Google bets big with several ‘India first’ features

New Delhi: From alerting Google Maps users when their vehicle goes off-route to partnering with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs for the “Loo Review” campaign, the bullish search engine giant has had a history of building India-first features for the world’s second-largest population. India also has the second-biggest digital market and the Internet […]

Financial surplus of Indian households falling since 2017-18

Mumbai, Aug 4 (IANS) Indians, traditionally known to save money, have of late shown a behavioural change in terms of managing their money as their financial surpluses have shrunk in the last couple of years. A recent Reserve Bank of India (RBI) report said that although currency and deposits constitute more than half of the […]

Digital tax stamps on cigarettes goes into effect

ABU DHABI: The Federal Tax Authority, FTA, has announced that the sale and possession of all types of cigarettes not bearing ‘Digital Tax Stamps’ will be prohibited across UAE markets starting tomorrow, August 1. In a press statement released on Wednesday, the Authority explained that two types of Digital Tax Stamps were approved, the first […]

Paid to be thin — Pemex gives bonuses for small waistlines

Mexico City: At Mexico’s state-run oil company, skinnier waists mean bigger bonuses. Under Petroleos Mexicanos’s new collective bargaining contract with its union, workers who meet certain body weight standards will receive a “health incentive” of 5,545.40 pesos ($287) a year. To qualify, they must have a body mass index, or BMI, of not more than […]

Pound seen hitting 34-year low if Johnson drags UK to no-deal

London: The pound will tumble to the lowest level since 1985 if the UK leaves the European Union without a deal, a prospect that looks more likely now than six months ago, according to a Bloomberg survey of analysts. There is now a 30 per cent chance that Britain will exit the bloc in October […]

Google to require rivals to bid for default phone search engine

Brussels: Alphabet Inc’s Google will require rivals to bid in order to become listed as alternative search providers on Android smartphones, a move to try to keep additional antitrust scrutiny at bay. Starting next year, Google will prompt users to make a choice between Google and three other rival options as their default search provider. […]