Microsoft blames Delta Air Lines for post-IT outage recovery
Microsoft joined the fray to defend itself and criticise Delta after the airline company blamed both it and cybersecurity company CrowdStrike for the IT outage that caused it to cancel thousands of flights. Delta passengers were left struggling for days even after the IT outage was resolved, and CEO Ed Bastian raised the possibility of taking legal action against CrowdStrike to make up for the losses his company suffered.
However, Microsoft claimed that Delta did not accept offers of help from its professionals during the outage and accused Bastian of ignoring an emailed offer of assistance from Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella himself. Microsoft, like CrowdStrike, also pointed out that other airline companies were able to return to normal far sooner than Delta, raising further questions about its IT infrastructure that the U.S. government is already scrutinising.
UK government criticises Elon Musk over X posts
X owner Elon Musk was called out by UK government officials after he posted on X about the ongoing civil unrest in the country, and touted the possibility of “civil war.” Justice Minister Heidi Alexander criticised Musk’s comments and urged significant platform users to behave responsibly. Musk also claimed that Muslim people were treated partially by the UK justice system. He was responding to the riots that took place after three girls were killed by a man with a knife who broke into their dance class in northwest England in late July.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the ensuing violence as “far-right thuggery.” Musk frequently responds to sensitive news events and comments under posts by world leaders on X. The billionaire was accused of fuelling Islamophobic rhetoric, and broadcasting it to his more than 180 million followers.
UPI companies eyeing India’s e-rupee
Google Pay, Amazon Pay, and PhonePe are some of the digital transaction partners looking to join the RBI’s digital rupee pilot project. The e-rupee is an Indian central bank digital currency (CBDC), and these payment providers want to allow their users to transact in e-rupee via the Unified Payments Interface (UPI). The e-rupee, available entirely in the electronic form, is like a banknote issued by the RBI; it is legal tender and can be used to make transactions, but only online.
While digital or virtual currencies such as Bitcoin and Ether often rise or crash unexpectedly, CBDCs are controlled by a country’s central bank and have the same value as their fiat counterparts. They are meant to be used and spent, as opposed to serving as an investment vehicle.
