Want to know about your death? Google can now answer this as well

A woman with late-stage breast cancer came to a city hospital, fluids already flooding her lungs. She saw two doctors and got a radiology scan. The hospital’s computers read her vital signs and estimated a 9.3 per cent chance she would die during her stay.

Then came Google’s turn. An new type of algorithm created by the company read up on the woman — 175,639 data points — and rendered its assessment of her death risk: 19.9 percent. She passed away in a matter of days. The harrowing account of the unidentified woman’s death was published by Google in May in research highlighting the health-care potential of neural networks, a form of artificial intelligence software that’s particularly good at using data to automatically learn and improve. Google had created a tool that could forecast a host of patient outcomes, including how long people may stay in hospitals, their odds of re-admission and chances they will soon die.

What impressed medical experts most was Google’s ability to sift through data previously out of reach: notes buried in PDFs or scribbled on old charts. The neural net gobbled up all this unruly information then spat out predictions. And it did it far faster and more accurately than existing techniques. Google’s system even showed which records led it to conclusions. READ MORE

Demonetisation effect: Demand for cash rises 7%, says RBI

People’s demand for cash continues to head northwards compared to pre-demonetisation levels despite the frequency of digital transactions going up and a substantial increase in bank deposits since November 2016.

Currency with the public (CwP), or people’s demand for cash or currency, is 7 per cent higher at Rs 18.25 trillion at the end of April compared to Rs 17 trillion at the beginning of November 2016, the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) data reveals.

Over the past four years, through its twin policies of Jan Dhan Yojana and demonetisation, the government has taken necessary steps to expand banking services substantially.
Today, around 80 per cent of Indians have a bank account, thanks to improvements in access to formal finance channels.

While account ownership has increased by 79 per cent since 2014, around 38 per cent of all bank accounts were inactive over the course of last year, the survey found. Similarly, the Jan Dhan Yojana, which was launched in 2014, has added around 310 million banking accounts with deposits totalling Rs 812 billion as of May 9.

IPL 2018: Depleted RR face resurgent Bangalore as race for playoffs hots up

IPL 2018 - Weakened by the departure of Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes, Rajasthan Royals will have their task cut out when they lock horns with a resurgent Royal Challengers Bangalore, in the Indian Premier League here tomorrow.

The game at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium is crucial for both RR and RCB, placed fifth and sixth in the table respectively.

As the race for playoffs heats up, five teams are in with a chance to make the cut.

Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad are already through to the playoffs, leaving RR, RCB, Kings XI Punjab, Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders to fight for the remaining two places.

Both Rajasthan Royals, who saw their batting mainstays Buttler and Stokes leave for national duty, and Royal Challengers Bangalore will also have an eye on the net run rate, which could be decisive if more than one team finish with equal number of points.

The momentum for now is with the visitors, whose campaign witnessed a resurgence following a 14-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad last night.

Aadhaar doesn't pose any privacy issue and is worth emulating: Bill Gates

India's Aadhaar technology does not pose any privacy issue and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has funded the World Bank to take this approach to other countries as it is worth emulating, Microsoft founder Bill Gates has said.

The 62-year-old multi-billionaire entrepreneur and philanthropist said Nandan Nilekani, Infosys founder who is considered as the chief architect of Aadhaar, was consulting and helping the World Bank on the project.

Asked if India's Aadhaar technology is worth emulating by other countries, he replied, "Yes". "The benefits of that (basic ID — Aadhaar) are very high," he told PTI. More than a billion people in India have enrolled in Aadhaar, the world's largest biometric ID system.

"Yes, countries should adopt that approach because the quality of governance has a lot to do with how quickly countries are able to grow their economy and empower their people," Gates said in response to a question.

"We have funded the World Bank to take this Aadhaar approach to other countries," he said.

It is believed that several countries, including some from India's neighbourhood, have approached New Delhi for assistance in this matter.

All new Gmail: Google redesigns G Suite to steal biz away from Microsoft

Alphabet Inc’s Google unveiled on Wednesday its first Gmail redesign since 2013, capping what the company says was an expensive overhaul two years in the making to adopt security and offline functionality and better resemble Microsoft Outlook.

It is Google’s most extensive update to software in its G Suite workplace bundle since accelerating efforts to steal business from Microsoft Corp’s dominant Office workplace software suite. Previously, G Suite added instant-messaging and spreadsheet features.

With Gmail, Google said it restructured email storage databases, unified three dueling systems for syncing messages across devices and upgraded computers underpinning the service. That shift to Google’s self-developed Tensor processing chips enables smart-assistant features such as “suggested replies” to messages and “nudges” to respond to forgotten emails.

“This is an entire rewrite of our flagship, most-used product,” said Jacob Bank, product manager lead for Gmail, which 1.4 billion people use each month.

Apple iPhone X successor with LCD screen coming soon at half the price?

The anniversary-edition Apple iPhone X is one of the expensive consumer-centric smartphones launched late last year. However, the iPhone X successor, with a 6.1-inch notch-based LCD screen and dual-SIM functionality, would cost half the price of the current generation flagship, according to a report in 9to5 citing KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

In an earlier Bloomberg report, Kuo said Apple was considering creating another price segment for dual-SIM-based iPhones. He also said that the single SIM model could sell at between $550 and $650, while the dual-SIM model would go for at least $650.

Kuo’s information stands in line with the Digitimes research analyst Luke Lin, who said in his report that Apple would launch a new 5.85-inch iPhone this year with OLED screen at a price much lower than that of the iPhone X.

Jio plans to raise Rs 32.5 bn from Japan's MUFG, Mizuho and Sumitomo Mitsui

Telecom operator Reliance Jio is learnt to be in talks with three Japanese banks to raise $500 million (around Rs 32.50 billion) in debt.

"Reliance Jio is in discussion with MUFG (formerly The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ) , Mizuho Bank and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation to raise $500 million," sources in the know of the development told PTI.

An e-mail query sent to the company seeking a response remained unanswered.

Last month the Reliance Jio board had approved raising of around Rs 200 billion in debt. The company has invested over Rs 2 billion in the mobile business which has garnered over 168 million customers.

The Mukesh Ambani firm has also signed agreement to buy mobile business assets of Reliance Communications-- the company led by his younger brother Anil Ambani, for around Rs 250 billion.

The source did not mention the timeline for raising the loan from Japanese banks and said, "The agreement is yet to be signed.

Facebook-Cambridge Analytica row: Zuckerberg brings apology ads; updates

Facebook's problems after the Cambridge Analytica scandal broke out refuse to fade. Now, the social media giant's founder and chief ececutive officer Mark Zuckerberg has issued a full-page advertisement in seven newspapers across the United Kingdom and three across the United States apologising for the data breach. "We have a responsibility to protect your information. If we can't, we don't deserve it," he said. Meanwhile, the social media giant also dismissed claims of having collected users' text and call data without their consent.

Amid the ongoing privacy scandal surrounding Facebook and Cambridge Analytica, Zuckerberg, in the advertisement, reiterated that the social media platform had already stopped third-party apps from "getting so much information" and that Facebook had started "limiting the data apps get when you sign up", The Verge reported. Zuckerberg also clarified that Facebook users would now be aware of which apps had access to their information and which did not, so that they could make an informed decision.

The Facebook ads ran in prominent positions in British nationals, including the best-selling Mail on Sunday, The Sunday Times, and The Observer -- which helped break the story -- as well as the US' New York Times, Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal. The advertisement reflected the public statements Zuckerberg made last week after the Cambridge Analytica data breach row prompted investigations in Europe and the US, and sent Facebook's share price plunging.

Reliance Jio Prime membership subscription to end on March 31: What next?

Reliance Jio shook the Indian telecommunication space with the launch of its affordable, data-centric network. After doling out freebies for more than the first six months since the launch, the Mukesh Ambani-owned telecom major introduced Prime membership at Rs 99 with the promise of offering subsidised recharge options and additional benefits for a period of one year.
The Jio Prime memberships, which came into effect on April 1 last year, are valid until 31 March. Now, with the subscription expiry approaching, it is expected that Jio would make an announcement sometime soon.
While there is nothing official yet, it is expected that the company might completely do away with the Prime subscription or offer it as a free service.
Here is what the company offered in the first iteration of the Prime membership:

• Free unlimited data and voice services for one year at an effective price of Rs 10 per day
• Special recharge plans with additional data and validity
• Free VoLTE-based voice calls to any network, even on roaming with no black out days either.
• Free access to Jio app suite
• The Prime membership was initially rolled out as a loyalty programme to retain subscribers as the company moved from free to paid services.
• In the first leg, the Prime membership was advertised as a limited period offer. However, as time moved, the company continued offering the membership to get more subscribers. 
• Now, according to Jio’s official portal, there is no mention of services that the company offers to non-prime subscribers. Therefore, it is safe to assume that the subscription based membership program may eventually fade out.

Flipkart lists Reliance JioFi WiFi hotspot JMR815 at Rs 999: Details here

Reliance Jio has added a new 4G LTE hotspot model to its portfolio of JioFi devices. The new model, dubbed the JioFi JMR815, is currently available on Flipkart at a price of Rs 999. However, the JioFi is not yet listed on Jio’s online portal.
The JioFi 4G WiFi hotspot, according to the Flipkart listing page, is capable of attaining a download speed of up to 150Mbps, and upload speed of 50Mbps. The device features a circular design, unlike the oval design of the predecessor.

It allows up to 32 simultaneous connections – 31 WiFi and 1 USB – to connect over Jio’s 4G network for accessing the internet. The device also allows HD voice calls and video calls on non-4G phones via Jio 4G Voice app.
 JioFi 4G WiFi hotspot JMR815 JioFi 4G WiFi hotspot JMR815 In terms of features, the device has power buttons, along with WiFi Protected Setup (WPS) button for instant connection. There are notification lights for battery, 4G connectivity and signal strength. It is powered by an ALT3800 processor and supports 4G connectivity at FDD-Band 3, Band 5, and TDD-Band 40 – supported by Reliance Jio.

Paytm launches two new services under wealth management offering

Mobile application basedfinancial services platform Paytm has announced the launch of two new services - Gold Gifting and Gold Savings Plan as part of its wealth management offering, Paytm Gold.
The company said the customers can now send 24K 999.9 purity gold to each other instantly - offering them a convenient gifting solution.
It said that more than 60 per cent of Paytm Gold purchases are from tier two and three cities with millennial constitutingthe majority.

The platform has witnessed repeat purchases of Paytm Gold worth up to Rs 500 at regular intervals, thecompany said in a release.

On the Gold Savings Plan, the company said the scheme intends to help customers conveniently andregularly save in gold as per their budget and requirement byentering the duration, frequency and amount of gold they wantto save.
The company said the customer's gold will be stored in MMTC PAMP's 'secure and 100% insured' lockers for free and they can get delivery of this gold at any time.
"This would eliminate additional fees associated with offline Gold purchase like making and locker charges, while offering customers access to trusted and affordable gold savings for the long-term," the company said.

Virat Kohli as Uber's brand ambassador: How long will the ride last?

Sometime last year when Virat Kohli announced that he would not endorse a cola brand ever because it went against his lifestyle and principles, he set the cat among the pigeons. As Pepsi’s most high profile brand ambassador in the country, he had in effect turned against his own brand. The company however did not react and the issue was soon relegated to anecdotal status while Kohli continued on his winning spree making himself one of the most sought after faces among brands.

Now he has signed up yet another endorsement contract; this time with Uber (India). This is a first of its kind initiative for Uber. But for the cricketer, who is valued at US $144 million as per the Rise of the Millennials Report, this is his twentieth brand endorsement. Kohli signing yet another brand is hardly news. But it still gets to the headlines because the Indian captain has not been as discreet or as discriminating with his associations as he is with his game.

For instance when he cut himself out of cola major PepsiCo’s endorsement list, he did so publicly. In an interview to a media house he said that he was going to practice what he preached and stick to endorsements that promoted healthy lifestyles. Pepsi did not fit the bill. Endorsing a soft drink appeared out of sync with the Kohli persona. So Brand Kohli decided to go kosher. Pepsi did not react except to indicate that the cola major and Kohli had had a good run and they were satisfied with that. However the truth of the matter is that Kohli had been on a fitness trip for at least 3-4 years prior to dumping Pepsi. Why did it take him so long to dump the brand?

Flipkart pulls down Samsung Galaxy S9, Galaxy S9+ before sale on March 16

Home-grown e-commerce major Flipkart seems to have removed the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus from its portal before the start of the smartphones’ official sale on March 16. The flagship smartphones were first announced a day before the Mobile World Congress and unveiled in India on March 6.
The pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ began in India through Samsung online stores soon after the international unveiling at the MWC.

However, Samsung’s partner for online sales, Airtel online store and Flipkart, had started taking pre-orders after the official launch on March 6.
Starting March 6, Flipkart not only started taking the pre-orders but also listed the two smartphones as bundled with offers like Rs 5,000 additional discount on exchange, cashback of Rs 6,000 for HDFC credit and debit card holders and no-cost equated monthly instalments removing the interest component from EMIs paid to banks on the purchase of devices using a credit card.

Uber hails Virat Kohli's commitment to India, gets him as brand ambassador

Cab hailing platform Uber on Friday said it has it has roped in Indian cricket team captain, Virat Kohli as its brand ambassador in India.
"Uber India's association with Virat Kohli will lay the foundation for a host of brand-led interventions in 2018. Besides being the face of the brand, Virat will be actively involved in a series of innovative marketing and customer experience initiatives to be rolled out by Uber India," the company said in a statement.
It, however, did not disclose the financial terms of the partnership.

This is the first time the company has announced a brand ambassador in the Asia Pacific region.

Last month, it had named footballer Mohamed Salah as the brand ambassador for the Egypt market.
"In Virat, we've found a partner who reflects the drive we share with everyday India, while embodying our commitment to serving the country," Uber India and South Asia President Amit Jain said.
India is a key market for Uber, which is locked in an intense battle for market leadership with homegrown player, Ola. 

Apple reportedly planning to release cheaper MacBook Air this year

Apple is reportedly making plans to launch a more cheap variant of the 13-inch MacBook Air in the second area of 2018, the media stated.

Apple is likely to launch a new MacBook Air "with a decrease price tag" during the second one sector of 2018, that means we need to see it sooner rather than later, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities turned into quoted as pronouncing to 9to5mac on Saturday.

The analyst expects the greater inexpensive MacBook Air will assist push MacBook shipments up by 10-15 per cent this 12 months.

MacBook Air, released via then Apple CEO Steve Jobs at the MacWorld Expo in San Francisco in 2008, has no longer been up to date given that 2015 as Apple has shifted focus closer to the 12-inch MacBook and MacBook seasoned.

The 13-inch MacBook Air, a popular preference for university students, is presently bought starting at $999 for 128GB of PCIe-based storage, a 1.8GHz twin-center i5 processor, and 8GB of LPDDR3 RAM.

Cash still king as circulation at 99% of pre-demonetisation level: RBI data

Almost a year after the demonetisation drive, the currency in circulation, as on 16 February 2018, stood at Rs 17.78 trillion (Rs 17.78 lakh crore), according to a Live Mint report.
Before November 8, 2016, the total currency with the Indian public, according to RBI data, was Rs 17.97 trillion. The demonetisation drive sucked Rs 14.48 trillion out of the system.

This means that as of 16 February, 99.94 per cent of the currency is back in circulation.
During a short span from November 9 to December 31, 2016, the Reserve Bank pumped in 23.8 billion pieces of bank notes into circulation aggregating Rs 5,540 billion in value.
Nearly half the currency notes circulated by the Reserve Bank of India during the first nine months of 2017-18 were of smaller denomination, such as Rs 200, Rs 100 and below. This is in line with the government's move to push digitisation and encourage people to do digital banking for high-value transfers.
As on June 16, 2017, the currency in circulation stood at Rs 15.29 trillion (Rs 15.29 lakh crore), or 86.2 per cent of the pre-demonetisation level, according to a Business Standard report.

Aircel services hit in Tamil Nadu, customers line up to port number

Crisis-hit telecom major Aircel is facing customers' fury in Tamil Nadu as its network was affected by the cessation of services by tower infrastructure provider owing to financial dispute.
With panic-stricken customers pushing for mobile number portability in large numbers, Aircel's server crashed, forcing customers to throng its limited number service centres across Tamil Nadu.
Aircel has around 15 million customers in Tamil Nadu, largest among states, out of the total 89 million customers across the country.

Aircel, promoted by Malaysian firm Maxis Communication, has been in financial crisis in the recent past due to severe competition and credit restrictions from banks. A proposed deal to merge the company with Reliance Communications also failed.

The latest issue started after one of the tower infrastructure provider, which operates 10,000 towers for Aircel in Tamil Nadu, allegedly switched off around 9,000 towers. The dispute is related to payment of a penalty to the infrastructure provider for around five to six circles closed down a few years back, said company sources.

JioPhone gets Facebook as its first third-party app; rollout begins today

Reliance JioPhone, India’s first 4G-enabled feature phone, is all set to receive the Facebook app officially on February 14. The app has been designed from scratch to work on KaiOS, the default operating system that comes loaded with the Reliance JioPhone.

"We are excited about our partnership with Jio and the opportunity to provide the best possible Facebook experience for millions of people using JioPhone. Working with partners like Jio, we want to make sure everyone, everywhere has the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of being connected," said Francisco Varela, vice-president of Mobile Partnerships, Facebook.

From today, the existing and new customers of JioPhone could download the Facebook app from JioAppStore. The app supports timeline view, push notifications and video playback capabilities.

For a non-touch device, the Facebook app on JioPhone supports cursor function to access News Feed and photos.

UIDAI introduces 16-digit 'Virtual ID', limited KYC for Aadhaar holders

As it looks to address concerns regarding privacy of Aadhaar data, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has introduced a concept of ‘Virtual ID’, which is a temporary number that can be generated by users for the purpose of verification and authentication.

The UIDAI has taken a slew of measures to safeguard the privacy of citizens, primarily after reports emerged that Aadhaar data can be accessed by unauthorised means.
The 'Virtual ID', which will be mapped with the Aadhaar number, can be shared with authorities to authenticate identity for availing various services and it will provide users an option of not sharing their Aadhaar number.

The ID will be a temporary, revocable 16-digit number that can be shared with agencies like a telecom operator, for verification of identity. The 'Virtual ID' along with biometrics will furnish limited details like names, addresses, and photographs to the agency concerned for verification.
However, experts feel that though the intention of the government is good, it has to be seen what security parameters are put in place to safeguard the 'Virtual ID'.

According to senior cyber lawyer Pavan Duggal, cybersecurity was not introduced at the start by the UIDAI and that is why there have been so many cases regarding data breach. Also, he said people have become increasingly concerned about privacy and consequently, the UIDAI had come up with the concept of a 'Virtual ID'.

Income Tax dept attaches 900 benami properties worth over Rs 35 billion

The Income Tax (I-T) Department on Thursday said it has attached more than 900 benami properties including flats, shops, jewellery and vehicles worth over Rs 35 billion.
I-T Department said in a statement that it has stepped up action under the Prohibition of Benami Property Transactions Act, which came into force from November 1, 2016.
The Act provides for provisional attachment and subsequent confiscation of benami properties, whether movable or immovable.

It also allows for prosecution of the beneficial owner, the benamidar and the abettor to benami transactions, which may result in rigorous imprisonment up to 7 years and a fine of up to 25 per cent of fair market value of the property.

The department had set up 24 dedicated Benami Prohibition Units (BPUs) under its Investigation Directorates all over India in May, 2017 to ensure swift action in respect of Benami properties.
"Due to intensive efforts undertaken by the Department, provisional attachment has been made in more than 900 cases of properties under the Act. These include plots of land, flats, shops, jewellery, vehicles, deposits in bank accounts, fixed deposits etc," the statement said.

The value of properties under attachment is more than Rs 35 billion including immovable properties of more than Rs 29 billion, the department said.
Benami literally means 'without a name'. An asset without a legal owner or a fictitious owner is called benami.