Motorola's Moto E6s with dual rear cameras to launch today; details here. Chinese information technology company Lenovo-owned Motorola on Monday launched the Moto E6s smartphone .
Like other series under the Moto branding, the E-series has not been upgraded with a new smartphone launch in a long time. Therefore, the launch of the Moto E6s is crucial for the company, which is looking to resurrect its identity in the budget smartphone segment it once dominated. At Rs 7,999, the Moto E6s boasts dual rear cameras, featuring a 13-megapixel primary sensor mated with a 2MP depth sensor for bokeh effect and portrait shots. On the front, the phone has an 8MP selfie camera. The phone comes in 64GB internal storage and 4GB RAM configuration. Karti Chidambaram pens letter to father on birthday; takes dig at BJP govt.
On the 74th birthday of former finance minister P Chidambaram, his son Karti wrote a letter to him, mostly taking a dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government at the Centre and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In his letter, Karti criticised the government and its ministers, citing various recent events. At the beginning of the letter, Karti wished his father and said that "no 56!!! Can stop you", a clear jibe at PM Modi. He said the family would have been glad to celebrate the birthday at home, and added "turning 74 is nothing compared to turning 100 days old". (The BJP government just completed 100 days in office). Iron ore prices may decline to $60 on weak Chinese demand, says JSW Steel. JSW Steel Ltd., India’s most valuable steel producer, is predicting declines for iron ore next year as demand from biggest consumer China eases and supplies recover.
Prices may trade between $80 and $85 a ton for the rest of 2019 before sliding to $60 to $65 next year, Seshagiri Rao, joint managing director of the Mumbai-based mill, said. The key steel-making raw material has benefited from “speculation” and there is no reason why ore should be trading at elevated levels of about $95, he said. “Gradually we are seeing some moderation” in steel production globally and “once the crude steel production comes down, including in China, then automatically the demand for raw material should come down,” he said in an interview Thursday.
Why are 65-year-olds learning how to program software in aging Singapore? Most 65-year-olds would be looking to wind down their careers as they hit retirement.
But in Singapore, which has one of the highest life expectancies in the world at nearly 85 years and where the government soon plans to raise the retirement age, workers are being pushed to learn new skills to stay productive. In UP, income tax for CM and ministers is paid by the treasury, since 1981. The Uttar Pradesh state government exchequer has been paying the income tax of all the chief ministers and ministers since 1981, reports Times of India.
A law, Uttar Pradesh Ministers' Salaries, Allowances and Miscellaneous Act 1981, passed by then Chief Minister VP Singh, stated that since the ministers were poor and had meagre salaries and could not afford to pay the tax. It should be noted that UP is one of the poorest states in India. Since then UP had 19 Chief Ministers and over 1,000 minsters. A section of the Act says, “Every minister and minister of state shall be entitled, throughout term of his office, to a salary of one thousand rupees per month. IMF says India's growth 'much weaker' than expected; cuts FY20 projection. International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Thursday said that India's economic growth is "much weaker" than expected due to corporate and environmental regulatory uncertainty and "lingering weakness" in some non-Bank financial companies.
"Again, we will have a fresh set of numbers coming up but the recent economic growth in India is much weaker than expected, mainly due to corporate and environmental regulatory uncertainty and lingering weakness in some non-Bank financial companies and risks to the outlook are tilted to the downside, as we like to say," IMF spokesman Gerry Rice told reporters at a news conference.
The economic growth slowed to a seven-year low to 5 per cent in April to June quarter from 8 per cent a year ago, as per the government data. Yahoo Japan aims to buy control of online fashion retailer Zozo for $3.7 bn. Yahoo Japan Corp said on Thursday it aims to buy 50.1% in online fashion retailer Zozo Inc for about 400 billion yen ($3.70 billion), joining forces to better compete with rivals such as Amazon.com Inc and Rakuten Inc.
Zozo founder Yusaku Maezawa will sell around 30% of the retailer in a tender offer to Yahoo Japan, leaving him with a stake of about 6%, and step down as CEO of the company, which has struggled following a series of botched initiatives by the flamboyant billionaire. Yahoo Japan's offer price of 2,620 yen per share is a premium of around 21% compared to Wednesday's undisturbed closing price. Zozo shares jumped as much 19% in early Tokyo trading with Yahoo Japan shares up around 4%.
Zozo has a market value of around 680 billion yen, according to Refinitiv data. The deal would give Maezawa a windfall or around $2.3 billion. Uber braces for fight as California wants it to treat drivers as employees. Uber Technologies Inc. has generated billions of dollars from the labor of its drivers without the expense of treating them as employees.
California is poised to disrupt that business model, and the ride-hailing behemoth is gearing up for a legal fight. Lawmakers in the state want to reclassify workers treated as independent contractors, which may dramatically boost costs for Uber and other companies built around the gig economy. Under Assembly Bill 5, which has cleared both houses of the California Legislature, many workers would be entitled to a minimum wage, mileage reimbursement and workers compensation. Proponents say the bill, which has the support of Governor Gavin Newsom, will bring a groundbreaking shift to finally give workers their due. Uber and its allies say that if the bill becomes law, it may not meaningfully change the business model because there are still questions about which workers qualify.
Won't survive this disaster: Kashmiri entrepreneurs share lockdown pains. Haji Mohammed Ghani, 74, squatted at the border of his apple orchard, sporting a neatly trimmed, white beard, and a frown.
Around him were trees laden with apples ripe for picking. At this time of year, his orchard--in a state that produces two-thirds of India's apples, earning Rs 6,500 crore ($903 million) in exports in 2016-17, contributing to a 10th of the state’s gross domestic product (GDP) and employing 3.3 million workers--should have been buzzing with pickers and packers readying the fruits for shipment across India. On September 8, 2019, when we visited his orchard, there was no activity.
Ghani owns five acres of land in an area famous for apple orchards, a village called Choora near the town of Sopore in Baramulla district, 55 km northwest of Srinagar. Netflix inks deal with Karan Johar to create diverse content across genres. Streaming giant Netflix on Wednesday announced a long-term partnership with Karan Johar's digital arm Dharmatic Entertainment to create a broad range of new fiction and non-fiction series and films exclusively for its viewers.
Johar, who first collaborated with Netflix on the 2018 anthology film "Lust Stories", is also directing "Ghost Stories" and producing "Guilty" for Netflix. The reach of "Lust Stories", he said, made him realise that "sky is the limit" with such partnership. "What we have decided to do is basically come together to create content to empower not only ourselves, but also the consumer, and to make sure that we can create diverse content across genres, and engage not just an Indian or diaspora audience but an Asian audience," Johar told PTI in an interview. His brush with Netflix, the filmmaker added, led to the setting up of Dharmatic. Having grown up in the lap of mainstream cinema, Johar said, he will always have a strong and romantic relationship with celluloid.
Apple launches iPhone 11 with first triple camera system for Rs 64900. Technology giant Apple today unveiled the iPhone 11, a new version of the Apple Watch and iPad, announced the first all-original video subscription service and a new gaming service at its flagship fall event in California. The Tim Cook-led company launched the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max, a new pro line for iPhone at the widely-watched event in Cupertino.
The phones come in four finishes including a new midnight green, and will be available for pre-order beginning September 13 and in stores beginning September 20. The iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max will be available in 64GB, 256GB and 512GB models starting at USD 999 and USD 1,099, respectively. "iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max are the most powerful and advanced smartphones we have ever made. "iPhone 11 Pro has the first triple-camera system in iPhone and is far and away the best camera we've ever made, it provides our customers with great range of creative control and advanced photo and video editing features in iOS 13. Apple does a Jio with TV+, offers content subscription at Rs 99 per month.
With over 1.4 billion active installed base of devices globally and millions in India - iPhones, iPads, Apple TV, Macs, iPod touch and more - Apple has finally flexed its muscles to take on content streaming giants like Netflix, HBO, Amazon Prime and Disney with aggressive pricing, free offers and all-original stories. The announcement of a much cheaper Apple TV+ subscription than expected (Rs 99 a month in India and $4.99 in the US and other countries) immediately saw shares of Netflix, Disney and Roku tumbling down as Apple, which has nearly $210 billion cash at its disposal, has sensed the mammoth streaming opportunity that lies ahead and is going to open its coffers for creating more originals, even in regional languages. Indians today spend 30 per cent of their phone time and over 70 per cent of mobile data on entertainment and movies are their preferred choice on smart TV and larger screens. Amazon Prime Video a" part of Amazon's Prime subscription a" costs Rs 129 each month.
Can India's education budget fund increased spending in new policy? The government’s Draft New Education Policy released May 2019 suggests increasing spending on education from 10% of total government expenditure to 20% by 2030. However, there is no funding available for such an increase in India’s current education budget. Further, since 2015, government spending on school education has actually decreased after correcting for inflation, according to an analysis of state and central education finances over the years.
Amazon fires releasing CO2 stored in forests, impacting global climate: ESA. New satellite images published on Monday by the European Space Agency show an increase in air pollution in the Brazilian Amazon while fires burned in the region last month. Several maps showed more carbon monoxide and other pollutants in August than in the previous month, when there were fewer fires. The agency said fires released carbon dioxide once stored in the Amazon forests back into the atmosphere, potentially having an impact on the global climate and health. Afghan peace deal: Taliban agreement dead and talks over, says Donald Trump.
President Donald Trump on Monday said that US peace talks with the Taliban are over and announced that the US military has dramatically scaled up attacks on the insurgents in Afghanistan. "They are dead. As far as I am concerned, they are dead," Trump said at the White House about the long-running attempt to reach an agreement with the Taliban and extricate US troops from the country after 18 years of war. The announcement followed Trump's dramatic cancelation of a secret plan to fly Taliban leaders in for direct talks at the Camp David presidential retreat over the weekend. Driving another nail into the coffin of what had appeared to be nearly completed negotiations, Trump said that a US military onslaught on the guerrillas was now at its fiercest in a decade. "Over the last four days, we have been hitting our Enemy harder than at any time in the last ten years!
" US and China are fighting a trade war and Australia is reaping the benefits. Luckily for Australia, the U.S. US, Taliban keep open door to talks after Donald Trump scraps summit. The United States and Afghanistan's Taliban on Sunday both left the door open to fresh talks after President Donald Trump abruptly cancelled a secret summit, but the insurgents threatened to inflict greater costs. Washington also said it would not relent in fighting the militants after Trump blamed the scuttling of the unprecedented meeting on a Taliban attack that killed a US soldier. Trump said he had invited Taliban leaders and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani for talks Sunday at the Camp David presidential retreat on a draft deal that would see the United States withdraw thousands of troops and wind down its longest-ever war. Hong Kong inseparable from China, secessionism will be crushed: State media.
Hong Kong is an inseparable part of China and any form of secessionism "will be crushed", state media said on Monday, a day after demonstrators rallied at the US consulate to ask for help in bringing democracy to the city. The China Daily newspaper said Sunday's rally in Hong Kong was proof that foreign forces were behind the protests, which began in mid-June, and warned that demonstrators should "stop trying the patience of the central government". GST rate cut must to revive auto demand, says M&M MD Pawan Goenka. Finance ministry asks departments, PSUs to expedite capital expenditure. As part of the Modi government’s bid to boost economic activity and pump in liquidity into the infrastructure sector, senior finance ministry officials are meeting officials from other departments, as well as state-owned firms. The PSUs are being told to boost capital expenditure (capex), while the departments, especially those related to infrastructure sectors, are being told to expedite spending of allocated sums and release outstanding payments to contractors.
Ashish Bhasin elevated as Dentsu's APAC CEO with immediate effect. Chiratae Ventures to raise $20 mn from International Finance Corporation. Chiratae Ventures, previously known as IDG Ventures, will raise $20 million from the International Finance Corporation (IFC). Auto dealers unsure of a revival in consumer sentiment in festive season. Despite the government announcing a number of sops, auto dealers are unsure of a revival in consumer sentiment in the upcoming festive season. Anil Ambani's Reliance Naval risks insolvency as banks say no to debt plan. The shipyard controlled by Anil Ambani (pictured) is facing the prospect of bankruptcy after failing to get creditors’ approval for restructuring Rs 70 billion ($970 million) of debt, people familiar with the matter said. Fintech committee recommends new legal framework for consumer protection. Cyclical or structural? Decoding the nature of India's economic slowdown.
Bank merger will slow down loan growth, rivals likely to benefit: Analysts. Trump launches US space warfare command, says it's key to country's defence. Collapse us if you can, British government dares Brexit opponents. Aramco eyes two-stage IPO, favours Tokyo for international listing: Report. Pichai a brilliant student who never showed off: IIT professor. J&K Governor announces 50,000 govt jobs for Kashmiris in next 3 months. Apple to start online sales in India soon with local sourcing rules eased. Rate cuts not enough to boost liquidity-starved housing market: Poll.
China's new drug law may open door for Indian generic medicines: Report. As animal spirits sag, FM's announcements may fall short of spurring growth. Indian economy to grow at slowest pace in 5 years in June quarter: Poll. Helping reduce Indo-Pak tensions key takeaway from G7 Summit: White House. Don't hold your breath: Amazon fires aren't depleting Earth's oxygen supply. Low interstate migration is hurting India's growth and states are to blame. G7 unity under stress as it wrestles with Iran, Amazon fires and trade. With no major fiscal support, govt's growth measures seen falling short.
Massive job losses reveal India is failing to reap its demographic dividend. Kashmir should be settled bilaterally; no place for third party: Macron. Govt offers resolution for pre-GST disputes with tax authorities. How to revive India's economy? Encourage ecommerce, says Amazon executive. BMW bets on India with latest 3 Series sedan, prices start at Rs 41.5 lakh. Asian indices drop as traders await US Fed Chairman Jerome Powell's speech. 'You prepare for war': How one US firm tried escaping Trump's China tariffs. Facebook plans to hire team of editors to help curate your news stories. Can environmental populism save the planet? It is difficult, but possible. Odisha improves child and mental health faster; UP, Bihar lag behind. Hong Kong leader setting up communication platform to help end protest.
Chandrayaan-2 reaches Moon's orbit, just about two weeks away from landing. Ayodhya land dispute: No hearing as Constitution bench judge unavailable. Would be unwise to alienate India, turn to Pakistan as partner: US expert. UP govt to crack down on tax evasion, eyes over Rs 1.4-trn revenue in FY20. Tax evasion may derail India's fiscal deficit goal as demand wanes.
Walmart International Q2 operating income declines 29.6% due to Flipkart. ShareChat raises $100 million in Series D funding led by Twitter. Hero MotoCorp shuts plants from Aug 15-18, says market situation to blame. Cognizant plans another round of layoffs to slash costs, says report. HTC takes brand-licensing route for a comeback; launches Wildfire X. Moody's says Reliance's 20% stake sale to Saudi Aramco credit positive. Make cooking gas cheaper for poor, remove subsidy for rich: Study. Why Mukesh Ambani's 'cautious actions' could be a bad sign for the economy. Bharti Enterprises names Rajesh Sud as MD of financial services business. As Foscor Zirconia losses mount, CUMI may sell stake in S Africa subsidiary. Economic downturn raises default risks, puts stimulus package in focus. Why India's $10 billion foreign bond sale plan may never take off. PM Modi's message to India Inc, banks, auto firms: All will be well.
Aramco to buy 20% in RIL chemical biz for $15 bn; GigaFiber launch on Sep 5. Anil Agarwal submits an expression of interest to revive Jet Airways. Cash-strapped DHFL seeks Rs 15,000-crore immediate funding from banks. NMDC plans special purpose vehicles with state govts to set up steel plant. Amid weak demand, JSW not to bid aggressively for Odisha iron ore blocks. Hong Kong airport on alert as anti-govt activist gear up for 3-day rally. Banks near zero hour on $124-trn flows as fintechs cut their share, margins. Tata's Taj look to sell hotel assets as it braces for slump in economy. JSPL says it is generating enough cash, not defaulted on any payment. Samsung's new Galaxy Note takes on Huawei in selfie beauty pageant.
Restart unannounced inspections of drug units in India, China: US senator. Robots on track to wipe out a tenth of manufacturing jobs by 2030: Report. Soon, drink-driving may cost you a fine of up to Rs 10,000. In 'climate apartheid', rich will save themselves while poor suffer: UN. From trade to Russia arms deals, Pompeo faces thorny issues on India visit.
Anil Ambani-promoted RInfra loses NTPC order worth Rs 567 crore to GE. Garmin Forerunner 945 smartwatch launched in India: Know price, features. Switching to batteries won't reduce an iota of pollution, says TVS MD. India-US closing in on pact for defence technology transfer: Report. NCLT sets 90-day deadline for Jet Airways bankruptcy resolution. Mindtree approves appointment of 3 L&T nominees as board directors. Walmart to pay $282 mn for violating anti-corruption rules in 4 countries. OYO may become largest hotel network in the world: SoftBank's Masayoshi Son. Why 5G is the next headache for some of India's richest businessmen. Paris air show: Airbus seals deals with big buyers after Boeing's MAX sale. Explainer: How trade tensions changed the Fed's outlook in seven weeks. Space ethics? Five questions for how we choose to use the moon.
Shadows on the Moon: A tale of ephemeral beauty, humans and hubris. Boeing records zero new plane orders in Paris, Airbus jumps ahead.