During the past weeks, rainfall has exceeded four times the rates recorded during the past 30 years in Pakistan…reports Asian Lite News
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, directed urgent aid worth Dh50 million to provide relief to those affected by the floods in Pakistan.
The aid, which will be provided by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI), in cooperation with the World Food Programme and the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Humanitarian and Charity Establishment (MBRCH), will be in the form of direct food support to individuals and families affected by the massive floods that hit Pakistan, killing over 1,136 people, displacing millions, destroying more than 3,450 kilometres of vital roads and isolating entire villages.
During the past weeks, rainfall has exceeded four times the rates recorded during the past 30 years in Pakistan.
The humanitarian initiative to provide urgent aid comes in line with the UAE’s keenness to extend a helping hand to support the needs of those affected by natural disasters and crises globally.
The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI), established in 2015, combined under its umbrella over 30 humanitarian and developmental initiatives and entities, most of which have been launched and supported by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum for more than 20 years. Today, it includes dozens of charitable initiatives and institutions that operate within five main areas: Humanitarian Aid and Relief; Healthcare and Disease Control, Spreading Education and Knowledge; Innovation and Entrepreneurship; and Empowering Communities.
Earlier, Imtiaz Feroz Gondal, Chargé d’Affairs of the Embassy of Pakistan in Abu Dhabi, had commended the UAE and its leadership for the noble humanitarian support for those affected by torrential rains and floods in Pakistan.
He said that the UAE was among the first countries to immediately respond and carry out its humanitarian mission as soon as the disaster occurred, with its teams being the fastest in reaching the affected areas, despite the field and logistic challenges.
The Pakistani diplomat said this during his meeting with Hamoud Abdullah Al Junaibi, Secretary-General of the Emirates Red Crescent (ERC), at the ERC headquarters, in the presence of a number of officials.
He also expressed his country’s appreciation of the efforts of the ERC, led by Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler’s Representative in Al Dhafra Region and Chairman of the ERC, to relieve the suffering of the displaced and improve their living conditions.
Meanwhile, the Joint Operations Command of the UAE Ministry of Defence is continuing its humanitarian operations in Pakistan, through the launch of a second airlift of humanitarian aid from the UAE.
The second batch of aid included further relief supplies, shelter material, humanitarian aid, food and medications for people affected by the floods that hit the country.
Dr S. Jaishankar also co-chaired the 14th India-UAE Joint Commission with his UAE counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, reports Asian Lite Newsdesk
Global economics, politics and demographics have made the world “more multipolar” in which soft powers such as the UAE has a key role, India’s foreign minister said on Thursday, adding that globalisation has to correct its faults “to broaden its benefits”.
Dr S. Jaishankar also noted that India has immensely benefited from its close ties with the UAE.
“I think the economics of the world, the politics of the world, and the demographic of the world is making the world more multipolar. And I would argue that it is actually the natural diversity of the world, which got distorted in history, which is now kind of coming back into play,” Jaishankar said
Jaishankar, who is on an official visit to the UAE was speaking in an event at Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy (AGDA) in Abu Dhabi.
Talking about the UAE’s role in such a multipolar world, Jaishankar said, “I find it very fascinating because in many ways the UAE has truly become the kind of global crossroads of this region.”
About twenty years back the list of top five global cities could be different, but “today the UAE as a country and Dubai as a city would definitely feature out there,” the minister affirmed.
“The association with the UAE has been very beneficial to India as it shapes and influences our thinking. It gives us opportunities to work with another modernistic, progressive society, which is why it is a pleasure to always come here,” Jaishankar said.
The external affairs minister said: “There is certain modernism and progressiveness in the UAE and debates here do not look at problems of the present and past only but it is a polity, which is actually trying to address the opportunities as well as the challenges.”
“For a big oil producer [UAE] to actually have such a big commitment to renewables such as hydrogen, I think, it is a very major statement,” the minister said.
In the next 25 years one huge factor of change is going to be demography, which will favour India as it is likely to be the most populous nation in the world, the federal minister said.
Point out that the many established established powers of today will go through an enormous demographic change in the next 25 years, Jaishankar said: “So, if I were to look at the economy, if I were to look at the demographic, if I were to look at the technology, I think a lot of these trends really point for us in a good direction.”
FICCI, DIFC launches India –UAE Start-Up Corridor
However, he does not support the argument on the declining power of the US, a global superpower. “I am not a votary, frankly, of this declining US [theory]. I would say the evidence points to the US reinventing itself.”
Talking about the Quad grouping, which includes UAE and India, and the I2U2 Group, where too both the countries are integral members, the minister said he believes that this form of diplomacy is going to stay, reported Emirates News Agency.
Further Jaishankar expressed his confidence about the future of I2U2 Group, highlighting the latest developments such as the recent top-level Leaders’ Summit and launching two important projects on food corridor and green energy. “There are a lot of interesting ideas on business, innovation and technology that are also evolving,” the top diplomat said.
“I think there’s a market out there, there’s a gap out there, there is an attraction among countries to find this kind of solution,” Jaishankar said.
The minister also talked about how globalisation had created a fragile world.
“What was projected as a solution to a lot of challenges for the entire world, [and while contributing so] the globalisation itself created challenges such as inequities between states, within societies. It created winners and losers. It has actually created overconcentration in some places,” he said
Globalisation has to correct itself and broaden the ownership base and broaden the benefits of globalisation, the external affairs minister said in response to a question from WAM.
Earlier, Jaishankar co-chaired the 14th India-UAE Joint Commission with his UAE counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Both of them assessed the significant progress made in multiple domains of cooperation.
China has built an arsenal of conventional land-based missiles with its 4,000 km range Dong Feng 26 that can target even an American air force base in the US territory of Guam in the Indo-Pacific…reports Asian Lite News
The Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has finalised the design for a 1,500-kilometer range conventionally armed ballistic missile with an anti-ship variant to counter the threat from China’s rapidly expanding missile arsenal.
The DRDO is now awaiting the go-ahead from the Narendra Modi government to move to the development stage of the still unnamed conventionally armed missile which aims to counter China’s land-based threat from across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Yunnan provinces as well as deter any ship-based threat in the Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal, and Arabian Sea.
While India has an arsenal of nuclear cruise and ballistic missiles to tackle threats from land and sea it does not have any conventional ballistic missile for this role.
The missile will not only deter any carrier-based strike group from threatening India from the Indian Ocean but also provide land-based protection to its own aircraft carriers in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea through coastal deployment, the Hindustan Times report states.
With Chinese aircraft carriers expected to enter the Indian Ocean area by 2025 in accordance with President Xi Jinping’s ambition to make the country a global superpower, India needs a conventional intermediate-range ballistic missile to target any sea-based threat to the country ‘s over 7,000-kilometer coastline and island territories. The missile will give the Indian Navy more muscle in addition to the existing submarine based conventional ballistic missile like BA-02 with a range of over 700 km.
China has built an arsenal of conventional land-based missiles with its 4,000 km range Dong Feng 26 that can target even an American air force base in the US territory of Guam in the Indo-Pacific.
China also has an anti-ship conventional missile DF 21 D with a range of 1550 km which the country’s media claims as having the capability to take on US Navy aircraft carriers conducting freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea.
Johnson will formally leave office on Tuesday, handing power to either Foreign Secretary Liz Truss or former Treasury chief Rishi Sunak, the two finalists in the Conservative Party’s leadership race…reports Asian Lite News
Outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday pledged £700 million of government funding for a planned new nuclear power plant as part of a drive to improve the UK’s energy security.
Johnson said the spike in global gas prices driven by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine showed why more nuclear generation capacity was needed in the UK.
The plant, called Sizewell C, is located on eastern England’s Suffolk coast. French energy company EDF, which will partly fund the project, has said it can generate low-carbon electricity for at least 60 years when the project is complete.
The plant will reportedly cost about 20 billion pounds. Britain’s government gave the greenlight for the plant in July, and talks about how to fund it are ongoing.
“Yes, nuclear always looks relatively expensive to build and to run,” Johnson said in his final major policy speech as prime minister. “But look at what’s happening today, look at the results of Putin’s war. It is certainly cheap by comparison with hydrocarbons today.”
Johnson added, “I say to you, with the prophetic candour and clarity of one who is about to hand over the torch of office, I say go nuclear and go large and go with Sizewell C.”
Johnson will formally leave office on Tuesday, handing power to either Foreign Secretary Liz Truss or former Treasury chief Rishi Sunak, the two finalists in the Conservative Party’s leadership race.
Many in Britain are looking to Johnson’s successor to announce urgent measures to help ease the financial pain for millions of people who will struggle to heat their homes this winter as household energy prices go up by 80 per cent from October.
Britain wants to reduce its dependence on imported oil and gas and generate cheaper, cleaner power domestically. The government has said it wants 95 per cent of British electricity to come from low-carbon sources by 2030.
Earlier this year, the government tried to protect households against 90% of the expected increases in energy bills through tax cuts, energy bill rebates and direct payments. But natural gas and power prices have shot up since then, as have forecasts of future increases.
Researchers at the Institute for Government said Tuesday that the government would need to spend an extra £23 billion to protect households against about 90% of the expected rises in energy bills until April 2023. Offsetting the same proportion for the year to April 2024 would cost another £90 billion.
That forecast chimes with the cost of a proposal by Scottish Power, one of the UK’s biggest energy companies. It has called on the UK government to protect millions of households by freezing their bills for two years, according to report by the Financial Times.
The average annual bill currently stands at £1,971 ($2,318) — up 54% so far this year — but is forecast to shoot past £3,500 ($4,117) when the upper price limit is fixed Friday for the last three months of this year. Analysts at Auxilione, a research firm, say the average household could be paying as much as £6,433 ($7,579) a year for natural gas and electricity come next spring if the government doesn’t intervene.
Partnerships with civil, industry, commercial and academic entities are therefore essential to increase resilience, understand the progress of technology and develop further opportunities for deterrence.”…reports Asian Lite News
The government on September 1 released “UK Space Power,” the military’s keystone doctrine publication focused on the space domain.
The 91-page public document lays out in broad terms the role of the UK military in protecting space from foreign threats and provides “a basis for understanding the utility of the space domain in the military context,” the paper says.
A central message is that space is a global domain; and military, civil and commercial space activities are intertwined.
“Space power capabilities, or enabling capabilities in other operational domains, can contribute to deterrence but must form part of a wider, whole-of-government strategy,” the document says.
“Space offers political choice through its ubiquity and pervasiveness but is not solely a military, or even state, endeavor,” says the doctrine. “Non-state actors increasingly own a stake in the development and operation of capabilities. Partnerships with civil, industry, commercial and academic entities are therefore essential to increase resilience, understand the progress of technology and develop further opportunities for deterrence.”
The document highlights the UK-US military space alliance. “As our pre-eminent national security partner, cooperation with the US is exceptionally close and the relationship is critical to assure access to a host of space services,” the paper says. Additionally, UK military space experts are currently supporting US space capabilities.
Truss, who is the bookmakers’ favorite to succeed Boris Johnson, made the commitments at the Conservative Party leadership hustings in London, ahead of the victor being announced on Monday…reports Asian Lite News
Liz Truss ruled out introducing any new taxes or rationing energy this winter if she becomes the UK’s next prime minister, making two eye-catching pledges in her final pitch to win the post.
Truss, who is the bookmakers’ favorite to succeed Boris Johnson, made the commitments at the last Conservative Party leadership hustings in London on Wednesday, ahead of the victor being announced Sept 5.
Truss was asked if she’d make a “read my lips” promise not to raise taxes in government, a reference to a famous pledge made — and then broken — by former US President George H. W. Bush. She replied: “Yes. No new taxes.” She specifically ruled out introducing any new windfall taxes on the energy sector.
Should she win the race for 10 Downing Street, Truss will have to confront a looming economic crisis in Britain, with households facing a record squeeze on the cost of living amid a surge in energy prices. Truss is planning an emergency mini-budget within her first month in office but is yet to detail an extensive plan for how she’d ease the pain.
Britons are set for the biggest squeeze on their living standards in a century unless the next prime minister delivers tens of billions of pounds of extra support, according to new analysis published by the Resolution Foundation think tank on Thursday.
“If the government does want to substantially cut the price of energy faced by households, then it should look to offset some of the cost with increases in taxes, particularly on better-off households,” Resolution Foundation Chief Economist Mike Brewer told Bloomberg Radio on Thursday.
Truss’s opposition to a further windfall tax on extraordinary profits linked to high gas prices caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine may come under pressure in the coming months. The UK Treasury forecasts as much as £170 billion of profit for gas producers and electricity generators over the next two years, according to a person familiar with the matter. Johnson’s Tories introduced an initial 25% levy on the profits of oil and gas firms in May after months of pressure from the opposition Labour Party.
Labour is arguing for a freeze on energy bills in the UK this winter, funded by an expanded windfall tax. Without new taxes, Truss will need to lean on extra government borrowing or cuts to spending elsewhere to finance further household support. Former Bank of England Deputy Governor Charlie Bean said Wednesday that investors are starting to see UK assets as more risky because of signals coming from Truss about her plans to cut taxes and raise spending.
The UK government is also planning to offer fixed-price contracts to more renewable-energy producers as a way to cap profits without imposing a windfall tax, people familiar with the plans told Bloomberg.
And even as the British government works on contingency planning to secure energy supplies for the winter — under a worst-case scenario officials predict blackouts — Truss ruled out the prospect of needing to ration energy, without giving further details. Her leadership rival, Rishi Sunak, said nothing could be ruled out.
Conservative Party Members: The leadership ballot closes later today!
I was pleased to introduce Liz to councillors in Wales in early August and have spoken to her at some length during the campaign.
I believe she is best placed to take our country forward.
“Many European countries are looking at how we can all optimize our energy usage,” Sunak said at the hustings at Wembley Arena in London. “That is a sensible thing for us to be doing as a country.”
Truss also signaled that she would look at reforming business rates, a form of property tax on commercial premises. Bloomberg reported Wednesday afternoon that she was weighing a cut to rates.
The winner of the Conservative Party leadership race will be announced on Monday and they will formally become prime minister after seeing the Queen on Tuesday.
All members had rights to irrigation. These rights were not attached to the land. If the land was sold, water rights would revert to the Pani Panchayat…reports Sunil Balasaheb Dhumal
It was as a seven-year-old growing up in Naigaon that Balasaheb Kad saw the concept of Pani Panchayat transform his drought-prone village into a region of plenty.
“Canal construction, lift irrigation schemes and collective management of water resources benefited many farmers,” he recalls.
Additionally, strict norms followed for choosing the low water-intensive crops by farmers, resulted in improved groundwater reserves giving a boost to the village economy. So much so that the Naigaon model became an epitome of success in managing water resources, replicated in many other parts of the state in subsequent years.
However, the very success achieved went against the idea of equitable-water distribution. Ample water saw farmers plant water-guzzling crops like sugarcane, and today, the Pani Panchayat concept of water equity lies shattered, as Kad, currently the sarpanch of Naigaon, laments.
The Pani Panchayat model of water equity
It was the visionary Vilasrao Salunkhe who first mooted the concept of water equity, after observing the plight of rural folk during the 1972-73 drought in Maharashtra. Being a common property resource (CPR), Salunkhe felt that water should not be distributed in proportion to the size of the land.
Thus was born the Pani Panchayat, a specific model of integrated micro- watershed development pioneered by the Gram Gourav Pratisthan (GGP), a voluntary agency based in Purandar taluk of Pune district. Herein, groups of farmers formulate and implement community irrigation projects based on mutually agreed-upon principles of water sharing.
Salunkhe’s model of participatory development so impressed the then Maharashtra chief minister Vasantdada Patil that he coined the slogan ‘Pani Adwa, Pani Jirwa,’ (hold water, harvest water) in consultation with Salunkhe.
The Naigaon experiment
In drought-prone Naigaon, water had always been scarce. The land could be cultivated for just four months in a year. The women, recall Tarabai Kad (65) and Ashabai Waghale (70), had an especially tough time, having to walk 4 to 5km daily to fetch drinking water. Barring a couple of homes, no one, henceforth, kept animals.
In 1972, the village suffered a devastating drought. Taking 40 acres of barren land from the village temple trust, Salunkhe constructed a pond on it. He followed this up by building several small and large seepage ponds in many villages. When the rains arrived in June, the ponds accumulated water, reducing the severity of the drought and leading to good crops.
He also initiated various rainwater harvesting schemes to improve groundwater reserves. This helped stave off droughts and make villages self-sufficient in water in the long term.
The principles of Pani Panchayat
The Pani Panchayat system functioned on the basis of ‘Panchsutri’, or five principles:
Water should be shared on the basis of the number of members per family, not in proportion to the land owned. Every household was given water rights up to a maximum of 25 acres, with an allocation of 0.5 acre per capita. Land in excess was to be rain-fed.
All members had rights to irrigation. These rights were not attached to the land. If the land was sold, water rights would revert to the Pani Panchayat.
Members were to contribute 20 per cent of the initial capital cost, with the remaining 80% being provided by the GGP as an interest-free loan, in case of non-availability of government subsidy. In case of availability of 50 per cent through government subsidy, the remaining 30 per cent would be met by GGP as an interest-free loan.
Landless labourers could avail of water rights to cultivate land owned by others on an informal basis.
Water-intensive crops like sugarcane, banana, or paddy were not included in the cropping pattern.
The project was to be entirely administered by beneficiaries with the help of a Pancha Committee comprising member-beneficiaries.
How Pani Panchayat works
Purandar taluk in Pune district receives about 500mm of rainfall annually. Following the 1972 drought, 85 million cubic metres (MCM) of water was made available in Mahur village under a project of the taluk. It involved building contour bunds to trap rain water and constructing a percolation tank at the foothill. For the next few years, the area continued to be traditionally farmed.
In 2006, the Mahurjai Water Utilisation Society was set up in Mahur village on the lines of the Pani Panchayat. As part of this society, farmers undertook plans on proper utilisation of available water. Over time, as the demand for water increased in line with the area under cultivation, the farmers together decided to utilise the pond water only four days a week. 110 MCM of water was successfully made available, through appropriate water management from 64 sources, which lasted in summers too.
As against only 10 quintals of grain cultivated earlier, production rose to around 100 quintals. Interestingly, this was achieved without the use of hybrid seeds or chemical fertilisers. Alongside, afforestation was undertaken on the upland, with 3,000 trees and grass being planted. The measures resulted in year-round fodder availability and generated increased employment for villagers.
In Naigaon, the locals offered their farmlands adjacent to the streams for seepage of ponds and nala construction. Once the water bodies and the groundwater were rejuvenated, farmers started growing wheat, sorghum, flowers, and vegetables. Many set up custard apple orchards. Regeneration of the village economy saw employment generated for entire families.
For women, it was a huge relief to be freed from the drudgery of fetching drinking water from sources miles away as the nearby ponds and groundwater reserves sufficed for the need.
The collapse of the system
Unfortunately, once water was ensured through judicious administering of resources, the very principles governing its management were ignored by the beneficiaries. In Mahur, farmers started cultivating sugarcane, which the Panchsutri principles had barred.
Justifying the departure, farmer Ram Jagtap tells 101Reporters, “We had saved water by applying rules of controlled extraction from the waterbodies. It was through our own efforts that we made it last through summers, which probably the government couldn’t. Seasonal crops do not guarantee the kind of returns sugarcane can; sugarcane can enrich lives.”
The sarpanch of Naigaon, who saw everything unfold in his village, recalls the decline of the Pani Panchayat system.
“Once the PVC pipes arrived, many wealthy farmers left the group, and the peasant community broke up. Having learnt how to bring water to their farms, courtesy the Pani Panchayat, the rich farmers embarked on separate lift irrigation schemes for themselves. Many planted sugarcane in their fields. Thus, Salunkhe’s idea of sustainable development was shattered,” Kad explains.
Naigaon resident Sanjay Hole, who had worked with Salunkhe in his village, says: “Salunkhe used to insist that at least half an acre of land be cultivated as per the principles of the Pani Panchayat. Many schemes were then implemented in Naigaon, Purandar and other parts of Maharashtra.”
“Salunkhe always insisted that villagers accept the Panchasutri principles wherever the scheme was to be implemented. This brought in success, which came to be appreciated by the then chief minister Vasantdada Patil, Mohan Dharia, and Yeshwantrao Chavan when they had visited Naigaon.”
Regretting the loss of what had been achieved once, Hole tells 101Reporters, “At Hiware Bazar, a farmer, Popatrao Pawar, told us how he had learnt about watersheds from the work of the Pani Panchayat in our village. It left us embarrassed since now, sugarcane is grown here.”
Over time, Naigaon saw the collective decision-making approach failing. “Those days, farmers conducted meetings to prepare irrigation schemes. Now, they are quarreling within a family for not being able to come to appropriate sharing terms of their well water.”
“Once the PVC pipes came, borewells took over. As the area under horticulture increased, groundwater levels were disturbed,” Hole adds.
The underlying reasons for departure from the participatory model of the Pani Panchayat, though, were summed up by Salunkhe’s daughter Sonali Shinde, who is now Managing Director of the Pani Panchayat.
“The principles of the Pani Panchayat that brought the lower castes into the mainstream seemed daunting to big landowners. As a result, the concept survived only in some parts of Satara and Purandar taluk, instead of the entire state,” she says.
Sugarcane politics
While mooting his idea, Salunkhe had warned farmers against cultivating sugarcane, which if planted between January and August would not allow water to be sustained for the rest of year.
“However, this idea did not interest the rich in the society,” says Nilesh Kulkarni, who had worked with Salunkhe.
“In Maharashtra, a lot of politics revolves around sugarcane, sugar and sugar mills. As a result, he was opposed by politicians.”
Kulkarni further highlights how sugar mills function as co-operative societies and constitute a massive vote bank, with a strong hold over local politics. This hindered the Pani Panchayat model from attracting the political support needed.
He continues: “Moreover, in 2000, when Salunkhe met Sunderlal Patwa, the then rural development minister, in Delhi, Patwa had been dismissive of this water-equity model, deeming it too ideal.”
“He had compared it to a daydream,” Kulkarni recalls Patwa as having said. “He called it so even though the system had brought in initial success and seemed worth a shot amid the drought crisis.”
The current scenario
Recently, authorities sanctioned Rs 2.62 crore for the repair of the many canals and water bodies that Salunkhe had built when he worked in these villages. The repairs are currently underway.
While the implementation of the noble idea appears to be on the decline, it remains to be seen whether villagers will wake up to the benefits of the Pani Panchayat and cooperative management in the days to come, once again.
(The author is a Pune-based freelance journalist and a member of 101Reporters, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters.)
The tech giant has been working with its suppliers and ramping up its production in India over the years…reports Asian Lite News
As Apple prepares to unveil next-generation iPhone 14 series next week which will be assembled in India just about six weeks behind China, industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo on Thursday claimed that the next iPhone 15 is likely to be manufactured at the same time in India and China next year.
As the time difference between India and China has narrowly decreased in terms of manufacturing iPhones in the country, it is now expected that both countries would produce iPhone 15 simultaneously in 2023.
“The iPhone 14’s mass production schedule in India this year is still about six weeks behind China, but the gap has improved significantly. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect that India and China will be able to produce the new iPhone 15 at the same time next year,” Kuo tweeted.
Last month, reports mentioned that the tech giant will start the production of the latest iPhones in India two months after its debut.
However, the Kuo now mentions that it will be manufactured “about six weeks” later.
“My latest survey indicates Foxconn’s iPhone production site in India will ship the new 6.1-inch iPhone 14 almost simultaneously with China for the first time in the second half of 2022 (India being one quarter or more behind in the past),” Kuo tweeted last month.
In the short term, India’s iPhone capacities/shipments still have a considerable gap with China, “but it’s an important milestone for Apple in building a non-Chinese iPhone production site,” the analyst added.
The tech giant has been working with its suppliers and ramping up its production in India over the years.
Meanwhile, Apple’s ‘Far Out’ event on September 7 will showcase the new iPhone 14 lineup, Watches, and other products.
This will be an in-person event at Apple’s Cupertino campus in the US, the company’s first big event to take place since the two years of the pandemic.
Apple sold over 1.2 million iPhones in the country in the second quarter (Q2) this year, registering a massive 94 per cent growth (year-on-year) according to market intelligence firm CyberMedia Research (CMR).
Apple first started manufacturing iPhones in India in 2017, with iPhone SE.
The tech giant manufactures some of its most advanced iPhones in the country, including iPhone 11, iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 at the Foxconn facility while iPhone SE and iPhone 12 are being assembled at the Wistron factory in the country.
New ultra-wide camera
As tech giant Apple is all set to unveil its next-generation iPhones, a new report claims that iPhone 14 Pro models will feature a new ultra-wide camera.
According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, a new ultra-wide camera with a bigger sensor for enhanced low light sensitivity will be included in the iPhone 14 series Pro models, but the technology will be significantly more expensive.
“I predict two iPhone 14 Pro models’ ultra-wide cameras will upgrade to 1.4Aum (vs. iPhone 13 Pro’s 1.0Aum). CIS (CMOS image sensor), VCM (voice coil motor), and CCM (compact camera module) have a significant unit price increase in this upgrade, with about 70 per cent, 45 per cent, and 40 per cent,” Kuo wrote on Twitter.
“Other components’ price increases are limited. Sony (CIS), Minebea (first VCM supplier), Largan (second supplier), and LG Innotek (CCM) are the significant beneficiaries of the ultra-wide camera upgrade,” it added.
Recently, Kuo said that iPhone 14 might come with its long-rumoured satellite communication feature that is likely to be used in emergencies for texting or voice services.
The company’s flagship product launch event for this year will take place on September 7.
The next-generation iPhone 14, to be produced in India around two months after its China production, will see four models — a 6.1-inch iPhone 14, a new 6.7-inch iPhone 14, a 6.1-inch iPhone 14 Pro and a 6.7 iPhone 14 Pro Max, according to reports.
He then pointed out that steps will begin as part of these developments to convert three railway stations — two in Kochi and one in Kollam – in Kerala to match the facilities one sees in airports…reports Asian Lite News
Ahead of Onam, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday launched various projects of Kochi Metro and the railways worth Rs 4,500 crores in Kerala.
These include commissioning and also foundation stone laying of various projects which will hugely improve connectivity in the state.
The Prime Minister flagged off the extension of the first phase of Kochi Metro and laid the foundation stone for its phase 2.
Then, there were five different projects of the Indian Railways.
“These projects will speed up the ease of living and also ease of doing business. The road map for development of the country in the next 25 years is beginning in Kerala from today. The Unified Metropolitan Authority which comprises of the metro, the water metro, and the bus service in Kochi is going to be multi-model connectivity which will see faster transportation, lesser pollution, and lesser traffic congestion,” said Modi.
He then pointed out that steps will begin as part of these developments to convert three railway stations — two in Kochi and one in Kollam – in Kerala to match the facilities one sees in airports.
He also recalled that the Centre by now has invested Rs 1 lakh crore in various infrastructure projects in Kerala which includes Rs 55,000 crore, six-lane NH 66 which is the lifeline of the state and pointed out that connectivity will boost tourism and trade in the state.
Strengthening Rail Infrastructure in Kerala!
Hon’ble PM Shri Narendra Modi will dedicate to the nation and lay the foundation stone of various Railway projects in Kerala, today at 6 pm. #RailInfra4Kerala
Soon after arriving at Kochi in the evening, Modi addressed a meeting of his BJP workers and from there he visited Sri Adi Shankara Janma Bhoomi Kshetram, the birth place of Adi Shankaracharaya at the Kalady village, near the airport.
After the inauguration of the rail infrastructure projects, he took part in the core committee meeting of top state-level BJP leaders.
After INS Vikrant’s induction, the Navy would be in a position to deploy two Carrier Battle Groups, one each on both Eastern and Western Seaboards. Much higher firepower on two sides of Indian peninsula alters the power balance in the Indo Pacific, writes Vice Admiral Shekhar Sinha
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has commissioned India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier Vikrant at Cochin Shipyard today. This will indeed mark a historic day. The commissioning of the carrier will dock with celebrations marking 75 years of India’s independence. It will also give wings to the “Atmanirbhar Bharat” doctrine as the largest warship ever built has been designed and developed with homegrown Indian talent and technology.
The 45,000 tonne Vikrant India has been the culmination of active collaboration between the Naval Ship Design Bureau and Cochin Shipyard Limited. The massive ship is 262.5 meters long and 62 meters wide. There are 14 decks, which can accommodate 1700 Naoveers. Capable of achieving 28 knots top speed she is expected to cruise at 18 knots on four LM 2500 gas turbine engines.
The Vikrant has a STOBAR configuration, enabling short take off by planes using ski jump and recover with the help of arrester wires. The ship will be capable of operating 30 fighter aircraft (presently MiG 29K) and a mix of Kamov 31 AEW helicopters, MH 60 R Multi Role helicopters and Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopters (Marine version).
The ship per se has over 75 per cent indigenous content. There are many industries associated with the building of the Carrier, including BEL, BHEL, GRSE, Keltron, Kirloskar, L&T, Wartsila India apart from 100s of MSMEs. Approximately Rs 19000 cr have been ploughing back into India’s economy. This event puts India in the league of six nations in the world that have capability to build aircraft carriers.
Vikrant has number of preliminary tasks to be completed before she joins the fleet for operational deployment. Foremost would be to establish airflow pattern on the flight deck at various speeds of the ship. This is an important parameter for launch of any aircraft/ helicopter from flight deck. The atmospheric air gets deflected by the high rising ski jump and later by the superstructure of the ship. Both these result in variations in wind direction and speed on various spots of flight deck. Post establishment of airflow pattern the helicopter test pilots of the three types of helicopters will carry out launch and recovery trials from various marked spots on the deck. This will assist the ship in marking those spots permanently. Based on data obtained and helicopter operating / handling characteristics, the Standard Operating Procedures will be evolved for generations to follow.
The fixed wing (Mig 29 K) carrier compatibility tests will be more exhaustive and time consuming. The airflow patterns will be fed into shore-based simulator and fly it to derive likely handling characteristics of the aircraft in those conditions. Gradually the test pilots will work out the wire pull out during recovery. For MiG 29K to operate, both launch and recovery aspects are important parameters since it must be right the first time itself given the high speeds involved. The operating data manuals will be produced for all future operations and will work as bible. The ship’s operations team has to be worked up for handling radar interceptions by day and night. One can imagine the tasks ahead. Once the ship has worked up with the aviation units, the fleet will integrate the carrier into a battle group or a task force.
Indian Navy’s operational philosophy is based on concept of Battle Groups centered around an aircraft carrier. Very often it is misunderstood that carrier needs ships for protection, not really. A composite battle group moves as one cohesive fleet of ships and submarines, each unit assigned different stations at large distances. The positioning is such that the battle group exercises sea control in a specific area for a particular timeframe as warranted by tactical situation. The fighters from carrier provide air cover to the fleet against any incoming hostile maritime patrol or fighter strike aircraft. In strike role these fighters also carry out weapon delivery on shores and inland targets in a joint tasking operation.
What will induction of Vikrant alter? A lot. After its induction, the Navy would be in a position to deploy two Carrier Battle Groups, one each on both Eastern and Western Seaboards. Much higher firepower on two sides of Indian peninsula alters the power balance in the Indo Pacific. Chinese aircraft carrier Fujian has taken to sea recently and is one year short of operationalisation. By the time the carrier gets fully operational with its aviation units, one can safely assume that it will be not before end 2024 or early 2025. China’s priority is Taiwan and therefore it doesn’t seem likely that aircraft carrier can be detached to Indian Ocean anytime soon.
On the other hand, the Indian Navy has the skills and concepts of carrier operations of over 60 years and that is a lot. It must not be lost. Carrier projects and provides visible deterrence to an adversary. It also demonstrates the intention of a country that it is ready not only to deter but also exercise the option of using its firepower at a place and time of its choosing. Carrier force is a force in being and warns an adversary by its shear presence.
India is a formidable Quad partner and major player in exercise Malabar. The exercises have become complex with the combined operating procedures for anti- surface and submarine warfare. The fighter and Maritime Patrol aircraft of four nations have achieved interoperability and possibly interchangeability. Therefore, should an adversary have to be engaged in a conflict by the Quad in compliance of its stated charter, the Malabar component can be plugged in at short notice anywhere in the Indo Pacific. That would be most powerful conventional force in the world. Vikrant’s arrival also indicates that one of the two carriers will always be protecting Indian interests in the IOR while another carrier group is deployed elsewhere in the Indo Pacific. Therefore, Vikrant is reflective of India’s intents in the Indo Pacific. With simultaneous induction of formidable MH 60 R multi role helicopters onboard the Vikrant one is looking at a powerful combination.
Now that we are ‘Atmanirbhar’ in aircraft carrier building, the expertise must be retained by taking quick decision on IAC II (the next indigenous aircraft carrier). It is also important to identify future carrier borne fighter aircraft which will replace the MiG 29 K and operate from both, the Vikrant and IAC II. We should not lose sight of the fact that aircraft carriers are designed centered on specific fighter aircraft and not the other way round. It is always more difficult to find an aircraft which can fit into aircraft carrier than to build a carrier with parameters of a known fighter aircraft.
India is at the cusp of occupying its right position in the redefined world order. A farsighted decision on the type of maritime power that India should possess is need of the time, ability of which the present government under leadership of PM Modi has often demonstrated. A visionary and bold step is called for which will give India the teeth it needs to tackle present and future geopolitical shifts; wherein India has the opportunity to be one of the poles in the impending multipolar world order.
(Vice Admiral Shekhar Sinha is the former Commander-in-Chief of the Western Naval Command, and trustee as the India Foundation. Views expressed are personal and exclusive to India Narrative)
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