Indian central bank defends ‘proportionate’ action on Paytm

December 25, 2024

These stunning images trace ships’ routes as they move

As we run, drive, bike, and fly, we leave behind telltale marks of our movements on Earth—if you know where to look. Physical tracks, thermal signatures, and chemical traces can reveal where we’ve been. But another type of trail we leave comes from the radio signals emitted by the cars, planes, trains, and boats we…

February 8, 2024

India’s central bank said Thursday it takes supervisory actions and imposes business restrictions only after “persistent non-compliance” with rules, its first comment after a clampdown on Paytm last week has posed existential questions about the future of the leading financial services firm. Shaktikanta Das, the Reserve Bank of India governor, said the central bank always […]

Google starts blocking users from sideloading certain apps in Singapore

February 8, 2024

To reduce financial scams, Google has started a new program to prevent users from sideloading certain apps in Singapore. The company is looking to block sideloaded apps that abuse Android permissions to read one-time passwords received through SMS and notifications. Google said there are four sets of permissions that bad actors exploit to commit financial […]

Brita snaps up smart water bottle startup, Larq

February 8, 2024

Smart water bottle-maker Larq this week announced that it has been acquired by filtration giant, Brita. More specifically, Brita GmbH, the German company founded in 1966, which spun off and sold its North/South American wing to Clorox in 1988. Brita GmbH maintains the brand in the rest of the world, but it currently is barred […]

Accounting software startup Pennylane becomes France’s latest unicorn

February 8, 2024

Just like clockwork, Pennylane is raising another €40 million ($43 million at today’s exchange rate). This new funding round comes after the accounting startup raised €4 million in 2020, €15 million in 2021, another €15 million in 2021 again, €50 million in 2022 and €30 million in 2023. You might think that it’s quite a […]

Pakistan suspends mobile phone services on election day

February 8, 2024

Pakistan has temporarily suspended mobile phone services across the country to combat any “possible threats,” a top ministry said, as the South Asian nation begins its national election. In a statement, Pakistan’s interior ministry said the move was prompted by recent incidents of terrorism in the country. The internet was still accessible through wired broadband […]

Attentive.ai snags $7M to boost automation in landscaping, construction services

February 8, 2024

Attentive.ai, a startup building vertical software for landscaping and construction services in the U.S., has raised $7 million in a new funding round as it looks to enhance its AI-led offerings and expand them to more businesses. Led by Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia and India, the all-equity Series A round, which follows the earlier $5 […]

OpenAI forms a new team to study child safety

February 7, 2024

Under scrutiny from activists — and parents — OpenAI has formed a new team to study ways to prevent its AI tools from being misused or abused by kids. In a new job listing on its career page, OpenAI reveals the existence of a Child Safety team, which the company says is working with platform […]

These stunning images trace ships’ routes as they move