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Comparing Samsung's new Galaxy S9 to Apple's iPhone X: Which is better?

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Samsung needs to show it has the hardware and software chops to maintain its leadership in the Android market LATEST NEWS:  When Microsoft revealed a replacement to Windows 8, it skipped the number 9 and went straight to Windows 10. Apple’s iPhone 8 was followed by the iPhone X (pronounced “ten”). But Samsung refused to follow: The successor to its Galaxy S8 is the Galaxy S9 (and a larger S9 Plus), and it’s coming out in March. The phone is critical for the company. Samsung needs to show it has the hardware and software chops to maintain its leadership in the Android market, while proving Apple isn’t king of smartphone design. Then there’s fending off rising Chinese competition from Huawei and reassuring investors that Vice Chairman Jay Y. Lee has the company’s future under control since his legal woes commanded global headlines. But above all, Samsung needs to be better than the iPhone X in the eyes of consumers. Here’s how they compare. Photography and Video Grea...

Bad news for Gitanjali, PNB, OBC: Few scam-related stocks regain lost glory

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From the so-called Ketan Parekh (K-10) stocks to Unitech and DB Realty, scam-tainted stocks have fallen by 90 per cent or more from their all-time highs LATEST NEWS:  Nearly a dozen companies that have been named in various scams, frauds or price rigging at the bourses in over two decades have lost over 90 per cent of their market value from their all-time high levels, data show. For instance, sample the stocks related to Ketan Parekh, the former stock broker from Mumbai convicted in 2008 for his involvement in the Indian stock market manipulation scam in late 1998 to 2001. Some of the famous Ketan Parekh (K-10) stocks like Himachal Futuristic Communication (HFCL), GTL and Pentamedia Graphics – and Mukta Arts, Tips industries and Pritish Nandy Communications, in which Ketan Parekh had a huge exposure – are currently trading up to 99 per cent lower than their peak levels recorded in 2000. During the 1998-2001 period, Parekh artificially rigged prices of select stocks (in...

Sridevi died due to 'accidental drowning' in Dubai: Top 10 developments

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The veteran actor, who acted in over 300 films and was referred to as the first female superstar of Bollywood, suffered a cardiac arrest late Saturday night in Dubai LATEST NEWS :  The mortal remains of Sridevi, revered as Bollywood's first female superstar, will arrive India a few hours later than earlier expected. Her last rites, earlier expected to take place around 11.00 am, will, therefore, also have to be delayed. The veteran actor, 54, had passed away following a cardiac arrest late on Saturday night in Dubai. Sridevi acted in over 300 films in her impressive career spanning five decades. She was in Dubai along with her younger daughter Khushi and husband Boney Kapoor for the wedding of her nephew Mohit Marwah. She suffered a cardiac arrest when she was in the bathroom, getting ready for a dinner date with husband Boney Kapoor. “After 15 minutes passed and Sridevi did not come out, Kapoor knocked on the door to check on her. When he got no response, he forced op...

Nirav Modi scam once again raises concerns over round tripping of diamonds

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sagar diamonds share market news Nirav Modi's alleged fraud came to light only after he failed to secure fresh loans to service his existing debt. And, the news of the purported crime committed by Modi and Gitanjali Gems groups has once again brought the issue of illegitimate havala channels and round tripping of diamonds centre stage. Diamond business is predominantly involved in imports and then exports. Round Tripping is the practice of traders exporting the same stock of polished diamonds multiple times to borrow from banks against the receivables at a lower interest rate. India is the biggest processor of rough diamonds globally. In 2017-18 till January, according to the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) data, India exported rough diamonds worth $1.175 bn against last full year’s $1.5 bn. India’s import of polished diamonds was also $1.88 bn in the 10 months this year. Even the proportion of return consignment doubled in the last two years and re...

Come up with an implementable plan to repay dues: PNB to Nirav Modi

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Nirav Modi in his letter to the PNB had said that the over-zealousness of the bank to deal with the issue destroyed his jewellery brand sagar diamonds share market news scam-hit Punjab country wide financial institution (PNB) on Thursday asked billionaire diamond jeweller Nirav Modi to give you a concrete and implementable plan to settle the loss prompted to it by using the fraudulent issuance of Letter of Undertakings (LoU) via one in every of its branches. PNB stated this in its reaction to a mail written by way of Nirav Modi, who allegedly cheated the financial institution of Rs 114 billion in connivance with a few bank officials. "You have been getting LoUs issued illegally and in an unauthorized manner via few financial institution officers. At no degree such facilities were extended with the aid of our bank on your three companion corporations," resources said mentioning mail response sent by PNB trendy supervisor (global banking division) Ashwini Vats ...

Sagar Diamonds to enter capital market

Sagar Diamonds Limited , an ISO 9001 The issue opens on Thursday and closes on Monday. Gretex Corporate Services Private Limited is the sole lead manager to the issue and Bigshare Services Private Limited is the registrar to the issue. The proceeds of the issue will be utilized for working capital requirements, general corporate purposes and issue expenses. The company is planning to import the raw diamond and convert into the polished diamond. The company exports to Hong Kong, Europe and so on. The gems and jewellery sector plays a significant role in Indian economy. It is one of the fastest growing sectors. The government has recently undertaken various measures to promote investments and to upgrade technology and skills to promote 'Brand India' in the international market. India's gems and jewellery exports jumped by 8.95 per cent for financial year 2016-17 on recovery in demand from the United States (US), Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates (UA...

Indigo, SpiceJet Shift Operations To T-2 of DIAL

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Indira Gandhi International airport sees a partial shift of operations from Terminal-1 (T-1) to Terminal-2 (T-2) by Indigo and SpiceJet The decision relating to shifting a part of the airline’s operation to IGI terminal 2 in Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL’s) decision was challenged by Indigo airlines, which has the biggest market share in Delhi high court. However, as a temporary measure, the Delhi high court on Tuesday cleared all the decks for (DIAL) to shift a part of operations of a few airlines to the newly unveiled Terminal 2 from terminal 1 at Indira Gandhi airport. Hema Kohli and Rekha Palli dismissed the appeal by the Indigo against the shifting of its partial operations by DIAL, which is a policy decision with the sanction of Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Partial Shifting of Operations Indira Gandhi International airport sees a partial shift of operations from Terminal-1 (T-1) to Terminal-2 (T-2) by Indigo and SpiceJet. The shift of operat...

Pricing pressure in global operations dents Jet Airways' Q3 numbers

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Jet Airways has been struggling with weak demand from the Persian Gulf for a few quarters, though the management indicated that might change soon Jet Airways ’ December quarter performance did not go down well with the Street, with the stock shedding nearly 6 per cent at close on Thursday. The company had declared the results after market hours on Wednesday. One reason for the stock fall could be the net profit decline. The bottom line, at Rs 1.86 billion, was down 38 per cent over the year-ago quarter. However, net profit for the year-ago period, at Rs 2.99 billion, included Rs 3.27 billion profit on sale and leaseback of aircraft. The company has restated the numbers for the third quarter of 2016-17 and nine months of 2016-17 to reconcile these with Indian accounting standards. Without the adjustment, net profit would have shown an increase of 19.2 per cent. On the operational front, revenues increased 10.4 per cent to Rs 64.12 billion. This was led by a 13.4 per cent in...

BSE to suspend share trading of 3 non-compliant cos from November 16

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While trading suspension will begin from November 16, the exchange also ordered freezing of the entire promoter shareholding of these companies Leading stock exchange BSE will suspend three companies from next month for non-compliance with listing agreement clauses relating to corporate governance norms and shareholding disclosures. The companies, Terruzzi Fercalx India Ltd, Alka Diamond Industries Ltd and Meuse Kara & Sungrace Mafatlal Ltd, have been given time till November 10 to comply, or be suspended. While trading suspension will begin from November 16, the exchange also ordered freezing of the entire promoter shareholding of these companies from October 23 till further notice. "Trading in securities of these companies will be suspended with effect from November 16, on account of non- compliance with Clauses 35 and or 49 of the Listing Agreement for two consecutive quarters -- March and June," BSE said in a circular. In case any of these companies co...

Govt approves five FDI proposals in single brand retail sector

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FDI into the country grew 9 per cent to $43.47 billion in 2016-17 LATEST NEWS :  The government has approved five foreign direct investment proposals, including that of Oppo Mobiles India and Louis Vuitton Malletier, in the single brand retail sector, according to the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP). The other FDI proposals approved by the government include Chumbak Design ($8.62 million), Daniel Wellington AB ($10 million) and Actoserba Active Wholesale Pvt Ltd. Actoserba Active Wholesale's application was made for single brand retail trading (SBRT) of ZIVAME brand in addition to existing business of wholesale. Oppo Mobiles India has got the nod to undertake SBRT of OPPO brand, in addition to existing business of wholesale, according to the DIPP's Foreign Investment Facilitation portal. This portal was set up after the winding up of the foreign investment promotion board. The portal showed that Diabu Diamond Tools India has been advised ...

Pricing pressure in global operations dents Jet Airways' Q3 numbers

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Jet Airways has been struggling with weak demand from the Persian Gulf for a few quarters, though the management indicated that might change soon   LATEST NEWS : Jet Airways ’ December quarter performance did not go down well with the Street, with the stock shedding nearly 6 per cent at close on Thursday. The company had declared the results after market hours on Wednesday. One reason for the stock fall could be the net profit decline. The bottom line, at Rs 1.86 billion, was down 38 per cent over the year-ago quarter. However, net profit for the year-ago period, at Rs 2.99 billion, included Rs 3.27 billion profit on sale and leaseback of aircraft. The company has restated the numbers for the third quarter of 2016-17 and nine months of 2016-17 to reconcile these with Indian accounting standards. Without the adjustment, net profit would have shown an increase of 19.2 per cent. On the operational front, revenues increased 10.4 per cent to Rs 64.12 billion. This was led ...

Why NITI Aayog believes electric car goal may raise cyber-security risks

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While China manufactures everything from a chip to a converter for its electric vehicles, Indian automakers use imported electronic equipment LATEST NEWS : India’s dependence on imported components for electric vehicles could make the country vulnerable to cyber-security breaches, according to the government’s chief policy think-tank. India should manufacture the majority of the parts needed for its electric vehicle fleet as equipment shipped from overseas could be compromised, V K Saraswat, a member of the think tank, Niti Aayog , said in an interview. All of the software and at least 55 percent of the components need to be made domestically to keep electric vehicles and the grid secure. “There has to be a push toward local manufacturing,” Saraswat said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration said last year it aims to have mostly electric vehicles by 2030, in a country where about 3 million fossil fuel powered passenger vehicles sell annually. In an attempt to...

SBI discloses Rs 13.6-bn exposure in LoU issued by PNB to Nirav Modi

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SBI Chairman Ranjish Kumar said the bank has some exposure on Gitanjali Gems, owned by Mehul Choksi, uncle of Nirav Modi LATEST NEWS :  Countrys largest lender SBI today said it has an exposure of USD 212 million (about Rs 1,360 crore) in respect to letter of undertaking issued by Punjab National Bank to Nirav Modi, but does not have any direct exposure to the absconding jewellery designer. "We dont have any direct exposure on Nirav Modi but we do have some exposure on Punjab National Bank", State Bank of India Chairman Rajnish Kumar told reporters here today. He said the bank has lent USD 212 million to Modi on the basis of LoU issued by PNB. Kumar, however, said the bank has some exposure to Gitanjali Gems, owned by Mehul Choksi, uncle of Nirav Modi. Our exposure to Gitanjali is small we and we are not worried, Kumar said. When asked about the lender's exposure to the entire gems and jewellery sector, he said it is less than 1 per cent of the total dom...

PNB fraud: Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi's passports suspended for a month

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Nirav Modi and Choksi have been asked to respond within one week as to why their passports should not be impounded or revoked LATEST NEWS :  On the advice of the Enforcement Directorate, the Passport issuing authority in the Ministry of External Affairs on Friday suspended the validity of passports of diamond merchant Nirav Deepak Modi and Gitanjali Gems CMD Mehul Chinubhai Choksi with immediate effect for a period of four weeks u/s 10(A) of the Passports Act 1967. Nirav Modi and Choksi have been asked to respond within one week as to why their passports should not be impounded or revoked under Section 10 (3) (c) of the Passports Act 1967. If they fail to respond within the stipulated time it will be assumed that they do not have a response to offer and the MEA will go ahead with the revocation. Earlier in the day the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which registered a case against jewelry retailer Gitanjali in a $1.77 billion fraud at state-run Punjab Nation...

FIR against viral song starring Priya Varrier for hurting Muslim sentiments

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With her expressions, Priya Prakash Varrier stole the hearts of her social media followers as the song from Omar Lulu's Malayali film Oru Adaar Love went viral LATEST NEWS : The makers of Malayali movie Oru Adaar Love have been booked by Hyderabad police for objectionable references to the love story between Prophet Mohammed and his wife. The first song of 'Oru Adaar Love' became viral on social media within few hours of its release because of Malayalam actor Priya Prakash Varrier's cute articulations and wink. The upcoming movie, written and directed by Omar Lulu, tells the story of plus two (12th) students and has newcomers in the cast. With her expressions, Priya Prakash Varrier stole the hearts of her social media followers as the song went viral. An overwhelmed Priya said "I do not know how to react. I did what I was asked to do and never expected it to be such a hit." "Thank you for all the love," Priya, who idolises Nayaant...

PNB suspends deputy manager, 9 others after uncovering Rs 110-bn fraud

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Earlier in the day, the state-owned lender said that they had cracked a case of swindling, which was contingent in nature LATEST NEWS  :  The Punjab National Bank (PNB) on Wednesday suspended its ten officials, including a branch Deputy Manager, in a fraudulent transaction case that also involved noted jewellery designer Nirav Modi. The suspension comes following the bank uncovering fraudulent and unauthorised transactions worth $1771.69 million (Rs 110 billion) from its branch in Mumbai. Earlier in the day, the state-owned lender said that they had cracked a case of swindling, which was contingent in nature. "The bank has detected some fraudulent and unauthorised transactions in one of its branches in Mumbai for the benefit for a few select account holders with their apparent connivance. Based on these transactions, other banks appear to have advanced money to these customers abroad," an official statement read. Few days ago, the Central Bureau of ...

Scam worth Rs 110 bn: PNB detects fraud transactions; stock price drops 7%

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The scam could turn out to be the biggest scam in Indian corporate history LATEST NEWS    :  In what may turn out to be one of the biggest scams in Indian corporate history, Punjab National Bank has detected fraudulent transactions worth around Rs 110 billion from one of its Mumbai branch allegedly by diamond merchant Nirav Modi, his relatives and business partner Mehul Choksi during this year. PNB share prices fell around 7% in the early trade on Wednesday morning after the bank reported fraudulent transactions worth $1.77 billion to Bombay Stock Exchange. “The bank has detected some fraudulent and unauthorised transactions (messages) in one of its branch in Mumbai for the benefit of a few select account holders with their apparent connivance. Based on these transactions other banks appear to have advanced money to these customers abroad," Delhi-based public sector bank said in its BSE filing. The bank said that the transactions are contingent in nature and...

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5, Redmi Note 5 Pro, Mi Smart TV 4 launched: Details here

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3 The Redmi Note 5 and Redmi Note 5 Pro are the first budget offerings from the stable of China-based smartphone maker to sport an 18:9 aspect ratio screen LATEST NEWS    :  Xiaomi has launched the Redmi Note 5 and Note 5 Pro smartphones, along with Mi Smart TV 4 in India. The price of Redmi Note 5 and Note 5 Pro starts at Rs 9,999 and Rs 13,999, respectively, while the 55-inch smart LED television is priced at Rs 39,999. The Redmi Note 5 and Redmi Note 5 Pro are the first budget offerings from the stable of China-based smartphone maker to sport an 18:9 aspect ratio screen. The Redmi Note 5 - going by its specifications and features - looks like a renamed version of the Redmi 5 Plus, which was launched in China last year. However, the Redmi Note 5 Pro is more of an upgrade over the Redmi Note 5. It sports a dual-camera set-up on the rear and uses a faster processor inside -- Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 processor. Most of the other specifications of the Redmi Note ...

Bengal CM Mamata won't 'waste' funds on 'Modicare'; first state to opt out

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For National Health Protection Scheme, the states will have to scrap their own similar existing programme Latest news :  Pointing out that West Bengal had already enrolled 5 million people under its own healthcare programme, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said that the state will not waste its resources on National Health Protection Scheme (NHPS), which was unveiled in the Union Budget this year. This way, Bengal became the first state to opt out of the scheme, also known as Modicare, which Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced as world’s largest health insurance scheme covering 500 million people in the country. Replacing the existing Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana, the government targets an annual premium of Rs 1,200 to cover a single family. The states have to choose between a trust-based scheme or an insurance-based scheme and will have to scrap similar existing programme. Speaking at a public meeting in Krishnanagar, the CM said, “The Centre has...

PNB detects $1.77 bn fraud: Money siphoned off overseas from Mumbai branch

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The bank did not name the people involved but said it had reported the deals to law enforcement agencies LATEST NEWS :  India's Punjab National Bank said on Wednesday it had detected "fraudulent and unauthorised" transactions worth about $1.77 billion at one of its branches in Mumbai. The bank said in a statement the transactions were "for the benefit of a few select account holders with their apparent connivance" and that "based on these transactions other banks appear to have advanced money to these customers abroad." The bank did not name the people involved but said it had reported the deals to law enforcement agencies and would decide whether it faces any liability arising out of the transactions later. PNB shares fell as much as 5.7 per cent in early trading on Wednesday. ALSO READ THIS :  DAC Clears Proposal Worth Rs 15,935 Crore