Tuesday, March 21, 2023

Business

Twitter to soon increase long-form tweets to 10k characters: Musk

Twitter CEO Elon Musk on Tuesday said that the micro-blogging platform will soon increase the long-form tweets to 10,000 characters, along with simple formatting tools. When a user posted, "Genius, @twitter and @elonmusk decision to allow long form content on Twitter is brilliant product design. There will be less click bait type of articles and people staying on Twitter for longer."

HP launches new laptop 'Pavilion Aero 13' in India

PC and printer major HP on Tuesday launched its latest laptop -- Pavilion Aero 13, powered by AMD Ryzen 7 Processor with Radeon Graphics in India. The new HP Pavilion Aero 13 comes available in Rose Pale Gold, Warm Gold, and Natural Silver colour options at a starting price of Rs 72,999.

Google giving some Pixel Superfans chance to try Bard AI

Tech giant Google is giving some Pixel Superfans the chance to try out its OpenAI's ChatGPT competitor "Bard". The Bard is not publicly available yet, but the tech giant is allowing a "small, randomly selected group of Pixel Superfans" to get access first. However, the company is not allowing the Superfans to try out Bard immediately, it is just keeping them on a waitlist for early access once they sign up.

Mastodon hits over 10mn registered users

Decentralised social media platform Mastodon on Tuesday announced that it has crossed more than 10 million registered accounts. The platform posted from its 'Mastodon Users' account: "1,00,51,051 accounts; +1,742 in the last hour; +40,108 in the last day; +1,95,936 in the last week."

Twitter testing govt ID-based verification for Blue users: Report

Micro-blogging platform Twitter is reportedly testing a new verification process for its Blue subscribers that will involve submitting a government ID. The method for submitting a photo of the users' ID, both front and back, combined with a selfie photo, to authenticate their Twitter account is revealed through code-level insights uncovered by the product intelligence firm Watchful.ai.

Amazon deepens tech gloom as 503 firms lay off 1.5 lakh employees

As Amazon deepened the tech gloom with firing another 9,000 employees (it previously sacked 18,000), over 500 companies have laid off nearly 1.5 lakh workers to date this year. According to latest data from layoff.fyi, a website that is tracking tech sector job cuts, 503 tech companies have laid off 148,165 employees to date. After a dismal year for tech companies and startups in 2022 which saw at least 1.6 lakh employees being shown the door, 2023 started on a similar note.

US bank First Republic's shares crash more than 46%

Shares in the troubled First Republic Bank crashed more than 46 per cent after reports the San Francisco-based bank may need to raise more funds despite a $ 30 billion rescue last week. As the growing banking crisis spread into a new week, the credit rating of the regional bank was downgraded deeper into junk status by S&P Global.

Accenture to acquire Bengaluru-based industrial AI firm Flutura

Global professional services company Accenture on Tuesday said it is acquiring industrial artificial intelligence (AI) company Flutura for an undisclosed sum. Bengaluru-headquartered Flutura will strengthen Accenture's industrial AI services to increase the performance of plants, refineries, and supply chains while also enabling clients to accomplish their net zero goals faster.

Power sector dues to coal companies over Rs 20,000 crore

Even as the Coal Ministry has ensured regular supply of dry fuel to thermal plants across the country to help them cope with peak demand during the summer season, outstanding dues by power sector towards major coal companies are more than Rs 20,000 crore.

At 55.9%, IndiGo led market share in Feb; airlines received 359 complaints

While IndiGo flew ahead of the other airlines in February with 55.9 per cent share in the domestic aviation market, Air India and Vistara secured second and third slot with market share of 8.9 per cent and 8.7 per cent, respectively.

US stocks rise as markets digest UBS takeover of Credit Suisse

US stocks rose on Monday as investors digested UBS's takeover of embattled Swiss lender Credit Suisse, according to a media report. UBS on Sunday agreed to buy Credit Suisse for 3 billion Swiss francs ($3.25 billion), which is about 60 per cent less than what the bank was worth at Friday's market close, CNN reported. Shares of Credit Suisse tumbled 56 per cent.

Delhi-bound flights diverted due to bad weather

At least 10 Delhi-bound flights were diverted on Monday due to bad weather conditions and downpour in many parts of Delhi and NCR. Officials said that seven flights were diverted to Jaipur while three flights were diverted to Lucknow.

Google Messages may soon get redesigned voice recorder UI

Google is reportedly working on a redesigned voice recorder user interface (UI) for its instant messaging application 'Google Messages'. Currently, the users record a voice message by holding on the microphone icon and can also "Slide to cancel" at any time, while the duration is noted at the left of the bar.

6 central banks to boost flow of US dollars through global financial system

Central banks have moved globally to keep credit flowing after an unsettled period in the US banking sector and the Credit Suisse merger. Six central banks, including the Bank of England, announced they would boost the flow of US dollars through the global financial system. On Sunday, the struggling Credit Suisse was taken over by UBS in a Swiss government backed deal.

Home decor company Livspace lays off 100 employees

Home interiors and renovation platform Livspace has laid off at least 100 employees as part of cost-cutting measures. According to a report in leading startups coverage portal Inc42, the layoffs impacted 2 per cent of Livspace workforce, affecting product, engineering, content, and marketing teams. The company said in a statement that "we will, in the normal course of our operations, redeploy resources".

Asia Pacific markets edge lower after UBS rescue of Credit Suisse

Asia Pacific markets edged slightly lower on Monday as investors reacted to news of a Credit Suisse bailout by its bigger rival UBS. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index tumbled 1.5 per cent at its opening. Japan's benchmark Nikkei index fell 0.7 per cent, while South Korea's Kospi was flat in morning trade. The S&P/ASX 200 in Australia slipped 0.8 per cent.

India 1st in South Asia on govt requests for user data from Big Tech firms

India has been ranked first in South Asia based on government requests for user data from Big Tech companies, a report showed on Monday. From 2013 to 2021, Meta and Google received the highest number of account requests from India, according to popular VPN service Surfshark. India ranked seventh in all of Asia with 58.7 accounts requested per 100,000 people.

YouTube rolling out song, album credits to its music service

Video-sharing platform YouTube is rolling out song and album credits to its music streaming service 'YouTube Music'. With this new feature, users will be able to see song and album credits when listening to their favourite music. The feature, where users can instantly see detailed song information, such as who the singer is and who wrote, produced, and composed each track, has long been a part of many other streaming services like Tidal.

'Wi-Fi Labs' appear in Google Home app for some users: Report

Some Google Home application users are seeing a new 'Wi-Fi Labs' option for their Nest Wifi router. It is possible that this internal capability was unintentionally made accessible to those outside the test pool. This new feature is present in the 'Network settings' menu, which is accessible from the Wi-Fi page.

Galaxy Watch6 series to feature bigger batteries than its predecessors: Report

Tech giant Samsung's upcoming Galaxy Watch6 series will feature bigger batteries than its predecessors. Both the Galaxy Watch6 40mm and the Galaxy Watch6 Classic 42mm are expected to feature a 300 mAh battery. On the other hand, the Galaxy Watch6 44mm and the Galaxy Watch6 Classic 46mm will likely have a 425 mAh battery.

Mega textile park to be set up near Lucknow

A mega textile park will soon come up on 1,161 acres in Attari village under Malihabad tehsil in Lucknow district. According to a state government spokesman, the proposed project will be known as Sant Kabir PM Mitra Textile and Apparel Park. The government aims to make it a hub for textile business and other activities for 15 districts of the state, the official added. The park will be located near the National Highway-30 for easy connectivity to Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Telangana.

UBS to buy Credit Suisse: Swiss govt

Credit Suisse will be taken over by Swiss banking giant UBS, the Swiss federal government has announced. On Friday, the liquidity outflows and market volatility showed that it was no longer possible to restore the necessary confidence and that a swift and stabilising solution was absolutely necessary.

Tough week ahead for markets; US FED meeting holds the key

Markets were volatile last week not only in India but globally. There were sharp moves on both sides and one saw intraday gains and losses being erased and markets closing in the opposite direction. Global banking was what kept everyone on their toes.

Power consumption in April-Feb of 2022-23 crosses last fiscal's usage limit

India's power consumption during the current fiscal (till February 2023) has already crossed the levels of supply for the entire 2021-22. According to power ministry data, power consumption rose by 10 per cent to 1,375.57 billion units (BU) during April-February period of 2022-23.

WhatsApp rolling out new updates for 'communities' on iOS, Android

To make it more user-friendly, Meta-owned WhatsApp has rolled out new updates to the community feature by introducing some changes to the interface of the "announcement group" for users on iOS and Android.

As flowers bloom copiously on mango trees, Bihar's farmers expect bumper harvest

Mango trees in Bihar are a sight to behold this year. The weather has also been favourable so far due to which the farmers are happy about their mango production this time. The mango trees in the state are laden with flowers or 'manjar', and the farmers are busy protecting them from any kind of disease or natural disaster. In India, the major mango-growing states are Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar, among others.

Why AI fails to reproduce human vision

While computers may be able to spot a familiar face or an oncoming vehicle faster than the human brain, their accuracy is questionable. Computers can be taught to process incoming data, like observing faces and cars, using artificial intelligence (AI) known as deep neural networks or deep learning. This type of machine learning process uses interconnected nodes or neurons in a layered structure that resembles the human brain.

Food apps' defence: Physical, mental health of delivery partners our priority

As more and more reports surface about the unfair work and pay conditions delivery boys (online food and grocery delivery platforms call them partners) are facing, top online food aggregators on Saturday said they are working hard to provide them with healthy, safe working conditions and be there in their times of need.

Lives at risk as delivery agents race against time to avoid penalties

Two delivery agents were killed in separate accidents while they were on duty on Holi. Both the deceased were hit by cars as they raced against the clock to avoid penalties and deliver the orders in time. According to the police, one of the deceased, identified as Bunty worked as a delivery boy in Noida. He was on his way to deliver an order when an unidentified car driver hit his scooty in Sector-112 of Noida on March 8.

India's gig economy in a limbo as online food deliveries slow down

With a spurt in online food and grocery delivery, especially in the pandemic years, India saw a meteoric rise in the gig economy, giving millions of people job opportunities. However, delivering hot and piping food at customers' doorsteps has become a nightmare for many of them as the food delivery business turns out to be a losing game while more and more delivery partners report unfair work conditions, pay disparity, and harassment.

Customer's dog mauls delivery boy to death, case settled for Rs 5 lakh

When he pressed the doorbell of an apartment, Mohammed Rizwan was hoping to successfully complete another food delivery but he was unaware of the lurking danger. As soon as the bell rang, a ferocious pet dog of the house owner came charging at him. Frightened over this, the delivery boy ran and when the German Shepherd continued chasing him, he jumped off the third floor to save himself.

Man vs. Algorithm: What dark secrets did 'Zwigato' expose to Nandita Das

It's been 87 years since Charlie Chaplin released "Modern Times". The film, a satirical black comedy, told the story of a factory worker and his struggle to survive in the modern, industrialised world in the face of the Great Depression. Little seems to have changed, rather only the means of exploitation of workers have changed. And when it comes to gig workers, the conditions are far more grim since they're not full-time employees and are devoid of any benefits and security that a permanent job brings.

iPhone 15 Pro Max may feature thinnest screen bezels to date

Tech giant Apple's upcoming iPhone 15 Pro Max smartphone will reportedly "break record" of the thinnest screen bezels to date. Tipster Ice Universe tweeted on Friday: "iPhone 15 Pro Max will break the record of 1.81mm bezel black edge held by Xiaomi 13, and we measure that its cover plate black bezel width is only 1.55 mm.iS22 and S23-- 1.95mmiCEiPhone 14 Pro 2.17mm)."

A bumpy journey from hopelessness in Bihar to gig economy's underbelly

The delivery boy -- having lunch on a motorcycle at a roadside community kitchen, sweat dripping down his body, tiredness on his face, phone in one hand, and earphone around his neck -- is enough to show that life is not easy for everyone. Suraj Kumar, a 22-year-old from Bihar who ekes out a meagre living by delivering food to the towering residential complexes of Gurugram -- over a thousand kilometres from home -- is one such face.

5 mn food deliveries daily in Mumbai, yet riders struggle to survive

One of the greatest blessings of the Smartphone Internet era is the ease of ordering snacks, food and desserts from anywhere in the city/town or the district, for self, family, parties, social or corporate events. Through one or more of the hundreds of Apps, one can place the most outrageous orders, ranging from the humble 'Vada-Pav' to 'Shawarmas' - and every possible dish in between.

Google working on new 'Video Unblur' tool for Pixel 8

Tech giant Google is reportedly working on a new "Video Unblur" tool for its upcoming Pixel 8 smartphone. The Video Unblur tool will make the users' videos crisp and clear. With the help of machine learning, this tool is expected to give previously captured videos a sharper appearance. The "Photo Unblur" tool in Google Photos which leverages the machine learning capabilities of the Tensor chip to sharpen photographs was introduced with the launch of the Pixel 7 series.

NASA mission to Saturn's moon may unravel chemistry leading to life

An upcoming NASA mission to Saturn's giant moon Titan aims to discover the development of life in the universe The mission called Dragonfly is due to launch in 2027, and will reach Titan in 2034.  Dragonfly carries an instrument called the Dragonfly Mass Spectrometer (DraMS), which will shed light on the kinds of chemical steps that occurred on Earth that ultimately led to the formation of life, called prebiotic chemistry.

Twitter to soon open source all code used to recommend tweets: Musk

Twitter CEO Elon Musk on Saturday said that the micro-blogging platform will open source all code used for recommending tweets on March 31. Musk tweeted: "Twitter will open source all code used to recommend tweets on March 31." "Our 'algorithm' is overly complex and not fully understood internally. People will discover many silly things, but we'll patch issues as soon as they're found!" Also, Musk said that the company is developing a simplified approach to "serve" more "compelling" tweets and that will also be open source.

First Republic Bank's financial woes deepen despite cash infusion

First Republic Bank's financial woes appeared to be deepening despite an industry-led emergency cash infusion. The beleaguered bank is trying to raise money through a private issue of new shares, which cited people familiar with the situation. The news comes just 24 hours after First Republic secured a cash infusion of $30 billion from a consortium of banks.

Swiss giant UBS in talks to take over all or part of Credit Suisse

Swiss banking giant UBS is in discussions to take over all or part of Credit Suisse, after a day in which the troubled banking giant continued to see its share price fall despite a $ 54 billion cash injection. The Financial Times reported that the boards of the two banks are set to meet separately over the weekend in talks initiated by the Swiss National Bank, which provided Credit Suisse a lifeline, and regulator Swiss Finma.

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