WORLD

A coalition of consumers on Friday filed a police case against Google`s top executives, including CEO Sundar Pichai, for the tech giant`s in-app billing system that forces domestic app developers to pay hefty commissions.

According to The Korea Times, Citizens United for Consumer Sovereignty (CUCS) has filed a complaint against Pichai, Google Korea CEO Nancy Mable Walker and Google Asia-Pacific President Scott Beaumont at Gangnam Police Station in Seoul for allegedly violating the country`s Telecommunications Business Act.

"The enforcement of Google`s in-app payment policy has raised costs, burdening consumers and damaging creators," a representative from the consumer group was quoted as saying.

In the first official Indian visit to Kabul since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, a team led by a senior official from the Ministry of External Affairs met Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Mottaqi on Thursday.

J P Singh, Joint Secretary in charge of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran (PAI) in the MEA, led the Indian team. In the past, he has met Taliban officials in Doha, Qatar.

India closed its mission in Kabul soon after the Taliban entered the city last August.

The Iron Dome system used by Israel came into prominence during their conflict with the Hamas militant group where the system was extremely useful in stopping missiles from damaging parts of the country. However, the interceptor missiles that is used by the Iron Dome system costs around millions of dollars as it includes tracking and successfully understanding the path of the attacking missiles. However, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has said that the new laser-based air defense system that the country has developed will cost just $2 for every interception it completes. The Iron Beam System will use lasers to disable the threats and can be a gamechanger in warfare.

“This is a game-changer, not just because we are striking at the enemy military, but also because we are bankrupting it,” he said during a visit to the system’s state-owned manufacturer, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. He also added that the systems can be in use by the year 2023.

The ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis has exposed India’s overwhelming dependence on imported weaponry, especially from Russia, and come as a rude shock for India’s military and strategic planners who are grappling with issues such as how the war could affect the country’s military’s readiness, alternatives for sourcing military hardware and speeding up the indigenisation drive to become self-reliant, officials tracking the conflict said on the condition of anonymity.

Each of the three services – the Indian Air Force, navy and army – operate a wide range of Russian-origin weapons and platforms.  (Reuters)

“Supply chain hurdles have been an eye-opener. The longer the war lasts, the more pronounced will be its effects. We are not pressing the panic button, but it is critical to keep your eye on the ball,” said one of the officials cited above.

Amid intense speculations about Russian President Vladimir Putin's health, a Russian intelligence officer has now claimed that the former is fast losing his eyesight and has only three years to live.

According to the Independent, an FSB (Russian Federal Security Service) officer has claimed that Putin is suffering from a "rapidly progressing cancer". He also said that the 69-year-old Russian leader is suffering from headaches and his eyesight is fast deteriorating.

However, Russia`s Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov has rubbished such reports that President Vladimir Putin has fallen ill. Unconfirmed reports persist that Putin, who is turning 70 this year, suffers from deteriorating health issues and may have been diagnosed with cancer and Parkinson`s.