NEW DELHI : The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the extension of the term of the Fifteenth Finance Commission to submit its report, setting 30 October, 2020 as the new deadline. This is the second extension for the Commission which was due to submit the report by 30 November. The N. K. Singh-headed Finance Commssion will now present the final report covering financial years 2021-22 to 2025-26 (April-March). The extension of the term will enable the Commission to examine various comparable estimates for financial projections in view of reforms and the new realities to finalise its recommendations for the period 2020-2026.…
Author: Loknath Das
Social media is governing our lives. Of the 7.7 billion people in the world, nearly 3.5 billion use social media. In other words, roughly one in two people across the globe access popular social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Further, an infographic by FameMass shares that the world’s population spends an average of 2 hours and 23 minutes per day on social media platforms. A majority of people use social media to stay up-to-date with the current events, connect with people, access engaging content, and (most importantly!) research or find products. All this data is enough to realize the…
Google hopes to break into the global video game industry expected to top $150 billion this year Ever-expanding Google becomes a gaming company on Tuesday with the launch of its Stadia cloud service that lets people play console-quality video games on a web browser or smartphone. The internet giant hopes to break into the global video game industry expected to top $150 billion this year, with cloud technology that could broaden audiences attracted by rich new features as well as ease of access with no more need for consoles. But analysts say Stadia’s outlook is uncertain as its faces rivals…
Financial planning helps you determine your short and long-term financial goals and create a balanced plan to meet those goals. The first step in developing your financial plan is to meet with an advisor. If you work with a financial planner/advisor, you’ll be nudged to answer questions about your income, spending and goals. You may do it on your own if you are able to find the options and analyse them well, but this needs a proper understanding, expertise and time. Hence, it is always a better choice to appoint a financial advisor. The investment advisor must be certified and registered with SEBI as…
With over 3,000 branches of the group across the country and millions of new customers on boarded every month, SHFL plans to tap the potent opportunity for cross-selling home loans. Shriram Housing Finance (SHFL), a subsidiary of Shriram City Union Finance, has raised about Rs. 680 crore from various public and private sector banks and the National Housing Bank. The firm also completed its maiden pass-through certificate (PTC) transaction with ICICI Bank. The company received Rs. 100 crore each from Indian Bank and United Bank of India, Rs. 150 crore from Canara Bank through a securitisation deal, Rs. 150 crore…
Andrew Marantz is a writer at the New Yorker who, for years, has been deeply immersed in the world of conservative trolls, alt-right social media personalities, and online conspiracy theorists. His most recent book Antisocial: Online Extremists, Techno-Utopians, and the Hijacking of the American Conversation has been viewed as a brilliant ethnography of the bizarre universe that is the alt-right. But today on The Ezra Klein Show I sat down with him for a different reason: Somehow, these folks have figured out how to manipulate the social media ecosystem that frames our political discourse. Thus, they represent an important window into understanding how that…
Dozens of people in India were detained on suspicion of publishing inflammatory social media posts and setting off celebratory firecrackers after the Supreme Court ruled to give a disputed religious site to Hindus. Authorities said they were showing a “zero-tolerance approach” towards potentially inflammatory content on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp. About 47 people were arrested as of late Sunday in Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state and the site of the contested land, state police said on Sunday. Police have acted upon 7,681 social media posts across the state by either reporting them to the platform or asking users to delete them. “Any…
Tesla’s Autopilot software received an upgrade this week, making it possible for its electric vehicles to maneuver around construction cones. Videos showing the new tech in action have been featured on Twitter and other social media channels. According to media reports, Tesla has been issuing upgrades to its software regularly during the past few years. The software is powered by sensors placed on the car and its computer vision system that shows the vehicle surroundings on the screen. Tesla’s software update tested out by Twitter users In the summer it added the ability to zoom in and out and get a 360-degree view. In…
China has implemented an online video game curfew for minors, a move meant to prevent addiction to games and to improve health among children and teens. According to government rules issued Wednesday, game companies cannot let players younger than the age of 18 play on their online game networks between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. Chinese officials have been concerned about minors becoming addicted to games. The matter is “worthy of high attention,” according to an official government interview posted by Xinhua News Agency, the country’s state news agency. The new rules are “of great significance and practical role in strengthening and…
There’s been a lot of buzz around Fortnite’s burgeoning esports scene, partially thanks to the $100,000,000 prize pool and players walking away with big cash prizes. However, not all tournaments go so smoothly — especially smaller scale, third-party tournaments. The Vanish Cup had drawn big names in the Fortnite community, and sold itself as one of the biggest online solo tournaments in North America. Online tournaments offer advantages over contests that require in-person attendance, most notably accessibility and ease of entry. There are some drawbacks as well, however — three players, who were using unknown alternate accounts, had gathered together as a team to spam rockets…