Facebook is facing heat in India, its biggest market by users, over a report that claimed the company compromised its hate speech policy to favor the ruling party.Politicians from the Bharatiya Janata Party, which rules the government in India, and opposition Indian National Congress lambasted Facebook for its supposed favoritism to the other, thereby taking a political stand in the country.The debate was sparked by a on Friday that claimed Ankhi Das, Facebook’s top public-policy executive in India, had opposed applying the company’s hate-speech rules to a member of Indian Prime Minister...…Facebook is facing heat in India, its biggest market by users, over a report that claimed the company compromised its hate speech policy to favor the ruling party.Politicians from the Bharatiya Janata Party, which rules the government in India, and opposition Indian National Congress lambasted Facebook for its supposed favoritism to the other, thereby taking a political stand in the country.The debate was sparked by a on Friday that claimed Ankhi Das, Facebook’s top public-policy executive in India, had opposed applying the company’s hate-speech rules to a member of Indian Prime Minister...WW…

Amazon has launched an online pharmacy in Bangalore, the capital of India’s southern Karnataka state, as the e-commerce group looks to spread its tentacles in more categories in one of its key overseas markets.The company said on Friday its new service, called Amazon Pharmacy, has started accepting orders for both over-the-counter and prescription-based medicines in Bangalore. (In India, antibiotics and several other drugs can often be purchased from pharmacies without prescriptions.)Amazon Pharmacy is also selling traditional herbal medicines and some health devices such as glucose meters,...…Amazon has launched an online pharmacy in Bangalore, the capital of India’s southern Karnataka state, as the e-commerce group looks to spread its tentacles in more categories in one of its key overseas markets.The company said on Friday its new service, called Amazon Pharmacy, has started accepting orders for both over-the-counter and prescription-based medicines in Bangalore. (In India, antibiotics and several other drugs can often be purchased from pharmacies without prescriptions.)Amazon Pharmacy is also selling traditional herbal medicines and some health devices such as glucose meters,...WW…

Google has become the latest high-profile firm to back India’s Reliance Jio Platforms. The search giant is investing $4.5 billion for a 7.73% stake in the top Indian telecom network, Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani said on Wednesday.The investment today from Google is one of the rare instances when the Android-maker has . Facebook invested $5.7 billion in Reliance Jio Platforms, which has amassed more than 400 million subscribers in less than four years of its existence, in April this year for a 9.99% stake in it. Facebook is the largest minority stakeholder in Jio Platforms.Jio...…Google has become the latest high-profile firm to back India’s Reliance Jio Platforms. The search giant is investing $4.5 billion for a 7.73% stake in the top Indian telecom network, Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani said on Wednesday.The investment today from Google is one of the rare instances when the Android-maker has . Facebook invested $5.7 billion in Reliance Jio Platforms, which has amassed more than 400 million subscribers in less than four years of its existence, in April this year for a 9.99% stake in it. Facebook is the largest minority stakeholder in Jio Platforms.Jio...WW…

Qualcomm has become the newest high-profile backer of , which has in the past 12 weeks from as many investors.On Sunday evening, Qualcomm Ventures said it will invest $97 million in Reliance Jio Platforms to acquire a 0.15% equity stake “on a fully diluted basis” in the top Indian telecom operator. Qualcomm said it will help Jio Platforms “roll out advanced 5G infrastructure and services for Indian customers.”Reliance Jio Platforms, which competes with Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea in India, has disrupted the Indian telecommunications market by offering cut-rate voice and data plans....…Qualcomm has become the newest high-profile backer of , which has in the past 12 weeks from as many investors.On Sunday evening, Qualcomm Ventures said it will invest $97 million in Reliance Jio Platforms to acquire a 0.15% equity stake “on a fully diluted basis” in the top Indian telecom operator. Qualcomm said it will help Jio Platforms “roll out advanced 5G infrastructure and services for Indian customers.”Reliance Jio Platforms, which competes with Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea in India, has disrupted the Indian telecommunications market by offering cut-rate voice and data plans....WW…

As scores of startups look to cash in on the video content void that ban on TikTok and other Chinese apps has created in India, a big challenger is ready to try its hand.Instagram said on Wednesday it is officially rolling out Reels — a feature that allows users to create short-form videos (up to 15 seconds long) set to music or other audio — to a “broad” user base in India. The Facebook-owned service first began testing Reels, which has been widely referred as “TikTok clone”, in .TechCrunch reported on Monday , which the company confirmed was part of its plan to roll out the product in...…As scores of startups look to cash in on the video content void that ban on TikTok and other Chinese apps has created in India, a big challenger is ready to try its hand.Instagram said on Wednesday it is officially rolling out Reels — a feature that allows users to create short-form videos (up to 15 seconds long) set to music or other audio — to a “broad” user base in India. The Facebook-owned service first began testing Reels, which has been widely referred as “TikTok clone”, in .TechCrunch reported on Monday , which the company confirmed was part of its plan to roll out the product in...WW…

said on Monday it has eliminated all single-use plastic in its packaging across its fulfillment centers in India, it made last year to achieve this goal by June.The American e-commerce group said it had replaced packaging materials such as bubble wrap with paper cushions and was also using “100% plastic-free biodegradable” paper tapes. All of Amazon’s 50-plus fulfillment centers in India, one of its key overseas markets, are complying with the new guidelines, the company said.which had made a similar pledge last year, said last month that its reliance on single-use plastic across its supply...…said on Monday it has eliminated all single-use plastic in its packaging across its fulfillment centers in India, it made last year to achieve this goal by June.The American e-commerce group said it had replaced packaging materials such as bubble wrap with paper cushions and was also using “100% plastic-free biodegradable” paper tapes. All of Amazon’s 50-plus fulfillment centers in India, one of its key overseas markets, are complying with the new guidelines, the company said.which had made a similar pledge last year, said last month that its reliance on single-use plastic across its supply...WW…

The Indian government on Monday evening it was banning 59 apps developed by Chinese firms over concerns that these apps were engaging in activities that threatened “national security and defence of India, which ultimately impinges upon the sovereignty and integrity of India” in what is the latest standoff between the world’s two most populated nations.Among the apps that India’s Ministry of Electronics and IT has ordered to ban include ByteDance’s TikTok, which ; Community and Video Call apps from Xiaomi, which is the ; two of Alibaba Group’s apps (UC Browser and UC News); Shareit; CM...…The Indian government on Monday evening it was banning 59 apps developed by Chinese firms over concerns that these apps were engaging in activities that threatened “national security and defence of India, which ultimately impinges upon the sovereignty and integrity of India” in what is the latest standoff between the world’s two most populated nations.Among the apps that India’s Ministry of Electronics and IT has ordered to ban include ByteDance’s TikTok, which ; Community and Video Call apps from Xiaomi, which is the ; two of Alibaba Group’s apps (UC Browser and UC News); Shareit; CM...WW…

Facebook has a new connectivity app called to help those who can’t afford to get online access information on the web.The service, available through mobile web and Android app, allows users to visit any website in text format (no video, images, audio and other elements that eat up large amounts of data) and consume a few megabytes of internet data.For Discover, which is part of the company’s Free Basics initiative, Facebook is working with mobile operators in Bitel, Claro, Entel, and Movistar. Discover is currently available in Peru, where it is in the initial testing phase.In Peru,...…Facebook has a new connectivity app called to help those who can’t afford to get online access information on the web.The service, available through mobile web and Android app, allows users to visit any website in text format (no video, images, audio and other elements that eat up large amounts of data) and consume a few megabytes of internet data.For Discover, which is part of the company’s Free Basics initiative, Facebook is working with mobile operators in Bitel, Claro, Entel, and Movistar. Discover is currently available in Peru, where it is in the initial testing phase.In Peru,...WW…

Private equity firm Vista Equity Partners said on Friday it will invest $1.5 billion in Reliance Jio Platforms, joining social conglomerate Facebook and Silver Lake that have also made bets on the Indian telecom giant in recent weeks.The planned announcement, which would give the U.S.-headquartered software-focused buyout firm a 2.32% stake in Reliance Jio Platforms, values India’s top telecom operator at $65 billion (equity valuation) — the  and a 12.5% premium over , the Indian firm said.In the last three weeks, Reliance Jio Platforms has announced plans to sell about 13.4%...…Private equity firm Vista Equity Partners said on Friday it will invest $1.5 billion in Reliance Jio Platforms, joining social conglomerate Facebook and Silver Lake that have also made bets on the Indian telecom giant in recent weeks.The planned announcement, which would give the U.S.-headquartered software-focused buyout firm a 2.32% stake in Reliance Jio Platforms, values India’s top telecom operator at $65 billion (equity valuation) — the  and a 12.5% premium over , the Indian firm said.In the last three weeks, Reliance Jio Platforms has announced plans to sell about 13.4%...WW…

Facebook, and a group of telecom companies including China Mobile International, MTN GlobalConnect, Orange and Vodafone, are collaborating to build the “most comprehensive” subsea cable to serve the African continent and Middle East region where nearly a billion people are still offline.The project, called , will see the companies lay cables that will stretch to 37,000km (22,990 miles) and interconnect Europe (eastward via Egypt), the Middle East (via Saudi Arabia), and 21 landings in 16 countries in Africa.In a , the companies said they expect the system to be live by 2023 or early 2024....…Facebook, and a group of telecom companies including China Mobile International, MTN GlobalConnect, Orange and Vodafone, are collaborating to build the “most comprehensive” subsea cable to serve the African continent and Middle East region where nearly a billion people are still offline.The project, called , will see the companies lay cables that will stretch to 37,000km (22,990 miles) and interconnect Europe (eastward via Egypt), the Middle East (via Saudi Arabia), and 21 landings in 16 countries in Africa.In a , the companies said they expect the system to be live by 2023 or early 2024....WW…