Women's Hockey World Cup: India beats Italy by 3-0 to enter quarter-finals

On August 2, India to play against Ireland for the quarterfinal match.

Asian champions India powered past lower-ranked Italy with an easy 3-0 victory in a playoff here on Tuesday to set-up a quarter-final against Ireland in the Women's Hockey World Cup.

World No 10 India produced a good all-round display and were helped by goals from Lalremsiami (ninth minute), Neha Goyal (45th) and Vandana Katariya (55th) at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre.

India had to be alert against world No 17 Italy, who had defeated higher-ranked sides South Korea and China to qualify for the playoffs. Even though the European outfit conceded 12 goals against the Netherlands in their last game, both Italy and India were guarded against each other. It resulted with the match opening up with a slow tempo during the beginning moments of the first period.

But India created a glorious opportunity in the ninth minute as Navjot Kaur won the first penalty corner of the match. The resulting flick was taken by Gurjit Kaur and her fierce strike was deflected away by the first rusher.

India took their long corner quickly, managing to exploit the space in the Italian striking circle, and young striker Lalremsiami benefitted from it as she produced a calm finish from the left side of the goal to give India the lead.

The early stages of the second quarter saw India's captain Rani Rampal create a chance in the 17th minute as she ran by the left baseline, passing the ball inside which was eventually cleared by Italian goalkeeper Martina Chirico.

The Italian goalkeeper was called into action again two minutes later as Udita found herself in the striking circle, clear of all Italian defenders, but Chirico got to the ball first to clear away the danger.

India seemed content to invite the Italians inside their half, and looked to attack them on the counter, hoping to catch their opponents off guard.

On the other hand, Italy also had chances to go forward, but failed to deliver inside the striking circle, giving away free hits too often as India took their lead into the half-time break.

Article Source BS

Read More

Google Doodle celebrates tragedienne Meena Kumari's 85th birthday

The formidable actress in Indian cinema appeared in more than 90 movies during her career that spanned over three decades.

The beautiful face and expressive eyes of Meena Kumari have been captured in a Google doodle devoted to the late legendary actress Meena Kumari for her 85th birth anniversary on Wednesday.

"As shown in the doodle, Meena Kumari captivated audiences with her beautiful, expressive eyes," according to the official Google Doodle page.

Born in 1933, Meena Kumari grew up on camera, lighting up the silver screen from the age of four when she was known as Baby Meena. She became a formidable actor in Indian cinema, appearing in more than 90 films during her 38-year career.

She portrayed strong yet vulnerable women who made their own way through life, although they were often devastated by romance. This gave her the epithet 'Tragedy Queen'. She came to be known for sailing through complex emotions on-screen with ease.

Some of her memorable films include "Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam", "Pakeezah", "Mere Apne", "Aarti", "Baiju Bawra", "Parineeta", "Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai", "Foot Path", "Dil Ek Mandir" and "Kaajal".

Meena Kumari was not only an iconic star of Hindi cinema, she was also a poet of great flair and delicacy.

She died in 1972 due to liver cirrhosis.

Article Source BS

In pics: Heavy rain wrecks havoc across India, Yamuna crosses danger mark

More than 1500 people have been killed in India due to landslide, storm and flood this year.

Heavy Rainfall : Delhi has received 302.6 mm of rain in July. The rain is 11 per cent above normal. According to Indian Meteorological Department, Delhi is expected to witness light rainfall on Tuesday, while no rain is expected between Thursday and Sunday.

The Supreme Court of India lashed on Centre, the Uttar Pradesh government and Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ) authority for their failure to restore the pristine glory of Taj Mahal. TTZ is an area of about 10,400 sq km spread over the districts of Agra, Firozabad, Mathura, Hathras and Etah in Uttar Pradesh and Bharatpur district of Rajasthan.

Over 10 person have ben killed and seven injured due to heavy downpour in Uttar Pradesh, in the last 24 hours. 11 deaths were reported from Sahranpur district. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath has directed officials to take extensive tours in the rain affected areas and identify dilapidated buildings and start the evacuation.

600 NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) personnel have been deployed in Assam to carry out resue operation in all the flood-hit regions. This year, many northeastern states have witnessed less rainfall than normal.

Incessant rainfall in Bihar has opened the floodgates of misery for people. On Sunday, state-run Nalanda Medical College and Hospital (NMCH) was inundated with water. Small fish was seen swimming in the flooded ICU.

The Bailey road, considered to be the lifeline of Patna, cave din due to incessant rainfall. Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, along with his cabinet colleagues visited the site.

More than 1500 people have been killed in India due to landslide, storm and flood, this year. The number of death, reported by National Emergency Response Center, recorded 139 in Maharashtra.

A road overbridge collapsed near Andheri on July 3 due to heavy rainfall that affected local and distance train services.

Article Source BS

Maratha stir: A look at major quota protests across India in last 4 years

The reservation system still stokes a fire among the Indian masses and is a polarising topic.

Some men brandish swords, others pelt stones, a few others torch a tire and together they howl, all the while stomping together to railway tracks to bring either their state or, in some cases, the country to a standstill. These images have become familiar to Indians, who have these pictures roaring out of the front pages of their newspapers and on their TV screens on an uncomfortably frequent basis.

The protesters gather in a show of strength not to impose their superiority but to convince the nation that they need reservation to be on an equal footing with the rest.

The why of reservation: When India gained independence in 1947, the new constitution provided reservation to scheduled castes and tribes -- which were seen as the ones who had historically been discriminated against -- in educational institutions, government jobs and even seats in parliament and the state assemblies. The idea was to provide them with an "equal opportunity" in the new India.

Not everybody was enthused by the idea though, least of all the framer of the constitution, Dr. B R Ambedkar who argued that reservation alone wouldn't change the social status of Dalits. He agreed to reservation, but wanted it to be discontinued 10 years after the adoption of the Constitution.

In 1989, based on the recommendations of the Mandal Commission, the VP Singh-led government extended the benefits to Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

As years rolled by, more and more groups started demanding reservation and many took violent routes to get their voice heard.

Below are the prominent quota stirs that took place in India since 2014:

YEAR 2018 -- MARATHA QUOTA STIR:

Marathas, a politically-influential community constituting around 30 per cent of the state's population, have been agitating to press their demand for reservation in government jobs and education.

Three protesters had died in the last one week during the ongoing agitation by the Maratha community, which is seeking 16 per cent quota in government jobs and education.

The politically influential community constitutes around 30 per cent of the state's population.

The community had earlier taken out silent marches across the state to highlight their demands, prominent among them being that of reservation.

However, their latest round of agitation has taken a violent turn.

Article Source BS

Read More

OnePlus captured 40% of Indian premium smartphone mkt in Q2, beats Samsung

In terms of best-selling models, OnePlus 6 was the best in the premium segment followed by Samsung S9 Plus and OnePlus 5T.

Riding on the success of its OnePlus 6 device, Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus captured 40 per cent of the premium segment in India in the second quarter of 2018, a new report has said.

Samsung captured 34 per cent share of the premium segment while Apple 14 per cent - its lowest ever.

According to Hong Kong-based Counterpoint Research, the premium smartphone segment (Rs 30,000 and above) grew 19 per cent annually and 10 per cent sequentially during Q2 2018.

"The uptick in consumer demand in the premium segment was driven by increasing offers around the new launches as compared to a year ago," said the report, released late on Monday.

The top three brands -- Samsung, OnePlus and Apple -- contributed 88 per cent of the overall premium market as compared to 95 per cent a quarter ago.

"This is due to the entry of new players in the segment led by Huawei (P20), Vivo (X21), Nokia HMD (Nokia 8 Sirocco) and LG (V30 Plus)," the report added.

Samsung captured over a third of the total premium smartphone market during the quarter with promotions around its flagship S9 series remaining strong.

In terms of best-selling models, OnePlus 6 was the best in the premium segment followed by Samsung S9 Plus and OnePlus 5T.

"The steady focus on high-end flagship smartphones and unprecedented community connect helped OnePlus earn user trust and spread brand awareness through word of mouth," said Neil Shah, Partner and Research Director, IoT, Mobile and Ecosystems, Counterpoint Research.

Article Source BS

BlackBerry Key2 review: Legacy keyboard design gets a fresh, useful twist

The BlackBerry Key2 features an enhanced design, slightly powerful processor, more RAM, latest Google Android operating system and a dual camera set-up on the back.

Canadian smartphone brand BlackBerry, licensed to India-based Optiemus Infracom, on July 23 launched the BlackBerry Key2, a successor to the BlackBerry KeyOne, which had a full-QWERTY keyboard. Compared to the predecessor, the Key2 not only features an enhanced design but also gets a slightly powerful processor, more RAM, latest Google Android operating system, and a dual-camera set-up at the back. The Amazon-exclusive touch and type smartphone goes on sale today i.e. July 31.

In current times, when almost all smartphones have begun to look almost the same, the BlackBerry Key2, with a rectangular touchscreen-cum-physical-keyboard design, offers a fresh new experience. But, is it worth going back to legacy keyboard design, which one ditched in favour of the all-screen mobile phone format? Let’s find out:

Design

The BlackBerry Key2 impresses with its lightweight design. The phone’s back has a soft texture, which makes it easy to hold the device and use the QWERTY keyboard comfortably. The phone’s rectangular aluminium chassis gives it a solid stance and adds to its overall appeal. The chassis houses volume rocker keys, power key and a customisable speed key on the right, while the left has an ejectable dualSIM slot. On the top, the phone has a 3.5mm audio output jack and the secondary microphone, and the bottom is covered with a USB type-C charging-cum-data transfer port surrounded by 12-hole grilles on either side with a speaker and a primary microphone.

It is the phone’s front that catches your eye with its unorthodox touchscreen and keyboard design. The screen covers two-thirds of the front area, and keyboard the rest. Overall, the BlackBerry Key2 design offers a fresh new experience in the current times, when almost all the smartphones have begun to look identical in many ways.

Display and keyboard

The BlackBerry Key2 has a 4.5-inch fullHD screen stretched in a 3:2 aspect ratio. While the fullHD resolution panel looks sharp, the unconventional 3:2 aspect ratio makes it appear unoptimised for multimedia content. However, the screen is a delight to use for reading articles, books, news, emails, etc, and for messaging.

Speaking of messages and emails, the BlackBerry Key2 features a full QWERTY keyboard, which is swift and makes your writing less prone to errors. The chances of committing a typo is less while using a physical keyboard rather than an on-screen touch keyboard. It takes some time to get used to the physical keyboard on a smartphone after long, but once the fingers adapt to the change, the keyboard looks the best thing possible, especially if you write a lot using your smartphone.

Read More

Honor 9N sale starts today on Flipkart: Where to buy the smartphone

The smartphone with 3GB RAM+32GB storage variant is priced at Rs 11,999, 4GB RAM+64GB at Rs 13,999 and 4GB RAM+128GB variant at Rs 17,999.

Honor, the online subsidiary of Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei, on July 24 launched the Honor 9N in India. The Flipkart-exclusive smartphone will be available in three RAM and storage configurations -- 3GB/32GB, 4GB/64GB and 4GB/128GB. It will go on sale from July 31 by 12 noon and will be available in lavender purple, sapphire blue, midnight black and robin egg blue colours.

When and where to buy:

The Honor 9N will on sale starting 12 PM on July 31. The 3 GB | 32 GB variant will go on sale at Rs 11,999. The 4 GB | 64 GB is priced at Rs 13,999 and the 4 GB | 128 GB variant will be launched at Rs 17,999. Here's the link to where you can buy the mobile.

The rise of Honor: A bried review

With 188 per cent growth, Honor was one of the fastest growing brands in India in the second quarter of 2018 -- registering a three per cent market share and grabbing fifth spot.

Sensing the right momentum, the Chinese smartphone maker has brought notch "Honor 9N" with "Full View" display and 19:9 aspect ratio in the sub-Rs 15,000 category to the country.

The smartphone with 3GB RAM+32GB storage variant is priced at Rs 11,999, 4GB RAM+64GB at Rs 13,999 and 4GB RAM+128GB variant at Rs 17,999.

"Honor 9N" (we reviewed 4GB RAM+64GB variant) can help the brand further cement its position.

The 5.84-inch Full HD+ device has 79 per cent screen-to-body ratio. There's a speaker grille and the front camera on the notch. You can also enable or disable the notch as per wish.

At this affordable range, the display quality was great with good amount of saturation, deep blacks and sunlight legibility. A 2.5D curved glass design with 12 layers of glass with nano-coating finish gave mirror-like effect.

The device is perfect in size as navigating it with a single hand hardly posed any obstacle.

Powered by the Kirin 659 processor and equipped with a dedicated i5 Co-processor, the device comes with hybrid-dual SIM support.

On the software front, the smartphone runs latest Android 8.0 (Oreo) operating system (OS) topped with Honor's custom EMUI 8.0. The UI also comes with a gaming mode that will let you play games without much distraction.

Article Source BS

Mission Impossible - Fallout: Daredevilry Cruise, solid punch in the script

While Tom Cruise takes complete and unconditional control of the plot, the secondary characters are never outlined in a shadow.

Film: "Mission Impossible - Fallout"

Director: Christopher McQuarrie

Cast: Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Sean Harris, Angela Bassett, Vanessa Kirby, Wes Bentley, Fredrick Schmidt, Michelle Monaghan, Alec Baldwin

Rating: **** ½(4 and a half stars)

Paris has never pulsated with more panache. Could it be because cinema's greatest living superstar is chasing down the villains on the cobbled streets of this beautiful city? Or is it just the fact that this instalment of Mission Impossible is impossibly entertaining, wildly engaging and finally more profoundly satisfying than the action genre permits.

From Bernardo Bertolucci's Last Tango In Paris to …ahem, Aditya Chopra's Befikre, Paris has always been favourite haunt of filmmakers on a passionate prowl. Passion doesn't perpetually pertain to the pelvic province. The fierce dedication with which Tom Cruise performs the action scenes in this film makes you realize why he is who he is. The mojo is not always about sex. Tom Cruise is seductive because he treats action scenes like high-quality sex.

Every time Cruise returns as Ethan Hawke we wonder how he will better the stunts. The answer, dear friends, is blowing in the Parisian winds. Why just Paris! This time as he sets out to save the world from a nuclear-toting apocalyptic organization known as the Apostles, Cruise stops by to go where angels fear to tread. And he comes out errr, Trumps.

Cruise's skyscraper-level derringdo makes all the other major action heroes of Hollywood look like contestants on Khatron Ke Khilari. He ups the action ante without making a brouhaha of his breathtaking skills. There is an action sequence on a helicopter where we see Cruise leaping to what would almost surely be death for ordinary mortals.

Be prepared to miss a few heartbeats when Mr Cruise jumps.

Article Source BS

Read More

Tamil Nadu CM Palaniswami meets Karunanidhi, says DMK chief 'recovering'

Karunanidhi has entered the 50th year as the President of DMK.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said on Monday that Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) supremo M Karunanidhi, who has been admitted to a Chennai hospital owing to various ailments, is recovering.

He visited the 94-year-old DMK President Karunanidhi, along with Deputy Chief Minister O Pannerselvam and other ministers.

"I have met him (Karunanidhi)...he is recovering," Palaniswami said after coming out from the hospital.

Five-time Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Karunanidhi was admitted to hospital late Friday following high fever, urinary tract infection (UTI) and a dip in blood pressure.

Amid rumours about his deteriorating health that triggered a panic among party cadres and well-wishers on Sunday night, the Kauvery hospital management said there was a transient setback in Karunanidhi's clinical condition. With active medical support, his vital signs are normalising, However, he continues to be “closely monitored” and treated by the panel of expert doctors.

However, partymen from various parts of the Tamil Nadu have been camping in front of the hospital, raising slogans asking their patriarch to come back to a normal.

Earlier on Sunday, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit, and Karunanidhi’s son M K Stalin visited the hospital to see Karunanidhi. Also, DMK had released pictures of Karunanidhi lying on the ICU bed.

Karunanidhi has entered the 50th year as the President of DMK, the longest tenure by a person as head of oneof Tamil Nadu's major Dravidian parties.

Article Source BS

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 with S-Pen to launch on August 9: Things to know

In a series of teaser videos posted on Twitter, Samsung hinted that the Galaxy Note 9 would have a bigger capacity battery, ample internal storage and better internet connectivity.

South Korean electronics giant Samsung is gearing up for the launch of the Galaxy Note 9 on August 9. Purported details of the upcoming Note-series flagship smartphone with S-Pen for digital inking capabilities has been making rounds on the web. However, the latest piece of information has come from the company’s official social media channels where Samsung posted a series of teaser videos hinting that the phone would have a bigger capacity battery, ample internal storage and better internet connectivity.

In the first teaser video shared on July 26 on Twitter, the company showed an iPhone-like user interface with a low battery message popping up forcing user to lower brightness, disable WiFi and GPS, and close the recently opened apps to save some power. The tweet carries a message, “On August 9 2018, power will no longer be a problem” hinting that the Note 9 would pack a bigger capacity battery. The Galaxy Note 9 is rumoured to come with a 4,000 mAh battery, which would be good 700 mAh more than its predecessor and 500 more than the Galaxy S9+.

The next teaser video shared on July 27 focusses on internal storage issues. The video shows a user trying to download a presentation, but could not due to no internal storage. To free up some space, user starts deleting memories in the form of videos and photographs and also removes apps to make room for new download. The teaser video comes with a message, “From August 9 2018 onwards, you won't have to choose” hinting that the Note 9 come with higher storage options. The phone is reported to get 256GB and 512GB internal storage variants, along with 64GB and 128GB models.

The last video teaser focusses on phone’s internet connectivity highlighting how a sluggish phone can hamper overall internet speed. The video teaser shows user trying to send a file to someone but couldn’t upload the file even after switching between 4G and WiFi, and closing background processes access to data connection. The video has been shared with a message, “Time for a change of pace,” hinting that the Note 9 would feature some sort of enhancement to improve internet speed. In the Galaxy S9+, the company introduced carrier aggregation technology and promised an increased internet speed by up to 2.5 times on LTE networks.

Lastly, the Galaxy Note 9 unveiling event promo teaser shows S-Pen, a discreet digital inking tool that comes bundled with the Galaxy Note-series devices. The S-Pen in the Note 9 is expected to be Bluetooth-enabled for added functionalities and enhanced utility. The Note 9, otherwise, is reported to feature a design similar to its predecessor, the Note8. However, just like the Galaxy S9-series, the Note 9 would get a new camera set-up and a relocated fingerprint scanner below the rear camera module, according to leaked images on Twitter by tipster Evan Blass.

Article Source BS

Cong must support alliance between regional parties to unseat Modi in 2019

Despite the CWC projecting Rahul as the PM candidate for the 2019 general elections, leaders like Mamata Banerjee, Naveen Patnaik and Mayawati might have to be accommodated to defeat the NDA.

Although the recently-constituted Congress Working Committee (CWC) anointed Rahul Gandhi as its prime ministerial candidate in its very first meeting, senior party leaders, including Gandhi himself, have subsequently indicated that forging alliances with like-minded parties to stop the Bharatiya Janata Party from coming back to power would be the Congress’s top priority. In case of a hung Lok Sabha in 2019, the Congress has said that it is open to supporting any non-BJP/RSS backed leader for the top position.

2019’s general elections are still a few months away. More immediately knocking on the Congress party’s doors are the crucial assembly elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, scheduled later this year. Only when it is able to wrest at least two of these states from the BJP, can it think of emerging as the pivot around a larger coalition to take on the formidable Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Despite giving consistent signals that the party may be on an upward swing, it cannot be debated that the grand old party is currently facing one of its worst crises and is short of both funds and a determined workforce. Naturally, the Congress is hedging bets on its performance in the upcoming assembly elections to pull its weight as a national party with other anti-BJP political players. At the same time, it will have to work around the priorities of regional parties, which may be unwilling to let the Congress play big brother, irrespective of its showing in the assembly elections.

Given the current political landscape, the Congress is deeply aware of its strengths and limitations. In any scenario, forging alliances with non-BJP parties will be crucial for the depleted Congress to make a mark in the general elections.

That is why the ‘P. Chidambaram formula’, or what the former Union finance minister proposed in the CWC meeting, is being discussed in political circles. In his presentation at the CWC meeting, Chidambaram proposed that the Congress should work to secure anywhere between 140 and 150 seats in the 12 states where it is directly up against the BJP. In the remaining states, it should form pre- or post-poll alliances with regional parties to garner another 150 seats, which should be enough to form the government in 2019.

However, the problem with such a formula is that it is easier said than done. The former minister’s calculations can be contrasted with the fact that the Congress’s average seat tally was only a little more than 130 from 1996 to 2004, when the party was in a much better shape. While in 2009 it increased its tally largely due to its improved performance in Andhra Pradesh, it has since then been reduced to only 48 in the Lok Sabha.

Read More

Not afraid of publicly standing beside industrialists, entrepreneurs: Modi

Mahatma Gandhi never hesitated standing beside Birlaji because his intentions were right, said PM Modi.

Hitting back for the first time at critics who questioned his perceived friendly relations with corporates, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that unlike "some people" he was "not afraid of" publicly standing beside industrialists and business magnates because his intentions were "noble".

He said industrialists too contribute to nation building and it was not right to label them all as thieves but those who do wrong "will have to leave the country" or live in jail.

"We are not the people who will be afraid of standing beside industrialists. You would be knowing some people (who are such) that you would not find a single photo of them with an industrialist/businessman. But there is not a single businessman in this country who would not have gone to these people's places and bowed to them in reverence," Modi told a government-industry interface here as he inaugurated several development projects for Uttar Pradesh.

"If your intentions are noble, you won't be tainted no matter with whom you are standing," Modi said, adding that Mahatma Gandhi never had any qualms about living in the Birla household.

The opposition has been targeting Modi over his picture at Davos economic forum in January this year with fugitive diamondtaire Nirav Modi who is at the centre of multi-thousand crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam besides the Prime Minister's perceived closeness with another fugitive, Mehul Choksi, whom he once publicly addressed as "Mehul bhai".

The opposition has also been critical of Modi government's inaction while persons like Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi, Choksi, Jatin Mehta and Lalit Modi easily flew out of the country after being accused of committing huge financial frauds.

The Congress party has of late also targeting Modi for allegedly giving the offset contract in the Rafale jet deal with France to "one of his corporate friends" at the expense of state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.

Read More

Karunanidhi is recovering, infection and fever coming down, says M K Stalin

The 94-year-old DMK supremo has been suffering from urinary tract infection and is being treated at home.

DMK Working President M K Stalin on Friday said that his father and DMK Supremo M Karunanidhi is recovering.

Speaking to reporters outside Karunanidhi's Gopalapuram residence in Chennai, Stalin said "Infection and fever are coming down."

M K Azhagiri, former Union Minister and Stalin's elder brother also said that his father was recovering. He was speaking to reporters after meeting his father.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswamy, told reporters at Salem Airport that Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and other senior Ministers who visited Karunanidhi's house on Thursday were informed Karunanidhi is recovering.

Stalin thanked President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress President Rahul Gandhi and others for enquiring about his father's health.

Vice President M Venkiah Naidu is expected to reach Karunanidhi's house on Friday.

Stalin on his twitter account said "Thalaivar (referring to his father) is getting the best medical care and treatment. We hope he will recover soon and thank everyone in his own words.”

Leaders of several other parties also enquired about Karunanidhi’s health after it was revealed that the 94-year-old veteran leader was suffering from urinary tract infection and is being treated at his residence in Chennai.

Kauvery Hospital, which is monitoring his health, said on Thursday that there was a slight decline in Karunanidhi's health due to age-related ailments.

"He is currently being treated with intravenous antibiotics and fluids. He is being monitored and treated round the clock by a team of medical and nursing professionals, who are providing hospital-level care at home," Kauvery Hospital's Executive Director Aravindan Selvaraj said.

Article Source BS

Hyundai may make EVs at Chennai plant, increase capacity to 750,000 units

The company will strengthen its offerings with 8 new products, including an electric SUV, between 2018 and 2020.

Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMI), the Indian subsidiary of Korean automaker Hyundai Motor, plans to increase its Sriperumbudur facility's capacity by 37,000 units to 750,000 units.

Located near Chennai and spread over 535 acres of land, the plant is running at almost 100 per cent capacity utilisation. Its current capacity of 713,000 units will be expanded to 750,000 by 2019.

The plant is gearing up to produce electric vehicles in India, said Hyundai Motor India MD & CEO Y K Koo.

He added that the company would strengthen its offerings with eight new products, including an electric SUV, between 2018 and 2020.

Further, HMI has decided to send vehicles in completely knocked down (CKD) unit format to select export markets in the backdrop of their increased tax rates for completely built units (CBUs). Using the CKD format will also help the company get additional volumes at its Sriperumbdur facility to cater to the domestic market.

Koo said that CKD export started recently and that the company expected to send around 50,000 units by 2019 in that format.

CBUs refer to vehicles that are directly bought in ready shape for sale, while CKD units refer to vehicles whose parts are officially imported from foreign countries and then assembled in the country of sale.

HMIL's facility near Chennai has been catering to nearly 83 countries, mostly by way of CBUs. After Vietnam and the Philippines increased tax rates for CBUs, the company started exporting vehicles in the CKD format.

Koo said that since more countries in Asia, Africa, and South America were increasing tax rates for CBUs, HMIL was planning to send its vehicles in the CKD format.

Article Source BS

CBI to probe if Cambridge Analytica misused Indians' Facebook data: Govt

Ravi Shankar Prasad said the probe by CBI will determine whether Cambridge Analytica violated the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the IPC.

The Centre has asked the CBI to probe the alleged misuse of data of India's Facebook users by British political consultancy firm Cambridge Analytica, Law and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

In a significant move ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Prasad said the probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI) will determine whether Cambridge Analytica violated the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the Indian Penal Code(IPC). The data mining and analysis firm earlier faced allegations it used personal information harvested from 87 million Facebook accounts to help Donald Trump win the 2016 US presidential election.

As members in the Upper House expressed concern over social media platforms being used to spread rumours and fake news, Prasad also said the government has asked them to provide technological solutions so that verified fake news and provocative messages can be filtered.

Cambridge Analytica(CA) is at the centre of a storm in the country over the alleged breach of Facebook user data seeking information about its clients in India and whether it had harvested their user profiles. The controversy had triggered a war of words between the BJP and the Congress.

Prasad while responding to the concerns by members during a calling attention notice on the misuse of social media and propagation of fake news causing unrest and violence referred to the reported breach at Facebook where the data of a large number of users were allegedly compromised by Cambridge Analytica.

He said notices were immediately issued to the two companies and their response sought.

"Facebook responded that they will streamline their internal processes regarding the handling of personal data. They stated that the case of Cambridge Analytica was a case of breach of trust. They promised to take various other steps to ensure that such breaches do not recur," Prasad said.

Article Source BS