Reliance Jio in talks to outsource call centre, back-office operations

  Reliance has started talks with half a dozen BPO companies to outsource call centre and other support work for its Jio telecom operations in what could potentially become one of the most lucrative contracts for the IT-enabled services industry. The service is expected to be commercially launched in the first half of next year. The deal is expected to include customer voice support, know-your-customer and activation services, two people with direct knowledge of the plans said. "The process to outsource this has already begun. The deal will be split between three or four providers and should be concluded in January," a person with knowledge of the outsourcing contract said. Reliance has shortlisted five companies — Serco, Concentrix, Wipro, Aegis and WNS — for the deal, a second person with knowledge of the discussions said, adding that French business process outsourcing company Teleperformance could also be in the reckoning. "Jio is a building a robust infrastructure that will deliver an unmatched customer experience and create new benchmarks in the industry. To achieve this, Jio works with several partners across various functions. As a policy, Jio does not share information about its partners and associates," a Reliance Jio spokesperson told ET in response to an emailed questionnaire. Serco, Concentrix, Wipro, Aegis and WNS had not responded to a request seeking comment at the time of going to press. Though ET could not establish the exact size of the deal, sources said it would initially be in the 'hundred crore range'. "It is hard to pinpoint deal value because Jio isn't fully operational yet. Deal sizes will depend on the number of full-time equivalents needed and that will depend on how much the company grows. But similar deals with telecom companies can go to over a thousand crores over five to seven years," a third source with knowledge of the outsourcing contract said. A full-time equivalent is effectively the number of people required to fulfill a contract. Telecom outsourcing has been a cornerstone of the BPO industry and deals are split across several outsourcing providers.

LG starts rolling out Android Marshmallow update for G3

The South Korean smartphone maker LG has started rolling out the Android 6.0 Marshmallow update for its LG G3 smartphone. LG's Poland unit disclosed this on Twitter. LG launched G3 in 2014 with Android 4.4.2 KitKat operating system, and the smartphone is skipping the 5.1 Lollipop update and is directly getting Android 6.0. The Ultimate Cheap Flights Finder is Here!Save70.com Stormfall: The Addicting Game Of The Year! Wage Epic BattlesStormfall - Online Game Recommended By Colombia The update is reportedly being rolled out in Poland as of now and the company has not divulged any details about the global roll out of the Android update. In order to update the device the user has to connect it to the PC as the manufacturer has not introduced the OTA update. Both 16GB and 32GB variants of LG the smartphone will receive the update. On the specifications front, LG G3 features a 5.5-inch HD display with 1440x2560 pixels resolution protected with a coating of Corning Gorilla Glass 3. Powering the handset is a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor clocked at 2.5GHz coupled with 3GB of RAM. The internal storage of the device accounts to 16GB/32GB which can be expanded further up to 128GB using a microSD card. The smartphone comes equipped with a 13.0-megapxiel rear camera with LED flash and a 2.1-megapxiel front facing camera for clicking selfies. The connectivity attributes of the device include 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, NFC and it packs in a 3,000 mAh battery.

PM Narendra Modi the most talked about person on Twitter: Report

 With more than 34 lakh tweets, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the most talked about person on Twitter in India, according to data compiled by social media analytics firm Blueocean Market Intelligence. Politics, sports and Bollywood led the chatter in India, the study shared with ET showed. Modi led with 34,16,000 tweets, followed by actor Salman Khan with 27,29,000. The India vs Pakistan Cricket World Cup match had 17 lakh tweets, the Indian Premier League almost 15 lakh and the intolerance row 800,000. According to the study, social media users relied heavily on the micro-blogging site this year to keep themselves abreast of the latest developments and expressed their opinions through quick and witty hashtags. US President Barack Obama's visit to India as the Republic Day chief guest was considered a major coup for Modi, who generated positive chatter with his continuous engagement with world leaders and CEOs for his "Make-in-India" and "ease of doing business" pitches. He also stayed in the limelight due to campaigns such as Digital India and Swachh Bharat. Modi also attracted criticism from Twitterati for his trips to countries ranging from Seychelles, Mongolia and Mauritius to the US, UK, UAE and China. His leadership was often seen as raising people's expectations and hopes and reflected in online conversations. In terms of media distribution, 94% of the conversations on 'Namo' were on Twitter, with the remainder generated publicly on other social media platforms such as Facebook.

Two to die for killing blogger Rajib

A tribunal in Dhaka on Thursday sentenced two people to death in the case filed over the murder of blogger Rajib Haider Shovon. The two are Foysal Bin Nayeem alias Dipu, 22, and fugitive Redwanul Azad Rana, 30. The court also fined them Tk10,000 each. Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal 3 Judge Sayeed Ahmed pronounced the verdict. Besides, the court ordered life imprisonment for Maksudul Hassan Onik and fined him Tk10,000. In default, he will have to be behind bars for one more year. A total of 35 out of 55 prosecution witnesses testified in the case. The accused were indicted on March 18 this year.

Japan state-backed fund to support Toshiba's restructuring: Nikkei

 Toshiba is looking to merge its white goods segment with its counterpart at Sharp or another Japanese home electronics manufacturer.Toshiba is looking to merge its white goods segment with its counterpart at Sharp or another Japanese home ele... Read More A Japanese state-backed fund will help Toshiba rebuild its home electronics division and other operations by facilitating tie-ups with Sharp and others, the Nikkei reported. Toshiba is looking to merge its white goods segment with its counterpart at Sharp or another Japanese home electronics manufacturer, the newspaper said. Support would come from the industry ministry and public-private investment fund, the Innovation Network Corp of Japan (INCJ), the report said. The fund could also help Toshiba restructure its nuclear power business as the manufacturer hopes to find a partner for boiling-water reactors, the paper reported. Toshiba was not immediately available for comment. Reuters reported earlier this month that INCJ was looking to inject funds into Sharp and was pursuing a broader restructuring of the troubled firm including a possible merger with Toshiba's consumer electronics arm.

Nasscom and IAMAI join net neutrality fight

 Two industry bodies representing several major national and international corporations said that they are opposed to a blanket enablement of differential pricing of data services, in response to a telecom regulator paper seeking comment on the practice. One of them, however, said that there may be certain situations that warrant allowing discounted tariffs for some online services. "The differential pricing issue is important, because it has implications for net neutrality," R Chandrashekhar, president of the National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) president told ET. "Differential pricing as a blanket enablement is out of question. It should not be done because it will completely erode net neutrality," he added. Nasscom member companies include technology services companies such as Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys and Wipro. The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), which includes members such as Google, Microsoft, LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, said it was opposed to differential pricing, as it violates net neutrality. "In addition to being against net neutrality, the differential pricing models suggested by Trai prima facie also violate the regulator's own stated principles of intervening in pricing," said Subho Ray, the president of IAMAI. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India had asked for suggestions on differential pricing of data services in a consultation paper it released on December 9. In the paper, it describes differential tariff plans as those offered by telecom companies at "zero or discounted tariffs to certain contents of certain websites/applications/platforms." While both associations opposed blanket differential pricing plans, Nasscom said that there was a case for considering such plans in special cases. "However, we have recognised that there may be a need for differential pricing in certain contexts. For example emergency services," Chandrashekhar said.

China Telecom chief resigns amid investigation

The chairman and chief executive of one of China's largest mobile service providers, China Telecom, has stepped down days after authorities said he was under investigation. The firm said Chang Xiaobing had resigned in a filing to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Wednesday. Authorities had announced on Sunday that Mr Chang was being investigated for alleged disciplinary violations. Several Chinese executives have been embroiled in a crackdown on corruption. Mr Chang was the latest executive that was reported missing by local media before the country's anti-corruption watchdog - the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection - said he was under investigation. Top Chinese executives investigated Jiang Jiemin, former chairman of leading energy group China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) jailed for 16 years in October for graft Xu Jianyi, former chairman of top automaker China FAW Group expelled from the ruling Communist Party in August for embezzling funds and taking bribes Shen Hao, former president of financial media group 21st Century jailed for four years last week for extortion and blackmail Cheng Boming, president of China's largest brokerage, CITIC Securities, under investigation in September for alleged trading on insider information Meanwhile in the filing, China Telecom said president and chief operating officer Yang Jie would take over as chairman and chief executive until a new appointment is made. State-owned China Telecom is the country's third largest telecom service provider after China Unicom, where 58-year-old Mr Chang was the chairman before he joined China Telecom in August. There were reports earlier this year that the government was considering merging the two telecom giants. Many critics have also said that Beijing's anti-corruption drive has more to do with getting executives of leading firms to toe the Communist Party's line. The company's shares closed down 0.3% on Thursday after news of the management shake-up.

Air India flight turns back after rat spotted on board

 A plane travelling from Mumbai to London was forced to turn back mid-flight after a rat was spotted on board, local media report. Flight AI 131 travelling to London on Wednesday was flying over Iran when someone on board said they spotted the rodent, reports said. Passengers continued their journey on a replacement aircraft some time later. Air India has said that the plane will be fumigated and the presence of a rodent was being investigated. It said engineers were looking into the claims, "though the presence of the rodent was not confirmed". It stressed the decision to abort the flight was precautionary and in the interests of passenger safety. Advertisement Image copyright Getty Images Image caption A happier landing: in 2013 an Air India plane was Australia's first Dreamliner passenger flight, where it was given a water cannon salute Rats occasionally get on board aircraft along with catering and other supplies but can pose a serious technical as well as a health hazard if they chew through wires. It is the latest setback to hit the state-owned airline, which has had to cut costs to improve its financial health. Earlier in December, an Air India technician was sucked into an aircraft engine and killed at Mumbai airport.

Hundreds of firefighters set to battle huge Australia blaze

 More than 500 firefighters are set to battle a blaze in the Australian state of Victoria, one of the world's most fire-prone regions on New Year's Eve. Evacuation advice has been issued to Kennett River, Grey River and Wongarra. Most residents have left their homes. But a wind change on Thursday afternoon eased the threat to these communities, fire authorities said. Firefighters and aircraft from NSW and New Zealand are on standby in case the fire breaks containment lines. The fire is the same one that destroyed more than 100 homes at Wye River and Separation Creek over Christmas Day. Advertisement It now covers around 2,800 hectares (7,000 acres) and is likely to pose a threat to communities along the famous Great Ocean Road for months. In South Australia a fire is threatening homes at Mosquito Hill south of Adelaide. Aircraft have been sent to the area but the fire is burning very fiercely, South Australia Country Fire Service spokesman Brenton Eden told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. Mr Eden said residents in the area should execute their emergency plans.

Microsoft to warn email users of suspected hacking by governments

  Microsoft Corp said on Wednesday it will begin warning users of its Outlook.com email service when the company suspects that a government has been trying to hack into their accounts. Microsoft told Reuters about the plan in a statement. It comes nine days after Reuters asked the company why it had decided not tell victims of a hacking campaign, discovered in 2011, that had targeted international leaders of China's Tibetan and Uighur minorities in particular. According to two former employees of Microsoft, the company's own experts had concluded several years ago that Chinese authorities had been behind the campaign but the company did not pass on that information to users of its Hotmail service, which is now called Outlook.com. In its statement, Microsoft said neither it nor the US government could pinpoint the sources of the hacking attacks and that they didn't come from a single country. The policy change at the world's largest software company follows similar moves since October by Internet giants Facebook Inc, Twitter Inc and most recently Yahoo Inc. Google Inc pioneered the practice in 2012 and said it now alerts tens of thousands of users every few months. For two years, Microsoft has offered alerts about potential security breaches without specifying the likely suspect. In the statement, Microsoft said: "As the threat landscape has evolved our approach has too, and we'll now go beyond notification and guidance to specify if we reasonably believe the attacker is 'state-sponsored'." Microsoft declined to say what role, if any, the Hotmail hacking campaign played in its policy change. The Hotmail attacks had also targeted diplomats, media workers, human rights lawyers, and others in sensitive positions inside China, according to the former employees. Microsoft had told the targets to reset their passwords but did not tell them that they had been hacked. Five victims interviewed by Reuters said they had not taken the password request as an indication of hacking. Online free-speech activists and security experts have long called for more direct warnings, saying that they prompt behavioral changes from email users.

Google doodle marks New Year's eve

The New Year is around the corner and Google has come up with an interactive doodle to usher in the New Year. The doodle consists of a five colourful birds sitting on a branch depicting the word Google. The birds are waiting for an egg wearing a 2016 sash to hatch and mark the beginning of the year 2016. All the birds are wearing party hats, one is blowing the trumpet and another keeps out taking a pocket watch from his pocket impatiently waiting for the egg to hatch. Along with this, just below the doodle you will also find a link, "Watch and remember the moments of 2015". Clicking on the link takes you to some of the biggest events of the year 2015. These important happenings include Chennai floods, Paris attacks and many others. Google is also teasing New Year's doodle with the line, "Check back tomorrow to see what will hatch in the new year."

Dame Barbara Windsor leads arts and entertainment honours

 Barbara Windsor is among the leading entertainment and arts figures to be recognised in the New Year Honours. The veteran star of EastEnders and the Carry On films said she was "thrilled" to be made a dame for services to charity and entertainment. Actress Sian Phillips also receives a damehood for services to drama, while choreographer Matthew Bourne is to be knighted for services to dance. Luther star Idris Elba receives an OBE, as does Blur singer Damon Albarn. Actress Imelda Staunton, whose recent successes include her award-winning turn in the West End musical Gypsy, receives a CBE for services to drama. Advertisement The same honour is awarded to Tamara Rojo, the Montreal-born Spanish dancer who became the artistic director of English National Ballet (ENB) in 2013. Spooks and Selma star David Oyelowo gets an OBE, as does tennis player turned BBC sports commentator Sue Barker. Cold Feet actor James Nesbitt also gets an OBE, for services to drama and "the community of Northern Ireland". Drum and bass star Goldie - real name Clifford Joseph Price - receives an MBE for services to music and young people. There is also an MBE for Jacqui Oatley, the sports broadcaster who became the first female commentator  One's football highlights show Match of the Day.

Service with a smile

As part of efforts to improve quality of service, employees of state-run BSNL have taken a pledge to serve all customers with a smile and resolve any service related issues as soon as possible. BSNL CMD Anupam Shrivastava administered the oath to the employees at the company's office in New Delhi whereas similar pledge ceremonies took place at all BSNL telecom circles across the country. Top Comment BSNL must improve it's services....There is some indication in improvement but not sufficient.Truth Sach "All employees... pledge today to serve the customer with new motto ie 'Service with a Smile' (SWAS)," the company said in a statement. "The theme SWAS was missing till now in BSNL. Often people talk about network, equipment, OFC cable and other infrastructure but the quality of service we offer is what that matters a lot. When government is celebrating the 'Good Governance Week', there cannot better theme for BSNL than to provide service with a smile to our all customers," Shrivastava said. He added this theme will be effective from January 1, 2016 and there will be no expiry date for it.

IIT, IISc faculty slam Facebook's Free Basics

Academicians from India's premier institutes IITs and IISc have slammed Facebook's Free Basics initiative, terming it "flawed" and "misleading". In a joint statement issued on Tuesday, around 50 faculty members from IITs (Bombay, Delhi, Kharagpur, Madras, Patna) and IISc Bengaluru have denounced the proposal dubbing it a "lethal combination that will lead to total lack of freedom on how Indians can use the internet". Listing three major flaws in the programme, the scientists urged the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India to "thoroughly reject" Facebook's "free basics" proposal. "The first obvious flaw in the proposal is that Facebook assumes control of defining what a 'basic' service is. "Facebook will have access to all your apps' contents. "This flaw is not visible to the lay person as it's a technical detail, but it has deep and disturbing implications. Since Facebook can access un-encrypted contents of users' 'basic' services, either we get to consider health apps to be not basic, or risk revealing health records of all Indians to Facebook. "The third flaw is that the term 'free' in 'free basics' is a marketing gimmick." Top Comment Yes i support Net Neutrality and Free Basic will create problem in Digital IndiaMilind Mahindrakar The academicians said that the 'Free Basics' proposal "is flawed as above is alarming but not surprising, for it violates one of the core architectural principles of internet design: net neutrality. "Compromising net neutrality, an important design principle of the internet, would invariably lead to deep consequences on people's freedom to access and use information. "We, therefore, urge that the TRAI should support net neutrality in its strongest form, and thoroughly reject Facebook's 'free basics' proposal."

England beat S Africa by 241 runs

England beat S Africa by 241 runs

England claimed six wickets for just 38 runs on day five of the first Test against South Africa to seal an emphatic 241-run win in Durban, reports BBC. South Africa resumed on 136-4 in search of a distant 416 but lost four wickets for seven runs in the first nine overs. Moeen Ali removed dangerman AB de Villiers with the third ball and Steven Finn finished with 4-42 as the hosts were all out before lunch for 174. The second of the four-match series begins in Cape Town on Saturday. It was only England's second Test victory away from home since 2012 and their largest in terms of runs against South Africa since the Proteas were readmitted to international cricket in 1991. In contrast it was a fourth defeat in the past five Tests for South Africa, whose position at the top of the Test rankings is under increasing threat from India. The South Africans have gone seven matches without a Test victory, which equals their longest run without a win since their readmission. In the 138-year history of Test cricket, only three teams have avoided defeat from being four wickets down on the final day. And it soon became apparent South Africa would not alter that statistic when star batsman De Villiers missed a turning off-break from Moeen and was given out lbw and upheld on review.

Putin calls cooperation with US in message to Obama

Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a New Year's message to US President Barack Obama, has called for cooperation between their countries to respond to international challenges, reports Al Jazeera. Ties between Moscow and Washington reached a post-Cold War low when Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean peninsula and threw its support behind separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine. The US and other nations responded with economic sanctions against Russian officials, state-owned companies and entire sections of the economy. The Kremlin on Wednesday quoted Putin's New Year's greetings to Obama as saying the "relations between Russia and the United States are crucial to ensuring global security". Putin was also quoted as saying that both countries would "successfully take on new challenges and threats" across the world if they were to engage in a "constructive dialogue". Fighting in Syria is one of the main issues between the former Cold War foes. US Secretary of State John Kerry was in Moscow earlier this month to try to narrow differences with Putin over the role of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in any political transition in Syria. Russia is one of Assad's staunchest allies and launched a campaign of air strikes to support his forces against rebels on September 30.

Barcelona beat Real Betis to go top

Lionel Messi scored on his 500th Barcelona appearance as Luis Enrique's side finished a magnificent 2015 on top of the La Liga table. Heiko Westermann's own-goal - after Neymar's controversial penalty had hit the bar - gave Barca the lead. Messi recovered from a knock which forced him to go off for treatment to double the lead before Luis Suarez scored twice after the interval. Barca finish 2015 with 180 goals in all competitions, a Spanish record. Barcelona's players lined up for a team photograph before kick-off with the five trophies the club won in 2015 Barcelona's players lined up for a team photograph before kick-off with the five trophies the club won in 2015 They are level on points with Atletico Madrid, who won 2-0 at Rayo Vallecano, but have a game in hand over their title rivals. Real Madrid, 3-1 winners over Real Sociedad , are two points behind in third. Betis formed a guard of honour before kick-off as Barca walked out to have a photograph with their five trophies of 2015 - the Champions League, La Liga, Copa del Rey, Uefa Super Cup and Fifa Club World Cup. Barca took the lead when Messi was harshly judged to have been fouled by keeper Antonio Adan and, although Neymar slipped and hit the crossbar with his spot-kick, Westermann directed the rebound into the back of his own net. Messi slid home his 425th goal for the club after 34 minutes to add to their lead. Suarez scored twice after the break to take over from Neymar as La Liga's leading scorer with 15. Barca were denied by the woodwork four times after the interval as they produced an attacking master-class. They start 2016 with an away game at 13th-placed Espanyol on 2 January. Betis lost Westermann and Bruno Gonzalez to injury, while boss Pep Mel was sent to the stand for arguing.

Weight Watchers shares jump on Oprah ad

Shares of weight loss company Weight Watchers jumped nearly 19% on Wednesday after a television ad featuring Oprah Winfrey was shown in the US. In an emotional one-minute commercial, the former talk show host spoke about her renowned weight loss struggles, flashing back to videos of her working out over the years. She asked viewers to join her, saying "let's do this together". Ms Winfrey bought a 10% stake in the company for $43.2m (£28m) in October. New York listed shares of the dieting company have more than tripled in value since she bought a stake in one of the world's leading weight loss brands. Advertisement Her stake is now worth more than $148m. The company, however, has been facing stiff competition from the popularity of fitness trackers and other free mobile apps which track your eating. Despite the jump in shares since Ms Winfrey's involvement, the company's stock market value is still down about 8% from a year ago. Earlier this year, Weight Watchers' founder, Jean Nidetch, who is credited with turning worrying about one's weight into a million-dollar industry, died at age 91.

US military shelves Google robot plan over 'noise concerns'

The US army says it has mothballed plans to deploy a robot developed in conjunction with Google because it is "too loud". The Legged Squad Support System - referred to by some as "the big dog" - is capable of carrying 400lbs (181.4kg) of equipment over rugged terrain. But the US Marines now say its petrol-powered engine is too noisy for them to use in battle. Google has long said it planned to move away from its military contracts. 'The big dog' The LS3 was developed by Boston Dynamics - a robotics firm acquired by Google in 2013 - as part of a tie-up with the Pentagon's research arm, the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa). The robot can follow troops on foot through rugged terrain, carrying their gear. It can also interpret verbal and visual commands. However, after a major field trial in 2014, flaws in the robot also became apparent, according to Kyle Olson, a spokesman for the Marines' Warfighting Lab. "There was the challenge of seeing [its] potential... because of the limitations of the robot itself," he told Military.com. "They took it as it was: a loud robot that's going to give away their position.

Chicago police to get Tasers and training after shootings

Police in Chicago are to receive new equipment and training on how to defuse tensions following a spate of fatal shootings of African-Americans by officers, the city's mayor has said. Rahm Emanuel says every patrol car in Chicago would be equipped with a Taser gun, which is usually non-lethal. He said police must learn when they can use a gun and when not to do so. Protesters have urged Mr Emanuel to step down over a case in which an officer fatally shot a black teenager. Laquan McDonald's death led to the city's police chief being fired and days of protests, Advertisement Jump media player Media player help Out of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue. Media captionDashcam footage shows the moment 17-year-old Laquan McDonald was fatally shot by police in Chicago "Just because you train that you can use force doesn't mean you should," said Mr Emanuel. "Helping officers make that distinction - and the training that goes with it - is essential." Mr Emanuel said the department would make 1,400 Tasers available to officers, up from 700. On the night Mr McDonald was killed, several officers were heard asking for a Taser before officer Jason Van Dyke opened fire, shooting the teenager 16 times. Mr Van Dyke has since been charged with murder. However, the shootings have continued. Just after Christmas, Chicago police shot and killed two people. Bettie Jones, a 55-year-old mother-of-five was shot "accidentally", police said, as officers opened fire on, and killed, 19-year-old Quintonio LeGrier, who they said was being "combative" toward officers. About 15% of Chicago's police officers have so far received training aimed at resolving incidents without violence, officials say.