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Here’s whats happening:
- Tesla issues major recall in China
- Frontier Airlines gets rid of its customer service line
- Russian President calls for blockchain-based global payment system
- Fenix Games closes $150 million funding round
- Proton Mail rolls out new set of features
Tesla Issues Major Recall in China 🇨🇳
Tesla Inc. is recalling more than 80,000 China-made and imported cars produced as early as 2013, according to a statement by China’s State Administration for Market Regulation.
Key Details:
- The recall includes 67,698 Model S and Model X cars imported to China between September 25, 2013, and November 21, 2020, for a software issue affecting the battery management system in the vehicles.
- The electric vehicle (EV) maker has also recalled 2,736 imported Model 3 cars manufactured between January and November 2019 and 10,127 China-made ones of the same model produced between October 14, 2019, and September 26, 2022, due to a potentially faulty seatbelt.
- The latest recall from Tesla comes at a time when it has already recalled more than 321,000 vehicles in the United States over a software issue.
What’s next?
Tesla will be rolling out an update on these affected cars free of cost. The update is targeted to resolve the software issue, and the company will also check the seatbelts on the affected cars.
Frontier Airlines Gets Rid of Its Customer Service Line 📵
Low-cost US carrier Frontier Airlines has scrapped its telephone customer service in a bid to cut costs.
Quick Takeaways:
- Customers having queries with the carrier can now only contact Frontier’s agents through the live chat on its website, via WhatsApp, or on social media.
- Frontier Airlines completed its transition to online, mobile, and text support, which helps it to provide customers with the information they need quickly and efficiently.
- Customers who will still call the customer service number will now get the message: “At Frontier, we offer the lowest fares in the industry by operating our airline as efficiently as possible. We want our customers to be able to operate efficiently as well, which is why we make it easy to find what you need at Flyfrontier.com or on our mobile app.”
The bigger picture:
Frontier says that its customers prefer communicating through digital methods and that a chatbot is available on its website to answer common questions.
Moreover, with this shift, Frontier aims to reduce labor costs and increase the number of customers it can help at once.
Vladimir Putin 🇷🇺 Calls For Blockchain-Based Global Payment System ⛓
Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested establishing an international payment system “independent from external interference.”
Here are the details:
- While speaking at the International AI Journey Conference in Moscow, Putin said the new system might be based on blockchain and cryptocurrency technologies.
- He said, “The technology of digital currencies and blockchains can be used to create a new system of international settlements that will be much more convenient, absolutely safe for its users, and most importantly, will not depend on banks or interference by third countries.”
- “I am confident that something like this will certainly be created and will develop because nobody likes the dictate of monopolists, which is harming all parties, including the monopolists themselves,” the Russian president added.
Why does this matter?
This step from Russia comes months after several sanctions were imposed on the Russian Federation over its invasion of Ukraine, limiting its access to global finances and markets.
Fenix Games Closes $150 Million Funding Round 💰
Fenix Games, a Web3 game developer, has raised $150 million in its latest funding round.
The Investors:
The funding round saw participation from Phoenix Group and Dubai-based venture capital firm Cypher Capital.
What will Fenix do with the funding?
Fenix Games will use the funds to acquire, invest, and publish blockchain games.
About Fenix Games:
Founded in 2022, Fenix Games is a Web 3.0 games publisher that aims to revolutionize the player’s relationship with games by inviting them in as stakeholders through the power of blockchain and decentralization.
The startup seeks to build a portfolio of projects across the spectrum of Web 2.0 to Web 2.5 to Web 3.0 by publishing, acquiring, and investing in a variety of gaming genres.
Proton Mail Rolls Out New Set of Features
Encrypted email service provider Proton Mail has introduced a suite of privacy-focused products.
The Swiss-based company is now offering an email categorization system that automatically groups inbound emails by type under separate tabs.
Other new features introduced by the company include email reminders, schedule send, content search, improved calendar services, and more.
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