Business

25 Jun

New Google update wipes users’ location, web history after 18 months.

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Alphabet's Google said on Wednesday it will automatically delete some location history after 18 months for new users and make it easier for everyone to access its search, Maps, and YouTube apps without being tracked. The updates to Google's privacy controls arrive as the world's largest search engine faces heightened scrutiny on its data collection practices. New privacy laws in California and Europe have prompted Internet companies to adjust practices over the last two years. Several lawsuits by consumers and US state attorneys general in the last few months have accused Google of deception in data gathering.Under Google’s updated settings,…

25 Jun

Motorcycles To Be Banned In Vienna

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The capital of Austria and home of motorcycle brand KTM, has decided to ban motorcycles from the city centre of Vienna. The latest ban comes just after a ban on motorcycles imposed in the state of Tyrol in Austria, which has some of the most stunning roads in Europe, perfect for motorcycle rides. However, unlike the ban in Tyrol, which affects motorcycles only and not sports cars, the ban in the city centre of Vienna includes all kinds of motorised vehicles, including even electric bikes.

24 Jun

Government Extends Deadline For Filing This Year’s I-T Returns Till 30 November

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The government on Wednesday further extended the deadline for filing income tax (I-T) returns for the financial years 2018-19 and 2019-20. A press note released by the Central Board of Direct Taxes said that the last date for filing returns for the financial year 2019-20 (Assessment Year 2020-21) has now been extended till 30 November, 2020. Similarly, the deadline for filing original as well as revised returns for 2018-19 (Assessment Year 2019-20) is now 31 July, 2020. Earlier, these dates were respectively 30 June and 31 October. The last date for furnishing tax audit report has also been extended till 31 October, the press…

24 Jun

Gold Touches Nearly 8-Year High As Rise In COVID-19 Cases

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Gold prices surged to their highest in nearly eight years on Wednesday, while global shares cooled as signs of an acceleration in coronavirus cases kept investors on edge. Fuelling concerns about the prospects for an economic recovery was data showing several US states seeing record infections and the deaths in Latin America crossing 1,00,000, according to a tally by news agency Reuters. The New York Times reported the European Union was prepared to bar US travellers because of the surge of cases, putting it in the same category as Brazil and Russia. Adding to the gloom, European Central Bank chief…

24 Jun

Facebook to buy 9.99% stake in Jio Platform for ₹43,574 crore.

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The antitrust watchdog is reviewing Facebook’s purchase of a 10 per cent stake in Reliance Industries’ (RIL) digital assets, a deal that would give the US giant another foothold in one of the world’s fastest growing internet markets. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) looks to prevent misuse of data in all the deals it assesses, Chairman Ashok Kumar Gupta said in an email interview, declining to comment further on the Facebook-Jio transaction pending examination. The regulator is also considering whether new parameters should be included in its assessment criteria. “Currently, some mergers and acquisitions escape the threshold for scrutiny…

24 Jun

BS6 Honda Grazia 125 launched.

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Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India on Wednesday launched the BS6 compliant version two-wheeler Grazia 124. The all-new Grazia 125 dispatches will commence starting this week. Grazia 125 BS6 will be available at a starting price of Rs. 73,336 (for Standard version, ex-showroom).There will be two variants - Standard & Deluxe in four bold colours – Mat Cyber Yellow, Pearl Spartan Red, Pearl Siren Blue and Mat Axis Grey.At the heart of Grazia 125 ticks BS6 compliant Honda's trusted 125cc PGM-FI HET (Honda Eco Technology) engine, boosted by Enhanced Smart Power (eSP). It also comes equipped with a unique multi-function switch…

23 Jun

How Apple plans to take on WhatsApp with iOS 14.

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Back in 2018, during a regular quarterly earnings call with investors, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg made a rather startling admission. "Our biggest competitor by far is iMessage ," Zuckerberg told investors about Apple's default messaging app as a huge threat. Till yesterday, one might have felt that Apple — while making subtle changes — hadn't really upped the ante on Facebook and its family of apps like Messenger and WhatsApp . However, at WWDC 2020 , Apple with iOS 14 announced how Messages is set to change significantly with new features that are designed to take on other instant messaging…

23 Jun

Patanjali ordered to stop advertising COVID-19 drug.

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Yoga guru Ramdev's herbal medicine company Patanjali Ayurved on Tuesday claimed to have discovered a medicine that could cure coronavirus in just seven days - a claim that the Ayush Ministry scoffed at by seeking stopping of advertisements for the drug. While Ramdev claimed that Ayurved-based 'Coronil and Swasari' medicine have shown 100 per cent favourable results during clinical trials on COVID-19 infected patients except those on a life support system, the Ayush Ministry sought from the company detailed report on composition, testing and other data of the drugs. The ministry also used powers under a 1954 law to ask…

23 Jun

ICICI Prudential Life declares 15% higher bonus

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ICICI Prudential Life Insurance has announced a bonus totalling Rs 788 crore. All participating policies in force as of March 31, 2020, are eligible to receive this bonus, which will be added to their guaranteed maturity or death benefit. The bonus declared for FY2020 is 15% higher than the last fiscal enabling ~9 lakh policyholder to get one step closer to achieving their financial goals. This is the 14th consecutive year the Company has declared a bonus and delivered long term value to policyholders.Managing Director & CEO of ICICI Prudential Life Insurance, Mr N S Kannan said, "Policyholders depend on…

23 Jun

Indiabulls Reportedly Breached by CLOP Ransomware

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Indiabulls, a diversified financial services group with more than Rs. 28,580 crore (as on March 31, 2019) in net worth, has been reportedly breached by CLOP Ransomware operators. These operators, as per the report, claim to have stolen data that includes four spreadsheets related to the Indiabulls Pharmaceuticals and Indiabulls Housing Finance Limited subsidiaries, among other files. Till now, CLOP Ransomware operators have uploaded six screenshots of stolen files and asked Indiabulls to contact them in 24 hours. According to a report by Bleeping Computer, the cyberattack on Indiabulls has come from CLOP Ransomware operators that steal unencrypted files and…