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Apple complained that requests from Meta platforms for access to its operating software threaten user privacy, in a spat fuelled by the European Union's intensifying efforts to get the iPhone maker to open up to products from tech rivals. The 27-nation EU's executive Commission is drawing up «interoperability» guidelines for Apple under its new digital competition rulebook. The interoperability measures would ensure that devices like smartwatches or features like wireless file transfers work as smoothly with iPhones as do Apple Watches or AirDrop. The EU's rulebook, known as the Digital Markets Act, aims to promote fair competition in digital markets and prevent Big Tech «gatekeeper» companies from cornering markets. The commission posted proposed measures late Wednesday on how Apple should make its iOS operating system work with other technology. In response, Apple said it's «concerned that some companies — with data practices that do not meet the high standards of data protection law held by the EU and supported by Apple — may attempt to abuse the DMA's interoperability provisions to access sensitive user data.»

Smriti Mandhana and Richa Ghosh struck quickfire fifties as India outplayed West Indies by 60 runs to clinch the three-match women's T20I series 2-1 here on Thursday. Stand-in skipper Mandhana continued her red-hot form with a making 77 off 47 balls, before Richa Ghosh's 18-ball fifty powered India to a record 217/4, India's highest in the format. Mandhana, leading in the absence of Harmanpreet Kaur, struck 13 fours and a six. Following her dismissal, Richa (54, 21b; 3x4, 5x6) took charge to equal Sophie Devine and Phoebe Litchfield's record for the fastest half-century in Women's T20Is.

Earlier, Netflix announced that the fifth and final season of 'Stranger Things' will arrive on the streaming giant in 2025. However, the exact release date is yet to be announced by Netflix. The episode titles are «The Crawl,» «The Vanishing of...,» «The Turnbow Trap,» «Sorcerer,» «Shock Jock,» «Escape From Camazotz,» «The Bridge,» and «The Rightside Up.»

Poonawalla Fincorp is implementing Artificial Intelligence (AI) in human resource (HR) processes, including managing potential risks and ensuring accuracy in AI-driven hiring. The company, which saw a top management rejig earlier this year including appointment of new MD and CEO Arvind Kapil who took charge in June, has undertaken an AI led transformation of talent acquisition. “AI is a critical development and one of the big bets for a managing director,” said Kapil. “We thought the first project that we would implement should be in the realm of HR.” “We will slowly step by step work towards different departments. For example, customer service business departments, compliance, credit and others,” he said. The company has also partnered with IIT Bombay for AI implementation.

According to Fortune, since his relocation from Washington to Indian Creek which is located in Florida, Jeff Bezos has sold approximately $13.6 billion worth of Amazon stock. The lack of a state income tax and capital gains tax in the state of Florida actually makes it a favorable environment for billionaires like Jeff Bezos specifically compared to Washington which has enacted a 7% capital gains tax on profits exceeding $250,000. The decision of Jeff Bezos to move to Florida was actually motivated by personal and professional reasons while including proximity to his parents and his aerospace company named Blue Origin, asserted Fortune. If Jeff Bezos had remained in the state of Washington during his stock sales then he would have faced a substantial capital gains tax bill of nearly $954 million.

data protection watchdog on Thursday criticised Google for an «irresponsible» policy change on how online user information can be tracked and collected for targeted advertising. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) warned Google against a policy «U-turn» allowing advertisers to use «fingerprinting» technology, which involves cross-referencing device hardware and software information to uniquely recognise a user. «Fingerprinting is not a fair means of tracking users online because it is likely to reduce people's choice and control over how their information is collected,» the ICO said in a statement.

Navy craft rammed into their ferry off the Mumbai coast, was found on Thursday, taking the toll to 14, said police as the Navy launched a probe into one of the deadliest crashes in the city's harbour area. A day after the crash, the body of the 43-year-old man was found near the ferry, police said. Search operation continues to locate a seven-year-old boy who is still missing, a police official added. A naval helicopter and boats of the Navy and Coast Guard were deployed on Thursday to look for the missing passengers. Eight boats, including those from the Navy and Coast Guard are involved in the Search and Rescue (SAR) operation, the official said.

OpenAI is rapidly developing into an AI shark, doing their best to cut away competition as much as possible, and bringing in a different kind of revolution in the technology industry. However, their approach is not being liked by the leaders at Silicon Valley, with Elon Musk even accusing the company of breaking away from industry norms, and paying way over industry standards in order to cut out other competitors in the same avenue.

Market Research Society of India’s (MRSI) report, The Indian Research & Insights Industry 2024 Update. The report highlights that analytics, the process of analysing data to uncover patterns for decision-making, forms the backbone of the industry. Focused on customer and marketing analytics, it accounts for 58% of the market and has grown by 17%, driven by the adoption of big data, AI, and machine learning in sectors such as retail, finance, and media. Similarly, Custom Market Research—tailored studies commissioned by clients to address specific business challenges—has grown by 9%, now representing 29% of the market.

Rahul Gandhi of «pushing and shoving» its MPs on the Parliament premises, the BJP on Thursday said he does not deserve to be the Leader of Opposition after such «indecent and shameful» conduct. Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters hours after unprecedented scenes of unruliness unfolded during protests by the ruling and opposition parties, Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan squarely put the blame on Gandhi for the fracas which left two MPs injured. «Rahul Gandhi does not deserve to hold the post of the Leader of Opposition,» Chouhan said as he slammed the Congress leader's behaviour and alleged it is against India's cultural ethos. Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, has rejected the BJP's charge that he pushed its lawmakers and alleged that the ruling party MPs «stopped, threatened and intimidated» him.

Chinese hackers specifically a group known as ‘Salt Typhoon’, reported Reuters. According to Reuters, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has issued guidance while recommending the use of end-to-end encrypted communication methods which are available in renowned apps like WhatsApp, iMessage and Signal. On the other hand, regular phone communications are not actually encrypted and can be intercepted by telecom companies, law enforcement or hackers. The Salt Typhoon hackers have reportedly compromised at least eight telecommunications firms in the US while leading to significant data breaches. A senior US official described these incidents as potentially the largest telecommunications hack in US history, asserted Reuters.

labor market conditions. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 22,000 to a seasonally adjusted 220,000 for the week ended Dec. 14, the Labor Department said on Thursday. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast 230,000 claims for the latest week. Claims have entered a period of volatility, which could make it challenging to get a clear view of the labor market. A range of indicators including claims and job openings suggest that conditions are much looser than they were before the COVID-19 pandemic, but the labor market is slowing in an orderly fashion.

immigration officials stopped her from boarding a flight to Toronto. The arrest followed the discovery of irregularities in her passport, which had been tampered with to hide certain details about her travel. Satveer Kaur, a resident of Punjab, was set to travel to Toronto to join a new job after completing her higher studies in Canada. However, when officials examined her passport, they found that the arrival date of September 28 had been deleted. The police later revealed that Kaur had removed this date to prevent her parents from knowing when she had returned to India. According to a police official, «She said that her parents were unaware about her arrival on Sept 28. She did not want her parents to know about it as she had gone to meet her friend.»

Tata Consumer Products Ltd (TCPL) on Thursday denied reports on the exit of cafe chain Starbucks from the Indian market, terming them as «baseless». Tata in a 50:50 joint venture with US-based Starbucks Corporation operates a cafe chain in India under the brand name of Starbucks, which is the leading cafe chain in India. Starbucks had 457 stores across 70 cities at September-end and the company aims to take it to 1,000 by FY28. The company's revenue from operations was up 12 per cent to Rs 1,218.06 crore in FY24.

mass deportations of undocumented immigrants immediately after Trump is sworn in as president. In a CNN interview, Homan said Wednesday night that plans are underway to deport undocumented immigrants at large scale and that he’ll need funding from Congress to do so. Tom Homan said he will need a minimum of 100,000 beds to detain undocumented immigrants – more than doubling the 40,000 detention beds ICE is currently funded for – and needs more Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to carry out the president-elect’s mass deportation plans. ALSO READ: US Government shutdown: Know what closes and what stays open

National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) International — a subsidiary of the nodal skill development agency on Thursday launched Bharat Innovation Global Private Limited (BIG) initiative in collaboration with edtech startup PhysicsWallah. The programme aims to develop India into a global education hub. The initiative will focuses on bridging the gap between education and employability through flexible, technology-driven learning pathways, a statement from the edtech read, adding that it will integrate AI-driven career guidance, gamification, adaptive learning tools, and secure Learning Management System (LMS) platforms for individuals. BIG will provide skill training to students in grades 11 and 12 in schools, PhysicsWallah said. “This approach extends to Industrial Training Institute (ITI) and Polytechnic learners, university students, and working professionals, fostering learning across ages,” the startup added. The programme will also include capacity building for government sector employees.

Flying Naked is changing the game for budget-conscious flyers. This minimalist approach to air travel is gaining traction among frequent travellers looking to save both time and money. Despite its quirky name, Flying Naked does not involve shedding clothes but rather traveling without traditional luggage, as mentioned in the report by Output Traveller.

Bharti Airtel has prepaid Rs 3,626 crore to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), clearing all liabilities relating to airwaves bought in the 2016 auction. This will help India’s second-largest telco save on interest costs annually and boost cash flows as it rapidly expands its countrywide 5G network and ramps up 4G rural coverage. “With this, Airtel has cleared all liabilities for spectrum it had acquired in 2016 and prepaid all its spectrum dues that had interest costs higher than 8.65%,” the Sunil Mittal-led telco said in a statement Thursday. The company added that following the latest payment, it has prepaid Rs 28,320 crore of spectrum dues in calendar 2024.

NTPC has plans to set up a nuclear project in Bihar, a move which will increase its non fossil energy portfolio, the company's Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) Gurdeep Singh said on Thursday. NTPC has also requested the state government for a land parcel at a suitable location to take forward its nuclear plans, he said addressing a session at the 'Bihar Business Connect 2024' summit here. «Looking at the future of the energy sector, nuclear (energy) is expected to become extremely important for the energy sector, 20-30 years down the line. I want to share that NTPC is now entering the nuclear energy space,» Singh said. Without sharing any further details, he said NTPC will conduct a study before taking ahead the plans to set up the nuclear project in the state.