Facebook in talks to buy messaging app Whatsapp: Report

NEW YORK: Social networking Facebook Inc is in talks to acquire popular messaging app Whatsapp, a move that will beef-up its mobile services business, says a media report.

"Whatsapp, the multiplatform mobile messaging app that has been one of the runaway success stories for ad-free, paid services, has been in talks to be acquired by Facebook, " a technology blog said citing sources close to the matter.

"We are still digging around on potential price and other details...," the report said citing sources.

Whatsapp, which was founded in 2009, has 1,000 million daily active users globally and delivers about one billion messages per day.

The social networking firm, which was founded eight years ago by Mark Zuckerberg with his college roommates and fellow Harvard University students, at present has around one billion users across the world.

Facebook has been making efforts to improve its mobile service business and made buyouts including the purchase of photo-sharing mobile app Instagram.

Earlier in July, Facebook acquired the team behind start-up firm Spool, in an aim to beef up its mobile business. Besides, the social networking firrm also purchased Israeli facial recognition firm Face.com in June. 

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As Bhopal remembers 1984 disaster, activists decry government apathy

 BHOPAL: As the city today marked 28th anniversary of Union Carbide gas leak disaster, which claimed at least over 3,000 lives in its immediate aftermath, activists alleged the victims have got a raw deal from both the Centre and BJP government in Madhya Pradesh.

Even after 28 years, no one had been punished for this man-made disaster and victims got only inadequate compensation, `Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Udyog Sanghthan' convenor Abdul Jabbar said here.

Rallies were held in the city by the organisations working for the victims, to protest the government's "perennial inaction".

Jabbar said state and the Centre were trying to protect multi-national companies. "It is because of this attitude that the then Chief Executive Officer of Union Carbide, Warren Anderson, has not been brought to India so far to face trial."

The programmes to mark the anniversary of the worst industrial disaster in the world started with an all-religion prayer meeting to remember the victims, an annual tradition.

Members of the Sangthan marched to Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's residence to submit a memorandum about long-pending demands, including adequate compensation and speedy trials. They were stopped by police near Kamla Park.

On the intervening night of December 2-3, 1984, deadly methyl isocyanate gas leaked from the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, killing over 3,000 people and maiming many others.

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Social security agreement with Sweden will help Indian workers

 NEW DELHI: The social security agreement, which was signed between Sweden and India recently, will greatly benefit Swedish companies operating in India; Indian companies in Sweden and professionals in both directions, Ulf Kristersson, Sweden's minister for social security, has told ET.

"While there are a larger number of Indians working in Sweden, the scheme, which ensures the export of social security benefits, will also help the smaller but growing number of Swedish workers in India and the large number of Swedish companies in India," minister Kristersson told ET. He was in New Delhi to ink the agreement along with Indian minister of overseas Vayalar Ravi.

For foreign workers from either country under short term contracts of up to two years, the SSA will ensure that they don't have to pay social security contribution in the guest country as long as they make the payment in their home country. Further, workers will be entitled to export social security benefits when they relocate back to their home country after the completion of service in the guest country.

"The number of highly skilled Indian professionals and self employed people are growing in numbers in Sweden. The IT industry employs a large number of Indians and the numbers are going up. This year, 3000 new professionals from India will have received work permits in Sweden," Mr Kristersson said. There are around 18,000 overseas Indians in the kingdom of Sweden, most of who are employed in IT and IT services, healthcare and hospitality.

"We have social security agreements with Scandinavian countries and within Europe. But India is the first Asian country where we have signed a SSA. Removing obstacles in the welfare system and implementing pension reforms for international workers will boost business ties between India and Sweden and we are likely to see more companies from either side increasing business links," the Swedish minister said.

The Indian government has already inked similar social security agreements with 14 countries including France, Denmark, Hungary, Germany, Switzerland, Finland, Japan and Canada. Sweden has a big labour supply gap and there is a huge potential for Indian workers to move there.

"In Sweden, there's still a large requirement for skilled workers especially in the technology sector. We are a high-end IT hub in Europe and employers welcome workers from India. Now this SSA will now make it even more attractive for them to hire Indians," Kristersson said.

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Supreme Court stays TDSAT's order that removed cap on number of SMSes

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court today stayed telecom tribunal TDSAT's order, which had quashed the sector regulator TRAI's circular limiting the number of SMSes to 200 per day per SIM.

In a brief hearing, a bench headed by Justice G S Singhvi stayed the tribunal's order and issued notice to late Bal Thackeray's grandson Aditya on whose plea TDSAT had passed the order.

The apexBSE 0.00 % court passed the order on an appeal filed by TRAI challenging tribunal's order and asked Thackeray to respond to regulator's plea within six weeks.

With today's stay order, the sector regulator can enforce the circular till the apex court vacates its stay on the verdict by the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT).

TDSAT had on July 17 termed the ceiling on SMSes as "arbitrary" and against the right of freedom of speech and expression guaranteed under the Constitution and had set aside the sector regulator TRAI's circular.

Uddhav Thackeray's son Aditya had submitted that the restriction on SMSes was just a "non-application of mind" by TRAI and the circular fixing ceiling "has not explained why and how the figure of 100/200 SMS(s) per day was arrived at."

He had further contended that no consultation process was adopted by TRAI before incorporating the clause in this regard in the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference (8th Amendment) Regulation, 2011.

TRAI had permitted sending only 100 SMSes per day per SIM except on blackout days or days specially notified by it.

However, on November 1, 2011, it had increased the limit to 200 SMSes per day, per SIM. 

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