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ASSOCIATED PRESS News 

EU officials suggest that Meta’s paid ‘ad-free’ plan could be breaching consumer laws.

Adarsh V.K,

The European Commission is displeased with Meta’s business model that allows users in the EU, European Economic Area, and Switzerland to choose between using Facebook and Instagram with targeted ads for free or paying for a monthly subscription for an ad-free experience. Officials from the Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) network – a group of national authorities that oversee EU consumer protection laws – have suggested that Meta may be breaching consumer law on a ‘pay or consent’ basis. The Commission, which is the executive body of the European Union, coordinates…

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Amazon implements stricter measures to monitor office attendance, addressing the practice of "coffee badging" and reinforcing its return-to-office policy amidst employee resistance. (Unsplash) News 

Amazon is implementing strict measures to crack down on ‘coffee badging’ in order to enforce its return-to-office policy.

Nitin Misra

Amazon has implemented more stringent policies to monitor the time corporate workers spend at the office in an effort to combat the phenomenon known as “coffee badging.” This practice involves employees simply stopping by the office, sometimes just to get a coffee, to fulfill the company’s return-to-office (RTO) guidelines without actually working there. Under the updated guidelines, employees in different departments, including retail and cloud computing, are now required to spend a minimum of two hours per visit to the office, with certain teams mandated to stay for at least…

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MediaTek's upcoming Dimensity 8400 chipset could offer high performance and cost efficiency, potentially surpassing Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in benchmarks. (Realme) News 

Potential showdown: MediaTek’s Dimensity 8400 chipset could outperform Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in the future

Sanjay Patil

MediaTek is preparing to release its upcoming Dimensity 8400 chipset later this year, aiming to establish a strong presence in the mid-range smartphone processor market. Leaked information indicates that the chipset has surpassed performance expectations, potentially surpassing some of Qualcomm’s recent releases. Performance benchmarks According to a post on Weibo by Clues Digital Chat Station, the MediaTek Dimensity 8400 has recorded AnTuTu benchmark scores between 1.7 million and 1.8 million. This represents a significant improvement over Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, which has varying performance scores but generally falls…

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ASSOCIATED PRESS News 

Google has decided not to eliminate third-party cookies in Chrome as previously planned

Adriana Marais,

Google announced on Monday that it will not be eliminating third-party cookies in Chrome as previously planned. Instead, the company will be introducing a new feature that will give users more control over their web browsing preferences. Google stated that removing cookies would have negative effects on online publishers and advertisers. This decision represents a major change from Google’s original goal of phasing out third-party cookies by 2025. “[We] propose an updated approach that increases user choice,” wrote Anthony Chavez, vice president of Google’s Privacy Sandbox initiative. “Instead of removing…

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Infinix's new 720-degree SphereTech NFC technology offers doubled signal range and a 200% increase in card reading area, enhancing transaction reliability and usability across different angles. (representative image) (Unsplash) News 

Infinix introduces innovative 720-degree spheretech NFC technology

Adarsh V.K

Infinix, a popular consumer technology brand, has introduced its newest advancement in near-field communication (NFC) technology called the 720-degree SphereTech NFC. This innovative technology improves signal range and card reading area compared to current NFC solutions. The company has not yet revealed which smartphones will include this new technology. Development of NFC technology Infinix describes 720-degree SphereTech NFC as a proprietary and proprietary technology that significantly improves current NFC capabilities. According to the company, this new technology doubles the signal range compared to existing NFC systems and expands the card…

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Reliance Jio's updated Rs. 349 prepaid plan now offers 30 days of validity and 60GB of data, including unlimited 5G access in supported regions. (JIO) News 

Reliance Jio enhances Rs. 349 prepaid plan, now offers 30 days validity- Complete information provided

Jim Hendler

Reliance Jio has made changes to its Rs. 349 prepaid recharge plan, signaling a significant update to its telecom services. This modification follows recent price increases on a range of prepaid and postpaid plans. The revamped Rs. 349 plan, now known as Hero 5G, was made in response to customer input, the company stated. Reliance Jio revised plan details Updated Rs. The 349 prepaid plan now offers users a 30-day validity period, up from the previous 28-day validity period. Despite this extension, the daily limit remains at 2 GB per…

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Travellers from around the globe will now be able to make safe and easy payments in India via UPI with NPCI's newly launched service. (NPCI) News 

NPCI introduces new service allowing international travellers in India to conveniently use UPI: Read more for details

Adarsh V.K

The ‘UPI One World’ wallet service has been introduced by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to provide convenient digital payment options for international visitors in India. This initiative aims to streamline financial transactions for foreign nationals and Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) from G20 nations, improving their overall travel experience within the country. Read more: Bengaluru woman lost 1.2 crore to online scam: Here’s what happened Easy UPI connection for Travelers The UPI One World wallet acts as a prepaid instrument (PPI) linked to India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI), allowing…

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ASSOCIATED PRESS News 

Apple accused of not fully reporting suspected CSAM on its platforms

Adriana Marais, ,

Apple is facing allegations of downplaying the extent of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on its platforms. According to the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), a UK-based child protection charity, Apple only reported 267 suspected CSAM cases to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) globally last year. That pales in comparison to the 1.47 million possible cases reported by Google and the 30.6 million reported by Meta. Other platforms that reported more potential CSAM incidents than Apple in 2023 include TikTok (590,376),…

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A Bengaluru woman lost ₹1.2 crore in a cyber scam involving fake crime branch officials. (Pexels) News 

What happened to a Bengaluru woman who lost ₹1.2 crore in a cyber scam

Adriana Marais

A 77-year-old woman in Bengaluru was recently defrauded of Rs. 1.2 crore in an online scam. Lakshmi Shivakumar was contacted by an individual pretending to be a Telecom Department official, alleging that she was involved in illegal activities using a SIM card registered in her name. The caller also mentioned that a complaint had been lodged with the Mumbai crime branch. Shivakumar later received calls from persons claiming to be officers of the Mumbai Crime Branch. They accused him of money laundering and demanded information about his bank accounts and…

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ASSOCIATED PRESS News 

Delta cancels over 1,000 flights due to CrowdStrike outage repercussions

Febin Mathew,

According to Reuters, the ongoing CrowdStrike outage, which began on Thursday, continues to wreak havoc as Delta had to cancel an additional 1,250 flights yesterday, in addition to the 3,500 already scrapped. This has resulted in tens of thousands of Delta passengers being left stranded, waiting for new flights that may take days to secure. Many travelers have been forced to cancel or reschedule their trips as the airline has not announced when it will return to normal operations. Delta has scratched a third of scheduled flights for a total…

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Google short links support will end in 2025, but there are other alternatives that you can use. (AP) News 

Google will no longer support these short links by 2025: Learn about the impact and next steps for users

Adriana Marais

Google is discontinuing support for links created with the Google URL Shortener starting with ‘https://goo.gl/‘ after August 25, 2025. This means that clicking on these links will no longer redirect you to the intended page. However, this should not be a concern for many as Google officially shut down the URL shortener in 2019. However, those who still rely on shortened links should stop using them. “The time has come to shut down the serving portion of Google URL Shortener,” Google said, announcing the end of support in a blog…

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Microsoft has released an official tool to fix the damage caused by the CrowdStrike update. News 

Microsoft releases solution for CrowdStrike Windows issue, simple tool to restore PC functionality – Step-by-step guide to begin

Adriana Marais

Microsoft has promptly issued a solution to resolve the CrowdStrike outage impacting numerous Windows devices. The remedy is accessible as a tool that can be installed on a USB drive for restoring the affected computers. For those unfamiliar, the CrowdStrike outage on Friday affected office workers, airlines, healthcare, IT and more. This affected millions of Windows users who had CrowdStrike Falcon installed on their computers. The reason was a faulty update that led to the breakdown of global IT equipment and services. CrowdStrike released an update that promised to fix…

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Most CrowdStrike-powered Windows PCs are still suffering for the infamous Blue Screen of Death issue. (Microsoft Designer AI) News 

How UPS, FedEx, Southwest Airlines, and others benefited from not updating Windows since 1992

Sanjay Patil

A global outage caused by a faulty CrowdStrike system update error has affected Microsoft Windows users worldwide, leading to widespread issues including the infamous ‘blue screen of death’. While many users are still experiencing difficulties booting their PCs, Crowdstrike has resolved the issue, though it may take a few days for everything to return to normal. The outage resulted in grounded airplanes, closed banks, delayed trains, canceled deliveries, and other disruptions. Surprisingly, some major companies such as UPS, FedEx, and Southwest Airlines were unaffected by the bug that impacted the…

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Major Indian e-commerce platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, and Myntra are hosting their monsoon sale events with huge discounts and sale offers. (Pexels) News 

Indian e-commerce giants Amazon, Flipkart, and Myntra compete in monsoon sale battle: Explore deals and discounts

Adarsh V.K,

In July 2024, the Indian e-commerce industry is gearing up for a competitive showdown as top players such as Flipkart, Amazon, Ajio, Myntra, and Nykaa are preparing to host major sales events. These platforms are offering significant discounts and exclusive early access to premium members in order to attract consumers and expand their market presence. Amazon Prime Day Sale 2024 Amazon Prime Day is two sales events scheduled for July 20th and 21st. It offers unbeatable discounts on a wide range of products, especially in the technology and electronics categories.…

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REUTERS / Reuters News 

8.5 million devices impacted by CrowdStrike’s faulty update causing outage

Nitin Misra,

According to a blog post from Microsoft, a worldwide disruption caused by a flawed update from cybersecurity company CrowdStrike on Friday impacted approximately 8.5 million Windows devices. The update led to a blue screen error, halting operations for hospitals, airlines, banks, and other essential services. The issue only affected devices running on the Windows operating system. While the issue was mostly resolved by Friday afternoon, Microsoft and CrowdStrike are still dealing with the fallout. In a blog post on Saturday, Microsoft’s director of Enterprise and OS Security, David Weston, wrote…

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Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro were recently launched by the Korean giant, however, the product has already been removed from retail stores and ecommerce platforms. (Samsung) News 

Samsung has reportedly stopped selling the newly released Galaxy Buds 3 Pro because of this problem.

Nitin Misra,

The recently released Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro have sparked conversations not only for their features and updated design, but also for reported quality problems. Priced at Rs.19,999 in India, these earbuds were intended to rival the Apple AirPods Pro 2. However, early purchasers have voiced concerns that have caused notable delays in their availability. User complaints about quality issues The launch of the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro was met with anticipation, but soon after widespread complaints began to appear, especially from Korean users. These issues are primarily related to…

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News 

Top reads for the week: The Light Eaters, Paranoid Gardens, and I Was a Teenage Slasher

Jim Hendler

We have been intrigued by the latest fiction, nonfiction, and comics that have been released. I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones Stephen Graham Jones is something of a slasher expert. The author has tackled the genre in several of his novels (most notably the Indian Lake trilogy, which features a slasher-obsessed protagonist) and has an ongoing Fangoria column devoted to his influences, so it’s no surprise to see that he’s published another take on the canon. But this time we get a different perspective: that of a…

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Rivian News 

Rivian debuts its inaugural Charging Outpost, an eco-friendly alternative to traditional gas stations near Yosemite.

Nitin Misra,

Rivian has recently unveiled its inaugural EV charging rest stop located just 24 miles from Yosemite National Park. The facility boasts amenities such as bathrooms, a lounge equipped with a small library, a water refill station, complimentary coffee, and a “make your own” trail mix station (for a fee). While only Rivian owners will have access to the five DC fast chargers at the Rivian Yosemite Charging Outpost, all visitors are welcome to enjoy the other offerings. The Charging Outpost is located in Groveland, California near the park’s west entrance…

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Robert Way via Getty Images News 

X is developing a method to prevent links in responses

Adriana Marais

X is working on a new feature to combat spam posts on its platform, according to Nima Owji, an independent app researcher. The feature will allow users to disable links in replies, as shown in an image posted by Owji. Users can choose to prevent others from responding with a link to their posts by ticking a box for this option. X is working on the ability to let you disable links in the replies of your posts! pic.twitter.com/dddP0a8l5w — Nima Owji (@nima_owji) July 19, 2024 Christopher Stanley, X’s director…

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Switzerland will soon debut the Sarco, a $20 suicide pod designed for controversial assisted dying. (Ennio Leanza) News 

Switzerland introduces unique tourism concept: Rent a 3D-printed suicide pod for ₹1700

Jim Hendler

Switzerland is close to introducing a new assisted dying method with the Sarco, a portable suicide pod created through 3D printing. The introduction of this device is seen as a major advancement in the country’s end-of-life options by The Last Resort, an organisation that focuses on assisted dying. How the Sarco Pod works The Sarco pod, designed to facilitate a controlled and pain-free end of life, was originally unveiled in 2019 and has since generated much discussion. The device works by filling its chamber with nitrogen, which quickly lowers oxygen…

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