The Supreme Court has announced a slew of measures that will drastically curtail human interface in the judiciary, including options for lawyers to argue their cases through videoconferencing, 24×7 e-filing facilities and a provision to beam proceedings through smart TVs into press rooms inside the court complex, to ward off the novel coronavirus threat. The […]
Digital marketers make hay in flu season
Illustration: Rahul Awasthi Savvy digital marketers are using Covid-19 (or novel coronavirus) as a keyword to make their products and services visible online, capitalising on the concerns of consumers who search for information and protection against the infection. The spread of the virus has led to a flurry of searches online for tools and tricks […]
NRAI seeks clarity on functioning of standalone restaurants, bars
Illustration: Rahul Awasthi The National Restaurant Association of India has reached out to the commissioner of police in Mumbai to seek clarification on the operations of standalone restaurants and bars after a lockdown was initiated on Sunday. “Our understanding is that the circular is very specific to shutting down operations within malls… However, we have […]
Digital payments slip 30% on Covid-19 curbs
Illustration: Rahul Awasthi Shut shops, cancelled airline tickets and slower discretionary spends by consumers on dining out and movies are starting to hurt the country’s fast-growing digital payments sector. With industries across the board seeing a sharp slowdown, the digital payments sector is estimated to have registered a decline of around 30% in transaction value […]
Cryptocurrency exchange Binance sets up $50 million Indian blockchain fund
Illustration: Rahul Awasthi Global decentralised cryptocurrency exchange Binance Group has set up a $50 million (Rs 370 crore) blockchain technology fund for India, weeks after the Supreme Court struck down the curbs on cryptocurrency trade in the country. The fund, which plans to invest upwards of $100,000 per startup, promises to open up direct access […]
Microsoft launches coronavirus tracker
As the novel coronavirus spreads like wildfire across countries, Microsoft‘s Bing team has launched a web portal to track its progress worldwide. The website provides up-to-date infection statistics for each country. An interactive map allows users to click on the country to see the specific number of cases and related articles from a variety of […]
Over 3,000 US employees file class action suit against Cognizant
Over 3,000 employees of Cognizant in the US, who work as content moderators for Facebook, have filed a class action complaint against the IT company and Facebook for allegedly causing psychological trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The complaint said the claims exceed $5 million in the aggregate. This is a fallout of Cognizant’s announcement […]
Discovery launches curated video streaming service in India
World’s largest factual entertainment company Discovery Communications, has entered into India’s video streaming landscape with the launch of ‘Discovery Plus’. Aimed at filling the need gap of premium factual entertainment, the app is available in both – subscription and ad-supported models. The app is first of its kind service from Discovery globally, where ‘Discovery Plus’ […]
Tencent’s set for fastest growth since 2018 after virus outbreak
By Zheping Huang Tencent Holdings picked up millions of new gamers during the global coronavirus outbreak — yet that surge in mobile play may be slowing as the world’s No. 2 economy goes back to work. The quest for entertainment among millions confined to home translated into a big boost for Tencent’s marquee games, Honor […]
Under lockdown, Italy’s social and family life goes virtual
As 60 million Italians face a coronavirus country-wide lockdown, many daily interactions among family, friends and colleagues have moved to messaging platforms such as Facebook’s WhatsApp and Microsoft’s Skype. Users in Italy are placing 20% more calls and sending 20% more messages on WhatsApp compared to a year ago, the company told Reuters. A spokeswoman […]