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Dispelling the fear that a slowing economy may affect consumer behaviour, e-commerce majors Flipkart and Amazon India have said they witnessed record transactions on their platforms on the first day of their annual festive sale, which started early on Sunday. While home-grown Flipkart, which is now owned by American retail major Walmart, said it registered two times more sales on Day One of its flagship sale event Big Billion Days (BBD) over last year, rival Amazon claimed it witnessed the biggest opening day sale ever with a huge surge in participation in smaller towns. According to Amit Agarwal, senior vice-president and country head, Amazon India, the company also saw the single-largest day of Prime sign-ups, with 66 per cent of Prime members shopping in 24 hours coming from tier II and tier III towns. The company added that 91 per cent of new customers were from smaller cities. “ Whether it is the Diwali festival season or any other shopping event, the primary objectiv...

Samsung recently launched Galaxy A50s, the upgraded version of Samsung A50 , with 6.4-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED screen and 48MP main shooter. The smartphone has a sleek profile that complements its overall look and design, but faces tough competition as there have been notable entries in the mid-range segment. Can the Galaxy A50s make a mark? Let’s have a look: Design Galaxy A50s impresses with its looks. The first thing you'd probably notice is the Prism-cut design on the solid glassy rear panel. We had the Prism Crush White variant and it can take on any rival in terms of looks. The metallic frame adds to the looks while the thin bezels highlights the screen. The phone is sleek and very easy to hold despite the 6.4-inch screen size. The power and volume buttons are placed on the right side of the frame, while the left side has the tray for two SIM cards and a microSD card. The headphone, USB Type-C and speaker grille sit at the conventional bottom position. However, it’s a...

South Korean electronics manufacturer Samsung is gearing up to launch the Galaxy Fold in India on October 1. The information came from the company’s official Twitter channel, where the company published a teaser video showcasing the Galaxy Fold, with the following message: “We changed the shape of the phone, and the shape of tomorrow. Future unfolds on October 1, 2019”. Announced earlier this year, the Galaxy Fold is a new category of smartphones with foldable screens. The phone has two displays — a 7.3-inch dynamic AMOLED foldable display that bends inwards and a conventional 4.6-inch secondary super AMOLED display on the back that becomes primary display when the device is folded. The phone’s primary display supports HDR10+ and has 1536 x 2152 resolution. The secondary display has an HD+ resolution (1680 x 720), stretched in a 21:9 aspect ratio. The device supports the app continuity feature, which allows easy transition between both displays. For example, you can open an a...

The country's premier engineering colleges, the Indian Institute of Technologies (IITs), are mulling an early exit option for academically weak students in undergraduate courses who will be allowed to opt out after three years -- instead of the full four years -- with a B.Sc. degree in engineering. According to a report in The Indian Express, the proposal is on the agenda of the IIT council-- the highest decision-making body of all the 23 institutes -- for its meeting on Friday. Currently, students enrolled in undergraduate programmes in IITs need to complete eight semesters (four years) to receive a B.Tech degree. But according to the HRD proposal, academically weak students can choose B.Sc. (Engineering) after the second semester and leave after three years, provided they have met the minimum academic standards. If approved, the IITs will implement the suggestion from the current academic year, the report said. Read Complete Article

The government will set up design centres to help khadi institutions develop trendy designs in line with the market demand. The National Design and Product Development Centre for khadi products will be established by the Khadi and Village Industries Corporation (KVIC) under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. On Wednesday, MSME Minister Nitin Gadkari outlined the broad plan which includes a concerted push to maximize the production and sale of khadi and make it a global brand. "There is a need to make khadi designs more trendy and modern, without compromising with tradition. We need to make khadi attractive for the youth of the country. The product designs should be aligned to customer choices and demand, and take into account the local and regional preferences and requirements like weather condition and local designs," Gadkari said. Read Complete Article

Xiaomi today extended the Redmi A series with the Redmi 8A smartphone with 5000mAh battery and 12MP Sony IMX363 sensor among other features. The new offering comes with USB Type-C 18W fast charging support, a 6.22-inch Dot Notch HD+ display, and 19:9 aspect ratio. Redmi 8A is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 octa-core chipset and available in two variants -- 2GB/32GB and 3GB/32GB, featuring a 2+1 dual SIM slot with dedicated microSD card support to extend storage to 512GB. The phone features a 12MP Sony IMX363 sensor with an aperture of f/1.8 and Dual Pixel Autofocus. On the front, it has an 8MP selfie camera, capable of taking AI Portrait mode shots. For protesction, the phone has Corning Gorilla Glass 5 and nano-coating that makes the smartphone splash resistant. Read Complete Article

In a global unveiling event from India, Chinese smartphone brand OnePlus is set to launch the OnePlus 7T and the OnePlus TV on Thursday at 7 PM (IST). This is the first time the company is launching a product in India before any other of the global markets where it is present, including home country China. Before the launch, the company has revealed some key features and specifications of the upcoming products. Here is a look: OnePlus 7T Successor to the OnePlus 7, launched earlier this year, the OnePlus 7T would get major all-round upgrades, including a new frost mist matte glass build, a triple-camera set-up on the back, AMOLED screen of a higher 90Hz refresh rate, and maybe a bigger capacity battery with 30W fast-charge (Warp charger) support. On the basis of the features revealed by the company, the phone seems to be inspired by its on-going premium flagship OnePlus 7 Pro. However, it might get a lower price tag, which would make it an affordable offering in the midrange...

Director Zoya Akhtar's " Gully Boy ", featuring Ranveer Singh in the lead, has been selected as India's official entry in the International Feature Film category at the 92nd Academy Awards, the Film Federation of India announced on Saturday. The movie, which released commercially across the country in February this year, also features Alia Bhatt, Vijay Raaz, Kalki Koechlin, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Vijay Varma and Amruta Subhash. "India's official entry for Oscars this year is 'Gully Boy'. There were 27 films in the running this year but it was an unanimous decision to select 'Gully Boy'," FFI secretary general Supran Sen told PTI. Celebrated actor-filmmaker Aparna Sen was the head of the jury for this year's selection committee. "Gully Boy", produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar, featured Ranveer as an up-and-coming rapper who sets out to achieve his dream by rhyming about his life on the Mumbai streets. Re...

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan was on Tuesday named Dadasaheb Phalke winner , Indian cinema's highest honour for an artiste. Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar confirmed the news in a Twitter post. "The legend Amitabh Bachchan who entertained and inspired for 2 generations has been selected unanimously for #DadaSahabPhalke award. The entire country and international community is happy. My heartiest Congratulations to him. @narendramodi @SrBachchan," Javadekar tweeted. The 76-year-old screen icon, who rose to stardom with his 'Angry Young Man' persona capturing the anger of the young generation in the 1970s with films such as "Zanjeer", "Deewar" and "Sholay", continues to be a force to reckon with in Indian cinema. In a career spanning five decades, Bachchan has given memorable performances film after film and is a four-time National Film Award winner.

Allegations of illegal marketing tactics. More than 500 cases of severe lung illness in 38 states. Eight deaths. A proposed federal ban of most flavoured e-cigarettes , and new efforts in many states to counter an epidemic of youth vaping. There’s been an avalanche of vaping news this month, which leaves many users facing a crucial question: Is it time to quit? Here’s a look at the issues. First, how big is vaping? E-cigarettes swept onto the market about a decade ago. They’re now a $2.6 billion industry in the United States, and roughly 20,000 vape and smoke shops have sprung up across the country in the past few years. There is also a thriving black market for vape pods. A survey last year found that 10.8 million American adults used e-cigarettes — and that more than half were also smoking cigarettes. E-cigarettes have become especially popular among teenagers. Preliminary results from an annual survey sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and released on Wedn...

Taiwanese electronics maker Asus on Monday launched in India the Asus ROG Phone II smartphone . The gaming-centric smartphone comes in 8GB RAM + 128GB storage and 12GB RAM + 512GB storage configurations, priced at Rs 37,999 and Rs 59,999, respectively. While the company has not confirmed the sale details of the 12GB RAM variant, the 8GB RAM variant goes on sale from September 30, exclusively on the home-grown e-commerce platform Flipkart. Asus ROG Phone II specifications and features Compared to its predecessor, the Asus ROG Phone, the second iteration brings several design improvements and hardware upgrades. It is the first smartphone in India to be powered by Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 855+ system-on-chip. The Asus ROG Phone II has a 6.59-inch AMOLED screen of a fullHD+ resolution (2340 x 1080). The screen has an enhanced refresh rate that goes up to 120Hz, an improvement over the 90Hz screen refresh rate of its predecessor. Moreover, the screen has a 240Hz touch samplin...

US based search giant Google on Thursday announced a major update for Assistant users in India where one can now make Assistant talk in Hindi by just asking "Ok Google, Hindi bolo or "Talk to me in Hindi. Besides Hindi and English, users will also be able to find content in Marathi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Gujarati and Malayalam. The new update comes to the Google Assistant a day after Amazon announced that Alexa will support Hindi and Hinglish conversations. "For many Indians, voice is increasingly becoming their preferred way to search, and today Hindi has become the second-most used Assistant language globally -- after English," Manuel Bronstein, Vice President, Product Management, Google said in a statement. The feature will be accessible on all Android, Android Go and KaiOs devices. Google also introduced a refreshed design for Google Search in India that will highlight queries in local languages. Read Complete Article

Huawei today unveiled its HUAWEI Mate 30 Series -- world’s first second generation 5G smartphone -- at an exclusive launch event in Munich, highlighting its own apps brand while sidestepping the critical issue of access to Google services. The HUAWEI Mate 30 and HUAWEI Mate 30 Pro features OLED HUAWEI Horizon Display, quad-camera setup, and is powered by Kirin 990 5G chipset. Top salesman Richard Yu showcased the new models in the first such event since President Donald Trump hit Huawei with a U.S. export ban in May. "It's got a large screen but it's very compact in your hand," Yu, head of Huawei's consumer business, said of the phone, whose fate in Europe will hang on whether customers buy a device lacking access to software and apps supported by Google. Read Complete Article

As the burden of atrial fibrillation (AFib) in India makes it an important health issue, the Cupertino-based iPhone maker on Thursday brought its much-anticipated ECG app and irregular rhythm notification feature to Apple Watch users to India. Available with an update to watchOS 6 on Apple Watch Series 4 and later, the ECG app and irregular heart rhythm notification feature will help users identify signs of AFib, the most common form of irregular rhythm. "We are confident in the ability of these features to help users have more informed conversations with their physicians," said Sumbul Desai, MD, Apple's Vice President of Health. "With the ECG app and irregular rhythm notification feature, customers can now better understand aspects of their heart health in a more meaningful way," Desai added. Read Complete Article

Announced earlier this year, the iOS 13 operating system for iPhones is now being rolled out as a software upgrade to all supported Apple smartphones in India. The new OS brings a mixed bag of big and small upgrades, including a new system-wide dark mode, redesigned photos gallery, enhanced security and privacy features and a new QuickType keyboard with swipe to type feature. Take a look at what is new in the iOS 13 OS, compatible iPhone models, and how to download and install the OS. What is new in the iOS 13 Dark Mode: One of the major changes that the new OS gets is the addition of a system-wide dark mode, which uses a palette of dark colours that are easy on the eye in a low-light environment. The dark mode setting can either be set to manual, which allows user to have complete control on when to turn it on or off, or scheduled for a certain time, based on sunrise and sunset. In addition, Apple has also added new wallpapers, optimised for dark mode, that automatically chan...

In a major move, Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman made several announcements for the corporate sector. The minister announced sharp cuts in corporation tax among a series of announcements. Sitharaman said the total revenue forgone on account of today's measures would be Rs 1.45 trillion per year. Here are the highlights 1. All domestic companies to be allowed to pay corporation tax at the rate of 22% (effective rate 25.17% including cess and surcharge). This would be subject to the condition that these companies do not avail of any tax incentives or exemptions. Moreover, no Minimum Alternative Tax (MAT) would be imposed on these companies. 2. Any new domestic manufacturing company, incorporated on or after October 1, 2019, will be allowed to pay corporation tax at the rate of 15% (effective rate 17.01%). No MAT will be imposed on these companies either. This will be subject to the condition that the company does not avail of any tax incentives or exemptions and comm...

Arjun Kapoor always leads from the front when it comes to social causes and to add some joy to the lives of kids battling cancer, the actor will light up the famous Bandra-Worli Sea Link red on this World Rose Day . Observed on September 22 every year, the day comes as a gesture to bring happiness to the lives of cancer patients and to add to it, the 'India's Most Wanted' actor will be lighting Mumbai's most iconic landmark. In collaboration with the Cancer Patients Aid Association, Arjun will illuminate the sea link along with small children who have been battling the life-threatening disease. "It is a cause that is extremely close to me for very personal reasons," Arjun said. Read Complete Article

Indian healthcare system will "struggle to keep pace" in 2030 when 140 million Indian households are expected to enter the middle-class, said a report by Bain & Company report on Tuesday. The healthcare industry will face challenges due to a rapid increase in patient volume accompanied by pricing and margin pressures, said the India Life Sciences Report 2019, which was conducted among 325 doctors. The report, done in collaboration with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), said the demand from "developed rural" areas along with the increase in middle-class households will drive about two-times hike in healthcare consumption. PM Narendra Modi's flagship scheme Ayushman Bharat, which was launched in September 2018 to provide 500,000 poor people annual health cover of Rs 500,000, is also likely to increase healthcare demand. Read Complete Article

US President Donald Trump has hinted that there could be some announcement by him at the mega Howdy Modi ! event in Houston on Sunday, where he would join Prime Minister Narendra Modi in addressing the 50,000-strong Indian diaspora. The White House on Monday announced that Trump would join Modi at the mega Houston rally on September 22 as a "special gesture" by the US President to underscore the special bond between the two countries. It is for the first time that Trump and Modi would share a stage together. The event is the third meeting between the two leaders in three months, after the G-20 summit in Japan in June and the G-7 summit in France last month. Could be. I have a very good relationship with Prime Minister Modi, Trump told reporters on Wednesday aboard Air Force One on his way back from California to Washington DC. He did not elaborate. Read Complete Article

Tata Motors should look at selling its UK-based subsidiary, Jaguar Land Rover to German luxury car maker, BMW, which could fetch a valuation of 9 billion pounds to the Tata company, global brokerage firm, Bernstein has said. In a report to its clients, Bernstein said BMW is over-capitalised and is awash with cash. “It (BMW) has run into the limits of growth for its product range and brand. Returns on capital from further expansion look questionable. By contrast, JLR could be acquired at a discount to book value. With BMW's help it could be returned to profitability,” it said. The Range Rover has huge gross margins but is being swamped by fixed costs and problems on other product lines. BMW could quickly lower JLR’s investment costs and raise margins by leveraging its own platforms, powertrains, purchasing scale and quality control. The value creation would be substantial and could boost BMW earnings by 20 per cent, the report said. For Tata group, the problems at JLR loo...

California, USA based tech giant, Apple launched its latest offerings in mobile phones on September 10. iPhone 11 , iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max make up the iPhone 11 series which grabbed attention for the relatively competitive (by Apple standards) pricing (especially for iPhone 11). The devices aren't available in the market yet but preorders are to start soon. India’s leading e-commerce platforms Amazon India and Flipkart will accept Apple iPhone 11-series preorders starting from September 20, before the sale commences on September 27. The series includes three smartphones; the iPhone 11, the iPhone 11 Pro and the iPhone 11 Pro Max. The iPhone 11 will be available in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB storage configuration in purple, green, yellow, black, white and PRODUCT(RED) colours starting at Rs 64,900. The iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max will be available in 64GB, 256GB and 512GB storage configurations in midnight green, space grey, silver and gold starting at Rs 99,9...

Instagrammers and Facebook users in India will now be able to add music to their 'Stories' on the two social networking platforms. "Facebook today (Tuesday) announced new ways for people in India to express themselves through music on Facebook and Instagram, with music stickers on Stories and other creative tools such as Lyrics on Instagram, Lip Sync Live, and the ability to add songs to their Facebook Profiles," Facebook said in a statement. Users can share photos, videos and posts on 'Stories' that are visible only for 24 hours. With the roll-out of music products in India, users can add latest tracks such as 'Bekhayali' (Kabir Singh) and Ve Maahi (Kesari) to older songs like Bas Ek Sanam Chaahiye (Aashiqui), to their Facebook and Instagram Stories. Music products on Facebook and Instagram are now available in over 55 countries. Read Complete Article

South Korean electronics manufacturer Samsung on Wednesday launched the Galaxy M30s in India . Powered by a 6,000 mAh battery, this smartphone seems to be a significant upgrade over the first-generation model, the Galaxy M30, which was launched earlier this year. Besides a bigger battery, the phone has a triple-camera set-up with a 48-megapixel primary sensor on the back, super AMOLED screen and a capacitive fingerprint sensor. The Galaxy M30s sports a 6.4-inch super AMOLED screen of fullHD+ resolution, stretched in a tall 19.5:9 aspect ratio. The screen has a tiny dewdrop-shaped (infinity U) notch on the top accommodating the phone’s front camera. Like other M-series smartphones, the Galaxy M30s is expected to come with Widevine L1 certification, which is required for streaming high-definition video content available on various over-the-top (OTT) platforms, such as Amazon Prime Videos and Netflix. Read Complete Article

Healthy sleep habits can make a big difference in one's life but work week keeps us all a bit short on sleep, which can be severely harmful, says a study. In the Journal of Lipid Research, researchers at Pennsylvania State University reported that just a few days of sleep deprivation can make participants feel less full after eating and metabolise the fat in food differently. Sleep disruption has been known to be having harmful effects on metabolism for some time. Orfeu Buxton, a professor at Penn State and one of the senior authors of the new study, contributed to a lot of the research demonstrating that long-term sleep restriction puts people at a higher risk of obesity and diabetes. However, Buxton said, most of those studies have focused on glucose metabolism, which is important for diabetes, while relatively few have assessed digestion of lipids from food. Read Complete Article

As mosquitoes mostly spread dengue virus while feeding on iron deficit blood, researchers suggest consuming iron-rich food if dealing with iron deficiency, anaemia or dengue fever. Dengue is most commonly acquired in urban environments, and the expansion of cities in the tropics has been accompanied by an expansion in dengue infections. UConn Health immunologist Penghua Wang wanted to see if blood quality had an impact on the spread of the dengue virus. Blood levels of various substances can vary tremendously from person to person, even among healthy people Wang and colleagues at Tsinghua University and State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control in Beijing, King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang in Bangkok, and the 920 Hospital Joint Logistics Support Force in Kunming ran a series of experiments to explore the idea. Read Complete Article