Latest news with #Lite
Daily Record
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Record
Lifeline Scots multibank needs volunteers to join fight against poverty as it moves into bigger base to cope with demand
Loaves and Fishes have moved to a bigger premises at Greenhills Community Hall and Library to cater to increasing demand, deliver a wider range of services and to move into the area of most need in East Kilbride. Loaves and Fishes are looking for volunteers to join their fight against poverty as they unlock a new chapter in the heart of East Kilbride's most deprived area. After their much-anticipated move was delayed when Storm Eowyn blew the roof off Greenhills Community Centre, the lifeline multibank finally has the keys to their new base. Loaves and Fishes were successful in rescuing the under-threat venue through South Lanarkshire Council's Community Asset Transfer (CAT) Lite process. Greenhills Hall sits in the heart of the most deprived area of the town and the charity's aim is to better serve those in need who struggle to access food and essential goods at its former premises at Singer Road in the Kelvin Industrial Estate. The multibank will close for one week while the new base is set up and will reopen at Greenhills Community Centre on Tuesday, June 10. Chairperson Lesley Davidson said: 'After what seems like forever we have finally moved! We closed our old premises at Singer Road today (Thursday, May 29). 'It was a strange feeling, we were excited and of course feeling a little overwhelmed. We look forward to welcoming all of our customers, donators and supporters to Greenhills. 'We might deliver the service but it's not us who feed and look after people, it's the community in East Kilbride and it's a good place for that. We hope that this will be an easier location to access for people and are looking forward to being part of the community along with our partners at Waist Not Want Not. 'We can only offer a better service from here.' Loaves and Fishes have moved into Greenhills Hall and Library to cater to increasing demand, deliver a wider range of services and to move into the area of most need in East Kilbride, allowing easier access for the local and wider community. They are currrently dishing out more than 200 food parcels a week to those living on the breadline. Operating since 1992, the anti-poverty charity has a strong committee and volunteer base and the organisation has linked up with local charity Waist Not Want Not to help those most in need, through a sub-lease of the library premises. And the charity will be hosting a 'revolutionary' new community-led support initiative which will offer weekly advice from health, housing, social work and financial agencies. Lesley added: 'This new partnership is such a fabulous opportunity to work with our friends at Waist Not Want Not and we could not be more excited about what the future will hold for us with Jan, Ann, Karen and the team. 'We were also invited to host this new multi-agency coordinated delivery which is pretty revolutionary as people can drop-in and get direct access to services that are needed the most. 'Given that food banks were never still meant to be in existence in 2025, for food banks to be sustainable in the long term you have to look at what else you can deliver which is why we're looking at this community-hub concept where people can stay for a cuppa and they can get advice. 'We're still a food bank and free non-food service, but we're now looking at the bigger picture of Loaves and Fishes community hub.' The charity is now searching for a band of volunteers to join their dedicated team in their food warehouse and cafe and are also on the hunt for drivers and maintenance support with various other roles on offer. Lesley went on: 'We are going to be much busier. We will manage it the way we always do but we are all going to have to work a bit harder. 'Despite having an excellent team of passionate volunteers, we desperately need more. For us to deliver our service to the standard we would like, we really need volunteers in our food warehouse, drivers, cafe, maintenance and a variety of other roles. 'Loaves and Fishes provides vital care and support across East Kilbride and far beyond. We would love you to join us. If you are keen to join our fight against poverty, isolation and genuinely improving people's lives we have a role for you.' An official open day at the new premises will be held on Saturday, July 26, with a ribbon cutting ceremony and special guests. Lesley is hoping to unveil a special plaque to pay a lasting tribute to the people who began Loaves and Fishes. Locals are encouraged to go along to meet the team and tour the new premises with afternoon tea, stalls, a bouncy castle and more entertainment. Visitors will also be welcomed by a striking new mural painted free-hand by talented Strathaven jeweller and Loaves and Fishes volunteer Iona Lundie. Lesley continued: 'The move felt like a good time to reflect on our history and the charity's beginnings. Our talented resident artist Iona Lundie has already created a welcome mural in our hallway, however she is working on a very special piece to really show the history and growth of the charity. 'This has led me to have some amazing conversations with those involved at the very beginning of Loaves and Fishes - Denis Curran of course, the family of Geordie Aitken, Rev David Currie and many more. 'It's been an absolute honour to learn so much about our roots and see the huge changes, while also learning that actually our mission remains the same as it did in the very beginning - giving our people 'Full Tummies Warm Hearts Clear Heads'. 'We just need the support to continue to do this. We are so grateful to our town, its businesses, churches, youth groups and all who support our work. Heres to the next chapter!' Loaves and Fishes would like to thank all their supporters for their help with the big move, including Sandy at ISS Hairmyres, EK Rugby Club, South Lanarkshire College painting students, Bo Concept, Glencairn Crystal and Paul from Gallagher Carpets & Flooring. And a special thanks to Gebbie & Wilson Strathaven's Solicitors & Estate Agents who covered all their legal fees free of charge. To enquire about volunteering contact Lesleyloavesandfishesek@ or send a direct message to Loaves and Fishes on Facebook or alternatively call 01355 223657. *Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here. And did you know Lanarkshire Live is on Facebook? Head on over and give us a like and share!
Mint
7 days ago
- Business
- Mint
Starlink gears up for India entry, unlimited data plans could start at ₹850: Report
Elon Musk's satellite internet initiative, Starlink, is reportedly close to commencing operations in India, having cleared the majority of regulatory requirements. Media reports indicate that the company could introduce plans starting as low as $10, or approximately ₹ 850 per month, potentially making it one of the most affordable satellite broadband offerings globally. According to a report by The Economic Times, Starlink recently secured a Letter of Intent (LoI) from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), granting it the preliminary go-ahead to begin operations in the country. This move marks a significant step forward for the SpaceX-owned firm, which had earlier faced delays due to regulatory and licensing challenges. The low-cost plans, expected to include unlimited data as part of introductory offers, aim to help Starlink quickly build a substantial user base in India—reportedly targeting 10 million subscribers. Reportedly, the aggressive pricing strategy is seen as a way to recover the high upfront investment and spectrum-related costs through scale. However, India's telecom regulator, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), is believed to have recommended additional levies for urban users. A monthly surcharge of ₹ 500 per urban customer has reportedly been proposed, which could potentially raise the overall cost of satellite broadband compared to traditional wired and wireless internet services. In addition to this proposed urban fee, Starlink and other satellite communication providers may be subject to a four per cent payment of their adjusted gross revenue (AGR), a minimum annual spectrum charge of ₹ 3,500 per block, and an eight per cent licence fee to offer commercial services. These recommendations, however, are still awaiting final approval from the relevant authorities. Despite the potentially high operating costs, Starlink is reportedly determined to keep initial consumer pricing low. The aim is to capitalise on India's vast market potential, especially in rural and underserved areas, where access to reliable internet remains a challenge. Globally, Starlink's services are significantly more expensive. In the United States, the Residential Lite plan costs around $80 ( ₹ 6,800) per month and includes unlimited, albeit deprioritised, data. Customers are also required to purchase a Starlink standard kit for a one-time fee of $349 ( ₹ 29,700). The company also offers Roam plans for users who travel frequently, starting at $50 ( ₹ 4,200) for 50GB of data, with an additional $299 ( ₹ 25,400) charge for the Starlink Mini Kit.
Kuwait Times
17-05-2025
- Business
- Kuwait Times
EU accuses TikTok of violating digital rules over adverts
TOULOUSE: This image shows a screen displaying the Tiktok social media platform's logo and the European flag. The EU accused TikTok on May 15, 2025, of breaking digital rules after concluding that the Chinese-owned social media platform is not transparent enough about advertisements. – AFP BRUSSELS: The EU accused TikTok on Thursday of breaking digital rules after concluding that the Chinese-owned social media platform was not transparent enough about advertisements. The European Commission "found that TikTok does not provide the necessary information about the content of the advertisements, the users targeted by the ads, and who paid for the advertisements", it said in a statement. It is the first time Brussels has formally accused TikTok of breaching the Digital Services Act (DSA), the EU's landmark online content law. "In our preliminary view, TikTok is not complying with the DSA in key areas of its advertisement repository, preventing the full inspection of the risks brought about by its advertising and targeting systems," the EU's digital chief, Henna Virkkunen, said. TikTok said it was reviewing the commission's findings and remained "committed" to complying with the DSA. "We disagree with some of the commission's interpretations and note that guidance is being delivered via preliminary findings rather than clear, public guidelines," a TikTok spokesperson said. Under the DSA, the world's largest digital companies must establish an advertisement library that shows information about the adverts that run on their platforms. The EU hopes that any ads library is then easily accessible to researchers and civil society to detect scam adverts and hybrid threat campaigns. TikTok trends The DSA, which entered into effect last year, is part of the European Union's powerful armoury to rein in big tech, and gives the EU the power to hit companies with fines as high as six percent of their global annual revenues. TikTok is still under investigation in the same probe launched in February 2024 amid fears it may not be doing enough to address negative impacts on young people. A key worry is the so-called "rabbit hole" effect - which occurs when users are fed related content based on an algorithm, in some cases leading to more dangerous content. The EU launched investigations last year into claims TikTok was used by Russia to sway the result of Romania's presidential election, and over its Lite spinoff app. The company backed down and permanently removed a feature in the Lite app in France and Spain in August after regulators warned it could be very addictive. EU states including Belgium and France also recently raised concerns with the EU over the "SkinnyTok" trend promoting extreme thinness on TikTok. TikTok has said it does not allow the display or promotion of dangerous behaviors related to eating habits and weight loss. The DSA has more stringent rules for the biggest platforms, and demands tech giants do more to counter the spread of illegal and harmful content as well as disinformation. The EU last year accused X, owned by US tech billionaire Elon Musk, of breaching the DSA over its blue checkmarks for certified accounts. And as part of a wide-ranging probe, the EU is looking into the spread of illegal content and the effectiveness of the platform's efforts to combat disinformation. - AFP
Iraqi News
16-05-2025
- Business
- Iraqi News
EU accuses TikTok of violating digital rules over ads
Brussels – The EU accused TikTok on Thursday of breaking digital rules after concluding that the Chinese-owned social media platform is not transparent enough about advertisements. The European Commission 'found that TikTok does not provide the necessary information about the content of the advertisements, the users targeted by the ads, and who paid for the advertisements', it said in a statement. It is the first time Brussels has formally accused TikTok with breaching the Digital Services Act (DSA), the EU's landmark online content law. 'In our preliminary view, TikTok is not complying with the DSA in key areas of its advertisement repository, preventing the full inspection of the risks brought about by its advertising and targeting systems,' the EU's digital chief, Henna Virkkunen, said. Under the DSA, the world's largest digital companies must establish an advertisement library that shows information about the adverts that run on their platforms. The EU hopes that any ads library is then easily accessible to researchers and civil society to detect scam adverts and hybrid threat campaigns. The DSA, which entered into effect last year, is part of the European Union's powerful armoury to rein in big tech, and gives the EU the power to hit companies with fines as high as six percent of their global annual revenues. TikTok is still under investigation in the same probe launched in February 2024 amid fears it may not be doing enough to address negative impacts on young people. A key worry is the so-called 'rabbit hole' effect — which occurs when users are fed related content based on an algorithm, in some cases leading to more dangerous content. TikTok now has the right to examine the commission's documents and reply in writing. – TikTok trends – The EU launched investigations last year into claims it was used by Russia to sway the result of Romania's presidential election and over its Lite spinoff app. The company backed down and permanently removed a feature in the Lite app in France and Spain in August after regulators warned it could be very addictive. EU states including Belgium and France also recently raised concerns with the EU over the 'SkinnyTok' trend promoting extreme thinness on TikTok. TikTok has said it does not allow the display or promotion of dangerous behaviours related to eating habits and weight loss. The DSA has more stringent rules for the biggest platforms, and demands tech giants do more to counter the spread of illegal and harmful content as well as disinformation. The EU last year accused X, owned by US tech billionaire Elon Musk, of breaching the DSA over its blue checkmarks for certified accounts. And as part of a wide-ranging probe, the EU is looking into the spread of illegal content and the effectiveness of the platform's efforts to combat disinformation.
Time of India
16-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
UPI Lite and wallet-based pay off to a slow start on zero-MDR bottleneck
New payment features like UPI Lite, UPI Circle, and wallet-based UPI payments are yet to gain traction as zero-MDR policy hampers fintech investments. In April, around 120 million UPI transactions were made through mobile wallets or prepaid payment instruments (PPIs) to settle transactions worth around Rs 4,000 crore, shows data sourced by ET. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Over the past few years, the National Payments Corporation of India ( NPCI ) has introduced multiple features—UPI Lite, wallet-based payments, recurring payments via UPI , UPI through RuPay credit cards and UPI Circle . These features are aimed at reducing banking system load for small transactions and enhancing network only recurring payments and credit cards on UPI have shown notable growth. The rest struggle to gain traction due to limited adoption.'Across both wallet-based UPI payments and UPI Lite , around 100 million transactions occur monthly. The growth is slow compared to the main UPI platform,' said a senior banker from a private sector sourced by ET shows that in April, around 120 million UPI transactions were made through mobile wallets or prepaid payment instruments (PPIs) to settle transactions worth around Rs 4,000 crore. Wallet-based UPI payments allow consumers to pay via mobile wallets to reduce bank statement clutter.'These are early days. Once merchant payments and credit features are integrated, transaction numbers will rise significantly,' said another Lite, which eliminates the need for a second authentication factor for small payments, saw 80-90 million transactions per month, or just 0.5-0.6% of overall UPI volume. In April alone, UPI reported 17 billion transactions worth Rs 23.9 lakh crore. Launched in September 2022, UPI Lite aimed to simplify small payments, but limited awareness has hindered its also launched UPI Lite X for offline UPI Circle, launched at the Global Fintech Fest last year , lets secondary users—like children or domestic help—make payments from a primary user's account while protecting against fraud. However, it currently records only a few hundred thousand transactions per of these features were designed to reduce banking system load or expand UPI's user base. However, changing consumer behaviour has proven successful feature is UPI Autopay , used for recurring payments like OTT subscriptions and financial transactions. 'Around 40 million new mandates are registered on UPI every month, mainly for OTT platforms and financial services,' said a third banker. Autopay has grown as it eliminates OTP requirements for transactions up to Rs 1 lakh, and up to Rs 15,000 for merchant credit cards on UPI have also seen traction after central bank allowed the move only for RuPay cards. Industry estimates suggest around 150-160 million RuPay credit card transactions occur via UPI. SBI Card reported a fourfold increase in UPI-based card spends last year, with 75% of active RuPay cards on UPI coming from tier-two cities and zero merchant charge, or merchant discount rate (MDR), mandate continues to discourage fintechs from heavily investing in promoting UPI features. 'Most large fintechs are avoiding major promotions or cashback initiatives due to zero MDR. As a result, these new features remain underutilised,' said a the largest UPI app, spent Rs 15 crore on incentives for payments in FY2024, while Paytm 's marketing spend dropped from Rs 300 crore in FY2024 to Rs 151 crore in bottleneck is the unresolved issue of merchant payment interchange for wallet-based UPI. Despite discussions, stakeholders have not agreed on a revenue-sharing model, with banks, fintechs, and NPCI struggling to find a middle ground.'There has been no decision on the interchange rate for five months,' said the third are increasingly wary of the costs associated with NPCI's frequent product launches. 'Every year, NPCI introduces new features that we are expected to implement. However, maintaining these platforms is costly, and without significant uptake, there is no return on investment,' said the first features like wallet payments on UPI are stuck at the level of banks not being able to zero in on the final interchange on merchant payments. ET had reported in January that industry stakeholders were pushing an interchange of 0.6-0.7% on each of these transactions. Interchange would mean there is a revenue sharing between the stakeholders.
