Music Messenger, co-founded by Israeli entrepreneur O.D. Kobo and launched seven months ago, said on Tuesday Abramovich had invested $15 million.
Other backers included Benny Andersson from pop band ABBA, artists David Guetta, Will.i.am and Avicci, and Gee Roberson, manager of Nicki Minaj, who is also an investor.
Music Messenger allows users to create multiple playlists and send music to each another's mobile phones for free. It is widely used as a promotional tool by the music industry as users get introduced to many songs.
The company has raised $35 million in total and is valued at more than $100 million, it said.
The app is attracting 1 million new users per month and is available in 10 different languages.
It plans to launch in China over the summer and is also focusing on Brazil, Russia and India.
© Thomson Reuters 2015
An adjournment motion involves an element of censure against the Government. However, it is up to the Speaker to decide on taking up the motion.
A strong plea was made Tuesday in the Lower House for ensuring net neutrality with demands that the recent consultation paper brought out by Trai should be scrapped and attempts by certain telecom and Internet service providers be scuttled.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour, M B Rajesh (CPI-M) had alleged that the consultation paper brought out by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India was "blatantly supporting" assault on net neutrality by telecom and Internet service providers.
Several opposition members wanted to have their say on the issue.
Speaker Sumitra Mahajan had said a notice should be given for a half-an-hour discussion and she would allow it.
A senior Railway Ministry official made the announcement on Tuesday, saying, "We are launching a mobile-based paperless unreserved ticketing application tomorrow."
The app, called UTS, is now available via the Google Play store. It has been developed by the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS). Having booked a ticket using the app, a commuter need not take a print-out of the same and can show its soft copy on the cellphone to the TTE.
Apart from being a green initiative, the paperless ticketing system is also aimed at saving time for passengers as it allows them to avoid lining up at the ticket window.
After downloading the UTS app, users will receive a registration ID number for thhe creation of an electronic wallet. Money for buying tickets will have to be loaded through the e-wallet mobile payment system either online or at a ticket counter at any station.
Passengers have the option of topping up the e-wallet at ticket counters or on the IRCTC website using a credit or debit card, the official said.
Besides booking tickets, one can even renew season tickets using the UTS app, which the official said will be a great help for commuters in the unreserved ticketing segment.
The app-based ticketing system was tried out in the Mumbai suburban sector on a pilot basis. An version of the app for BlackBerry devices will be made available later.
There are rising concerns over maintaining equal access to Internet amid some service providers entering into tie-ups for offering free access to certain mobile apps and websites.
Against this backdrop, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) member U C Nahta said in Kolkata that CCI is looking into whether entities are abusing their dominant position.
The regulator is trying to understand whether such practices are just sectoral or tariff issues or whether they violate competition norms.
It is looking into whether telecom operators and Internet service providers are indulging in unfair business ways by extending preferential treatment to select mobile applications and websites.
CCI, which keeps a tab on unfair business practices across sectors, orders a detailed probe into a matter only if there is prima-facie evidence of fair trade norms.
The principle of net neutrality implies equal treatment to be accorded to all Internet traffic, without discrimination or priority for any person, entity or company.
Recently, Bharti Airtel launched 'Airtel Zero' - an open marketing platform that allows customers to access a variety of mobile applications for free, with the data charges being paid by start-ups and large companies.
Over the past few months, operators like Reliance Communications and Uninor have tied up with players like Facebook, WhatsApp and Wikipedia to offer free usage to consumers.
Such moves are being seen as going against the Net Neutrality concept, which broadly refers to equal treatment for all Internet traffic. Giving priority to mobile applications or websites, based on payment is seen as discrimination.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has floated a consultation paper on the topic. In response to its paper, for which public comments have been sought till April 24, Trai has already been flooded with over 8 lakh petitions against any attempt to throttle the 'Net Neutrality' concept.
Recently, however, Trai Chairman Rahul Khullar said that "shrill voices" would not win the debate and the concept is not "practiced strictly" even in countries like the US and the UK.
The Frankfurt regional court last month set stiff fines for any violations of local transport laws by Uber in a case brought by German taxi operator group Taxi Deutschland.
Uber said in a statement on Tuesday that the ruling was now enforceable, calling it "a defeat for all those who want more choice for their personal mobility".
To comply, UberPOP, an online service that links private drivers with passengers via their mobile phones, will immediately switch to a per kilometre tariff of 35 cents in Frankfurt and Munich, a policy it had already adopted in Berlin, Duesseldorf and Hamburg.
It said that would make offering rides significantly less attractive for drivers, which would mean it would probably become much harder to book a ride in coming weeks.
Uber said it will continue to operate services in Germany using licensed limousine and taxi drivers and is working on an alternative ride sharing service that would meet German rules.
Uber, worth an estimated $40 billion making it the world's most valuable venture-backed start-up, has set out to revolutionise local transport services worldwide, from taxis to carpools to fast-food delivery.
Uber's popular mobile phone taxi-hailing services have mushroomed since being launched in 2010 and are offered in nearly 270 cities worldwide.
But Uber also has become a magnet for criticism of its business style of moving first and asking permission later. It has faced complaints around the world over how it pays drivers, charges passengers and ensures their safety.
© Thomson Reuters 2015
Robin is a tech enthusiast who can't get enough of his Nexus 5. You'll usually find him typing away furiously on his keyboard while eating a packet of biscuits (just More
Lenovo India, at the time of writing, had not revealed the number of Lenovo A7000 units that will be going on sale in the flash sale on Wednesday. The first flash sale of the A7000 saw 30,000 units going out of stock in 4 seconds.
(Also see: Lenovo A7000 First Impressions - Multimedia on a Budget)
Lenovo at the India launch of the A7000 smartphone detailed the flash sale method it would be employing, which will leave consumers a 4-hour window to complete their transaction once the product is added to their Flipkart shopping cart.
The A7000 is the larger sibling of the company's popular 4G LTE budget offering, the Lenovo A6000 (Review | Images), and features upgraded specifications as well as a larger display and Dolby Atmos technology - pegging it as a multimedia device.
(Also see: Lenovo A7000 vs. Lenovo A6000)
For specifications, the Lenovo A7000 supports dual-SIM (Micro-SIM) while running Android 5.0 Lollipop with Vibe UI running on top. It features a 5.5-inch HD (720x1280 pixels) IPS display and packs an octa-core 1.5GHz (MediaTek MT6572M) processor with 2GB of RAM. It features an 8-megapixel autofocus rear camera with LED flash and a 5-megapixel front facing camera. Internal storage on the handset is 8GB, which is expandable via microSD card (up to 32GB).
Connectivity options on the smartphone include 4G/ LTE (FDD Band 1, 3, 7, 20; TDD Band 40), Wi-Fi, GPS/ A-GPS, Bluetooth, and Micro-USB, just like its predecessor. The Lenovo A7000 is backed by a 2900mAh battery, measures 152.6x76.2x7.99mm and weighs 140 grams.