Motorola is reportedly working on a new flagship smartphone codenamed ‘Frontier 22’. The handset is yet to be officially confirmed by the Lenovo-owned company, but some renders along with specifications of the phone have now surfaced online. The leaked renders of the rumoured Motorola phone show a hole-punch display and triple rear camera unit. Motorola Frontier 22 is tipped to debut in July 2022. The handset is said to feature a 144Hz refresh rate display and a fingerprint scanner for authentication. It is also expected to sport a 4,500mAh battery with 125W wired charging and 50W wireless charging support.
German publication WinFuture.de has leaked the renders, and specifications of rumoured Motorola smartphone. As mentioned, the renders show a centrally placed hole-punch cutout on the display. Further, the handset is seen carrying a triple rear camera unit along with the LED flash.
Motorola Frontier 22 specifications (rumoured)
As per the leak, the anticipated Motorola Frontier 22 dual-SIM (Nano) smartphone will run on Android 12 out-of-the-box. It is said to feature a 6.67-inch full-HD+ OLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate, and DCI-P3 colour gamut. The display could have HDR10 support as well.
The upcoming Motorola handset is said to feature Qualcomm’s Snapdragon SM8475 processor under the hood. According to the report, the chipset could be Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 “Plus” SoC. The device is expected to pack up to 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and up to 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage. The handset could be available in three RAM and storage configurations — 8GB RAM + 128GB storage, 8GB RAM+256GB storage, 12GB RAM +256GB storage.
For optics, Motorola Frontier 22 is tipped to carry a triple rear camera unit that includes a 200-megapixel main sensor with optical image stabilisation (OIS), 50-megapixel wide-angle sensor, and a 12-megapixel telephoto shooter. For selfies, Motorola is said to provide a 60-megapixel camera on the upcoming smartphone.
Connectivity options in the handset reportedly include Wi-Fi 6E, USB Type-C port, NFC, GPS and Bluetooth v5.2. It is expected to include stereo speakers and three microphone arrays.
Motorola Frontier 22 is tipped to come with a fingerprint sensor as well. Motorola could pack a 4,500mAh battery with 125W wired charging and 50W wireless charging support in the latest handset.
The firm has cut the IPO size to Rs 3,600 crorefrom Rs 4,500 croreannounced in 2021.
Mumbai:
India’s leading edible oil refiner Adani Wilmar has set the indicative price band for its initial public offering (IPO) of shares at between Rs 218 and Rs 230 apiece, according to a marketing term sheet for the offering reviewed by Reuters.
The IPO, which will open for bidding on January 27, will value the 50-50 joint venture between Singapore agribusiness Wilmar International and Indian conglomerate Adani Group at Rs 29,900 crore ($4.01 billion) at the top end of the price range.
The firm has cut the IPO size to Rs 3,600 crore from Rs 4,500 crore announced in 2021.
Adani Wilmar sells kitchen commodities such as edible oil and wheat in India under a diverse range of brands.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
A day after Virat Kohli stepped down as India Test captain, Anushka Sharma took to social media and shared an emotional post for her husband, recalling his journey as the national team’s red-ball skipper. Taking to Instagram, she posted two photos. The Bollywood actor also opened up about the day when Kohli had first informed her that he would be taking up Test captaincy after MS Dhoni’s decision to retire from the format. “I remember the day in 2014 when you told me that you have been made the captain as MS had decided to retire from test cricket. I remember MS, you & I having a chat later that day & him joking about how quickly your beard will start turning grey. We all had a good laugh about it”, she wrote.
The actress went on to talk about Kohli’s growth as national team captain and as a human being, saying “I’m more proud of the growth you achieved within you”.
“Since that day, I’ve seen more than just your beard turning grey. I’ve seen growth. Immense growth. Around you & within you. And yes, I am very proud of your growth as the captain of the Indian National Cricket team & what achievements the team had under your leadership. But I’m more proud of the growth you achieved within you. In 2014 we were so young & naive. Thinking that just good intentions, positive drive & motives can take you ahead in life. They definitely do but, not without challenges. A lot of these challenges that you faced were not always on the field.”
“But then, this is life right? It tests you in places where you least expect it to but where you need it the most. And my love, I am so proud of you for not letting anything come in the way of your good intentions. You led by example & gave winning on field every ounce of your energy to the extent that after some losses I’ve sat next to you with tears in your eyes, while you wondered if there’s still something more you could have done.”
“This is who you are & this is what you expected from everyone. You’ve been unconventional & straightforward. Pretence is your foe & this is what makes you great in my eyes & the eyes of your admirers. Because underneath all this were your pure, unadulterated intentions always. And not everyone will be able to truly understand that.”
“Like I’ve said, truly blessed are those who tried to get to know you beneath what meets the eye. You are not perfect & have your flaws but then again when did you ever try to conceal that? What you did was to always stand up for doing the right thing, the harder thing, always! You held on to nothing with greed, not even this position & I know that. Because when one holds on to something so tightly they limit themselves & you, my love, are limitless. Our daughter will see the learning of these 7 years in the father that you are to her. You did good”.
Promoted
Here is the post, which she shared on Instagram:
Kohli quit as Test captain on Saturday, a day after India’s 1-2 defeat to South Africa in a three-match red-ball series.
Kohli had earlier stepped down as India’s T20I captain after the T20 World Cup last year and was soon also removed from the ODI captaincy with BCCI appointing Rohit Sharma as full-time white-ball skipper in December.
The Government of India is set to become the largest shareholder of Vodafone Idea with 35.8 percent stake as the company’s board has approved conversion of interest on deferred spectrum and Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) dues into equity, Vodafone Idea said on Tuesday.
The debt-laden Vodafone Idea, a joint venture of UK-based Vodafone Group and Kumar Mangalam Birla-led Aditya Birla Group, has opted for conversion of interest on deferred spectrum and Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) liabilities into equity.
The conversion will result in dilution to all the existing shareholders of the Company, including the Promoters.
Following conversion, it is expected that the Government will hold around 35.8 percent of the total outstanding shares of the Company, and that the Promoter shareholders would hold around 28.5 percent (Vodafone Group) and around 17.8 percent (Aditya Birla Group), respectively, Vodafone Idea said in a statement.
The share price of Vodafone Idea slumped following the announcement. Trading in Vodafone Idea started sharply down at Rs. 13.40 at the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) on Tuesday against the previous day’s close at Rs. 14.85. The company’s share price plummeted to a low of Rs. 12.05 in the morning trade, which is 18.85 percent lower from its previous day’s close.
The company’s share price recovered later in the day. At 11.10am at the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) Vodafone Idea share was trading at Rs. 13.
The Board of Directors of Vodafone Idea, at its meeting held on 10th January 2022, approved the conversion of the full amount of such interest related to spectrum auction instalments and AGR Dues into equity.
“The Net Present Value (NPV) of this interest is expected to be about Rs. 16,000 crore as per the Company’s best estimates, subject to confirmation by the DoT. Since the average price of the Company’s shares at the relevant date of 14.08.2021 was below par value, the equity shares will be issued to the Government at par value of Rs. 10 per share, subject to final confirmation by the DoT,” Vodafone Idea said in a regulatory filing to the stock exchanges.
Union cabinet on September 15 approved a slew of measures to support the cash-strapped telecom firms. The relief measures include a four-year moratorium on payment of spectrum and AGR dues. The telecom firms have also been given the option to pay the interest amount arising due to the deferment of payments by way of issuing equity to the government.
Following the government’s announcement Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea opted for the four-year moratorium.
However, Bharti Airtel recently decided to pay the interest amount to the government instead of issuing the equity.
After the conversion of the dues into equity, the Government of India will become the largest shareholder of Vodafone Idea. This will require changes in the company’s Articles of Association.
“The governance and other rights of the Promoter shareholders are governed by a Shareholders Agreement (SHA) to which the Company is a party and are also incorporated in the Articles of Association of the Company,” Vodafone Idea said.
The rights are subject to a minimum Qualifying Threshold of 21 percent for each Promoter group, and in light of the conversion of interest into equity, the Promoters have mutually agreed to amend the existing SHA for reducing the minimum Qualifying Threshold from 21 percent to 13 percent for the purpose of exercising certain governing rights e.g. appointment of directors and relating to appointment of certain key officials, etc.
Vodafone Idea said its Board has also taken note of the proposed changes to the existing Shareholders Agreement (SHA), and accordingly authorised execution of the same and also recommended changes in the Articles of Association (AoA) to give effect to the changes in the SHA.
The amendment to the AoA shall be subject to the approval of shareholders in general meeting, for which the Board has authorised officials of the Company to decide the date of shareholders meeting in accordance with the terms of the amendment to the existing SHA as approved by the Board, the company said.
Catch the latest from the Consumer Electronics Show on Gadgets 360, at our CES 2022 hub.
Reliance Retail has acquired 25.8 per cent stake in online delivery platform Dunzo
Reliance Industries Limited’s (RIL) retail arm has invested $200 million in online delivery platform Dunzo as it looks to get a foothold in the country’s rapidly growing market of quick delivery.
Reliance Retail has acquired a 25.8 per cent stake in Dunzo for $200 million (around Rs 1,488 crore).
Dunzo raised $240 million in its latest funding round that was led by Reliance Retail Ventures Limited.
Existing investors Lightbox, Ligthrock, 3L Capital and Alteria Capital had also participated in the funding round.
“This round is a reinstatement of confidence of existing and new investors in Dunzo’s potential and success in creating an exceptional user experience. The capital will be used to further Dunzo’s vision to be the largest quick commerce business in the country, enabling instant delivery of essentials from a network of micro warehouses while also expanding its B2B business vertical to enable logistics for local merchants in Indian cities,” the two entities said in a statement.
The workers were reportedly travelling to another site when the landslide took place.
Chandigarh:
At least four people have died and several others are feared trapped following a landslide in a mining zone in Haryana’s Bhiwani district on Saturday. The district administration has launched a rescue operation at the Dadam mining zone in Tosham block.
Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar tweeted to say that he is in constant touch with the local administration to ensure swift rescue operations and immediate assistance to the injured.
The workers were reportedly travelling to another site when the landslide took place and they got trapped in their vehicles.
“I am deeply saddened by the accident at the mining site in Bhiwani district of Haryana. The administration is conducting a rescue operation. A SDRF team has been called from Madhuban and a NDRF team from Ghaziabad. An army unit has been called from Hisar. So far four people have died,” said Haryana minister Anil Vij.
Agriculture Minister JP Dalal has reached the site to oversee the rescue operation. “A few people have lost their lives and three persons have been taken to a hospital. According to the mining contractor here, there could be three-four more people trapped inside,” he said.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has expressed grief over the unit and said he has spoken to the chief minister.
“The accident due to a landslide at a mining site in Bhiwani district of Haryana is very sad. I have spoken to Chief Minister @mlkhattar. The local administration is engaged in rescue work, and our priority is to save as many lives as possible. I wish the injured a speedy recovery (sic),” he said in a tweet.
Mining activities have been taking place on a large scale in Dadam mining area and Khanak Pahari after the National Green Tribunal lifted its ban on mining work in the area. The two-month ban, imposed by the green court due to pollution, was lifted on Thursday and the mining work resumed only on Friday.
Chinese citizens lashed out online against billionaire Tesla founder Elon Musk’s space ambitions on Monday after China complained that its space station was forced to take evasive action to avoid collision with satellites launched by Musk’s Starlink programme.
The satellites from Starlink Internet Services, a division of Musk’s SpaceX aerospace company, had two “close encounters” with the Chinese space station on July 1 and October 21, according to a document submitted by China earlier this month to the UN’s space agency.
“For safety reasons, the China Space Station implemented preventive collision avoidance control,” China said in a document published on the website of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs.
The complaints have not been independently verified. SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a post on China’s Twitter-like Weibo microblogging platform on Monday, one user said Starlink’s satellites were “just a pile of space junk”, while another described them as “American space warfare weapons”.
With nearly 30,000 satellites and other debris believed to be orbiting the planet, scientists have urged governments to share data to reduce the risk of catastrophic space collisions.
SpaceX alone has deployed nearly 1,900 satellites to serve its Starlink broadband network, and is planning more.
“The risks of Starlink are being gradually exposed, the whole human race will pay for their business activities,” a user posting under the name Chen Haiying said on Weibo.
US space agency NASA was forced to abruptly call off a spacewalk at the end of November, citing risks posed by space debris. Musk tweeted in response that some Starlink satellite orbits had been adjusted to reduce the possibility of collisions.
China began constructing the space station in April with the launch of Tianhe, the largest of its three modules. The station is expected to be completed by the end of 2022 after four crewed missions.
Musk has become a well-known figure in China, though Tesla’s electric-vehicle business has come under growing scrutiny from regulators, especially after a customer climbed on top of a Tesla car at the Shanghai auto show in April to protest against poor customer service.
Sundara Rajan, the chief compliance officer at CoinSwitch
Ever since news got out that the government is planning to introduce a new cryptocurrency bill during the winter session, there’s been a lot of misinformation floating around. This led to a lot of panic selling initially, but things seem to have cooled off a bit. However, a lot of cryptocurrency traders and investors in India are worried about the future of crypto in the country.
To make things simpler, CoinSwitch recently held some highly useful sessions on YouTube. The goal of these videos is to spread knowledge, and help people understand the current status of the proposed cryptocurrency bill in India. This will help everyone make informed trading and investment decisions when it comes to cryptocurrencies.
Sundara Rajan, the chief compliance officer at CoinSwitch, talked about the proposed crypto bill, and other details around regulation that would be useful for cryptocurrency investors and traders in India. Below, we’ll explain some of the key details that were shared during the live YouTube session.
Are we past the ‘crypto will be banned’ narrative? One of the biggest questions on everyone’s mind right now is – will India really ban crypto? To put an end to rumours, Rajan said we can safely say that India will not ban crypto entirely. He talked about the recent developments and official statements that have been released both publicly and internally with stakeholders. The government is mainly concerned about the misuse of crypto, and wants to avoid that. Apart from that, the government seems to be looking at ways to regulate crypto.
Crypto taxation amid the news To clarify a key question on crypto taxation in India, Rajan referred to a recent statement by revenue secretary Tarun Bajaj where he discussed how people should be paying taxes on capital gains based on their cryptocurrency profits. Tax laws can also be changed to introduce TDS on crypto capital gains. If the government is planning to introduce these taxes, it means they’ll allow buying and selling of cryptocurrencies.
What about people reading between the lines of the bill description? We don’t really know much about the proposed cryptocurrency bill apart from the main headline. But people are still trying to make assumptions out of whatever is being made public or discussed online, leading to a lot of panic. To make things clear, Rajan said that no one currently knows about the content of this propose crypto bill.
Everything is still a part of speculations, he further added. The crypto market in India crashed initially because of a lot of panic selling due to unverified news. A lot of crypto investors in India lost a good chunk of their money due to this, Rajan added. He also said that these speculations should end until we have some verified news and details about the proposed bill.
Rajan also said that CoinSwitch believes that this proposed bill on cryptocurrencies will bring some sort of positive development for the industry. It doesn’t look like the government will ban crypto entirely. We don’t know what the bill itself contains as of now, but we’re hoping the bill will be positive and our business is going on as usual. We’re not changing anything based on these ongoing speculations.
How can money laundering be curbed in crypto? Sceptics believe that crypto is the breeding ground for money laundering. One of the key issues for the government itself is whether crypto will lead to a rise in money laundering cases across the country. To explain things, Rajan answered by saying money laundering has happened across various channels, and continues to take place.
But you cannot close an asset class just because it can be misused. Some people may use crypto to launder money, and we have to figure out a way to prevent that from happening. However, money laundering can happen across a wide range of assets. Regulation in crypto may help curb money laundering in the long run.
Rajan further added that strong KYC, monitoring transactions, and avoiding cash transactions are some of the ways to avoid money laundering with crypto. He said it’s wrong to say money laundering is happening only with cryptocurrencies. Banning crypto may not be the one-stop solution to this problem.
How should investors react? A lot of cryptocurrency investors and traders in India are worried about their investments, and they want to know how they should go about their transactions. Rajan is clear about one thing — avoid panic selling. He said everyone should stop making buying or selling decisions based on half-baked news or reports. Once the bill is out, and the government brings regulation to the industry, you can carry on with your investments and trades. Avoid panic buying or selling at all costs, he added.
What makes CoinSwitch’s KYC process reliable and safe? CoinSwitch has a robust KYC process which will be further improved going forward, said Rajan. The company is also actively monitoring transactions to avoid potential scams. Rajan said this will remain an ongoing process, and we will continue to work on it without compromises. This is a win-win for both the company as well as its users.
Rajan ended the live session by further cementing his belief that the government will not introduce a blanket ban on crypto. He said he hopes there will be a positive development in the proposed bill, and it’s only a matter of time before we know the actual contents of this bill. As for traders and investors, Rajan warned everyone to avoid panic buying or selling until there’s reliable information available.
(Disclaimer: Coinswitch is an advertiser on the NDTV Network)
Omicron: The B.1.1.529 strain was first identified in South Africa last week (File)
Highlights
The Health Ministry today said the Omicron variant is “spreading rapidly”
19 districts in India are at “high risk” of a surge in Covid cases
Maharashtra, at 32, has the highest Omicron cases of any state in India
New Delhi:
The Omicron variant of the coronavirus is “spreading rapidly” – there are now 101 cases in 11 states in India – the Health Ministry said Friday, warning that 19 districts were at high risk of a surge in COVID-19 cases.
Faced with the threat of a third wave of infections, the ministry underlined the need to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour, including the use of face masks and maintaining social distance. The ministry also urged people to avoid non-essential travel and stay away from large crowds and gatherings.
Renewed warnings of the dangers posed by Omicron come as 10 new cases were reported from Delhi earlier in the day. The city has now 22 confirmed Omicron cases.
The 10 new cases were reported after a worrying spike in overall Covid cases in the city over the previous 24 hours – 85 were detected – up from 57 on Thursday and 45 on Wednesday.
Maharashtra – worst hit by earlier waves of infections – has so far recorded the most Omicron cases – 32. Rajasthan is next with 17, and Karnataka and Telangana have reported eight each. Gujarat, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Bengal, and Andhra Pradesh have also reported cases of the new variant.
A point of worry is that at least two of the Omicron cases reported from Maharashtra were young children – a three-year-old boy and an 18-month-old girl.
The government has already urged states to step up surveillance measures and focus on sequencing positive samples in an effort to identify cases and potential hotspots.
New travel rules were enforced starting December 1, requiring foreign arrivals from countries deemed ‘at risk’ to submit to RT-PCR tests and, in some cases, mandatory quarantine.
“Most cases of Omicron have a travel history, or have contacts with travel histories. But there have been some cases in which we have not been able to establish any such history. In that the process is on to identify travel or contact histories…” Dr VK Paul, India’s Covid task force chief, said.
Omicron was first reported from South Africa last month.
Since then, it has been reported from 77 countries, including the US, Israel, Hong Kong and Japan, and the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates the variant is “probably” in most countries.
The first cases in India were reported by Karnataka on December 2.
Earlier today the G7 (Group of Seven) called Omicron the “biggest current threat to global public health” and said it was now “more important than ever” for countries to “closely cooperate”.
A sliver of good news is that only one death has been linked to the Omicron strain so far – in the UK.
Initial studies indicate Omicron is significantly more infectious than the Delta variant that wrought havoc in India and the world, but it does lead to less severe symptoms.
The jury is still out on the variant’s vaccine-evasion ability, but medical experts have urged people to ensure they are double-vaccinated and called on governments to offer booster doses.
With two-thirds of the year spent indoors thanks to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, pretty much like last year, 2021 saw a continued rise in Indian original content from streaming services (or OTT platforms, if you prefer). There were massive spikes for the likes of Disney+ Hotstar and SonyLIV whose output increased by nearly 300 and over 200 percent, respectively. Movies that were originally meant for the big screen — starring the likes of Dhanush, Taapsee Pannu, Vicky Kaushal, Mohanlal, Kartik Aaryan, Ajay Devgn, and Akshay Kumar — were shifted to streaming services, primarily the big two, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
The annual leader in quantity, Zee5, released fewer originals in 2021 than last year. Still, it continues to occupy that position with 53 originals this year, and is the only one to have produced a Pakistani original. Zee5 has some competition though, with both Hoichoi (47) and ShemarooMe (50) — appearing on our list for the first time — having a blockbuster year in quantity at the least. ShemarooMe’s place is more debatable though, as the platform loves to take existing titles and rebrand them as “world digital premieres”. Sure, it’s technically correct but some of its world digital premieres in 2021 were movies released theatrically years ago. We have excluded them, naturally.
Speaking of more important firsts, both Discovery+ and Lionsgate Play made their first originals in 2021. You can find those below along with nearly 400 originals produced by Indian OTT platforms this year. Things to keep in mind: Zee5 and ALTBalaji continued their co-production strategies, hence there are some overlaps in those two sections. And there are no Eros Now originals on the list, as the company declined to participate in our story. With that, here is the complete list of all streaming service originals from India in 2021.
List of original OTT web series from India in 2021
Akhil Arora covers entertainment for Gadgets 360, interviewing stars such as Christian Bale and Anurag Kashyap, covering series premieres, product and service launches across the globe, and looking at American blockbusters and Indian dramas from a global socio-political and feminist perspective. As a Rotten Tomatoes-certified film critic, Akhil has reviewed over 150 movies and TV shows in over half a decade at Gadgets 360. When he is not completely caught up with new film and TV releases, Akhil …More
