india

PayPal's recent service suspension in India, which involves local bank transfers and personal payments to and from the country, was the result of India's revised licensing rules, the company said Tuesday.

In a blog post, Anuj Nayar, director of global communications at PayPal, explained that the incident in India was a response to inquiries that local regulators posed, specifically, on whether personal payments constitute "remittances" into India.

According to Nayar, who also posted a comment on ZDNet Asia's report on the issue, personal payments to and from India will be suspended for at least a … Read more

PayPal, the online payment processor, has put some of its services in India on hold temporarily and is reversing funds requested through PayPal India, according to reports.

Anjul Nayar, a PayPal representative, said Saturday in a blog post that "personal payments to and from India and transfers to local banks in India have been suspended" as the company works with business partners and stakeholders "to address questions they have about the service".

Nayar wrote that customers can still make commercial payments to India, but merchants will not be able to "withdraw funds in rupees to … Read more

Birds do it. Bees do it. It's just that these days in India it may be a little harder to watch online images of human beings doing it.

Sex is often a slightly thorny subject (well, maybe except in France). However, varying attitudes around the world to varying sexual practices mean search engines must adjust their positions accordingly.

So it may sadden some to hear of a Guardian special investigation that appears to have unearthed evidence of Microsoft and Yahoo search engines complying with a new Indian law offering severe punishment for the display of "lascivious" content.… Read more

Two solar project developers this week raised funds to install commercial and utility scale projects from a somewhat unlikely source: venture capital firms.

On Friday, Tioga Energy said it has raised $20 million to build out its business of providing project financing for commercial and municipal solar installations, such as schools and businesses. Investors included solar wafer manufacturer MEMC and venture capital companies NGEN Partners, Nth Power, and Draper Fisher Jurvetson.

SunBorne Energy Holdings on Wednesday disclosed that it has secured $5.2 million in funding from venture-capital company General Catalyst. It plans to develop utility-scale solar projects in India, … Read more

A group of researchers from Stanford University have figured out a way to transform ordinary copy paper into storage units for electricity.

This week a group led by Yi Cui, professor of materials science and engineering at Stanford, demonstrated (see video) the use of an ink consisting of carbon nanotubes and silver nanowires. Once dipped in the ink and then baked, ordinary paper turns into a black paper that can act as a battery or supercapacitor. The paper retains its ability to hold a charge regardless of whether it's bent, crumpled, or rolled.

The ink looks identical to common … Read more

India has blocked service to all mobile phones without a valid identity code, as part of antiterrorist measures being implemented by the Indian government.

On Monday, any handset without a valid International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) code had its connection cut off, according to the Indian Cellular Association (ICA), which represents mobile operators in the country. The mobile industry is complying with a government directive that arose after discussions between Indian security agencies and the Indian Department of Telecommunications, the ICA added.

The IMEI, a 15-digit number printed inside a phone, can be used to identify a particular device on … Read more

Nanoparticles have ever-cooler applications. Here's another.

Researchers in India are developing a silver nanoparticle gel to treat burn wounds that could be more effective than conventional gels.

Burned skin is especially vulnerable to infection. Silver has been used as a purifying agent since ancient times, and burn creams have been around for some 30 years.

Silver sulfadiazine and silver nitrate gels are used in burn treatment as antimicrobial agents to accelerate healing, but some gels can cause skin discoloration and damage cells.

The researchers at the Agharkar Research Institute and Nano Cutting Edge Technology reported successful lab tests of … Read more

Monday, we told you about a breakthrough in robotics that allows killer machines to be powered by compressed air. Now we've got this amazing video of a motorcycle that uses the same power source. The so-called Air Bike was created by engineering students in India as a prototype for a solution to the country's prevalent smog problem.

Sure, it only goes 11 mph now, but as a proof-of-concept vehicle it's pretty cool. I could imagine a smaller vehicle (bike? moped?) with the same gear that could go much faster as a final product, if it gets that … Read more

Tata Motors has begun taking orders for its Nano minicar.

The Indian automaker on Thursday opened up its booking system for the high-profile Nano, which it has pitched as the "people's car"--a first automobile for families that, until now, have had to crowd onto a scooter. There are only approximately nine vehicles per 1,000 people in India, according to the Reuters news agency.

Bookings will close in just more than two weeks, on April 25. The company had made application forms for bookings available at the beginning of the month and said the response has … Read more