The Odisha Express

Samsung’s Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus flagship phones launched yesterday in India as Flipkart exclusives. While many had already made up their minds about buying any of these phones, there is still a large premium phone buyers in the country who have set their eyes on other flagships like Apple’s iPhone 8, Google Pixel 2, Samsung’s next Note-series phone and even the next big Nokia flagship.                                                           apple 8 We take a look at some of the flagship phones, which are due for launch later this year and also see what they will bring to the table for premium phone buyers. Leaks suggest iPhone 8 will feature a largely bezel-free screen, fielding a large 5.768-inch OLED display. The handset will also feature volume and mute buttons on the left and the pow...

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma were the only two Indians to make it to an annual list of ‘100 most influential people in the world’ this year released by the Time magazine on Thursday. The list features pioneers, artists, titans, leaders and icons from around the world honoured for “the power of their inventions, the scale of their ambitions, the genius of their solutions to problems that no one before them could solve.” The magazine has also included US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and British Prime Minister Theresa May in the new list of 100 most influential people. The profile of Modi, 66, written by author Pankaj Mishra, said that in May 2014 – long before Trump seemed conceivable as a US president – Modi became the prime minister of the world’s largest democracy. “Once barred from the US for his suspected complicity in anti-Muslim violence, and politically ostracised at home as well, this H...

in a temporary relief for Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his three children, the five-judge Supreme Court bench, constituted to pass judgment in the Panama Papers case, split their verdict 3-2. Only two judges submitted dissenting notes against Sharif, while three others were in favour of a JIT probe. The top court ordered to set up a Joint Investigation Team with in a week to probe the allegations against the Sharif family and submit a detailed report within sixty days. It also ordered Sharif’s two sons — Hasan and Hussain — to appear before the JIT. The five-judge bench comprising Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, Justice Gulzar Ahmed, Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan, Justice Azmat Saeed and Justice Ijazul Ahsan issued the landmark judgement 57 days after concluding the hearing. Addressing reporters outside the court, Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said: “They have said what the PM already said in his letter ─ that a commission should be constituted to investigate the matte...

As Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan celebrate their tenth wedding anniversary, the actor wonders how quickly the years have gone by. ust like dad  Amitabh Bachchan ,  Abhishek Bachchan  is a master of social media. So, as he celebrates tenth wedding anniversary with wife  Aishwarya Rai  Bachchan, Abhishek decided to reveal his thoughts on social media. Taking to Twitter, he wrote, “And just like that…. It’s been 10 years! Thank you all for the wishes for Aishwarya and I. Lots of love.” Alas, the post didn’t come with a lovely picture of the couple, something that Abhishek usually does. In fact, the images that Abhishek puts on social media with wife Not just Abhishek, filmmaker  Karan Johar  — a close friend of the Bachchans — also wished the happy couple and shared a fond memory. Karan wrote on Twitter, “Congratulations @juniorbachchan on 10 beautiful years…how time flies! Still remember the sangeet performances!!! #AishwaryaRaiBachch...

Following the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) criticism of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s comments claiming bias by the green panel, the spiritual guru on Thursday said that those who say the Art of Living (AOL) is irresponsible don’t know about the organisation. “Those who say the Art of Living is irresponsible simply don’t know us or have gained a sense of humour,” news agency ANI quoted Sri Sri Ravi Shankar as saying. “The truth is we have caused no damage to the Yamuna. When lies are exposed, it is shocking,” he added. Earlier on Thursday, the NGT said that AOL founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s allegation of bias in the green panel’s report on the damage caused to the Yamuna riverbed due to a culture festival organised by AOL is ‘shocking’. The NGT said: “You have no sense of responsibility. Do you think you have the liberty to say whatever you want?” Earlier this month, the NGT-appointed Committee of Experts held the AOL foundation responsible for destroying the entire Yam...

Those arrested are suspected to be part of an ISIS module that were looking for potential recruits in Bihar, UP and Maharashtra. In a joint operation carried out by police teams from across five states, the Uttar Pradesh Anti Terror Squad and the Delhi Police Special Cell on Thursday arrested three suspected terrorists from Jalandhar, Mumbai and Bijnor. Those arrested are suspected to be part of an ISIS module that was looking for potential recruits in Bihar, UP and Maharashtra. The UP ATS along with police officers from the five states-Mumbai (Maharashtra), Jalandhar (Punjab), Narkatiyaganj (Bihar), Bijnor and Muzaffarnagar (Uttar Pradesh) carried out the operation. Six more people have been detained by the police team and they are currently being questioned. An official belonging to the UP ATS said that they had “received information of a group being readied for terror activities. Special Cell Delhi Police, Crime Investigation cell Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra ATS, Punjab and Bih...

Vijay Mallya’s financial defaults that led to his arrest in London In a major breakthrough for Indian law enforcement authorities, the Scotland Yard on Tuesday arrested absconding liquor baron Vijay Mallya in London. Mallya is wanted in several economic offences cases, including defaulting on loans worth thousands of crores of rupees. Following his arrest, the Ministry of Home Affairs has directed the CBI and ED to apply for his extradition in the IDBI bank loan fraud case. In a statement issued, the Metropolitan Police said Mallya was arrested at 9.30 am (local time) and would be produced before a Westminster Magistrate. Mallya has been granted bail by the court and the proceedings will continue.

India's Internet economy is expected to double to $250 billion, according to a report by BCG-TiE released on Friday. E-commerce and financial services are expected to drive this growth, accounting for about $40-$50 billion of the Internet economy, followed by e-commerce products ($45-$50 billion), private and government infrastructure spending ($50-$60 billion), connectivity ($45-$55 billion), devices ($30-$40 billion) and digital media and advertising ($5-$8 billion), according to the report. “India's Internet economy is expected to double from $125 billion to $250 billion, growing from the current 5% to 7.5% of the country's GDP,” according to the report titled ‘The $250 Billion Digital Volcano: Dormant No More.’ Mobile Internet users in India are expected to double from 391 million to 650 million by 2020, the report said, adding that 85% of these will be high speed internet users against 56% currently. It added that the data consumption by 2020 could potentia...

Law enforcement agencies have detected ₹1.37 lakh crore worth of tax evasion, began criminal prosecution in 2814 cases, and have arrested 3,893 people in the last three years, according to a statement by the Central Board of Direct Taxes. “Concerted and coordinated actions of law enforcement agencies under the Department of Revenue have achieved phenomenal success in fighting the menace of black money during the last three years,” according to the CBDT statement. “The period has witnessed unprecedented enforcement actions in direct and indirect taxes.” According to the CBDT, it has conducted 23,064 searches or surveys, of which 17,525 were conducted on account of income tax, 2509 for customs, 1913 for central excise, and 1120 for service tax. “More than ₹1.37 lakh crore of tax evasion has been detected (Income Tax ₹69,434, Customs ₹11,405, Central Excise ₹13,952, Service Tax ₹42,727). Simultaneously, criminal prosecutions were launched in 2814 cases (Income Ta...

The United Nations Security Council. will meet at 1130 EDT (1530 GMT) on Friday to discuss Thursday’s U.S. cruise missile strikes on Syria, diplomats said. The meeting of the 15-member council will be public, diplomats said. The Russian Defence Ministry on Friday said the Syrian air defences would be beefed up after U.S. cruise missiles struck an airfield in western Syria, Russian news agencies reported. Earlier in the day, the U.S. forces fired a barrage of cruise missiles at the Syrian airfield early on Friday in response to what President Donald Trump called a “barbaric” chemical attack on a rebel held town he blamed on the Damascus regime. Moscow also demanded an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council to discuss the U.S. missile strike, calling it a “gross... violation of international law.” The Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin considered it an "aggression against a sovereign state" and that it would inflict "considerable damage"...

It took 10 seasons for English cricket to make a strong presence in the Indian Premier League, with the likes of Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes and Tymal Mills taking home huge sums at player auction. While they were making news, Kings XI Punjab quietly secured the services of Eoin Morgan for Rs 2 crore.  England's limited-overs skipper Morgan isn't a new entrant in the IPL. He has been part of two championship-winning sides: Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad. Apart from his explosive batting that only beefs up a strong middle-order that the Mohali-based franchise has, Morgan also brings in a bit of experience of what it takes to be in an IPL-winning side, a much-needed answer that KXIP need at the moment. In order to resurrect their chances, they have gone in for a coaching change yet again. But what has grabbed the interest more is the appointment of Glenn Maxwell as their captain this season. The Australian all-rounder has negligible leadership experi...

Preview: The first match of the Indian Premier League (IPL), for a team, is quite an event. Having assembled more than two weeks in advance, players are itching to get on with it. The squad is in place, strategies formed; it's now time to test them. The ultimate prize is still more than a month away, but in order to get there, a lot of work needs to be done; the grind they've all been waiting for, starts now. The 14 games the teams will play will see their fortunes soar and dip and in a long tournament like the IPL. A good start, on most occasions, holds the team is good stead. After all, it's not for nothing they say well begun is job half done. Tell that to Gujarat Lions and Kolkata Knight Riders, who will take on each other in the third match of the tenth edition of the tournament, and they will be ready to counter the argument. Knight Riders, for two seasons now, have failed to make their starts count. Lions, on the other hand, topped the table last seaso...

With several leading stars away on IPL duty, Tom Latham was appointed as the New Zealand captain, on Thursday (April 6), for the upcoming One-Day International tri-series involving Bangladesh and hosts Ireland, to be played next month. The 25-year-old opener will lead his country for the first time when they take on Ireland on May 14 at Malahide, near Dublin. Latham has struggled for form in the recent past, evidenced by the two runs he compiled in the three matches he played in the five-match ODI series against South Africa. But the national selectors have shown faith in his leadership abilities. "Tom has been a leader within the side for a while now and this is a chance to continue his development in that area," selector Gavin Larsen said. "At 25 years old, Tom is still a youthful captain, but he's performed the role well for Canterbury and New Zealand Under-19 in the past. With the likes of Ross [Taylor] and Luke [Ronchi] around, there also are some ...

Last season, Rising Pune Supergiants (as was their name in IPL 2016) started their campaign on a bright note, overpowering then defending champions Mumbai Indians by a comfortable margin. Things, however, took a slide after that as they had to endure difficulties on different fronts - injuries, poor form, matches being moved out of Maharashtra - and almost finished with the wooden spoon, if not for Mahendra Singh Dhoni's heroics against Kings XI Punjab in their last game. With a hope of starting afresh, the team underwent an overhaul of personnel and also named a new captain in Steven Smith, whose incredible form with the bat and shrewd captaincy is what Supergiant will be banking on to end their two-year IPL journey on a high. Mumbai Indians, who have been notable for turning things around after uneventful starts to their recent campaigns, will be eager to hit the straps straight away. Inconsistency was a major factor that led to Mumbai's early exit last season and they wi...

Kings XI Punjab have signed speedster Ishant Sharma for the upcoming tenth edition of the IPL, that begins on April 5, in place of the injured Murali Vijay who has been ruled out of the entire season. This bolsters the Glenn Maxwell-led team’s pace bowling unit even further after the presence of Sandeep Sharma, Mohit Sharma, Varun Aaron and T Natrajan. In the auction, KXIP owners and team officials splashed out Rs 2.8 crore on Aaron and Rs 3 crore on Natrajan who is a left-arm seam bowler. Despite a strong pace bowling attack already in their midst, Punjab have chosen to add one more in the form of the India cricketer after he had gone unpicked in the auction after a base price of Rs 2 crore. Ishant had last season played for the Sunrisers Hyderabad and has also appeared for Deccan Chargers, Kolkata Knight Riders and Rising Pune Supergiants. In the 70 matches played in the IPL, he’s picked up 58 wickets with best figures of 5/12 at an average ...

A high alert has also been issued ahead of the Prime Minister's visit, even as vigilance at the border and at vital installations in J&K has been stepped up. The tunnel will save fuel worth nearly Rs 99 crore a year. "Rs 27 lakh worth of fuel is likely to be saved per day," Singh said. The tunnel will reduce the travel time between the two state capitals of Jammu and Srinagar by two hours. The distance from Chenani and Nashri will now be 10.9 kms (between two ends of the tunnel), instead of the existing 41 kms. The Union Minister said that this tunnel is a game changer. "It is a revolution itself. It is a revolution to be watched and studied. It is a case study itself. It is a wonderful creation," he added. "The connectivity through this tunnel will decrease the time of journey by two hours. It is an alternative all weather route. It is an alternative to the highway which is closed at the time of snow and rains. It will boost trade and...