iPhone 6S, 6S Plus India launch: Bookings miss target

Apple's aggressive sales strategy in India may have backfired to some extent as bookings for the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus have fallen short of expectations, said some of the company's trade partners. Against a bold target of tripling pre-bookings for the devices, which will be available in India on October 16, these have risen by just 10-15% compared with last year for the previous models, the partners said. They said buyers expect lower prices online once the phone becomes widely available.

Thanks to lower online prices, Apple's ambitious sales target for the new generation of devices could still eventually be met. Earlier this year, Apple had allowed its distributors to sell at the lowest price to the e-commerce channel, leading to a surge in sales after having followed a conservative line that meant all vendors had to hold their rates at the company-mandated level.

Two Killed Several Injured during protest by SIKHS in Faridkot, Punjab, India

FARIDKOT: At least two people were killed and over 100 people, including cops, injured during clashes between Sikh community protestors and police over an alleged incident of desecration in Faridkot district of Indian Punjab, according to reports published on The Hindu and the Hindustan Timeswebsites.

Sikhs belonging to Faridkot and its adjacent Moga district in Indian Punjab have been holding protests for past two days after more than 100 torn up pages from Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh holy book were found near a gurdwara in Bargari village of the district on Monday.

The holy book was reportedly stolen from the Gurdwara in June.

Two people were killed in violent clashes between the police and protesters at Vaibhal Kalan village, 10 kilometres from Kotkapura, the biggest city of district.

Police used batons and water cannons to disperse the protestors. Meanwhile, Bathinda's Inspector General of Police was also wounded during the clashes.

The police said they had arrested Sikh leaders including Bhai Ranjit Singh Dhadriyan Wale, Bhai Amrik Singh Ajnala, Panth Preet Singh, Jaskaran Singh Kahan Singh Wala and members of the Parmeshar Dwar Trust, Nirvair Khalsa Jatha and Ek Noor Khalsa Fauj.

Meanwhile, around 75 members of the Sikh community were also arrested in Ludhiana over fears that they could block roads, police said.

On Tuesday, a violent clash between the police and protesters at Buttar Kalan village in Moga district also left 19 people injured. Nearly 200 protestors belonging to the Sikh community were also arrested by policemen, who were later released.

Indian Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his deputy Sukhbir Singh Badal appealed to the people to remain peaceful while heavy police force has been deployed in the district to avoid any untoward incident.

The CM assured people that those found guilty of sacrilege would not be spared.