The International Monetary Fund (IMF) reaffirmed on Wednesday that India will be the fastest growing major economy in 2018, with a growth rate of 7.4 per cent that rises to 7.8 per cent in 2019 with medium-term prospects remaining positive.

The IMF’s Asia and Pacific Regional Economic Outlook report said that India was recovering from the effects of demonetisation and the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax and “the recovery is expected to be underpinned by a rebound from transitory shocks as well as robust private consumption.”

Medium-term consumer price index inflation “is forecast to remain within but closer to the upper bound of the Reserve Bank of India’s inflation-targeting banda of four per cent with a plus or minus two per cent change, the report said.

However, it added a note of caution: “In India, given increased inflation pressure, monetary policy should maintain a tightening bias.”

It said the consumer price increase in 2017 was 3.6 per cent and projected it to be five per cent in 2018 and 2019.

“The current account deficit in fiscal year 2017-18 is expected to widen somewhat but should remain modest, financed by robust foreign direct investment inflows,” the report said.

After India, Bangladesh is projected to be the fastest-growing economy in South Asia with growth rates of seven per cent for 2018 and 2019; Sri Lanka is projected to grow at four per cent in 2018 and 4.5 in 2019, and Nepal five per cent in 2018 and four per cent in next. (Pakistan, which is grouped with the Middle East, is not covered in the Asia report.)

Overall, the report said that Asia continues to be both the fastest-growing region in the world and the main engine of the world’s economy.

The region contributes more than 60 per cent of global growth and three-quarters of this comes from India and China, which is expected to grow 6.6 per cent in 2018 and 6.4 per cent in 2019, it said.

The report said that US President Donald Trump’s fiscal stimulus is expected to support Asia’s exports and investment.

The Asian region’s growth rate was expected to be 5.6 per cent for 2018 and 2019.

However, in the medium term the report said that “downside risks dominate” for the region and these include a tightening of global financial conditions, a shift toward protectionist policies, and an increase in geopolitical tensions.

Because of these uncertainties the IMF urged the countries in the region to follow conservative policies “aimed at building buffers and increasing resilience” and push ahead with structural reforms.

“While mobile payments are expanding sharply in such economies as Bangladesh, India, and the Philippines, on average Asia is lagging sub-Saharan Africa,” the IMF said, adding that the region should take steps to ensure it is able to reap the full benefits of increasing digitalisation in the global economy.

Two NASA astronauts are set to go out for a spacewalk on May 16 to swap out thermal control gear that circulates ammonia to keep the International Space Station systems cool.

The excursion will be conducted by veteran spacewalkers Ricky Arnold and Drew Feustel, NASA said in a blog post on Monday.

The two astronauts will conduct a second spacewalk on June 14, it added.

Space Station officials will preview the upcoming spacewalks live on NASA TV on Tuesday.

On May 20, just four days after the first spacewalk, Orbital ATK is planning to launch its resupply flight on a four day trip to the orbital laboratory.

For the cargo mission, Orbital ATK will launch its Cygnus spacecraft on an Antares rocket from the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, NASA said.

Cygnus will resupply the Expedition 55 crew with new science experiments, crew supplies, station hardware and gear that will be installed on the June 14 spacewalk.

NASA also announced on Monday that it will host a media teleconference on May 10, to discuss select science investigations and technology demonstrations launching on the next Orbital ATK commercial resupply flight to space station.

To help users manage time spend on Android mobile devices, Google may launch a new set of controls to its operating system at its annual developer conference “Google I/O” scheduled to kick-off on Tuesday.

In his keynote address in US’ Mountain View city in California, Indian-origin Chief Executive Officer of Google, Sundar Pichai, was expected to emphasise the theme of responsibility, The Washington Post reported late on Monday.

This anticipated shift is reportedly due to the increased public scrutiny of the industry that revolves around the so-called negative consequences of technology products that are used by people.

“Some of the criticism centres on the suspected addictive nature of many devices and programmes,” the report said.

However, when it comes to family controls, Google is a step ahead with “Family Link” — a suite of tools allows parents to regulate how much time their children can spend on apps and remotely lock their child’s device.

Its rival Apple offers “do not disturb” modes that limit an iPhone’s function overnight or while driving.

Google might also announce new capabilities to its Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered Google Assistant to make its products more interactive and helpful.

It might also launch the latest version of Android operating system, called Android P. An early iteration of Android P was released to developers and anyone who owns Google’s Pixel phones in early March.

According to the media reports, the next OS might be called “Android Popsicle”.

In March, Google released the first developer preview of Android P that was mostly focused on the changes that will affect developers and not on user interface (UI) adjustments.

Google added a built-in support for a notch cutting into the display at the top of the screen, called “display cutout support”.

The company also tweaked the look for the “Quick Settings” panel and the notification drawer with rounded corners.

A data breach at the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), a retirement fund for salaried workers, may have exposed the personal information of millions of Indians.

On May 01, a letter from the central provident fund commissioner, V P Joy, to Dinesh Tyagi, the CEO of the government’s Common Services Centre (CSC), which provides digital services, was leaked on Twitter. Dated March 23, the letter said that the Intelligence Bureau had found that data had been “stolen by hackers exploiting the vulnerabilities prevailing in the website (aadhaar.epfoservices.com) of the EPFO.”

On the website, hosted at the National Data Centre but managed by the CSC, individuals could link their provident funds with Aadhaar, India’s biometric identity programme. While not mandatory, the EPFO had been encouraging subscribers to link their accounts with Aadhaar to improve the delivery of services.

Joy reportedly stated in the letter that the EPFO had stopped the servers of the site and discontinued its hosted services, and urged Tyagi to plug the security gaps. The website maintained confidential information such as Aadhaar and PAN numbers (taxpayer identification codes), as well as salary details.

It’s not clear how many Indians may have been affected but the EPFO has reportedly linked 34.5 million active provident fund accounts with Aadhaar. No one has claimed responsibility for the hack as yet. The Unique Identification Authority of India, which is responsible for the Aadhaar platform, has clarified that the affected website does not belong to it, and that no data breach has occured at its end.

On May 02, the EPFO released a statement saying “no confirmed data leakage has been established or observed so far.” A senior official told The Times of India newspaper that the data was completely secure and there was no need to panic.

by Faizan Rizwan & Shaheen Raaj

Just last week HMD Global, the home of Nokia phones, launched 4 new phones at a go in Bangalore’s Forum Mall, Kormangla. These newly launched phones were Nokia 1, New Nokia 6, Nokia 7 Plus & above all Nokia 8 Sirocco for the Indian market.

These award winning new Android One Nokia smartphones were introduced at Mobile World Congress in Feb earlier this year. In addition to the showcasing of 4 new Nokia smartphones, HMD Global also announced the launch of Nokia phones shop, an online shop for all the Nokia devices & accessories in all over country.
Delivering all the craftsmanship you expect from a Nokia phone, each new smartphone offers durability & reliability as standard, with the range setting new benchmarks in materials & design.

With a commitment to a pure, secure & up-to-date Android, each smartphone will stay fresh over time with monthly security updates guaranteed and no unnecessary UI changes or hidden processes eating up battery life or slowing them down, so you can enjoy your new phone for longer period of time.

On the side-lines of the event T.S Sridhar, GM, South & West, HMD Global, HMD Global averred, “2017 has been an instrumental year for us, we set up our business operations in the country and launched a portfolio of devices that received overwhelming response from the consumers. Today, we are taking the next significant step forward with the launch of 4 new Nokia Android smartphones. In 2018, we will continue to strengthen our presence in the country. I am also delighted to announce the launch of our exclusive online Nokia phones shop for selling Nokia devices as well as accessories. We will further our commitment to India by deepening our presence in offline & above all online channels.”

Nokia 1: A complete Nokia smartphone experience, which is accessible to everyone

The Nokia 1 is a breakthrough in accessible technology, delivering smartphone essentials with the reassuring quality you expect of a Nokia phone & a refreshingly familiar design to fans around the world. Giving more people access to technology, it comes with Android Oreo™ (Go edition), a version of Android optimized for devices with 1GB RAM or less. The Nokia 1 is designed to be smooth & responsive, with full access to Google Play™ Store so you can find all your favorite apps from WhatsApp, Facebook as well as Instagram to mobile banking while also highlighting apps that are optimised for Android Oreo™ (Go edition).

Featuring the iconic “Nokia smile” in a fresh new package, you can give your Nokia 1 a makeover thanks to the popular Xpress-on covers, available in a range of vibrant colors. Simply click on & off in seconds to express your personal style with these exchangeable covers. Each cover has been built with the same precision & attention to detail as the phone’s original cover. Inherently colored, the tough two-tone polycarbonate cover is ready to take on every day knocks & bumps with its durable design.

Availability & offers

Available in warm red & dark blue the Nokia 1 is available for sale at a recommended best buy price of Rs. 5,499/-. The Xpress on covers will be available separately starting Apr, 2018 at an MRP of Rs. 450/- only. Consumers can now personalize their Nokia 1 & pick from a pack of azure & grey or yellow & pink.

“Cashback offer from Jio of Rs. 2200, making the effective price of Nokia 1 to come down to Rs. 3299/. In addition, consumer also gets 60GB OD additional data. Offer applicable for new & existing Jio customers”

Additional offers:
*All Nokia 1 users will be eligible for a complimentary 12-month Accidental Damage Insurance by Servify on opening the Kotak 811 savings account and activating it with an initial deposit of Rs 1,000 in the introductory period.
*20% off on booking 1st ever ride via redBus – https://www.redbus.in/
The New Nokia 6: Our award-winning phone just got even better

Building on the success of its predecessor, the New Nokia 6 packs even more powerful performance and great new features in a more compact, durable body. Over 60% faster than its award-winning predecessor, it now offers enhanced Dual-Sight, ZEISS optics, USB-C fast-charging, a more compact screen-to-body ratio, Nokia spatial audio and pure, secure & up-to-date Android Oreo™.

The New Nokia 6 takes the original’s precision craftsmanship to the next level by combining a unibody, made from a solid block of 6000 series aluminum, with a 11-hour 2-tone anodising & polishing process. And by uniting a sculpted 2.5D display with damage-resistant Corning® Gorilla® Glass, the New Nokia 6’s compact & refined body is built to last.

Our engineers have integrated the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 630 Mobile Platform to deliver fast & smooth performance alongside great day-long battery life.

Availability and offers

Available in Black/Copper & White/Copper, consumers can buy the new Nokia from Nokia phones shop & leading mobile stores across the country including outlets like Sangeetha Mobiles, Poorvika, Big C, Croma & Reliance. Customers on Airtel can enjoy a cashback of Rs 2000 on Nokia 6 & own the smartphone at an effective price of Rs. 14, 999 Airtel customers can also enjoy an extended free subscription to the Airtel TV app till 31st Dec, 2018.

Additionally, consumers will get 25% instant discount on domestic hotels at MakeMyTrip. All new Nokia 6 consumers will also be eligible for a complimentary 12-month Accidental Damage Insurance by Servify on opening Kotak 811 savings account & activating it. The new Nokia 6 will be available at zero cost EMI on credit cards & through Bajaj FinServ & Home Credit. ICICI bank will offer a 5% cashback till 31st May, 2018.

New Nokia 6 will be available at a recommended best buy price of Rs. 16,999.

Nokia 7 plus: The flagship hero for everyone

Made for creators to deliver stunning content, the Nokia 7 plus has the screen, power, design & features to make it a true hero in our smartphone range. Combining innovative optical hardware & imaging algorithms, the Nokia 7 plus captures moments into photos that are true to life. With enhanced Dual-Sight, dual rear sensors with ZEISS optics combine an ultra-sensitive 12MP wide-angle primary camera for excellent performance in both low-light & extra bright conditions & a secondary 13MP camera that delivers 2x optical zoom for the moments when you wish you were closer.

To enable you to capture & enjoy more content for longer, the Nokia 7 plus is backed by the powerful Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 660 Mobile Platform. Optimised & integrated for maximum performance & battery life. With an impressive 2-day battery life, you can extract every bit of juice from the already powerful 3800 mAh battery, even when you are broadcasting your #Bothie videos live on Facebook or YouTube.

It’s gently curved back & slim edges give you a big-screen experience in a comfortable, neat package. The vivid 6-inch 18:9 Full HD+ display makes the Nokia 7 plus perfect for browsing, social media consumption, gaming & entertainment with more content in the same width as a traditional 5.5-inch display device.

Availability & offers:

Available in Black/Copper & White/Copper, consumers can pre-book their Nokia 7 plus from Nokia phones shop, Amazon.in and select retail outlets like Sangeetha Mobilers, Poorvika, Big C, Croma & Reliance (on-shelf date: 30th Apr, 2018). Airtel customers can enjoy a cashback offer of Rs 2000 on the Nokia 7 Plus and get the smartphone at an effective price of just Rs. 23, 999 as a part of Airtel’s “Mera Pehla Smartphone” initiative. Airtel customers will also get an extended free subscription to Airtel TV app till 31st Dec, 2018.

Additionally, consumers will get 25% instant discount on domestic hotels at MakeMyTrip. All Nokia 7 plus consumers will also be eligible for a complimentary 12-month Accidental Damage Insurance by Servify on opening the Kotak 811 savings account & activating it. The Nokia 7 plus will be available at zero cost EMI on credit cards and through Bajaj FinServ, Home Credit & ICICI bank will offer a 5% cashback till 31st May, 2018.

Nokia 7 Plus will be available at a recommended best price of Rs. 25,999.
Nokia 8 Sirocco: An ultra-compact powerhouse for the fans

Inspired by the rich design heritage of Nokia phones, the Nokia 8 Sirocco’s elegant design & compact style is the ideal blend of precise craftsmanship & purposeful innovation. Delivering powerful storytelling features including enhanced Dual-Sight, ZEISS optics & and carefully tuned acoustics with Nokia spatial audio, the Nokia 8 Sirocco is an ultra-compact powerhouse, and our most beautiful smartphone to date.

Its curved glass finish envelops a precision-crafted stainless-steel frame to deliver a fusion of strength & beauty. Just 2mm thin at the edge, the Nokia 8 Sirocco combines a curved edge-to-edge poled 2K 5.5-inch display with smaller bezels & moulded body curves to create an ultra-compact profile.

The steel frame is 2.5 times stronger than 6000 series aluminum, paired with 3D Corning® Gorilla® Glass 5. Luxuriously weighted & perfectly balanced, it feels more secure in your hand thanks to the improved grip given by the dual diamond-polished stainless-steel frame.

Now capture every detail thanks to the Nokia 8 Sirocco’s dual rear sensors with ZEISS optics that combine an ultra-sensitive, wide angle primary camera for impressive low-light performance and a secondary 13MP sensor with 2x optical zoom. And with Pro Camera mode you get full manual control over every picture you take, helping you capture photos like a pro.

Availability & offers:

Available in black color, consumers can pre-book their Nokia 8 Sirocco from Nokia phones shop, ipkart.com & select retail outlets like Sangeetha Mobile, Poorvika, Big C, Croma & Reliance (on-shelf date: 30th Apr, 2018). Airtel customers buying the Nokia 8 Sirocco will be able to enjoy an additional data benefit of 120GB. While prepaid customers will get 20GB additional data on each of the 1st ever 6 recharges of Rs 199 or Rs 349, postpaid customers can avail the additional 20GB per month on Rs 399 or Rs 499 plan for 6 months. Airtel customers will also get an extended free subscription to the Airtel TV app till 31st Dec, 2018 & ICICI bank will offer a 5% cashback till 31st May, 2018.

Additionally, consumers will get 25% instant discount on domestic hotels at MakeMyTrip. Nokia 8 Sirocco will be available at zero cost EMI on credit cards & also through Bajaj FinServ & Home Credit.

Nokia 8 Sirocco will be available at a recommended best buy price of Rs. 49,999.

In a breather for former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, a special CBI court on Tuesday granted him bail in a multi-crore rupee Manesar land scam.

Hooda appeared before the special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Panchkkula, adjoining Chandigarh, on Tuesday.

The bail was granted after Hooda furnished two bonds of Rs 5 lakh each through his counsel.

Alleging a multi-crore scam of prime land in Manesar in Haryana’s realty goldmine district of Gurugram, the CBI, in February this year, filed a chargesheet in the land deal against Hooda, senior bureaucrats and others.

The chargesheet named 34 accused including senior bureaucrats Chhattar Singh, S.S. Dhillon and M.L. Tayal and promoter of Gurgaon-based real estate company ABW Builders, Atul Bansal.

All three officers were powerful principal secretaries to the Chief Minister.

The CBI registered a case against the accused in September 2015 following allegations that private builders, in conspiracy with public servants of the Haryana government, had bought around 400 acres of land from farmers and landowners of Manesar, Naurangpur and Lakhnoula villages in Gurugram (then Gurgaon) district at throwaway prices.

The land was valued, at that time, at around Rs 1,600 crore but it was bought by the builders for around Rs 100 crore.

The land was bought in the period from August 2004 to August 2007. The Congress government in Haryana, led by Chief Minister Hooda, remained in power from March 2005 to October 2014.

The CBI alleged that ABW Builders conspired with officers during the tenure of the previous Congress government to purchase the land.

The state education department has said that private schools will have to follow the guidelines as set per the department to collect fees.

Principal Secretary of the department of primary and secondary education said that an official notification would be published soon.

However, some Block Education Officers (BEOs) suggest the schools to fix the fees before the official notification being released.

At the same time, general secretary of Karnataka Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools (KAMS) D. Shashikumar pointed out the fact that no government has been instilled with the power to determine a rigid fee structure for private unaided schools.

“Regulation of fee is completely different from fixation. We have always been supportive of the former and has been with the state government to ensure this in a legit manner,” he said.

Bangladesh is all set to become a member of the exclusive club of satellite-owning countries as its first commercial satellite “Bangabandhu-1” will likely be flying to space on May 7 from the US.

Bangladeshi Telecommunication and ICT Minister Mustafa Jabbar made the announcement here on Wednesday during his speech at a discussion meeting, jointly organized by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) and the Telecom Reporters’ Network of Bangladesh (TRNB).

The satellite will be launched from Florida’s Cape Canaveral, Xinhua news agency reported. Jabbar said the scheduled launch of May 4 was deferred to May 7 due to inclement weather.

The satellite’s launch was also rescheduled a couple of times earlier. SpaceX had reportedly planned to launch the satellite using Falcon-9 rockets on December 16, but the launch was postponed due to Hurricane Irma.

In September 2016, Bangladesh signed a 14-billion-taka (about $180 million) loan agreement with the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) to finance the country’s first-ever satellite “Bangabandhu-I”.

In November 2015, Bangladesh signed a 19.51-billion-taka (about $248 million) deal with French firm Thales Alenia Space for the satellite project.

The Bangladeshi government has already purchased a 119.1 east longitude orbital slot from Russia-based Intersputnik for 15 years.

New 5G Sim To Be Launched

A new 5G Sim is all set to be launched which will is offer unlimited 5G data & calling free for a year. if you are also a 4G user and are still getting internet speed slow then you have a good news. One sim company is offering high speed internet 5G service.

2016 was an AC year in which the telecom industry changed significantly. In 2016, Jio provided cheap data to everyone by providing 4G service. But now Jio is coming to give even more speed than a new 5G Sim.

This will be the 1st ever 5G Sim in which you will be given a lot of offers.

The Jio Company is now all set to provide free Unlimited 5G data for every 1 year. Together they said that its speed would be 10x higher than 4G. Right now its network is running low and this is going to end soon.

The name of this Sim is Wingtel and these is going to come soon in India.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) will install red-amber-green arrows in as many of the 1,600 traffic junctions as possible in the coming years.

This means motorists will have to wait for the arrow to turn green before making a right turn. There have been suggestions in recent days for authorities to do away with the “discretionary” right turn, following two fatal accidents at traffic junctions.

“In five years, the vast majority of traffic junctions will have red-amber-green (RAG) arrows,” said Mr Chandrasekar, LTA’s group director of traffic and road operations on Thursday (Apr 26).

“Where it is not feasible to implement RAG arrows, LTA will look into other features, such as turning pockets, lighted road studs, integrated pedestrian countdown timers, dashed pedestrian crossing lines and ‘Give Way to Pedestrian’ signs, to ensure safety and smooth traffic flow,” he said.