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Cupertino (California), Sep 8 (IANS) Apple on Wednesday launched the new iPhone 14 series with four models -- iPhone 14, 14 Plus, 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max -- that starts from Rs 79,900.

Customers in India can get the 6.1-inch iPhone 14 for Rs 79,900 and the 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Plus for Rs 89,900.

They will be able to pre-order iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus beginning September 9, with iPhone 14 availability beginning September 16 and iPhone 14 Plus beginning October 7.

Customers can get iPhone 14 Pro for Rs 129,900 and iPhone 14 Pro Max for Rs 139,900 (starting prices).

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.

The Pro models feature the Always-On display, Crash Detection, Emergency SOS via satellite, and an innovative new way to receive notifications and activities with the Dynamic Island.

Powered by A16 Bionic, the fastest chip ever in a smartphone, iPhone 14 Pro introduces a new class of pro camera system, with the first-ever 48MP Main camera on iPhone featuring a quad-pixel sensor, and Photonic Engine, an enhanced image pipeline that dramatically improves low-light photos.

iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will be available in four gorgeous new finishes: deep purple, silver, gold, and space black. Pre-orders begin September 9 with availability beginning September 16.

Available in 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch sizes,1 both models include a new Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion that features the Always-On display for the first time ever on iPhone, enabled by a new 1Hz refresh rate and multiple power-efficient technologies.

The Dynamic Island enables new ways to interact with iPhone, featuring a design that blends the line between hardware and software, adapting in real time to show important alerts, notifications, and activities.

With the introduction of the Dynamic Island, the TrueDepth camera has been redesigned to take up less of the display area.

The A16 Bionic chip in iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max is generations ahead of the competition, and unlocks unparalleled experiences like the Dynamic Island, powers all-day battery life, and delivers impressive computational photography capabilities.

"With the new, larger 6.7-inch display on iPhone 14 Plus, users can enjoy more content onscreen when browsing the web and even more text," said Greg Joswiak, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing.A

"Both phones have a powerful new Main camera with a huge leap in low-light performance, advanced connectivity capabilities with 5G and eSIM, and the incredible performance of A15 Bionic, which helps enable even better battery life. All of this, tightly integrated with iOS 16, makes iPhone more essential than ever," he added.

The phones have the A15 Bionic chip with a 5-core GPU, which offers incredible performance and efficiency for demanding workloads, and is designed with privacy and security built in.

iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus will be available in midnight, blue, starlight, purple, and (PRODUCT)RED1 finishes.

Both models have an updated internal design for better thermal performance, Super Retina XDR displays with OLED technology that supports 1200 nits of peak HDR brightness and Dolby Vision.

iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus also feature the durable Ceramic Shield front cover -- exclusive to iPhone and tougher than any other smartphone glass.

iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus have a new 12MP Main camera featuring a larger sensor and larger pixels, a new front TrueDepth camera, the Ultra Wide camera to capture more of a scene, and Photonic Engine for a giant leap in low-light performance.

With a new dual-core accelerometer capable of detecting G-force measurements of up to 256Gs and a new high dynamic range gyroscope, aCrash Detection' on iPhone can now detect a severe car crash and automatically dial emergency services when a user is unconscious or unable to reach their iPhone.A

The iPhone 14 lineup also introduces Emergency SOS via satellite, which combines custom components deeply integrated with software to allow antennas to connect directly to a satellite, enabling messaging with emergency services when outside of cellular or Wi-Fi coverage.A

Emergency SOS via satellite will be available to users in the US and Canada in November, and the service will be free for two years, said the company.

iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus feature iOS 16, offering a reimagined Lock Screen along with new communication, sharing, and intelligence features that together change the way users experience iPhone.A

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

--IANS
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Bengaluru, Sep 7 (IANS) In a setback to the ruling BJP, the Karnataka High Court on Wednesday asked the special court for MP/MLAs to reconsider the corruption case against former CM B.S. Yediyurappa, recently nominated to the highest decision-making bodies of the BJP, the Central Parliamentary Board and Central Election Committee.

The bench, headed by Justice S. Sunil Dutt Yadav, gave the order in connection with a petition filed by social activist T.J. Abraham demanding a probe by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) against Yediyurappa and his family members.

The petition alleged that misusing power during his tenure as Chief Minister, Yediyurappa and his family members had received bribes to the tune of hundreds of crores from Ramalingam Construction Company for giving it contracts for housing projects of the Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA).

The special court has dismissed the private complaint against Yediyurappa and others for not taking prior consent of the Governor. The High Court has set aside this order and directed the lower court to reconsider the decision.

The petition has made Yediyurappa's son and BJP Vice President B.Y. Vijayendra, son-in-law Virupakshappa Yamakanamaradi, Yediyurappa's daughter's son-in-law, Chandrakanth Ramalingam, Co-operation Minister S.T. Somashekar, IAS officer Dr G.C. Prakash and others as parties in the corruption case.

The bench further stated that the special court will take a call on the registration of the FIR and probe. The case was registered with the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the IPC on November 11, 2020.

The decision of the court may prove a setback for Yediyurappa is gearing up to lead the BJP in Karnakata in the run-up to the upcoming Assembly elections.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 7 (IANS) The Supreme Court has set aside a Delhi High Court direction, which asked the Delhi government to ensure that private schools fill the backlog of unfilled seats for economically weaker sections (EWS) in a phased manner in the next five years.

A bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Abhay S. Oka said: "We set aside the impugned order qua directions contained in paragraphs 4 and 5, leaving the parties to bear their own costs. The court is free to take appropriate view in the main matter. The appeals are disposed of accordingly."

It said it is unable to appreciate how clause 4 of the order dated May 26 (direction to fill up backlog of EWS seats) can be worked out even if the schools are at default for the earlier period of years as the same cannot be compensated in this manner by an interim order.

The top court said that "the issue which has been examined by the court is whether the 25 per cent of seats in EWS category is being filled up on the basis of the declared sanctioned strength or actual admissions and we do believe that this cannot form subject matter of an interim order".

"We are thus of the view that the final call will have to be taken in the main matter and it cannot be a subject matter of the nature of interim relief as granted."

The top court order came on a plea filed by Venkateshwar Global School against Justice for All and others.

On July 19, the apex court stayed the Delhi High Court order.

Senior advocate Shyam Divan, representing the petitioner, had then contended that the high court order was passed on a letter patent appeal (LPA), at the behest of a person who was not a party before the single judge. As the top court asked him how did the appeal come about, Divan replied that a limited notice was issued in the LPA, and added that the high court's division bench from a limited notice, passed an extensive order with such far reaching consequences.

In May this year, a division bench of the Delhi High Court ordered that in cases where schools, both on private and government lands, do not adhere to the admission conditions for EWS category students, the Delhi government has to step in by exercising its duty, as a welfare state.

The Delhi government had submitted before the high court that more than 132 private schools were violating admission requirements with respect to the EWS category. The government said it had issued notice to the schools.

--IANS
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Bengaluru, Sep 7 (IANS) Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday stated that the Karnataka government has prepared a rain damage estimate and urged the Central government to release a fair compensation.

He held a meeting with the central team led by Joint Secretary, Union Home Ministry Ashish Kumar, which arrived here this morning to study the flood situation.

The team was asked to take a stock of flood situation in Bengaluru city, neighbouring Mandya and Ramanagar districts.

CM Bommai also provided inputs on the extensive damage caused due to floods in July, August and the current month. The team members were also briefed on relief measures taken up by the state government.

The central team is scheduled to visit Chitradurga, Hassan, Chikmagalur, Haveri, Dharwad, Gadag, Bidar and Kalaburgi districts districts which have seen floods due to excessive rains.

CM Bommai suggested them also to visit Kodagu, Dakshina Kannad and Uttara Kannada districts that witnessed the massive landslide, sea erosion and other damage.

Bommai informed the team that this time, a large number of fishing boats, shops and other business establishments had been damaged. In Ramanagar, silk reeling unit and twisting units too have suffered damage.

This kind of damage has happened for the first time. It has impacted lives of people. The team must try to extend the maximum help on the humanitarian ground, he demanded.

He said Karnataka has a coastal area of 330 km and works worth Rs 350 crore have been taken up to prevent the sea erosion in several sensitive places. But, the erosion has happened in the new spots. The central government assistance is required for the protection of complete coastal region.

"The North-Karnataka region too faced unprecedented floods in districts like Kalaburgi, Gadag, Bidar and Koppal. In fact, the state has been receiving intermittent rains since November last year and there is a need to undertake a study of the rain pattern in the state.

Almost all the tanks are full and overflowing. Many tanks have breached and caused floods. This situation was quite contrast to the floods caused by overflowing rivers," he explained.

The CM said rains have been pouring since last one week causing severe damage in Bengaluru, Ramanagar, Mandya and other districts.

A proposal regarding the damages caused in the last one week would be submitted immediately.

The central team comprises of Mahesh Kumar, Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Bhavya Pandey, Assistant Director, Department of Energy, Ashok Kumar from Ministry of Jalshakthi, V.V.Shastri, Executive Engineer, Union Ministry of Surface Transport and Highways.

Dr K.Manoharan from Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare and S.B.Tiwari, Under Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development.

Ministers Govind Karjol, C.C. Patil, B.C.Patil, Araga Jnanendra, Chief Secretary Vandita Sharma were also present in the meeting.

--IANS
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Kanyakumari, Sep 7 (IANS) The 3,570 km Bharat Jodo Yatra of the Congress will take a break and begin from the same point if Rahul Gandhi goes for campaigning in two election-bound states of Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, said Digvijaya Singh on Wednesday.

Addressing a press conference here, Singh, who is convenor of the yatra, said, "Rahul Gandhi will walk all along the yatra route... if he takes a break for campaigning, then the yatra will stop and will restart from the same place."

The Yatra will go through 12 states and two union territories, but does not involve the election-going states. General Secretary Organisation K.C. Venugopal said, "We have not involved the election-going states of Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh."

But all the state organisations will take a separate padyatra in the states for one month while all the blocks will take out padyatra this day at 5 p.m.

The party is launching a massive yatra on Wednesday around 5 p.m. Enroute the yatra, meetings with select groups of people will be done and in the evening mass connect programme will be held. All the yatris, including Rahul will take rest in specialised containers.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday said that this will be a turning point of Indian politics and will mark a new beginning.

"A day when India's oldest political party will launch the longest padyatra ever undertaken. It is a sombre day, a day for quiet reflection and renewed resolve. This is a turning point in Indian politics. It marks a new beginning," Jairam said

--IANS
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Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 7 (IANS) Senior Congress leader and the Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday said that through 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' the party intends to apprise the people how the provisions of the Constitution are being violated in the country.

Speaking exclusively to IANS, the veteran leader termed the yatra "a turning point" in Indian politics which marks a new beginning.

On the need for such a grand yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, LoP Kharge said under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, the party will reach out to the people across the country and make them aware of the Centre's "divide and rule policy"of the Centre.

"With the divide and rule policy in place, the nation is being divided in the name of religion and language. The Constitution is being attacked. Our democracy was being run in sync with the constitution which has been ruined.

"That is the reason why Bharat Jodo Yatra of 3,750 Kms has been launched. When the public will connect with us through this Yatra, they will know how the democracy and Constitution is being violated", he said.

On whether this Yatra aims at 'comeback' for Congress in 2024, Kharge said there is no connection between the yatra and Lok Sabha polls. This is an ideological fight and there is no politics in this. We are fighting ideologically and all those who are connected with this ideology across the party have come together. There is no politics in this, the party leader said.

Responding to BJP's allegation, that this is not 'Bharat Jodo Yatra but Congress Jodo Yatra', Kharge said that it is their work to criticise us.

"BJP and RSS always target Congress and Rahul Gandhi because there is only one person who fights their divisive ideology and that is him", Kharge asserted.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 7 (IANS) Apple on Tuesday was set to showcase a new line-up of iPhones, Watch, AirPods Pro earbuds and updates at its annual hardware event.

The users can expect three key features in the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, the top-end phones from Apple.

These are a customisable always-on display, a 48MP rear camera with a large and better sensor.

The top-end iPhones may get an upgraded A16 processing chip and two new colours: blue and deep purple, reports The Verge.

The base iPhone 14 will likely use the same A15 processor and there will be no mini iPhone this year.

It's also rumoured to support a faster 30W charger and start from 256GB of storage, a significant jump from 128GB internal storage.

"The biggest update to the non-Pro model is expected to be the introduction of a larger 6.7-inch display in the iPhone 14 Max," the report noted.

According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, iPhone 14 lineup may also have a better selfie camera that uses autofocus feature.

iPhone 14 may also house satellite connectivity for emergency situations where there is no cellular connection.

Apple will also showcase Watch Series 8, a refreshed SE, and a new rugged "Pro" model for athletes, according to the report.

The Series 8 watch is likely to come with a new S8 chip and may also feature a temperature sensor.

The Apple Watch SE is likely to replace the affordable Watch Series 3, and house with the same S8 chip.

Apple Watch Pro could come with a larger "nearly 2-inch display" that's "more shatter-resistant" and sport a "strong metal" case.

Mark Gurman of Bloomberg expects the Watch Pro to cost anywhere from $900 to $999.

The AirPods Pro haven't received an update since their initial launch in 2019 and now, Apple will showcase AirPods Pro 2 at the ‘Far Out' event.

The new AirPods Pro may resemble the Beats Fit Pro with a focus on fitness tracking and support lossless audio.

The AirPods Pro 2 charging case may also get an upgrade with a small speaker that makes a sound when you try to locate it via the Find My app.

--IANS
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Bengaluru, Sep 7 (IANS) The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted continuous rainfall in Bengaluru for next five days. Yellow alert was issued on Wednesday.

Sources said that the people will have to bear with the present condition for a few more days and they be ready for the worst in the coming days in view of the more rail alert. The authorities are crossing their fingers as the staff are working day and night to respond to the flood-affected people.

Those living in ground floors in the rain-affected areas have been forced to shift to their relatives and friends' houses. The people, who are living on the first floor and above are forced to commute on tractors and boats for emergencies. They are also facing the problem of shortage of drinking water. The situation is likely to turn serious with more rainfall in the coming days.

According to official statistics, 85 regions and 2,000 houses in Bengaluru have been inundated due to heavy rain. A total of 1,500 sheds have also come under water, forcing the labourers to shift to safer places. 22,000 vehicles have been damaged and 30 apartments have been surrounded by the flood water.

The two zones in Bengaluru's East, Mahadevapura and Bommanahalli, which house major IT companies, have been affected the most. Mahadevapura MLA Aravind Limbavali stated that all the water from the city flows through Mahadevapura resulting in the present situation. Encroachments were being removed to allow water to flow out of residential localities on a war footing basis, he stated.

Bengaluru has received 135 mm of rainfall between August 31 and September 6. Normally the city received 34 mm of rainfall in this period. From September 5, usually, 6 mm of rainfall is received in 24 hours, but this time 34 mm rains have been received. The south west Monsoon brought 130 mm of rainfall till September 6, however, 317 mm of rainfall has been received, according to statistics released by authorities.

The state has recorded nine deaths till date due to the rain related tragedies. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who took up rounds in the rain-affected areas of Bengaluru on Monday night, appreciated the efforts of MLA and officials for working day and night for three days to give relief to the flood-affected people.

--IANS
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Bengaluru, Sep 7 (IANS) Karnataka Food and Civil Supplies Minister Umesh Katti died of heart attack on Tuesday late night in Bengaluru.

According to family sources, 61-year-old Umesh Katti complained of chest pain and collapsed in the bathroom at his Dollars Colony residence at 10.30 p.m.

He was immediately shifted to the M.S. Ramaiah hospital. However, Umesh Katti succumbed to heart attack at the hospital.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai rushed to the hospital immediately after getting the information. Opposition leader Siddaramaiah, who was in Mysuru, has also left for Bengaluru.

The body would be taken to his native Tilakawadi in Belagavi on Wednesday morning. It would be kept for public view at his residence in Shivabasavanagar in Tilakawadi.

Umesh Katti was the senior most elected representative in Karnataka legislature. He entered politics in 1985 after the death of his father Vishwanath Katti.

Umesh Katti batted for separate north Karnataka state and also claimed that he would become Chief Minister of the new state stirring controversy. He worked as a minister in cabinets of B.S. Yediyurappa, D.V. Sadananda Gowda, Jagadish Shettar during the tenure of BJP government.

He represented Chikkodi assembly constituency for eight times. He represented Janata Party, Janata Dal, Janata Dal (U) and BJP.

Umesh Katti also contested election as a Congress party candidate in 2004.

--IANS
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Mysuru, Sep 6 (IANS) With tempers flaring up over the havoc wreaked on Bengaluru by unprecedented rainfall, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai called for cutting down the political hyperbole on the issue.

Speaking to mediapersons at Mysuru on Tuesday, Bommai regretted that politics have shadowed the devastating impact of the rain and floods.

He observed that the current situation calls for everyone to work on war-footing unitedly as foul weather does not discriminate between political parties.

"All the tanks across the state are full and there has been record rainfall everywhere. We have launched a war in rain and need to face this challenge united. But it has become a habit to do politics over petty things" Bommai stated.

Bengaluru has suffered the brunt of the record rainfall levels registered in several decades. Copious rainfall since Sunday has literally brought life to a standstill in several parts of the city.

Over the past two days, the opposition Congress party and ruling BJP in the state, have been sparring over the collapse of civic infrastructure in the city.

The state government will provide Rs 300 crore to deal with rain which has been lashing across the state, the chief minister said.

--IANS
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