it seems pretty logical for Google to go this way. And to tease its phones’ colors in such a manner.

Waiver for Chabahar, India From Iran Sanctions Under Review, Says Afghan Ambassador

Afghanistan’s ambassador to India Shaida Mohammad Abdali has said that a waiver against the US sanctions on the section of Chabahar Port that will directly connect India with Afghanistan was under review. The Chabahar port is being considered as a gateway to golden opportunities for trade by India, Iran and Afghanistan with central Asian countries, besides ramping up trade among the three countries in the wake of Pakistan denying transit access to New Delhi. In an interview with CNBC, Abdali said all countries needed to show commitment to reduce Iranian imports. Iran is India’s third biggest supplier of crude oil but US sanctions from November 3 will block payment gateways. ‘Afghanistan, notwithstanding problems, is open to business and US companies are interested in our telecom and mining sectors,” he added. On Tuesday, officials from India, Iran and Afghanistan discussed the development of the strategically crucial Iranian port of Chabahar. The meeting gains significance amid proposed US sanctions on investments in Iran following Washington pull-out from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Abdali’s comments come within a week of India and the US discussing, among other issues, in their first ever ‘2+2’ dialogue a waiver from sanctions for India on Chabahar. US sanctions on Iran could also impact India directly, forcing it to curtail and cease buying crude oil from its third largest supplier. According to a Hindustan Times report, New Delhi has sought a waiver, citing not only its oil imports but also the strategic importance of the Chabahar Port.

US officials have indicated condition-based waivers might be considered on a case-to-case basis but there has been no announcement yet, read the report. In 2003, India first proposed developing the port. Chabahar is situated less than 100 nautical miles from the Chinese built port of Gwadar in Pakistan. On the US talking to the Taliban for peace, Abdali said the government under Donald Trump was looking for a sustainable peace settlement and that Afghanistan was “not interested in short term outcomes from peace talks.” “We can’t give a time frame to the peace talks,” he added. He also said that the US was in touch with India and Afghanistan over missing Indians. The Indian government has time and again said that it was in touch with relevant people and authorities in Afghanistan to secure the release of seven Indian engineers who were abducted in the restive northern Baghlan province of the war-torn country in May earlier this year. “The US supports Indian and Afghan efforts to bring the Indians home,” the ambassador said, adding that Daesh was responsible for the recent suicide attacks against Afghan people.

The Trump administration, which is determined to impose fresh set of sanctions on Iran and countries and entities engaged in business with Tehran, is currently reviewing India’s development of the strategically important Chabahar port in the Islamic Republic, a senior government official has said. The Chabahar port is being considered a gateway to golden opportunities for trade by India, Iran and Afghanistan with central Asian countries besides ramping up trade among the three countries in the wake of Pakistan denying transit access to New Delhi. “We are reviewing (Chabahar project) in the context, in particular of Afghanistan, and in the spirit that the idea of our sanctions are not to punish partners or to imperil partners, but to bring a price tag for Iran’s malign behaviour,” Alice Wells, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, told a Washington audience.

“As we review the issue of Chabahar, it’ll be in the context of what it provides for the stabilisation of Afghanistan or for the kind of regional connectivity that serves other interests as well. But it’s an ongoing process of review,” Alice Wells said in response to a question at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a top American think-tank. Last month, President Donald Trump issued a strong warning to anyone trading with Iran, following his re-imposition of sanctions on the country.

During the recently held 2+2 Dialogue, Alice Wells said the US emphasised the administration’s resolve to impose sanctions on Iran and voiced its expectation that its partners will work to reduce oil imports from the oil-rich Islamic Republic to zero. Alice Wells said the Trump administration is very focused on bringing Iranian oil exports down to zero by November. As such, the US officials have had a detailed conversation both with the Indian private sector and the Indian counterparts to discuss what this means and what steps the US is taking to ensure the adequate supply. “Obviously, India is quite sensitive to price fluctuations,” she said, acknowledging that particularly in an election year, this is a very important issue.

“We’ve already seen a reduction underway over the last month. There’s been a substantial reduction (in India’s purchase of oil from Iran). I think the private sector responds to a risk and concern over consequences. So I think that’s going to be there. You’re going to see a clear response from the private sector in that regard and will continue our conversations with the government of India,” she said. David F Helvey, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs, said that the Trump administration is committed to implementing all provisions of Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), which imposes sanctions on countries and entities making major arms deal with Russia. A recent amendment has the provision of a presidential waiver in some cases.

“We are working with our partners, including India, and talking to them about ways to encourage them to avoid potentially, sanctionable acquisitions or activities. So those conversations are ongoing,” he said, noting that he can’t really get into details or the specifics of what those conversations are. “With respect to the waiver provision in National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA)…fundamentally though this is a provision that allows the president to make these determinations. I’m not going to get ahead of the president how he may or may not exercise that authority,” he said. “But I do think it’s just important to know that the purpose of the sanctions is not to punish our allies or our partners or damage their military capabilities. (The purpose) is to impose costs and consequences on Russia for its behaviour. This is a complicated issue. We are having the conversation with India and all our partners. But I’m not gonna speculate on how, when, or where, or if, that waiver provision would be employed,” David F Helvey said. Responding to a question, David F Helvey said the Trump administration recognises that there’s a considerable amount of India’s legacy force structures of Russian origin or other defense partners of India.

“I’m part of the process of working with the Indians to make sure that we’ve got the right assurance and mechanisms in place to ensure that our defence technology, which is hard to come by and based on investment of considerable resources to develop the type of technology that we have, that we want to put in the field with our forces, our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines, to make sure that they have the best equipment,” he said. “We’re willing to share that with our partners and we just have to make sure that we have the right types of assurances with that. So when you have agreements, whether it’s COMCASA (Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement) or others, that allow us to have that confidence that gives us the space to be able to move forward and look at where we can do,” he said.

Leaked video shows Google executives troubled by Donald Trump’s election

Far-right news website Breitbart on Wednesday posted a leaked video showing Google executives sharing with employees how troubled they were by the election of US President Donald Trump. The leak of the hour-long video from a TGIF (Thank God It’s Friday) town hall style gathering shortly after Trump won office in November of 2016 came as the president and his allies accuse the leading search engine of bias against politically conservative viewpoints. “I know this is probably not the most joyous TGIF we have had,” Google co-founder Sergey Brin said in the video. “As an immigrant and a refugee, I certainly find this election deeply offensive. I know many of you do, too.”

Brin said most people at the meeting were upset and saddened by an election outcome that indicated many people in the US don’t share the values of those at Google when it came to immigrants, minorities, women, and the world being left to children. Google chief executive Sundar Pichai also addressed the gathering, saying that while the election was rife with rhetoric and division, people should have faith in the democratic process. Pichai said he thought one of the reasons for the election outcome was that “people don’t feel heard on either side.” “There is a lot of fear. It is important to reach out,” Pichai said. Google executives urged employees to remain true to their values, and trust that the internet can make lives better for people around the world, despite its flaws. Google told AFP that for more than 20 years employees have been free to express personal viewpoints at all-hands get-togethers such as the one in the video. “Nothing was said in that meeting, or any other meeting, to suggest that any political bias ever influences the way we build or operate our products,” Google said in response to an AFP inquiry. “To the contrary, our products are built for everyone, and we design them with extraordinary care to be a trustworthy source of information for everyone, without regard to political viewpoint.” Google and other major US internet firms are facing intense scrutiny for allowing the propagation of misinformation and hate speech, and allegations of political bias from the president and some Republican lawmakers. In a series of recent tweets, Trump assailed Google for what he termed “rigged” results that hide news from conservative outlets and promote content from what he called “left-wing” media.

That followed similar comments from Republican lawmakers including House majority leader Kevin McCarthy, who claimed that “conservatives are too often finding their voices silenced” on online platforms. Technology and media analysts say there is little evidence to suggest Google is skewing results for political reasons. And if they did, the president would have little recourse under the constitution’s free-speech protections. But public perception is another matter. A Pew Research Center survey released in June found 43 percent of Americans think major technology firms support the views of liberals over conservatives, and 72 percent accepted the idea that social media platforms actively censor opposing political views.

A leaked video of Google executives trying to console employees who were upset after the election of President Donald Trump has infuriated conservatives, who say the remarks illustrate the search giant’s political bias and should prompt regulators to take a close look at the company. The new controversy stems from a roughly hour– long recording published Wednesday by Breitbart. It shows executives such as Sergey Brin, the president of Google parent Alphabet, and Sundar Pichai, the chief executive of Google, addressing staff at a private meeting days after the 2016 election, the outcome of which Pichai said caused “a lot of fear within Google.” As they expressed their dismay, Google executives sought to assuage employees, especially immigrants, given the incoming president‘s pledge before Election Day to toughen security at the border. In doing so, Google leaders encouraged their workers to be understanding of “all sides of the political spectrum,” said Eileen Naughton, the company’s vice president for people operations.

But conservatives quickly seized on the leaked video Wednesday as evidence that Google is trying to undermine Trump and silence his supporters – and some White House allies even suggested investigating the company as a result. “They control 91% of all search and they get to decide what everyone sees. If this isn’t a Monopoly I don’t know what is,” tweeted Donald Trump Jr. Brad Parscale, the president campaign manager, said the company “needs to explain why this isn’t a threat to the Republic,” adding in his own tweet: “Congressional hearings! Investigate.” In response, Riva Sciuto, a spokeswoman for Google, defended the search giant’s meeting. “For over 20 years, everyone at Google has been able to freely express their opinions at these meetings,” she said in a statement. “Nothing was said at that meeting, or any other meeting, to suggest that any political bias ever influences the way we build or operate our products.” Still, the video’s publication – on Breitbart, a right-leaning news site once led by Stephen Bannon, the president’s former top strategist – could prove problematic for Google in the nation’s capital.

Like Facebook, Twitter and its other tech peers, Google for months has weathered allegations that it stifles conservative news and views. Trump accused Google in August of having “rigged” search results to display negative stories about him – a charge that Google strongly denied. And this week, GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., even threatened to drag Google to Capitol Hill to answer for its political leanings. “An invite will be on its way,” McCarthy tweeted. The GOP lawmaker similarly helped orchestrate an entire congressional hearing focused on allegations of conservative bias at Twitter, raising the specter that one of Google’s executives could soon be forced to appear in front of their Republican critics.
The video unearthed by Breitbart provides a glimpse into how executives and employees in Silicon Valley – a liberal-leaning part of California that overwhelmingly backed Trump’s Democratic foe, Hillary Clinton – thought about the company’s changing role in the immediate fallout from the 2016 election. Trump’s surprise victory sparked soul-searching in the technology industry over echo chambers, fake news and coastal elitism. Employees, meanwhile, pushed their leaders to fight Trump’s agenda – particularly on immigration, given that the tech industry employs large numbers of high-skilled foreign workers. Some tech companies did not immediately take responsibility for playing a role in shaping the election. Days after the election, Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said the idea that fake news spread on Facebook influenced the outcome of the U.S. election was “crazy.” Zuckerberg later said he regretted his “dismissive” comments.

The executives at Google, however, directly addressed these concerns in the meeting. When asked about misinformation and how its personalization algorithms shape peoples’ opinions, Pichai said in the video that YouTube plays a big role in the discussions about social media. He also acknowledged there “seems to be a selection bias” around how people are able to access information. To Breitbart, however, the recording reflected “a determinism to thwart both the Trump agenda and the broader populist movement emerging around the globe.” The site seized on comments from executives like Kent Walker, who now oversees Google’s policy operations around the world. Walker spoke broadly about the rise of populist movements globally, fueled by forces like fear and “xenophobia.”

Yet the article omitted the full context of some of the exchanges between executives and their employees. For one example, a Google employee asked Google’s leaders if they see “anything positive from this election result.” Breitbart noted they burst out laughing, and that Brin said, “Boy, that’s a really tough one right now.” But it did not detail a moment when Pichai and Page highlighted potential benefits: That Trump could improve U.S. infrastructure or that it could be the end of congressional gridlock.

Hurricane Florence: Millions on U.S. coast prepare as monster storm approaches

As Hurricane Florence approaches the Southeastern U.S. coast, millions of people in the path of are frantically preparing for the monster storm. Residents in states from Virginia to Georgia especially those who live in flood-prone areas or on the coast must decide whether to stay or go. For some, the choice was easy. For others, the choice was less clear. Here are some snapshots of a region awaiting the hurricane: A final glass of wine.
“We just love it down here so much we want to spend as time as we can,” she said. Tesh, who works in IT for UNC-Wilmington, said she and her husband have been making trips back and forth to carry valuables to her parents’ house on the mainland in Wilmington, where they are going to ride out the storm. “We started out with anything that cost over $200. Now we’re down to anything over $30,” she said, waving toward an SUV crammed with plastic bins and various items, including a block of chef’s knives. “Next time we need a box truck.” She said she and her husband, a professor at UNC-W, loved the beach so much they sold a house on the mainland to be full-time renters since 2013. She said they typically evacuate for major storms, and even neighbors who tend to ride our hurricanes are leaving. “We don’t know of anyone who’s staying for the storm,” she said. Looking at a fleet of utility trucks staged at a parking lot near Charlotte Motor Speedway on Wednesday, retired utility worker Paul Anderson confessed that helping out with recovery efforts from Hurricane Florence was a rush. He admits the pay is good, but there’s another factor that moves him.

“It’s adrenaline,” said Mr. Anderson, 59, of Lake City, Florida. “As soon as I get the call to go to work, I’m a changed man. My wife will tell you that. It makes you feel good to go help people. Plus, you get paid.” Mr. Anderson didn’t hesitate when he was asked to work, gathering people from Florida and Alabama to head to the Wilmington, North Carolina, area. At least two dozen trucks were parked near the speedway, and some workers were gathered at a trailer loading the truck with various pieces of equipment. “When [my boss] asked me if I’d go down to the coast, I said yeah. And he said ‘You know what you’re getting into, don’t you?’ and I said, ‘That’s where I want to be. I want to be right in the middle of it.’” “I’m scared of the water,” he said. “I’m not scared of the wind. (Hurricane) Irma had a lot of wind. You don’t want to be out in it but you can protect yourself from that. This water thing, we’ve never had to face that. ” Seth Bazemore lives in one of the most flood-prone neighbourhoods in Norfolk, Virginia — A sliver of land known as Willoughby Spit that juts out into Chesapeake Bay like a thumb.

Previous hurricanes have made him a survivor. On Wednesday, his brick house was lined with sandbags. Six bilge pumps sat inside on the ground floor, ready to push out the heavy rains and possible flood surge that the outer bands of Hurricane Florence are forecast to deliver. “It looks like a ship moored to a pier,” said the 62-year-old engineering manager at Newport News Shipbuilding, a nearby shipyard the builds aircraft carriers and submarines for the U.S. Navy. “I’ve learned from past experience,” he said. “But believe you me, if I think it’ll be worse and more than my setup can handle, we’re out of here.” Mr. Bazemore was feeling some relief on Wednesday. The forecast showed that Florence may strike the East Coast even further south in the Carolinas and bring less rain and wind to Virginia.

Colin Richards was among the military personnel leaving coastal Virginia and North Carolina ahead of Hurricane Florence. Many of the region’s ships had already headed out to sea. The 28-year-old mostly was concerned for his daughter, who is one month and two days old. “It’s very simple,” he said Wednesday morning. “We don’t want to live without power with a newborn.” Mr. Richards is a U.S. Navy diver based at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story in Virginia Beach. He and his wife, Louilyn, live in the Norfolk neighbourhood of Oceanview, which sits on the southern edge of the Chesapeake Bay. Florence is projected to strike the Carolinas. But heavy rains, winds and flooding are expected in Virginia. “It’s just not worth the risk,” Mr. Richards said. “We’ve lost power frequently in the past.” The family planned to head to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where Richards is from. He said many of his neighbours in Norfolk planned to wait out the storm with generators.
The outer bands of Hurricane Florence lashed the Carolinas with wind and rain on Thursday, flooding roads and overflowing rivers in an ominous prelude of the damage the huge storm could inflict when it makes landfall on Friday with millions of people in its path. Florence, downgraded to a Category 2 storm on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale, remained dangerous and unpredictable, the National Hurricane Center said. It was forecast to make landfall Friday morning or afternoon near Cape Fear, North Carolina, bringing up to 40 inches (1 metre) of rain in places. “Hurricane Florence was uninvited but she’s just about here anyway,” North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper told a news conference, warning residents to stay vigilant despite the downgrade. “Stay on guard. This is a powerful storm that can kill.” Florence’s maximum sustained winds were clocked on Thursday at 100 miles per hour (170 km per hour) as it spun in the Atlantic Ocean, down from a peak of 140 mph (224 kph) earlier this week when it was classified as a Category 4. The community of Avon on North Carolina’s Outer Banks barrier islands reported wind gusts of 74 miles per hour (119 km per hour), while Morehead City on the mainland coast had received 3.6 inches (9.1 cm) of rain in the past 13 hours, according to the National Weather Service.

Already some roads and intersections were inundated with water, making them impassable. About 10 million people live in the storm’s path and more than 1 million had been ordered to evacuate the coasts of the Carolinas and Virginia. Thousands have taken refuge in emergency shelters, officials said. The storm’s centre was about 100 miles (160 km) southeast of Wilmington, North Carolina, at 3 p.m. EDT (1900 GMT) but already some 19,000 homes and businesses in the Carolinas and Virginia were without power by mid-afternoon. Millions of people were expected to lose power from the storm and restoration could take weeks. The National Hurricane Center warned the threat of tornadoes was increasing as Florence neared shore and South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster said the heavy rains could trigger landslides in the western part of his state.

Florence could bring wind-driven storm surges of seawater as high as 13 feet (4 meters) and NHC Director Ken Graham said on Facebook they could push in as far as 2 miles (3 km). Heavy rains were forecast to extend into the Appalachian Mountains, affecting parts of Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky and West Virginia. Emergency declarations were in force in Georgia, South and North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia. Despite pleas from state and local officials, some residents rejected calls to evacuate. Near the beach in Wilmington, a Waffle House restaurant, part of a chain with a reputation for staying open during disasters, had no plans to close, even if power is lost. It had long lines on Thursday. In the tiny community of Sea Breeze near Wilmington, Roslyn Fleming, 56, made a video of the inlet where her granddaughter was baptized because “I just don’t think a lot of this is going to be here” later. “We’re a little worried about the storm surge so we came down to see what the river is doing now,” said Linda Smith, 67, a retired nonprofit director. “I am frightened about what’s coming. We just want prayers from everyone.” Will Epperson, a 36-year-old golf course assistant superintendent, said he and his wife had planned to ride out the storm at their home in Hampstead, North Carolina, but reconsidered due to its ferocity. Instead, they drove 150 miles (240 km) inland to his mother’s house in Durham.