iPhone 14 launched; Pricing and Availability

The newly launched iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will be available in deep purple, silver, gold, and space black in 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage capacities.

Customers in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, the UAE, the UK, the US, and 30 other countries and regions will be able to pre-order iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max beginning at 5 a.m. PDT on Friday, September 9, with availability beginning Friday, September 16.

iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will be available in Malaysia, Turkey, and 20 other countries and regions beginning Friday, September 23.

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Emergency SOS via satellite will be available starting in the US and Canada in November, and the service will be included for free for two years with the activation of iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.

Customers can get iPhone 14 Pro for $41.62 (US) a month for 24 months or $999 (US) before trade-in, and iPhone 14 Pro Max for $45.79 (US) a month for 24 months or $1,099 (US) before trade-in from apple.com/store, in the Apple Store app, and at Apple Store locations. iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max are also available through Apple Authorized Resellers and select carriers.

Customers can save up to $1,000 (US) on iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max with trade-in directly from apple.com/store or at an Apple Store when they activate it with select US carriers. Terms apply. For eligibility requirements and more details, see apple.com/shop/buy-iphone/carrier-offers.

Customers in the US can get ready for iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max pre-orders until 10 p.m. PDT on Thursday, September 8, by visiting apple.com/store or using the Apple Store app. They can choose to pay monthly or in full, add a trade-in credit toward their new product, or upgrade through the iPhone Upgrade Program.

iOS 16 will be available as a free software update on Monday, September 12.

Customers who purchase iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will receive three months of Apple Arcade with a new subscription.

Leather Wallet with MagSafe and iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max Leather Cases will be available in five new colors: midnight, forest green, ink, umber, and orange.

iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max Clear Case and Silicone Cases will be available in midnight, storm blue, red, chalk pink, lilac, elderberry, succulent, and sunglow.

Pakistan raises accidental missile issue at UN; China, US support direct talks

Despite India’s clarification, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi chose to complain to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on what he said was the “blatant violation of Pakistans airspace by the ‘accidental’ firing of a missile by India on March 9”, reports said.

India’s Defence Ministry had given clarification that in the course of routine maintenance on March 9, a technical malfunction led to the accidental firing of a missile that landed inside the territory of Pakistan.

However, Pakistan said “multiple shortcomings and technical lapses of a serious nature in India’s management of strategic weapons” was “irresponsible conduct” and needed to be addressed by the international community, including the UN Security Council. Islamabad also insisted on a joint probe of the incident.

Meanwhile, the US and China have urged India and Pakistan to hold direct talks for reducing tensions as both are nuclear-armed nations. “We continue to support direct dialogue between India and Pakistan on issues of concern,” a US State Department official said on Monday, though Washington said it sees no wrong intention behind the mishap.

Zhao Lijian, a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry said, “We called on relevant countries to have dialogue and communication as soon as possible and launch a thorough investigation into this incident,” spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters in Beijing.

 

After tariffs on imports, Trump Admn eyes call centres in India, Philippines, Mexico

With China as main target, the Trump Administration sought to extract $60 billion in new tariffs. Next, turning its attention on call centres in  India, Mexico and the Philippines, a US bill introduced in Senate this week seeks to stifle offshore centres.

The bill, introduced by Democrat Senator Sherrod Brown, wants to create a public list of companies which outsource call centre jobs and deny them federal contracts. It further wants to empower customers to get the call from offshore centres transferred to a local call centre in the US.

Essentially, the call centre employees in India or the Philippines have to reveal their location and upon request transfer the call to a local service agent. “Jobs at call centres are some of the most vulnerable to offshoring. Too many companies have packed up their call centers in Ohio and across the country, and moved to India or Mexico,” said Brown, a Senator from Ohio.

Ohio has experienced shut down of several manufacturing units owing to US trade and tax policy that favoured them to shut down operations, avail tax credit and ship production to Mexico or China, he said defending the bill introduced in the Congress.

A study by the Communications Workers of America has showed that besides India and the Philippines, several US companies have recently opened call centers even in countries like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, China and Mexico.

An estimate by the Indian National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) shows that Indian’s revenues from the offshore Business Process Management (BPM) amount to $28 billion annually. If the bill gets through, it will make a huge dent in India’s burgeoning employment situation in call centres and BPMs.

 

President Trump, PM Modi Joint Press Statement Reveals Little (Videos)


The joint press statement from US President Donald Trump and the visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi elicited too little despite high expectations, especially on deep difference both nations have on several issues.

Trump in his typical speech pointed out that during his campaign, he had pledged that if elected, India would have a true friend in the White House. “Not many people know it, but both American and the Indian constitutions begin with the same three very beautiful words: We the people,” and yes, democractic nations came together.

Appreciating PM Modi, he said, “In just two weeks, you will begin to implement the largest tax overhaul in your country’s history — we’re doing that also, by the way — creating great new opportunities for your citizens. You have a big vision for improving infrastructure, and you are fighting government corruption, which is always a grave threat to democracy.”

He sought more jobs to be created in the US and asked India to remove trade barriers to encourage the export of U.S. goods into their markets, and help US reduce the trade deficit, which means more concessions from India on American trading companies.

Trump was pleased with India’s decision on Indian Airlines’ recent order of 100 new American planes, one of the largest orders of its kind, which Trump said “will support thousands and thousands of American jobs.”

Then he pondered the energy sector and said, “We’re also looking forward to exporting more American energy to India as your economy grows, including major long-term contracts to purchase American natural gas, which are right now being negotiated, and we will sign them. Trying to get the price up a little bit.”

He thanked PM Modi fro inviting his daugher Ivanka to lead the U.S. delegation to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in India this fall and said, “I believe she has accepted.”

Finally, on security partnership, he shared India’s views on terrorism and vowed to destroy terrorist organizations and the radical ideology that drives them. “We will destroy radical Islamic terrorism.”

On military preparedness, the progress is visible as the US administration has already cleared the $2 billion Drones deal. “Reflecting the partnership, the US has offered for India’s consideration the sale of Sea Guardian Unmanned Aerial Systems, which would enhance India’s capabilities and promote shared security interests,” the joint statement said.

Further, President trump said, both US and Indian militaries will join together with the Japanese navy to take place in the largest maritime exercise (MALABAR) ever conducted in the vast Indian Ocean. Other issues on Afghanistan and North Korea figured in his speech.

In his reply, Prime Minister Modi thanked the US President and pondered on common priorities such as growth and terrorism being model democracies of the world. Increased productivity, growth, job creation, and breakthrough technologies will remain strong drivers of the cooperation, he said.

“I am sure that the convergence between my vision for a “new India and President Trump’s vision for “making America great again” will add new dimensions to our cooperation,” he said.

Finally, Modi termed his visit “very successful, very fruitful.” He concluded his speech inviting President Trump and the First Lady to visit India.”

India, US Launch New Clean Energy Joint Initiative

Union power minister Piyush Goyal and US Ambassador Richard Verma launched on Friday a new joint venture of US-India Clean Energy Finance (USICEF) Initiative which would help in unlocking OPIC financing and mobilize public and private capital to expand access to distributed clean energy projects.

Letter of Intents were signed and exchanged between MNRE and OPIC in presence of Piyush Goyal for the creation of a $20 million for US-India Clean Energy Finance (USICEF) Initiative, equally supported by the United States and India would support projects which, upon long-term financing and deployment, and would qualify for the support of long-term debt financing from OPIC.

The U.S.-India Clean Energy Finance facility (USICEF) would support project preparation activities for distributed solar projects in order to unlock OPIC financing and mobilize public and private capital to expand access to distributed clean energy solutions that will benefit disadvantaged communities in India and contribute to India’s ambitious renewable energy and energy access goals.

USICEF builds on the success of other project preparation facilities to support renewable energy in emerging markets. Through this initiative, project developers pursuing mini-grid, distributed rooftop and off-grid solar projects, as well as smaller-scale grid connected solar projects would be benefitted.

Rajeev Kapoor, Secretary, MNRE, White House Senior director John Morton and William Pegues, Managing Director, OPIC and representatives of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and Good Energies Foundation were also present.
During the event, Udai Khemka presented Clean Energy Finance Forum (CEFF) Report to Goyal. The report has been prepared after an extensive domestic and international consultation with all categories of financial Institutions (including pension funds, sovereign investors, insurance companies, other financial investors/funds, banks, investment banks etc.), multilateral institutions, as well as strategic investors and developers.

CEFF has made recommendations which will help solicit greater investment into the renewable energy sector. Some of the key cross cutting recommendations includes to boost and Accelerate “Open Access” Markets; Improve PPA Bankability; Improve Ease of Access to Domestic Banking and Capital Markets; Encourage International Debt and Equity Investments and Mitigate Currency Risk.

Goyal assured that suggestions emerged out would be examined and corrective actions would be taken up soon. He also stated that the new initiative of USICEF launched would help the early-stage project capital gap for distributed solar by supporting project preparation activities necessary to access long-term debt financing and unlocking OPIC and private finance.