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WhatsApp updates terms as moves to monetize app

Facebook aims to monetise WhatsApp by allowing businesses to contact their clients via the platform, even sell them products directly using the service as they already do in India.”Privacy policy and terms updates are common in the industry and we’re providing users with ample notice to review the changes, which go into effect on February 8th,” a Facebook spokesperson said.
Federal and state regulators in US have accused Facebook of using its acquisitions of WhatsApp and Instagram to squelch competition and filed antitrust lawsuits last month that aim to force the company to divest them.

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European hunt for assets for Chinese assets in insurance, healthcare and automobile sector

“These are the major growth areas with massive amounts of investments. EU companies are pretty keen to get a piece of the action,” said Alan Wang, Partner at law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer.
“The EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) will certainly facilitate the FDI, including M&A, by EU investors into China,” said Cherrie Shi, a senior counsel at law firm FenXun Partners, Baker McKenzie’s Joint Operation partner.
Total M&A value of EU companies into China amounted to $71 billion for the past three decades, much lower than the $117 billion recorded over the same period from American companies, data from Refinitiv showed.

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Blast at Chinese recycler shows battery supply-chain risks

The explosion is likely to renew scrutiny of safety risks in battery use and recycling, a still developing industry in which metals are recovered for reuse from spent packs. Lithium-ion batteries — used in toothbrushes to electric cars and as energy storage for utilities — are a key tool in curbing global emissions, but have occasionally caused fires that are difficult to douse.

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EU may ask too high a price for financial services trade, BoE warns

Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey said on Wednesday.European daily share trading worth 6 billion euros ($7.36 billion) left the City of London for the continent this week in the first tangible sign of Brexit’s impact on Britain’s 130 billion-pound ($176 billion) finance industry.

The EU has asked Britain about its intentions to diverge from the bloc’s rules, which could make it harder for Brussels to grant equivalence-based direct access for the City of London.

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India to continue export of medicines, including vaccines: PM Modi

India is the world’s biggest vaccine maker. Its pharmaceutical industry has been freeing up capacity and pushing ahead with investments to help support a global vaccination campaign.

Health secretary Rajesh Bhushan earlier this month said there was no ban on vaccine exports, following media reports that the government had imposed restrictions to ensure domestic vaccine requirements were met first.

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India to start COVID-19 vaccination drive from January 16, 3 cr healthcare, frontline workers to get shots first

After healthcare and frontline workers, the vaccines will be given to “those above 50 years of age and the under-50 population groups with co-morbidities, numbering around 2.7 million,” the statement said.
India’s drug regulator has approved two coronavirus vaccines for emergency use, Covishield, developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University and Covaxin by local company Bharat Biotech and a state-run institute.

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Notional income for homemakers in claims case signals their value, rules SC

In far reaching ramifications, especially in award of compensation to road accident victims involving homemakers, the top court said that fixing of notional income for them is a recognition of the multitude of women who are engaged in this activity, whether by choice or as a result of social/cultural norms.
Deciding an appeal filed by two surviving daughters and a parent of the deceased couple which met with an accident here, the bench modified the Delhi High Court order and enhanced the compensation of Rs 22 lakh to the claimants by Rs 11.20 lakh, to a total of Rs 33.20 lakh.

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