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Showing posts from January, 2023

Apple Workplace Rules Violate US Labour Law, Agency Finds

Apple maintains workplace policies that unlawfully discourage employees from discussing working conditions, a US labour agency has found. The National Labor Relations Board will issue a complaint targeting the policies and claiming Apple executives made comments that stymied worker organising unless the company settles first, an agency official said on Monday in an email reviewed by Reuters. The official had sent the email to Ashley Gjovik, a former Apple senior engineering manager who filed complaints against the company in 2021. The NLRB investigates charges filed by workers and unions and decides whether to issue formal complaints against companies. The agency can seek to strike down workplace policies and require employers to notify workers of legal violations. Apple did not respond to a request for comment. The company has said it takes worker complaints seriously and thoroughly investigates them. An NLRB spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Gjo

Apple Workplace Rules Violate US Labour Law, Agency Finds

Apple maintains workplace policies that unlawfully discourage employees from discussing working conditions, a US labour agency has found. The National Labor Relations Board will issue a complaint targeting the policies and claiming Apple executives made comments that stymied worker organising unless the company settles first, an agency official said on Monday in an email reviewed by Reuters. The official had sent the email to Ashley Gjovik, a former Apple senior engineering manager who filed complaints against the company in 2021. The NLRB investigates charges filed by workers and unions and decides whether to issue formal complaints against companies. The agency can seek to strike down workplace policies and require employers to notify workers of legal violations. Apple did not respond to a request for comment. The company has said it takes worker complaints seriously and thoroughly investigates them. An NLRB spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Gjo

FTX Collapse Has Put Spotlight on Vulnerabilities in Crypto Ecosystem: Economic Survey 2022-23

The recent collapse of the crypto exchange FTX and the ensuing sell-off in the crypto markets have placed a spotlight on the vulnerabilities in the crypto ecosystem, the Economic Survey 2022-23 presented in Parliament said on Tuesday. Crypto assets are self-referential instruments and do not strictly pass the test of being a financial asset because it has no intrinsic cashflows attached to them. US regulators have disqualified Bitcoin , Ether and various other crypto assets as securities. A rare joint statement by the Federal Reserve, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) on January 3, 2023, highlighted their concerns about crypto-asset risks to the banking system, it noted. The geographically pervasive nature of the crypto ecosystem necessitates a common approach to the regulation of these volatile instruments, and the global response to cryptos is evolving, it said. Observing that crypto assets are new forms of dig

5G Rollout Can Unleash New Economic Avenues, Help in Development: Economic Survey 2022-23

The rollout of 5G services can unleash new economic opportunities and help India leapfrog the traditional barriers to development, while boosting innovation by startups and businesses, the Economic Survey said. The massive wave of digitisation, rising penetration of smartphones , and technology adoption have opened the doors for both traditional and new-age sectors, observed the Economic Survey 2022-23, which was tabled in Parliament on Tuesday. "The rollout of 5G services can unleash new economic opportunities and help the country leapfrog the traditional barriers to development, spur innovations by startups and business enterprises, and advance the 'Digital India' vision," it said. The journey is "far from complete and a lot remains to be accomplished to realise our true potential". The survey made a mention of the interstate disparity in teledensity, where rural areas trailed urban locations in the telecom penetration, but added in the same breath t

FTX Collapse Has Put Spotlight on Vulnerabilities in Crypto Ecosystem: Economic Survey 2022-23

The recent collapse of the crypto exchange FTX and the ensuing sell-off in the crypto markets have placed a spotlight on the vulnerabilities in the crypto ecosystem, the Economic Survey 2022-23 presented in Parliament said on Tuesday. Crypto assets are self-referential instruments and do not strictly pass the test of being a financial asset because it has no intrinsic cashflows attached to them. US regulators have disqualified Bitcoin , Ether and various other crypto assets as securities. A rare joint statement by the Federal Reserve, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) on January 3, 2023, highlighted their concerns about crypto-asset risks to the banking system, it noted. The geographically pervasive nature of the crypto ecosystem necessitates a common approach to the regulation of these volatile instruments, and the global response to cryptos is evolving, it said. Observing that crypto assets are new forms of dig

FTX Collapse Has Put Spotlight on Vulnerabilities in Crypto Ecosystem: Economic Survey 2022-23

The recent collapse of the crypto exchange FTX and the ensuing sell-off in the crypto markets have placed a spotlight on the vulnerabilities in the crypto ecosystem, the Economic Survey 2022-23 presented in Parliament said on Tuesday. Crypto assets are self-referential instruments and do not strictly pass the test of being a financial asset because it has no intrinsic cashflows attached to them. US regulators have disqualified Bitcoin , Ether and various other crypto assets as securities. A rare joint statement by the Federal Reserve, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) on January 3, 2023, highlighted their concerns about crypto-asset risks to the banking system, it noted. The geographically pervasive nature of the crypto ecosystem necessitates a common approach to the regulation of these volatile instruments, and the global response to cryptos is evolving, it said. Observing that crypto assets are new forms of dig

US Said to Stop Granting Export Licences for 4G, AI, Wi-Fi, Cloud Technology for China's Huawei: All Details

The Biden administration has stopped approving licenses for US companies to export most items to China's Huawei, according to three people familiar with the matter. Huawei has faced US export restrictions around items for 5G and other technologies for several years, but officials in the US Department of Commerce have granted licenses for some American firms to sell certain goods and technologies to the company. Qualcomm , in 2020, received permission to sell 4G smartphone chips to Huawei. A Commerce Department spokesperson said officials "continually assess our policies and regulations" but do not comment on talks with specific companies. Huawei and Qualcomm declined to comment. Bloomberg and the Financial Times earlier reported the move. One person familiar with the matter said US officials are creating a new formal policy of denial for shipping items to Huawei that would include items below the 5G level, including 4G items, Wi-Fi 6 and 7, artificial intelligence, a

NoiseFit Force Rugged Smartwatch With Over 150 Watch Faces, Bluetooth Calling Launched in India: All Details

NoiseFit Force rugged smartwatch was launched in India by the company. The latest smartwatch from the Indian wearable manufacturer sports a 1.32-inch (360x360 pixels) display, with support for Bluetooth calling. The NoiseFit Force smartwatch offers support for Bluetooth calling and is equipped with heart rate and blood oxygen level sensors, a sleep tracker, and a step counter. It also offers over 150 watch faces and several sports modes. It is available in three colour variants. The company claims the watch features an impact-resistant build. NoiseFit Force rugged smartwatch price in India The newly launched NoiseFit Force rugged smartwatch is priced at Rs. 2,499 and will go on sale from February 3 at 12pm. It will be available for sale via the NoiseFit website and Amazon India. This rugged smartwatch comes in three different colour variants — Jet Black, Teal Green, and Misty Grey. NoiseFit Force rugged smartwatch specifications, features NoiseFit's Force rugged smartwatch f

NoiseFit Force Rugged Smartwatch With Over 150 Watch Faces, Bluetooth Calling Launched in India: All Details

NoiseFit Force rugged smartwatch was launched in India by the company. The latest smartwatch from the Indian wearable manufacturer sports a 1.32-inch (360x360 pixels) display, with support for Bluetooth calling. The NoiseFit Force smartwatch offers support for Bluetooth calling and is equipped with heart rate and blood oxygen level sensors, a sleep tracker, and a step counter. It also offers over 150 watch faces and several sports modes. It is available in three colour variants. The company claims the watch features an impact-resistant build. NoiseFit Force rugged smartwatch price in India The newly launched NoiseFit Force rugged smartwatch is priced at Rs. 2,499 and will go on sale from February 3 at 12pm. It will be available for sale via the NoiseFit website and Amazon India. This rugged smartwatch comes in three different colour variants — Jet Black, Teal Green, and Misty Grey. NoiseFit Force rugged smartwatch specifications, features NoiseFit's Force rugged smartwatch f

‘Michael Jordan of Fundraising’: Elon Musk Emerges a Money Maverick in Tesla Tweet Trial

Elon Musk's enigmatic personality and unconventional tactics are emerging as key exhibits in a trial revolving around one of his most polarizing pursuits — tweeting. The trial, centred on a pair of tweets announcing Musk had obtained the money to take Tesla private in 2018, reeled the 51-year-old billionaire into a federal courtroom in San Francisco for three days of testimony that opened a peephole into his often inscrutable mind. Musk, who now owns the Twitter service that he deploys as his megaphone, was often a study in contrasts during his roughly eight hours on the stand. The CEO of the electric carmaker is facing a class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of Tesla shareholders after Musk tweeted about a company buyout that didn't happen. Through both his testimony and the evidence submitted around it, Musk came across as impetuous, brash, combative and contemptuous of anyone who questioned his motives as a game-changing entrepreneur who has inspired comparisons to Apple

‘Michael Jordan of Fundraising’: Elon Musk Emerges a Money Maverick in Tesla Tweet Trial

Elon Musk's enigmatic personality and unconventional tactics are emerging as key exhibits in a trial revolving around one of his most polarizing pursuits — tweeting. The trial, centred on a pair of tweets announcing Musk had obtained the money to take Tesla private in 2018, reeled the 51-year-old billionaire into a federal courtroom in San Francisco for three days of testimony that opened a peephole into his often inscrutable mind. Musk, who now owns the Twitter service that he deploys as his megaphone, was often a study in contrasts during his roughly eight hours on the stand. The CEO of the electric carmaker is facing a class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of Tesla shareholders after Musk tweeted about a company buyout that didn't happen. Through both his testimony and the evidence submitted around it, Musk came across as impetuous, brash, combative and contemptuous of anyone who questioned his motives as a game-changing entrepreneur who has inspired comparisons to Apple

Chinese Internet Giant Baidu Planning to Launch AI Chatbot Similar to OpenAI’s ChatGPT in March

Chinese Internet giant Baidu is planning to launch an artificial intelligence chatbot tool similar to OpenAI's ChatGPT in March, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters. Baidu plans to debut the application by initially embedding it into its main search services, Bloomberg News reported earlier. ChatGPT's tech works by learning from vast amounts of data how to answer any prompt by a user in a human-like way, offering the information like a search engine would or prose like an aspiring novelist. Microsoft  has a $1 billion investment in San Francisco-based OpenAI that it has looked at increasing, Reuters has reported. The company has also worked to add OpenAI's image-generation software to its Bing search engine in a new challenge to Alphabet Inc's Google. Last week, the company announced a further multibillion dollar investment in OpenAI, deepening ties with the startup behind the chatbot sensation ChatGPT and setting the stage for more competition with r

Chinese Internet Giant Baidu Planning to Launch AI Chatbot Similar to OpenAI’s ChatGPT in March

Chinese Internet giant Baidu is planning to launch an artificial intelligence chatbot tool similar to OpenAI's ChatGPT in March, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters. Baidu plans to debut the application by initially embedding it into its main search services, Bloomberg News reported earlier. ChatGPT's tech works by learning from vast amounts of data how to answer any prompt by a user in a human-like way, offering the information like a search engine would or prose like an aspiring novelist. Microsoft  has a $1 billion investment in San Francisco-based OpenAI that it has looked at increasing, Reuters has reported. The company has also worked to add OpenAI's image-generation software to its Bing search engine in a new challenge to Alphabet Inc's Google. Last week, the company announced a further multibillion dollar investment in OpenAI, deepening ties with the startup behind the chatbot sensation ChatGPT and setting the stage for more competition with r

Chinese Internet Giant Baidu Planning to Launch AI Chatbot Similar to OpenAI’s ChatGPT in March

Chinese Internet giant Baidu is planning to launch an artificial intelligence chatbot tool similar to OpenAI's ChatGPT in March, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters. Baidu plans to debut the application by initially embedding it into its main search services, Bloomberg News reported earlier. ChatGPT's tech works by learning from vast amounts of data how to answer any prompt by a user in a human-like way, offering the information like a search engine would or prose like an aspiring novelist. Microsoft  has a $1 billion investment in San Francisco-based OpenAI that it has looked at increasing, Reuters has reported. The company has also worked to add OpenAI's image-generation software to its Bing search engine in a new challenge to Alphabet Inc's Google. Last week, the company announced a further multibillion dollar investment in OpenAI, deepening ties with the startup behind the chatbot sensation ChatGPT and setting the stage for more competition with r

US Panel to Vote on TikTok Ban Over National Security Concerns in February

The House Foreign Affairs Committee plans to hold a vote next month on a bill aimed at blocking the use of China's popular social media app TikTok in the United States, the committee confirmed on Friday. The measure, planned by the panel's chair Representative Michael McCaul, a Republican, would aim to give the White House the legal tools to ban TikTok over US national security concerns. "The concern is that this app gives the Chinese government a back door into our phones," McCaul told Bloomberg News, which reported the vote timing earlier. In 2020, then-President Donald Trump attempted to block new users from downloading TikTok and ban other transactions that would have effectively blocked the app's use in the United States, but lost a series of court battles over the measure. The Biden administration in June 2021 formally abandoned that effort. Then in December, Republican Senator Marco Rubio unveiled bipartisan legislation to ban TikTok, which would also

US Panel to Vote on TikTok Ban Over National Security Concerns in February

The House Foreign Affairs Committee plans to hold a vote next month on a bill aimed at blocking the use of China's popular social media app TikTok in the United States, the committee confirmed on Friday. The measure, planned by the panel's chair Representative Michael McCaul, a Republican, would aim to give the White House the legal tools to ban TikTok over US national security concerns. "The concern is that this app gives the Chinese government a back door into our phones," McCaul told Bloomberg News, which reported the vote timing earlier. In 2020, then-President Donald Trump attempted to block new users from downloading TikTok and ban other transactions that would have effectively blocked the app's use in the United States, but lost a series of court battles over the measure. The Biden administration in June 2021 formally abandoned that effort. Then in December, Republican Senator Marco Rubio unveiled bipartisan legislation to ban TikTok, which would also

US Panel to Vote on TikTok Ban Over National Security Concerns in February

The House Foreign Affairs Committee plans to hold a vote next month on a bill aimed at blocking the use of China's popular social media app TikTok in the United States, the committee confirmed on Friday. The measure, planned by the panel's chair Representative Michael McCaul, a Republican, would aim to give the White House the legal tools to ban TikTok over US national security concerns. "The concern is that this app gives the Chinese government a back door into our phones," McCaul told Bloomberg News, which reported the vote timing earlier. In 2020, then-President Donald Trump attempted to block new users from downloading TikTok and ban other transactions that would have effectively blocked the app's use in the United States, but lost a series of court battles over the measure. The Biden administration in June 2021 formally abandoned that effort. Then in December, Republican Senator Marco Rubio unveiled bipartisan legislation to ban TikTok, which would also

Twitter to Let Users Appeal Account Suspension Starting February 1

Twitter users will be able to appeal account suspensions and be evaluated under the social media platform's new criteria for reinstatement, starting Feb. 1, the company said on Friday. Under the new criteria, which follow billionaire Elon Musk's purchase of the company in October, Twitter accounts will only be suspended for severe or ongoing and repeat violations of the platform's policies. Severe policy violations include engaging in illegal content or activity, inciting or threatening violence or harm, and engaging in targeted harassment of other users, among others. Twitter said that going forward, it will take less severe action, in comparison to account suspension, such as limiting the reach of tweets that violate its policies or asking users to remove tweets before continuing to use the account. In December, Musk came under fire for suspending accounts of several journalists over a controversy on publishing public data about the billionaire's plane. He later

Twitter to Let Users Appeal Account Suspension Starting February 1

Twitter users will be able to appeal account suspensions and be evaluated under the social media platform's new criteria for reinstatement, starting Feb. 1, the company said on Friday. Under the new criteria, which follow billionaire Elon Musk's purchase of the company in October, Twitter accounts will only be suspended for severe or ongoing and repeat violations of the platform's policies. Severe policy violations include engaging in illegal content or activity, inciting or threatening violence or harm, and engaging in targeted harassment of other users, among others. Twitter said that going forward, it will take less severe action, in comparison to account suspension, such as limiting the reach of tweets that violate its policies or asking users to remove tweets before continuing to use the account. In December, Musk came under fire for suspending accounts of several journalists over a controversy on publishing public data about the billionaire's plane. He later

Twitter to Let Users Appeal Account Suspension Starting February 1

Twitter users will be able to appeal account suspensions and be evaluated under the social media platform's new criteria for reinstatement, starting Feb. 1, the company said on Friday. Under the new criteria, which follow billionaire Elon Musk's purchase of the company in October, Twitter accounts will only be suspended for severe or ongoing and repeat violations of the platform's policies. Severe policy violations include engaging in illegal content or activity, inciting or threatening violence or harm, and engaging in targeted harassment of other users, among others. Twitter said that going forward, it will take less severe action, in comparison to account suspension, such as limiting the reach of tweets that violate its policies or asking users to remove tweets before continuing to use the account. In December, Musk came under fire for suspending accounts of several journalists over a controversy on publishing public data about the billionaire's plane. He later

Suzuki to Invest $35 Billion in EVs Through 2030, Will Introduce Electric Vehicles in India and Europe

Suzuki Motor will invest JPY 4.5 trillion (roughly Rs. 2,85,614 crore) through fiscal 2030 in research, development and capital spending to make battery electric vehicles (EVs), it said on Thursday. The Japanese automaker known for making compact "kei" cars said it would invest JPY 2 trillion in electrification and autonomous driving technologies, while allocating JPY 2.5 trillion (roughly Rs. 1,56,915) to build a battery EV plant and for renewable energy facilities. Of the money earmarked for electrification, JPY 500 billion (roughly Rs. 31,380 crore) would be invested in batteries, it said. Suzuki 's announcement comes after other Japanese automakers have rolled out similar goals to catch up with European and US rivals in the fast-growing battery EV market. Mazda Motor unveiled in November a $10.6 billion (roughly Rs. 86,460 crore) spending plan to electrify its vehicles. Suzuki said it would introduce its first battery EVs , including small sport-utility vehicles