Technology

Republican senators want to bar U.S. app stores including Apple and Google from hosting apps that allow payments to be made with China's digital currency , amid fears the payment system could allow Beijing to spy on Americans. (Sign up to our Technology newsletter, Today’s Cache, for insights on emerging themes at the intersection of technology, business and policy. Click here to subscribe for free.) The bill, unveiled Thursday and first reported by Reuters, states that companies that own or control app stores "shall not carry or support any app in app store(s) within the United States that supports or enables transactions in e-CNY." It is sponsored by Senators Tom Cotton, Marco Rubio and Mike Braun. Also Read Bill targeting Apple and Google approved by U.S. Senate panel According to Cotton's office, digital yuan could provide the Chinese government with "real-time visibility into all transactions on the network, posing privacy and security concerns for … [Read more...] about U.S. bill would bar Google, Apple from hosting apps that accept China’s digital yuan

Elon Musk reached an agreement to buy Twitter for roughly $44 billion on Monday, promising a more lenient touch to policing content on the platform where he promotes his interests, attacks critics and opines on social and economic issues to more than 83 million followers. The outspoken Tesla CEO, who is also the world’s wealthiest person , has said he wanted to buy and privatize Twitter because he thinks it’s not living up to its potential as a platform for free speech. Mr. Musk said in a joint statement with Twitter that he wants to make the service “better than ever” with new features, such as getting rid of automated “spam bots” and making its algorithms open to the public to increase trust. Also Read Twitter under shareholder pressure to seek deal with Musk, sources say “Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated,” he said. The deal was cemented … [Read more...] about Twitter confirms sale of company to Elon Musk for $44 billion

Apple Inc has raised the pay for its hourly U.S. employees, the iPhone maker said on Wednesday, as companies face a tight labour market, a surge in unionisation efforts and rising inflation. (Sign up to our Technology newsletter, Today’s Cache, for insights on emerging themes at the intersection of technology, business and policy. Click here to subscribe for free.) The starting pay for hourly workers in the United States will rise to $22, or higher based upon the market, a 45% jump from 2018 levels, Apple said in a statement to Reuters . Also Read Apple looks to boost production outside China "This year as part of our annual performance review process, we're increasing our overall compensation budget," a company spokesperson said. Apple has informed some workers their annual reviews would be advanced by three months and the new pay will take effect in early July, the Wall Street Journal , which first reported the changes in compensation, said. … [Read more...] about Apple to increase pay for U.S. workers

Pakistan’s National Assembly on May 26 passed a bill to abolish the former Imran Khan government’s election reforms giving expats the right to vote through I-Voting and the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the country. The Elections (Amendment) Bill 2022 presented by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Murtaza Javed Abbasi was passed with a majority vote in the lower house, with only members of the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) opposing it. Mr. Abbasi, before presenting the bill, presented a motion to allow the bill be sent directly to the Senate for its approval, bypassing the relevant standing committee. The bill is expected to be sent to the Senate on May 27. The current National Assembly would complete its five-year term in August next year, which would be followed by the general elections. However, the prime minister can dissolve parliament any time and call fresh elections. Describing the bill of “immense significance”, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) … [Read more...] about Pakistan’s National Assembly approves bill to bar overseas citizens’ from voting, stop use of EVMs

If the pandemic had a partner in crime, it must be the global chip shortage. The duo has hit established economic systems world-wide, and made several organisations scale back production and rework their manufacturing and supply chain processes. Toyota Corporation on Tuesday apologised to its suppliers and customers a third time in less than two months for delaying making new vehicles and changing production plans for the June ending quarter. On March 17, the Japanese automaker said it is pressing the brakes on production targets to rework a plan that will not max out factory capacity, push employees to their limits, and make do through overtime work. A month later, the Japanese automaker cut its global production target for the period between April and June by 1,00,000 to 7,50,000 vehicles in May. And then again, on May 24, it said ,“Due to the impact of semiconductor shortages, we have adjusted our production plan by tens of thousands of units globally from the number provided to … [Read more...] about Knotty supply chains deepen global chip shortage

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday blocked a planned $117 billion takeover of chipmaker Qualcomm by Singapore-based rival Broadcom for national security reasons, scuttling what would have been the biggest technology deal ever amid concerns that it would allow China to take the lead in the booming market of producing chips. Mr. Trump, in his executive order, said there is “credible evidence” that leads him to believe that if Broadcom took control of the Qualcomm it “might take action that threatens to impair the national security of the US.” As such, Broadcom and Qualcomm “shall immediately and permanently abandon the proposed takeover”, ordered the U.S. President. “The proposed takeover of Qualcomm by the Purchaser is prohibited, and any substantially equivalent merger, acquisition, or takeover, whether effected directly or indirectly, is also prohibited,” Mr. Trump said in the executive order. The deal would have created the world’s third-largest maker of microchips, … [Read more...] about Trump blocks Broadcom’s $117 billion bid to buy Qualcomm

The first Andhra Conference is a landmark in the history of modern Andhra Pradesh. It gave impetus to the Andhra movement and it gave birth to Linguistic States Policy, said Kona Raghupathi, Deputy Speaker, AP Legislative Assembly. He was participating in the 109th anniversary celebrations of First Andhra Conference in Bapatla on Thursday. He said  people of Bapatla  got an opportunity to honour the grandson of B.N. Sarma, who fought for a separate Andhra State. Later, he felicitated B. Mahadev Sarma, grandson of B.N. Sarma, President of First Andhra Conference. The meeting was presided over by  B John Wesley, Associate Dean of College of Food Science and Technology, Bapatla. Forum for Better Bapatla Secretary P.C. Sai Babu,  Ch. Bhavani Devi, Kotamraju Prasad, Arts College Former Principal WAGK Murthy, UV Rama Rao, artist GV and others spoke. … [Read more...] about 109th anniversary of first Andhra conference held

Researchers in Mumbai have moved a step closer to treating surface tumours such as oral, breast and cervical cancer and other tumours such melanoma and colon cancer through photothermal ablation using gold-polymer nanoparticles and near infrared light. The researchers from Mumbai’s Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay and Tata Memorial Centre have synthesised hybrid polymer-gold nanoparticles as photothermal agent to ablate solid tumours. The near infrared light heats up the nanoparticles and the heated nanoparticles, in turn, can kill the cancer cells. Unlike other agents tried out by others, the hybrid nanoparticles used by the Mumbai team has no toxicity, is biodegradable and gets cleared from the body through urine. The team led by Prof. Rohit Srivastava from the Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering at IIT Bombay and Dr. Abhijit De from the Molecular Functional Imaging Lab at ACTREC, Tata Memorial Centre used a thermoresponsive polymer (poly(N-vinyl caprolactam)) … [Read more...] about A step closer to treating oral cancer without surgery

At birth, the doctors found Balan (name changed) to be an anatomical puzzle. All his organs, the heart, the liver, the spleen and the stomach were ‘reversed’ or seemed to be mirror images of what was normal. By itself, situs inversus, as this congenital condition is called, isn’t a problem, but in Balan’s case his displaced heart was severely compromised. Both his major arteries, for instance, arose from the right ventricle due to which his blood was impure and didn’t carry enough oxygen to the other organs. Moreover, the links that connected to the lungs were severely obstructed and there was a hole in the heart’s lower chambers. Though Balan’s growth wasn’t affected, the condition limited his physical activities and left him fatigued at the slightest exertion. Changing treatment Cardiologists in Kerala found it hard to visualise the architecture of his circulatory system to begin plugging his heart’s defects. But there was a way out; 3-D printing came to their rescue. Using … [Read more...] about A model plan to fix a heart

Equity benchmark indices bounced back on Wednesday, May 25, 2022, after declining for two days, with the Sensex climbing 327 points in early trade, helped by buying in index major Reliance Industries and positive trends in the Asian markets. The 30-share BSE Sensex jumped 326.98 points to 54,379.59 points in early deals. The broader NSE Nifty gained 98.2 points to 16,223.35 points. From the Sensex pack, IndusInd Bank, Nestle, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Reliance Industries Limited, NTPC and HDFC were the prominent gainers in early trade. In contrast, Asian Paints, Tech Mahindra, TCS, HCL Technologies, Wipro and Tata Steel were among the laggards. The BSE benchmark declined 236 points or 0.43 per cent to settle at 54,052.61 points on Tuesday. The Nifty dropped 89.55 points or 0.55 per cent to end at 16,125.15 points. Asian markets in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Seoul were trading in the green while Tokyo quoted marginally lower. Stock markets in the US had mostly ended lower on … [Read more...] about Sensex climbs 327 points in early trade