Donald Trump unlikely to accept PM Narendra Modi's Republic Day invitation

The sources said India has already shortlisted names of two-three heads of states for extending the invitation to be chief guest at the Republic Day parade.

Latest News: US President Donald Trump is unlikely to accept India's invitation to be the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations, sources said Sunday.

The US is understood to have conveyed to New Delhi that Trump may not be able to honour the invitation as he will have pressing engagements, including his State of The Union (SOTU) address, around the time India will celebrate its Republic Day.

This comes at a time when Indo-US ties have witnessed some strain after India went ahead and sealed a deal with Russia to procure a batch of S-400 air defence missile systems, notwithstanding US threat of punitive action under CAATSA (Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act).

The sources said India has already shortlisted names of two-three heads of states for extending invitation to be chief guest at the Republic Day parade.

Earlier this year, the US announced sanctions against Russia under CAATSA for its alleged meddling in the American presidential election in 2016.

Read full story → Trump Republic Day Invitation

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News Source: BS & Business Standard

Chinese brands sold Rs 500 bn worth of smartphones in India in FY18

As per Counterpoint Research's latest analysis on the important Indian smartphone market, the premium smartphone segment (>Rs. 30,000) shipments reached an all-time third quarter peak

 

Business News: Chinese smartphone brands account for over Rs 500 billion worth of purchases in the Indian market in FY18 so far, double of the figure that they logged last year according to a Counterpoint report quoted by the Economic Times.

Indian smartphone market, the premium smartphone segment (>Rs. 30,000) shipments reached an all-time third-quarter peak during Q3 2018 as attractive offers pushed down the cost of ownership for a premium smartphone in India in the recent past.

Typical offers include trade-ins and buybacks, monthly 0% EMI (monthly instalment plans) and instant cashbacks.

These offers strongly appeal to large sections of the population, especially the youth, that are gaining their footing financially and growing into power smartphone users. Furthermore, the features in premium segment smartphones such as full-screen displays, biometric security, dual-cameras, faster processor and support for artificial intelligence have acted as a catalyst for consumers looking to upgrade from a mid-range smartphone.

Smartphone sales in India grew five per cent to an all-time high of 44 million units in the September quarter, driven by strong shipments by handset vendors ahead of the festive season, according to a report by Counterpoint Research.

In the reported quarter, smartphone segment contributed to half of the total handset market (88 million) with brands like Xiaomi, Samsung, Vivo and Oppo recording their individual highest-ever shipments in a single quarter, it said. The shipments grew 24 per cent on sequential basis.

↓↓↓ Read the full Report here ↓↓↓

Smartphone Sales in India

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News Source: BS & Business Standard