Motorola to launch Amazon-exclusive Moto E5 Plus on July 10: Details here

The Amazon-exclusive smartphone would feature a 5,000 mAh battery and modern 18:9 aspect ratio screen, according to the product-landing page on the e-commerce platform.

Motorola, a Lenovo-owned smartphone manufacturer, is gearing up to launch the Moto E5 Plus in India on July 10. The Amazon-exclusive smartphone would feature a 5,000 mAh battery and modern 18:9 aspect ratio screen, according to the product-landing page on the e-commerce platform.

In terms of design, the Moto E5 Plus would look similar to the recently launched Moto G6. However, instead of glass, the E5 Plus would sport a glossy plastic rear with reflective outlook. In terms of features and specifications, the E5 Plus would sport a 6-inch IPS LCD screen of HD+ resolution. The phone would be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 system-on-chip (SoC), a quad core processor that runs at a maximum frequency of 1.4Ghz, paired with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage.


Imaging would be taken care by a 13-megapixel primary sensor on the back and an 8MP camera on the front for selfies. The rear camera would also get phase detection autofocus, and there would be LED flash on both the rear and front for low-light photography. The phone will be available in two colours – gold and black. As for the price, the phone is expected to get a price tag between Rs 10,000 – Rs 12,000.

The Moto E5 Plus would be the third Motorola device in India to feature an 18:9 aspect ratio screen. Last month, the company launched the Moto G6 and Moto G6 Play in India that were the first Motorola phones with modern screens. While the Moto G-series offers value for money proposition in affordable segment, the Moto E-series is battery-centric and comes with bigger capacity batteries. The Moto E4 Plus, which was the last Moto E-series smartphone launched in India, also had a 5,000 mAh battery.

Ranbir Kapoor-starrer 'Sanju' collects Rs 1.2 billion in the first weekend

The movie, directed and co-produced by Rajkumar Hirani, raked in Rs 386 million on Saturday and followed it up with a record setting collection of Rs 467.1 million on Sunday.

After a better than anticipated opening of Rs 347.5 million on Friday, Ranbir Kapoor starrer 'Sanju' continued to attract footfalls throughout the weekend, ending up with a Rs 1.2 billion haul by the end of its first weekend.

The movie, directed and co-produced by Rajkumar Hirani, raked in Rs 386 million on Saturday and followed it up with a record setting collection of Rs 467.1 million on Sunday, bringing the film's three day collection to Rs 1.2 billion. This makes it the most successful opening of the year, and among the top opening weekend collections of all time.

Some of the records broken by the film include 'Baahubali 2: The Conclusion' that recorded first Sunday haul of Rs 461 million and 'Tiger Zinda Hai's opening weekend haul of Rs 1.14 billion. It has also beaten 'Padmaavat' (Rs 1.14 billion) and 'Race 3' (1.06 billion) to be the highest opening weekend earner of the year so far. At Rs 1.2 billion in three days, Sanju is now expected to cross the Rs 2.5 billion mark at the domestic box office with certainty.

Starring Kapoor in the titular role, along with actors like Vicky Kaushal, Dia Mirza, Sonam Kapoor, Paresh Rawal and Anushka Sharma among others, the film opened to mostly positive reviews. It was released in close to 4000 screens across the country, and another 1300 screens abroad (traditional territories like UK, US and Middle East). It is among the widest distributed films of the year, second only to Salman Khan’s Eid release 'Race 3' (4300 screens).

While the movie opened to mixed to positive reviews, Kapoor’s acting has been universally lauded by critics and moviegoers which is helping it attract footfalls. Also, 'Sanju' has little to no competition at the movie halls right now, with the only other films being 'Race 3' and 'Incredibles 2'. While the animated Disney flick continues to do well in its second week, it does not pose a challenge to a mainstream Bollywood flick like 'Sanju'. Race 3 was expected to peter out in its second week in any case, given the panning the movie got from the critics, and the split word of mouth.

Sanju is also set to give Fox Star Studios its second big hit of the year after 'Baaghi 2' collected Rs 1.12 billion earlier this year.

Foot overbridge collapses in Mumbai's Andheri; Western rail service stopped

Meanwhile, the stoppage of the Western Railway suburban services have paralysed the city.

Train services of the Western Railway here came to a halt after a part of a footover bridge (FOB) collapsed this morning, an official said.

No casualties were immediately reported.

Overhead Equipment (OHE) have been damaged and a team of engineers have swung into action to restore it, chief PRO of Western Railway Ravinder Bhakar told PTI.

"A part of the FOB has collapsed which resulted the halt in all our up and down services of Western Railway. Our officers have reached to the spot and accessing the situation," he said.

An official from Disaster Management Unit said that fire brigade jawans and other agencies have been mobilised to clear the debris.

"Around 7.30 am, the part of East Western Railway FOB fell down towards Andheri east station. Fire brigade, Mumbai police and ward staff have rushed to the spot," said the official adding no casualty was reported so far.

He also said that it seems that incessant rain caused cracks in the FOB, which later resulted in the collapse.

Thankfully, no train was passing beneath the track," he added.

Meanwhile, the stoppage of the Western Railway suburban services have paralysed the city.

Prashant Ghag, who works in media house at Fort said, "When I reached Borivili to board a Churchgate bound train, I came to know that all the lines of Western Railway have come to halt. Therefore, finding no alternate means of commute in such a rainy season, I had to return at my home." Dabbawalas, who supply Tiffin boxes to the working professionals, have also expressed their inability to work today, as the all the four lines of the Western Railway suburban services have come to halt.

No tree felling for South Delhi redevelopment project till Jul 19: NGT

A bench headed by Acting NGT Chairperson Justice Jawad Rahim issued notices to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Central Pollution Control Board, CPWD and others.

Delhi Chipko Andolan : The National Green Tribunal on Monday ordered status quo on tree felling in South Delhi colonies and directed that no trees would be cut till July 19 by the National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC) and the Central Public Works Department (CPWD).

A bench headed by Acting NGT Chairperson Justice Jawad Rahim also issued notices to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Central Pollution Control Board, CPWD and others, asking them to file their responses before July 19.

The green panel also directed the project proponents to make a categorical statement and inform it about the exact number of trees which are proposed to be cut for the redevelopment project.

The tribunal was hearing a plea by NGO - Society for Protection of Culture, Heritage, Environment, Traditions & Promotion of National Awareness seeking a stay on the proposed felling of more than 16,000 trees for re-development of the colonies.

The petitioner claimed that environmental clearance has been granted for seven general pool residential colonies without taking into account possible adverse effect on the ecology.

It said the clearance has been granted for colonies in Sarojini Nagar, Netaji Nagar, Nauroji Nagar through the NBCC and in Kasturba Nagar, Thyagraj Nagar, Srinivaspuri and Mohammadpur through the CPWD.

The plea claimed that planting of saplings at another location as compensatory afforestation would not reduce the burden put on the environment due to the large-scale felling of trees.

The petition has made the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, the CPCB, the Delhi Development Authority, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee, the CPWD and others as parties in the case.

Anil Sood, president of the NGO, said the Centre had given clearance to the projects without considering several factors, such as existing population density and the impact of cutting 16,500 trees on the ambient air quality in the area.

The plea said an environmental impact assessment report for the project around south Delhi showed that 11,000 trees will be cut in Sarojini Nagar, 1,465 will be cut in Nauroji Nagar, 3,033 will be chopped off from Netaji Nagar and another 520 will be cut in Kasturba Nagar, out of a total of 19,976 trees in these areas.

Read More

Samsung to unveil Galaxy On-series smartphone on Flipkart today: Know more

Tipped to be the Galaxy On6, the smartphone is expected to be a rebranded Galaxy J6. The upcoming phone's silhouettes on teaser posted on Flipkart also hints at the possibility of a rebranded J6.

Samsung, a South Korean electronics manufacturer, is gearing up to announce a new Galaxy On-series smartphone in India today i.e. July 2. Tipped to be the Galaxy On6, the smartphone is going to be Flipkart-exclusive and the e-commerce portal has put up a listing page highlighting some of the features of the upcoming device.

In May, Samsung introduced a fresh line-up of its J-series and A-series smartphones. The smartphones boast Infinity display, which is a term used by Samsung for its 18.5:9 aspect ratio screen. The Galaxy On6 is also expected to sport the Infinity display, however, the exact size and resolution are not known.

Based on the previous Galaxy On-series launches, it is known that the On-series smartphones are rebranded versions of company’s J-series devices. Therefore, the Galaxy On6 is expected to be similar to the recently launched Galaxy J6. The upcoming phone’s silhouettes on teaser posted on Flipkart also hints at the possibility of a rebranded J6.

The details around the On6 is still scarce, but if the phone would a rebranded J6 it would sport a 5.6-inch HD+ 18.5:9 aspect ratio super AMOLED screen packed in a polycarbonate unibody. The phone would be powered by Exynos 7-series octa-core processor, paired with either 3GB/32GB or 4GB/64GB RAM and storage configurations. The phone would sports a 13-megapixel primary camera and an 8MP selfie camera, both assisted by LED flash. Powering the device would be a 3,000 mAh battery.

The phone is expected to be priced sub-Rs 15,000.

Milk, Mercedes can't be taxed at single GST rate, says PM Narendra Modi

To criticism that the GST was 'hurriedly implemented', the PM said the government had been responsive, with issues identified and redressed in real time.

Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi on Sunday ruled out a single slab for the goods and services tax (GST), stating that milk and the Mercedes could not have the same rate.

The GST regime was rolled out on July 1 last year. The central government on Sunday marked its first anniversary with an event in New Delhi, while Modi took to social media to showcase its advantages.

In an interview to Swarajya, a news website, Modi responded to criticism of his government’s version of the GST. He ruled out a single tax slab, pointed at the gains of the past one year, and admitted to teething troubles having plagued the regime in its first year.

To the Congress party’s criticism that there should be a single tax rate, he said: “It would have been very simple to have just one slab but it would have meant we could not have food items at 0 per cent tax rate. Can we have milk and Mercedes at the same rate?”

“So, when our friends in the Congress say that they will have just one GST rate, they are effectively saying they will tax food items and commodities, which are currently at 0 or 5 per cent, at 18 per cent,” Modi said.

To criticism that the GST was “hurriedly implemented”, the PM said the government had been responsive, with issues identified and redressed in real time.

The PM did not rule out the possibility that tax rates could come down further on some items. He said the government had reduced taxes on nearly 400 groups of items, and around 150 groups have a 0 per cent tax rate.

Modi also responded to the Opposition’s charge that the GST was “anti-people” by sharing on Twitter and the NaMo app the advantages the tax reform had brought for the common people. With the assembly elections scheduled in three key North Indian states in the next five months, and the Lok Sabha elections due in less than nine months, the PM tweeted that “decreasing prices”, because of the GST, were “helping poor and middle class”.

He also reached out to small businesses, a key support base of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and said the tax reform had provided “increasing opportunities for small and medium entrepreneurs”. With the hashtag “GST for New India”, the PM tweeted that the GST had brought growth, simplicity, and transparency. He said it had boosted formalisation, enhanced productivity, and furthered “ease of doing business”.

Read More

Fifa World Cup 2018 Brazil vs Mexico: Samba boys train ahead of knockouts

Brazil's journey to the Round of 16 has been anything but smooth.

Brazil Vs Mexico : Fifa World Cup 2018 favourites Brazil continue their campaign for the 2018 World Cup in Russiaon Monday against a Mexican side, which stated their campaign brilliantly before coming dangerously close to elimination.

Brazil produced their best display of the tournament in beating Serbia 2-0 to secure their place in the last 16, finding more connection between midfield and attack than in previous games, reports Xinhua news agency.

Brazil struggled for fluidity in their opening two matches in Russia and will look to the win over Serbia as a turning point to their campaign and a confidence boost.

However, they will have to be wary of their disciplinary record with key trio Neymar, Coutinho and Casemiro a booking away from suspension.

Brazil's journey to the Round of 16 has been anything but smooth: After drawing 1-1 with Switzerland in their opener and leaving it late to claim a 2-0 win over Costa Rica, they beat Serbia 2-0 to ultimately move on as expected group winners.

Training session:

The Brazilian national football team held a training session on Sunday for their last-16 knockout clash against Mexico in the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Real Madrid defender Marcelo, whose appearance against Mexico has been in doubt, participated without visible problems in the first 15 minutes of the training that was open to the media, during which the Canarinha squad did stretches and running, reports Efe.

The squad -- including Neymar Jr, Philippe Coutinho, Casemiro, Miranda and Thiago Silva -- completed a light training led by coach Tite at the Samara Arena, which is slated to host the Monday's match.

Read More