WhatsApp is reportedly working on a picture-in-picture video feature for Android. The messaging app has had an eventful 2018 as it has been launching and testing new features with high frequency. To recall, WhatsApp for iOS received PiP support earlier this year. The new feature that will arrive on Android devices, will let WhatsApp users play videos from Instagram and YouTube in a small window within the messaging app itself. It essentially means you will not need to go to Instagram or YouTubeapps to view a video sent by a contact. As per a WABetaInfo report, WhatsApp is working on the picture-in-picture mode for videos in the Android app. The…
Author: Loknath Das
The proposed data protection bill, making offences cognisable and non-bailable, is a deterrent for businesses who willfully do wrong as giant corporations can otherwise get away with flagrant breaches ‘merely by throwing the fine monies,’ Justice B Srikrishna has said. “Every modern statute has a criminal liability clause. That is a deterrent for those who will do wrong intentionally or grossly negligently. Without such provision, merely imposing civil liabilities will make the law a toothless tiger as giant corporations can and will get away with flagrant breaches merely by throwing the fine monies,” he told PTI. Data privacy is a fundamental…
WhatsApp has informed the government that it is building a local team, including India head, as part of steps to check fake news circulation but has not met the key demand of identifying message originators, according to official sources. The popular messaging app is under fire over abuse of its platform for circulation of fake news that have incited mob fury. The IT Ministry official said that WhatsApp has responded to the government last notice, outlining initiatives being taken to curb fake news circulation including education and advocacy efforts. It is also building an India-based team, the official said but noted…
The award of the prestigious Fields medal to a Stanford University mathematician of Indian origin, Akshay Venkatesh, four years after Manjul Bhargava won the coveted award has once again led to the familiar lament about India’s lack of academic talent and its scarcity of world-class institutions. Shortly after gaining independence, India saw the birth of a number of exemplary institutions such as the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). The initiative and ambition of India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was pivotal in building these world-class institutes. The…
Gone are the days when universities and other higher educational institutions under MHRD would, beside maintenance grants, receive every five year development grants for creating physical facilities, infrastructure development and for starting new courses and programmes. Beginning from the current financial year, they would instead have to approach the Higher Education Funding Agency (HEFA) for loans. Established as a joint venture of MHRD and Canara Bank, HEFA is a not-for-profit non-banking finance company. With an equity base of Rs 10,000 crore, the agency targets to mobilise Rs 1,00,000 crore through a mix of government guaranteed bonds and commercial borrowings to…
Shares of SREI Infrastructure Finance fell more than 2 percent intraday on Monday after sources told CNBC-TV18 that its IPO of equipment finance business is likely to be postponed or called off. The initial public offering was planned for Q4FY18, which was rescheduled to Q1FY19 and again to Q2FY19. Sources said investors see Srei Equipment IPO impacting wealth of SREI Infrastructure Finance’s shareholders. Investors said turning Srei Infra into a holding company will impact stock discounting. Post Srei Equipment IPO, Srei Infrastructure will be left with no strong business of its own but merger of Srei Infrastructure & Srei Equipment will create…
The UK economy could benefit from more people of all ages attending university, a report has concluded. It also suggests the advance of automation, robotics, artificial intelligence and digital technology, as well as the challenges of Brexit and an ageing population are creating greater demand for those with qualifications above level 4. These include HNC/Ds, foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. The Universities UK report highlights the need for continual upgrading of skills, lifelong learning and study of higher education qualifications at all levels. The percentage of young people from England entering higher education has reached 49%, but there has been…
One of the biggest challenges recruiters and higher educational institutions face is ascertaining the authenticity of the school and college certificates of the candidates. With the incidence of doctored certificates growing, recruiters and companies have been seeking the help of verification companies, which are found to be not too well-equipped to identify the fake certificates. Zebi Data, a start-up building blockchain technologies for various sectors such as revenue and hospitality, has built an exclusive blockchain platform for the education sector. The EduChain platform has already bagged the IIIT (International Institute of Information Technology – Basar) as a client for deploying…
Popular messaging app WhatsApp has announced two new developments for its WhatsApp for Business app, which is only available for Android at present. Firstly, the Facebook-owned company is opening up the WhatsApp Business API for more businesses, with an aim to reach potential customers at scale. Secondly, Facebook ads are getting a new click to WhatsApp shortcut to connect advertisers with users – however, this feature will initially not be available in India. With the WhatsApp for Business API opening up, businesses across the board will have a new avenue to reach customers. Companies can use this API to send customised notifications with relevant,…
Facebook stunned and angered organisers of a protest against white supremacists when it disabled their Washington event’s page this week, saying it and others had been created by “bad actors” misusing the social media platform. The company said the page – one of 32 pages or accounts it removed Tuesday from Facebook and Instagram – violated its ban on “coordinated inauthentic behaviour” and may be linked to an account created by Russia’s Internet Research Agency, a so-called troll farm that has sown discord in the US But the organisers of next weekend’s protest in Washington say Facebook has unfairly and recklessly…