In a move to declutter Messenger, Facebook has started rolling out a new version of the text and video chap app — Messenger 4 that brings down the number of tabs from nine to three.

“Messenger 4 will gradually roll out globally over the coming weeks,” Stan Chudnovsky, Vice President of Messenger, said in a statement on Tuesday.

The “Chats” tab includes the conversations — both one-to-one and groups. Messenger 4 will have visual communication features like camera at the top so that users can easily capture and share selfies.

Tapping into Messenger 4’s “People” tab will help its 1.3 billion monthly users find friends, catch up on people’s Stories, and see everyone who is active at that time.

Then it has the “Discover” tab, where one can connect with businesses to get the latest deals, play games, book their next vacation, follow the news and more.

“Messenger 4 has another way to personalise your conversations with a small but delightful update to chat customisations called colour gradients. With this feature, you can now use multiple colours to customise your chat bubbles in conversations,” Chudnovsky said.

To help users get used to changes, Facebook said it would roll out Messenger 4 in phases.

“We have a handful of new features we’re planning to introduce in the near future, like Dark Mode, a re-skinned interface that cuts down on the glare from your phone,” Chudnovsky said

IANS

The 30-scrip Sensitive Index (Sensex) on Wednesday opened on a positive note during the morning session of the trade.

The Sensex of the BSE opened at 34,203.70 points, touched a high of 34.300.97 and a low of 34,164.60 after closing on Tuesday at 33,847.23 points.

The Sensex is trading at 34,213.15 points up by 365.92 points or 1.08 per cent.

On the other hand, the broader 50-scrip Nifty at the National Stock Exchange (NSE) opened at 10,278.15 points after closing at 10,16.80 points on Tuesday.

The Nifty is trading at 10,272.20 points in the morning.

Telecom equipment maker Nokia and public sector telecom operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly explore opportunities in the public safety arena in the country.

Under the agreement, Nokia will become BSNL’s Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) technology partner for public safety projects.

The collaboration will assist in advancing public safety standards in the country and supports the government’s Smart Cities Mission.

“As a trusted telecom service provider, BSNL is committed to providing the best technology solutions for public safety professionals. Our technology partnership with Nokia is a crucial step in this direction,” Anupam Srivastava, Chairman and Managing Director at BSNL, said in a statement.

A reliable and robust LTE public safety system is often critical during disaster situations as it can aid public safety workers in relief and rescue efforts.

Leveraging the Nokia ViTrust critical communications portfolio, in particular, the Nokia Ultra Compact Network, Nokia and BSNL will explore solutions that help first responders to more swiftly locate people and assist affected communities, the statement said.

The Nokia Ultra Compact Network (UCN) is a portable solution that allows first responders to set up a reliable mission-critical mobile broadband network in minutes.

By establishing a LTE network, the first responders can securely transmit large images and videos in real-time to other workers and command centres, providing vital insight into a situation to aid public safety and rescue efforts.

“This is the first time our public safety solution will be used in India, and we are excited to leverage our ViTrust critical communications portfolio, working with BSNL to enhance public safety work and aid vital rescue operations,” said J.P. Singh, head of Nokia’s customer team for government business in India.

Nokia and BSNL will also explore public safety opportunities for various industry segments including Smart City deployment, border-related activities and mines and quarries in remote areas with limited connectivity.

In addition, they will establish a mission-critical government network, allowing ministers and other officials to communicate securely across the country.

The companies will also work with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to help them leverage the benefits of LTE technology in public safety communications systems.

IANS

Early in September, the Karnataka government had decided to stop the online sale of liquor. The government had also issued notices to popular concierge app Dunzo, after which home delivery of alcohol was stopped. However, the state government seems to be making a U-turn and is now mulling allowing online sale of alcohol.

Speaking to media, Rajendra Prasad, Additional Commissioner of Excise (Indian Made Liquor) said that CM HD Kumaraswamy is said to meet with the representatives of the Federation of Wine Merchants Association, Karnataka, soon. “The Excise Department has formulated a proposal to allow the sale of liquor online. This was sent to the Finance Department for approval. The proposal has moved from there and is awaiting cabinet approval. The CM will hold talks with the Wine Merchants’ Association because they are opposing this proposal,” he added.

A source in the Excise Department said, “We are planning to levy a certain percent of excise duty for online liquor sale. But there is some opposition from owners of retail outlets which sell alcohol.”

Govindraj Hegde, President of the Federation of Wine Merchants Association, Karnataka, termed the state government’s proposal as “dangerous on many levels” and says that the association strongly opposes such a proposal.

“The proposal will have adverse effects. The government has not been able to curb the sale of drugs to children. If online sale of alcohol comes into effect, how will they curb underage drinking? Another big problem is that it will be dangerous for the income of wine merchants. Those selling liquor online will get the liquor at cheaper rates. This will bring down business at retail outlets, and those who are in possession of the CL 7 and CL 4 liquor licences,” he added.

A source in the Excise Department say that the state government is planning to allow online sale of liquor in order to make up for revenue which was lost due to farm loan waiver.

“When HD Kumaraswamy became the Chief Minister of Karnataka, he promised to waive over Rs 50,000 crore worth of farm loans. With this, the government had to look for other venues to obtain revenues. The Excise Department officials were told to come up with schemes to generate more revenue, and now the officials are mulling allowing online sale of liquor,” the source said.

The Excise Department had come down heavily on internet-based alcohol delivery systems in September this year. “We had not created a license for online delivery of liquor and they are not legal currently. If the new proposal gets approved, we will be able to ensure that all of it is done legally,” Rajendra Prasad added.

However, Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Tuesday said that the proposal he has not received the proposal yet. “Regarding the online sale of liquor, I have not received any proposal till now,” he told the media.

TNM

Google-owned YouTube has announced an investment of $20 million in educational content and creators to expand its initiative to support people across the world in sharing knowledge and pursuing learning on the platform.

YouTube said on Monday that it was creating a new Learning Fund programme to support creators who make some of the best learning content on YouTube, the world’s largest video-sharing site, with videos covering a wide range of topics from career skills, like interviewing and resume building, to computer science, like coding for game development and JavaScript basics.

The company said it had completed the first round of investment to fund some of the most successful channels on the platform, such as TED-Ed, which is dedicated to educational Ted Talks, and brothers Hank and John Green’s Crash Course.

YouTube has pledged investment to support EduTubers through the Learning Fund and plans to fund content from independent creators, traditional news sources and educational organizations to broaden its content offering.

The company also said it would partner with third-party studios and networks such as Goodwill and Year Up to create videos that teach career skills.

Its major partners include leading online learning platforms, like edX, a non-profit offering courses from the world’s best universities and institutions, and OpenClassrooms, an education platform based in France.

The Google subsidiary held YouTube EduCon conferences in California, Mexico and Brazil to connect EduTubers with new resources in 2018.

In a further push for its global education efforts for next year, YouTube said it plans to expand YouTube EduCon to Europe and Asia, starting with India in December and the UK in February 2019

IANS

The state-run THDCIL’s proposed Khurja coal power plant in Uttar Pradesh would not only push up the cost of electricity at a time when renewable energy options are cheaper but will also be a threat to Delhi’s air quality, a report said on Tuesday.

THDCIL, formerly known as Tehri Hydro Development Corporation Ltd, is a joint venture of the Central and Uttar Pradesh governments with a 75:25 equity sharing ratio.

Releasing the report titled “The Khurja Thermal Power Project: A Recipe for an Indian Stranded Asset”, the US-based the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) recommended that the 1,320 MW proposal should be re-evaluated against severe air pollution levels in Delhi.

Also, the real threat of government financing wasted on another expensive stranded asset, increasingly cheaper renewable energy options and India’s ambitious sustainable energy goals.

The Khurja project entails an investment of Rs 12,676 crore. While the first unit is scheduled to be commissioned in November 2022, the second unit would go on steam in April 2023.

The electricity users — the state and central governments — and project’s lenders should not be burdened with yet another expensive stranded asset at a time when local residents need cleaner energy options, IEEFA Director of Energy Finance Studies Tim Buckley told reporters here.

“Delhi already has the dubious reputation of having the worst air pollution of any city in the world. If the Khurja coal plant is built as planned near Delhi, this will increase the impact on local residents, emergency workers and the local government.

“The Khurja power plant was feasible when first proposed eight years ago in response to power supply shortages and outages across northern India, but technology has moved on,” he said.

According to Buckley, renewable energy generation in India is now cheaper than Khurja’s non-minemouth coal, with ongoing price declines prompting states, including Uttar Pradesh, to seek solar and wind options to meet incremental demand growth.

“The Khurja proposal relies on a prohibitively expensive 900-km-long rail haul to bring coal to the plant. Additionally, the market price of coal continues to increase globally,” he said.

“Our analysis shows any power generated at the Khurja plant would likely be sold for Rs 5.67 per kilowatt hours, while renewable energy prices today are only plus or minus Rs 3 per kilowatt hours.

“The economics of the project look dim. The Khurja proposal must be re-evaluated,” Buckley said.

Kashish Shah, IEEFA Energy Research Associate and co-author of the report, said India’s ambition to sustain double digit economic growth hinges on improving energy security and reducing the cost of power and that requires sensible investment.

“India is aiming to achieve 40 per cent of its electricity generation needs by 2030 from non-fossil fuel sources including wind and solar. As a coal-fired power station takes significant time to ramp up power generation, the Khurja power station cannot help with grid stabilisation and peak demands, one of the new requirements of the Paris commitments,” Shah told IANS.

“As the share of renewable energy options increase, India will need additional firming capacity and wider national grid inter-connectivity to integrate increasing amounts of variable solar and wind generation, and prevent frequency and voltage fluctuations that adversely affect grid stability.

“The long delayed, excessively expensive and redundant Khurja project should be cancelled before it becomes another expensive stranded asset in India,” he added.

IANS

Ahead of the second round of Brazil’s presidential election on October 28, Facebook has removed 68 Pages and 43 accounts associated with a Brazilian marketing group for using fake accounts and repeatedly posting spams.

The marketing group, Raposo Fernandes Associados (RFA), is believed to be promoting far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro.

RFA used sensational political content to build an audience and drive traffic to other websites, earning money for every visitor to the sites, Facebook said on Monday.

However, the social networking giant said that its decision to remove these Pages was based on the behaviour of these actors rather than on the type of content they were posting.

“The people behind RFA created Pages using fake accounts or multiple accounts with the same names, which violates our Community Standards,” Facebook said in a statement.

“They then used those Pages to post massive amounts of clickbait intended to direct people to websites that are entirely separate from Facebook and appear legitimate, but are actually ad farms,” the statement added.

Facebook said RFA violated its misrepresentation and spam policies.

“This behaviour was detected on Facebook but, as yet, we have not found similar misuse on Instagram or WhatsApp,” Facebook said.

Bolsonaro, who pulled off a thumping win in the first round of Brazil’s presidential election earlier this month, faces leftwing former Sao Paulo mayor Fernando Haddad in a second round runoff on October 28.

IANS

A total of 400 petrol pumps, many with CNG dispensing units, began a day-long strike on Monday in protest against Delhi government’s refusal to reduce VAT on fuels.

The Delhi Petrol Dealers Association (DPDA) said the Delhi government’s inaction was hampering their business as the neighbouring states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh were attracting more consumers after slashing their fuel prices.

Criticising the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party government’s refusal to address the VAT issue making fuel prices costlier in the city, the DPDA said it would also increase pollution in the National Capital Region as the quality of fuel sold in the peripheral states was inferior in quality.

The difference in prices has led to sharp drop of up to 50 to 60 per cent in sale of diesel in Delhi and 25 per cent in petrol in this quarter, DPDA President Nischal Singhania said.

Urging the Delhi government to immediately save the livelihood of employees and owners of petrol pumps of Delhi and check the state’s revenue loss, the petrol dealers body in its statement said commuters must be encouraged to buy Euro VI fuel that is sold in the capital as against Euro V in the adjoining states.

IANS

Broadly positive Asian markets, along with a stable rupee and value buying pushed the key domestic equity indices higher during Monday’s morning trade session.

In addition, healthy buying was seen in interest rate sensitive stocks like banks, auto and capital goods.

Besides, the Indian rupee strengthened to around 73.28 to a US dollar from its Monday’s open of 73.41 to a greenback. It had closed last Friday’s session at 73.33 against the dollar.

There was a slight rise in global crude oil prices to around $80-per-barrel and other geo-political concerns capped gains.

Index-wise, the S&P BSE Sensex opened at 34,689.39 points from its previous close of 34,315.63 points on last Friday.

Around 9.30 a.m., it traded at 34,450.89 points higher by 135.26 points or 0.39 per cent.

Similarly, the Nifty50 of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) made gains during the morning trade session.

The NSE Nifty50 traded at 10,341 points during the morning trade session, down 37.45 points and 0.36 per cent.

IANS

The commander of the Sri Lankan contingent in the UN peacekeeping operations in Mali has been ordered back home after a review of his human rights record, according to Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

The decision to send Lt. Col. Kalana Priyankara Lankamithra Amunupure back was made after new information about him was received by the UN, Dujarric said on Friday,

Besides the usual vetting for all peacekeepers, “there were some extra procedures done with the Sri Lankan contingents”, he said.

Amunupure was reportedly involved in atrocities against Tamils during the civil war in Sri Lanka when tens of thousands of civilians perished and the UN has said that war crimes were committed.

A human rights group, International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP), said in an April press release from London that it had sent the UN a list of 56 paramilitary Special Task Force (STF) personnel who should be barred from serving as peacekeepers because of their human rights record.

It said they “are either alleged perpetrators or were involved in frontline combat in the final stages of the war when the UN says system(ic) crimes were committed by security force units”.

While ITJP kept the names confidential, its Executive Director Yasmin Sooka, said at that time: “One STF officer who appears currently to be serving in a UN peacekeeping mission in Africa is alleged to have ordered summary executions of Tamils in the East of Sri Lanka in 2006-7.”

Sooka said her organisation had a “substantial database of evidence” of human rights violations and was ready to help UN investigations.

ITJP also released a report in April about human rights violations and extra-judicial killings by the Special Task Force “based primarily on the testimony of Sinhalese insiders who worked for the unit in the past and on the testimony of former Tamil paramilitaries, who worked with them”.

Of Sri Lanka’s 682 peacekeepers, about 200 are deployed in the West African nation with the operation known as UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali.

IANS