Vienna, July 11 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday termed his Austria visit “historic” and “immensely productive” and said it has added “vigour” to the two countries’ friendship.

Wrapping up his visit to Austria – the first by an Indian Prime Minister in 41 years, PM Modi, in a post on X, said he was happy to have attended diverse programmes in Vienna and thanked Chancellor Karl Nehammer, the Austrian government, and the people for their hospitality and affection.

PM Modi, who reached Vienna on Tuesday evening from Moscow, was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Federal Chancery on Wednesday morning.

He was warmly received by Chancellor Nehammer who had last week called the Indian Prime Minister’s visit to Vienna as a “special honour” as it came at a time when the two countries are marking 75 years of diplomatic relations.

Following their talks on Wednesday, PM Modi said that India and Austria have identified “new possibilities” to further strengthen mutual cooperation besides also deciding to give a strategic direction to their bilateral ties.

In a joint statement along with the Austrian Chancellor, he said that he also held detailed discussions on the current geopolitical situation in the world, including the conflict in Ukraine or the situation in West Asia.

He mentioned that mutual trust and shared interests have strengthened India-Austria relations.

The Prime Minister also said that India and Austria will work together in areas such as infrastructure development, innovation, renewable energy, hydrogen, water and waste management, artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum technology and a blueprint for cooperation over the coming decades has been prepared.

He said that the startup bridge will be accelerated to connect the youth and ideas of both countries, and an agreement on mobility and migration partnership has already been reached, as well as on promoting exchanges between cultural and educational institutions will be promoted.

The PM also said that Austria had been invited to join the International Solar Alliance, Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, and the Biofuel Alliance.

Addressing a group of leading Austrian and Indian CEOs from diverse sectors including infrastructure, automobile, energy, engineering and start-ups along with Chancellor Nehammer, Prime Minister Modi called on the Austrian business stakeholders to look at the fast-unfolding opportunities in India, as the country moves to become the third-largest economy in the world over the next few years.

He urged Austrian majors to leverage the Indian economic landscape for high-quality and cost-effective manufacturing under the Make in Inda programme both for the domestic and international market, and as a global supply chain destination, and utilise the investment opportunities in India.

PM Modi also met Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen who noted that his country needs India as a partner in a structurally sustainable transformation towards climate neutrality.

Thanking the Indian Prime Minister for visiting Austria, Van der Bellen stated that both countries can work in several areas, including the fight against climate change.

Prime Minister Modi also met Nobel physics laureate Anton Zeilinger and explored the possibilities around quantum technologies, along with a discussion over spirituality. After the meeting, the Austrian scientist said he experienced that PM Modi is a very spiritual person.

The PM also met distinguished Austrian Indologists Professor Birgit Kellner, Dr Martin Gaenszle, Dr Borayin Larios, and Dr Karin Preisendanz and discussed the rich tapestry of Indian history, philosophy, art, and culture, along with the origins of Indology in Austria.

Concluding his visit with an address to the Indian diaspora in Vienna, he said that the world sees India with great hope and everyone across the globe wants to learn more about India.

He also said that India and Austria, though geographically distant, have many similarities.

“Democracy connects both countries (India and Austria). Our shared values are liberty, equality, pluralism, and respect for the rule of law. Our societies are multicultural and multilingual. Both countries, celebrate diversity, and a big medium to reflect these values are elections,” the PM said to loud cheers.

–IANS

Hyderabad, July 10 (IANS) Hyderabad Airport Metro Ltd (HAML) Managing Director N.V.S. Reddy, along with the engineering team of HAML and engineering experts of general consultant (SYSTRA), inspected a couple of proposed corridors under the second phase of Hyderabad Metro to overcome engineering challenges.

They inspected the Miyapur-Patancheru and LB Nagar-Hayathnagar Metro Phase-II corridors, and the Mailardevpally-Aramghar-New High Court spur line, which are on the national highways.

Reddy also held a meeting with National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) officials at the Metro Rail Bhavan to address the engineering challenges due to the presence of existing flyovers and new flyovers under construction on these routes.

It was decided that the LB Nagar-Hayathnagar Metro Phase-II corridor (around 7 km) will be built as an extension of the existing Metro viaduct at LB Nagar Junction between the two existing flyovers of the GHMC. The alignment of the corridor will be in the central median from LB Nagar Jn up to the proposed Chintalkunta Metro station. From Chintalkunta up to Hayatnagar, the Metro alignment will be on the left side service road in view of the four new flyovers being constructed by the NHAI.

The engineering drawings of the under-construction flyovers and the Metro Rail pillars, viaduct, and stations will be reconciled by both authorities to avoid any possible conflicts. The location of some of the six proposed Metro stations in this corridor will be slightly readjusted in such a way that they can be accessed easily from both sides of the national highway in a seamless way across the flyovers, the HAML said.

In the Miyapur-Patancheru Metro corridor (around 13 km), the Metro viaduct is proposed to be built by and large in the central median of the national highway except at BHEL Junction.

Since a 1.2 km long flyover is being planned at Gangaram (Madinaguda area) by the NHAI, both HAML and NHAI engineers would explore the feasibility of jointly constructing a double-decker flyover-cum-Metro viaduct for this length. HAML will prepare and submit a typical cross-section drawing of the double-decker arrangement with the NH flyover at the lower level and the Metro viaduct at the top level for approval of the NHAI.

At the under-construction flyover at BHEL Junction, the Metro alignment will be taken to the left side of the flyover, duly integrating the proposed BHEL Metro station with the TGSRTC bus stop at BHEL Junction. In the Mailardevpally and New High Court spur line (over 5 km) which takes off at Mailardevpally Junction from Nagole-LB Nagar-Shamshabad Airport Metro corridor, the Metro alignment will initially be on the left side of the PVNR Expressway at Aramghar. It will then be taken to the right side (Agriculture University side) at a suitable location between the PVNR Expressway and the Agriculture University flyover.

–IANS

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Paris, July 10 (IANS) South Korean tech giant Samsung on Wednesday unveiled the all-new Galaxy Z Fold6 and Z Flip6 foldables, along with wearable devices, with new features at its ‘Unpacked’ event here.

The Galaxy Z Fold6, Z Flip6 and wearable devices (Galaxy Ring, Buds3 series, Watch7 and Watch Ultra) will be available for pre-order starting July 10, with general availability from July 24.

Galaxy Z Fold6 will be available in Silver Shadow, Pink and Navy colours while Galaxy Z Flip6 will come in Silver Shadow, Yellow, Blue and Mint colour options, said the company.

“Our foldables meet the unique needs of every user and now enhanced by the power of Galaxy AI, Samsung is delivering an experience like never before,” said TM Roh, President and Head of Mobile eXperience Business at Samsung Electronics.

The latest additions to our wearables portfolio “enables you to take control of your health and wellness with preventative healthcare solutions,” he added.

Both the Galaxy Z Fold6 and Z Flip6 come equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Mobile Platform for Galaxy. The processor is optimised for AI processing and offers enhanced graphics along with improved overall performance, the company said.

The Galaxy Z Fold6 offers a range of AI-powered features and tools that maximise the large screen and significantly enhance productivity.

The latest Google Gemini app comes fully integrated on the new Galaxy Z series, providing you with an AI-powered assistant right on your phone.

Moreover, Galaxy Z Fold6 offers an upgraded gaming experience, anchored by its powerful chipset and 1.6x larger vapour chamber for the ability to game for longer, while still maintaining performance.

On the other hand, the Flip6 comes with a range of new customisation and creativity features so users can make the most of every moment.

According to the company, the 3.4-inch Super AMOLED FlexWindow has been enhanced yet again, enabling AI-assisted functions without even needing to open the device.

FlexWindow provides access to Samsung Health updates and notifications and also allows you to select the next track you want to listen to on your music widget.

Further, the company mentioned that the new 50MP wide and 12MP ultra-wide sensors provide an upgraded camera experience with clear and crisp details in pictures.

The company also unveiled Galaxy Ring with its proven sensor technology.

Designed for 24/7 health monitoring, the Galaxy Ring is lightweight, weighing from 2.3-3 grams.

It claims to offer up to seven days of battery life and comes in three colours — Titanium Black, Titanium Silver and Titanium Gold, along with a kit with nine size options.

Galaxy Ring supports various features such as sleep score, cycle tracking, energy score, wellness tips, heart rate alert, auto workout detection, and others.

Galaxy Watch7 is designed to help users gain a holistic understanding of themselves, while the Watch Ultra unlocks enhanced fitness experiences for next-level achievements with ultimate intelligence and capabilities.

Galaxy Watch7 will be available in two sizes — 40mm and 44mm, while Watch Ultra will be available in a 47mm size in Titanium Gray, Titanium White and Titanium Silver colours, said the company.

–IANS

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New Delhi, July 10 (IANS) PC shipments totalled 60.6 million units in the second quarter (Q2) of 2024 globally, a 1.9 per cent increase from the same quarter of 2023, a new report showed on Wednesday.

According to Gartner, this marks three-consecutive quarters of year-on-year growth for the PC market.

“The low year-on-year growth, together with stabilised sequential growth, indicates that the market is on the right track to recovery,” said Mikako Kitagawa, Director Analyst at Gartner.

“With 7.8 per cent sequential growth between 1Q24 and 2Q24, PC inventory is tracking back to an average level,” she added.

The PC market in the US witnessed the highest shipment volume since the third quarter (Q3) of 2022, with over 18 million PCs shipped, resulting in 3.4 per cent (year-on-year) growth.

“Business PC demand picked up slowly as well, contributing to this growth. Our current expectation is to see surging business PC demand in the US in the second half of 2024,” said Kitagawa.

HP maintained the top spot in the US PC market based on shipments with a 27 per cent market share, followed by Dell with a 25.2 per cent market share.

Moreover, the Asia-Pacific (APAC) market dropped 2.2 per cent (year-on-year) due to the weak China market, offsetting the growth in mature and emerging APAC.

Emerging APAC continued to see mid-single digit growth, led by healthy growth in India.

Mature APAC also saw improving PC demand, resulting in year-on-year growth for the first time in two years, the report said.

–IANS

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Vienna, July 10 (IANS) India and Austria will work together in areas such as infrastructure development, innovation, renewable energy, hydrogen, water and waste management, artificial intelligence (AI), and quantum technology, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said here on Wednesday.

Making a joint statement along with Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, PM Modi said a blueprint for cooperation over the coming decades has been prepared.

“This is not limited to economic cooperation and investment alone,” the Prime Minister said.

“To connect the youth and ideas of both countries, the startup bridge will be accelerated. An agreement on mobility and migration partnership has already been reached. This will facilitate legal migration and the movement of skilled workforce. Exchanges between cultural and educational institutions will be promoted,” he added.

Prime Minister Modi, who arrived in Vienna from Moscow on Tuesday evening, said he and the Austrian Chancellor shared thoughts on challenges faced by humanity, such as climate change and terrorism.

“Regarding climate, we invite Austria to join our initiatives like the International Solar Alliance, Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, and the Biofuel Alliance,” he said.

Earlier, PM Modi was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Federal Chancery as he began his landmark visit to Austria, the first by an Indian Prime Minister to the country in 41 years.

–IANS

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