Thursday 31 May 2018

RCom, Ericsson agree on settlement; green signal for Reliance Jio deal

The NCLAT asked the Anil Ambani-controlled firm to pay Ericsson Rs 5.5 billion by the end of September

The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) stayed the May 15 order of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) in Mumbai, which had admitted Reliance Communications (RCom) and two of its subsidiaries for insolvency proceedings.
The NCLAT asked the Anil Ambani-controlled firm to pay Ericsson Rs 5.5 billion by the end of September.
With the stay on bankruptcy proceedings, RCom can now continue with its asset monetisation scheme involving the sale of towers, optic fibre cable network, spectrum and media convergence nodes to brother Mukesh Ambani-controlled Reliance JioInfocomm (Jio) for Rs 170 billion.
On Tuesday, NCLAT chairman Justice S J Mukhopadhaya asked the parties to settle the matter stating that the fate of operational creditors under the corporate resolution process was not ideal, especially if Ericsson wished to recover the majority of its dues.
NCLAT also asked RCom and Ericsson to file an affidavit by June 7 stating that the two companies will abide by the settlement.
Ericsson India, a subsidiary of the Swedish telecom equipment maker and service provider, had filed a case at NCLT, Mumbai last September seeking the liquidation of Reliance Communications (RCom), and its subsidiaries Reliance Infratel and Reliance Telecom, in order to recover Rs 11.5 billion.
The three companies were subsequently admitted under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), and NCLT appointed a resolution professional (RP) to take over the management of each company. Ericsson had argued that it had entered into a seven-year agreement in 2014 with RCom and its subsidiaries for maintaining, upgrading and developing the latter's telecommunications infrastructure, which was not honoured.
RCom and its subsidiaries owed Ericsson around Rs 9.78 billion for their services which, Ericsson's counsel told the NCLT, had increased to around Rs 16 billion given that there were delays in the payment, despite several notices being issued to the Anil Ambani controlled companies.
RCom filed its appeal with the NCLAT, and was awarded with a stay on the order admitting the three firms under the IBC.
RCom and its subsidiaries now have the permission to go ahead with the debt restructuring plan that was prepared in December 2017. There were fears of the three Reliance group companies undergoing insolvency proceedings, which would have meant that the asset monetisation scheme under the plan would not be allowed.

Monsoon in Karnataka: Heavy rains rattle Mangalore, Udupi; schools shut

National Weather Forecasting Centre has predicted heavy rains in Kerala and the coastal Karnataka region till June 2

Karnataka Heavy rains accompanied by thunderstorm and lightning wreaked havoc in Karnataka on Wednesday, compelling the state to shut down schools and colleges across coastal Karnataka's Dakshina Kannada district. Mangaluru and Udupi were the worst affected, with reports of property loss and waterlogging coming from several areas. .
Private weather forecast agency Skymet today said, "Southwest Monsoon has now covered entire Kerala, most parts of Coastal Karnataka and some more parts of Bay of Bengal." The weatherman added, "Conditions remain favourable for Southwest Monsoon further advance covering parts of Northeast India during the next 24 to 48 hours".
Schools in Karnataka will remain closed on Thursday.
"We have advised all state-run and private schools and colleges across the district to remain closed for two days as a safety measure due to heavy rains flooding roads and localities in the district," Sasikant Sentil, Deputy Commissioner told reporters in Mangaluru, about 350 kilometres from state capital Bengaluru.
Here are the top updates on rains in coastal Karnataka:
1. Heavy rains are expected in Kerala and the coastal Karnataka region till June 2, according to the National Weather Forecasting Centre predictions.
2. Schools in Karnataka will remain closed on Thursday
3. As many as 12 people have been injured, according to Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Saisikanth Senthil. Mangaluru was one of the most affected with at least 52 houses there being damaged in the rains, according to media reports. Five rehabilitation centres have been opened and compensation for the injured will be announced on Wednesday, ANI reported.
4. Prime Minister Narendra Modi took cognizance of the matter and said that all assistance would be provided for those affected in the rains. "I pray for the safety and well-being of all those affected by heavy rains in various parts of Karnataka. Have spoken to officials and asked them to ensure all possible assistance in the affected areas," Narendra modi tweet.
I pray for the safety and wellbeing of all those affected by heavy rains in various parts of Karnataka. Have spoken to officials and asked them to ensure all possible assistance in the affected areas.

Wednesday 30 May 2018

2018 edition of Nokia 2, 3 and 5 announced: Here's what has changed

The trio of smartphones brings host of improvements in term of features and specifications over their predecessors - the Nokia 5, Nokia 3 and Nokia 2

HMD Global, a Finnish company behind the Nokia-branded phones, on May 29 announced the Nokia 5.1, Nokia 3.1 and Nokia 2.1. The trio of smartphones brings host of improvements in term of features and specifications over their predecessors – the Nokia 5, Nokia 3 and Nokia 2.
Built from a single block of 6000 series aluminium, the Nokia 5.1 gets a bigger and modern screen of 5.5-inch in 18:9 aspect ratio. Not just the screen, the resolution has also been raised to fullHD+ to make it sharp and crisp for watching multimedia content. The phone is powered by MediaTek Helio P18 octa-core processor, which runs at a maximum frequency of a 2.0 GHz. In terms of imaging, the phone’s primary camera has been upgraded with a 16-megapixel sensor that supports phase detection auto-focus. To accommodate new format screen, the company has moved fingerprint sensor to the back and the capacitive navigation keys of the predecessor are now replaced with on-screen navigation keys. Being a Google Android One smartphone, the phone boots latest version of Android Oreo out of the box and is promised to get an Android P update.
The Nokia 5.1 will be available in three colour variants -- copper, tempered blue and black, and two storage and RAM configurations -- 2GB/16GB and 3GB/32GB.
The Nokia 3.1 also sports an 18:9 aspect ratio screen of 5.2-inch, covered under Gorilla Glass protection. However, the resolution still maxes out at HD+, same as predecessor. The phone features a polycarbonate body and metallic chassis made of aluminium processed through CNC process. The phone is powered by MediaTek 6750 chipset, which is an octa-core system-on-chip with Cortex-A53 cores. In terms of imaging, the phone has a 13MP primary camera, and an 8MP selfie camera with 84.6 degree wide-angle lens.
The Nokia 3.1 will be available in three colour combinations -- blue/copper, black/chrome and white/iron, and two storage and RAM options -- 2GB/16GB and 3GB/32GB.
The Nokia 2.1 sports a 5.5-inch HD screen and dual front-facing stereo speakers. Powered by a 4,000 mAh battery, the smartphone boots Android Oreo Go edition operating system, which is a trimmed down version of Android Oreo designed to work optimally in low-end devices with 1GB of RAM or less. The phone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 SoC, paired with 1GB RAM and 8GB of internal storage. On the imaging front, the phone sports an 8MP primary camera and a 5MP front-facing.
The Nokia 2.1 will be available in three metallic colour combinations -- blue/copper, blue/silver and grey/silver.

Belkin Boost-Up wireless charging pad: Tangle-free charging for smartphones

The Boost-up Wireless Charging Pad (Rs 2,999) is compatible with most modern smartphones, including phones that support Qi charging format

Pick up any flagship phone these days, and it features wireless charging. But there’s a catch: Almost no phone manufacturer bundles in a wireless charger. Thus, the customer, after paying big bucks for a phone with myriad features is often unable to use one of the most-touted ones.
A quick search on any shopping site reveals a wide range of wireless chargers, more specifically those which adhere to the Qi charging format. But most are from unknown Chinese manufacturers, and thus, there’s no guarantee about what they would turn out to be.
Thankfully, accessories major Belkin has a solution. The Boost-up Wireless Charging Pad (Rs 2,999) is compatible with most modern smartphones. I used it with the Apple iPhone X and the Samsung Galaxy Note8.
Initially, I faced a problem. The iPhone X had absolutely no charge, so I was apprehensive about whether I had placed it properly. Thankfully, there’s a green LED that lights up once the phone is aligned right. The charger comes in black and white, so you could match it with your phone’s colour. But, while there’s a microUSB cable in the pack, there’s no AC adapter.
The charger works well and the non-slip surface helps, especially if you have to use it in a moving vehicle. Also, once I got used to using this pad, I felt free from untangling the wires of ordinary chargers, especially if you carry multiple ones. But bear in mind that it takes way longer to charge on a pad than while using the charger, especially if you’re used to newer fast-charging technologies.

Tuesday 29 May 2018

CBSE Class 10 result 2018 at 4 pm today; check your score on http://cbse.nic.in

CBSE 10th result 2018 will be declared on May 29, check for updates on Business Standard

CBSE class 10th results 2018 will be declared on Tuesday at 4 pm. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will release the results on its official website — cbse.nic.in.
According to Union Education Secretary Anil Swarup's tweet, the CBSE 10th result will be declared on Tuesday.
CBSE announced the class 12 result on Saturday, with the overall pass percentage coming to 83.01 per cent. The top three regions were Thiruvananthapuram with 97.32 per cent, Chennai with 93.87 per cent, and Delhi with 89 per cent.
Students can also check their results on http://cbseresults.nic.in and CBSE Result 2018, Class 10 & 12 Board Results 2018, cbseresults.nic.in. Over 1.6 million students appeared for the Class 10 exams this year.
Meghna Srivastava, from Ghaziabad, became the national topper with 499 marks out of 500 in CBSE Class 12 examination 2018. Anoushka Chandra from Ghaziabad secured the second position with 498. A Vijay Ganesh from Kerala topped the differently able category with a score of 492. Pooja Kumari of Dehradun secured the second position with 489 and, Lavanya Jha of Delhi came third with 487.
STEPS TO CHECK CBSE CLASS 10 RESULT 2018:
— Go to the CBSE official website http://cbse.nic.in
— Click on CBSE Class 12th Result 2018 or CBSE Class 10th Result 2018
— Enter your admit card details and get your CBSE Class 10 Result 2018
— Download your CBSE Result 2018 for future reference
Students can access their results via SMS charged at 50 paise per SMS
Check CBSE result through Google
CBSE has partnered with Google to host the CBSE Class 10 results on the search engine. Students can check their results on Google by searching for CBSE Class 10 result. They will have to enter roll number to login and access their results.
Check CBSE Board Exam Results 2018 through Microsoft
Through Microsoft application's SMS organiser, students will be informed about CBSE 10th result 2018. The candidates will have to register with their roll number, school code and the date of birth to be able to access their marks.

Vivo X21 India launch at 12:30 PM: Watch live stream, know specs, features

The Vivo X21 in-display fingerprint sensor smartphone will be Flipkart-exclusive and will go on sale starting May 23

Vivo, a Chinese mobile phone brand, was one of the first smartphone manufacturers to launch consumer-ready notch screen-based smartphone the Vivo V9 in India. Now, in another first, the company is gearing up to launch an in-screen fingerprint sensor-based device the Vivo X21. The smartphone will be Flipkart-exclusive and will go on sale starting May 29.
The Vivo X21 is a flagship smartphone with top of the line specifications. The phone sports a vivid fullHD+ super AMOLED 6.28-inch notch-based screen, which has an embedded fingerprint sensor at the lower bottom. The phone boasts premium glass-metal-glass sandwich design, which is in-line with other premium offerings.
Powering the smartphone is a rather modest Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 system-on-chip (SoC), paired with mammoth 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage, expandable up to 256GB using microSD card.
The dual-SIM smartphone boots Android Oreo out of the box covered under company’s customised skin called as the Funtouch OS 4.0. The phone takes its power from 3,200 mAh battery, which supports quick charging. However, instead of USB type-C, the phone uses a microUSB port for charging and data transfers.
In terms of imaging, the Vivo X21 sports a dual camera set-up on the back that featuring a 12-megapixel primary sensor, paired with a 5MP secondary lens. On the front, there is a 12MP selfie camera. Both the front and back camera boasts dual pixel technology for enhanced colour reproduction and low noise in low light conditions.

Monday 28 May 2018

Watson's century helps CSK lift IPL 2018 trophy, beat SRH by 8 wickets

This is the third IPL trophy for the Chennai Super Kings and also for MS Dhoni. Watson becomes 2nd batsman to hit century in IPL final after Wriddhiman Saha

Chennai Super Kings beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 8 wickets to win the VIVO Indian Premier League (IPL 2018). Shane Watson single-handedly won it for CSK by hitting a magnificent century in the biggest game of the season. He made 117 runs. He had scored a century in the earlier stage of the tournament. Ambati Rayudu hit the winning runs. Coming back from a two-year suspension due to spot-fixing scandal, CSK showed utter dominance over SRH as they beat them in all the four encounters they had in this year's edition. SRH bowlers looked out of form. Barring Bhuvneshwar and Raashid, all the others leaked runs heavily. With this win, CSK lift the IPL trophy for the third time in the seven finals they have played.
Earlier, Bhuvneshwar Kumar was back in the attack and gave just 8 runs. His figures were 4-1-17-0. Rashid came back to bowl his last and Shane Watson completed his 2nd century of the season. Rashid gave 12 runs in his last over. He ended with the figures of 4-1-24-0. CSK needed 13 from 18. Kaul came to bowl the 18th over and Watson showed no mercy.
IPL 2018 FINAL CSK vs SRH SCOREBOARD
Chennai Super Kings playing 11 for today's match: Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni(w/c), Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Karn Sharma, Shardul Thakur, Lungi Ngidi. Change: Karn Sharma replaces Harbhajan Singh.
Over 1: Faf du Plessis and Shane Watson on the crease. Buvneshwar Kumar came to bowl and bowled a perfect maiden over. CSK: 0-0, Shane Watson: 0(6b), Faf du Plessis: 0(0b)
Over 2: Sandeep Sharma in the attack, missed the length by a fraction and it goes for four. Single taken by Faf to bring Watson on strike. Two dot balls to Watson. Just five from the over. CSK: 5-0, Shane Watson: 0(8b), Faf du Plessis: 5(4b)
Over 3: Bhuvneshwar Kumar to Faf du Plessis, no run. Another DOT ball. Squared du Plessis for no run. Another defensive shot another DOT ball, 10 DOT balls on the trot by Bhuvi. A quick single taken and four overthrow runs. DOT ball to end the over. CSK: 10/0, Shane Watson: 0(9b), Faf du Plessis: 10(9b)
Over 4: Sandeep Sharma to Faf du Plessis, one leg bye taken. DOT ball followed by a four off the 3rd ball. DOT ball. Shane Watson took a single off the 5th ball. Faf du Plessis miss hit went straight into the night sky Sandeep took the catch to gave SRH first breakthrough. CSK: 16/1, Faf du Plessis c & b Sandeep Sharma 10 (11b 1x4 0x6)
Over 5: Bhuvneshwar Kumar to Suresh Raina, one run taken. Watson took a single off the 2nd ball. DOT ball. Another DOT ball. Raina heaved the 5th ball in the legside for a single. Watson took a single off the last ball to keep the strike. CSK: 20/1, Suresh Raina: 2(4b), Shane Watson: 7(15b)

Friday 25 May 2018

CBSE Class 10, Class 12 results 2018 date, steps to download marks; updates

There will be delay in CBSE Class 12 results due to re-examination following the CBSE paper leaks. Check for updates on Business Standard

CBSE Class 10 Result 2018CBSE Class 12 result are likely to be released by the end of next week. According to a media report, Central Board of Secondary Education may declare CBSE Class 10th and 12th result on May 31. CBSE will release the results on its official website cbse.nic.in or http://cbseresults.nic.in. Declaration of CBSE Class 10 Result 2018, CBSE Class 12 result may be delayed due to the re-examinations held on account of the infamous CBSE paper leaks. Nearly a month after the CBSE exam question papers were leaked, the re-test of the Class 12 Economics paper took place on April 25. Earlier, reports said that CBSE results would be declared on time, however, a CBSE official confirmed that they would be delayed.
"The results will be declared by the end of May. However, the CBSE Board will confirm the date just a day before the exams as the evaluation is in advanced stage despite re-exam of economics paper. We have rigorously followed up with schools to send more evaluators than the required number," a senior Board Official said. There were also reports of the CBSE's Class 10 mathematics paper being leaked, but the board decided against its re-test, saying class 10 was just an "internal segment" of school Education system. The reports of the leak of the CBSE papers had caused disappointment among students across the country last month. In Delhi, students held protests accusing the CBSE of negligence and demanded immediate action against the guilty.
According to Delhi Police, the class 12 economics paper was leaked on 23 March - three days before the scheduled date of the examination.
Top 5 highlights of CBSE Class 12 and 10 exams 2018:
1. Retest of economics paper will delay results: CBSE students can check their CBSE Class12 and Class 10 results on cbse.nic.in. There will be a slight delay in CBSE CLass 12 results due to re-test following CBSE paper leak.
ALSO READ: Google ties up with CBSE for results, exam-related info
2. SC dismisses another plea for CBI probe into CBSE paper leak case: The petition alleged that the CBSE gave the order to protect the "real culprits" within the body and demanded that it be quashed, but a bench of justices S A Bobde and L Nageswara Rao said that the court would not like to the interfere with the conduct of the re-examination.
"We cannot interfere with the decision of CBSE. On this very ground this petition stands dismissed," the bench said, noting the top court had earlier dismissed similar prayers.
The counsel appearing for petitioner social activist Sanjoy Sachdev said that the CBSE is not a statutory authority and it had no authority to conduct the re-examination.
3. Google ties up with CBSE for results, exam-related info: Tech giant Google said it has collaborated with Central Board Of Secondary Education(CBSE) to allow students check their results on its platform. "Starting from Monday with the JEE Main exam results, the Cbse is enabling students to look up exam results directly on the google search page," Google said in a statement.
This will help students quickly, securely, and seamlessly locate their exam score on their Smartphone or desktop, it added.
4. CBSE Class 12 result 2018 and class 10 result date: According to sources, CBSE will announce the Central Board of Secondary Education CBSE Class 12 Board Results 2018 on May 26 i.e. third week of May.

Thoothukudi protest: How NDA govt decisions helped Vedanta bypass norms

NDA government's decisions helped Vedanta bypass public consultations for the Copper smelter expansion in Thoothukudi

The controversial expansion of Vedanta's 1,200 tonnes per day copper smelter in Thoothukudi protest, Tamil Nadu has been stayed by the High Court on May 23 after at least 11 people protesting against the plant were shot dead by state police. The court has ordered that the company consult people before building the plant - something the company claimed it was legally not required to do.
Vedanta claims it had legally got an environmental clearance from the Union government to expand the smelter to double the capacity without consulting people. A perusal of Union environment ministry’s and several court records show the NDA government made an interpretation to green regulations in December 2014, which helped particularly plants such as that of Vedanta's at Thoothukudi to be built without consulting people of the project-affected area.
This exception in the environmental safety regulations was made on the request of various industries, show court and government documents reviewed by Business Standard. The exception to the rules was carved out through orders of the then environment minister and called a ‘clarification’. This clarification would in months ahead allow Vedanta and several others to start constructing their plants, such as the one in Thoothukudi, without public consultations. This interpretation by the NDA government was fortuitous for companies because the environment ministry under UPA government had insisted in May 2014 that projects such as Vedanta’s in Thoothukudi were required by law to first go through public consultations.
In 2016 the National Green Tribunal found, the December orders of the NDA government, which favoured Vedanta, to be illegal. It had to go to the point of threatening bailable orders against the environment ministry officials in the case to divulge information on the matter. Ministry officials said rescinding the government’s December 2014 orders would adversely impact many projects.
Eventually, the NGT quashed the December 2014 orders. On the NGT’s instructions, the ministry had to pass fresh orders clearly stating that projects in industrial parks without environmental clearances needed to conduct public hearings.
But, by then Vedanta had secured an extension of the green clearance to its expansion project in Thoothukudi without the need for a public hearing.
It is citing this 2016 ruling of the National Green Tribunal and other facts that came to light during the case, that the High Court on Wednesday has ordered Vedanta to stop its expansion plans in track and go back to first consult the people.