रघुवर का अहंकार भाजपा का बना ‘काल’

• हेमंत सोरेन की दोनों सीटों पर मोदी की चुनावी सभा में उठायेे गये राष्ट्रीय और क्षेत्रीय मुद्दों को जनता ने खारिज कर दिया

इनसाइट ऑनलाइन से रोशी की रिपोर्ट

झारखंड विधानसभा चुनाव 2019 में मतदाताओं को भाजपा के पक्ष में करने के लिए प्रधानमंत्री नरेंद्र मोदी, अमित शाह सहित अन्य बड़े नेताओं ने कोई कसर नहीं छोड़ी। इस विधानसभा चुनाव में भाजपा ने रघुवर दास को अपना चेहरा घोषित किया था वहीं झामुमो, कांग्रेस और राजद गठबंधन ने युवा नेता हेमंत सोरेन को अपना चेहरा घोषित किया था।

भाजपा ने जब रघुवर दास को चेहरा घोषित कर दिया फिर भी उस चेहरे पर विश्वास न करते हुए भारी संख्या में भाजपा ने राष्ट्रीय नेताओं को धुंआधार चुनाव प्रचार में उतारा। इनसाईट आॅनलाईन न्यूज ने झारखंड विधानसभा चुनाव 2019 भाग-15 में लिखा था कि संताल परगना की 16 सीटों पर भी बजेगा गठबंधन का डंका! और इसके आगे तक लिखा था कि दावे-प्रतिदावे के बीच यह विश्लेषण छण कर आ रहा है कि हेमंत सोरेन बरहेट और दुमका से अवश्य जीत का परचम लहरायेंगे और यही हुआ। इसमें आगे लिखा था कि यदि अगर दोनों स्थान से झामुमो के कार्यकारी अध्यक्ष हेमंत सोरेन चुनाव जीतते हैं तो प्रधानमंत्री मोदी की किरकिरी हो जायेगी।

• प्रधानमंत्री मोदी की किरकिरी

झारखंड विधानसभा चुनाव 2019 के इनसाईट ऑनलाइन न्यूज के आकलन भाग-14 में हमने लिखा था कि दो दिन के अंतराल में प्रधानमंत्री मोदी ने हेमंत सोरेन जो दो सीटों पर लड़ रहे थे उनको सफलता ना मिले इसके लिए चुनावी सभा की।

हेमंत सोरेन के जनप्रभाव से काफी सहमे हुए रघुवर दास ने प्रधानमंत्री मोदी को उनकी दोनों सीटों पर उतार कर सिर्फ भाजपा की ही नहीं मोदी की भी प्रतिष्ठा को गिराने का काम किया। इन दोनों सीटों से हेमंत सोरेन को विजय हासिल हुई और चुनावी सभाओं में राष्ट्रीय और क्षेत्रिय मुद्दों पर मोदी की दलिल जनता ने खारिज कर दी। यह भाजपा के लिए बहुत शर्मनाक मंजर है। इसमें गहरे चिंतन की जरूरत है कि भाजपा की लगातार गिरती साख की क्या उनकी जनविरोधी राष्ट्रीय एवं क्षेत्रिय नीतियां ही वजह हैं।

• रघुवर दास की सीट

अपनी सीट पर भी रघुवर दास को जब खतरा लगने लगा तो वहां भी मोदी की सभा करा दी और उनकी सीट से भी उन्हीं की पार्टी के करीबी रहें सरयू राय ने उन्हें जोर से पटखनी दे मारी और वह भारी मतों से चुनाव हार गये, अब मोदी को अपने प्यारे रघुवर दास को उनकी किरकिरी कराने के लिए धन्यवाद देना चाहिए! इससे झारखंड में सरकार से बेदखल हुई भाजपा में नई ऊर्जा का संचार होगा और कार्यकर्ता बाग-बाग हो जायेंगे।

23 दिसंबर को घोषित हुए चुनाव नतीजे झारखंड में भाजपा की अप्रत्याशित हार और जेएमएम, कांग्रेस और राजद गठबंधन की जीत के बाद बहुत सी कही-अनकही कहानियां बयां करती हैं। यदि बेवाक विश्लेषण हो तो बहुत से राज खुल जायेेंगे और दुर्गति की ग्राफ लगातार बढ़ता चला जायेगा।

मीडिया एवं प्रबुद्ध नागरिक मानते हैं कि रघुवर दास का अहंकार ही सरकार एवं भाजपा की नैया को डूबो दिया।

Source: Jharkhand News

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जलियांवाला बाग में दंडवत होकर ब्रिटिश बिशप जस्टिन पोर्टल वेल्बे ने मांगी माफी बोले, शर्मिंदा हूं

ब्रिटिश ईसाई धर्मगुरु आर्कबिशप ऑफ कैंटरबरी जस्टिन पोर्टल वेल्बी ने जलियांवाला बाग घटना पर दुख जताया। उन्होंने यहां विजिटर बुक में लिखा कि उन्हें इस घटना पर बेहद शर्मिंदगी महसूस होती है। आर्कबिशप ने इस दौरान प्रार्थना भी की जिसमें उन्होंने परमात्मा से इस घृणित कार्य के लिए माफी मांगी।

अमृतसर पहुंचे। उन्होंने जलियांवाला बाग में स्थित शहीदी लाट पर दंडवत प्रणाम कर शहीदों को नमन किया। उन्होंने इस दौरान कहा कि शहीदों की यह यादगार सदा जीवित रहेगी। यहां होने वाले अपराध के लिए उन्हें खेद है।

एक धार्मिक नेता के रूप में वह इस दुखद घटना पर शोक प्रकट करते हैं। उन्होंने वर्ष 1919 में बैसाखी वाले दिन अंग्रेज हुकूमत के जनरल माइकल ओ डायर के आदेश पर किए गए नरसंहार की घटना पर असंतोष जताया।

नरसंहार में मारे गए लोगों को श्रद्धांजलि देने के बाद जस्टिन वेल्बी ने कहा, ‘मैं ब्रिटिश सरकार के लिए तो कुछ नहीं कह सकता। ना ही मैं सरकार का प्रवक्ता हूं लेकिन मैं ईश्वर के नाम पर बोल सकता हूं। यह पाप और मुक्ति का स्थान है। आपने याद रखा है कि उन्होंने क्या किया और उनकी यादें जिंदा रहेंगी। यहां हुए अपराध और उसके प्रभाव को लेकर मैं बहुत दुखी और शर्मिंदा हूं। धार्मिक नेता होने के चलते मैं इसपर शोक व्यक्त करता हूं।’
अपने दस दिवसीय भारत दौरे के आखिरी चरण में बिशप ने कहा, ‘मैं एक धर्मगुरु हूं, राजनीतिज्ञ नहीं। एक धार्मिक नेता के रूप में, मैं त्रासदी पर शोक मनाता हूं।यहां मैं लोगों के दुख को महसूस करने और ब्रिटिश लोगों की गोलियों से मारे गए लोगों की मौत पर पछतावा व्यक्त करने आता हूं।’

आर्कबिशप ने यहां विजिटर बुक में इस अत्याचार को लेकर एक बार फिर से अपनी भावनाएं नहीं रोक सके। उन्होंने लिखा, ‘यह बहुत ही दुखद है और सौ साल पहले इस तरह के अत्याचारों को देखने वाली इस जगह की यात्रा करने में मुझे शर्म आ रही है। मेरी भावनाएं भड़क रही हैं।’

गौरतलब है कि 13 अप्रैल 1919 को ब्रिटिश इंडियन आर्मी के सैनिकों ने जनरल डायर के आदेश पर मशीनगन से निहत्थे लोगों को गोलियों से भून डाला था। ये लोग स्वतंत्रता सेनानियों सत्य पाल और सैफुद्दीन किचलू की गिरफ्तारी का विरोध करने इकट्ठा हुए थे। इस घटना के 100 साल बीत जाने के बाद भी ब्रिटेन ने इसके लिए औपचारिक तौर पर माफी नहीं मांगी है।

यह पूछे जाने पर कि क्या वह ब्रिटिश सरकार से वह औपचारिक माफी मांगने के लिए कहेंगे? उन्होंने जवाब दिया, ‘मुझे लगता है कि मैं जो महसूस करता हूं, उसके बारे में बहुत स्पष्ट हूं और मैं इसे इंग्लैंड में प्रसारित करूंगा।’

Source: Trusted Online News Portals in India

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Trumping Trump’s unpredictability, makes India-US ties win-win

Given US President Donald Trumps unpredictability, India has been well prepared to meet and match his every mood, whether on trade or on Kashmir, as the successful conclusion and outcome of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meetings with his show.

Even before his meeting with PM Modi in Osaka on the sidelines of the G20 in June, President Trump had taken to Twitter to vent irritation over India hiking its tariffs on US agricultural and industrial imports in retaliation to the US raising the tariff on steel and aluminium imports from India. “Unacceptable”, said the president, demanding that the tariffs be withdrawn.

Having realised by now the US President’s unpredictability, India has been going for meetings with him well prepared, and preferring to look at the larger picture in ties rather than getting bogged down with his utterances.

In a pointer to the burgeoning trade ties and just how mutually beneficial the relationship is — India-US bilateral trade reached $142 billion in 2018, witnessing a sevenfold increase since 2001 — and is expected to jump to $500 billion in five years.

Thus, rather than taking umbrage at the president’s testy language, Indian officials have been working with their US counterparts behind the scenes to soothe over the ruffles in ties.
And it has worked. For in his meeting with PM Modi in Biarritz, France, on the sidelines of the G7, President Trump did not mention his irritation over any trade issue. 

Being a hugely successful businessman, the US president understands the language of buy and sell and profit well, and anything that benefits his country is always a good thing.

On Kashmir, President Trump gave India some tense moments when he said in July that he would like to meditate on the issue and that PM Modi had suggested this to him during their Osaka meeting. India denied that PM Modi ever said such a thing and stressed that Kashmir is a bilateral matter.

India is now well prepared to tackle the US president’s unpredictable utterances. New Delhi now says just enough to convey its message, without going into any kind of quibbling over the wordings of what Trump has said, and prefers to work with US administration officials who know just how important the ties are.

Since Trump would be happy with anything that stands to benefit his country, India has already promised to buy more shale oil, with $4 billion worth of imports already in the pipeline. Indian ventures in the US are also creating jobs in the US. A CII report last year said that Indian companies have created more than 113,000 jobs in the US and invested nearly $18 billion in the country.

In the defence arena too, India has managed to soothe over US concerns over purchase of Russian S-400 Triumf missile systems. India’s defence purchases from the US, which stand at $ 18 billion since 2008, are set to rise with New Delhi lining up defence deals worth $10 billion over the next few years, which would obviously please the US president.

India has already bought C-17 and C-130J transport planes, the P-8i maritime reconnaissance aircraft, Harpoon missiles, Apache and Chinook helicopters and M777 howitzers. India is set to buy 10 more of the state-of-the-art P-8 aircraft, armed with Harpoon missiles and torpedoes, and more MH-60 Romeo helicopters and Apache attack helicopters.

These deals are beneficial to the US, and the president understands this well. So, when the two leaders met in Biarritz, there was affability in the air, and the US president voiced confidence in India’s ability to manage Kashmir, and most importantly Pakistan.

It is not just India that has been studying the US president’s moves. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had tried his luck too during his meeting with Trump on July 22 in Washington. With his country having virtually nothing to offer in terms of business and relying heavily on US aid, Imran Khan had taken to flattery and played the Afghan card to win over the US president and made him utter his offer to mediate on Kashmir.

Pakistan thought it was victory, and hoped to build on it. But it has come to nought.

Source: Trusted Online News Portals in India

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New drug shows promise in halting spread of brain cancer

Scientists have developed a novel drug that could block glioblastoma — the deadliest form of brain cancer — from spreading.

The tissues in our bodies are largely made of fluid. It moves around cells and is essential to normal body function. But in some cases, this fluid may be doing more harm than good.

In people who have glioblastoma, this fluid has a much higher pressure, causing it to move fast and forcing cancer cells to spread.

The AMD3100 drug, which has already been used in clinics, was found effective in stopping the inevitable cancer cell spread, the researchers said.

“I am hopeful that since the drug that we used to block flow stimulation is currently used in patients that maybe clinicians, when they do consider using convection enhanced delivery, will combine that with this drug,” said lead author Chase Cornelison, a postdoctoral researcher at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

In the study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, the team explored the flow of interstitial fluid — that surrounds cells in the body — in the spread of glioma cells.

Composed of circulating cerebrospinal fluid, cellular waste and blood plasma, the interstitial fluid flow has been previously linked with an increased invasion rate of glioblastoma, or brain tumour cells.

The researchers tested the AMD3100 drug and found that it could block the rapid movement of the brain’s interstitial fluid flow and the spread of cancer cells.

They also tested the drug on mice with glioblastoma to test how a particular approach to delivering cancer treatment, called convection enhanced delivery, caused glioma cells to invade the rest of the brain.

“It (glioblastoma) is so deadly, and there hasn’t been a shift in treatment response in decades. Something needs to change… Looking at fluid flow, maybe there’s an answer there that we haven’t seen,” added Jennifer Munson, Assistant Professor.

Austria demanding transparent information from Russia on alleged espionage’

Austria is demanding transparent information from the Russian side for the moment on alleged espionage, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Friday.

“If the suspicion is confirmed, such cases, whether in the Netherlands or in Austria, don’t improve the relationship between Russia and the European Union,” Kurz noted, reports Xinhua news agency.

Austrian law enforcement agencies are investigating a retired colonel who allegedly worked for the Russian intelligence since the 1990s until this year, Kurz said earlier in the day.

Kurz added he would discuss the issue with his European partners.

The Russian Foreign Ministry on Friday told Austrian ambassador to Russia Johannes Aigner that Vienna’s accusation that a retired Austrian colonel spied for Russia is based on suspicion without any evidence.

The ministry said in a statement that it summoned Aigner and expressed a protest.

Vienna’s moves have complicated the Russian-Austrian relations, which until recently had a positive dynamic, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

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Facebook to allow up to 250 people on group chat

Social networking giant Facebook is rolling out the ability for members of Facebook Groups to launch group chats that, up to 250 members could join, the media reported.

“Facebook Groups” gives the 1.4 billion active users of the app a platform to collectively plan events, arrange in-person meetings, or have deeper discussions with their close ones or people of similar interests.

“Instead of immediately alerting you of every message in every thread, you’ll first get a Facebook Groups notification inviting you to each new group chat you have to voluntarily join to receive further notifications,” TechCrunch reported on Thursday.

This update that Facebook is planning on gradually rolling out, would also facilitate audio and video calls accommodating up to 50 members at once.

Users would have an option to browse through active chat threads, launch a new one, turn off notifications for message reactions or Messenger games and opt-in to be notified only if they have been “@mentioned” in the thread.

Group admins would have the authority to always shut down a group chat or limit their creation to only other admins, the report added.

Previously, the Mark Zuckerberg-owned platform allowed only up to 150 people on a Group chat at once.

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Bihar Deputy CM shown black flags by upper caste activists

Bihar Deputy CM shown black flags by upper caste activists

Activists belonging to upper caste groups on Saturday waved black flags at Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi and tried to blacken his face, as they protested the Centre’s restoration of a stringent provision in a law that seeks to protect the lower castes from oppression.

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The incident happened in Sitamarhi district, where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader had gone to attend party events.

The protesters also shouted slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and alleged that the BJP was acting against the interest of the upper castes, who had voted overwhelmingly for the party in the 2014 general election.

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Several BJP leaders in the recent past have faced the wrath of upper castes in Bihar, who are angry after the Centre restored the provision of immediate arrest under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act that had been removed by the March 20 Supreme Court verdict.

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BJP leaders, including Union Textile Minister Smriti Irani, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Ashwini Choubey, were shown black flags at different places in Bihar.

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ED attaches Nirav Modi’s foreign assets worth Rs 637 cr

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) said on Monday it has attached foreign properties of fugitive diamond jeweller Nirav Modi worth Rs 637 crore in its ongoing investigation into the Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud.

A senior ED official said that the financial probe agency has been working in close coordination with other foreign agencies in order to identify and attach foreign properties of Nirav Modikept secret at various international locations.

The attached properties were in the form of jewellery, bank accounts and immovable properties.

The official also said that it has brought diamond jewellery worth Rs 22.69 crore back to India from Hong Kong.

According to the ED, a stock of jewellery was exported to Hong Kong after a case was registered against Nirav Modi by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in January.

This was kept in a vault of a private company in Hong Kong on behalf of Nirav Modi.

“The agency contacted the company and its London headquarters and after much persuasion and follow up, it successfully brought back the jewellery to India,” the official said.

He also said that the stock value of the jewellery was around Rs 85 crore and the jewellery was sent to Hong Kong by Firestar Group of Companies. On independent valuation, the value of jewellery came to Rs 22.69 crore.

The ED has also attached a flat in south Mumbai worth Rs 19.5 crore which was on the name of Nirav Modi’s sister Purvi, who is a Belgian national.

The official said that the flat was purchased by Purvi in 2017 and the deed was signed by Nirav Nodi’s brother Neeshal, who is also a Belgian national and who held a power of attorney.

“But the consideration of the flat was paid by Purvi through her Barclays Bank account maintained in Singapore,” the official said.

Meanwhile, the agency also attached five bank accounts containing over Rs 278 crore, belonging to Nirav Modi, Purvi and others in the case.

Interpol has issued an RCN against Nirav Modi, Neeshal, Purvi and his executive Subhash Parab.

Interpol on Monday on the request of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and ED issued a Red Corner Notice (RCN) against Nirav Modi’s trusted official Aditya Nanavati in the PNB fraud.

According to CBI sources, Nanavati’s links with Neeshal have been found.

Nanavati used to head the operations of the Firestar Diamond’s business in Hong Kong. It is learnt that he was also in Belgium.

Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi of Gitanjali Group are under probe by both the CBI and ED. The ED had on May 24 and 26 filed the charge-sheets against both.

Non-bailable warrants have been issued against them.

Nirav Modi left India along with his family in the first week of January, before the scam was reported to the CBI.

Source:- 

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Pakistan issues flood alert as heavy rains expected

The Pakistan Met Department has issued a flood alert as heavy rains and thundershowers with gusty winds were expected in Punjab province on Sunday.

“A strong weather system from central India will pass between New Delhi and Lahore during Saturday evening to Monday afternoon which can cause heavy to very heavy rainfall,” the weather office said in a notification on Saturday.

It said that widespread thunderstorms with scattered and isolated heavy falls are expected over the upper catchments of rivers in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Sargodha and Sahiwal divisions, reports Xinhua news agency.

“A very high flood is expected from Sunday in river Chenab at Marala and downstream, river Jhelum at Mangla, rivers Ravi and Sutlej,” the weather office said.

However, the scale of flood in Ravi and Sutlej in Pakistan would depend upon the releases from India, it further said.

The weather office also directed local administration to remain vigilant during the reporting period and depute extra staff for emergency services along with extra medical and paramedical staff at all health facilities.

India’s solar alliance gets major push with EIB funds

In a major push to India’s International Solar Alliance (ISA), European Investment Bank (EIB) President Werner Hoyer on Wednesday announced a major progress on tackling climate change globally at the One Planet Summit here.

Announcing progress on initiatives hailed as “transformative” that will deliver on the ambitious Paris Agreement to tackle climate change, he announced to bridge urban financing gap with Global Urbis, launch the Land Degradation Neutrality Fund and expand solar energy through the International Solar Alliance.

Global Urbis is a ground-breaking partnership to enhance climate action in cities around the world.

The Land Degradation Neutrality Fund is a unique way to finance climate adaptation and land restoration measures through projects that will benefit some of the most vulnerable communities.

In addition, the EIB President pointed to the EU bank’s commitment to backing the ISA to support solar energy and the exchange of technology.

The EIB is partnering with the ISA, bringing its expertise and financing to support the expansion of solar energy in India and other regions where solar power is one of the most abundant renewable energy sources but where technologies, funding and expertise are often lacking.

Plea for Imran Khan’s disqualification rejected

The Pakistan Supreme Court on Monday rejected a petition seeking Prime Minister Imran Khan’s disqualification for not being truthful and righteous.

A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Saqib Nisar dismissed the petition on the grounds that it had already been rendered ineffective, reports Dawn .

The court ruled that the petition seeking Khan’s disqualification as an MNA (Member of National Assembly) was filed during the term of the previous National Assembly, which has now completed its tenure.

The petition was filed by advocate Danyal Chaudhry in May 2017 soon after the apex court had constituted a six-member Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to probe allegations of corruption against former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, and had been pending before the court since then.

Chaudhry sought a special oath for the JIT members to protect them from getting influenced by Khan’s speeches.

The petition had requested the apex court to restrain Khan from activities which could influence the minds of the JIT members because his speeches and press releases could prejudice the investigation team.

It alleged that Khan was making speeches to undermine the Panama Papers case judgement and further influence the expected outcome of the JIT investigation.

ICICI Bank, Kochhar have not filed for any settlement application, says SEBI

Securities market regulator SEBI on Wednesday said that ICICI Bankand its MD and CEO Chanda Kochhar have not filed for any settlement application under the consent mechanism.

“It is hereby clarified that ICICI Bank and Ms. Chanda Kochhar have filed replies to show cause notices issued by SEBI,” the regulator said in a statement on Wednesday.

“It is further clarified that, SEBI has not received any settlement application from ICICI Bank or from any other entity related to the matter.”

The clarification comes a day after the private lender denied filing any such application.

The company, however, said on Tuesday that it has submitted its response to the show-cause notice issued by SEBI.

“We have submitted our response to the show-cause notice issued by SEBI. We would like to clarify that we have not filed any application for settlement,” ICICI Bank had said in a regulatory filing on Tuesday.

On Tuesday, while answering questions on the issue after SEBI’s annual board meet, SEBI chief Ajay Tyagi said: “On the ICICI (issue), to my information some reply has come from the bank and the earlier CEO (Kochhar), so, we will examine that…”

On the plea for settlement through consent mechanism, Tyagi claimed ignorance. However, another SEBI official present at the conference confirmed the request.

The stock market regulator provides for an out-of-court settlement procedure to settle cases — consent mechanism — which does not warrant admission or denial of the alleged wrongdoing.

SEBI had issued a show-cause notice to ICICI Bank and its MD and CEO Kochhar regarding conflict of interest in lending to Videocon Group, which has had business tie-ups with her husband Deepak Kochhar.

Currently, former Supreme Court judge B.N. Srikrishna (Retd) is heading an independent enquiry into the allegations.

New iPhones evoke a Ferrari dream among Indian smartphone users

New iPhones evoke a Ferrari dream among Indian smartphone users

New Delhi, Sep 17 (IANS) As Apple refreshed its luxury iPhone line-up last week, Manu Jain who is Vice President, Xiaomi Global and Managing Director, Xiaomi India, tweeted: “Choose wisely — MI (Xiaomi) or EMI”.

Jain reacted to a follower who mentioned that one has to shell out Rs 12,075 a month as zero-cost EMI for a period of one year to own the 512GB variant of iPhone XS Max that will come for a mind-boggling Rs 144,900 in India.

Apple this month announced two other new models. The iPhone XS with 512GB storage model will cost Rs 134,900 and the cheapest of the lot, the iPhone XR, has a starting price (64GB) of Rs 76,900 in India.

The message from the $1 trillion company is loud and clear: Come what may, either own a new iPhone with a higher price tag or adjust with older and discounted models.

Here is the truth: Apple shipped 63 million iPhone X’s (now discontinued) till August this year. According to Counterpoint Research, iPhone X is on track to become the most successful revenue and profit-generating iPhone ever.

These 63 million-odd consumers are set to upgrade to new “luxury” iPhones – down payment or via EMI route — so the global smartphone powerhouse is safe here.

India contributed to just one per cent of the total iPhone X shipments till August. In 2017, Apple sold nearly 3.2 million iPhones in India and the company does not appear to be either in a panic or aggressive mode to change the status quo at the moment.

The company is also not in a mood to compete with Xiaomi or other Chinese brands but aims to keep its brand image and aspirational value intact, say experts.

“Apple remains a luxury brand and this has been their overall strategy for years. India is not in the list of top 10 global markets for them when it comes to new iPhone launches. The company has a strong loyal base globally who will buy its devices despite the hefty price tag,” Jaipal Singh, Associate Research Manager, Client Devices, IDC India, told IANS.

“For the Indian market, Apple will never compete with Chinese brands by lowering prices of new iPhones,” Singh added.

According to Tarun Pathak, Associate Director, Mobile Devices and Ecosystems at Counterpoint Research, hardcore Apple users would be willing to shell out the hefty price because owning a new Apple device is a status symbol for them.

“However, that section is still small. We believe that Apple strategy in India should be to sell more iPhones rather than new iPhones. Given the stickiness of the iOS ecosystem, these older iPhone users are likely to upgrade to iPhone only,” Pathak told IANS.

This is exactly what Apple has done. The company has slashed prices of older iPhones for the Indian consumers who want to upgrade to iPhone 7, iPhone 8 and even iPhone X.

Apple has discontinued the “super premium” iPhone X that actually did quite well despite low sale predictions.

The Cupertino-based company has also bid goodbye to iPhone SE – its least expensive model which was being assembled in India and the iPhone 6s — marking the end of iPhones with headphone jacks.

According to Pathak, the fact is that aspirational user audience is more in number than hardcore iPhone users in India. So there can be uptick in Apple numbers driven by cheaper older generation iPhones.

Depending on the quarter, the older generation iPhones capture somewhat half to two-third of Apple’s total sales in India.

“As custom duty continues to have impact on iPhone prices and making new iPhones is costlier, the price cut and subsequent promotions of older generation iPhones can increase iPhone sales in India. iPhone 7 can be the new iPhone 6 for Apple in the country,” noted Pathak.

Since Apple does not manufacture or assemble its products in India, the price will always be on the higher side.

“What Apple can do for the Indian market is to open experiences centres, the way Samsung and OnePlus have done, to pull more Android users towards its ecosystem. A bigger retail presence will help Apple gain more share in the price-sensitive Indian market,” Singh emphasised.

Apple is currently going through an overhaul under Michel Coulomb, the new head of the India operations who took over from Sanjay Kaul in December last year.

The iPhone maker is also seeking tax relief and other incentives from the government to begin assembling more handsets in the country and its proposal to set up a manufacturing unit is reportedly being evaluated.

According to Pathak, new iPhones can still be a good upgrade for users in India which have skipped the previous iPhone generations but the company will never lower the prices for new iPhones.

In a nutshell, CEO Tim Cook has clearly told India that Apple is the Ferrari in the world of smartphones and to own that exclusiveness, shell out extra – cash down or EMI — as others are doing.

Source:- Latest Business News Headlines

Lower food prices ease India’s WPI to 4.53% in August

A massive fall in food prices and cost of primary articles eased India’s annual inflation rate based on wholesale prices to 4.53 per cent in August from a 5.09 per cent rise in July.

However, on a year-on-year (YoY) basis, the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) furnished by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Friday was still higher than 3.24 per cent reported for the corresponding period of 2017.

“Build up inflation rate in the financial year so far was 3.18 per cent compared to a build up rate of 1.41 per cent in the corresponding period of the previous year,” the Ministry statement said here.

On a sequential basis, the expenses on primary articles, which constitute 22.62 per cent of the WPI’s total weightage, slipped by (-) 0.15 per cent, from an increase of 1.73 per cent in July.

Similarly, the prices of food articles dipped. The category has a weightage of 15.26 per cent in the WPI index. It deflated by (-) 4.04 per cent from a rise of (-) 2.16 per cent.

Interestingly, the cost of fuel and power category, which commands a 13.15 per cent weightage, increased at a slower pace of 17.73 per cent from a growth of 18.10 per cent.

However, expenses on manufactured products registered a rise of 4.43 per cent from 4.26 per cent.

Source:- Today Business News India Today

Facebook vows to run operations with 100% renewable energy by 2020

Facebook vows to run operations with 100% renewable energy by 2020

Aiming to make its energy-guzzling data centres environment friendly, Facebook has pledged it would power its global operations with 100 per cent renewable energy by the end of 2020.

The social networking giant also said it was committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 75 per cent in the same time frame.

“In a record-breaking year of corporate renewable energy purchases, Facebook is on track to be one of the largest corporate purchasers of renewable energy. Facebook has signed contracts for over three gigawatts of new solar and wind energy, that includes over 2,500 megawatts in just the past 12 months,” the company wrote in a blog post late on Tuesday.

Notably, tech titans such as Facebook, Google and Amazon consume extraordinary quantities of electricity to power their global networks of data centres and infrastructure across the globe.

In 2015, the company had set a goal of supporting 50 per cent of its facilities with renewable energy by the end of 2018.

“We have achieved that goal a year early, by reaching 51 per cent clean and renewable energy in 2017,” the company added.

Last year, the company pledged its support for climate action by supporting the Paris Agreement through the “We Are Still In Initiative”.

Source:- https://insightonlinenews.in/facebook-vows-to-run-operations-with-100-renewable-energy-by-2020/

पाकिस्तानी मूल की पहली मुस्लिम महिला आस्ट्रेलियाई सीनेटर बनीं

कैनबरा, 20 अगस्त (आईएएनएस)। आस्ट्रेलियन ग्रीन पार्टी की पाकिस्तानी मूल की मेहरीन फारुकी सोमवार को देश के सीनेट में जगह बनाने वाली पहली मुस्लिम महिला बन गई हैं।

समाचार एजेंसी एफे न्यूज के मुताबिक, आस्ट्रेलिया के केटर पार्टी के सीनेटर फ्रेजर एनिंग द्वारा ‘तीसरी दुनिया’ के गैर अंग्रेजी भाषी आप्रवासियों और मुस्लिमों को लेकर विवादास्पद टिप्पणी करने के एक सप्ताह बाद फारुकी सीनेटर पद पर काबिज हुई हैं।

लेबर पार्टी की नेता पेनी वोंग ने सीनेट में कहा, “विशेष रूप से, पिछले सप्ताह के बाद आपको यहां देखना वास्तव में अच्छा है।” पेनी ने एनिंग की टिप्पणी के संदर्भ में यह बात कही।

फारुकी 1992 में पाकिस्तान से आस्ट्रेलिया चली गई थीं और नब 2013 से न्यू साउथ वेल्स विधान परिषद में ग्रीन पार्टी का प्रतिनिधित्व किया है।

वह ग्रीन पार्टी की ली रियानॉन की जगह पर काबिज हुई हैं।

Source :- 

Today News Headlines In Hindi

Apple’s Amsterdam store closed after iPad battery explosion

Apple’s Amsterdam store closed after iPad battery explosion

San Francisco, Aug 20 An Apple store in Amsterdam has been temporarily closed after an iPad battery exploded and released harmful chemical substances, the media reported.

The store was evacuated as a precautionary measure and three employees who reportedly experienced trouble breathing were treated.

“Due to the chemicals potentially released, the store has been closed as firefighters work to ventilate the space and clear out any harmful vapours,” 9to5Mac reported on Sunday.

The staff placed the iPad immediately into a container with sand and called the firefighters. It is unclear if the tablet has burst into the flames.

“Although, not related with this iPad battery explosion, as Apple started its iPhone battery replacement programme we’ve seen a few more incidents like this over the past months.

“Apple stores in both Switzerland and Spain were evacuated this year after thermal events with iPhone batteries. Like today’s incident, fortunately those also didn’t see any major injuries, but Apple employees did sustain minor burns,” the report added.

Meanwhile, an iPhone 6 exploded and went up in flames in a moving car in China last week, according to EEC Media.

A video was shot by a dash cam installed inside the vehicle, which showed the woman screaming in the video after her phone burst into flames in the moving car.

Source:- https://insightonlinenews.in/apples-amsterdam-store-closed-after-ipad-battery-explosion/

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