Browsing author

FutureTech

New IRS child tax credit portal is now open: Learn what it does

New IRS child tax credit portal is now open: Learn what it does

The latest tools from the IRS will help families find out if they’re eligible for the child tax credit payments and opt out if they’d like. We’ll tell you how to use them. Both IRS child tax credit portals are officially available for use, the agency said Tuesday, as well as a new eligibility tool. One portal — called the Child Tax Credit Update Portal — will let you verify if your family qualifies for the tax credit and unenroll from getting monthly payments this year. A Spanish version will be available soon, the…

The Last Supermoon of 2021:  How to see the super strawberry moon

The Last Supermoon of 2021: How to see the super strawberry moon

A super strawberry moon will grace the sky on Thursday, June 24. What a year it’s been for moon viewing. After May’s “super flower blood moon” eclipse, we’re returning to a straight-up full moon on Thursday. It will be the last supermoon of 2021. The June full moon is sometimes called the “strawberry moon,” according to the Farmer’s Almanac, which says the nickname is connected to strawberries ripening in certain parts of North America. It’s not a reference to the color of the moon. “Supermoon” is a loose term. It’s used…

Huawei operating system coming to smartphones in Asia

An update of HarmonyOS, the operating system developed by Huawei, means it will now be installed in a wider range of products, including its smartphones. It is due to roll out across Asia following a launch event on 2 June. There is no date for a global launch yet. A trade ban imposed by the US last year effectively prevented Huawei devices from working fully with Google’s Android platform because it blocked access to essential apps like Gmail. However, Huawei said it did not consider Harmony to be a replacement…

JBS: World’s largest meat supplier hit by cyber-attack

The world’s largest meat processing company has been targeted by a sophisticated cyber-attack. Computer networks at JBS were hacked, causing some operations in Australia, Canada and the US to temporarily shut down, affecting thousands of workers. The company believes the ransomware attack originated from a criminal group likely based in Russia, the White House said. The attack could lead to shortages of meat or raise prices for consumers. In a ransomware attack, hackers get into a computer network and threaten to cause disruption or delete files unless a ransom is…

India May Set up New Panel to Study Crypto Regulations

The central government may form a fresh panel of experts to study the possibility of regulating cryptocurrency in India, three sources privy of the discussions told FT. This comes amid the prevailing view that the recommendations by a committee headed by former finance secretary Subhash Garg in 2019 for a blanket ban on these assets had become outdated. The new committee’s ambit could be to explore the use of blockchain for technological enhancement and suggest ways to regulate cryptos as digital assets instead of a currency. The committee may also…

PhonePe to Acquire Content Discovery Platform Indus OS for $60 million

Digital payments major PhonePe is in talks to acquire homegrown content and app discovery platform Indus OS in a deal valued around $60 million, sources aware of the matter said. Bengaluru-based PhonePe’s rationale for acquiring Indus OS is to boost its ‘super app’ Switch, where it hosts apps across categories such as food, travel, shopping and lifestyle. A super app is simply a platform that offers a wide range of services under one umbrella. Local developers use Indus OS to reach non-English speakers beyond India’s tier 1 cities and allow…

India Gives WhatsApp 7 Days to Roll Back New Privacy Policy

India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) on Wednesday has directed Facebook-owned messaging platform WhatsApp to take back its contentious new privacy policy, according to government sources quoted by ANI. According to MeitY, deferral of the privacy policy beyond May 15, 2021, does not absolve WhatsApp from respecting the values of informational privacy, data security and user choice for Indian users, sources told ANI. MeitY has reportedly given WhatsApp seven days to reply to its notice. If WhatsApp’s response isn’t deemed satisfactory, the Indian government may take legal action…

Facebook Rolls-Out Covid Announcement Tool to Help Health Depts in India

Social media giant Facebook on Wednesday said it is expanding its ‘COVID-19 Announcement’ in India that will help health departments of states and union territories share essential COVID-19 related updates with their communities. India is the second country after the US to launch this feature. Facebook said it has partnered with 33 states and union territories to roll out this tool in their respective jurisdictions. “The COVID-19 Announcement feature will give health departments the ability to push out timely, credible COVID-19 and vaccine information to people in their local communities/ state jurisdictions. States…

Google Leads US Business Push to Preserve Work Permits for H-1B Spouses

Alphabet Inc’s Google said on Friday it was leading about 30 companies and trade groups in opposing a lawsuit that seeks to stop over 90,000 spouses of highly skilled U.S. visa workers from having jobs in the country. The organizations contend undoing employment authorization for spouses would cause financial havoc for families, because most made life choices such as having children or buying homes based on the expectation of two incomes. A federal judge in Washington is expected to decide in the coming months on the lawsuit challenging the work permits tied…