Snapdeal drums up custom in Slumdog’s Dharavi

By Nivedita Bhattacharjee MUMBAI (Reuters) – For viewers of Oscar-winning film “Slumdog Millionaire”, Mumbai's vast Dharavi slum is a byword for poverty, but to online retailer Snapdeal.com it is a battleground for new customers and, it hopes, a source of better margins. The three are already fighting over India's 300 million-strong urban middle class, who have come to expect price wars and great deals on everything from mattresses to motors, but as competition intensifies, Snapdeal has begun chasing a different demographic. It tied up with remittance provider FINO PayTech in November to set up online shopping services in semi-urban, rural and low-income residential areas across India.

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Indian firms could get boost from Google, Alibaba

Two Indian firms could get a boost from tech majors in what might turn out to be the first direct investment in the country by Google Inc and Alibaba. Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba is in talks with Indian online marketplace Snapdeal over a potential cash investment, a person familiar with the negotiations said

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Canadian PM’s comments on Muslim veil set off Twitter flurry

By Julie Gordon VANCOUVER (Reuters) – Twitter users turned to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper for tongue-in-cheek fashion advice on Wednesday, the day after he said the niqab, a face covering veil worn by some Muslims, was rooted in an “anti-women” culture. Using the hashtag #dresscodePM, users of the social media service criticized Harper, who made the comment as part of an ongoing push by the ruling Conservatives to ban face coverings in Canadian citizenship ceremonies

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