Uber in deal with Nasa

LISBON: Uber is taking part in a joint industry and government push with US National Aeronautical and Space Administration (Nasa) to develop software which the company aims to use to manage “flying taxi” routes that could work like ride-hailing services it has popularised on the ground.

Uber said on Wednesday it was the first formal services contract by Nasa covering low-altitude airspace rather than outer space. Nasa has used such contracts to develop rockets since the late 1950s.

Chief Product Officer Jeff Holden also said Uber would begin testing proposed four-passenger, 200-miles-per-hour (322-km-per-hour) flying taxi services across Los Angeles in 2020, its second planned test market after Dallas/Fort Worth.—Reuters

WeChat arrives in Paris department stores

PARIS: Chinese tourists visiting Paris are now able to pay for their purchases in two of the city’s famous department stores with their smartphones, thanks the adoption of the payment app of the popular Chinese social media network, WeChat.

The feature is integrated into Tencent-owned WeChat, which had more than 938 million active monthly users earlier this year, allowing payment via a linked bank card.

Published in Dawn, November 9th, 2017