Xiaomi is hosting an event in China today to launch the Redmi Note 8, Redmi Note 8 Pro, Redmi TV, and the RedmiBook 14 Refresh laptop. The event will be held at the company's headquarters in Beijing and will begin at 2 pm CST Asia, which is 11:30 am IST.
Xiaomi will be live streaming the event on its Weibo page and on its official website. However, going by all of Xiaomi's events in China, the event will be in Chinese, and the live stream videos will most likely not include any English subtitles.
Redmi Note 7 Pro. Image: Tech2.
The Redmi Note 8 series is believed to compete with the recently-announced Realme XT that sports a 64 MP quad-camera setup. Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 8 Pro are also believed to feature a quad-camera setup with a primary 64 MP sensor.
A recent leak about the Redmi Note 8 Pro also revealed that the device will feature a 6.53-inch IPS LCD with 1080 x 2340 resolution. Something which the company has already confirmed is the MediaTek Helio G90T chipset on the device and the leak adds that the phone will have 6 GB/8 GB of RAM and 64 GB/128 GB of storage variants.
In terms of optics, the phone is said to have a quad-camera setup 64 MP primary sensor, an 8 MP ultra-wide, a 2 MP macro lens, and a 2 MP depth sensor. On the front, the device is said to have a 20 MP selfie snapper. Battery-wise the phone is said to have a 4,500 mAh capacity battery which supports 18W fast charging. The phone also includes other features such as NFC, IR blaster, 3.5mm audio jack, superlinear speaker and smart PA.
Xiaomi recently also confirmed that Redmi Note 8 will come with better cameras, better battery life and a higher screen-to-body ratio than the Note 7 series. It is also expected that the Redmi Note 8 will be accompanied by the Redmi 8 and Redmi 8A as well.
Mi TV 4a pro
As of now, all we know for sure about the Redmi TV is that at least one model of the TV will have a 70-inch screen. This was confirmed by Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun. We could also expect other variants of the TV with smaller displays. Teasers have also revealed that the Redmi TV may feature a pop-up camera for video calls.
As for the RedmiBook 14 laptop, it is expected to be powered by 10th-generation Intel Core processors. The laptop is believed to be a refreshed version of the existing RedmiBook 14, and besides the chipset will apparently feature the same specifications such as a 14-inch full-HD screen, Nvidia GeForce MX250 graphics, and 8 GB of RAM.
Climate change activist Greta Thunberg has finally set foot on American soil.
After a two-week journey across the Atlantic on a sailing boat — Malizia II, Thunberg was greeted by hundreds of fans and media personnel on her arrival in New York. Chants of "Greta... Greta... Greta... " could be heard from the barricades set up for crowds along the port.
As she passed the Statue of Liberty, her boat was met by a flotilla of 17 sailboats sent by the United Nations. Each boat represented one of its sustainable development goals to end poverty, preserve the environment and prevent climate change by 2030.
She then headed up the Hudson River before docking at North Cove Marina near the World Trade Center, New York.
Greta Thunberg stands at the helm of the Malizia II as she approaches New York. image credit: Twitter
Thunberg spoke to the media as soon as she got off the boat. She started her speech by saying, “Well, this is all overwhelming and the ground is still shaking.”
Supporters lined the Manhattan waterfront on Wednesday to welcome @gretathunberg to NYC!
We look forward to seeing Greta & other young people from around the 🌍 at UNHQ for next month's Youth #ClimateAction Summit. https://t.co/HyIMsTCIY4 pic.twitter.com/OslsW015KW
— United Nations (@UN) August 29, 2019
She went on to say “The climate and ecological crisis is a global crisis, the biggest crisis that humanity has ever faced, and if we don’t manage to work together and to cooperate and to work together despite our differences, then we will fail.”
The teenager undertook a 3,000-nautical mile voyage from the UK to America because she refuses to take an aeroplane. She lives a carbon-neutral life and the greenhouse gases that are emitted from planes do not sit well with her. She is in New York to attend and speak at the United Nations Climate Action Summit next month.
During her address to the media, Greta spoke about Trump. When asked if she has a message for him, she said, “My message for him is just: listen to the science. And he obviously doesn’t do that. So as I always say to this question: If no one has been able to convince him about the climate crisis, the urgency, then why should I be able to do that? So I am just going to focus on spreading awareness.”
She also pokes fun at him by saying she was "pretty sure" windmills don't cause cancer, in reference to a comment Trump made at a Republican fundraising event in April.
On a previous occasion, when asked if she would be meeting Trump during her trip to America, her answer was very matter of fact. She said, “Why should I waste time talking to him when he, of course, is not going to listen to me?"
Thunberg was offered a ride on the Malizia II, a racing yacht owned by Pierre Casiraghi, the grandson of the late Prince of Monaco and Hollywood actress Grace Kelly.
The voyage sparked controversy after a spokesman for co-skipper Boris Herrmann told Berlin newspaper TAZ that two people would fly into New York to help take the yacht back to Europe. Hermann himself will also return by plane, according to the spokesman.
Team Malizia's manager insisted, though, that the young activist's journey would be climate neutral, as the flights would "be offset: and that there is no “perfect solution” with regard to sailing across the Atlantic Ocean.
Greta Thunberg poses for a picture aboard the Malizia II. Image credit: Twitter
During the two week voyage, Thunberg endured rough seas and cramped conditions but said she never felt seasick once. She ate freeze-dried food and used a bucket as a toilet.
"It's insane that a 16-year-old has to cross the Atlantic Ocean to make a stand. This, of course, is not something that I want everyone to do," she said, smiling.
The Malizia II yacht left Plymouth in southern England on 14 August, and the teenager marked the first anniversary of the start of her school strike on 20 August.
The 18-meter yacht is very environment-friendly. It has solar panels built on its deck and sides. It also has two hydro-generators that power all the instruments and gadgets on the boat.
Thunberg has been accompanied by her father, Swedish author Svante Thunberg and a cameraman/documentary filmmaker Nathan Grossman. She said her father did not want to take this journey but, “He had to, because I had made up my mind I was going to go and he has to take care of me. He didn’t want to, but I sort of forced him to do it and I think he’s happy he did it.”
Thunberg does not know how she will go back home. But that is still a long way off. She has taken a one-year sabbatical from school to travel and spread awareness about climate change.
A selfie of the crew aboard the Malizia II. Image credit: Twitter
Currently, her plans include getting some rest and taking a shower. She is also looking forward to eating fresh vegetables and not freeze-dried food. She will then join other youngsters striking outside the UN on Friday.
She then plans on visiting other states and countries across America. She will be heading to Canada, Mexico and then to Chile for another UN conference in December.
With input from agencies
Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old climate change activist and arguably, the most prominent voice in climate action today, has just completed a gruelling trans-Atlantic journey from Plymouth, England to New York, USA. After two weeks of sailing, she and her father Svante Thunberg arrived in New York on Wednesday. Thunberg isn't in the Big Apple to enjoy the cheesecake but to attend the UN Climate Action Summit 2019 and the COP25 in Chile.
The Swedish teen caught the attention of news media when she started protesting the inaction of her country's government on climate change a year ago. She stepped out on a Friday with a handmade sign "Skolstrejk för climate" (School Strike for the Climate), standing outside the Swedish Parliament demanding urgent action to protect the futures of school-going kids everywhere. A vegan and advocate of a carbon-neutral lifestyle, Thunberg vowed to never fly in an airplane owing to the large carbon footprint.
A year ago, Greta Thunberg stood outside the Swedish parliament with this sign. Image credit: Twitter
Greta Thunberg's online presence is substantial and has spread far and wide since her solo protest in August 2018. Her physical presence, though, has been limited to areas she can travel to by public transport (road or rail). Her insistence on using only carbon-neutral public transport has influenced fellow Swedes to coin and popularise the term "Flygskam" which translates to "shame of flying." This trend has gained momentum on social media, with many people far and wide opting out of flying considering its footprint.
Thunberg hoped to attend the UN Climate Change Summit, to which was extended an invitation this year, but had turned it down because flying or travelling on a cruise ship was the only foreseeable option. She did not want to go down that road, though. In a video interview with The Associated Press during a Fridays for Future protest (an organization she started that encourages students to skip school on Fridays to protest climate change), she said, "sailing will be the best option."
Greta Thunberg at the school strike for climate. Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
Thunberg admits that taking a boat to North America is difficult — almost impossible. She spent several months finding an alternative, an "optimal" option. While a lot of people reached out to help, nothing seemed quite right.
Along came Malizia II. According to AFP, Thunberg was offered a ride to the US aboard the Malizia II racing sailboat by its owner, German property developer Gerhard Senft. Senft came upon Thunberg's trans-Atlantic problem online and offered help. So did the founder of the Malizia, Pierre Casiraghi.
A selfie of the crew aboard the Malizia II. Image credit: Twitter
Thunberg was no short of company on the trip — accompanied by her father, Swedish author Svante Thunberg, Swedish documentary filmmaker Nathan Grossman who filmed their journey, the boat's captain and navigator Boris Herrmann and Team Malizia II founder Casiraghi.
A map showing the journey Malizia II took to New York.
Thunberg and her crew started the long traverse across the Atlantic on 14 August and was expected to reach New York by 28 August. They had a distance of 3,000 nautical miles (~5550 kilometres) to cover from the UK to New York in two weeks. Despite it being hurricane season in the Atlantic, it was smooth sailing all the way (no pun intended), except for a spot of foul weather in the last leg of their journey.
We are on our way!
Leaving Plymouth and heading for New York. Follow our journey here https://t.co/qJn5ShWQbB pic.twitter.com/U2Lbv3Xgzs— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) August 14, 2019
The entire duration of her journey has been documented online for her followers to see with daily updates and images on her social feed.
The Malizia is a racing sailboat that's been used in multiple different races all over the world. It even emerged victorious in a few of them. The 60-foot-long sailboat uses the wind to propel it forward. While the boat does have a combustion engine on board, it won't be used in the duration of the journey. It was officially sealed-off for use in emergencies.
The engine is otherwise also used to dock and leave the port, however, in keeping with the carbon-neutral spirit of the journey, that won't be done either. When the yacht reaches the port, they will have electric boats that accompany them and help them in docking.
The Malizia II yacht that got Greta Thunberg to New YOrk. Image credit: Twitter
Malizia II has a website, which claims the boat could reach speeds of up to 16 knots (~30 kmph). A tweet from Thunberg, however, suggested they had crossed that limit, reaching 25-30 knots on Day 12 of the journey. For electricity, the boat is fitted with hydro-generators and solar panels. These are permanent fittings in Malizia II, attached to the hull of the boat. Between the two, the boat is supplied with more than enough energy to power the motor and all the other equipment on board, the website states.
The sails of the boat are covered with the slogans "Unite behind the science", "A race we must win" and "Climate Action now."
In light of Thunberg's voyage to sail to NY, there weren't any major changes made to Malizia II, according to the team’s official website. The main aim of the trip was to travel to another continent in a carbon-neutral manner. The boat, crafted to race, is designed keeping speed at the heart of its slender, skeleton outline.
The yacht has four beds and mattresses that were added to make it better suited for someone unaccustomed to life on the sea. Both skippers, Herrmann and Casiraghi, have been alternating and sharing a bed between them for the journey. Thunberg, her father and the filmmaker have been assigned a bed each. For whatever use curtains would be out at sea, those, too, provided some privacy when it came time for sleep.
Borris Herrmann along with Greta Thunberg aboard the Malizia II. Image credit: Team Malizia
The food onboard is nothing to write home about — along the lines of astronaut-food while at the space station. Being vegan, Thunberg feels strongly against the carbon-intensive meat habit. The food was "freeze-dried and vacuum-packed".
The interior of the yacht. image credit: Twitter-
For all its beauty and engineering, Malizia II has no bathroom, toilet or running water. Talking to CNN, Thunberg said, "we all have to do it in a bucket and that is fine". She has said that the journey won’t be easy but "that I can live with."
After her visit to New York, Thunberg intends to travel to the annual UN climate conference in December, which will be held in Chile this year. She also plans to stop in Canada, Mexico and other countries along the way, traveling by train and bus while there. However, Thunberg has said that she does not know how she is going to go back home. The boat will be going back to Europe after dropping Thunberg and her father in New York. Their filmmaker companian, Nathan Grossman, will also be accompanying Thunberg during her trip.
A spokesperson for Herrmann, the boat's captain, said that team Malizia will be flying two of their crewmembers to the US to return the yacht to Europe. This carbon-intensive step was necessary since the journey was a last-minute plan, and Malizia only had one boat to spare for it. Herrmann, too, will be flying back in a few days' time.
Malizia II near the shore. Image credit: Team Malizia
The manager of team Malizia II, Holly Cova, shared an oddly specific bunch of words about Thunberg's "journey" being "carbon neutral" in a statement. Flights that the crew will take will be offset (somehow). She also acknowledged that they do not have a perfect solution to sail across the ocean without leaving a carbon footprint. At least not as yet.
In a tie-up with Max-Planck Institute—Germany, Malizia II has taken on the 'The Malizia Ocean Challenge'. The team has equipment on board to study the ocean and help study the acidification of oceans around the world. The study looks at the impact of climate change, while also measuring carbon dioxide levels in the ocean. The boat has an onboard laboratory to facilitate this. During her voyage, Thunberg, too, got to be a part of this experience.
Also Read: How Greta Thunberg mobilised millions to act on climate emergency in just a year
