Ukraine conflict: Evacuation planned in frontline town of Avdiivka

Ukrainian officials are preparing for a possible evacuation of the eastern frontline town of Avdiivka amid renewed fighting with pro-Russian rebels.

If evacuation takes place, officials say up to 8,000 people could be removed each day from the government-held town, which has no water or electricity.

Shelling and the deaths of several more people were reported by both sides on Tuesday.

Each blames the other for the upsurge in violence.

It erupted despite an attempt to renew a ceasefire last month.

Ukrainian forces say the outbreak began when rebels launched an attack on Avdiivka, which borders land controlled by the separatists.

Seven soldiers and a number of rebels have been killed in recent days, and there have been civilian casualties on both sides but precise numbers are unclear.

Bread queues

For several hours 200 coal miners were trapped underground on Tuesday when shelling cut power at a pit in the rebel-run area of Donetsk.

Engineers at Zasyadko eventually managed to get generators working and started bringing the miners back to the surface.

"Everything is going bad," a resident in Avdiivka told the BBC. "People are scared and try to go out. It's very cold. There are bread queues. Only a few shops are open," said the woman, who identified herself as Nadiya.

On Tuesday, the head of the Kiev-appointed administration, Pavlo Zhebrivsky, said plans were being made for an evacuation of residents.

"As of now, we can evacuate up to 8,000 people in the course of the day. The region's towns are ready to receive up to 9,000 people," he was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency.

The population of the town is uncertain but is believed to range between 16,000 and 22,000.

Officials say the evacuation will go ahead if the fighting escalates further. About 10 tonnes of food will soon arrive in the city, they add.

Why is Avdiivka so important? By Anastasiya Gribanova, BBC Ukrainian

Recaptured from pro-Russian rebels in 2014, Avdiivka is a key stronghold for the Ukrainian army which it is desperately trying to retain.

The town is close to rebel-controlled Donetsk and important roads and intersections used by the rebels to transport machinery and ammunition.

Just as important is the town's coking and chemical plant - the biggest of its kind in Europe. If it fell into rebel hands it would cut much-needed supplies to Ukraine's steel industry.

The renewed violence coincided with President Donald Trump's first phone-callwith Russian President Vladimir Putin since he took office.

The Kiev government fears it may lose US support during Mr Trump's presidency. According to the Kremlin, Mr Trump and the Russian leader agreed to a "partner-like co-operation" on issues including Ukraine.

While Ukraine accuses rebels of starting the violence, Russian government spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Tuesday blamed government forces.

"Such aggressive actions, supported by the armed forces of Ukraine, undermine the aims and the task of realising the Minsk accords," he said on Tuesday.

A ceasefire was agreed in Minsk in February 2015 but there have been frequent violations. The latest truce began on 23 December.

More than 9,700 people have died since the conflict erupted in 2014, as Russia annexed Ukraine's southern Crimea peninsula, and pro-Russian rebels later launched an insurgency in the east.

The US and EU imposed sanctions on Russia in response to its actions in eastern Ukraine. Russia has denied backing the rebels.

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-38807778

Austria to ban full-face veil in public places

Austria's ruling coalition has agreed to prohibit full-face veils in public spaces such as courts and schools.

It is also considering a more general ban on state employees wearing the headscarf and other religious symbols.

The measures are seen as an attempt to counter the rise of the far-right Freedom Party, whose candidate narrowly lost last month's presidential vote.

The centrist coalition nearly collapsed last week amid crisis negotiations over the government's future direction.

'Symbolic' step

Detailing the package of reforms, the coalition devoted just two lines to the planned ban on the Islamic niqab and burqa.

"We are committed to an open society, which also presupposes open communication. A full-face veil in public places stands in its way and will therefore be banned," it said.

An estimated 150 women wear the full niqab in Austria but tourism officials have expressed fears that the measures will also deter visitors from the Gulf.

One government spokesman told an Austrian newspaper that the ban would apply for ski resorts such as Zell am See as much as the centre of Vienna.

Several European countries have imposed similar bans but the Austrian move is, according to the vice chancellor a "symbolic" step.

Integration Minister Sebastian Kurz said it was important to be seen to be neutral, especially for anyone dealing with the public in the police or schools.

France and Belgium introduced a burqa ban in 2011 and a similar measure is currently going through the Dutch parliament.

Chancellor Angela Merkel said last month that the full-face veil should be prohibited in Germany "wherever it is legally possible". The UK does not ban the niqab or burqa.

Further measures agreed by Austria's Social Democrats and their conservative People's party partners include electronic tagging of former jihadists and a proposed curb on foreign workers.

Many of the plans must be hammered out in detail and receive parliamentary approval before they can come into force, BBC Vienna correspondent Bethany Bell reports.

What is a niqab and a burka?

The niqab is a veil for the face that leaves the area around the eyes clear. However, it may be worn with a separate eye veil. It is worn with an accompanying headscarf.

The burka is the most concealing of all Islamic veils. It is a one-piece veil that covers the face and body, often leaving just a mesh screen to see through.

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-38808495

India admits rupee withdrawal bad for economy

India's controversial withdrawal of high value banknotes late last year has had an "adverse impact" on the economy, the government has admitted.

The country's Economic Survey, released on the eve of the national budget, said the measures had slowed growth.

The dramatic move to scrap 500 ($7.60) and 1,000 rupee notes was intended to crack down on corruption and so-called black money or illegal cash holdings.

But it also led to a cash shortage, hurting individuals and businesses.

The report forecast that India's economy would grow 6.5% in the year to March 2017, down from 7.6% the previous financial year.

But it also stressed that the estimate was based "mainly" on data from before the note withdrawal kicked in - causing some to suspect growth may be lower still.

India's Finance minister Arun Jaitley who will deliver the Union budget in Delhi on Wednesday, said he expected the economy to "revert to normal" from March onwards after supplies of cash in the economy were replenished.

'Reduced demand'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the so-called "demonetisation" policy on November 8 last year.

Within hours the two notes were no longer accepted as legal tender - taking the equivalent of about 86% of India's cash supplies out of circulation and sparking scenes of chaos outside banks and cash machines.

Low-income Indians, traders and ordinary savers who rely on the cash economy were badly hit, with hordes thronging banks to deposit expired money and withdraw lower denominations.

"The adverse impact... on GDP will be transitional", the government's chief economic adviser, Arvind Subramanian, wrote in the report.

"Growth slowed as demonetisation reduced demand ... and increased uncertainty," he added, saying negative impacts included including job losses and falling income for farmers.

However the report said the scheme could be "beneficial in the long-run" if corruption fell and there were fewer cash transactions - many of which are done to dodge taxes.

'Acknowledgement'

The government has previously said the move was a success with the banks flush with cash and significant increases in tax collection.

"It's very nice to understand that the survey is acknowledging the negative impact," said Aneesh Srivatava, chief investment officer at IDBI Federal.

"This is perhaps the first acknowledgement coming from the government. Otherwise so far there has been a denial."

Deadlines for spending the notes or swapping them for new currency have already passed.

Some people, including those of Indian origin living abroad, will be able to exchange the notes in branches of India's central bank until 31 March 2017 - but the process will be more complicated than going to a regular bank.

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/business-38807695

India IT sector fears new US H-1B visa bill for skilled workers

India is concerned that a new US bill designed to limit the number of highly skilled workers entering will heavily impact the country's IT industry.

The bill introduced to the US House of Representatives proposes doubling the minimum salary of H-1B visa holders to $130,000 from $60,000.

Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, introducing the bill, said it would stop companies "replacing" American workers.

India's foreign ministry said it had expressed concern to the US.

"India's interests and concerns have been conveyed both to the US administration and the US Congress at senior levels," a statement from the ministry said.

Indian media organisations have described the move as a big setback to the IT industry.

The proposed new legislation mainly targets foreign companies based in the US that bring in foreign employees on the visa quota.

Google recalls staff after Trump order

A senior official from India's IT body told the BBC that the bill was "disappointing".

"The new bill does not treat all IT companies with H-1B visa holders equally," Shivendra Singh, vice-president and head of global trade development of the National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom), told the BBC.

"If the objective is to protect American workers, then this bill will defeat that objective. Companies that are not dependant on H-1B visas will continue to bring in skilled workers on lower wages which will nullify the whole objective of saving US jobs."

Amar Ambani, the head of research of India Infoline, said that if the bill were implemented, it would be "horrible" news for India's IT sector.

"More than 50% of their revenues come from that market. And this comes at a time when India's IT sector is already facing challenges to improve their margins and profitability," he told the BBC.

The H-1B has a cap of 65,000 visas each financial year, according to US Citizenship and Immigration Services. Around 85% go to Indians, many of whom work in the IT industry.

The phrase H-1B is the top trend on Twitter in India.

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-38808445

Russian doping scandal: Emails confirm Lord Coe 'aware' of claims

Claims that Lord Coe misled an MPs' inquiry have grown after new emails confirmed he was "made aware" of corruption allegations in his sport four months before they became public.

The president of the IAAF, athletics' governing body, told a select committee in December 2015 he was "not aware" of specific allegations of corruption around the Russian doping scandal.

But the email from Lord Coe to the IAAF's ethics commission in August 2014 states: "I have now been made aware of the allegations."

In 2015, Lord Coe told Parliament: "I was certainly not aware of the specific allegations that had been made around the corruption of anti-doping processes in Russia."

Lord Coe denies there is any discrepancy between his evidence and what the emails say he knew.

MPs had wanted the IAAF [International Association of Athletics Federations] president to return to the committee after former athlete David Bedford's testimony to the Culture, Media and Sport select committee inquiry into doping in sport appeared to contradict Lord Coe's.

The president has so far declined to return to the committee, but agreed to two requests from MPs to release missing correspondence between him and Michael Beloff, chair of the IAAF ethics commission.

The emails, published on Tuesday by the committee, cast fresh light on the issue of what Lord Coe knew - and when - about the burgeoning Russian corruption and doping scandal which has blighted world athletics.

Committee chairman Damian Collins told the BBC: "Whatever excuse he gives, it is clear that Lord Coe decided not to share with the committee information that was relevant to our inquiry on doping in sport.

"The committee asked him about his knowledge of doping in Russian athletics and of corruption within the sport. In his answers, he gave the impression that he was unaware of specific allegations.

"Thanks to evidence that was presented by the BBC Panorama programme last year, and by David Bedford to the committee this January, we can see that he was aware, at least in general terms, of the allegations that had been brought forward by the Russian athlete Liliya Shobukhova."

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan MP, shadow minister for sport, said: "These are very troubling allegations. The release of these emails by the select committee casts serious doubts over the evidence previously given by Lord Coe to the inquiry.

"World Athletics is going through one of the most serious doping scandals in its history and requires the strongest possible leadership. Lord Coe must immediately come back to the Select Committee and clarify his evidence in light of this new information.

"He must be honest about which allegations he knew of and when he found out about them. The IAAF and BOA [British Olympic Association] need transparency and honesty throughout their organisations now more than ever, and that has to start at the very top."

The background

Last June the BBC's Panorama programme and the Daily Mail alleged Lord Coe - then an IAAF vice-president - had been alerted to the scandal months before it was revealed by the German journalist Hajo Seppelt in December 2014.

The programme revealed Lord Coe had been sent an email by Bedford, the former world 10,000m record holder, containing several attachments detailing allegations from Russian marathon champion Shobukhova that she had paid almost half a million euros to cover up positive doping tests after being blackmailed by senior IAAF officials.

Collins told Panorama it appeared Lord Coe had "deliberately misled" them.

Lord Coe told the programme he hadn't opened the attachments and had simply forwarded the email on to the IAAF's Ethics Committee, and that since he did not open the attachments, he had not been aware of the detail of the corruption allegations and therefore had not misled Parliament.

His spokeswoman told the BBC his failure to open the attachments had been nothing more than a "lack of curiosity".

In his evidence to the select committee in December, Bedford said he was "surprised and disappointed" that Lord Coe, who became president of the IAAF in August 2015, said he had not opened the attachments.

However, fresh questions have emerged for Lord Coe following his disclosure to the committee of the full email chain between him and Mr Beloff.

What does the email say?

The email, from Lord Coe to Mr Beloff, is dated August 2014 and reads: "I have in the last couple of days received copied documentation of serious allegations being made by and on behalf of the Russian female athlete Shobukhova from David Bedford.

"I have spoken to David today on the phone and he advises me that he has shared this information with you. Should I forward this documentation to you?

"The purpose of this note is of course to advise you that I have now been made aware of the allegations...but would be grateful for your advice."

What does Lord Coe say now?

In a detailed four-page letter to the Select Committee, which accompanies the disclosure of the emails, Lord Coe says there is "no discrepancy".

He said he was not asked specifically by MPs about when he first heard of the corruption of doping cases.

He said he was on holiday abroad when he received a call from Mr Bedford asking if he was aware of the Shobukhova allegations, and on answering "no", Mr Bedford agreed to send them without going into the detail of what the allegations were.

Lord Coe says he then dictated the 14 August email to an assistant.

The letter to the Committee reads: "David had thought the allegations were serious enough to send information about them first to the ethics commission and then to me, and I knew I therefore had a duty to inform the ethics commission that I was aware of allegations having being made, and I wanted to ensure that Michael [Beloff] had all the information David [Bedford] had sent to me."

Mr Beloff responded on 16 August 2014 that he already had the information.

Lord Coe wrote: "Having received these responses from Michael [Beloff] I was satisfied that I had done what I was required to do under the code of ethics.

"I have made clear I did not read David Bedford's emailed documents but asked my office to forward them to the person and the commission with exclusive authority to investigate.

"I trust this clarifies the matter to the satisfaction of the committee, and as such there are no grounds for suggesting that I misled the committee in any way."

More questions for Lord Coe?

Questions remain as to why Lord Coe, if he was unaware of the detail of the allegations, would state to Beloff he had "now been made aware of the serious allegations being made by, and on behalf of the Russian female athlete Shobukhova".

Collins told the BBC: "It was not possible to know this, without some knowledge of the attachments contained in the email, as all David Bedford's email to Lord Coe said was that the documents he was sending to him related to 'an issue that is being investigated by the IAAF ethics commission'.

"However, if it is true that Lord Coe was somehow unaware of the details of the complaint that had been made by Shobukhova, it is regrettable that neither he nor his team could find the time to read the 1700 word summary of the allegations that was sent to him by David Bedford.

"This episode adds further weight to the concern that senior figures within athletics could have done more to make themselves fully aware of serious allegations of corruption and doping within their sport, and then acted on that information to make sure that it was being properly investigated."

Lord Coe, as a member of the House of Lords, cannot be compelled to give evidence to a select committee, unlike members of the public, but it is likely that the committee will take a dim view on Lord Coe's refusal to return when writing up their final report on doping in sport, which is expected to be published within weeks.

The BBC Panorama programme also revealed claims Lord Coe had been helped to the presidency of the IAAF by Papa Massata Diack, at a time when Diack was under investigation for serious corruption.

Diack, who is the son of the disgraced former president of the IAAF Lamine Diack, is now banned for life from athletics, is wanted by Interpol and remains in hiding in Senegal. Lord Coe denied anything inappropriate occurred during his election campaign.

Source: http://www.bbc.com/sport/athletics/38809210

Trump sacks defiant acting attorney general Sally Yates

onald Trump has fired the acting US attorney general after she questioned the legality of his immigration ban.

Sally Yates, who was appointed by Barack Obama, ordered justice department lawyers not to enforce the president's executive order.

A White House statement accused Ms Yates of "betraying" the justice department and being "weak on borders".

Mr Trump replaced her with Dana Boente, US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Mr Boente said he was "honoured to serve President Trump" and immediately directed his department to enforce the controversial order.

Mr Trump also replaced the acting director of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Daniel Ragsdale, who has been in the post since 20 January. He is the former deputy director.

No reason was given for Mr Ragsdale's sacking. He has been replaced by Thomas Homan, the executive associate director of enforcement and removal.

Mr Trump's order temporarily banned nationals from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the US, and sparked street protests in the US and abroad.

Ms Yates, a career prosecutor who served as deputy attorney general under Barack Obama, said in a letter that she was "not convinced" that the president's order was lawful.

"As long as I am the acting attorney general, the department of justice will not present arguments in defence of the Executive Order," she said.

Within hours, the White House announced: "President Trump relieved Ms Yates of her duties."

A statement claimed she had "betrayed the department of justice by refusing to enforce a legal order designed to protect the citizens of the United States".

It also described her as "weak on borders and very weak on illegal immigration".

Democrats hits back at Ms Yates' dismissal. Senator Chuck Schumer, the party leader, said in a statement that the "attorney general should be loyal and pledge fidelity to the law, not the White House. The fact that this administration doesn't understand that is chilling".

---

"Monday Night Massacre?" Analysis by Anthony Zurcher, North America reporter, BBC News

Donald Trump's critics are calling it the "Monday Night Massacre". That's a reference to President Richard Nixon's Saturday night sacking of his attorney general during the depths of the Watergate scandal of 1973, the last time top justice department officials were forced out by a president.

This time around is a bit different, however. Acting Attorney General Sally Yates essentially forced Mr Trump's hand when she ordered justice department lawyers not to defend the president's recent immigration order in court.

Mr Trump could not abide such defiance from an Obama Administration holdover due for replacement soon anyway. Once again, however, his White House team could not help but turn the rhetorical volume up to 11 in announcing the firing, accusing Ms Yates of having "betrayed" the justice department.

Ms Yates's move follows on the heels of a similarly extraordinary reaction to a letter, signed by more than 100 career state department officials, condemning the immigration action as un-American.

It's easy to imagine that this administration - just over a week in power - feels set against a Washington bureaucracy seeking to undermine it at every turn. If that kind of bunker mentality grows in the days ahead, this political bloodletting likely will be only the beginning.

Her replacement, Mr Boente, was also appointed by Barack Obama, in 2015. He was confirmed by the US Senate - making him eligible for appointment while Mr Trump waits for his own nominee to be approved.

Senator Jeff Sessions is awaiting a confirmation hearing for the role later this week.

Meanwhile, hundreds of diplomats and foreign servants have been drafting a "dissent cable" to formally criticise the president's executive order.

A draft version of the cable said that immigration restrictions will not make the US safer, are un-American and will send the wrong message to the Muslim world.

The ban bars citizens from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

The White House has consistently defended Mr Trump's executive order despite the controversy, with press secretary Sean Spicer saying diplomats should "get with the programme".

In addition, former President Barack Obama has apparently broken with the convention of former presidents avoiding comment on their successors.

Commenting on the protests about the immigration order, President Obama said he was "heartened".

"Citizens exercising their constitutional right to assemble, organise and have their voices heard by their elected officials is exactly what we expect to see when American values are at stake," he said in a statement, which did not mention Mr Trump by name.

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38805944

Senegal troops poised at the Gambia border as Jammeh mandate ends

Senegalese troops backed by other African forces are poised to enter the Gambia on Thursday after last-ditch diplomatic efforts to persuade the long-time president, Yahya Jammeh, to stand down appear to have failed.

Jammeh’s mandate ended at midnight but he has steadfastly refused to leave office after losing elections last month to Adama Barrow, prompting west African states to ramp up pressure on the president. The Gambia has been in a state of political uncertainty since Jammeh refused to cede power, using the courts and parliament to try to extend his 22-year rule.

On Tuesday Jammeh had announced a national state of emergency, prompting the UK Foreign Office to change its travel advice and warn against all but essential travel to the Gambia.

Witnesses said the situation was calm in the capital, Banjul, overnight, although troops had been deployed in the city.

Fears of violence have prompted tens of thousands of people, many of them children, to flee the Gambia through its land borders. As tourists were evacuated amid scenes of chaos at Banjul airport on Wednesday, Col Abdou Ndiaye, a spokesman for the Senegalese army, said troops were at the Gambian border and would enter the country at midnight if the deadline for a transfer of power passed. “We are ready,” he told Reuters. “If no political solution is found, we will step in.”

Soldiers from Nigeria, Mali, Togo, Ghana and Senegal make up the regional force, but it is being headed by a Senegalese general and has the backing of the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), which has repeatedly called on Jammeh to stand down.

Jammeh’s army chief said late on Wednesday his troops would not fight their entry into the country. “We are not going to involve ourselves militarily. This is a political dispute,” the chief of defence staff, Ousman Badjie, said after eating dinner in a tourist district close to Banjul, eyewitnesses told Agence France-Presse.

“I am not going to involve my soldiers in a stupid fight. I love my men,” he added. “If they [the Senegalese] come in, we are here like this,” Badjie said, putting his hands up in a surrender gesture.

In a last-ditch attempt to persuade Jammeh to accept a deal and leave the country, the president of Mauritania, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, flew in to Banjul on Wednesday. Members of the opposition remained hopeful that Jammeh would go peacefully with Abdel Aziz rather than face war. “He’s been calling [Ecowas’s] bluff but I don’t think he wants to die,” said James Gomez, a senior member of the coalition that is poised to govern the country.

However Abdel Aziz later left the talks and did not take Jammeh with him.

Gomez had earlier said Barrow’s swearing-in as president would not be held in the Gambia’s national stadium as planned.

“We cannot risk bringing people to the stadium,” he said. “It’s not in our hands; it’s in Ecowas’s hands. They want us to follow the constitution, which states that the president’s term ends at midnight.”

The UN security council is scheduled to meet on Thursday to adopt a statement on west Africa that will reaffirm the demand for Jammeh to hand over power, diplomats said.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jan/19/senegal-troops-poised-at-the-gambia-border-as-jammeh-mandate-ends

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 Review

iaomi’s strategy of launching phones with good specifications and low price tags has paid off so far. The Chinese company crossed the $1 billion revenue milestone in India last year thanks to its vast product portfolio which now includes smartphones, fitness bands, earphones, air purifiers, power banks, and other devices. That’s a lot, considering that Xiaomi made its debut in India with the Mi 3 smartphone only in 2014.

For Xiaomi, the Redmi smartphone range has been very important, and it has been well received in the Indian market. The company claims that the Redmi Note 3 and Redmi 3S (including the Redmi 3S Prime) were the top selling devices during last year’s Amazon Great Indian Sale as well as the Flipkart Big Billion Days sale respectively. The Redmi Note 3, in particular, has seen a lot of success in the Indian market. According to the company, 2.3 million Redmi Note 3 devices were sold in just six months. However, that model is almost a year old now, and Xiaomi is finally bringing its successor to the market.

The company on Thursday unveiled its latest Redmi Note series smartphone, the Redmi Note 4. Much like its predecessor, this new model sports an-all metal body and boasts of impressive specifications. While the Chinese version of the Redmi Note 4 was unveiled in August last year with a MediaTek SoC, the one launched in India packs a Qualcomm chip. The Redmi Note 4 has been priced competitively and will be going up against some of the most popular smartphones in the market right now. Will the new Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 be able to continue the company’s dream run in the Indian market, or will it turn out to be a run-of-the-mill device? We find out in our review.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 look and feel
The Redmi Note 4 follows the Redmi Note 3 closely when it comes to design. The front panel of the Redmi Note 4 is very similar to that of its predecessor, with similar capacitive navigation buttons below the display and slim borders around it. There’s also 2.5D curved-edge glass across the front, giving this phone a premium feel. The all-metal phone feels sturdy, and compared to the Redmi Note 3, the rear panel on the Redmi Note 4 is less slippery.

The rear of the Redmi Note 4 is a bit different though, featuring design contours more reminiscent of the Xiaomi Mi 5 (Review). There are fine antenna bands running across the top and bottom. The rear camera, dual-tone LED flash and fingerprint scanner are set up much the same as on the Redmi Note 3. One of the few differences between the two is that this time around Xiaomi has shifted the speaker grilles from the rear to the bottom. The bottom also houses a Micro-USB port for charging and data transfers, while the top packs a 3.5mm audio jack and an infrared (IR) emitter. The power and volume buttons are placed on the right, and can easily be accessed with fingers.

At 8.3mm, the Redmi Note 4 is slimmer than its predecessor, and just one gram heavier. We had no problem using the Redmi Note 4 with just one hand. The rounded edges of the handset actually fit well in palm without causing any discomfort when used for long periods. When it comes to design, the Redmi Note 4 can be considered the best Redmi smartphone so far. It was launched in China in Dark Grey, and Gold, though Grey seems to have been replaced with an exclusive Matte Black option in India. We received a Gold unit for review.

The 5.5-inch full-HD IPS display has a resolution of 1080×1920 pixels, which works out to a density of 401ppi. Thanks to the full-HD resolution, text and images appear razor sharp. The screen offers punchy colours and decent viewing angles, while sunlight legibility is also great. The screen size makes the Redmi Note 4 well suited to watching videos and movies. You can adjust the colour temperature from the Settings app. A Reading Mode makes the display more comfortable to use while reading.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 specifications and features
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 launched in India is powered by the octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (MSM8953) processor clocked at 2GHz with an integrated Adreno 506 GPU. Xiaomi is selling three variants of this model in India: 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage; 3GB of RAM and 32GB storage; and 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. The company provided us with a sample of the top end variant for our review.

The handset has a hybrid SIM tray which supports one Nano-SIM and one Micro-SIM or a microSD card. Xiaomi notes that both SIM cards support 3G and 4G networks. The company has definitely taken note of complaints of the Redmi Note 3’s 32GB microSD capacity limit. The Redmi Note 4 supports microSD cards of up to 128GB which should be sufficient for most people.

The phone has a non-removable 4100mAh battery which is marginally bigger than the 4050mAh one seen on the Redmi Note 3. There’s a 13-megapixel rear camera with f/2.0 aperture, PDAF (phase detection autofocus), and a dual-tone LED flash. There is also a 5-megapixel front-facing camera with f/2.0 aperture and a fixed-focus lens. Users also get dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1, USB OTG, FM radio, GPS/ A-GPS, Miracast, GLONASS, and BeiDou. Much like the Redmi Note 3, this model also gives NFC connectivity a miss. 4G and VoLTE are supported, and we were happy with call quality.

The Redmi Note 4 runs MIUI 8 based on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. Xiaomi has added plenty of new features including Now on Tap which was one of the highlights of Android Marshmallow, introduced in 2015. Google’s Now on Tap can be triggered within any app just by long-pressing the Home button, and can use what’s on screen as context for your searches. MIUI 8 on the Redmi Note 4 looks light and polished compared to previous versions. We were impressed with the system animations, which look refreshing, including a neat one when you uninstall an app.

MIUI 8 comes with a new Gallery app that automatically syncs stored photos on the device with Mi Cloud. Users get 5GB of free cloud storage on signing up for an account. The Gallery app now comes with video editing and sharing features.

The Quick Ball feature, which was first seen on the Xiaomi Mi Max (Review), is available on the Redmi Note 4 as well. This is a hovering button that stays on the screen at all times, including on the lock screen, and lets users define up to five shortcuts for easy access.
With privacy in mind, the Redmi Note 4 offers Dual Apps and Second Space, two of our favourite software features. The Dual Apps feature, as the name suggests, creates two instances of any app on the same smartphone, so you can, for example, use two WhatsApp accounts at the same time. Second Space, on the other hand, lets users separate business and personal data on the same phone. The feature lets users use two entirely separate Google accounts.

Another highlight of the software is scrolling screenshots, which lets users take screenshots of entire Web pages. Xiaomi has also worked on its dialler app which is now light and easy to use. MIUI 8 brings a caller ID feature to the Redmi Note 4, which eliminates the need for third-party apps such as Truecaller. The Messages app has also received some much-needed tweaks in the latest version, such as the ability to bundle similar messages into folders. In our case, texts received from banks, food chains and other services were moved into one folder, which was helpful in prioritising what to check first. The preloaded Themes app offers plenty of options for wallpapers, ringtones, and icons.

Xiaomi has also included a one-handed mode, which basically shrinks the display to one side of the screen and lets users select effective screen sizes – 3.5, 4, and 4.5 inches.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 has plenty of preloaded apps including Security, Compass, Scanner, Recorder, Feedback, Mi Picks, Mi Community, Mi Remote, Music, Mi Store, Weather, anda default browser. Unfortunately, there is no to uninstall the preloaded Xiaomi apps. We feel that Xiaomi should reduce the number of preloaded apps on its future devices or at least offer the option to uninstall some of them.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 performance
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 was able to handle almost everything we threw at it, and we had no complaints with the octa-core processor. It handled heavy games with ease and we had fun playing Asphalt 8 and Dead Trigger 2 on the device. We were able to use the Redmi Note 4 over the course of a few weeks, and never felt that we needed a more powerful processor. Multitasking on the Redmi Note 4 was quick, and apps launched without delay. Our test unit with 4GB of RAM had enough free memory at any given time. We noticed that 1.8GB of RAM was in use at all times, leaving us sceptical about the experience we would have had using the variant with only 2GB of RAM, which could be more popular due to its lower price.

The Redmi Note 4 is very good for media playback thanks to the excellent IPS display, and it supports high-resolution video files, including 4K ones. The speaker at the bottom is decently loud and we didn’t notice any distortion at higher volumes. Xiaomi didn’t send us a headset with this unit, so we tested audio quality through our own headphones, and were happy enough.

The phone managed an impressive 65,560 in AnTuTu and 42,690 in Quadrant, which is higher than what we got from the recently launched Lenovo P2 (Review) and Asus ZenFone 3 (Review) both featuring the same Snapdragon 625 processor. GPU performance was also good, and we saw a healthy 28fps in the T-Rex test in GFXbench, and 9,029 points in 3D Mark Ice Storm Extreme. These scores are along the lines of what we expected, but it is worth pointing out that the Redmi Note 3 (Review) with a Snapdragon 652 processor achieved better overall scores.

There are plenty of modes to choose from in the camera app, including Beautify, Panorama, and Manual. In the Scenes mode, the device lets users choose from loads of options including portrait, landscape, sports, night, night portrait, beach, snow, sunset, fireworks, backlight, and flowers.You can also apply filters while taking photos, which is nice. The camera app can record videos at full-HD (1080p) resolution and quality is pretty good. Selfies taken with the Redmi Note 4 had good colours and details, but again, those taken in well-lit situations were better than those taken in low light.

The 13-megapixel rear camera can take some decent landscape shots in well-lit as well as low-light situations. Macro shots also appear good, with proper colour accuracy and details. The PDAF feature lets the camera focus on subjects quickly. Low-light shots have good detail, though on zooming in one can see the graininess. The Redmi Note 4 was also able to take good photos of moving subjects.

Xiaomi has focused its efforts on improving camera quality on the Redmi Note 4 after complaints about camera quality on last year’s model, and it’s clear that things are better. However, we’d still like to see low-light performance improved.

The 4100mAh non-removable battery on the Redmi Note 4 lasted for 15 hours and 10 minutes in our continuous video playback test, which is impressive for a battery of this capacity. In real-world use, the phone was able to last for up to two days. With heavy usage, we got to nearly a day and a half without needing to use any of the battery saving modes. We were especially impressed with the handset’s ability to latch on to weak cellular as well as Wi-Fi network signals. We were not provided with a retail box with all accessories for our review, and so we can’t comment on how long it would take to charge with the bundled changer. However, there is no support for quick charging, which would have been a welcome feature at this price level.

Verdict
The Redmi Note 4 is a great package with the only downsides being its hybrid SIM slot, lack of quick charging, and excess of preloaded apps. We think that the Redmi Note 4 will provide tough competition to other smartphones in its price segment, and even some priced a little higher. It scores very well in terms of design, battery life, and performance. For those who are looking for a smartphone with a big screen and great battery performance on a budget, the Redmi Note 4 is easy to recommend.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 has been launched in three variants in India. At a starting price of Rs. 9,999 (2GB RAM + 32GB storage), the Redmi Note 4 is definitely a compelling option for users who are looking for a low-cost device. Our impressions are based on the highest-specced variant, and given the difference in prices between the three, we would suggest people skip the lowest one if they can afford to. The version with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage has been priced just Rs. 1,000 higher at Rs. 10,999, while the version with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage – the one reviewed here – is also a reasonable step up at Rs. 12,999.

Source: http://gadgets.ndtv.com/mobiles/reviews/xiaomi-redmi-note-4-review-1650455