Germany's BMW, India's Tata Tech to Jointly Develop Auto Software

A BMW iX xDrive40 is on display during the Munich Auto Show, IAA Mobility 2021, in Munich, Germany, September 7, 2021. REUTERS/Michaela Rehl
A BMW iX xDrive40 is on display during the Munich Auto Show, IAA Mobility 2021, in Munich, Germany, September 7, 2021. REUTERS/Michaela Rehl
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Germany's BMW, India's Tata Tech to Jointly Develop Auto Software

A BMW iX xDrive40 is on display during the Munich Auto Show, IAA Mobility 2021, in Munich, Germany, September 7, 2021. REUTERS/Michaela Rehl
A BMW iX xDrive40 is on display during the Munich Auto Show, IAA Mobility 2021, in Munich, Germany, September 7, 2021. REUTERS/Michaela Rehl

BMW Group and Tata Technologies will form a joint venture to develop automotive software for the German luxury carmaker, the Indian engineering services company said on Tuesday.
India is a software development hub for global automakers and auto parts makers including Volvo and Magna International, while also witnessing rising investments from companies including Toyota Motor and Mercedes Benz to boost production, Reuters reported.
The BMW-Tata Technologies venture, the first partnership between the two, will develop automotive software for automated driving and the dashboard system among other features, the Tata company said but didn't disclose any financial details of the agreement.
The BMW Group and Tata Technologies will each hold a 50% stake in the newly-formed company, it added.
BMW has a manufacturing plant in the southern Indian city Chennai, and gets its engines in the country from Force Motors , while TVS Motor helps make the German company's motorcycles.
The joint venture will operate in Chennai, Bengaluru, and Pune and will commence operations with 100 employees, Tata Technologies said.
Tata Technologies, a unit of India's top carmaker by revenue Tata Motors, provides engineering and technology services to auto, aero and heavy machinery firms including Honda , Ford and Airbus.
Its shares were up more than 7% after the announcement, before trimming some gains.
The company went public in November last year to become the first Tata Group company to launch an initial public offering in nearly two decades. Its shares have more-than-doubled from its listing price.



Albania Bans TikTok for a Year after Killing of Teenager

A view of the TikTok app logo, in Tokyo, Japan, Sept. 28, 2020. (AP)
A view of the TikTok app logo, in Tokyo, Japan, Sept. 28, 2020. (AP)
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Albania Bans TikTok for a Year after Killing of Teenager

A view of the TikTok app logo, in Tokyo, Japan, Sept. 28, 2020. (AP)
A view of the TikTok app logo, in Tokyo, Japan, Sept. 28, 2020. (AP)

Albania on Saturday announced a one-year ban on TikTok, the popular short video app, following the killing of a teenager last month that raised fears over the influence of social media on children.

The ban, part of a broader plan to make schools safer, will come into effect early next year, Prime Minister Edi Rama said after meeting with parents' groups and teachers from across the country.

"For one year, we'll be completely shutting it down for everyone. There will be no TikTok in Albania," Rama said.

TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside normal business hours.

Several European countries including France, Germany and Belgium have enforced restrictions on social media use for children. In one of the world's toughest regulations targeting Big Tech, Australia approved in November a complete social media ban for children under 16.

Rama has blamed social media, and TikTok in particular, for fueling violence among youth in and outside school.

His government's decision comes after a 14-year-old schoolboy was stabbed to death in November by a fellow pupil. Local media had reported that the incident followed arguments between the two boys on social media. Videos had also emerged on TikTok of minors supporting the killing.

"The problem today is not our children, the problem today is us, the problem today is our society, the problem today is TikTok and all the others that are taking our children hostage," Rama said.