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"Get Well Soon, Rahul Ji": BJP Reminds Him Of Old Mamata Banerjee Tweets

Rahul Gandhi had skipped Mamata Banerjee’s mega meet, but wrote a letter to Mamata Banerjee and sent Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Mallikarjun Kharge to represent the party

New Delhi:

Rahul Gandhi’s support for West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s ongoing sit-in protest against the centre had the BJP hunting for archives that can be tossed at the Congress chief to reveal what the party “diagnosed” as his “personality states”.

The ruling party also wished “Get well soon, Rahul ji” after juxtaposing several tweets by the Congress over the issue which led to much drama in Kolkata on Sunday.

After a CBI team that had showed up outside Kolkata police chief Rajeev Kumar’s home to question him was taken to a nearby police station and detained for hours before they were released, a livid Mamata Banerjee had accused the centre of misusing the central agencies to harass “one of the best officers in the world, someone who’s integrity, bravery and honesty are unquestioned

As soon as she sat on dharna to “save the constitution” along with the Kolkata police commissioner and others, opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, either phoned the Trinamool chief or tweeted to extend their support in her fight against the centre.

However, the BJP pointed out that Rahul Gandhi used to have a different stand on the issue. The party’s official Twitter handle posted a collage of tweets by the Congress between 2014 and 2016. The tweets were critical of Mamata Banerjee as well as the West Bengal government over the chit fund scam.

One of the tweets spoke about the “Syndicate Raj” in the state, while another called the Saradha scam as the one of the biggest scams in the country.

The West Bengal Congress had also tweeted what appeared like a statement of Rahul Gandhi from 2016, which said “Mamata ji didn’t even utter a word on it (the Saradha scam)”.

Diagnosed: Multiple Personality Disorder is characterized by atleast two distinct and enduring personality states – there is trouble remembering certain events, beyond ordinary forgetfulness. These states alternately show in person’s behavior. Get well soon, Rahul ji,” the tweet read.

Rajeev Kumar had headed a special probe into the Saradha and Rose Valley chit fund scams in which thousands of small investors were cheated of their money. The CBI says that he had ignored multiple summons over the past two years and that the agency wanted to ask him about missing evidence.

The CBI told the Supreme Court today that the Kolkata police wasn’t cooperating. The agency’s interim chief, M Nageswara Rao, also accused Rajeev Kumar of destroying evidence in the chit fund cases.

Mamata Banerjee had hosted a grand rally of over 20 opposition parties last month where top leaders had urged non-BJP parties to set aside their differences to form a united opposition that can fight the BJP in the upcoming national election.

While Rahul Gandhi had skipped the mega meet, he wrote a letter to Mamata Banerjee and sent Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Mallikarjun Kharge to represent the party.

In Uttar Pradesh, arch rivals-turned-friends Samajwadi Party and Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party have sutured an alliance with a common objective – to defeat the BJP.

Rahul Gandhi’s tweet from Sunday night where he assured Ms Banerjee that “the entire opposition will stand together and defeat these fascist forces“, many say, appears to be headed in that direction, for the “future of the country” as the proposed mahagathbandhan puts it.

While there has been no formal alliance between Ms Banerjee and the Congress, Dinesh Trivedi, a former union minister and a close aide to Ms Banerjee, said she enjoys a good rapport with Sonia Gandhi, a former Congress president, and so working with her two children would not be a problem for her, reported news agency Reuters.

Pulse fishing ban off East Anglian coast extended

An informal deal between Dutch and British fishermen has seen a ban on a controversial fishing method extended.

Suffolk fishermen claim pulse fishing, which stuns fish with an electric current, has cut their catch by 75%.

A 12-mile (19km) exclusion zone banning the practice was in place but this has now been extended to 18 miles (28km).

Dutch fishermen claim pulse fishing is sustainable and more energy efficient but have agreed to extend a no-go zone off the Suffolk coast.

Pulse fishing was banned by the European Parliament in January 2018 but about 80 Dutch vessels were licensed to do research.

The initial exclusion zone prevented pulse trawling along the East Anglian coast but the informal deal, between the UK’s National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations and their Dutch counterparts, has now extended that.

“If there is a controversy, it is best to sit around the table and find a joint solution,” said Pim Visser, Dutch fishing industry spokesman.

He said the Netherlands wanted to maintain good relations with the NFFO after Brexit when European regulations would no longer apply.

A spokesman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said there were concerns about the impact of pulse fishing on certain fish species, including cod.

“As we leave the EU we are making changes that mean no foreign vessels will be able to pulse trawl in UK waters,” the spokesman said.

Fisherman Paul Klyne — Image captionSkipper Paul Klyne’s main catch used to be Dover sole

“It is just not viable,” said Paul Klyne, skipper of Southwold boat Laura K, whose main catch is Dover sole.

Mr Klyne told the BBC’s Sunday Politics East programme that catches of Dover sole had “plummeted” in the last five years, from up to 180kg (396lb) to 30-40kg (66-88lb) a day.

“I firmly believe that since the Dutch were licensed to pulse fish, there had been a major step backwards,” he said.

Fisherman Paul Lines — Image captionPaul Lines welcomes the agreement

Paul Lines, of Lowestoft Fish Alliance, said the extended no-go zone was “terrific news” but said the campaign would continue for a total ban on pulse fishing in the North Sea.

Millennials’ pay ‘scarred’ by the 2008 banking crisis

Pay for workers in their 30s is still 7% below the level at which it peaked before the 2008 banking crisis, research has suggested.

The Resolution Foundation think tank said people who were in their 20s at the height of the recession a decade ago were worst hit by the pay squeeze.

It suggested the crisis had a lasting “scarring” effect on their earnings.

The foundation said people in their 30s who wanted to earn more should move to a different employer.

The research found those who stayed in the same job in 2018 had real wage growth of 0.5%, whereas those who found a different employer saw an average increase of 4.5%.

Economic analyst Nye Cominetti said the UK was “finally starting to deliver a pay recovery”, but added: “Whether this recovery continues to build momentum in 2019 will depend in large part on what happens with Brexit.”

Media caption‘I earned more as a student than I have since’

Ms Cominetti said the pay squeeze was especially trying for people “unlucky enough to enter the labour market during the financial crisis”.

Resolution Foundation policy analyst Dan Tomlinson said: “It’s important that we see pay growth returning, productivity growth driving higher pay and helping these people [to] be able to afford to do things like settle down, have a family, and move into their own home.”

In 2018, analysis carried out for the BBC by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) showed that people in their 30s were earning £2,100 a year less than people in the same age group in 2008.

Paul Johnson, director of the IFS, said: “The average earnings of those in their 20s and 30s fell especially sharply in the immediate aftermath of the recession, perhaps as employers were able to cut starting wages more than wages of those already in work.”

While this age group has seen earnings grow in recent years, it has not been enough to make up for initial losses, he said.

Ranji Trophy 2018-19 Final Live Cricket Score, Day 1: Kamlesh Makvana removes set batsman Mohit Kale

Overs 50: So Saurashtra have struck again to break what was turning out to be a promising stand. Akshay Wadkar is the new batsman in. Pace in one end in the form of Jaydev Unadkat and spin in Kamlesh Makvana currently in operation. SCORE 107/4

Overs 49.1: OUT! Kamlesh Makvana has broken the 46-run stand between Mohit Kale and Ganesh Satish. He has Kale steer one straight into the hands of slip fielder Harvik Desai. Kale scored 35 off 126. SCORE 106/4

Overs 45: Vidarbha batsmen are now opening up. Ganesh Satish smacks the second six of the innings, off Dharmendrasinh Jadeja and then Mohit Kale follows him with a four off the penultimate delivery in the 44th over. Jadeja then drops the final delivery towards leg and the ball evades everyone to roll away from four byes. 15 runs from the over. Jaydev Unadkat brings himself back next and bowls a maiden. SCORE 100/3

Overs 40: There was a chance for Suarashtra to take another wicket but the chance went a begging. Dharmendrasinh Jadeja induced an edge from Mohit Kale who went for a cut but got an edge that went to the left of slip fielder Desai. He went to his right and before he could adjust, the ball flew past him for a boundary. Kale was batting on 18 then. SCORE 79/3

Overs 35: The play has recommenced after the lunch break. This is going to be a crucial session for both the teams. For Saurashtra, it will be about continuing the pressure while Vidarbha will aim to not lose more wickets. SCORE 70/3

Overs 33: That will be lunch on Day 1.Vidarbha are in some trouble having lost two of their most dependable batsmen in Wasim Jaffer and Faiz Fazal in the morning session. Saurashtra bowlers, led by captain Jaydev Unadkat (2/16), have maintained a tight leash on their opponents by not allowing easy runs. Mohit Kale (17*) and Ganesh Satish (1*) are the two unbeaten batsmen. SCORE 67/3

Overs 30.2: OUT! That’s a big blow to Vidarbha. Jaydev Unadkat is pumped up and should be – he has gotten rid of Wasim Jaffer. Outside off and Jaffer prods at it and ends up getting an edge that is gobbled by the wicketkeeper. End of 31-run stand for the third wicket. He scored 23. SCORE 60/3

Overs 25: Three straight maiden overs from the Saurashtra bowlers. They aren’t letting easy runs and maintaining the pressure. You know what that leads to – wickets. But they are against one of India’s domestic behemoth – Wasim Jaffer who is known for playing marathon innings. This is going to be an interesting battle. SCORE 52/2

Overs 20.5: FIFTY up for the hosts.

Overs 20: Wasim Jaffer has just hit the innings first six, off Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, dancing down the track over long-off. He’s batting on 18 off 36 alongside Mohit Kale who has made 5 off 31. SCORE 49/2

Overs 15: Wasim Jaffer collects his first boundary as Prerak Mankad bowls on down the leg. Vidarbha still riding the nervy phase. SCORE 34/2

Overs 10.1: OUT! Vidarbha have lost their openers cheaply. Poor from Faiz Fazal as he has been run-out for 16. After getting an inside edge, Fazal sprinted for a single and then casually returned for a second. The throw from the deep was sharp and Fazal, due to his callousness, ended up being short of the crease. The wicketkeeper wasted no time in dislodging the bails. SCORE 29/2

Overs 6.3: OUT! Captain Jaydev Unadkat lands the first blow! Sanjay Ramaswamy edges one to first slip where Aarpit Vasavada takes a low catch. But the umpires are going upstairs for confirmation. The soft signal is out though. And replays confirm it was a clean catch. Ramawswamy walks back after scoring just 2. SCORE 21/1

Overs 5: It’s been a nervy start from the Vidarbha openers. There have been edges which have fallen safely, couple of loud appeals for lbw that have been turned down. Unadkat and Chetan Sakariya are getting the ball to swing. Fazal got a streaky boundary in the very first over off Unadkat when he attempted to drive the sixth delivery but got an outside edge that went past a diving second slip fielder. SCORE 11/0

9:31 am: Jaydev Unadkat with the new ball. Faiz Fazal and Sanjay Ramaswamy are the two Vidarbha openers.

Saurashtra: Harvik Desai, Snell Patel (wk), Vishvaraj Jadeja, Cheteshwar Pujara, Sheldon Jackson, Aarpit Vasavada, Prerak Mankad, Kamlesh Makvana, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, Jaydev Unadkat (captain), Chetan Sakariya

Vidarbha: Faiz Fazal (captain), Sanjay Ramaswamy, Wasim Jaffer, Aditya Sarwate, Ganesh Satish, Akshay Wadkar (wk), Mohit Kale, Umesh Yadav, Akshay Wakhare, Akshay Karnewar, Rajneesh Gurbani

9:15 am: Vidarbha captain Faiz Fazal wins the coin toss and opts to bat

8:30 am: Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the Ranji Trophy 2018-19 final to be played between Vidarbha and Saurashtra in Nagpur. The battle between India stars Cheteshwar Pujara and Umesh Yadav will make for an intriguing sub-plot when Saurashtra make one more attempt to win their elusive Ranji Trophy title against the defending champions Vidarbha in the final starting Sunday.

Australia eye clean-sweep after another dominant day

Barring a few moments where Sri Lanka mounted a spirited fightback, the ongoing Test series in Australia has been dominated by the home side. On Day 3 of the second Test in Canberra, the visitors continued to slide towards another morale-sapping defeat, finishing with 17 for 0 in their second essay, still needing 499 for an improbable victory.

When the day’s play commenced, Dhananjaya de Silva and Kusal Perera, the two overnight batsmen, raised hopes of putting up a spirited show. Just when the Sri Lankan duo seemed set to convert starts into big scores, Kusal was struck down by a short ball from Jhye Richardson. The left-handed batsman took his eyes off the ball and was hit on the side of the grille. He decided to resume his innings but eventually had to retire hurt due to dizziness. The southpaw also didn’t come out to bat again.

Dimuth Karunaratne (59), who received a nasty blow on the neck on Day 2, replaced Kusal. The seasoned campaigner also received a generous round of applause as he made his way to the middle. Karunaratne soon reached his fifty with a drive off Mitchell Starc. However, he didn’t last long as he pushed at one from Starc and was caught in the gully.

By then, Starc had found his rhythm and was bowling with a fair amount of venom as he also accounted for the wicket of Dhananjaya. Nathan Lyon took over from the speedster by removing both Chamika Karunaratne and Niroshan Dickwella. The wicketkeeper-batsman, however, would be a tad disappointed with the decision. Dickwella placed his belief in the review after being adjudged LBW and the snicko showed a spike only for the third umpire to uphold the original decision.

After the Lunch break, Starc provided the finishing touches by sending both Dilruwan Perera and Vishwa Fernando back to the hut. With a lead of over 300, the hosts had a chance to ask Sri Lanka to bat again but they decided not to enforce the follow on.

Australia, in their second innings, also had a bit of wobble as Kasun Rajitha struck twice with Fernando picking up one to reduce the home team to 37 for 3. At that stage, Usman Khawaja (101*) and Travis Head (59*) joined forces to string together an unbeaten stand of 159 as the lead swelled past the 500-mark.

Khawaja, who has been short of runs, cracked his trademark drives, cuts, pulls and the occasional sweep to reach the three-figure mark. Once the left-handed batsman completed the milestone, the Australian camp declared the innings for the second time in the match. In pursuit of a mammoth target, The Sri Lankan opening pair of Karunaratne and Lahiru Thirimanne survived a tricky period at the fag end of the day to ensure the tourists would have all wickets intact.

Australia would look to wrap up the Test on Day 4 to clean-sweep the series 2-0.

Brief scores: Australia 534/5 decl. (Joe Burns 180, Travis Head 161, Kurtis Patterson 114*; Vishwa Fenrando 3-126) and 196/3 (Usman Khawaja 101*; Kasun Rajitha 2-64) ) lead Sri Lanka 215 (Dimuth Karunaratne 59; Mitchell Starc 3-54) and 17/0 by 498 runs.

Kartik Aaryan asked to choose between Sara Ali Khan, Ananya Panday. Here’s his answer

Actor Kartik Aaryan conducted an interaction with his fans on Twitter on Saturday, and one of them asked him about his link-ups with Sara Ali Khan and Ananya Panday. “Which newbie is your favourite?” the Twitter user asked.

“Jinka main fav hoon (whomever considers me their favourite),” Kartik responded. The Luka Chhupi actor has been spotted with Ananya on multiple occasions, sparking dating rumours. They will be seen together in a remake of Pati Patni Aur Woh. “Rumour toh rumour hai na (a rumour is just a rumour, is it not)? It is just random talk. I look forward to shooting for the film with Ananya,” he told Mirror Now. Asked if he’s dating anybody, the actor said, “I’m in a relationship with my work.”

To Aaj Tak he said, “People say all sorts of things if we have lunch or dinner together. It was just one dinner. I find it strange to read such things about myself.”

A few weeks ago, Sara Ali Khan had admitted to having a crush on Kartik on Karan Johar’s chat show, Koffee with Karan. Her father, actor Saif Ali Khan, joked that if he has money, he could take her. This led to the both of them being asked about each other. While Kartik said that he’d love to take her out for coffee, Sara said that she even had to take advice from mother Amrita Singh about this topic. “No, no, no…how much! I have said it everywhere. Itna bhi desparate nahi (I’m not that desperate). Mom said you must wait. So, I am waiting!” she told Box Office India.

Actor Ranveer Singh took special glee in making the two meet at the recent Lokmat Awards, which was captured on camera. In the video, Kartik and Sara can be seen shaking hands awkwardly, while Ranveer, playing cupid, got them to hold hands, and with a cheeky smile said, “Glad, you guys have met.”

Sara recently revealed that the only person she’s dated is Veer Pahariya, grandson of union minister Sushilkumar Shinde. It is, however, rumoured that she and Kartik are being considered to star opposite each other in a sequel to Imtiaz Ali’s Love Aaj Kal, which starred Saif. Asked about the film, Kartik told Mumbai Mirror, “I can’t say anything right now. You’ll have to ask Imtiaz Ali About it.”

WhatsApp beta for Android allows users to download single stick while iOS gets screen lock

WhatsApp added support for stickers last year and it has been an instant success so far. Now, the Facebook-owned social messaging platform has released a new beta version of its app on Android that brings a new feature related to stickers. The latest beta version 2.19.33 allows users to download a single sticker instead of the previous option, where you had to download the whole sticker pack. In the current stable version of WhatsApp, the app has no option to download a single sticker.

The new beta version of WhatsApp for Android lets users download a single sticker instead of having to download an entire pack. The feature is such a useful one that it will be only be matter of days or weeks before it appears on the stable version as well. The feature was first spotted by WaBetaInfo, which notes that WhatsApp users must be using version 2.19.33 in order to download single sticker. In order to do so, just long press on a sticker in a yet to be downloaded stickers pack and it will ask you if you want to set it as your favorite one.

The feature will also display the download size of that particular sticker and there will be a download option at the bottom to save this sticker within the app. This feature not only mitigates the need to download complete stickers pack but also removes the clutter of stickers pack appearing in the app. As reported previously, WhatsApp is also planning to expand its Payments feature to other markets and the new beta shows signs of its making it way to the US.

Watch: Microsoft Surface Go First Look

WhatsApp has also started to enable Authentication feature which allows you to unlock the application with Face ID or Touch ID depending on your iPhone model. The feature is dubbed as screen lock and can be enabled on WhatsApp version 2.19.20 on iOS through WhatsApp Settings >> Account >> Privacy. Once enabled, WhatsApp will say that the app is locked and you will need Face ID or Touch ID to unlock the application.

Published:Sun, February 03, 2019 12:11pm

Best time to buy Galaxy S9+ in India: Samsung Android flagship gets big price cut ahead of Galaxy S10 launch

With barely less than three weeks left before we see the Galaxy S10 series break covers at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2019 episode 1, San Francisco (February 20), the company has reportedly slashed the prices of the 2018 flagship Galaxy S9+ in India, but there’s a catch.

Samsung Galaxy S9+ variants—64GB, 128GB and 256GB— will now be available up to Rs 7,000 less compared to original MRP in India, however, this price cut is limited to retail chain stores only, 91 Mobiles reported citing industry sources.

Even e-commerce players such as Flipkart, Amazon and others are offering the Galaxy S9 for less, but it’s been like this for long, as a strategy to attract buyers online.

During the launch time, 64GB version of the Galaxy S9+ used to cost Rs 64,900 and now it can be grabbed for Rs 57,900. On the other hand, 128GB and 256GB models, which was previously available for Rs 68,900 and Rs 72,900 can now be purchased for Rs 61,900 and Rs 65,900, respectively.

Is Samsung Galaxy S9+ worthy buying now:

Samsung, Galaxy S9 Plus, Sunrise Gold, — Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus Sunrise Gold comes in 6GB RAM 128GB storage option for Rs 68,900. Samsung India e-store (Screen-grab)

Absolutely yes! Though it is almost a year old in the market, the Galaxy S9+ is one of the best flagship phones in the market. It boasts state-of-the-art camera hardware with Dual Aperture feature.

With this option, the Galaxy S9 series can shift between F1.5 and F2.4 apertures depending on the lighting environment. The former aperture value will allow the camera to take in more light during indoor or dark conditions, while the latter can be used for bright sunny conditions.

What’s more interesting is that the Dual Aperture comes with the automatic and manual option. If the former is enabled, the phone’s camera intuitively switches between F1.5 and F2.4 apertures depending on the lighting condition and capture the best possible picture under any lighting condition.

The Galaxy S9+ has scored 99 points for top-notch camera hardware by world-renowned rating agency DxOMark.

Samsung phone also flaunts a unique Infinity Display, which offers FullView display, unlike other brands, which have aped the iPhone X-notch screen. The Galaxy flaunts the best screen in the industry and boasts super Array Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diodes (sAMOLED) with QHD+ (2960x1440p) resolution, which guarantees rich cinematic viewing experience.

Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 devices in midnight black and lilac purple colors Samsung UK

As far as the build quality is concerned, the company has used high-grade metal shell on the back and the rim around the edges, and also an additional layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 5 shield on both the front and the back.

It has also come with a 3,500mAh battery with fast charging capability. Thanks to power-efficient AMOLED screen and 10nm class 64-bit Samsung Exynos 9810 octa-core, it can offer a full day’s battery under mixed usage. The Galaxy S9+ has already received the new Android Pie-based One UI update. Thanks to new changes, Samsung phone will offer a visually appealing and decluttered interface.

Key specifications of Samsung Galaxy S9+:

Model		Samsun Galaxy S9+
Display		6.2-inch QHD+ (2960x1440p) Curved super AMOLED Infinity Display with Gorilla Glass 5 shield Aspect ratio: 18.5:9 Pixel density: 529ppi
OS		Android 8.0 Oreo-based Samsung Experience UI
Processor		Model 1:10nm class 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 octa-core (2.8GHz quad-core+ 1.7GHz quad-core) series (in the US, China, and select countries) Model 2: 10nm class 64-bit Samsung Exynos 9810 octa-core (2.7GHz quad-core+ 1.7GHz quad-core) series (in India, Europe, and other markets)
GPU		6GB LPDDR4x
RAM+ storage		64GB/128GB/256GB UFS v2.1 (expandable up to 400GB)
Camera		Main: 12MP(with Dual Aperture: F1.5/ F.2.4)+ 12MP (with F2.4 aperture), Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), LED flash, laser auto focus, 4K video at 60fps (frames per second), slo-mo 720p(HD) at 960fps, and 1080p (full HD) at 240fps Front: 8MP camera with f/1.7 aperture and autofocus
Battery		3,500mAh Fast Wired Charging compatible with QC 2.0 Wireless Charging compatible with WPC and PMA
Security		Lock type: pattern, PIN, password Biometric lock type: iris scanner, fingerprint scanner, face recognition, Intelligent Scan: multimodal biometric authentication with iris scanning and face recognition
Sensors		Accelerometer, Barometer, Fingerprint Sensor, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Hall Sensor, Heart Rate Sensor, Proximity Sensor, RGB Light Sensor, Iris Sensor, Pressure Sensor
S Pen		———————–
Network		Enhanced 4X4 MIMO / CA, LAA, LTE Cat.18 Single SIM: Nano SIM Dual SIM (Hybrid SIM): Nano SIM + Nano SIM or MicroSD slot (depends on market and network carrier)
Audio		Stereo speakers tuned by AKG, surround sound with Dolby Atmos technology, Audio playback format: MP3, M4A, 3GA, AAC, OGG, OGA, WAV, WMA, AMR, AWB, FLAC, MID, MIDI, XMF, MXMF, IMY, RTTTL, RTX, OTA, APE, DSF, DFF
Video		MP4, M4V, 3GP, 3G2, WMV, ASF, AVI, FLV, MKV, WEBM
Add-ons		IP68 certification, improved face recognition system integrated with Iris scanner, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz), VHT80 MU-MIMO, 1024QAM, Bluetooth v5.0 (LE up to 2Mbps), ANT+, USB type-C, NFC, Location (GPS, Galileo, Glonass, BeiDou, NFC (Near Field Communication), MST (Magnetic Secure Transmission), AKG stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos
Dimensions		158.1mm x 73.8mm x 8.5mm
Weight		189g
Colours		Coral Blue/Lilac Purple/Midnight Black/ Titanium Gray
Price		64GB: Rs 64,900 (Old)—New: Rs 57,900 128GB: Rs 68,900 (Old)—New: Rs 61,900 256GB: Rs 72,900 (Old)—New: Rs 65,900

Evaluating changes in FDI rules to avoid ‘unintended consequences’: Amazon

Amazon, which has committed over $5 billion investment in India, said it has built its business around price selection and convenience.

US e-tail giant Amazon sees “very good long-term prospects” in the Indian market but is evaluating the recent changes in FDI rules for online marketplaces to ensure that there are no “unintended consequences” for customers and sellers on its platform.

Amazon, which has committed over $5 billion investment in India, said it has built its business around price selection and convenience.

“…there is much uncertainty as to what the impact of the government rule change is going to have on the e-commerce sector there. We remain committed to complying with all laws and regulations, we will, but we’re evaluating the situation,” Amazon CFO Brian Olsavsky said in a recent investor call.

The new rules, which came into effect from February 1, bar online marketplaces that have foreign investments from offering products of sellers in which they hold a stake and ban exclusive marketing arrangements.

Another clause states that the inventory of a vendor will be seen as controlled by a marketplace, if over 25 percent of the vendor’s purchases are from the marketplace entity, including the latter’s wholesale unit.

Products from sellers like Cloudtail and Appario – that have equity investment from Amazon – have been taken off from Amazon.in’s platform.

Amazon’s net sales during the fourth quarter rose 20 percent to $72.4 billion. Net sales from international operations were at $20.8 billion in the quarter ended December 2018.

For the first quarter of 2019, Amazon expects its net sales to be in the range of $56-60 billion, translating into a growth of 10-18 percent compared to the January-March 2018 quarter.

“…our main concern is trying to minimise the impact to our customers and sellers in India. We’ve built our business around price selection and convenience. We don’t think the changes help in those dimensions for both the customers in India and also the sellers,” Olsavsky said.

He added that the new regulations need to be interpreted to “make sure they don’t have unintended consequences”.

“We feel very good about the long term prospects in India and doing a good job for both Indian customers and Indian sellers. The new regulations need to be interpreted…need to make sure they don’t have unintended consequences,” he asserted.

An Amazon spokesperson, on January 31, had stated that the company will continue to engage with the government to seek clarifications and work towards minimising impact on its customers and sellers.

Small traders have, in the past, complained that deep discounts offered by e-commerce firms were hurting their business. Various trader bodies had also alleged that these entities were giving preferential treatment to certain sellers.

Both Amazon and Flipkart had extensively lobbied (directly as well as through associations and trade bodies) with government officials seeking an extension in deadline after the proposed changes were announced in December. They had also written to the government seeking more time to understand the details of the new framework.

According to a Crisil report, nearly 35-40 percent of e-retail industry sales – amounting to Rs 35,000-40,000 crore – could be hit due to the tightened norms.

However, smaller players like Snapdeal and ShopClues have welcomed the development, saying it will create a genuine and robust e-commerce sector in India.

Industry watchers said both Flipkart and Amazon were extremely hopeful that the government will soften its stand but given the magnitude of investments at stake, these companies had already started working on their plan B in case the deadline was not extended.

Amazon had committed an investment of over $5 billion, while Walmart made its biggest bet by pumping in $16 billion for 77 percent stake in Flipkart.

Egypt unveils Pharaonic tomb with 50 mystery mummies

Minya: Egyptian archaeologists uncovered a Pharaonic tomb containing 50 mummies dating back to the Ptolemaic era, in Minya, south of Cairo.

The mummies, 12 of which were of children, were discovered inside four, nine-metre deep burial chambers in the Tuna El-Gebel archaeological site, the ministry of antiquities said on Saturday.

The identities of the mummies were still unknown, said Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.

Mummies lie in a recently discovered burial chamber in the desert province of Minya, south of Cairo on Saturday.

Photo: AP

“We have not found names written in hieroglyphics,” he said, adding it was obvious from the mummification method that the individuals whose remains were found had to some extent held important or prestigious positions.

Visitors, including ambassadors from several countries, gathered at the discovery site where 40 of the mummies were exhibited during the announcement ceremony.

Some of the mummies were found wrapped in linen while others were placed in stone coffins or wooden sarcophagi.

The archaeological finding was the first of 2019 and was unearthed through a joint mission with the Research Centre for Archaeological Studies of Minya University