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Finance <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/wont-permit-bjp-to-impose-gabbar-singh-tax-says-rahul-gandhi-23939">Minister Arun Jaitley today announced a revised GST tax structure</a>.

The finance minister said he had reviewed taxes on items in the 28% bracket during the GST Council meeting which concluded on Friday.

New measures:

<ul>
	<li>Taxes on 178 items slashed from 28% to 18%.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Only 50 items in 28% tax bracket.</li>
</ul>

&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>5% tax at restaurants except for 5-star hotels.</li>
</ul>

&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>New tax slabs to be applicable from November 15.</li>
</ul>

&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Eating out is set to become cheaper.</li>
</ul>

&nbsp;

The GST Council pruned the list of items in the top 28 per cent GST&nbsp;slab to just 50 from current 228. Only luxury goods are in the highest tax bracket and items of daily use have been&nbsp;shifted to the 18 per cent&nbsp;category.

As many as 178 items of daily use were shifted from the top tax bracket of 28 per cent to 18 per cent, while a uniform 5 per cent tax was prescribed for all restaurants, both air-conditioned and non-AC, finance Minister Arun Jaitley said after the GST Council meeting.

The Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) said GST Council&#39;s decision to cut tax rate for restaurants to 5 per cent without input tax credit will help restaurants across India rationalise tariffs.

&quot;We are extremely thankful to the government for making these much-required changes in the GST regime. This will help restaurants across India rationalise tariffs,&quot; FHRAI President Garish Oberoi said in a statement.

Deloitte India said in a statement that a uniform tax rate of 12 per cent doing away with tax rate distinction between AC and non-AC restaurants is welcome, but the critical issue of input tax credit eligibility cannot be ignored.

Traders and small businesses complained that GST had increased their administrative and financial burden.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today announced a revised GST tax structure. The finance minister said he had reviewed taxes on items in the 28% bracket during the GST Council meeting which concluded on Friday. New measures: Taxes on 178 items slashed from 28% to 18%. Only 50 items in 28% tax bracket. 5% tax at restaurants except for 5-star hotels. New tax slabs to be applicable from November 15. Eating out is set to become cheaper. The GST Council pruned the list of items in the top 28 per cent GST slab to just 50 from current 228. Only luxury goods are in the highest tax bracket and items of daily use have been shifted to the 18 per cent category. As many as 178 items of daily use were shifted from the top tax bracket of 28 per cent to 18 per cent, while a uniform 5 per cent tax was prescribed for all restaurants, both air-conditioned and non-AC, finance Minister Arun Jaitley said after the GST Council meeting. The Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) said GST Council's decision to cut tax rate for restaurants to 5 per cent without input tax credit will help restaurants across India rationalise tariffs. "We are extremely thankful to the government for making these much-required changes in the GST regime. This will help restaurants across India rationalise tariffs," FHRAI President Garish Oberoi said in a statement. Deloitte India said in a statement that a uniform tax rate of 12 per cent doing away with tax rate distinction between AC and non-AC restaurants is welcome, but the critical issue of input tax credit eligibility cannot be ignored.

GST: Taxes on 178 items slashed, says Jaitley

The United Nations is set to open its first official talks on the use of autonomous weapons, but a treaty governing so-called killer robots remains far off, the ambassador leading the discussions said Friday.&nbsp;

Activists and tech leaders including Tesla&#39;s Elon Musk have called on the UN to ban fully-automated weapons systems that could revolutionize warfare while putting civilians at heightened risk.&nbsp;

The Conference on Disarmament will on Monday open five days of talks on the weaponry, but those calling for a ban will not be satisfied, said Indian ambassador Amandeep Gill, who is chairing the meeting.&nbsp;

&quot;It would be very easy to just legislate a ban but I think... rushing ahead in a very complex subject is not wise,&quot; he told reporters.&nbsp;

&quot;We are just at the starting line.&quot;

He said the discussion, which will also include civil society and technology companies, will be partly focused on understanding the types of weapons in the pipeline.&nbsp;

Proponents of a ban, including the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots pressure group, insist that human beings must ultimately be responsible for the final decision to kill or destroy.&nbsp;

They argue that any weapons system that delegates the decision on an individual strike to an algorithm is by definition illegal because computers cannot be held accountable under the international humanitarian law.

Gill said there was agreement among nations that &quot;human beings have to remain responsible for decisions that involve life and death&quot;.&nbsp;

But, he said, there are varying opinions on the mechanics through which &quot;human control&quot; must govern deadly weapons.&nbsp;

The International Committee of the Red Cross, which is mandated to safeguard the laws of conflict, has also not called for a ban but has underscored the need to place limits on autonomous weapons.&nbsp;&nbsp;

&quot;Our bottom line is that machines can&#39;t apply the law and you can&#39;t transfer responsibility for legal decisions to machines&quot;, Neil Davison of the ICRC&#39;s arms unit told AFP.&nbsp;

He highlighted the problematic nature of weapons systems, where there are major variables in terms of the timing or location of an attack -- for example something that is deployed for multiple hours and programmed to strike whenever it detects an enemy target.&nbsp;

&quot;Where you have a degree of unpredictability or uncertainty in what&#39;s going to happen when you activate this weapons system then you are going to start to have problems for legal compliance&quot;, he said.&nbsp;

Computers cannot be held accountable under the international humanitarian law

The United Nations is set to open its first official talks on the use of autonomous weapons, but a treaty governing so-called killer robots remains far off, the ambassador leading the discussions said Friday. Activists and tech leaders including Tesla's Elon Musk have called on the UN to ban fully-automated weapons systems that could revolutionize warfare while putting civilians at heightened risk. The Conference on Disarmament will on Monday open five days of talks on the weaponry, but those calling for a ban will not be satisfied, said Indian ambassador Amandeep Gill, who is chairing the meeting. "It would be very easy to just legislate a ban but I think... rushing ahead in a very complex subject is not wise," he told reporters. "We are just at the starting line." He said the discussion, which will also include civil society and technology companies, will be partly focused on understanding the types of weapons in the pipeline. Proponents of a ban, including the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots pressure group, insist that human beings must ultimately be responsible for the final decision to kill or destroy. They argue that any weapons system that delegates the decision on an individual strike to an algorithm is by definition illegal because computers cannot be held accountable under the international humanitarian law. Gill said there was agreement among nations that "human beings have to remain responsible for decisions that involve life and death". But, he said, there are varying opinions on the mechanics through which "human control" must govern deadly weapons. The International Committee of the Red Cross, which is mandated to safeguard the laws of conflict, has also not called for a ban but has underscored the need to place limits on autonomous weapons. "Our bottom line is that machines can't apply the law and you can't transfer responsibility for legal decisions to machines", Neil Davison of the ICRC's arms unit told AFP. He highlighted the problematic nature of weapons systems, where there are major variables in terms of the timing or location of an attack -- for example something that is deployed for multiple hours and programmed to strike whenever it detects an enemy target. "Where you have a degree of unpredictability or uncertainty in what's going to happen when you activate this weapons system then you are going to start to have problems for legal compliance", he said.

United Nation is all set to hold it's official talk on the use of Killer Robot

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today met DMK supremo M Karunanidhi at the latter&#39;s Gopalapuram residence here.

The meeting between the two leaders lasted about 20 minutes. Modi sat next to Karunanidhi and held his hands.

Earlier, DMK Working President and Karunanidhi&#39;s son, M K Stalin, welcomed the Prime Minister at the gate and honoured him with a red shawl.

Modi was accompanied by Governor Banwarilal Purohit, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of State for Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan and state BJP chief Tamilisai Soundararajan.

DMK leaders including Kanimozhi, who is the daughter of Karunanidhi, were also present.

Later, the wheelchair-bound Karunanidhi made a brief appearance outside and waved at his supporters who cheered him.

Karunanidhi, who was taken ill in October 2016 due to a drug-induced allergy, was twice admitted to a private hospital in December last.

Karunanidhi has been since confined to his house, but made one rare appearance on October 19 this year when he visited an exhibition here held to showcase the 75-year journey of DMK&#39;s mouthpiece, &#39;Murasoli&#39;.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had called on the nonagenarian DMK patriarch at his residence in December, 2016.

The interior of the car is designed with a large 8-inch floating touchscreen in the top spec trim with Ford's latest SYNC 3 infotainment system

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today met DMK supremo M Karunanidhi at the latter's Gopalapuram residence here. The meeting between the two leaders lasted about 20 minutes. Modi sat next to Karunanidhi and held his hands. Earlier, DMK Working President and Karunanidhi's son, M K Stalin, welcomed the Prime Minister at the gate and honoured him with a red shawl. Modi was accompanied by Governor Banwarilal Purohit, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of State for Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan and state BJP chief Tamilisai Soundararajan. DMK leaders including Kanimozhi, who is the daughter of Karunanidhi, were also present. Later, the wheelchair-bound Karunanidhi made a brief appearance outside and waved at his supporters who cheered him. Karunanidhi, who was taken ill in October 2016 due to a drug-induced allergy, was twice admitted to a private hospital in December last. Karunanidhi has been since confined to his house, but made one rare appearance on October 19 this year when he visited an exhibition here held to showcase the 75-year journey of DMK's mouthpiece, 'Murasoli'. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had called on the nonagenarian DMK patriarch at his residence in December, 2016.

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&nbsp;A Qatari investor sold its entire 5 percent stake in top Indian telecoms carrier Bharti Airtel on Wednesday for 96 billion rupees ($1.48 billion), adding to the sanctions-hit Gulf nation&rsquo;s recent stake sales in foreign companies.

An affiliate of the Qatar Foundation Endowment (QFE) sold about 199.9 million shares in the phone carrier at 481 rupees each via a block trade, it said in a statement.

The sale price was a 6.4 percent discount to Bharti Airtel&rsquo;s Tuesday closing price, but will still give the Qatari investor a significant return over its 68 billion-rupee investment in the Indian company in May 2013.

QFE will reinvest the proceeds from Bharti Airtel stake sale as part of the growth of its global portfolio and diversification, it said in the statement.

Rashed Fahad Al-Noaimi, chief executive of investments at Qatar Foundation will step down from Bharti Airtel&rsquo;s board after the settlement of the sale.

The sale comes at a time when other Qatari firms, including its sovereign wealth fund, are cutting stakes in foreign companies to raise cash and withstand pressure on the economy, which has been hit by sanctions imposed by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt since early June.

The Gulf countries cut diplomatic and transport ties with Doha on June 5, accusing it of backing terrorism, a charge which Doha denies.

Qatar&rsquo;s sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority, has responded to the crisis by pumping billions of dollars into local banks to shore up their deposits.

It has also reduced its stake in upscale jeweller Tiffany &amp; Co, Russian energy giant Rosneft and Swiss bank Credit Suisse.

Bharti Airtel shares closed 3.7 percent down at 495.30 rupees. Still, the stock is up 62 percent in 2017 on signs of an end to a bruising price war in the Indian telecoms space and hopes that industry consolidation would benefit established players.

JPMorgan on Wednesday upgraded the stock to &ldquo;neutral&rdquo; from &ldquo;underweight&rdquo;, saying the fundamentals for large players in were &ldquo;falling in place sooner than expected&rdquo;.

?A Qatari investor sold its entire 5 percent stake in top Indian telecoms carrier Bharti Airtel on Wednesday for 96 billion rupees ($1.48 billion), adding to the sanctions-hit Gulf nation?s recent stake sales in foreign companies.

A Qatari investor sold its entire 5 percent stake in top Indian telecoms carrier Bharti Airtel on Wednesday for 96 billion rupees ($1.48 billion), adding to the sanctions-hit Gulf nation’s recent stake sales in foreign companies. An affiliate of the Qatar Foundation Endowment (QFE) sold about 199.9 million shares in the phone carrier at 481 rupees each via a block trade, it said in a statement. The sale price was a 6.4 percent discount to Bharti Airtel’s Tuesday closing price, but will still give the Qatari investor a significant return over its 68 billion-rupee investment in the Indian company in May 2013. QFE will reinvest the proceeds from Bharti Airtel stake sale as part of the growth of its global portfolio and diversification, it said in the statement. Rashed Fahad Al-Noaimi, chief executive of investments at Qatar Foundation will step down from Bharti Airtel’s board after the settlement of the sale. The sale comes at a time when other Qatari firms, including its sovereign wealth fund, are cutting stakes in foreign companies to raise cash and withstand pressure on the economy, which has been hit by sanctions imposed by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt since early June. The Gulf countries cut diplomatic and transport ties with Doha on June 5, accusing it of backing terrorism, a charge which Doha denies. Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority, has responded to the crisis by pumping billions of dollars into local banks to shore up their deposits. It has also reduced its stake in upscale jeweller Tiffany & Co, Russian energy giant Rosneft and Swiss bank Credit Suisse. Bharti Airtel shares closed 3.7 percent down at 495.30 rupees. Still, the stock is up 62 percent in 2017 on signs of an end to a bruising price war in the Indian telecoms space and hopes that industry consolidation would benefit established players. JPMorgan on Wednesday upgraded the stock to “neutral” from “underweight”, saying the fundamentals for large players in were “falling in place sooner than expected”.

Qatari investor sells $1.5 billion stake in Bharti Airtel

More than 3.5 lakh homes were unsold in Mumbai metropolitan region out of the total 6.7 lakh under-construction flats registered with the state real estate regulator till August, according to Cushman &amp; Wakefield and Propstack.

Global property consultant Cushman &amp; Wakefield and real estate data analytics firm Propstack have analyzed Mumbai Metropolitan Area (MMR) projects registered with Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA) till August.

According to the report, as many as 6,70,339 units were registered under MahaRERA, of which 52 per cent (3,50,713 units) were unsold and 48 per cent (3,19,626 units) were sold.

The maximum inventories are in 1 and 2 BHK configurations totaling 5,87,500 units. In sales, configurations of one and two bedrooms were the most sold and contributed over 85 per cent of total sales. 
&quot;With over 50 per cent of the current residential inventory remaining unsold, the prices of projects have been largely stable even as the momentum in launches of new projects has been slow in MMR region,&quot; the report said.

The buyers prefer smaller flats due to high real estate prices in MMR region.

Even while the capital values of affordable homes across most micro markets have not seen any drastic changes, the report said that rates are higher by 10-15 per cent when compared to other cities like Bengaluru, Delhi NCR and Pune for comparable projects and locations.

&quot;Maharashtra&#39;s early adoption of Real Estate Regulatory Act (RERA) will ensure that more projects get the requisite funding for completion of projects from domestic and international funds,&quot; said Gautam Saraf, MD (Mumbai), C&amp;W.

He expected that the end-user purchase activities would start picking up in the next few months as RERA gives buyers a safety net for their investment.

&quot;Thus, with improving sales momentum and better project management processes in place, we expect investors to show greater confidence towards the sector and increase their fund allocation to residential real estate,&quot; Saraf said.

According to the report, 43 per cent of all registered projects are expected to be completed on schedule, delays beyond three years are less than 15 per cent.

&quot;Traditionally, delays in projects from their committed timelines had become commonplace and buyers faced huge uncertainty on final delivery. However, with the MahaRERA norms coming in, a developer is now liable to make on-time delivery with a maximum provision of only 12 months delays,&quot; the report said.

PropStack India Director Sandeep Reddy said the market, including end-users, will have better access to information on developers and projects as more and more projects register for MahaRERA.

The data would help create better, sharper analysis of demand as well as design future supply to help avoid demand ? supply mismatches, he added.

"With over 50 per cent of the current residential inventory remaining unsold, the prices of projects have been largely stable even as the momentum in launches of new projects has been slow in MMR region," the report said.

More than 3.5 lakh homes were unsold in Mumbai metropolitan region out of the total 6.7 lakh under-construction flats registered with the state real estate regulator till August, according to Cushman & Wakefield and Propstack. Global property consultant Cushman & Wakefield and real estate data analytics firm Propstack have analyzed Mumbai Metropolitan Area (MMR) projects registered with Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA) till August. According to the report, as many as 6,70,339 units were registered under MahaRERA, of which 52 per cent (3,50,713 units) were unsold and 48 per cent (3,19,626 units) were sold. The maximum inventories are in 1 and 2 BHK configurations totaling 5,87,500 units. In sales, configurations of one and two bedrooms were the most sold and contributed over 85 per cent of total sales. "With over 50 per cent of the current residential inventory remaining unsold, the prices of projects have been largely stable even as the momentum in launches of new projects has been slow in MMR region," the report said. The buyers prefer smaller flats due to high real estate prices in MMR region. Even while the capital values of affordable homes across most micro markets have not seen any drastic changes, the report said that rates are higher by 10-15 per cent when compared to other cities like Bengaluru, Delhi NCR and Pune for comparable projects and locations. "Maharashtra's early adoption of Real Estate Regulatory Act (RERA) will ensure that more projects get the requisite funding for completion of projects from domestic and international funds," said Gautam Saraf, MD (Mumbai), C&W. He expected that the end-user purchase activities would start picking up in the next few months as RERA gives buyers a safety net for their investment. "Thus, with improving sales momentum and better project management processes in place, we expect investors to show greater confidence towards the sector and increase their fund allocation to residential real estate," Saraf said. According to the report, 43 per cent of all registered projects are expected to be completed on schedule, delays beyond three years are less than 15 per cent. "Traditionally, delays in projects from their committed timelines had become commonplace and buyers faced huge uncertainty on final delivery. However, with the MahaRERA norms coming in, a developer is now liable to make on-time delivery with a maximum provision of only 12 months delays," the report said. PropStack India Director Sandeep Reddy said the market, including end-users, will have better access to information on developers and projects as more and more projects register for MahaRERA. The data would help create better, sharper analysis of demand as well as design future supply to help avoid demand ? supply mismatches, he added.

3.5 lakh flats unsold in Mumbai metropolitan region: Report

The rupee advanced by 11 paise to 64.85 against the dollar at the interbank forex market today on increased selling of the US currency by exporters and banks. 
 
A weak dollar against other currencies overseas supported the rupee&#39;s gains. 
 
Stocks markets opening with gains also bolstered the domestic currency, a dealer said. 
 
Yesterday, the rupee had staged a mild recovery after a two-session fall and ended higher by 7 paise at 64.96 against the US currency. 
 
The benchmark BSE Sensex rebounded by 244.99 points, or 0.73 percent, to 33,463.80 in opening trade.

A weak dollar against other currencies overseas supported the rupee's gains

The rupee advanced by 11 paise to 64.85 against the dollar at the interbank forex market today on increased selling of the US currency by exporters and banks. A weak dollar against other currencies overseas supported the rupee's gains. Stocks markets opening with gains also bolstered the domestic currency, a dealer said. Yesterday, the rupee had staged a mild recovery after a two-session fall and ended higher by 7 paise at 64.96 against the US currency. The benchmark BSE Sensex rebounded by 244.99 points, or 0.73 percent, to 33,463.80 in opening trade.

Rupee extends gains, up 11 paise in early trade

The BSE Sensex recovered about 245 points in opening trade today, breaking its two-session losing streak on value-buying by investors and optimism ahead of GST Council meeting.

Buying by domestic institutional institutions (DIIs) and a firm trend on other Asian bourses, tracking overnight gains in the US markets, influenced trading sentiment.

Expectations that the GST (goods and services tax) Council might give some relief to some sectors by slashing the indirect tax rates at its meeting which begins today also supported the rebound, brokers said.

The 30-share barometer, which had lost 512.38 points in the previous two straight sessions, was trading higher by 244.99 points, or 0.73 per cent, to 33,463.80, with all the sectoral indices led by oil &amp; gas, realty, PSU and metal trading in green.

On similar lines, the NSE Nifty rose 65.30 points, or 0.63 per cent, to 10,368.45.

Major gainers were Hindustan Unilever, Tata Steel, SBI, Sun Pharma, Reliance Industries, ONGC, NTPC, Dr Reddy&#39;s, Asian Paint, Axis Bank, ICICI Bank, Wipro, Infosys and Bharti Airtel, posting gains of up to 2.14 per cent.

Tata Motors also rose 1.82 per cent ahead of its Q2 earnings to be announced later in the day.

Among other Asian markets, Hong Kong&#39;s Hang Seng was up 0.96 per cent, while Japan&#39;s Nikkei rose 1.98 per cent in early trade. China&#39;s Shanghai Composite Index was up 0.05 per cent.

The US Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 0.03 per cent higher in yesterday&#39;s trade.

Buying by domestic institutional institutions (DIIs) and a firm trend on other Asian bourses, tracking overnight gains in the US markets, influenced trading sentiment

The BSE Sensex recovered about 245 points in opening trade today, breaking its two-session losing streak on value-buying by investors and optimism ahead of GST Council meeting. Buying by domestic institutional institutions (DIIs) and a firm trend on other Asian bourses, tracking overnight gains in the US markets, influenced trading sentiment. Expectations that the GST (goods and services tax) Council might give some relief to some sectors by slashing the indirect tax rates at its meeting which begins today also supported the rebound, brokers said. The 30-share barometer, which had lost 512.38 points in the previous two straight sessions, was trading higher by 244.99 points, or 0.73 per cent, to 33,463.80, with all the sectoral indices led by oil & gas, realty, PSU and metal trading in green. On similar lines, the NSE Nifty rose 65.30 points, or 0.63 per cent, to 10,368.45. Major gainers were Hindustan Unilever, Tata Steel, SBI, Sun Pharma, Reliance Industries, ONGC, NTPC, Dr Reddy's, Asian Paint, Axis Bank, ICICI Bank, Wipro, Infosys and Bharti Airtel, posting gains of up to 2.14 per cent. Tata Motors also rose 1.82 per cent ahead of its Q2 earnings to be announced later in the day. Among other Asian markets, Hong Kong's Hang Seng was up 0.96 per cent, while Japan's Nikkei rose 1.98 per cent in early trade. China's Shanghai Composite Index was up 0.05 per cent. The US Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 0.03 per cent higher in yesterday's trade.

Sensex recovers 245 points on value-buying, global cues

Payment processor PayPal Holdings Inc&nbsp;on Wednesday&nbsp;launched domestic operations in India, a market already dominated by China&#39;s Alibaba-backed PayTM, the country&#39;s leading digital payments firm.

PayPal&#39;s entry in the Indian market comes as a push for cashless transactions by the Narendra Modi-led government is seeing more people use e-wallets and card payments.

The online payment industry is pegged to grow ten-fold to $500 billion by 2020.

&quot;India is transitioning away from our biggest competitor &ndash; cash &ndash; and our digital platform and technology has immense scope to enable this at scale,&quot; Anupam Pahuja, country manager and managing director, PayPal India said.

&quot;For us, the marathon has just begun.&quot;

Alphabet Inc&#39;s Google launched a localized payments app for India in September, trying to gain a foothold in the country&#39;s rapidly-growing digital payments space.

PayPal, the Elon Musk-founded company, will allow Indian consumers to use the platform to shop online at some of the country&#39;s most popular businesses.

Merchants accepting PayPal will be also able to process both local and global payments through PayPal, getting access to the payment processor&#39;s more than 218 million customers around the world and in India.

&nbsp;

'India is transitioning away from our biggest competitor ? cash ? and our digital platform and technology has immense scope to enable this at scale,' Anupam Pahuja, country manager and managing director, PayPal India said

Payment processor PayPal Holdings Inc on Wednesday launched domestic operations in India, a market already dominated by China's Alibaba-backed PayTM, the country's leading digital payments firm. PayPal's entry in the Indian market comes as a push for cashless transactions by the Narendra Modi-led government is seeing more people use e-wallets and card payments. The online payment industry is pegged to grow ten-fold to $500 billion by 2020. "India is transitioning away from our biggest competitor – cash – and our digital platform and technology has immense scope to enable this at scale," Anupam Pahuja, country manager and managing director, PayPal India said. "For us, the marathon has just begun." Alphabet Inc's Google launched a localized payments app for India in September, trying to gain a foothold in the country's rapidly-growing digital payments space. PayPal, the Elon Musk-founded company, will allow Indian consumers to use the platform to shop online at some of the country's most popular businesses. Merchants accepting PayPal will be also able to process both local and global payments through PayPal, getting access to the payment processor's more than 218 million customers around the world and in India.

PayPal starts payment service in India

India&#39;s Tata Motors reported a sharp rise in second-quarter profits on Thursday, helped by higher sales of its Jaguar and Land Rover cars, but warned of challenges ahead for its flagship British subsidiary.

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), which has been driving Tata Motors&#39; profits for several years, expects sales in the UK and United States to soften because of competition but is confident of growth in China, JLR CEO Ralf Speth told reporters in Mumbai.

&quot;We know that overall the economies are stronger around the world but it&#39;s also clear that we see, one or the other, weakness from a political side, from an economy side. Think about Brexit, think about the U.S. at the current moment,&quot; Speth said.

JLR plans to launch several new products next year including the Jaguar XF Sportbrake sport-utility vehicle (SUV), the E-Pace, a compact SUV, and the I-Pace, its first electric sports car, Speth said after the company announced a three-fold rise in profit.

Tata Motors&#39; consolidated net profit for the quarter ended Sept. 30 rose to 24.83 billion rupees ($382 million) compared with 8.28 billion rupees a year ago, helped by strong demand for Range Rover Velar and other new models.&nbsp;

Analysts on average had expected a net profit of 14.99 billion rupees, according to Thomson Reuters data.

Pre-tax profit at JLR rose 38 percent to 385 million pounds ($505 million) and its margin on earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose to 11.8 percent from 10.9 percent a year ago.

Retail sales of its Jaguar saloons and Land Rover sport-utility vehicles were up 5 percent on the same quarter last year, as an increase in sales in China helped offset lower UK sales.

JLR, Britain&#39;s biggest carmaker, has said it is already feeling the first effects of Brexit, with EU citizens from outside the UK demanding more secure employment contracts and international suppliers less willing to commit to investing in the country.

While JLR will spend between 4 and 4.5 billion pounds on capital expenditure this year, going forward it will expand its product portfolio in a very controlled manner to ensure sustainable, profitable growth, Speth said.

Second-quarter losses at Tata Motors&#39; domestic business narrowed to 2.95 billion rupees from 6.31 billion rupees a year ago, helped by a 30 percent jump in revenues.

Tata Motors Chief Executive Guenter Butschek said work on turning round the company&#39;s domestic car and truck business was underway. The plan focuses on launching new products, reducing costs and consolidating its supply chain, he told reporters.

Tata Motors' consolidated net profit for the quarter ended Sept. 30 rose to 24.83 billion rupees ($382 million) compared with 8.28 billion rupees a year ago, helped by strong demand for Range Rover Velar and other new models.

India's Tata Motors reported a sharp rise in second-quarter profits on Thursday, helped by higher sales of its Jaguar and Land Rover cars, but warned of challenges ahead for its flagship British subsidiary. Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), which has been driving Tata Motors' profits for several years, expects sales in the UK and United States to soften because of competition but is confident of growth in China, JLR CEO Ralf Speth told reporters in Mumbai. "We know that overall the economies are stronger around the world but it's also clear that we see, one or the other, weakness from a political side, from an economy side. Think about Brexit, think about the U.S. at the current moment," Speth said. JLR plans to launch several new products next year including the Jaguar XF Sportbrake sport-utility vehicle (SUV), the E-Pace, a compact SUV, and the I-Pace, its first electric sports car, Speth said after the company announced a three-fold rise in profit. Tata Motors' consolidated net profit for the quarter ended Sept. 30 rose to 24.83 billion rupees ($382 million) compared with 8.28 billion rupees a year ago, helped by strong demand for Range Rover Velar and other new models. Analysts on average had expected a net profit of 14.99 billion rupees, according to Thomson Reuters data. Pre-tax profit at JLR rose 38 percent to 385 million pounds ($505 million) and its margin on earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose to 11.8 percent from 10.9 percent a year ago. Retail sales of its Jaguar saloons and Land Rover sport-utility vehicles were up 5 percent on the same quarter last year, as an increase in sales in China helped offset lower UK sales. JLR, Britain's biggest carmaker, has said it is already feeling the first effects of Brexit, with EU citizens from outside the UK demanding more secure employment contracts and international suppliers less willing to commit to investing in the country. While JLR will spend between 4 and 4.5 billion pounds on capital expenditure this year, going forward it will expand its product portfolio in a very controlled manner to ensure sustainable, profitable growth, Speth said. Second-quarter losses at Tata Motors' domestic business narrowed to 2.95 billion rupees from 6.31 billion rupees a year ago, helped by a 30 percent jump in revenues. Tata Motors Chief Executive Guenter Butschek said work on turning round the company's domestic car and truck business was underway. The plan focuses on launching new products, reducing costs and consolidating its supply chain, he told reporters.

Tata Motors' second-quarter profits boosted by rise in Jaguar Land Rover sales

Twitter has&nbsp;increased the word limit for its users to <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/twitter-to-double-tweet-limit-to-280-characters-23698" target="_blank">280 characters</a>.&nbsp;

The social networking site initiated the move to draw more users.

Twitterati reacted to the extension of the word limit.

Many of them were quite happy to see the extension.

However, some users were not satisfied and demanded an edit button.

&nbsp;

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All we wanted was an edit button 
All we wanted was an edit button 
All we wanted was an edit button 
All we wanted was an edit button 
All we wanted was an edit button 
All we wanted was an edit button 
All we wanted was an edit button 
All we wanted was an edit button<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/280characters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#280characters</a>
&mdash; KEEPER (@Sushimibelle) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sushimibelle/status/928145807030730752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Voters today chose 
-2 new Democratic governors 
-2 black lieutenant governors 
-2 transgender officials 
-A Black Lives Matter lawyer as DA in Philly 
-A Sikh mayor in Hoboken 
-A socialist in Virginia 
-To oust GOP mayor in Atlantic City 
-And to expand Medicaid in Maine<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/280characters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#280characters</a>
&mdash; Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) <a href="https://twitter.com/keithboykin/status/928118303419224064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2017</a></blockquote>
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When you realise that Twitter increases it&#39;s character limit to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/280characters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#280characters</a>. <a href="https://t.co/3wjSTX7D6T">pic.twitter.com/3wjSTX7D6T</a>
&mdash; Viral Ramesh (@viralramesh) <a href="https://twitter.com/viralramesh/status/928168684102799360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2017</a></blockquote>
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When you wake up and see <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/280characters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#280characters</a> trending on twitter and u know you don&#39;t need to delete dots and commas anymore to fit in 140 characters. <a href="https://t.co/ZQ68cwbGSI">pic.twitter.com/ZQ68cwbGSI</a>
&mdash; Rehegoo Music (@RehegooMusic) <a href="https://twitter.com/RehegooMusic/status/928176977743400960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/280characters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#280characters</a> vs 140 is a good analogy of financial needs vs wants. 
 
Just because I have $280 doesn&#39;t mean I must spend all $280.
&mdash; thatwasntme (@yours_heidi) <a href="https://twitter.com/yours_heidi/status/928154884406497280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2017</a></blockquote>
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My friend slept in class. I took his phone and changed my name in his contacts to &ldquo;dad&rdquo; then I texted him &ldquo; son, I just won 500 million dollars in the lottery. We are rich now. You don&rsquo;t have to go to school anymore!&rdquo; 
~~THREAD~~<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/280characters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#280characters</a> 
??????????????
&mdash; Total Man (@Omoso_Omoso) <a href="https://twitter.com/Omoso_Omoso/status/928163061424369666?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Happy <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/280characters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#280characters</a> everyone! 
 
Enjoy typing nonsense twice as much! ?? 
 
We&#39;re free! 
 
WOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! ??
&mdash; Shyning77 (@Shyning77) <a href="https://twitter.com/Shyning77/status/928182007351402496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
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Don&#39;t reply with &quot;k&quot; you now have <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/280Characters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#280Characters</a>
&mdash; Nompumelelo (@Mpumi_Can) <a href="https://twitter.com/Mpumi_Can/status/928180046333964293?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
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I think today should be marked <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/280characters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#280characters</a> day. <a href="https://t.co/cNaTWgUt2c">pic.twitter.com/cNaTWgUt2c</a>
&mdash; Henry Eyo&trade; (@MeetHenryEyo) <a href="https://twitter.com/MeetHenryEyo/status/928179812811845632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Initially, Twitter allowed its users just 140 characters which were not enough for its users to express their opinions.&nbsp;

Twitter had started testing the increase of its word limit in early September.&nbsp;

The word limit has been increased to all languages except for Japanese, Korean and Chinese as these languages did not have any space limitation.&nbsp;

The social networking site has been trying to modify its features to attract more users and <a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-economy/twitter-says-it-could-turn-first-ever-profit-shares-surge-23009" target="_blank">compete with the leading media sites</a>.

Twitter is also working on introducing <a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-economy/saveforlater-twitter-to-soon-introduce-bookmarking-feature-21248" target="_blank">&#39;Save For Later&#39;</a>&nbsp;feature to bookmark posts for its users.&nbsp;

The social networking site initiated the move to draw more users

Twitter has increased the word limit for its users to 280 characters. The social networking site initiated the move to draw more users. Twitterati reacted to the extension of the word limit. Many of them were quite happy to see the extension. However, some users were not satisfied and demanded an edit button. All we wanted was an edit button All we wanted was an edit button All we wanted was an edit button All we wanted was an edit button All we wanted was an edit button All we wanted was an edit button All we wanted was an edit button All we wanted was an edit button#280characters — KEEPER (@Sushimibelle) November 8, 2017 × Voters today chose -2 new Democratic governors -2 black lieutenant governors -2 transgender officials -A Black Lives Matter lawyer as DA in Philly -A Sikh mayor in Hoboken -A socialist in Virginia -To oust GOP mayor in Atlantic City -And to expand Medicaid in Maine#280characters — Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) November 8, 2017 × When you realise that Twitter increases it's character limit to #280characters. pic.twitter.com/3wjSTX7D6T — Viral Ramesh (@viralramesh) November 8, 2017 × When you wake up and see #280characters trending on twitter and u know you don't need to delete dots and commas anymore to fit in 140 characters. pic.twitter.com/ZQ68cwbGSI — Rehegoo Music (@RehegooMusic) November 8, 2017 × #280characters vs 140 is a good analogy of financial needs vs wants. Just because I have $280 doesn't mean I must spend all $280. — thatwasntme (@yours_heidi) November 8, 2017 × My friend slept in class. I took his phone and changed my name in his contacts to “dad” then I texted him “ son, I just won 500 million dollars in the lottery. We are rich now. You don’t have to go to school anymore!” ~~THREAD~~#280characters ?????????????? — Total Man (@Omoso_Omoso) November 8, 2017 × Happy #280characters everyone! Enjoy typing nonsense twice as much! ?? We're free! WOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! ?? — Shyning77 (@Shyning77) November 8, 2017 × Don't reply with "k" you now have #280Characters — Nompumelelo (@Mpumi_Can) November 8, 2017 × I think today should be marked #280characters day. pic.twitter.com/cNaTWgUt2c — Henry Eyo™ (@MeetHenryEyo) November 8, 2017 × Initially, Twitter allowed its users just 140 characters which were not enough for its users to express their opinions. Twitter had started testing the increase of its word limit in early September. The word limit has been increased to all languages except for Japanese, Korean and Chinese as these languages did not have any space limitation. The social networking site has been trying to modify its features to attract more users and compete with the leading media sites. Twitter is also working on introducing 'Save For Later' feature to bookmark posts for its users.

Twitterati welcomes 280 characters in Twitter

HDFC Standard Life Insurance Company&rsquo;s Initial Public Offer or IPO will open on Tuesday. Ahead of its opening, the company&nbsp;raised Rs 2,322 crore from anchor investors, it said in a statement on Monday.

The public issue comprises sale of 1,91,246,050 equity shares, amounting to 9.55 per cent stake, by HDFC Ltd and up to 1,08,581,768 scrips, or 5.42 per cent, holding by Standard Life Mauritius.

Singapore&#39;s sovereign wealth fund Temasek, Norwegian fund Norges, Kuwait Investment, T Rowe Price, Fidelity, Blackrock and JP Morgan are among the anchor investors, according to a regulatory filing.

The shares have been allocated at the upper price band of Rs 290 apiece.

The company&#39;s executive committee and the promoter selling shareholders in consultation with the manager to the offer have finalised allocation of 80,068,600 shares to anchor investors, the filing submitted to the NSE said.

Price band for the offer has been fixed at Rs 275-290 per share.

At present, HDFC owns 61.41 per cent stake in HDFC Standard Life and Standard Life has about 34.86 per cent stake, while the remaining is with employees and PremjiInvest.

HDFC Standard Life Insurance Company?s Initial Public Offer or IPO will open on Tuesday. Ahead of its opening, the company raised Rs 2,322 crore from anchor investors, it said in a statement on Monday.

HDFC Standard Life Insurance Company’s Initial Public Offer or IPO will open on Tuesday. Ahead of its opening, the company raised Rs 2,322 crore from anchor investors, it said in a statement on Monday. The public issue comprises sale of 1,91,246,050 equity shares, amounting to 9.55 per cent stake, by HDFC Ltd and up to 1,08,581,768 scrips, or 5.42 per cent, holding by Standard Life Mauritius. Singapore's sovereign wealth fund Temasek, Norwegian fund Norges, Kuwait Investment, T Rowe Price, Fidelity, Blackrock and JP Morgan are among the anchor investors, according to a regulatory filing. The shares have been allocated at the upper price band of Rs 290 apiece. The company's executive committee and the promoter selling shareholders in consultation with the manager to the offer have finalised allocation of 80,068,600 shares to anchor investors, the filing submitted to the NSE said. Price band for the offer has been fixed at Rs 275-290 per share. At present, HDFC owns 61.41 per cent stake in HDFC Standard Life and Standard Life has about 34.86 per cent stake, while the remaining is with employees and PremjiInvest.

HDFC Life IPO opens for subscription today

Ministers in the Modi government will fan across the country on Tuesday and Wednesday to highlight the crackdown on black money to mark the first anniversary of demonetisation on November 8 which the BJP will observe as &#39;anti-black money day&#39; and Congress as &#39;black day&#39;.

Many of them will speak to media on Tuesday in major cities, while BJP leaders, including ministers, MPs and MLAs, will hold several events to highlight the Modi dispensation&#39;s policies to curb illicit money, party sources said.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will interact with journalists in the national capital on Tuesday, while Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi will speak in Bhopal and Patna respectively.

On November 8, Union ministers Nitin Gadkari, Ananth Kumar, Nirmala Sitharaman, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Suresh Prabhu and Smriti Irani will speak in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, Chandigarh, Jaipur and Lucknow respectively.

Prakash Javadekar will speak to media in Bengaluru and Piyush Goyal in Ahmedabad. Union minister Jayant Sinha has also been drafted for the exercise, sources said.

BJP chief Amit Shah will be in Gujarat that day.

With the BJP and the Congress involved in a war of words over demonetisation&#39;s implications, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has turned up the heat on the opposition party over the issue of black money and corruption during his election rallies.

The Congress too has planned a nation-wide exercise to project demonetisation as a &quot;failure&quot;.&nbsp;

Ministers in the Modi government will fan across the country on Tuesday and Wednesday to highlight the crackdown on black money to mark the first anniversary of demonetisation on November 8.

Ministers in the Modi government will fan across the country on Tuesday and Wednesday to highlight the crackdown on black money to mark the first anniversary of demonetisation on November 8 which the BJP will observe as 'anti-black money day' and Congress as 'black day'. Many of them will speak to media on Tuesday in major cities, while BJP leaders, including ministers, MPs and MLAs, will hold several events to highlight the Modi dispensation's policies to curb illicit money, party sources said. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will interact with journalists in the national capital on Tuesday, while Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi will speak in Bhopal and Patna respectively. On November 8, Union ministers Nitin Gadkari, Ananth Kumar, Nirmala Sitharaman, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Suresh Prabhu and Smriti Irani will speak in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, Chandigarh, Jaipur and Lucknow respectively. Prakash Javadekar will speak to media in Bengaluru and Piyush Goyal in Ahmedabad. Union minister Jayant Sinha has also been drafted for the exercise, sources said. BJP chief Amit Shah will be in Gujarat that day. With the BJP and the Congress involved in a war of words over demonetisation's implications, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has turned up the heat on the opposition party over the issue of black money and corruption during his election rallies. The Congress too has planned a nation-wide exercise to project demonetisation as a "failure".

One year of demonetisation: Ministers to highlight govt's fight against black money

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has called November 8, 2016, the day when the BJP government banned the existing currency notes and replaced them with new ones a &ldquo;watershed moment in the history of Indian economy&rdquo;.

In a blog post on the first anniversary of demonetisation, Jaitley said, &ldquo;November 8, 2016 would be remembered as a watershed moment in the history of Indian economy.&nbsp;This day signifies the resolve of this Government to cure the country from &lsquo;dreaded disease of black money&rsquo;.&rdquo;

Highlighting his government&rsquo;s resolve to cleanse the economy and strengthen its foundations, Jaitley wrote in his blog that the process was started soon after the BJP came to power in 2014. &ldquo;This Government took decisions and implemented the earlier provisions of law in a well-considered and planned manner over three years to meet the objective of fight against black money.&nbsp; These decisions span from setting up of SIT to passing of necessary laws for foreign assets to demonetisation and to implementation of GST,&rdquo; Jaitley said.

The government has made elaborate plans to celebrate the first anniversary of demonetisation and has <a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-economy/one-year-of-demonetisation-ministers-to-highlight-govts-fight-against-black-money-23637">deployed many Union ministers</a> to highlight government&rsquo;s fight against black money. The government is celebrating November 8, 2017, as &lsquo;anti-black money day&rsquo;.

The opposition has hit back at the government saying the entire exercise has been a failure. In his blog post, Jaitley highlights the positive outcome of demonetisation to counter opposition charge. &ldquo;RBI has reported in their Annual Accounts that Specified Bank Notes (SBNs) of estimated value of Rs.15.28 lakh crore have been deposited back as on 30.6.2017.&nbsp;The outstanding SBNs as on 8th November, 2016 were of Rs.15.44 lakh crore value.&nbsp; The total currency in circulation of all denominations as on 8th November, 2016 was 17.77 lakh crore. One of the important objective of demonetisation was to make India a less cash economy and thereby reduce the flow of black money in the system.&nbsp; The reduction in currency in circulation from the base scenario reflects that this intended objective has been met,&rdquo; the finance minister says in his blog post.

READ JAITLEY&#39;S ENTIRE BLOG:

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&nbsp;

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has called November 8, 2016, the day when the BJP government banned the existing currency notes and replaced them with new ones a ?watershed moment in the history of Indian economy?.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has called November 8, 2016, the day when the BJP government banned the existing currency notes and replaced them with new ones a “watershed moment in the history of Indian economy”. In a blog post on the first anniversary of demonetisation, Jaitley said, “November 8, 2016 would be remembered as a watershed moment in the history of Indian economy. This day signifies the resolve of this Government to cure the country from ‘dreaded disease of black money’.” Highlighting his government’s resolve to cleanse the economy and strengthen its foundations, Jaitley wrote in his blog that the process was started soon after the BJP came to power in 2014. “This Government took decisions and implemented the earlier provisions of law in a well-considered and planned manner over three years to meet the objective of fight against black money. These decisions span from setting up of SIT to passing of necessary laws for foreign assets to demonetisation and to implementation of GST,” Jaitley said. The government has made elaborate plans to celebrate the first anniversary of demonetisation and has deployed many Union ministers to highlight government’s fight against black money. The government is celebrating November 8, 2017, as ‘anti-black money day’. The opposition has hit back at the government saying the entire exercise has been a failure. In his blog post, Jaitley highlights the positive outcome of demonetisation to counter opposition charge. “RBI has reported in their Annual Accounts that Specified Bank Notes (SBNs) of estimated value of Rs.15.28 lakh crore have been deposited back as on 30.6.2017. The outstanding SBNs as on 8th November, 2016 were of Rs.15.44 lakh crore value. The total currency in circulation of all denominations as on 8th November, 2016 was 17.77 lakh crore. One of the important objective of demonetisation was to make India a less cash economy and thereby reduce the flow of black money in the system. The reduction in currency in circulation from the base scenario reflects that this intended objective has been met,” the finance minister says in his blog post. READ JAITLEY'S ENTIRE BLOG: ×

Demonetisation: 'November 8 watershed moment in history of Indian economy', says Arun Jaitley

Indian ride-hailing firm Ola said it has tied up with Microsoft to build a connected-car platform and will use the U.S tech giant&#39;s Azure cloud-computing service to power its in-car entertainment offering.

Microsoft is separately also in talks over a potential investment in Ola, a source told Reuters, declining to be named as the discussions are private.

The new connected-vehicle platform, for cars that have internet access, will have features to aid navigation and to flag when vehicle maintenance is required, Ola said in a statement on Tuesday.

&quot;Both companies will collaborate to take this platform to car manufacturers globally to integrate with vehicle systems,&quot; Ola said, making the announcement during a visit to India by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.

Ola, which has been locked in a fierce battle with rival Uber for a bigger piece of India&#39;s $12 billion taxi market, has said it would invest in artificial intelligence and machine-learning capabilities, which include technologies like its in-car entertainment platform called Play that allows riders to choose music and stream videos.

As part of its partnership with Microsoft, Ola plans to weave the U.S. company&#39;s digital assistant Cortana into its Play service for voice recognition capabilities, the source said.

Ola raised $1.1 billion last month from investors led by China&#39;s Tencent Holdings and Japan&#39;s SoftBank Group and said it was in &quot;advanced talks with other investors&quot; for a further $1 billion.

Any investment by Microsoft could be part of this second tranche, the source said, adding that Ola will switch completely from the Amazon Web Services cloud platform to Microsoft Azure over the next few quarters.

Indian newspaper Mint reported in July that Microsoft was looking to invest up to $100 million in Ola parent ANI Technologies. (https://goo.gl/akiUL2)

A spokesman for Ola said there were no fundraising talks in progress with Microsoft at this time.

Microsoft did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Microsoft is separately also in talks over a potential investment in Ola, a source told Reuters, declining to be named as the discussions are private.

Indian ride-hailing firm Ola said it has tied up with Microsoft to build a connected-car platform and will use the U.S tech giant's Azure cloud-computing service to power its in-car entertainment offering. Microsoft is separately also in talks over a potential investment in Ola, a source told Reuters, declining to be named as the discussions are private. The new connected-vehicle platform, for cars that have internet access, will have features to aid navigation and to flag when vehicle maintenance is required, Ola said in a statement on Tuesday. "Both companies will collaborate to take this platform to car manufacturers globally to integrate with vehicle systems," Ola said, making the announcement during a visit to India by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. Ola, which has been locked in a fierce battle with rival Uber for a bigger piece of India's $12 billion taxi market, has said it would invest in artificial intelligence and machine-learning capabilities, which include technologies like its in-car entertainment platform called Play that allows riders to choose music and stream videos. As part of its partnership with Microsoft, Ola plans to weave the U.S. company's digital assistant Cortana into its Play service for voice recognition capabilities, the source said. Ola raised $1.1 billion last month from investors led by China's Tencent Holdings and Japan's SoftBank Group and said it was in "advanced talks with other investors" for a further $1 billion. Any investment by Microsoft could be part of this second tranche, the source said, adding that Ola will switch completely from the Amazon Web Services cloud platform to Microsoft Azure over the next few quarters. Indian newspaper Mint reported in July that Microsoft was looking to invest up to $100 million in Ola parent ANI Technologies. (https://goo.gl/akiUL2) A spokesman for Ola said there were no fundraising talks in progress with Microsoft at this time. Microsoft did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Ola ties up with Microsoft for connected car platform

Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India has amended its corporate insolvency resolution process regulations to ensure that as part of due diligence prior to approval of a resolution plan, the antecedents, credit worthiness and credibility of a resolution applicant, including promoters, are taken into account by the &nbsp;Committee of Creditors.

With a view to ensure that the corporate insolvency resolution process results in a credible and viable resolution plan, the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) has carried out amendments to the IBBI (Insolvency Resolution Process for Corporate Persons) resolution process, 2016 (CIRP Regulations).

The revised regulations make it incumbent upon the resolution professional to ensure that the resolution plan presented to the Committee of Creditors contains relevant details to assess the credibility of the resolution applicants. &nbsp;The details to be provided would include details with respect to the resolution applicant in terms of convictions, disqualifications, criminal proceedings, categorization as willful defaulter as per RBI guidelines, debarment imposed by SEBI, if any, and transaction, if any, with the corporate debtor in the last two years.

Apart from the above, the resolution professional has to also submit details in respect of transactions observed or determined, if any, covered under Section 43 (Preferential Transactions); Section 45 (Undervalued Transactions); Section 50 (Extortionate Credit Transactions); Section 66 (Fraudulent Transactions) under Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016. &nbsp;

By virtue of the above-mentioned changes in the regulations the resolution applicants, including promoters, are put to a stringent test with respect to their creditworthiness and credibility. &nbsp;Further, it also imposes greater responsibility on the resolution professional and Committee of Creditors in discharging their duties.

The revised regulations make it incumbent upon the resolution professional to ensure that the resolution plan presented to the Committee of Creditors contains relevant details to assess the credibility of the resolution applicants.

Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India has amended its corporate insolvency resolution process regulations to ensure that as part of due diligence prior to approval of a resolution plan, the antecedents, credit worthiness and credibility of a resolution applicant, including promoters, are taken into account by the Committee of Creditors. With a view to ensure that the corporate insolvency resolution process results in a credible and viable resolution plan, the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) has carried out amendments to the IBBI (Insolvency Resolution Process for Corporate Persons) resolution process, 2016 (CIRP Regulations). The revised regulations make it incumbent upon the resolution professional to ensure that the resolution plan presented to the Committee of Creditors contains relevant details to assess the credibility of the resolution applicants. The details to be provided would include details with respect to the resolution applicant in terms of convictions, disqualifications, criminal proceedings, categorization as willful defaulter as per RBI guidelines, debarment imposed by SEBI, if any, and transaction, if any, with the corporate debtor in the last two years. Apart from the above, the resolution professional has to also submit details in respect of transactions observed or determined, if any, covered under Section 43 (Preferential Transactions); Section 45 (Undervalued Transactions); Section 50 (Extortionate Credit Transactions); Section 66 (Fraudulent Transactions) under Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016. By virtue of the above-mentioned changes in the regulations the resolution applicants, including promoters, are put to a stringent test with respect to their creditworthiness and credibility. Further, it also imposes greater responsibility on the resolution professional and Committee of Creditors in discharging their duties.

IBBI strengthens Due Diligence framework under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016

German carmaker Mercedes&minus;Benz launched AMG CLA 45 and GLA 45 4MATIC in a bid to corner the luxury car market in India.

Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 is priced onwards 75.2 lakhs and GLA 45 4MATIC has been pegged onwards 77.85 lakhs, reports said.

AMG CLA 45 4matic comes with revised AMG front apron with new A-wing design and louvres in the outer air intakes. The company said it had improved aerodynamics by redesigned spoiler lip on the rear.

The car has been fitted with AMG radiator grille with twin louvre finished in silver chrome, LED high-performance headlamps, AMG E-SELECT selector lever and master key with AMG emblem as standard equipment.

Mercedes-AMG GLA 45 4MATIC comes with a redesigned front apron and louvres in three air intakes with front splitter insert in silver chrome and flics in high-gloss black for optimized cooling airflow.

The dashboard has been finished in ARTICO man-made leather with red topstitching.&nbsp;

The car is powered by the AMG 2.0-litre 4 cylinder turbo engine producing 280 kW @ 6000 rpm and up to 475 Nm of torque between 2250-5000 rpm in 0-100 in 4.4 seconds. &nbsp;

Mercedes-AMG has launched seven cars this year as India&#39;s luxury segment hots up with consumers ready to put their money on the best car available in the market.

The German carmaker which had launched its E-class variant last year has 45 per cent market share in India and is eyeing a larger chunk in the ever-growing Indian market.&nbsp;

While launching the car, Roland Folger, MD and CEO of Mercedes-Benz India, said: &quot;With our AMG 45 range, we provide our customers with a product that embodies the motorsport DNA while adding the practicality of everyday use.&quot;

&quot;The Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 and GLA 45 4Matic have been modified, keeping in mind the changing Indian market sentiments and to suit the young generation&#39;s requirements,&quot; Folger added. 
&nbsp;

AMG CLA 45 4matic comes with revised AMG front apron with new A-wing design and louvres in the outer air intakes.

German carmaker Mercedes−Benz launched AMG CLA 45 and GLA 45 4MATIC in a bid to corner the luxury car market in India. Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 is priced onwards 75.2 lakhs and GLA 45 4MATIC has been pegged onwards 77.85 lakhs, reports said. AMG CLA 45 4matic comes with revised AMG front apron with new A-wing design and louvres in the outer air intakes. The company said it had improved aerodynamics by redesigned spoiler lip on the rear. The car has been fitted with AMG radiator grille with twin louvre finished in silver chrome, LED high-performance headlamps, AMG E-SELECT selector lever and master key with AMG emblem as standard equipment. Mercedes-AMG GLA 45 4MATIC comes with a redesigned front apron and louvres in three air intakes with front splitter insert in silver chrome and flics in high-gloss black for optimized cooling airflow. The dashboard has been finished in ARTICO man-made leather with red topstitching. The car is powered by the AMG 2.0-litre 4 cylinder turbo engine producing 280 kW @ 6000 rpm and up to 475 Nm of torque between 2250-5000 rpm in 0-100 in 4.4 seconds. Mercedes-AMG has launched seven cars this year as India's luxury segment hots up with consumers ready to put their money on the best car available in the market. The German carmaker which had launched its E-class variant last year has 45 per cent market share in India and is eyeing a larger chunk in the ever-growing Indian market. While launching the car, Roland Folger, MD and CEO of Mercedes-Benz India, said: "With our AMG 45 range, we provide our customers with a product that embodies the motorsport DNA while adding the practicality of everyday use." "The Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 and GLA 45 4Matic have been modified, keeping in mind the changing Indian market sentiments and to suit the young generation's requirements," Folger added.

Mercedes-Benz launches AMG CLA, GLA

Ahead of the first anniversary of demonetisation, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said today that excessive cash in the economy has &quot;its own cost&quot; and India is gradually moving towards digital transactions.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on November 8 last year the scrapping of old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes as part of the government&#39;s efforts to fight black money and corruption.

Following that, the Centre has been pushing for digital payments and transactions through the banking channel so as to promote a &#39;less-cash&#39; economy.

However, the opposition parties have criticised demonetisation and plan to observe November 8 as &quot;black day&quot; across the country.

Jaitley said some people have a problem with accepting the fact that transactions through the digital mode and banking instruments are going to witness a rapid growth as compared to cash dealings.

At the inauguration of the new building of Punjab National Bank (PNB) head office here, Jaitley said: &quot;Excessive dependence on cash has its own cost.

&quot;It is not just cost but there is a curse of cash. It has an impact on both society and economy.&quot;

He said there is a clear change taking place as to how India and Indians are spending money and the change is only in one direction.

It will not happen abruptly but the movement towards a less-cash economy is very clear, he said, adding that it will lead to more deposits with banks, increasing their lending ability at affordable rates.

Banking is the lifeline of the economy and it will gain further importance in the coming days, he said.

A healthy banking system will help support growth of the economy, he added.

Jaitley also launched two products of the PNB -- Rupay Credit Card and e-Rupaya.

Minister of State for Finance Shiv Pratap Shukla asked banks to focus on rural India and work towards improving customer experience.

He also said that management of banks should focus on the welfare of their employees.&nbsp;

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on November 8 last year the scrapping of old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes as part of the government's efforts to fight black money and corruption.

Ahead of the first anniversary of demonetisation, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said today that excessive cash in the economy has "its own cost" and India is gradually moving towards digital transactions. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on November 8 last year the scrapping of old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes as part of the government's efforts to fight black money and corruption. Following that, the Centre has been pushing for digital payments and transactions through the banking channel so as to promote a 'less-cash' economy. However, the opposition parties have criticised demonetisation and plan to observe November 8 as "black day" across the country. Jaitley said some people have a problem with accepting the fact that transactions through the digital mode and banking instruments are going to witness a rapid growth as compared to cash dealings. At the inauguration of the new building of Punjab National Bank (PNB) head office here, Jaitley said: "Excessive dependence on cash has its own cost. "It is not just cost but there is a curse of cash. It has an impact on both society and economy." He said there is a clear change taking place as to how India and Indians are spending money and the change is only in one direction. It will not happen abruptly but the movement towards a less-cash economy is very clear, he said, adding that it will lead to more deposits with banks, increasing their lending ability at affordable rates. Banking is the lifeline of the economy and it will gain further importance in the coming days, he said. A healthy banking system will help support growth of the economy, he added. Jaitley also launched two products of the PNB -- Rupay Credit Card and e-Rupaya. Minister of State for Finance Shiv Pratap Shukla asked banks to focus on rural India and work towards improving customer experience. He also said that management of banks should focus on the welfare of their employees.

India moving towards digital economy post-demonetisation: Arun Jaitley

Renault has launched<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/renault-unveils-new-suv-captur-bookings-from-today-20520"> its premium model- Renault Captur in India.</a>The sports utility model has been&nbsp;priced between Rs 9.99 lakh and Rs 13.88 lakh.

It is available in <a href="http://www.wionews.com/science-tech/renault-denies-charges-of-pollution-cheating-software-in-cars-13509">two engine options:&nbsp;1.5 litre K9L diesel</a> and 1.5 litre petrol.

The base price of the car is set for the petrol RXE variant which is priced up to&nbsp;Rs 13.88 lakh for the top-end Platine variant available in diesel.&nbsp;

Sumit Sahwney, the managing director of Renault India said that in 2017 alone the SUV segment in India has grown by 46 per cent.&nbsp;

He added that the new launch will address the demand of customers who want SUVs with several features.

The car has been&nbsp;launched with 50 premium features, including projector headlamps, LED daytime running lights and an integrated audio system as standard features across all variants.

&nbsp;It is also equipped with dual front airbags, ABS with EBD and brake assist.

The model is&nbsp;adorned with 7.0-inch touchscreen multimedia which has the capability to connect with Bluetooth, USB, aux-in, integrated maps, and navigation. It also has Smart&nbsp;Access Card keyless entry, daytime running lamps, daytime turn indicators.

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Smart Access Card (Image source: Renault) (Others)
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Interior designed with Leather seats. (Image source: Renault) (Others)
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Auto AC with surround illumination and intelligent ULC 3.0 with rear parking camera. (Image source: Renault) (Others)
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Renault Captur will compete with Hyundai Creta, Tata Hexa and Mahindra XUC500 in the SUV segment.

&nbsp;

The premium sports utility model is priced between Rs 9.99 lakh and Rs 13.88 lakh

Renault has launched its premium model- Renault Captur in India.The sports utility model has been priced between Rs 9.99 lakh and Rs 13.88 lakh. It is available in two engine options: 1.5 litre K9L diesel and 1.5 litre petrol. The base price of the car is set for the petrol RXE variant which is priced up to Rs 13.88 lakh for the top-end Platine variant available in diesel. Sumit Sahwney, the managing director of Renault India said that in 2017 alone the SUV segment in India has grown by 46 per cent. He added that the new launch will address the demand of customers who want SUVs with several features. The car has been launched with 50 premium features, including projector headlamps, LED daytime running lights and an integrated audio system as standard features across all variants. It is also equipped with dual front airbags, ABS with EBD and brake assist. The model is adorned with 7.0-inch touchscreen multimedia which has the capability to connect with Bluetooth, USB, aux-in, integrated maps, and navigation. It also has Smart Access Card keyless entry, daytime running lamps, daytime turn indicators. Smart Access Card (Image source: Renault) (Others) × Interior designed with Leather seats. (Image source: Renault) (Others) × Auto AC with surround illumination and intelligent ULC 3.0 with rear parking camera. (Image source: Renault) (Others) × Renault Captur will compete with Hyundai Creta, Tata Hexa and Mahindra XUC500 in the SUV segment.

Renault launches first premium SUV 'Captur' in India

The Sensex surged 112 points to end at a fresh high of&nbsp;33,686 on Friday. The Nifty too hit reached a record of 10,452.50 after rising 29 points.

The 30-stock benchmark had opened at a record high in the morning too&nbsp;as financials gained, while healthcare and energy stocks edged lower as investors took a breather after a prolonged rally.

Investor sentiment has been upbeat in India with the government&rsquo;s recent announcement of a recapitalisation plan for banks.

Shares of Bharti Airtel Ltd surged as much as four per cent during the day to their highest level in over a decade. The stock has risen nearly 78 per cent this year as of Thursday&rsquo;s close.&nbsp;

Among losers, Glenmark Pharmacueticals Ltd fell as much as three per cent as a fall in second-quarter profit and sequential rise in debt concerned analysts.

The Sensex surged 112 points to end at a fresh high of 33,686 on Friday. The Nifty too hit reached a record of 10,452.50 after rising 29 points.

The Sensex surged 112 points to end at a fresh high of 33,686 on Friday. The Nifty too hit reached a record of 10,452.50 after rising 29 points. The 30-stock benchmark had opened at a record high in the morning too as financials gained, while healthcare and energy stocks edged lower as investors took a breather after a prolonged rally. Investor sentiment has been upbeat in India with the government’s recent announcement of a recapitalisation plan for banks. Shares of Bharti Airtel Ltd surged as much as four per cent during the day to their highest level in over a decade. The stock has risen nearly 78 per cent this year as of Thursday’s close. Among losers, Glenmark Pharmacueticals Ltd fell as much as three per cent as a fall in second-quarter profit and sequential rise in debt concerned analysts.

Sensex rises 112 points to end at fresh high

Leading audio equipment company Bose has announced the launch of its iconic headphones QC35 II.

The product will be the first headphone to offer seamless voice access to one&#39;s Google Assistant.

The QC35 II noise-cancelling headphones have all the performance and features of the original QC35.

Supporting and delivering the same industry-defining noise cancellation, audio performance, and up to 20 hours of battery life, the headphones come with settings to control the external noise.

The controls on the right earcups are similar to the original QC35, which include an audio volume button, and the multi-function button for incoming calls and accessing Siri.

The new action button on the left earcup to connect to one&#39;s Google Assistant, without having to grab one&#39;s phone and finding the app.

&quot;The QC35 is already the world&#39;s most celebrated wireless headphone, and a survival tool for modern life,&quot; said Director, Bose on-the-go products, Brian Maguire.

&quot;We didn&#39;t change anything that people already love with Google Assistant built-in, and new choices for what you hear, we made it better,&quot; added Maguire.

Bose and Google worked together on the exclusive experience in the QC35 II, making it the first integration of Google Assistant in a headphone.

All one needs to do is press and hold the action button, and their own personal Google will be ready to help - no waiting, looking, swiping, or typing.

The personal assistant will help one manage their music and get things done; like play a playlist or a favourite song by a favourite artist, and add appointments to Google calendar.

It can also help one stay connected; from simple things like making a call, to notification about incoming messages, events and reminders.

Moreover, the gadget can also answer questions and find information; the latest headlines, whether one&#39;s flight is on time, and the list of movies playing downtown, etc.

Bose&#39;s proprietary microphone system picks-up voices with remarkable accuracy, so that commands are understood. And in a fraction of a millisecond, Bose active noise cancellation dramatically eliminates unwanted sounds.

Like its predecessor, the QC35 II&#39;s noise cancellation is fully activated when the headphone is on, but the Bose Connect App now also lets one choose to keep it high, turn it down low, or disable it completely off.

The Connect App lets one change the action button&#39;s functionality, so one can control the noise settings from the earcup when they want, and switch back to their Google Assistant when they want.

The QC35 II noise cancelling headphones will be available in black and silver, priced at Rs. 29,363.

The headphones will be sold at Bose retail stores, Boseindia.com and authorised Bose dealers.

First headphone from Bose to offer seamless voice access to one's Google Assistant.

Leading audio equipment company Bose has announced the launch of its iconic headphones QC35 II. The product will be the first headphone to offer seamless voice access to one's Google Assistant. The QC35 II noise-cancelling headphones have all the performance and features of the original QC35. Supporting and delivering the same industry-defining noise cancellation, audio performance, and up to 20 hours of battery life, the headphones come with settings to control the external noise. The controls on the right earcups are similar to the original QC35, which include an audio volume button, and the multi-function button for incoming calls and accessing Siri. The new action button on the left earcup to connect to one's Google Assistant, without having to grab one's phone and finding the app. "The QC35 is already the world's most celebrated wireless headphone, and a survival tool for modern life," said Director, Bose on-the-go products, Brian Maguire. "We didn't change anything that people already love with Google Assistant built-in, and new choices for what you hear, we made it better," added Maguire. Bose and Google worked together on the exclusive experience in the QC35 II, making it the first integration of Google Assistant in a headphone. All one needs to do is press and hold the action button, and their own personal Google will be ready to help - no waiting, looking, swiping, or typing. The personal assistant will help one manage their music and get things done; like play a playlist or a favourite song by a favourite artist, and add appointments to Google calendar. It can also help one stay connected; from simple things like making a call, to notification about incoming messages, events and reminders. Moreover, the gadget can also answer questions and find information; the latest headlines, whether one's flight is on time, and the list of movies playing downtown, etc. Bose's proprietary microphone system picks-up voices with remarkable accuracy, so that commands are understood. And in a fraction of a millisecond, Bose active noise cancellation dramatically eliminates unwanted sounds. Like its predecessor, the QC35 II's noise cancellation is fully activated when the headphone is on, but the Bose Connect App now also lets one choose to keep it high, turn it down low, or disable it completely off. The Connect App lets one change the action button's functionality, so one can control the noise settings from the earcup when they want, and switch back to their Google Assistant when they want. The QC35 II noise cancelling headphones will be available in black and silver, priced at Rs. 29,363. The headphones will be sold at Bose retail stores, Boseindia.com and authorised Bose dealers.

Bose launches Google Assistant enabled earphones for gizmo freaks

Facebook-owned messaging app WhatsApp went down for nearly an hour&nbsp;on Friday afternoon with users unable to access it across India,&nbsp;UK and the world, media reports said.

Reports said the messaging app was&nbsp;experiencing server problems.&nbsp;

Indian users also experienced problems in sending messages.

Several users complained&nbsp;about messages&nbsp;getting blocked.&nbsp;

The app is now back in action.&nbsp;

&ldquo;Earlier today, WhatsApp users globally had trouble accessing the app for about an hour. This issue has been fixed and we apologise for the inconvenience,&quot; WhatsApp said in a statement.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

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?? Retweet If you can see &quot;Checking for new messages&quot; n <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WhatsApp?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WhatsApp</a> now ?? Still not working ??
&mdash; Happy Sharing By Dks (@Dksview) <a href="https://twitter.com/Dksview/status/926370592378335233?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 3, 2017</a></blockquote>
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WhatsApp? <a href="https://t.co/AlYJtsMUbY">pic.twitter.com/AlYJtsMUbY</a>
&mdash; Hasrizal (@iamhasrizal) <a href="https://twitter.com/iamhasrizal/status/926370413155844096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 3, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Whatsapp?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Whatsapp</a> is down. This must be the lord tellin me to go moonwalk into DMs. <a href="https://t.co/b7dxPxzyLU">pic.twitter.com/b7dxPxzyLU</a>
&mdash; Benny Black (@blixxack) <a href="https://twitter.com/blixxack/status/926370367505084421?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 3, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Because WhatsApp is down, sharing it here <a href="https://t.co/ZhhjoKb7gy">pic.twitter.com/ZhhjoKb7gy</a>
&mdash; Gappistan Radio (@GappistanRadio) <a href="https://twitter.com/GappistanRadio/status/926370341110267905?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 3, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

Reports said the messaging app is experiencing server problems.

Facebook-owned messaging app WhatsApp went down for nearly an hour on Friday afternoon with users unable to access it across India, UK and the world, media reports said. Reports said the messaging app was experiencing server problems. Indian users also experienced problems in sending messages. Several users complained about messages getting blocked. The app is now back in action. “Earlier today, WhatsApp users globally had trouble accessing the app for about an hour. This issue has been fixed and we apologise for the inconvenience," WhatsApp said in a statement. ?? Retweet If you can see "Checking for new messages" n #WhatsApp now ?? Still not working ?? — Happy Sharing By Dks (@Dksview) November 3, 2017 × WhatsApp? pic.twitter.com/AlYJtsMUbY — Hasrizal (@iamhasrizal) November 3, 2017 × #Whatsapp is down. This must be the lord tellin me to go moonwalk into DMs. pic.twitter.com/b7dxPxzyLU — Benny Black (@blixxack) November 3, 2017 × Because WhatsApp is down, sharing it here pic.twitter.com/ZhhjoKb7gy — Gappistan Radio (@GappistanRadio) November 3, 2017 ×

WhatsApp down briefly in India, UK and other parts of the world

&quot;Black Friday&quot;, the day that falls on the fourth Friday of November, marks the beginning of Christmas shopping in the United States.&nbsp;

It comes after the Thanksgiving Day in the US.&nbsp;

It&nbsp;has been observed as the beginning of Christmas shopping season in the US since 1952.&nbsp;

During this time most retail stores remain open from early morning till&nbsp;late at night and offer promotional sales to attract potential buyers.&nbsp;

Retail stores offer most discounts on electronics.&nbsp;

While the retail stores are open and provide sales schemes, schools and non-retail employees have both Thanksgiving and the succeeding Friday as an &quot;off day&quot;.&nbsp;

This again adds to the number of buyers on &quot;Black Friday&#39;&#39;.&nbsp;The day has been the busiest shopping day of the year since 2005.&nbsp;

Several weeks before &#39;&#39;Black Friday&#39;&#39;, e-commerce giant Amazon opened its &#39;&#39;Black Friday&#39;&#39; store officially on November 1. The retail store encourages shoppers to sign up for &#39;&#39;Amazon Prime&#39;&#39; with&nbsp;additional benefits during this high voltage shopping extravaganza.

Competing with Amazon, Walmart offers their &#39;&#39;Pickup&#39;&#39; discount program. During this time shoppers can avail discounts on their online products if they ship their product to a Walmart store for a free pick up.

Black Friday, the day that falls on the fourth Friday of November, marks the beginning of Christmas shopping in the United States

"Black Friday", the day that falls on the fourth Friday of November, marks the beginning of Christmas shopping in the United States. It comes after the Thanksgiving Day in the US. It has been observed as the beginning of Christmas shopping season in the US since 1952. During this time most retail stores remain open from early morning till late at night and offer promotional sales to attract potential buyers. Retail stores offer most discounts on electronics. While the retail stores are open and provide sales schemes, schools and non-retail employees have both Thanksgiving and the succeeding Friday as an "off day". This again adds to the number of buyers on "Black Friday''. The day has been the busiest shopping day of the year since 2005. Several weeks before ''Black Friday'', e-commerce giant Amazon opened its ''Black Friday'' store officially on November 1. The retail store encourages shoppers to sign up for ''Amazon Prime'' with additional benefits during this high voltage shopping extravaganza. Competing with Amazon, Walmart offers their ''Pickup'' discount program. During this time shoppers can avail discounts on their online products if they ship their product to a Walmart store for a free pick up.

US gears up for 'Black Friday'

Apple's iPhone party overtook the world on Thursday night as long queues were seen outside iPhone stores across New York, Beijing, Singapore, Australia and London.

Fanboy moment: iPhone X mania grips the world

India is performing well internationally, in attracting local and foreign entrepreneurs with an improved infrastructure and better tax reforms. By Saurabh Goenka. Creative: Sunitha Shekhar

Doing business in India is easy now. Why?

Razer Inc, a Singapore-based American company that specialises in computer hardware specifically for gamers has made its entry into the world of smartphones.&nbsp;

Continuing with its specialisation into gaming hardware, the company has designed a new phone priced at $700, which will be best suited&nbsp;for video games.&nbsp;

The phone is equipped with technology offered by highest of high-end gaming PCs.&nbsp;

The company&#39;s CEO Min-Liang Tan highlighted&nbsp;Razor&#39;s Ultramotion feature&nbsp;which synchronizes the graphics chip in the phone with the screen offering smooth gameplay at high frame rates.

The phone is designed to run on Android games on&nbsp;Google Play store.&nbsp;

Just like most of the newly launched smartphones, the Razer is also launched without a standard headphone jack.&nbsp;

However, it lacks some of the common features of new smartphone including water resistance, OLED screen, ultra-narrow borders without display.&nbsp;The device is designed in an all-aluminium case with a 5.7 inch Quad HD display.

The powerful Qualcomm&#39;s Snapdragon 835 processor has 8GB RAM with the&nbsp;power to store memory equivalent to the amount of memory that comes with many PCs.&nbsp;

The phone has dual front-facing speakers.&nbsp;The side of the phone is also adorned with a fingerprint sensor on the power button.

Razer was founded by Min-Liang Tan and Robert Krakoff and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.&nbsp;

The company announced the launch of the phone on Wednesday, with pre-orders.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The device will be available in the market&nbsp;on November 17.&nbsp;

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Razer Inc, a Singaporean based American Company that specialises in Computer hardware specifically for gamers has made its entry into the world of Smartphones

Razer Inc, a Singapore-based American company that specialises in computer hardware specifically for gamers has made its entry into the world of smartphones. Continuing with its specialisation into gaming hardware, the company has designed a new phone priced at $700, which will be best suited for video games. The phone is equipped with technology offered by highest of high-end gaming PCs. The company's CEO Min-Liang Tan highlighted Razor's Ultramotion feature which synchronizes the graphics chip in the phone with the screen offering smooth gameplay at high frame rates. The phone is designed to run on Android games on Google Play store. Just like most of the newly launched smartphones, the Razer is also launched without a standard headphone jack. However, it lacks some of the common features of new smartphone including water resistance, OLED screen, ultra-narrow borders without display. The device is designed in an all-aluminium case with a 5.7 inch Quad HD display. The powerful Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 processor has 8GB RAM with the power to store memory equivalent to the amount of memory that comes with many PCs. The phone has dual front-facing speakers. The side of the phone is also adorned with a fingerprint sensor on the power button. Razer was founded by Min-Liang Tan and Robert Krakoff and is headquartered in San Francisco, California. The company announced the launch of the phone on Wednesday, with pre-orders. The device will be available in the market on November 17.

Razer designs smartphone for gamers

Apple Inc won accolades from privacy experts in September for assuring that facial data used to unlock its new iPhone X would be securely stored on the phone itself.

But Apple&#39;s privacy promises do not extend to the thousands of app developers who will gain access to facial data in order to build entertainment features for iPhone X customers, such as pinning a three-dimensional mask to their face for a selfie or letting a video game character mirror the player&#39;s real-world facial expressions.

Apple allows developers to take certain facial data off the phone as long as they agree to seek customer permission and not sell the data to third parties, among other terms in a contract.

App makers who want to use the new camera on the iPhone X can capture a rough map of a user&#39;s face and a stream of more than 50 kinds of facial expressions. This data, which can be removed from the phone and stored on a developer&#39;s own servers, can help monitor how often users blink, smile or even raise an eyebrow.

That remote storage raises questions about how effectively Apple can enforce its privacy rules, according to privacy groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Democracy and Technology. Apple maintains that its enforcement tools - which include pre-publication reviews, audits of apps and the threat of kicking developers off its lucrative App Store are effective.

The data available to developers cannot unlock a phone&nbsp;that process relies on a mathematical representation of the face rather than a visual map of it, according to documentation about the face unlock system that Apple released to security researchers.

But the relative ease with which developers can whisk away face data to remote servers leaves Apple sending conflicting messages: Face data is highly private when used for authentication, but it is sharable&nbsp;with the user&#39;s permission&nbsp; when used to build app features.

&quot;The privacy issues around of the use of very sophisticated facial recognition technology for unlocking the phone have been overblown,&quot; said Jay Stanley, a senior policy analyst with the American Civil Liberties Union. &quot;The real privacy issues have to do with the access by third-party developers.&quot;

The use of face recognition is becoming ubiquitous on everything from social networks to city streets with surveillance cameras. Berlin law enforcement officials in August installed a facial recognition system at the city&rsquo;s main railway station to test new technology for catching criminals and terrorists.

But privacy concerns loom large. In Illinois, Facebook Inc faces a lawsuit over whether its photo tagging suggestions violated a state law that bars the collection of biometric data without permission. Facebook says it has always been clear with users that it can be turned off and the data for it deleted.

Privacy experts say their concerns about iPhone X are not about government snooping, since huge troves of facial photographs already exist on social media and even in state motor vehicle departments. The issue is more about unscrupulous marketers eager to track users&#39; facial expressions in response to advertisements or content, despite Apple&#39;s contractual rules against doing so.

App makers must &quot;obtain clear and conspicuous consent&quot; from users before collecting or storing face data, and can only do so for a legitimate feature of an app, according to the relevant portions of Apple&#39;s developer agreement that Apple provided to Reuters.

Apple&#39;s iOS operating system also asks users to grant permission for an app to access to any of the phone&#39;s cameras.

Apple forbids developers from using the face data for advertising or marketing, and from selling it to data brokers or analytics firms that might use it for those purposes. The company also bans the creation of user profiles that could be used to identify anonymous users, according to its developer agreement.

&quot;The bottom line is, Apple is trying to make this a user experience addition to the iPhone X, and not an advertising addition,&quot; said Clare Garvie, an associate with the Center on Privacy &amp; Technology at Georgetown University Law Center in Washington.

ENFORCEMENT IN QUESTION

Though they praised Apple&#39;s policies on face data, privacy experts worry about the potential inability to control what app developers do with face data once it leaves the iPhone X, and whether the tech company&#39;s disclosure policies adequately alert customers.

The company has had high-profile mishaps enforcing its own rules in the past, such as the 2012 controversy around Path, a social networking app that was found to be saving users&#39; contact lists to its servers, a violation of Apple&#39;s rules.

One app developer told that Apple&#39;s non-negotiable developer agreement is long and complex and rarely read in detail, just as most consumers do not know the details of what they agree to when they allow access to personal data.

Apple&#39;s main enforcement mechanism is the threat to kick apps out of the App store, though the company in 2011 told the US&nbsp;Congress that it had never punished an app in that way for sharing user information with third parties without permission.

Apple&#39;s other line of defense against privacy abuse is the review that all apps undergo before they hit the App Store. But the company does not review the source code of all apps, instead relying on random spot checks or complaints, according to 2011 Congressional testimony from Bud Tribble, one of the company&#39;s &quot;privacy czars.&quot;

With the iPhone X, the primary danger is that advertisers will find it irresistible to gauge how consumers react to products or to build tracking profiles of them, even though Apple explicitly bans such activity.

&quot;Apple does have a pretty good historical track record of holding developers accountable who violate their agreements, but they have to catch them first - and sometimes that&#39;s the hard part,&quot; the ACLU&#39;s Stanley said. &quot;It means household names probably won&#39;t exploit this, but there&#39;s still a lot of room for bottom feeders.&quot; 
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Apple allows developers to take certain facial data off the phone

Apple Inc won accolades from privacy experts in September for assuring that facial data used to unlock its new iPhone X would be securely stored on the phone itself. But Apple's privacy promises do not extend to the thousands of app developers who will gain access to facial data in order to build entertainment features for iPhone X customers, such as pinning a three-dimensional mask to their face for a selfie or letting a video game character mirror the player's real-world facial expressions. Apple allows developers to take certain facial data off the phone as long as they agree to seek customer permission and not sell the data to third parties, among other terms in a contract. App makers who want to use the new camera on the iPhone X can capture a rough map of a user's face and a stream of more than 50 kinds of facial expressions. This data, which can be removed from the phone and stored on a developer's own servers, can help monitor how often users blink, smile or even raise an eyebrow. That remote storage raises questions about how effectively Apple can enforce its privacy rules, according to privacy groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Democracy and Technology. Apple maintains that its enforcement tools - which include pre-publication reviews, audits of apps and the threat of kicking developers off its lucrative App Store are effective. The data available to developers cannot unlock a phone that process relies on a mathematical representation of the face rather than a visual map of it, according to documentation about the face unlock system that Apple released to security researchers. But the relative ease with which developers can whisk away face data to remote servers leaves Apple sending conflicting messages: Face data is highly private when used for authentication, but it is sharable with the user's permission when used to build app features. "The privacy issues around of the use of very sophisticated facial recognition technology for unlocking the phone have been overblown," said Jay Stanley, a senior policy analyst with the American Civil Liberties Union. "The real privacy issues have to do with the access by third-party developers." The use of face recognition is becoming ubiquitous on everything from social networks to city streets with surveillance cameras. Berlin law enforcement officials in August installed a facial recognition system at the city’s main railway station to test new technology for catching criminals and terrorists. But privacy concerns loom large. In Illinois, Facebook Inc faces a lawsuit over whether its photo tagging suggestions violated a state law that bars the collection of biometric data without permission. Facebook says it has always been clear with users that it can be turned off and the data for it deleted. Privacy experts say their concerns about iPhone X are not about government snooping, since huge troves of facial photographs already exist on social media and even in state motor vehicle departments. The issue is more about unscrupulous marketers eager to track users' facial expressions in response to advertisements or content, despite Apple's contractual rules against doing so. App makers must "obtain clear and conspicuous consent" from users before collecting or storing face data, and can only do so for a legitimate feature of an app, according to the relevant portions of Apple's developer agreement that Apple provided to Reuters. Apple's iOS operating system also asks users to grant permission for an app to access to any of the phone's cameras. Apple forbids developers from using the face data for advertising or marketing, and from selling it to data brokers or analytics firms that might use it for those purposes. The company also bans the creation of user profiles that could be used to identify anonymous users, according to its developer agreement. "The bottom line is, Apple is trying to make this a user experience addition to the iPhone X, and not an advertising addition," said Clare Garvie, an associate with the Center on Privacy & Technology at Georgetown University Law Center in Washington. ENFORCEMENT IN QUESTION Though they praised Apple's policies on face data, privacy experts worry about the potential inability to control what app developers do with face data once it leaves the iPhone X, and whether the tech company's disclosure policies adequately alert customers. The company has had high-profile mishaps enforcing its own rules in the past, such as the 2012 controversy around Path, a social networking app that was found to be saving users' contact lists to its servers, a violation of Apple's rules. One app developer told that Apple's non-negotiable developer agreement is long and complex and rarely read in detail, just as most consumers do not know the details of what they agree to when they allow access to personal data. Apple's main enforcement mechanism is the threat to kick apps out of the App store, though the company in 2011 told the US Congress that it had never punished an app in that way for sharing user information with third parties without permission. Apple's other line of defense against privacy abuse is the review that all apps undergo before they hit the App Store. But the company does not review the source code of all apps, instead relying on random spot checks or complaints, according to 2011 Congressional testimony from Bud Tribble, one of the company's "privacy czars." With the iPhone X, the primary danger is that advertisers will find it irresistible to gauge how consumers react to products or to build tracking profiles of them, even though Apple explicitly bans such activity. "Apple does have a pretty good historical track record of holding developers accountable who violate their agreements, but they have to catch them first - and sometimes that's the hard part," the ACLU's Stanley said. "It means household names probably won't exploit this, but there's still a lot of room for bottom feeders."

App developer access to iPhone X face data spooks some privacy experts