Fadnavis takes oath as Maharashtra CM, promises transparent government

44-year-old Fadnavis, who was sworn in as Chief Minister of the first BJP government in the state, got down to work immediately and has instructed Chief Secretary Swadheen Kshatriya to have a draft of the Right to Service Bill ready within a month.
  
"I have directed the Chief Secretary to prepare a draft of the legislation, a form of citizen's charter, to provide better services to the people who can take legal recourse if they don't get them," he told reporters at a meet the press programme shortly after taking oath.
  
He said the decision was taken at the first meeting of the Council of Ministers. Portfolios will be allocated to the seven Cabinet and two Ministers of State tomorrow.
  
"People of Maharshtra have high expectations from us and it is a big responsibility. We will provide an efficient and transparent administration with focus on development," he said.
  
"The state government's financial condition is not that good. If all the assurances given by the erstwhile (Congress-NCP) government are to be implemented, the government would have to spend Rs 52,000 crore," Fadnavis said.
  
The Chief Minister said the decisions taken by the previous Congress-NCP government just before the model code of conduct for election kicked in will be reviewed.
  
"It will take time to bring the administration back on the track but we will do it. We will bring Maharashtra to the number one position," he said.
  
Asked about the possibility of Shiv Sena joining the new government, Fadnavis said," There was a positive talk between Amit Shah and Uddhav Thckeray today."
  
On the presence of godmen at the swearing-in ceremony, Fadnavis said, "They belonged to all religions. There is a thin line between belief and superstition. We are against superstition."

Source: News in Hindi and Newspaper

Coal unions protest 'privatisation' move; to strike on 24th November

The steering committee of the central trade unions met at Ranchi and served a joint notice on the token strike in the coal industry including Coal India and Singareni Collieries, Secretary General of Indian National Mine Workers' Federation S Q Zama said.
  
The call for the strike, which coincides with the opening day of Parliament, came ten days after the government issued an ordinance to e-auction coal blocks enabling private sector firms, barring those convicted for offences related to mines allotment, to bid. The Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Ordinance 2014, got Presidential nod on October 21.
  
The unions, which also included INTUC, CITU, AITUC and HMS, demanded scrapping of the enabling clause for commercial mining by private players and stopping of further disinvestment and restructuring of CIL.
  
The unions are also seeking first preference to CIL and its subsidiaries before auctioning of any coal block, besides steps to revive units like Dankuni Coal Complex, CIL subsidiary Central Mine Planning and Design Institute Limited (CMPDIL) and Assam's North Eastern Coalfields.
  
Left parties have also opposed the ordinance, with AITUC General Secretary Gurudas Dasgupta earlier saying the decision of the government on coal blocks "has a covert implication. It is a back-door entry for taking over the entire coal sector by the private corporates".
  
All India Coal Workers Federation General Secretary Jibon Roy had also warned of nationwide protests if the government implemented any enabling provision to allow commercial mining by private companies.
  
The Supreme Court had last month quashed allotment of 214 coal mines to various companies since 1993 on the ground that they were done in an illegal manner by an "ad-hoc and casual" approach "without application of mind".
  
Allocation of coal blocks became a political issue after Comptroller and Auditor General alleged arbitrariness and absence of any criteria in the screening process and pegged notional loss to the exchequer at Rs 1.86 lakh crore.

Source: News in Hindi and Newspaper

App to help blind 'see money'

Developed by researchers Suriya Singh, Kumar Vishal and C.V. Jawahar from the International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad, and Shushman Choudhury from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, the currency recognition software relays the information as an audio clip.

It can be used on low-end smart phones. In our current approach we have been able to report a recognition accuracy of 96.7 percent on 2,584 images. We have worked with the Indian Rupee.

However, it can be extended to other currencies," told Singh. The app will be available in English, Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, Kannada. It takes 1.09 seconds for the app to tell the currency denomination, running on a  typical smart phone with specifics of 1.2 Ghz CPU and IGB RAM.

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Samsung electronics seeks China turnaround, unveils mid-tier handsets with premium feel

The Galaxy A3 and A5 will be Samsung's first devices to feature fully metal bodies and its thinnest smartphones to date. In size, they are comparable to those of the top-of-the-line Galaxy S5, though of lesser screen resolution quality.

Samsung said on Friday that it will start selling the Galaxy A3 and A5 in China sometime in November. It classified them as mid-tier, and said they will be launched in other "select markets", without disclosing the pricing.

The announcement, combined with hopes for an earnings recovery and bigger dividends, pushed Samsung's shares to a two-month high in Seoul in midday trade on Friday.

The news comes a day after Samsung reported its worst quarterly operating profit in more than three years. Earnings from its handset division slumped 73.9 percent from a year earlier.

The company said its responses to "rapid shifts in the competitive landscape" were not quick enough. It vowed to revamp its offerings.

"For our mid to low-end smartphones we will enhance product competitiveness by differentiating our displays and materials as well as upgrading camera functionality," Senior Vice President Kim Hyun-joon told analysts on Thursday.

The world's smartphone leader is regrouping as it lost market share in annual terms for the third straight quarter in July-September, according to Strategy Analytics.

It has been beaten by Apple Inc's iPhones in the premium segment and undercut by Chinese rivals like Lenovo Group Ltd and Xiaomi Inc at the bottom end.

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India important market for Lenovo; to co-exist with Motorola

In January this year, Lenovo had announced that it will acquire Motorola Mobility for USD 2.9 billion from tech giant Google, one of the largest acquisitions by a Chinese tech firm. Google, itself, had bought Motorola in 2012 for USD 12.4 billion.
   
"India is one of the most important markets for Lenovo. Lenovo and Motorola combined are third in the Indian market after Samsung and Micromax... We will continue to sell Motorola handsets online and Lenovo in offline stores," Lenovo Chairman and CEO Yang Yuanqing told reporters in a conference call.
   
He added that while the dual brand strategy will be for emerging markets like India, the company will use the Motorola brand in mature markets like the US.
   
In India, Motorola sells its devices in partnership with eCommerce major Flipkart. Its range in the country includes Moto G, Moto E and Moto X as well as the Moto 360 smartwatch. It has recently unveiled the second generation of Moto G and Moto X smartphones.
   
India is one of the fastest growing smartphone markets globally. According to IDC, 63.21 million units were shipped to India in Q2 2014. Samsung had a 29 per cent share, followed by Micromax 18 per cent and Karbonn at 8 per cent. Motorola had 5 per cent share.
   
"We will be a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lenovo and remain headquartered in Chicago's Merchandise Mart while maintaining offices around the world, including in Silicon Valley," Motorola Mobility President Rick Osterloh said.
   
The iconic Motorola brand will continue as will the Moto and DROID franchises that have propelled growth over the past year, he added.
   
With the completion of the acquisition, Lenovo has added nearly 3,500 employees globally, including about 2,800 in the US.
   
"This partnership has always been a perfect fit. Motorola brings a strong presence in the US and other mature markets, great carrier relationships, an iconic brand, a strong IP portfolio and an incredibly talented team. This is a winning combination," Yuanqing said.
   
Liu Jun, Lenovo Executive Vice President and President of Lenovo's Mobile Business Group will be the Chairman of the Motorola Management Board.

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Expert claims hacking Xiaomi server, firm calls it hoax

"Chen Huang is an independent Taiwanese Security Expert. Session Abstract: In this session Taiwanese Researcher will demonstrate how Xiaomi Phones have been sending device data and personal data of Xiaomi Phone user to Chinese Servers," said the website of Ground Zero Summit.
   
"The Researcher will also release Server Logs, Mi Account username, Emails and passwords of millions of Xiaomi users which have been obtained using a Zero Day flaw in the Xiaomi Servers," the webpage added.

Xiaomi is now world's third largest smartphone maker after Samsung and Apple, as per the latest IDC report.
   
When contacted, Xiaomi' Head of India Operations Manu Jain said: "We have verified that the zero-day data breach allegation made by security researcher Chen Huang and the Ground Zero Summit organising committee reported by The Hacker News on October 30, 2014 is a hoax."
   
Jain said that the zero-day vulnerability reported by the cyber security researcher Chen Huang is a deliberate falsehood and Xiaomi is taking the necessary legal action against the parties involved.
   
Jain in his reply admitted that the company's user account file was leaked in May this year.
   
"To date, throughout Xiaomi's history, there has only been one incident in which a two-year-old user account file was leaked in May 2014," Jain said.
   
He said that leaked information was from user accounts registered before August 2012 in an old version of the Xiaomi user forum website.
   
Meanwhile, organisers of the summit, which is to be held here next month, said that they have put Cheng's session on hold till the time Xiaomi completes its investigations.
   
"Xiaomi representatives contacted and requested us regarding the session. We have decided to withhold session till the time Xiaomi investigates data breach and accusations and works with the researcher to fix it," Indian Infosec Consortium CEO Jiten Jain said.
   
The summit's website shows former chief of Indian Army and Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region General VK Singh, Home Ministry Joint Secretary Nirmaljeet Singh Kalsi, Enforcement Directorate Special Director Karnail Singh and NTRO Director of Cyber Security Operations Alok Vijayant will be among key speakers.

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I am proud to be gay, says Apple's Tim Cook

"So let me be clear: I'm proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me," Cook said in the article.
             
"I don't consider myself an activist, but I realize how much I've benefited from the sacrifice of others," he said.
             
Cook is at least the third CEO of a publicly listed U.S. company to come out of the closet.
             
C1 Financial Inc's Trevor Burgess and IGI Laboratories Inc's Jason Grenfell-Gardner have previously acknowledged that they are gay.
             
Cook's disclosure was greeted by a flood of congratulatory comments on Twitter.
             
"I have so much respect for this man," a person identifying himself as Andrew Clarke tweeted.

Apple Chairman Art Levinson called Cook "courageous."
             
"(His) decision to speak out will help advance the cause of equality and inclusion far beyond the business world," Levinson was quoted by CNBC as saying.
             
"On behalf of the board and our entire company, we are incredibly proud to have Tim leading Apple."
             
Apple has a long history of supporting the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.
             
The company recently criticized an Arizona bill that would permit businesses to refuse service on religious grounds, a measure that critics said could allow discrimination against gay people.
             
"...I will personally continue to advocate for equality for all people until my toes point up," Cook said.
             
"Plenty of colleagues at Apple know I'm gay, and it doesn't seem to make a difference in the way they treat me," he added.

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Samsung seeks smartphone revamp to arrest profit slide

The global smartphone leader's market share declined in annual terms for the third straight quarter in July-September, lagging Apple Inc in the premium market and overtaken by rivals like Lenovo Group Ltd and Xiaomi Inc at the bottom end, research firm Strategy Analytics said.
             
Executives said the South Korean giant would overhaul its lower-tier line-up to boost price competitiveness and use higher-quality components to set its devices apart, after it announced its worst third-quarter profit in more than three years.
             
"The mid-to-low end market is growing rapidly, and we plan to respond actively in order to capitalise on that growth," Samsung Senior Vice President Kim Hyun-joon said during a conference call with analysts.
             
Samsung said its third-quarter operating profit fell by an annual 60.1 percent to 4.1 trillion won ($3.9 billion), matching its guidance issued earlier this month.
             
While the company expects profits to pick up in the fourth quarter on strong demand for televisions and memory chips, analysts still expect Samsung to record its worst annual operating profit in three years.
             
Profit for the mobile division fell 73.9 percent to 1.75 trillion won in the third quarter, its worst performance since the second quarter of 2011.
             
Samsung spent most of the quarter without launching a new flagship device, and continued to struggle in the mid-to-low tier markets against cheaper and value-packed offerings like Xiaomi's Redmi 1S.
             
Robert Yi, Samsung's head of investor relations, said the firm would launch new mid-tier models in the fourth quarter, although he didn't specify what features they would have.
             
Samsung expects average selling prices for handsets will rise in the fourth quarter due to an increase in premium smartphone sales, namely of the Galaxy Note 4, and as demand picks up in the holiday shopping season.
             
Analysts say Samsung will likely have to sacrifice margins to protect its market share. Cheaper phones are expected to drive global smartphone market growth in coming years, meaning a general trend of lower average selling prices.
             
Samsung's chips division was a bright spot, recording a 2.26 trillion operating profit for the July-September quarter to mark the highest earnings since the third quarter of 2010.

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Burkina Faso leader refuses to quit after day of violence

It remained unclear who was in charge of the country after an earlier announcement by the army that it had taken control, dissolved parliament and would put in place a transitional government.
  
Opposition figures said around 30 people had been killed and 100 injured as tens of thousands took to the streets in protest against plans to allow Compaore to extend his long reign.
  
Hundreds stormed parliament and other public buildings including the national television headquarters in the capital Ougadougou, ransacking offices and setting fire to cars despite a heavy police and army presence.
  
Compaore initially called a state of emergency but appeared on television just a few hours later to say it had been called off.
  
"I have heard the message," the president said.
  
But he refused to step down on Thursday, saying instead that he was "available" for talks on "a period of transition after which power will be transferred to a democratically elected president".
  
At a hastily assembled press conference earlier in the day, the army said it was imposing a dusk-to-dawn curfew. It pledged to restore constitutional order within 12 months.
  
The communique, read out by an officer, was signed by the army chief of staff Nabere Honore Traore.

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Congress has no right to talk about black money: BJP

The party said the Narendra Modi government, as its first action on bringing back black money, constituted the SIT to probe the issue and is making attempts to get information about offenders from various sources and make it public.
  
"The previous UPA government initially opposed the constitution of SIT to investigate black money. An idea given by the Supreme Court in 2011 was vociferously opposed by the then Solicitor General. In November 2013, UPA filed an application in the court asking the Supreme Court to modify its earlier order that appointed SIT. The SIT was asked to investigate the Hassan Ali case and other cases," BJP Secretary Shrikant Sharma said.
  
"UPA, as late as in November 2013, still hoped and tried that the SIT would not be formed. This petition was dismissed by Supreme Court. Even on May 8, 2014, the UPA in its last days filed a review petition, among other things, to cancel important Supreme Court orders which constituted the SIT," he said, adding the previous government made "all-out efforts to stall the probe into the issue".
  
He said immediately after the Modi government took over on May 26, it constituted the SIT on May 28. Thereafter, it provided all names of foreign account holders to the SIT and started meetings with Swiss authorities for more information.
  
Congress has attacked BJP, saying it made "tall" promises on black money during Lok Sabha polls campaign and vowed to disclose "55,000 accounts" but "even Rs 55 has not come in five months" after it assumed power.
  
Sharma hoped that the authorities looking into the black money issue would complete the assessment of the report of account holders by November 30 and the Income Tax department would complete its report by March 31, 2015.
  
The BJP leader said the Supreme Court also made certain remarks against the Congress regime in its orders on the black money case which "speaks volumes about the intentions of the previous government in investigating the serious issue".
  
"And now Congress has no moral right to talk on the issue," he said.
  
Sharma further claimed that after coming to power, the BJP dispensation has shared all information with the SIT on black money and has in fact stepped up efforts to obtain more and more information in this regard from abroad before making it public amid fears among the internationally banking community on the breach of the confidentiality clause.

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Congress slams Jaitley for remarks on CAG

Ajay Maken, general secretary and in-charge of media communication, questioned why Jaitley did not say the same when his party, BJP, stalled Parliament over reports on 2G spectrum and coal block allocations during UPA rule.
  
Accusing the government of "misleading and hoodwinking" the country, Maken said Congress "strongly condemns" the statement of Jaitley in which he said the CAG should not sensationalise its report.
   
Speaking to reporters, he wondered why Jaitley, a senior BJP leader, forgot to say the same when CAG reports "used to be leaked even before being placed before Parliament, and "when the Finance Minister's party, based on those reports, used to disrupt the parliament for days."
  
Condemning "this kind of threat" to the CAG, he questioned why Jaitley had not made similar observations when the CAG was holding press conferences and giving power point presentations on its reports during the UPA tenure.
  
Maken questioned, "Why this sudden change of heart and u-turn? Is it because of the CAG report on Gujarat which talks about irregularities worth Rs 25,000 crore in land affairs when (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi was the CM?...Now do Arun Jaitley and Modi feel that opposition would use against them CAG reports, based on which they had stalled Parliament for long?"
  
Another Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh also criticised Jaitley.
  
"CAG should not sensationalize its findings,"- Arun Jaitley. Wish he had realised this when 2G and Coal Block CAG Report came!", he tweeted.

Maken said Congress does not see the statement of the Finance Minister on Wednesday as "just a one-off incident" or as "one chapter" but "as one sequence".
   
In this context, the Congress leader recalled Narendra Modi's address to Gujarat Assembly on May 21 before he was sworn-in as Prime Minister.
   
"He (Modi) said CAG report must not be used to target opponents. He did this after the election results were out.... Modi says CAG report should not be used to target opposition. Finance Minister says CAG report should not be sensationalised," he said.
  
Maken said that since the BJP government came five months ago, "there would have been probably not a single day when they (government) did not make a U-turn on a particular issue. We often think that they government will at least stick to its stand on other issues when one issue settles."
  
Taking a dig at the government, Maken said done a "U-turn" on number of issues like Anderson report (on 1962 India-China war), insurance legislation, GST, double taxation agreement and even black money.
  
"And now the latest is the on the CAG report over which we are surprised," he added.
   
Addressing the annual conference of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on Thursday, Jaitley had said "Auditor should be conscious of the fact that he is reviewing a decision that has already been taken. Have the fair procedures been followed?”
  
"He doesn't have to sensationalise. He doesn't have to get into the headlines," Jaitley had said.
  
Jaitley had insisted that an auditor has to be "an active auditor but activism and restraint are always the two sides of the same coin."

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2G case: Court to pass order on framing charges on 31st October

Special CBI Judge O P Saini, who was scheduled to pass the order on framing of charges on Monday, deferred it till October 31, saying the order was not yet ready.

"Order is not ready...Put up for order on October 31," the judge said.

ED, in its charge sheet against the 19 accused, including 10 individuals and nine companies, had alleged that they were involved in the Rs 200-crore money transaction which was not 'bonafide' and 'genuine' and it was a 'bribe for grant of telecom licences to DB Group companies' by Raja.
  
The agency had claimed that the series of transactions relating to transfer of Rs 200 crore from DB group company to DMK-run Kalaignar TV through Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Pvt Ltd and Cineyug Films Pvt Ltd were not 'genuine business transaction'.

The accused, however, had countered the claims of the ED contending there was no evidence to support the allegations leveled by the agency.

The counsel appearing for Raja and Kanimozhi had argued in the court that documents filed along with the ED's complaint nowhere show that they were connected with the Rs 200-crore transaction from DB group to Kalaignar TV.
  
Similarly, other co-accused, including Swan Telecom Pvt Ltd promoters Shahid Usman Balwa and Vinod Goenka, had argued that there were no evidence to connect them with the alleged crime and its proceeds.
  
According to ED, Kanimozhi and co-accused Sharad Kumar, MD of Kalaignar TV, were having 20 percent stake each in the TV channel while Dayalu Ammal was holding the rest 60 percent stake. All the individual accused in the case are presently out on bail.

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Digvijay takes a dig at Jaitley for CAG remarks

"CAG should not sensationalise its findings,"- Arun Jaitley. Wish he had realised this when 2G and Coal Block CAG Report came!", the Congress General Secretary said on Twitter.
      
Congress party had voiced similar views in the past after huge notional losses were projected in reports on 2G and coal allocation scams.
  
The CAG reports on 2G telecom spectrum allocation and coal mine allotment which carried figures of notional losses to the tune of Rs 1.76 lakh crore and Rs 1.84 lakh crore respectively had caused tremendous discomfort for the UPA government and the Congress party that headed the coalition.
  
They had come in handy for the Opposition to attack the government on the issue of corruption.
  
Addressing the annual conference of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on Wednesday, Jaitley had said, "Auditor should be conscious of the fact that he is reviewing a decision that has already been taken. Have the fair procedures been followed?
  
"He doesn't have to sensationalise. He doesn't have to get into the headlines," Jaitley had said.
  
Jaitley had insisted that an auditor has to be "an active auditor but activism and restraint are always the two sides of the same coin."
     
On Monday, Parliament's Public Accounts Committee Chairman and senior Congress leader K V Thomas too had said in the conference that the auditor should restrict audits to financial impropriety and not come out with "astronomical" figures of notional losses.

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Samsung debuts new Nook tablet with larger screen

Samsung and Barnes & Noble said in June they would team up on the devices and the first-co branded Galaxy Tab 4 Nook debuted in August for USD 179 with a 7-inch screen.
  
Now, the company is offering the tablet with a larger 10.1-inch diagonal screen ahead of the all-important holiday season for USD 299.99.

The tablets are competing in a crowded field that includes Apple's iPad and Amazon.com's Kindle Fire, both available in more than one size.
  
The Nook offers access to both the Nook app store and Google's Play store for Android apps. The new Nook will come with more than USD 200 in free content from the NOOK Store, including a books, TV shows, top magazines and apps.

Both sizes of the Nook are available at Barnes & Noble retail stores and nook.com.

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Google launches new email service dubbed "Inbox"

Google said it was sending out invitations to selected Gmail users to try out the new service. Users can also email the company at inbox@google.com to get an invitation.
             
For now the new service is being provided alongside Gmail, which was launched in 2004. It will be available on the Web as well as on Android smartphones and iPhones.
             
"Inbox is by the same people who brought you Gmail, but it's not Gmail: it's a completely different type of inbox, designed to focus on what really matters," the company said in a blog post.
             
Google said Inbox displays real-time updates to emails – for example, showing the delivery status of items bought online.
             
It also shows reminders in a more accessible way that allows users to more easily keep track of chores and appointments.
             
The company said the new application also enhances features that are already available in Gmail that allow users to view purchases and bank account statements grouped together.
             
Google's shares were up 1.7 percent at USD 547.33 in early afternoon trading Nasdaq.

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Intex launches Aqua Amaze smartphone for Rs 10,690 in India

The dual-SIM Android KitKat powered device features 1.4 GHz octacore processor, 1GB RAM and 8GB memory.
   
With a five-inch screen, the smartphone sports a 13 MP autofocus with flash and 5 MP front camera and 2,000 mAh battery.
   
"It is essential to create something that not only stands out in terms of price but compelling features too. We would like to believe that our endeavour to be a part of such a realm has been achieved with the launch of the Aqua Amaze today," Intex Technologies Mobile Business Head Sanjay Kumar Kalirona said.

Earlier, Intex launched three new smartphones, priced Rs 6,990 onwards under its new 'Star' range as it looks to capture a larger share of the strongly contested Indian smartphone market.

The three new devices- Star, Star HD and Star Power will be available from September 29 onwards priced at Rs 6,990, Rs 7,490 and Rs 8,690 respectively.

"The devices not only offer a longer battery life but also features like USB OTG and clicking selfies through the back camera by using the volume button on the phone. These are interesting features that will appeal to users," Intex Technologies Business Head Mobile Sanjay Kumar Kalirona told reporters here.

In the next one month, the three models cumulatively should sell one lakh units, he added.

The dual-SIM handsets run on the latest Android KitKat operating system and are powered by 1.3 Ghz quad core processor and have 1GB RAM.

The Star features a five-inch display, 8MP auto-focus rear and 2MP front camera, 8GB memory (expandable to 32GB) and 2,000 mAh battery.

The Star Power features a 4.5-inch screen and a 3,000 mAh battery, while the Star HD sports a five-inch screen with 13MP rear and 5MP front camera and 1,800 mAh battery.

"Star Power and Star HD support USB OTG, means customers can connect keyboard and mouse for using on the smartphone. These are some features that will help us differentiate our products from competitors apart from the aggressive pricing that we offer," he said.

Kalirona added that Intex will phase off its i5 range of smartphones over the next few months as the firm expands its smartphone portfolio.

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Samsung, Airtel launch integrated digital TVs

As part of this innovation - Samsung's range of SmartDirect TVs will come designed with an in-built Airtel digital satellite tuner which will enable DTH signal reception without the need for customers to install an external set-top-box (STB), the company said in a statement.
  
Commenting at the launch, Samsung India Chief Marketing Officer Ranjivjit Singh said: "We are thrilled to launch India's First Smart Direct TV with an in-built iDTV technology in India."
  
"We are today excited to announce our collaboration with Samsung to launch the Integrated Digital TV and introduce the Indian market to its next phase of TV viewing experience," Bharti Airtel CEO – DTH & Media Shashi Arora said.

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Philips unveils feature phone at Rs 3,800 in India

Senior citizens are often inconvenienced by the standard phones available in the market due to their small font size, short battery life and fragility, Philips said in a statement.
   
According to Pew Research Internet Group, elderly citizens face several difficulties while adopting new technologies.
  
Two in five elderly citizens indicated that they have a "physical or health condition that makes reading difficult or challenging" or a "disability, handicap, or chronic disease that prevents them from fully participating in many common daily activities", it added.
  
The phone makes use of large font sizes on a 2.4-inch screen to enable easy reading and the keypad also makes use of larger keys for comfortable viewing.
  
It comes with a 1630mAh Li-ion battery capacity and Xenium power saving technology that offers users up to 1,128 hours standby time and up to 24 hours talking time.
  
The handset also comes with SOS function that allows users to set three 'emergency' or SOS numbers.
  
In case of an emergency, users can press the SOS button hidden under the flashlight to dial out the pre-set SOS numbers. The phone will automatically connect to these numbers until the call gets answered by any one of the parties. It also has a flashlight that can be used even when the phone power is switched off.
  
"With changing lifestyles in metros in India and increasing incident of elderly abuse, senior citizens are often left to support themselves by choice or otherwise. We specially designed this phone to make technology more accessible to and user-friendly for the elderly with minimum intervention from others," Sangfei Mobility Country Manager SAARC S S Bassi said.
  
Sang Fei is a subsidiary of China Electronics Corporation (CEC) that owns the exclusive global licence to market and sell mobile phones under the 'Philips' brand.

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Amit Shah urges people to join Clean India, Clean Ganga mission

"Our Prime Minister has taken many initiatives. He stressed for two things clean India and Clean Ganga. Every citizen of the country should join these initiatives," Shah said in his address to the people here today.

"Cleanliness is the joint responsibility of people and the state. This (occasion of Chhath Puja) is the best occasion to take a pledge for a clean India and clean Ganga mission. This cleanliness will bring health and prosperity," Shah said.

"The river Ganga is not only a river, it's our mother. We have to take the initiative so that Ganga remains clean from Gangotri to Gangasagar. Whenever, you people go to 'Poorvanchal' (region comprising eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar), you have to stress the Clean Ganga mission.

"The mammoth work initiated by Modiji can only  be finished with the help of people in Poorvanchal," Shah said, at the annual Chhath Puja organised by the Bihar-Gujarat Association here.

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Centre makes reconciliatory effort to end Assam-Nagaland row

At a high-level meeting, chaired by Home Minister Rajnath Singh and attended by Chief Ministers Tarun Gogoi (Assam) and T R Zeliang (Nagaland), efforts have been made to come to an acceptable final solution to the border dispute between the two states.
  
As per the decision taken during the meeting, the Chief Secretaries of the two states will submit suggestions to the Home Ministry within two weeks, which is expected to pave the way for solving the long lasting issue.
  
"The Home Minister is taking a sincere reconciliatory effort to find a solution to be acceptable to both Assam and Nagaland," a Home Ministry official said.
  
Eleven people were killed along the Assam-Nagaland border in Golaghat district in August and nearly 10,000 people had been displaced and taken shelter in relief camps after clashes between people of the two states.
  
Gogoi had earlier urged the Home Minister to initiate immediate measures to deploy Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) as a neutral force in the affected villages along its border with Nagaland.
  
The boundary dispute, which was first cropped up in 1970s, has been going on very often and both the states have approached the Supreme Court for a final resolution. The case is still sub-judice.

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