WhatsApp to monetise platform with ads in 'Status'

Whatsapp however, did not provide a timeframe for the rollout of this feature.

WhatsApp said it will display advertisements in its 'Status' section to monetise the popular messaging platform that has about 1.5 billion users globally.

"Around monetisation plans for WhatsApp, we already announced that we are going to be putting ads in 'Status'. So that is going to be a primary monetisation mode for the 

Reliance Jio average download speed doubled in January to 17 mbps: Trai

company as well as an opportunity for businesses to reach people on WhatsApp," WhatsApp Vice President Chris Daniels said.

He, however, did not provide a timeframe for the rollout of this feature.

According to reports, the Facebook-owned company will shortly allow advertisers to display ads in its Status section.

The 'Status' option allows users to share text, photos and short videos as their status, which disappear after 24 hours.

Facebook had acquired WhatsApp for $19 billion. The messaging platform, which competes with the likes of WeChat, Viber, Line and Hike, has over 250 million in India -- a key market where it is battling concerns over fake messages on its platform.

Google is hosting a global contest to develop AI that’s beneficial for humanity

Daniels is currently in India and met IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on October 31  in the backdrop of India's demand for traceability of sinister messages that have incited incidents of violence.

After the meeting, Prasad said India is not seeking decryption of WhatsApp messages and its demand for traceability pertain to location and identity of those misusing the platform to spread fake news that provokes violence.

Collegium Recommends Names of 4 HC Chief Justices for Elevation to Supreme Court

The collegium has recommended the names of justices Hemant Gupta, R Subhash Reddy, M R Shah and Ajay Rastogi to the Centre for their elevation as judges of the top court.

The Supreme Court collegium has recommended to the Centre the names of four high court chief justices for elevation as judges in the apex court.

The collegium headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and comprising the Supreme Court's four-senior most judges has recommended the names of justices Hemant Gupta, R Subhash Reddy, M R Shah and Ajay Rastogi to the Centre for their elevation as judges of the top court, as per an October 30 resolution uploaded on the SC's website.

Besides the CJI, the other members of the collegium are justices Madan B Lokur, Kurian Joseph, A K Sikri and S A Bobde. 

Narendra Modi asks US companies to invest in energy, digital tech in India

Gupta is currently the chief justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court and Reddy the Gujarat High Court's chief justice. While Shah is the incumbent chief justice of the Patna High Court, Rastogi is chief justice, Tripura High Court.

Against the sanctioned strength of 31 judges, the Supreme Court of India is presently functioning with 24 judges, leaving 7 clear vacancies. After extensive discussion and deliberations on a number of occasions, the collegium unanimously resolves to fill up, for the present, four of these vacancies," the resolution said

Hindus, Sikhs in Kashmir Were Safe Under Hindu Kings, But Not Today: Adityanath

It said while recommending these four names, the collegium has taken into consideration the combined seniority on an all-India basis of chief justices and senior puisne judges of high courts, apart from their merit and integrity. 

"The collegium has also kept in mind, while recommending the above names that the high courts of Punjab and Haryana, Gujarat and Rajasthan have remained unrepresented in the Supreme Court since long," as per the resolution.

"While considering the name of Justice R Subhash Reddy, the collegium has taken into consideration the fact that at present there is no judge in the Supreme Court from the state of Telangana and he belongs to the state of Telangana," it said.

Regarding Rastogi, the resolution said while recommending his name, the collegium is well conscious of his senior position in the Rajasthan High Court also.

"Justice Hemant Gupta, Justice R Subhash Reddy, Justice Mukeshkumar Rasikbhai Shah and Justice Ajay Rastogi stand at Sl. Nos. 4, 5, 17 and 25 respectively in the combined seniority of high court judges on an all-India basis," it said.

This year, two apex court judges - justices Lokur and Kurian Joseph - are set to retire while Justice Sikri would demit office in March 2019.

Gupta was appointed as a judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on July 2, 2002, and on February 8, 2016, he was transferred to the Patna High Court where he was appointed as the acting chief justice on October 29, 2016.

He was appointed as the chief justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on March 18 last year.
Reddy was appointed as a judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court on December 2, 2002. 

Modi, Abe back ‘free Indo-Pacific’

He was elevated as the chief justice of the Gujarat High Court on February 13, 2016. Shah was appointed as a judge of the Gujarat High Court on March 7, 2004, and later in August, he was sworn-in as the chief justice of the Patna High Court.

Rastogi was appointed as a judge of the Rajasthan High Court in September 2004 and was elevated as chief justice of the Tripura High Court on March 1 this year.

After Narendra Modi unveils Statue of Unity, Opposition asks BJP why there isn't bigger structure for Gandhi

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the world's tallest statue to celebrate Vallabhbhai Patel, Opposition parties on Wednesday questioned the BJP as to why there was no bigger statue for Mahatma Gandhi and also accused the ruling party of trying to "hijack" the legacy of Independence heroes like Sardar Patel.

Narendra Modi asks US companies to invest in energy, digital tech in India

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi took a swipe at Modi, saying it is "ironic" that a statue of Sardar Patel is being inaugurated, but every institution he helped build is being destroyed while BSP chief Mayawati demanded an apology from the BJP and the RSS who flayed her over the statues of Dalit leaders her government had installed in Uttar Pradesh.

Gandhi also alleged that the "systematic destruction" of India's institutions is nothing short of "treason".

After unveiling the 182-metre structure in his home state of Gujarat on Patel's 143rd birth anniversary, Modi addressed the criticism of the decision to build the monument, questioning whether any crime had been committed by constructing such memorials for national heroes like Patel.

"We are criticized for praising the contributions of national heroes like Sardar Patel. We are made to feel as if we have committed a serious crime," he said.

He then posed a question to the audience, "You tell me, is it a crime to remember our national heroes?". To this, the audience replied in the negative.

Hindus, Sikhs in Kashmir Were Safe Under Hindu Kings, But Not Today: Adityanath

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said there was no such gigantic statue of Mahatma Gandhi in the country and wanted to know why BJP had not built a bigger statue for him.

"The biggest one is in Parliament, but this is a 182-metre statue for his disciple. Why is there such a big statue for a disciple of Gandhiji in the country where there is no statue of that size for the Mahatma?" he asked while addressing a function at the district congress committee office in Thiruvananthapuram.

"Patel, a very simple person, was known as the disciple of Gandhiji," Tharoor said.

"I am asking a question...Is it right to erect such an imposing statue of Patel, a man of simplicity and a true Gandhian, who moved along with poor peasants," he said.

Tharoor said BJP had no answer to the query why they did not erect a bigger statue of the Mahatma.

"The reason is that they do not believe in Mahatma Gandhi's principles of non-violence," he alleged.

He also alleged that BJP was trying to "hijack" the legacy of freedom fighters and national heroes like Patel as they have no leaders of their own in history to celebrate.

He said Patel was a Congress leader and BJP should not be allowed to adopt him.

PM Narendra Modi returns to Delhi after two-day Japan visit

Gandhi said Patel was a patriot, who fought for a independent, united and secular India. "A man with a steely will, tempered by compassion, he was a Congressman to the core, who had no tolerance for bigotry or communalism," he tweeted.

Mayawati accused the BJP and its government at the Centre of confining Patel to a region, saying this is an example of BJP's "narrow-mindedness".

"All those in the BJP, the RSS and company need to apologise, especially to the people of the Bahujan Samaj Party, for terming the statues installed by the then BSP government to honour icons like Baba Saheb Ambedkar and others as wasteful expenditure," she said in a statement released in Lucknow.

"The people of the country are also wondering if all this is not politics, and if the BJP really had this love for Patel why had they not put up such a massive statue earlier in Gujarat where they are in power for a long time," the chief of BSP said.

Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge slammed BJP for using the statue of Sardar Patel for their "vested interests".

BJP remembering Patel was an "election gimmick", Kharge told reporters at Hubballi in Karnataka.

The Congress leader said, "Every year BJP remembers a different freedom fighter - sometimes they remember Patel, sometimes Gandhi for Swachch Bharat Abhiyan and sometimes they remember Dr BR Ambedkar and Subhas Chandra Bose. These are all their election stunts. They never had respect for those who fought for the freedom of India. Jawaharlal Nehru was the prime minister while Patel was home minister. Naturally credit goes to the prime minister. It is not good to project somebody to undermine somebody else," Kharge said.

CPI general secretary Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy echoed similar sentiments.

Reddy demanded to know why a bigger statue of Mahatma Gandhi was not built by the BJP. He said while there was no objection over the monument built for Patel, what was surprising was why a bigger statue for the father of the nation, who was also born in Gujarat, was not thought of.

"They (BJP) do not like his (Gandhi's) secularism, that is why they have not build his statue. Instead, they have gone for Patel, who had rightist ideas," the CPI general secretary alleged.

Amit Shah's Remark On Sabarimala Shows Democracy In Danger, Says Mayawati

Reddy also charged the BJP with trying to "appropriate" the legacy of Patel.

"We have no objection to Sardar Patel's statue. With all due respect to him (Patel), we feel Mahatma Gandhi is the tallest leader of Indian politics. He is the father of the nation," he told PTI in Hyderabad.

"Mahatma Gandhi's statue should have been bigger, he is leader of the highest stature than anybody else," he said.

Apple MacBook Air (2018) With Retina Display, Touch ID Launched For 1199 USD: Everything You Need to Know

The new Apple MacBook Air features an 8th generation Intel Core i5 processor, Intel UHD Graphics and faster system memory up to 16GB.

Apple on Monday launched an all-new MacBook Air with 13-inch Retina display, Touch ID and latest processors at a Brooklyn event here. The new MacBook Air features an 8th generation Intel Core i5 processor, Intel UHD Graphics and faster system memory up to 16GB. MacBook Air also features SSDs up to 1.5TB in capacity, which are up to 60 per cent faster than the previous generation.

"The first MacBook Air revolutionised Mac with its thin wedge-shaped aluminium design. It forever changed the entire industry for portable computers and became the world's most loved notebook," said Philip Schiller, Apple's Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing. "Redesigning MacBook Air started with a stunning Retina display and all-day battery life, and then we added Touch ID and the Apple T2 Security Chip," he added.

The 13.3-inch Retina display has over 4 million pixels of resolution so text and images in macOS Mojave look sharp and stunning. The new MacBook Air also includes a built-in FaceTime HD camera for Group FaceTime calls with friends and family. MacBook Air now includes Touch ID -- a fingerprint sensor built right into the keyboard. It allows users to instantly unlock MacBook Air, authenticate identity and make fast and secure purchases using Apple Pay.

To support Touch ID, MacBook Air comes with the Apple T2 Security Chip, which makes the notebook more secure. MacBook Air also features the third-generation Apple-designed keyboard for more precise and responsive typing. "The speakers are 25 percent louder with two times more bass than the previous generation for more dynamic range and fuller sound," said Apple in a statement.

Apple also announced new MacBook Pro graphics options that will bring powerful Radeon Pro Vega graphics to MacBook Pro for the first time. All new Macs come with macOS Mojave, the latest version of the world's most advanced desktop operating system with new features.

iPad Pro 2018 Models With Face ID, USB Type-C, and Slimmer Bezels Launched

Apple in New York on Tuesday announced the launch of the much-awaited refresh to its iPad Pro range of premium tablets. The new iPad Pro comes in two sizes — 11-inch and 12.9-inch — with upgrades including a sleeker design, thinner bezels, no home button, support for Face ID technology with Animoji/ Memoji, 
a faster Apple A12X Bionic chip, a USB Type-C port instead of the proprietary Lightning port, and a 7-core Apple graphics chip. Notably, this is the first iOS device to sport the USB Type-C connector port, but it doesn't have a headphone jack. The Apple Pencil has also received its first upgrade since 2015 and now comes with a new design alongside wireless charging support magnetically attaching to the new iPad Pro.

iPad Pro (2018) price in India

Both the iPad Pro 11-inch and 12.9-inch variants will be sold in 64GB, 256GB, 512GB,

 and 1TB storage options. The 11-inch model starts at $799 (roughly Rs. 58,800) in the US,

 while the 12.9-inch variant gets a starting price of $999 (around Rs. 73,500). In India,

 the 11-inch iPad Pro starts at Rs. 71,900, while the bigger model will retail starting at

 Rs. 89,900. The iPad Pro pre-orders in the US start today (and 40 other countries 

and regions), on October 30, with availability from November 7. India is not amongst

 the first wave of launch countries, but instead Apple has said it will launch the tablets

 in the country "later this year".

Apple claims that it has sold 400 million iPad units to date, making it the

 “most popular tablet in the world”. The tech giant also unveiled the latest MacBook Air 

and Mac mini models at the launch event.

iPad Pro (2018) specifications and features

Called the biggest change since the original iPad, the all-new iPad Pro sports 

11-inch and 12.9-inch LCD ProMotion Liquid Retina Display panels with rounded

 corners using the pixel masking technology used in the iPhone XR. The smaller

 variant fits in the same footprint as the iPad Pro 10.5-inch model from last year.

 The new 12.9-inch model is smaller than last year's variant. They carry forward

 the same 120Hz refresh rates. Both models are about 5.9mm thick.

The all-new iPad Pro models are powered by the company's latest in-house

 Apple A12X Bionic 7nm SoC. The SoC has an 8-core CPU and a 7-core GPU,

 the latter offers 2x the graphics performance compared to last year's Apple A11X.

 The new SoC has more than 10 billion transistors. The iPad Pro now comes with 

up to 1TB of inbuilt storage.

For the first time on an iPad, the iPad Pro 2018 models get a neural engine in the

 A12X Bionic chip. This allows for the implementation of machine learning to help

 you access UI elements and apps in an enhanced manner.

Face ID is new to the iPad Pro series in 2018. Face ID is enabled by the TrueDepth 

camera, housed on the tablet's top bezel. Face ID brings support for Animoji and Memoji,

 and it works in both portrait and landscape mode, unlike the iPhone models. 

The iPad Pro 2018 models come with support for iPhone X-like gesture navigation,

 due to the departure of the home button. This is also the first iOS device to sport a 

USB Type-C port for charging, data transfer, and external connectivity.

The new iPad Pro models no longer ship with the 3.5mm headphone jack. 

No Type-C to 3.5mm audio dongle is bundled in the box either. Additionally,

 the iPad Pro can act as a power bank and charge your iPhone using a USB

 Type-C to Lighting cable.

There is a 12-megapixel rear camera sensor with improved True Tone LED flash

 and support for 4K video recording at 60fps on the new iPad Pro. The premium tablet

 claims to offer the same 10-hour battery life and comes with a bundled 18W power adapter.

 As for audio, the new iPad Pro models come with a four speaker setup that houses two

 woofers and two tweeters offering wider stereo sound.

iPad Pro accessories

The second-generation Apple Pencil comes with a brand new design, and now 

attaches magnetically to the new iPad Pro. It's priced in India at Rs. 10,990.

 It automatically starts charging wirelessly when connected.

A new Smart Folio folio case has also been launched that protects both the

 front and the back of the tablet.  It also provides open-to-wake and

 close-to-sleep functionality. It's priced at Rs. 7,500 and Rs. 9,900 for 

the 11-inch and 12.9-inch sizes respectively.

Also new is a refreshed Smart Keyboard Folio, designed to protect both the

 front and back of iPad Pro. The new folio keyboard lets you prop up the

 iPad at two different angles and just like before, it connects to the iPad 

via the Smart Connector so it doesn't require pairing or charging. It's priced at

 Rs. 15,900 and Rs. 17,900 for the 11-inch and 12.9-inch sizes respectively.

OxygenOS 9.0.4 rolling out to OnePlus 6T with Nightscape improvements and November security patches

The OnePlus 6T just released, and we’ve already given our first impressions on it in part 1 of our review. While some of our impressions are definitely mixed, there’s one thing that’s certain – with your purchase of the phone, you’ll also be able to enjoy OnePlus’ excellent software support. The OnePlus 6T will likely be no different from previous devices from the company, and it’s already gotten its first update. OxygenOS 9.0.4 is rolling out to the OnePlus 6T now, and it brings a number of small changes.

The update (originally spotted by HDBlog) mentions a number of system changes that you’d expect to see straight after a release. With power consumption optimizations, general bug fixes, and an improved Screen Unlock, these are all things that generally get fixed after a release. Interestingly, the November 2018 security patches have also been included. 
The OnePlus 6 also just got those security patches with the release of Open Beta 6, which means that both devices have gotten the latest security patches before even Google has released them. That means that we don’t actually know what has been patched yet. Device OEMs typically get the patches a month in advance, where Google then discloses the latest vulnerabilities of which are patched in their monthly security bulletin.

Nightscape has also been a critiqued feature in that it doesn’t seem to do a whole lot. It’s an improvement, but one many could easily find simply by using manual mode on their camera. OnePlus has made some changes to the feature so it is entirely possible that it has improved quite a bit.
 It wouldn’t be the first major camera updatethat the company has released for this generation of its phones. Other changes include “Brand new navigation gestures,” although this is possibly written in error given that the quick switch gesture was already available at launch.

The update is rolling out now, but if you don’t want to wait then you can download the latest version of OxygenOS Open Beta via the Oxygen Updater application. It’ll allow you to download and flash the latest version of OxygenOS, and it doesn’t even require root. The full update ZIP comes in at 1.5GB, which you’ll have to download if you’ve made any modifications to your OnePlus 6 whatsoever. If you have, don’t forget to root your device again after.

Narendra Modi asks US companies to invest in energy, digital tech in India

He made these remarks when board members of United States India Strategic Partnership Forum comprising senior industry and business captains of the US called on him.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged companies in the United States to avail business opportunities in India in new areas such as start-ups, energy, healthcare and digital technology.

He made these remarks when board members of United States India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) comprising senior industry and business captains of the US called on him,  a statement from the Prime Minister's Office said.

They also briefed the prime minister on the outcomes of India Leadership Summit held earlier in the day.

The business leaders appreciated the economic and regulatory reforms implemented by the government in the past four years and expressed their desire to further deepen their engagements with India to make use of the opportunities created by the rapidly growing Indian economy.

"The prime minister stated that both countries have benefitted in an unprecedented manner through economic engagement. He encouraged US companies to fully avail of the business opportunities in new areas as well, such as start-ups, energy, healthcare and digital technology, " the statement said.