58pc Indian organisations boost learning & development budgets for FY25: Report

New Delhi, (IANS): About 58.5 per cent of organisations in India have increased their learning and development budgets for FY25, according to a report on Monday.The report by Great Learning, a leading global edtech company, is based on trends observed among the company’s client partners across various sectors and insights from a survey of over 100 learning and development and business unit heads.It showed that in FY24, four out of five companies reported reduced hiring costs due to effective internal talent development. For 64 per cent of these enterprises, the main goal of investing in workforce training was to cultivate emerging skills among early-career professionals to fuel business growth.About 36 per cent of organisations focused on enhancing productivity, innovation, and creativity to improve overall effectiveness and foster a culture of innovation.Further, the report showed that Indian enterprises led by the IT sector and followed by analytics and digital solutions firms have placed a strong emphasis on training in artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, data science,...

Read More........ → September 16, 2024

India expected to clock 7.2 pc GDP growth in 2024-25: Report

New Delhi, (IANS) India's economy is expected to clock a 7 to 7.2 per cent growth rate in 2024-25 supported by a rebounding rural economy, strong manufacturing growth, robust bank balance sheets, and increased exports, according to financial advisory firm Deloitte.The August update of Deloitte's India Economic Outlook said several initiatives in the Union Budget 2024-25 toward improving agriculture productivity, creating jobs for the youth, and manufacturing would help improve supply-side demand, curb inflation, and prop up consumer spending, especially in rural areas.According to the report, optimism prevails as India records 8.2 per cent growth in the FY 2023-2024, exceeding all expectations for the third consecutive year. Amidst the robust growth, new spending patterns are emerging in both rural and urban India. There is a visible shift towards spending on discretionary durable goods (including automobiles and electric and electronic goods) as well as services as evidenced by the data released by the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey 2022-23, the report added.This points to...

Read More........ → September 12, 2024

US mobile customers harmed by T-Mobile’s Sprint purchase according to report

Rewheel figures show that T-Mobile’s purchase of Sprint has helped keep US mobile prices highAccording to a new report from Rewheel, T-Mobile’s acquisition of Sprint in 2020 has contributed to the exorbitant mobile prices in the US.“Five years on, the Sprint / T-Mobile 4-to-3 mobile merger made the US one of the most expensive mobile markets in the world,” the firm wrote in the report. “While monthly prices were falling and continue to fall across mobile markets and while the same was true in the US mobile market prior to the merger, after the merger prices in the US either stopped falling altogether or fell at a much slower rate. The 4-to-3 mobile merger in the US led to higher prices and consumer harm.”In general, Rewheel reported, “monthly prices are 2-3x higher and gigabyte prices are 5-6x higher in markets with only 3 mobile operators,” as compared to markets with 4 mobile operators. The findings were based on the monthly price of 50GB in voice and data plans with at least 1000 minutes and 10 Mbit/s speeds.By contrast, the CTIA, the US wireless industry’s main trade association,...

Read More........ → May 30, 2024

India’s entertainment & media industry to reach $73.6 bn by 2027: Report

New Delhi, July 18 (IANS) Driven by a surge in OTT platforms, India’s entertainment and media industry is expected to reach Rs 6,828,944 crore ($73.6 billion) by 2027, growing at a 9.48 per cnet CAGR, a report showed on Tuesday.With new launches from international players and increasing “pay-lite” options, OTT revenue has surged in recent years, expanding a further 25.1 per cent in 2022 to reach Rs 1,48,554 crore ($1.8 billion), according to PwC's ‘Global Entertainment and Media Outlook 2023-2027.“This is over six times the revenue of 2018. The market will continue to grow at an impressive rate, increasing at a 14.3 per cent CAGR to produce revenue of Rs 2,88,855 crore ($3.5 billion) in 2027,” the report noted.This will be driven by the competitive SVOD (subscription-video on demand) sector, which accounted for 78.1 per cent of market revenue in 2022.Although subscription service revenue will expand at a 13 per cent CAGR to reach Rs 2,14,578 crore ($2.6 billion), advertising-supported services (AVOD) will grow at a higher rate, albeit from a lower base."As the adoption of emerging technologies...

Read More........ → May 29, 2024

India will remain fastest growing economy; South Asia outlook poor: UN report

FILE PHOTO: A worker arranges food packets inside a retail store in Kolkata October 24, 2013. REUTERS/Rupak De Chowdhuri/File PhotoIndia will remain the fastest-growing major economy recording a growth of 5.8 per cent this year while the rest of the world will grow by a paltry 1.9 per cent, the UN said on Jan. 26, 2023. The UN’s World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) report sliced off 0.2 per cent from the 6 per cent gross domestic product growth projection made last May without affecting India’s rank as the country faces headwinds from the global economy Overall, the report said, “Growth in India is expected to remain strong at 5.8 per cent, albeit slightly lower than the estimated 6.4 per cent in 2022, as higher interest rates and a global slowdown weigh on investment and exports”. Next year, the UN expects India’s economy to grow by 6.7 per cent. The WESP gave a positive picture of India’s jobs scene, noting that its “unemployment rate dropped to a four-year low of 6.4 per cent in India, as the economy added jobs both in urban and rural areas in 2022”. For the world, the WESP...

Read More........ → March 14, 2024

Russia slams leakage of IAEA report on Iran

Russia has condemned to the leak of the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) confidential report on Iran's nuclear program. "Yet another confidential #IAEA report on #Iran was leaked to mass media immediately upon its circulation in Board of Governors," Russian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov wrote in his Twitter account on Friday. "The Ambassador of Iran in his Twitter account has already reacted by suggesting to strengthen mechanisms of confidentiality. Good idea but will it help?," Mr. Ulyanov added. Earlier, Iranian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna Kazem Gharibabadi in a Twitter message said: "@iaeaorg confidential report, based on Iran's confidential letter, appeared in Media immediately even before the BoG Members could track it down. Agency is not merely responsible to update the development, but shall ensure confidentiality of safeguards information." Source: https://www.daily-bangladesh.com/a&g...

Read More........ → December 08, 2020

800-page report shows how Tarrant eluded detection

New Zealand’s Royal Commission on Tuesday submitted a comprehensive report into last year’s Christchurch mosque shootings in which 51 Muslim worshippers were killed.The nearly 800-page Royal Commission of Inquiry report shows that the attacker, Brenton Tarrant, kept a low profile and told nobody of his plans.It concludes that despite the shortcomings of various agencies, there were no clear signs the attack was imminent aside from the manifesto Tarrant sent out just eight minutes before he began shooting, which came too late for agencies to respond.But the report does detail failings in the police system for vetting gun licenses and says that New Zealand’s intelligence agencies were too alert on the threat posed by Islamic extremism at the expense of other threats.Among 44 recommendations, the report says the government should establish a new national intelligence agency.In 2019, 51 Muslims were killed in a terrorist attack on two mosques in Christchurch by a man named Brenton Tarrant.In August, the 30-year-old Tarrant was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole...

Read More........ → December 08, 2020

India reports 61,537 new COVID-19 cases in 24 hrs

A total of 61,537 new coronavirus cases were reported in the last 24 hours in India, which took the overall caseload to 20,88,611, while the death toll increased to 42,518 with 933 fresh fatalities, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Saturday. The number of active cases stood at 619,088, while 14,27,005 corona patients have recovered so far, including 48,900 discharged from various hospitals and quarantine centres in the past 24 hours, the Ministry said. As many as 5,98,778 samples were tested for virus infection in the last 24 hours, taking the cumulative samples tested up to August 7 to 2,33,87,171. So far, 1,396 operational laboratories are reporting to the Indian Council of Medical Research, including 936 government and 460 private labs. Out of 1,396 labs, real-time RT PCR for COVID-19 is being carried out at 711 labs. Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh have recorded the highest cases among all states. Maharashtra has 1,45,889 active cases, with 3,27,281 recovery cases. The state has reported 17,092 deaths...

Read More........ → August 09, 2020

India's agricultural exports can grow to $70 billion: Report

India's agricultural exports could rise to $70 billion in the next few years, said a High-Level Expert Group (HLEG) report on agricultural exports set up by the Fifteenth Finance Commission to recommend measurable performance incentives for states to encourage agricultural exports and to promote crops to enable high import substitution. The group said in its report to the Commission that India's agricultural export has the potential to grow from USD 40 billion to USD 70 billion in a few years. The estimated investment in agricultural export could be in the tune to USD 8-10 billion across inputs, infrastructure, processing and demand enablers, said HLEG. According to the group, additional exports may create an estimated 7-10 million jobs and it will lead to higher farm productivity and farmer income. After intensive research and consultations and taking inputs from stakeholders and the private sector through intensive consultations, the HLEG has recommended to focus on 22 crop value chains with demand driven approach. It has also suggested to solve Value Chain Clusters...

Read More........ → August 05, 2020

iPhone 7 to be water resistant: reports

Though Apple has not mentioned it in its iPhone 7 presentation, speculation is rife that the iPhone7 would feature resistance against water infiltration. The speculation has been sparked by the fact that earlier this year iPhone 6s and 6s Plus were found to have a built-in gasket. According to www.bgr.com, which cited unconfirmed reports, the iPhone 7 will possibly be waterproof. According to the report, although Apple was not commenting on reports such as these, its actions showed it was aiming for a waterproof iPhone at some point in the future, just like what it did to the iPhone 6s, though it was not fully water resistant. The article further said that the Business Insider had come across a new patent application called the "Electronic Device with Hidden Connector." The technology would automatically seal an opening, like headphone and USB ports, reportedly using an elastomer that would be able to expand and seal the opening the moment the connector was removed. This would protect the opening from accidental water damage since liquid would not be able to get into the device,...

Read More........ → December 16, 2015

35% of female characters in Indian movies shown with nudity: UN report

India tops the chart in showing attractive women in its movies and as much as 35% of these female characters are shown with some nudity, finds a first-ever UN sponsored global study of female characters in popular films across the world. The study, commissioned by the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, with support from UN Women and The Rockefeller Foundation, reveals deep-seated discrimination, pervasive stereotyping, sexualisation of women and their underrepresentation in powerful roles by the international film industry. Indian films, the study finds, have a significantly higher prevalence of sexualisation of female characters and the movies score low in depicting women in significant speaking roles and as engineers and scientists. While women represent nearly half of the world's population, less than one third of all speaking characters in films are female and UK-US collaborations and Indian films are at the bottom of the pack. Both, the American/British hybrid films (23.6 per cent) and Indian films (24.9 per cent) show female characters in less than one-quarter of all...

Read More........ → September 27, 2014

Apple copyright case could cost Samsung $2bn

If Apple wins, experts say that the cost may be passed on to Samsung's customers iPhone 6: new phone 'to get pressure and heat sensors' JURY selection gets underway today in the legal battle between Apple and Samsung in the US District Court in San Jose. Apple is suing its rival for damages amounting to $2bn (£1.2bn) for infringement of copyright. The case is the latest in a long-running feud between the two tech firms. Each side accuses the other of ripping off protected designs and features. A string of rulings have found in each side's favour, but so far years of litigation between the two firms have had little real effect. In 2012, Samsung lost its first major court battle with Apple and was ordered to pay $930m in damages. That amount is "pocket change" to Apple, one of the richest companies in the world, says the New York Times, and it made little impact on Samsung either, whose market share has grown enormously since the ruling: one in every three smartphones sold worldwide in 2013 was a Samsung. So could this latest skirmish between the two tech companies have any...

Read More........ → April 15, 2014

China and India to boost trade

The Indian Merchant's Chamber made it very clear that the one-day conference was meant to persuade Chinese companies to invest more in India. That's because India's trade deficit with China widened to a record of nearly 40 billion US dollars in the 2011-2012 fiscal year, a 42 percent increase from the previous fiscal year, and nearly one-fifth of India's overall trade deficit with the world. "We are looking at a district to see if there are infrastructure opportunities for large investments and large projects in  India where the Chinese could invest and do built, operate and transport," said Niranjan Hiranandani. The president added that agreements have already been signed for China to invest in and build a high-speed railway system and modernize existing railway platforms. Indian business leaders also pledged to continue investing here in China, especially in eastern China, which generates one-third of the trade between the two countries. "Well, in Shanghai region, when I say Shanghai region, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, these three provinces, we have about 150 companies,...

Read More........ → April 04, 2014

Japan's second nuclear generator turns to government for aid after Fukushima disaster

Kyushu Electric Power Co has become Japan's second nuclear generator after the Fukushima disaster to seek state support this week as reactors across the country remain idled and industry losses stack up three years after the Fukushima disaster. All of Japan's 48 nuclear reactors have been shut down, pending stringent safety checks, since an earthquake and tsunami knocked out the Fukushima nuclear complex in March 2011. Kyushu Electric, a regional monopoly that supplies power in southern Japan, said on Wednesday it was in talks with state-owned Development Bank of Japan Bank of Japan (DBJ) for financial backing. The country's nine publicly traded nuclear operators have together lost 3.2 trillion yen ($31 billion) in the two business years since then and five of them, including Kyushu Electric and Hokkaido Electric, also expect to be loss-making in the year just ended, Reuters reports. Japanese banking practices make it difficult for private lenders to extend credit, including refinancing existing loans, to companies that post three straight years of losses. That means the utilities...

Read More........ → April 02, 2014

Australian PM under fire over knights and dames

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott. (Reuters) Monarchist Prime Minister Tony Abbott was accused on Wednesday of sending Australia into a “time warp” by reintroducing knights and dames to the country’s honours list. The conservative leader announced the move Tuesday with ministers revealing he went straight to Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, Australia’s head of state, for approval without consulting his Liberal Party. Opposition Labor lawmakers ridiculed the move, asking why he was not focusing on important issues such as health and unemployment instead. “I’m concerned the Abbott government thinks this is a priority,” Labor leader Bill Shorten said. He later told the National Press Club: “Are we in a time warp?” His colleague Ed Husic said it was proof Abbott was out of date. “As sure as knight follows dame, you know that Tony Abbott’s going to take us back to the good old days,” he told reporters. The Australian Republican Movement was equally dismissive,saying its website nearly crashed today from the flood of new members signing up. “This is turning the clock back to a colonial...

Read More........ → March 28, 2014

Princess Diana 'leaked royal phone numbers to NotW'

Phone-hacking trial hears how Princess of Wales was News of the World's ‘mole in the palace PRINCESS DIANA leaked a phone book of Buckingham Palace contacts to News of the World, the phone-hacking trial heard yesterday. Clive Goodman, the tabloid's former royal editor, has claimed the Princess of Wales sent him the book and then personally called him to recruit him as an "ally" against Prince Charles. Goodman made the claim as part of his defence against accusations he paid police for royal phone books, reports the Metro, which describes Diana as the News of the World's "mole in the palace". The jury heard that when Goodman was originally arrested for phone hacking in August 2006, police found 15 royal phone directories in his home. He denies two counts of misconduct in public office, including accusations that he obtained three of the directories illegally by paying a public official. Asked by his counsel how he received them, he recalled how one book was given to him in 1992 by the Princess of Wales. He said: "That arrived at my office in Wapping with my name on it." Shortly...

Read More........ → March 18, 2014

Dhoni moves Madras HC against TV channels on IPL scam news

Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni gestures as the third day of the first Test match between India and New Zealand is delayed due to rain at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad. AFP Photo/Noah Seelam The Madras High Court on Tuesday restrained Zee News and News Nation channels from telecasting any news linking India cricket captain MS Dhoni with the Indian Premier League (IPL) betting/fixing scam. The interim order, effective for two weeks, was passed by Justice S Tamilvanan on a defamation suit filed by Dhoni claiming Rs. 100 crore damages from the Zee Media Corporation for allegedly telecasting "malicious" news that he was involved in betting, spot and match fixing of IPL matches. "I am of the view that there is a prima facie case and the balance of convenience is also in favour of the plaintiff. Hence interim injection granted for a period of two weeks," the judge said in his order after perusing Dhoni's affidavit. He issued notice to defendants Zee Media Corporation Limited, Zee News Editor and Business Head Sudhir Chaudary, IPS officer...

Read More........ → March 18, 2014

Rupert Murdoch: hall of fame or den of infamy?

Charles Laurence: Jude Law's claim that his phone was hacked on US soil haunts Murdoch as he prepares for TV honour. NEW YORK – Has Jude Law rained on Rupert Murdoch’s parade? The  octogenarian media magnate is due to be inducted into America’s Television Academy Hall of Fame in a Hollywood ceremony six weeks from now. Murdoch will be honoured on 11 March alongside five others including Jay Leno, the talk show host who will have just retired from decades hosting The Tonight Show, and the actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus, star of Seinfeld and Veep. Academy chairman Bruce Rosemblum explained the reasoning: "The six individuals being inducted into the Hall of Fame have all made a profound impact on the landscape of television, leaving their own mark within our industry and with audiences around the world. "Their groundbreaking contributions will last for generations, making them true icons who could not be more deserving of the Television Academy's highest honour." Murdoch has without doubt made a “profound impact on the landscape of television” since he followed Columbus...

Read More........ → March 18, 2014

Can Mark Zuckerberg lecture Barack Obama on privacy?

Zuckerberg has often been accused of a lax attitude to internet privacy, but the NSA revelations may have changed that FACEBOOK CEO Mark Zuckerberg telephoned US President Barack Obama yesterday to express his frustration over the US government's electronic surveillance of the internet. Zuckerberg made the announcement in a message posted on his Facebook page, in which he said he was "confused and frustrated" by the actions of the US authorities. "When our engineers work tirelessly to improve security, we imagine we're protecting you against criminals, not our own government," he told Facebook users. The 29-year-old Facebook founder said that the US government "should be the champion for the internet, not a threat". His criticism comes after the revelation that the US National Security Agency (NSA) even posed as Facebook to try and fool surveillance targets' into logging on and giving away passwords, the BBC reports. A number of major internet companies have expressed concern over the government's attitude to internet privacy. Last month senior executives from Facebook, Google,...

Read More........ → March 16, 2014

Apple’s Earning Report Shows Notable Growth in China and Japan

Apple sold 51 million iPhones in the first quarter of 2013. The company sold nearly 3 million more than in the same span in 2012 since selling 47.8 million units in the same 2012 quarter.  Apple hit a record high in terms of quarterly sales. A total of 26 million iPads were sold during the same period. Apple posted US$57.6 billion in sales in the first quarter of the fiscal year, or ₩62.12 trillion. According to Apple’s announcement, the company inked 64% of its sales in countries other than the United States during this period. The company is growing mainly in emerging markets in lieu of the U.S., where the mobile devices market is already saturated. China has established itself as one of the most important markets for Apple. This quarter, Apple earned US$8.8 billion there, or ₩9.5 trillion. Compared to the same quarter a year ago, the company recorded a 29% increase. In Japan this quarter, Apple earned US$5 billon, growing 11% more than in the same quarter last year. Apple began selling the iPhone to China's largest mobile operator, China Mobile, in 2014. The company struck...

Read More........ → February 10, 2014