For the past three years, TikTok has worked to reassure U.S. government departments and agencies that their users’ personal information cannot be accessed and that their content cannot be changed by the Chinese Communist Party or any other group acting under its control.

President Joe Biden overturned a ban on TikTok issued by his predecessor Donald Trump last year, but talks between his administration and the social media platform remained regarding a potential agreement that would address the security issues.

In an effort to put pressure on the White House to take a tough stance against China as part of a larger debate including trade, intellectual property, and human rights, U.S. politicians have seized on security worries over TikTok.

In order to placate the American authorities, TikTok has already announced a number of initiatives, including a deal with Oracle Corp. to store user data in the country and the creation of a United States Data Security (USDS) division to manage data protection and content control choices. According to a source with knowledge of the situation, it has invested $1.5 billion in hiring and organisational costs to develop that operation.

The sources claim that some government officials, including those at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the U.S. Department of Defense, continue to be hostile to a security agreement. These officials contend that because TikTok would continue to rely on ByteDance, which also runs the Chinese short-video app Douyin, for its technology, its users would remain at risk.

TikTok has tried to add more levels of regulation to the American government in order to get over these obstacles. According to the sources, Oracle’s responsibility has been broadened to include ensuring that TikTok’s technological foundation is distinct from ByteDance’s.

According to the sources, TikTok has also suggested setting up a “proxy” board that would administer the USDS business independently of ByteDance. Until a security agreement with the U.S. is established, this division is led interim by Andrew Bonillo, a former U.S. Secret Service agent, and it reports to TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew.

Source: Indian Express

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International food wholesaler METRO AG, a German firm, also owns retail and department stores. It specialises in meeting the needs of independent retailers as well as hotels, restaurants, and caterers. The Indian division of the corporation, known for its “Cash and Carry” business strategy, has now been acquired by Reliance Retail.

Reliance Retail gains access to a large base of registered kiranas and other institutional customers, a strong supplier network, and some of the global best practises implemented by METRO in India through this acquisition, the company said in a statement. It also gains access to a wide network of METRO India stores located in prime locations across key cities.

The first company to introduce a cash-and-carry business model to India was METRO AG, which began operations there in 2003. At the moment, METRO AG employs roughly 3,500 people and runs 31 large format stores across 21 cities.

The Cash and Carry concept is essentially characterised by its customer base, claims the company’s website. Instead of putting orders with several vendors, registered business customers visit a Cash & Take location, make their own purchases, and carry them back themselves.

According to the company’s website, it offers business clients “a vast choice of up to 50,000 food and non-food products, available under one roof at wholesale pricing.” Through its shop network and eB2B app, the multi-channel B2B cash & carry wholesaler has reached over 3 million B2B customers in India, of whom 1 million are frequent buyers.

Under the name METRO Wholesale, it presently runs 31 wholesale distribution facilities in the cities of Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Jaipur.

“With METRO India, we are selling a growing and profitable wholesale business in a very dynamic market at the appropriate time,” stated Steffen Greubel, CEO of METRO AG. We are confident that Reliance would be a good partner for us going forward and will be able to successfully guide METRO India in this market.

Source: The Hindu

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After receiving a resounding majority of votes from Twitter users in a poll that the billionaire started on Sunday night calling on him to resign, Musk has now publicly mentioned leaving his position as the social media platform’s CEO for the first time.

Calls for Musk to resign on Wall Street have been growing for several weeks, and more recently even Tesla Inc. bulls have questioned whether his concentration on the social media platform is keeping him from properly leading the electric vehicle industry, where he plays a key role in product design and engineering.

Musk acknowledged he had too much on his plate and declared he would look for a new CEO of Twitter. But he claimed on Sunday that there was no one in place to take his place and that “no one wants the position who can truly keep Twitter alive.”

Source: Indian Express

Akshat Ayush

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Russian bullion worth a total of $2.2 billion at current prices was taken out of 11 Western investment funds’ accounts between July and November, according to data.

As investors withdrew from bullion due to rising interest rates, funds holding gold have decreased recently. But according to the statistics collated by Reuters, Russian gold is being exported at a rate that is much faster than that of other nations.

This is a shift, as several funds have stated they no longer want to maintain any assets connected to Russia, despite being a minor portion of the total quantity of Russian gold held by wealth managers.

According to two sources, exchange traded funds (ETFs) with hundreds of tonnes of gold would seek to sell their holdings in metal from Russia. One claimed to have instructed the bank hired to store the gold from his fund to give it the least amount of Russian metal possible.

The majority of ETFs list the bars they own publicly and are among the largest holders of bullion. Investors may check if they have Russian gold because each bar has its origin stamped on it.

Banks refused requests from funds to remove Russian gold in the months following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine out of concern that a sell-off would cause market instability.

Funds are not required to sell their holdings because, unless it is owned by a Russian entity that has been sanctioned by the West, gold produced in Russia before March 7, shortly after Moscow launched what it calls a “special military operation” in Ukraine, is not subject to Western sanctions against Moscow.

However, sanctions prevent funds from holding fresh gold from Russia, one of the world’s top producers, which mines about 330 tonnes annually, or $19 billion at today’s prices.

According to two executives at gold-storage institutions, some funds that publicly disclose the country of origin of their holdings are afraid that investors might not want them to hold Russian gold, whilst other gold-owners who do not publish such data are less concerned.

The bankers claimed that Russian gold taken from such funds was frequently transferred to other owners in the same place.

However, some have gone to Asia, where there has been a lot of demand lately, per bankers, analysts, and customs data.

In the first 11 months of the year, the amount of gold kept in vaults in London that the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) monitors decreased by 468 tonnes, or 5%. Data from Swiss and British customs suggest significant shipments to China, India, and other Asian and Middle Eastern nations.

Source: The Indian Express

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Twitter provided an explanation for why it is blocking users who use Twitter to promote their other social media platforms for free in a post that is no longer available.

When users break these rules, Twitter will take action by either temporarily banning their account or removing a single tweet. The new rule was designed to prevent users from endorsing rival social media networks. Be aware that users can publish links to content on other platforms on Twitter.

It’s also noteworthy that the policy makes it plain that users are permitted to run advertisements for the same third-party social media platforms. However, it was regarded as a policy violation to disclose the handles of other social networking platforms in any way. It appears that the business intended to paywall his feature.

The moment this rule went into effect, Twitter began blocking the accounts of journalists and content producers. Many people are looking for Twitter alternatives as a result of this development.

Twitter has retracted its new standards just hours after making the official announcement. Twitter, which is owned by Elon Musk, is now asking for public input on this matter. Currently, more than 80% of users have voted against this policy, and it is quite doubtful that Twitter would change its mind.

Many modifications to the platform’s functionality have been implemented after Elon Musk bought Twitter. Twitter users have experienced a lot recently, from changes to the Twitter Blue membership to the unbanning of some users who broke the Twitter code of conduct.

Source: Indian Express

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The INS Kolkata, INS Kochi, and INS Chennai are three guided missile destroyers of the Kolkata class that were commissioned by the Indian Navy over the past ten years as part of the 15A programme. These vessels were a step up from the INS Delhi, INS Mysore, and INS Mumbai, which were part of the Delhi class.

One of the most significant Defense PSUs in the nation, MDSL, constructed all of these ships. A set of ships with comparable tonnage, functions, capabilities, and weaponry are referred to as a “class” of ship.

In January 2011, a deal for four guided missile destroyers that are more modern than those in the Kolkata class was inked. The lead ship, INS Visakhapatnam (Pennant D66), was commissioned into the Navy in November 2021 as part of Project 15B.

The keel of the Mormugao (Yard 12705) was laid in June 2015, and the late Manohar Parrikar, the then-defence minister, launched the ship in September 2016. To take advantage of series production, the Visakhapatnam class has essentially preserved the hull form, propulsion equipment, many platform components, and significant weaponry and sensors from the Kolkata class.

However, it includes more advanced stealth characteristics and automation. The warships are challenging to spot because to the sleeker hull design and the radar-transparent deck fittings.

On December 15, 2021, Y12705 (now INS Mormugao) finished basin testing. On December 19, 2021, Goa celebrated 60 years of independence from Portuguese control, and that day, Y12705 made her first sea sortie. About 75% of the ship is made of local materials.

Destroyers are a kind of warships that can accompany larger ships in a fleet or a carrier combat group, also known as a carrier strike group, due to their high speed, manoeuvrability, and extended endurance.

Modern destroyers defend fleets and carrier battle groups from close-range surface, air, and subsurface attacks. They are quick, svelte, and hard to spot. In addition to anti-surface operations, guided missile destroyers can engage in anti-aircraft and anti-submarine warfare.

Guided missile destroyers are essential tools in a variety of naval operations, mostly offensive, due to their speed, manoeuvrability, and striking capabilities.

Along with a few additional features, the Visakhapatnam class integrates user input from the Kolkata class. Modern stealth technology guarantees that it has the radar footprint of a very small ship, and a high indigenous component provides it a competitive advantage.

The Visakhapatnam class is one of the Indian Navy’s most technologically advanced ships, according to officials, and can function as an autonomous offensive platform even when not a part of a major formation. The Visakhapatnam class is a valuable tool in contemporary “network centric warfare” thanks to its cutting-edge sensors and communication capabilities.

Source: The Hindu

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For an immersive 270-degree viewing experience, ICE technology has five LED displays bordering either side of the theatre. However, the extra panels only serve to create the illusion of a broader screen by carrying colours and forms from the primary screen to the additional panels, which don’t really show the movie.

According to Renaud Palliere, CEO of The Luxury Collections at PVR Cinemas, ICE technology is to vision what Dolby Atmos is to hearing. Dolby Atmos is a surround sound system that enhances current surround sound systems by including additional height channels to deliver a more immersive audio experience.

4K laser projection and 3D Dolby Atmos technology, in addition to specially built 60 cm-wide seats that let spectators relax into comfort while watching the movie, further improve the theatre experience.

Palliere also revealed that PVR intends to extend the ICE theatres’ reach to Pune during the next six months and Juhu, Mumbai around March 2023. Bangalore is also a possibility. If the response is “excellent,” he continued, the presence can be increased to cover tier 2 cities as well. He claims that the partnership between PVR and ICE Theratres is working toward the deployment of 20 such halls over the course of the following five years.

Speaking about the ticket pricing, Palliere said they aimed to keep them only 20% more than customary in order to maintain them competitive with other PLF (premium large format) type auditoriums.

Palliere added that there will be a focus on exhibiting Indian films at the ICE Theatres in addition to Hollywood and English-language productions. Circus, the upcoming movie by Rohit Shetty, as well as Pathan, which debuts in January, will be shown in ICE Theaters when they open later this month.

Renaud Palliere, who described the technology, claimed that ICE theatres provide an experience that cannot be duplicated at home. Through side panels, which produce backdrop images that sync with the movie and enhance rather than detract from it, the theatres’ empty walls are brought to life.

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The action by Airtel has astonished industry watchers since it illustrates the potential level of collaboration between telecom providers and other businesses for 5G use cases. According to analysts, Airtel has also gained an advantage against the Adani Group, which had bought spectrum specifically to provide these services.

A captive non-public network (CNPN), also known as a private 5G network, is a network that is created exclusively for a company’s use. It is not accessible to external communication, unlike a public network. The network is perfect for institutions like factories, industrial plants, hospitals, universities, etc. because it uses high-frequency, low-wavelength airwaves.

Industry analysts predict that private 5G networks will generate a significant portion of the income for businesses that deploy them, given that consumer adoption of 5G will take some time and may not generate as much income given the normally low tariff rates in India.

Through the agreement, Airtel may have temporarily surpassed the Adani Group, which purchased spectrum during the auction earlier this year with the express purpose of deploying private 5G networks. Adani Group purchased 400 MHz of spectrum in the 26 GHz band during the auction through its subsidiary Adani Data Network for a total of Rs 212 crore.

The conglomerate has insisted that it was not bidding for spectrum for the consumer market, but rather to build its own private network for deployment at its business verticals, including airports, ports, and logistics, as well as for power generation, transmission, and distribution, as well as for a variety of manufacturing operations. However, the group has not ruled out the possibility of constructing private 5G networks for other businesses and has not yet made an announcement to that effect.

According to Airtel, the network will speed up software flashing, a vital procedure for all vehicular dispatches, and enable managers to run several software flashing sessions concurrently, shortening the turnaround time for an operation. Improved paint quality will emerge from the completely automated computerised vision-based inspection.

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An immigrant who receives a green card, also known as a permanent resident card, is able to live and work permanently in the United States. The card is used to show that the holder has been granted the right to live permanently.

Having a green card has a number of advantages, including a path to citizenship, the ability to sponsor members of one’s immediate family for the same card, easy access to the social security system and educational assistance, the freedom to live anywhere in the US, greater career flexibility due to the ability to apply for a variety of jobs, and the ability to sponsor family members for the same card.

By removing the “per country” restriction on employment-based immigrant visas (green cards), the Act aims to enable US firms to “concentrate on employing immigrants based on merit, not their birthplace.” The proposal intends to phase away the per-country caps over a nine-year period in order to lessen the impact on less populous nations and ensure that eligible immigrants from these nations are not disqualified when the Act is put into effect.

In order to meet the demand for nurses and physical therapists in the healthcare industry, as well as “for employment-based immigrants and their family members who are not currently in the United States,” some visas will be set aside for these individuals during the transition period, according to a statement released by the Executive Office of the President.

The enhancement of the H-1B speciality occupation visa programme is a secondary objective of the EAGLE Act 2022. The recruitment requirements would be tightened, US worker rights would be strengthened, and openness would be increased, among other things.

“H.R. 3648 also contains crucial provisions that will enable people who have been waiting in line for immigrant visas for two years to apply for green cards. “Employment-based immigrants would be able to transition off of their temporary visas and give them extra flexibility in changing employers or starting a business, even if the applications wouldn’t be granted until a visa became available,” the statement adds.

The enhancement of the H-1B speciality occupation visa programme is a secondary objective of the EAGLE Act 2022. The recruitment requirements would be tightened, US worker rights would be strengthened, and openness would be increased, among other things.

“H.R. 3648 also contains crucial provisions that will enable people who have been waiting in line for immigrant visas for two years to apply for green cards. “Employment-based immigrants would be able to transition off of their temporary visas and give them extra flexibility in changing employers or starting a business, even if the applications wouldn’t be granted until a visa became available,” the statement adds.

Due to the per-country cap and the 140,000 employment-based green cards available, the backlog has reached millions. In its 2022 analysis, the CATO institute notes that nearly all of the backlogged immigrants are from India.

In the United States, skilled Indian employees made up 75% of the employment-based backlog, according to the CATO analysis from 2020. Notably, the backed-up Indian labourers risked a nine-decade wait before they could receive a green card assuming they all managed to stay in line.

More than “200,000 petitions filed for Indians could expire as a result of the workers passing away from old age before they acquire green cards,” according to the 2020 report.

Indians have to wait significantly longer than other nationalities, in part because companies submit many more petitions for Indians than is permitted by the law, which places restrictions on the number of green cards that can be issued to immigrants from any one birthplace.

However, given the existing circumstances, even removing the per-country cap would still result in wait times of more than ten years for every immigrant sponsored by their company. The per-country restrictions therefore disfavour Indians, as more recent immigrants must wait a lifetime for green cards.

Akshat Ayush

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The firm, which was established in 2016 by Prathap Bhimasena Rao and Sourabh Kumar, has filled around 30,000 potholes nationwide.

In July of this year, the business built a road outside the Ecoworld facility in Bellandur utilising GridMats, a proprietary product. The road’s construction material is recycled polypropylene.

The goal of GridMats is to create durable, sustainable roads and pavements out of plastic trash. The system does not employ steel reinforcing like those found in concrete roadways built the old-fashioned way.

PotHoleRaja’s director, Kumar, claimed that the stories of individuals dying as a result of potholes inspired them to launch the business.

“The examples and news reports of individuals passing away due to potholes were undoubtedly a trigger for both of us. When Prathap was working abroad for various firms and going to other nations, people often used to refer to India as a beautiful country with a wonderful culture but used to add that the roads are terrible. This was for Prathap another crucial factor in starting PotHoleRaja. It was undoubtedly unpleasant to hear this tale, he said.

Kumar explained GridMats in more detail, stating that “it is our unique technique and it is entirely created out of recycled plastic” (polypropylene plastic waste). There aren’t any additional chemicals or additions in it. When we originally established the organisation, we recognised that determining the strength of the foundation was the toughest challenge. We wanted to test the viability of using additional materials.

As of right now, we have 5,000 square metres of GridMat placed in cities like Bengaluru and Mumbai, and we’ll shortly begin operations in Hyderabad as well. Additionally, there are inquiries from North India. People from Africa have contacted us and expressed interest in bringing our technology to that continent.

Kumar stated, “We have built a connecting road out of GridMats. It is located outside the Ecoworld Campus in Bellandur. In the endeavour, we used about 3,000 kg of plastic garbage. Compared to the conventional method of laying concrete roads, it is roughly 40% less expensive. On the Budigere Road, we have also built roads inside a well-known apartment complex. Additionally, we have constructed roadways within factories in Hosur and Tumkur, both of which see a lot of high traffic,” he added.

BBMP and PotHoleRaja collaborate on numerous road construction projects. “We collaborate with BBMP on numerous road development projects, the majority of which are supported by CSR, but we do so in order to introduce more innovation. For instance, in Peenya, the drain covers and the complete footpath were constructed using GridMat reinforcement. We make sure the roads are built for modern use and can be copied in many parts of the city,” Kumar added.

Additionally, residents approach PotHoleRaja for road maintenance. According to Kumar, many people stole their cold asphalt mixture to patch little potholes.

Source: Indian Express

Akshat Ayush

Akshat Aayush is an experienced content writer with a strong focus on creating daily trending articles related to business, startups, trending news, and viral internet topics. With a keen eye for current events and market shifts, Akshat excels at crafting timely, engaging content that captures the pulse of what’s hot and relevant in the digital world.

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