IDFC First Bank is all set for launching a digital facility SafePay, that allows contactless debit card payments by simply waving a smartphone against a POS enabled terminal, Near Field Communication (NFC). SafePay embeds Near Field Communication (NFC) technology in the bank's IDFC First Mobile App that enables secure payments using a debit card. The bank has taken the initiative towards a social distancing way to pay and has completely moved away with the need to hand over the card to a merchant or even to carry it in the wallet. SafePay allows making the payment process not only touch-free but also making it simpler, faster and safer by a wave, pay and go option. It is the first such facility which is made available in an integrated mobile banking app and has been tested and certified successfully by Visa. T

Following the introduction of the new-gen Rolls-Royce Ghost, India also sees the launch of the carmaker's long-wheelbase (LWB) version, christened the Ghost Extended. Starting at 7.95 crore (ex-showroom, India) before additional extras, the Rolls-Royce Ghost Extended is Rs 1 crore costlier than the standard-wheelbase model. This Extended model follows with Rolls-Royce Clients possessing high demand from the new-gen, and also entrepreneurs preferring chauffeur-driven business models to suit weekends and even a dynamic self-driven saloon during weekends. 2021 will see the initial deliveries with its primary quarter. Rolls-Royce Ghost's infrastructure comprises aluminium space frame architecture, underpinning its flagship model Phantom, and the primary SUV, Cullinan. Size extensions of the Rolls-Royce are made possi

An Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) plant in Surat witnessed a huge fire breaking out this morning. Three blasts occurred together at two terminals at approximately 3 am. "A fire was observed in the Hazira Gas processing plant in the morning today. The fire has been brought under control. There is no casualty or injury to any person: Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC)," ANI tweeted. As such, there have been no reports of a fatality or sustained injury of any civilian in the area. Senior city official and Surat Collector and District Magistrate Dhaval Patel informed Reuters about the fire unleashed due to pipeline rupture along with the gas terminal. "The area was cordoned off, depressurized and cooled as a part of firefighting measures," Patel said, adding that additional plants in the vicini

Tata Projects, Larsen and Toubro, Afcons Infrastructure Limited and IRCON International Limited are among the seven infrastructure majors that are in the bidding race for constructing the Mumbai- Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor. The implementing agency of this project, the National High-Speed Rail Corporation Ltd. in a statement said that the technical bids for the design and the construction of the mainline stretch of 237 km length were opened on Wednesday. The agency also added that the tender covers about 47 per cent of the 508 km of the total alignment between Vapi and Vadodara in Gujarat including the four major stations Vapi, Billimora, Surat and Bharuch and has 24 river and 30 road crossings. The total alignment of 508.17 km long network will pass through the three districts (Mumbai, Thane, and Palgh

Saudi Arabia will reopen two Islam worship sites in October, following suspensions for seven months to contain COVID-19 infections. Now it aims at stabilising its hit economy. Mecca and Medina’s mosques were curtailed in March when these areas were found to spread the virus quickly in the Middle East and other parts of the world. Parts of its economy were also under lockdown but eased mostly in June. New regulations state local and foreign residents of Saudi Arabia being allowed to enter the Grand Mosque in Mecca and the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina for the year-round Umrah pilgrimage starting Oct. 4. Both mosques will at first be restricted to 30% capacity and later increased to 100% by November when permission is granted to outside pilgrims. A mobile app shall monitor site entrances. Face masks and social dis

On Wednesday, Tech Mahindra and Rakuten Mobile Inc have announced an agreement under which the former has been appointed the preferred partner for global go-to-market opportunities for the Rakuten Communications Platform (RCP). According to the agreement, Tech Mahindra has sold its stake in Delaware-based Altiostar Networks to Rakuten for $45 million. In 2018, Tech Mahindra had acquired a 17.5 per cent stake in the US-based telecom software development company Altiostar Networks for $15 million. Rakuten Mobile and Tech Mahindra aim to drive innovation by transforming network services and enhancing customer experience globally. Based on the agreement, as a preferred partner, Tech Mahindra will provide its leading technologies and software capabilities to support the development and deployment of mobile networks fo

On Friday, Toyota Kirloskar Motor India Ltd made the declaration of its latest launched Urban Cruiser, which starts at Rs 8.40 lakh up to Rs 11.30 lakh. The cruiser is its primarily launched compact sports utility vehicle. The latest offering will be up for competition with Kia's Sonet, Hyundai's Venue, Maruti Suzuki's Vitara Brezza and Mahindra and Mahindra's XUV 300. It has been observed since the previous decade that the domestic preference of urban customers has turned to the sport utility vehicle segment. Car-markers are nowadays targeting shares in this quickly growing demand. Mass market vehicle segments domestically will witness expansion in base value with companies such as Toyota making their latest entry into the segment, as well as the commonly known premium offerings such as Innova Crysta and Fortune

On Wednesday, it was declared by Bharti Airtel that in its strategy to increase scalability in cloud offerings, it has picked up a strategic stake in the Trivandrum based tech startup Waybeo. Among the startups to enter the fast-growing Airtel Startup Accelerator Program, Waybeo comes fifth in line. Its specialization is on deep AI-based analytics for cloud telephony. It is predicted for the Indian cloud services market to achieve US$7.1 billion in the year 2024, suggests IDC. In this prospect, cloud telephony has an increasing outlook in development with businesses taking processes to cloud-based platforms. Bharti Airtel discusses Waybeo's cutting-edge analytics tools in enterprising the cloud telephony segment. "Under the Airtel Startup Accelerator Program, Waybeo's solutions will get larger distribution