New Delhi, July 21 (IANS) Meta is taking a big step to make money from WhatsApp by testing new ad features and in its latest Android beta update (version 2.25.21.11), the messaging platform has introduced two new tools – ‘Status Ads’ and ‘Promoted Channels’.These features are now available to select beta users on Android, according to WABetaInfo.Status Ads are similar to the ads you see on Instagram Stories. Business accounts can now post sponsored content that will appear in users’ Status feeds.These ads will show up between updates from friends and family but will have a clear “sponsored” label, so users can easily tell them apart from personal posts.WhatsApp is also giving users control over what they see. If someone doesn’t want to see ads from a particular advertiser, they can block them, and those ads won’t appear again.The second feature, Promoted Channels, will help public channels become more visible in WhatsApp’s channel directory.Just like Status Ads, these promoted channels will be marked as “sponsored”. When a business or creator pays to promote their channel, it will appear higher in search results, making it easier for users to find and follow them.These changes could be very useful for brands, creators, and organisations who want to grow their audience quickly.It also signals WhatsApp’s serious entry into the world of advertising and creator monetisation — something already common on platforms like Instagram and YouTube.Meta has assured that these ads won’t affect users’ privacy. The company says all promotional content will only be shown in public areas like Status and Channels, not in private chats. So, your personal messages will remain ad-free.Earlier, in a previous beta update (2.25.19.15), WhatsApp also started testing a feature that lets users download detailed ad activity reports.These reports show which ads were displayed, who the advertisers were, and when the ads were seen. This adds more transparency compared to traditional ad platforms.–IANSpk/na

New Delhi, July 21 (IANS) A Crisil report on Monday projected India’s gross domestic product (GDP) to grow at 6.5 per cent this fiscal (FY26), supported by improving domestic consumption, among other positive indicators.The Crisil Intelligence’s near-term outlook report suggested US tariff-related global uncertainty as the top risk to India’s growth. “However, growth is expected to be supported by improving domestic consumption driven by an above-normal monsoon, income tax relief and the RBI MPC’s rate cuts,” the report mentioned.GDP growth accelerated to 7.4 per cent on-year in the fourth quarter of last fiscal from 6.4 per cent in the previous quarter. Overall, GDP grew 6.5 per cent last fiscal (FY25).Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation slid to 2.1 per cent in June, the lowest in 77 months, as food inflation turned negative.“Based on the inflation trajectory, prediction of an above-normal monsoon, and the expectation of soft global oil and commodity prices, we expect CPI inflation to soften to 4 per cent on average this fiscal from 4.6 per cent last fiscal,” the report mentioned.The report expects one more RBI repo rate cut this fiscal, and a pause thereafter.“The MPC cut the rate by 100 bps between February and June 2025. Its change in stance from accommodative to neutral in June highlights the front-loading of rate cuts and the data-dependent approach hereon The 100 bps CRR cut will be implemented in four tranches between September and November 2025,” it mentioned.On fiscal health, the Union Budget has targeted a reduction in the central government’s fiscal deficit to 4.4 per cent of GDP this fiscal from 4.8 per cent last fiscal.”Gross market borrowing is estimated at Rs 14.8 lakh crore for this fiscal, 5.8 per cent higher on-year. The government plans to carry out 54 per cent of the budgeted borrowing in the first half of the fiscal,” said the report.Fiscal deficit stood at 0.8 per cent of this fiscal’s Budget target until May, lower than 3.1 per cent in the corresponding period last fiscal, driven by higher revenue receipts and lower revenue expenditure than last fiscal.The report further stated that it expects the current account deficit (CAD) to average 1.3 per cent of GDP this fiscal, compared with 0.6 per cent last fiscal.–IANSna/

New Delhi, July 21 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday described the Monsoon Session of Parliament as a ‘session of celebration’ and referred to the hoisting of the national flag at the International Space Station (ISS) as a moment of immense pride and jubilation for the nation.PM Modi said this while addressing the media ahead of the beginning of the Monsoon Session of Parliament.“India’s flag being hoisted at the International Space Station (ISS) for the first time is a moment of pride for every citizen. There has been a renewed vigour and excitement in the country after India’s successful sojourn in space,” PM Modi said while lauding the Indian astronaut, Subhanshu Shukla’s recent endeavours at the International Space Station.He further said that all Parliamentarians, along with countrymen, are proud of his feat and will continue to glorify it and added this will serve as an inspiration for the country’s future space missions.The Prime Minister also spoke about Operation Sindoor, spotlighting how the Indian forces responded to a dastardly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam and pulverised a series of terror bases and hideouts in Pakistani territory within 22 minutes.“Under Operation Sindoor, the houses of the masters of terrorists were razed to the ground within 22 minutes,” he said.PM Modi emphasised the growing respect for the Indian military’s prowess, in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor and also about the global interest in the ‘Made in India’ arsenal.“Indian military’s prowess built on the foundation of Made in India defence capabilities is drawing the attention of global powers,” he said.Prime Minister further stated that if the Parliament acknowledges and celebrates this victory in one voice, it will strengthen and encourage India’s Armed Forces even further.–IANSmr/dpb

New Delhi, July 21 (IANS) Tech giant Microsoft has issued urgent security patch after observing “active attacks” on server software used by government agencies and businesses to share documents within organisations. According to Microsoft, the vulnerabilities apply only to SharePoint servers used within organisations. SharePoint Online in Microsoft 365, which is in the cloud, was not hit by the attacks, the organisation informed.“Microsoft is aware of active attacks targeting on-premises SharePoint Server customers by exploiting vulnerabilities partially addressed by the July Security Update,” said the tech giant in ints security advisory.The company recommended security updates that customers should apply immediately.The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) also said it is aware of the attacks and is working closely with its federal and private-sector partners.The vulnerability is related to a case of remote code execution that arises due to the deserialization of untrusted data in on-premise versions of Microsoft SharePoint Server.Microsoft said the current published content is correct and that the previous inconsistency does not impact the company’s guidance for customers.”After applying the latest security updates above or enabling AMSI, it is critical that customers rotate SharePoint server ASP.NET machine keys and restart IIS on all SharePoint servers,” Microsoft said.”If you cannot enable AMSI, you will need to rotate your keys after you install the new security update,” its added.The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has added ‘CVE-2025-53770’ vulnerability to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, requiring Federal Civilian Executive Branch (FCEB) agencies to apply the fixes by July 21, 2025.“Microsoft has released security updates that fully protect customers using SharePoint Subscription Edition and SharePoint 2019 against the risks posed by CVE-2025-53770, and CVE-2025-53771. Customers should apply these updates immediately to ensure they’re protected,” said the company in its security update.–IANSna/

Mumbai, July 21 (IANS) The Indian equity market opened almost flat on Monday amid mixed cues from global markets, as investors continue to look for some positive news on the interim India-US trade deal.At 9:20 am, Sensex was down 50 points or 0.05 per cent at 81,714 and Nifty was down 17 points or 0.07 per cent at 24,951.Marginal selling was also seen in midcap and smallcap stocks. Nifty midcap 100 index was down 87 points or 0.15 per cent at 59,017 and Nifty smallcap 100 index was down 65 points or 0.36 per cent at 18,892.According to analysts, the single-most important factor which the market will be focusing on in the coming days will be the outcome of the trade talks between the US and India.“If an interim trade deal between the two countries is reached with a tariff rate of less than 20 per cent on India, that would be a positive from the market perspective,” said Dr VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Investments Ltd.On the sectoral front, auto, IT, PSU bank, pharma, FMCG, media, energy, infra, consumption and PSE were major losers, while financial services, metal and realty were trading in the green.In the Sensex pack, Axis Bank, Reliance, Infosys, HCL tech, Tech Mahindra, TCS, Sun Pharma, Titan, M&M, HUL, Asian Paints, NTPC, Tata Motors and BEL were losers. Tata Steel, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Eternal, UltraTech Cement, Bajaj Finance and Trent were major gainers.Most Asian markets were trading with gains. Shanghai, HongKong, Seoul, Bangkok and Jakarta were in the green, while Tokyo was trading in the red. US markets closed in mixed zone. Main indices Dow Jones was down 0.32 per cent and Nasdaq was up 0.05 per cent.On the institutional front, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) turned net buyers on July 18 with purchases worth Rs 374.74 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) continued their tenth session of buying, with net purchases worth Rs 2,103.51 crore.Considering the current environment of elevated volatility and mixed global cues, traders should maintain a cautious sell-on-rise strategy, especially when using leverage, said Mandar Bhojane from Choice Equity Broking Private Limited.—IANSna/

Seoul, July 21 (IANS) Nearly 60 per cent of South Korea’s mid-sized companies have no plans to hire new employees in the second half of the year due to an economic slowdown, a local business lobby group said on Monday.In a recent survey of 800 mid-sized companies, the Federation of Middle Market Enterprises of Korea (FOMEK) found that 56 percent do not plan to hire in the second half, reports Yonhap news agency.Respondents cited worsening business performance, rising labor costs and the economic downturn as the main reasons for not hiring.In South Korea, companies with total assets between 500 billion and 10 trillion won are classified as mid-sized businesses.The remaining 44 percent said they plan to hire in the second half, though some expect to reduce the scale of hiring compared with the first half due to sluggish demand.Companies urged the government to increase financial support for hiring, create a more flexible job market and offer additional tax benefits.”The government needs to come up with solutions to key labor issues such as extending the retirement age, reorganizing ordinary wages and adjusting working hours,” a FOMEK official said.Meanwhile, Seoul shares traded higher on Monday, driven by the strong performance of big-cap tech shares and foreign purchases.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) had added 14.29 points, or 0.45 percent, to 3,202.36 as of 11:20 a.m.Foreign investors purchased 427.7 billion won (US$307 million) worth of local shares, while institutions bought 161.4 billion won. Retail investors had dumped 627.3 billion won worth of shares for profit taking.On Friday, Wall Street closed mixed as concerns over the Trump administration’s tariff policies offset the risky appetite brewed by strong U.S. retail sales data.The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 0.32 percent, and the S&P 500 edged down 0.01 percent, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite inched up 0.05 percent.—IANSna/

Mumbai, July 21 (IANS) India’s microfinance sector is projected to clock a 15 per cent CAGR in the gross loan portfolio (GLP), surpassing Rs 10 trillion (Rs 10 lakh crore) loan portfolio over the next five-six years, a report said on Monday.The report by Avendus Capital highlights a resilient reset underway in India’s most critical engines of financial inclusion.Despite weathering multiple downcycles, the microfinance sector has remained resilient and is now entering a structural upcycle.“The sector is expected to return to historical cross-cyclical RoEs, ranging from 15-20 per cent over the next five to six years. This shift is driven by improved credit discipline, operational reengineering by industry frontrunners and stronger regulatory oversight,” the report mentioned.Diverse geographic potential and deeper rural market penetration are opening new frontiers for financial inclusion, while the rising engagement with new-to-credit (NTC) customers is broadening the industry’s borrower base.Accelerated adoption of AI-powered technologies is further enhancing operational efficiency and enabling smarter, data-driven lending decisions.“The microfinance industry has shown strong resilience in recent years, with downturns getting shorter. This progress is a direct result of deliberate regulatory actions such as MFIN guardrails and the CGFMU scheme, aimed at curbing borrower overleveraging and improving asset quality,” explained Anshul Agarwal, Managing Director and Head, Financial Institutions Group Investment Banking, Avendus Capital.Green shoots are already visible on the ground signaling stronger borrower discipline and improved fundamentals going forward. Together, these developments are building the base for renewed investor confidence and durable sector health, Agarwal noted.According to the report, large white spaces exist as the present asset under management (AUM) penetration stands at 35 per cent across 16 states, highlighting significant headroom for expansion. The persistent demand for credit in informal markets presents a compelling opportunity for MFIs to deepen their reach and further drive financial inclusion.“As the sector fundamentals reset through both regulatory and institutional actions, we anticipate a re-rating of sector valuations with multiples rising meaningfully from the current 1.0x levels in the medium term, making this an opportune time for investors to get their skin in the game and participate in the sector’s next upcycle,” said Snigdha Khemka, Director, Financial Institutions Group Investment Banking, Avendus Capital.–IANSna/

New Delhi, July 20 (IANS) Union Minister of Consumer Affairs Pralhad Joshi on Sunday chaired a meeting with senior officials to review the issue of dark patterns impacting digital consumers.“Discussed Jago Grahak Jago’s ongoing efforts and explored regulatory measures to curb deceptive online practices and strengthen consumer protection frameworks,” the minister said in a post on X.Meanwhile, the government is also addressing the growing concern around dark patterns in digital commerce. It has directed all e-commerce companies to conduct self-audits to analyse and remove dark patterns in compliance with consumer protection.Joshi emphasised the importance of responsible industry behaviour, adding that the guidelines on dark patterns were the result of intensive consultations with various stakeholders, including leading e-commerce companies and industry associations.With mutual agreement reached, the minister urged all companies to now fully comply with the guidelines and integrate them into their internal governance and consumer protection mechanisms.“The consumers of today are vigilant, informed, and increasingly aware of their rights — they will not tolerate deceit,” said Joshi while chairing a high-level stakeholder meeting here.The Department of Consumer Affairs convened the meeting, which brought together key representatives from major e-commerce companies, industry associations, voluntary consumer organisations, and national law universities for a focused dialogue on eliminating deceptive online practices.Highlighting recent developments, Joshi noted a significant surge in consumer complaints related to dark patterns on the National Consumer Helpline (NCH).“Companies must not wait for the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) to intervene. They should proactively recognise and remove these deceptive practices before notices are issued. This is not just regulatory compliance — it’s about building trust with your consumers,” he stated.He further noted that the creative ideas and technological solutions generated through ‘Dark Patterns Buster Hackathon 2023’ played a pivotal role in empowering the Department, in collaboration with IIT BHU, to develop three powerful consumer protection tools — the Jagriti App, Jago Grahak Jago App, and the Jagriti Dashboard.”These tools are a testament to our resolve in combating deceptive design practices that mislead consumers online,” the minister said.–IANSsps/uk

Seoul, July 20 (IANS) National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac has reportedly departed for the United States on Sunday, a ruling bloc official said, with less than two weeks left until the Aug. 1 negotiation deadline for tariff talks with the Donald Trump administration.The reported visit comes just 11 days after Wi visited the U.S. from July 6-9 to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, raising views his latest trip is aimed at engaging with high-level counterparts to accelerate tariff negotiations.While the presidential office declined to confirm whether Wi has left for Washington, a ruling party bloc official confirmed the top security adviser’s departure, reports Yonhap news agency.Following his trip earlier this month, Wi said South Korea has proposed a “package deal” encompassing economic and security considerations in bilateral tariff negotiations.To advance negotiations on these matters, Wi said he also proposed that President Lee Jae Myung hold a summit with Trump in the near future, adding Secretary Rubio expressed his support.Wi’s visit, meanwhile, comes as Seoul’s newly appointed finance and foreign ministers are expected to visit the U.S. soon to discuss pending issues.Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol is arranging plans to visit Washington next week, while Foreign Minister Cho Hyun is seeking a U.S. visit later this month.Earlier this month, Trump sent a letter to Lee that said his administration would start imposing 25 percent tariffs on all South Korean products imported on Aug. 1, which effectively extended the initial tariff deadline and allowed more time for negotiations.Wi Sung-lac said recently that South Korea has proposed a “package deal” encompassing economic and security considerations in bilateral tariff negotiations, while also suggesting an early summit between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump.Speaking to reporters following a four-day visit to Washington, Wi said he held “in-depth” discussions on trade negotiations and broader alliance issues in meetings with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other senior officials.—IANSna/

New Delhi, July 20 (IANS) The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is poised to launch a nationwide initiative to expedite the biometric update of Aadhaar cards for children through schools in the next two months. The initiative aims to cover over 7 crore children whose biometric details have not yet been updated.UIDAI CEO Bhuvnesh Kumar said the authority is currently testing the technology and expects it to be ready in the next 45–60 days. The project will be rolled out in a phased manner, beginning with schools and later extended to colleges for the second round of updates, which are required for children who attain the age of 15 years.According to UIDAI guidelines, biometric updates become mandatory once a child is 5 years old. Children under 5 years are issued Aadhaar without biometric data. Failing to complete the Mandatory Biometric Update (MBU) before age 7 could result in deactivation of the Aadhaar number. Updates between ages 5–7 are free of cost, but a fee of Rs 100 applies after age 7.“Aadhaar is crucial for delivering benefits under several government schemes. We want children to get all the benefits at the right time. Through schools, we are trying to reach as many children in a convenient manner,” Kumar said.Meanwhile, UIDAI has reiterated the importance of completing the Mandatory Biometric Update (MBU) for children who have attained the age of seven but have not yet updated their biometrics in Aadhaar. This is an existing requirement under Aadhaar, and parents or guardians can update the details of their child at any Aadhaar Seva Kendra or designated Aadhaar centre.UIDAI has started sending SMS messages to the mobile numbers registered in the Aadhaar of such children for completing the MBU exercise.A child’s Aadhaar Biometrics can be updated for free between ages 5 and 7. A child under the age of five enrols for Aadhaar by providing the photograph, name, date of birth, gender, address and documents of proof. However, the fingerprints and iris biometrics of a child are not captured for Aadhaar enrolment below the age of five because these are not mature at that age, according to an official statement.As per existing rules, therefore, fingerprints, iris and photo are mandatorily required to be updated in his/her Aadhaar when the child reaches the age of five years. This is called the first Mandatory Biometric Update (MBU), the statement explained.–IANSsps/na