Author: News Desk
Tamil Nadu IAS officer Supriya Sahu has been honoured with the 2025 UN Champions of the Earth award, the United Nations’ highest environmental recognition, for her inspiration and action. The award was presented by the UN Environment Programme in Nairobi on Wednesday. Sahu was recognised for her long-standing leadership in tackling critical environmental challenges in India, including plastics management and wildlife conservation. Reflecting on her work, she said, “My inspiration comes from people who stood by me from local villages, working to clean mangroves as their own, and from children who look up to you with hope in their eyes.”…
The government’s newly approved ₹7,280-crore scheme to produce rare-earth permanent magnets (REPM) marks a strategic shift for India’s EV and clean-tech ambitions. Under this plan, India aims to establish integrated magnet-manufacturing capacity of 6,000 tonnes per year, covering the full supply chain from rare-earth oxides to finished magnets. Rare-earth magnets, commonly made from alloys of neodymium, praseodymium and other rare earths — are key components in the electric motors used in electric vehicles, as well as in renewable energy, electronics and defence systems. India currently imports nearly all its rare-earth magnets, mainly from China, which dominates global production and processing.The new scheme is meant to reduce this heavy dependence, especially after China’s recent export curbs disrupted…
Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham remain two of the most influential figures the football world has ever produced, but their impact extends far beyond the pitch. A new analysis comparing their net worth, legacy, and global influence highlights how both stars shaped different eras of sports branding, athlete entrepreneurship, and international fan culture. Cristiano Ronaldo, still an active player, stands as one of the highest-earning athletes in history. His massive Al Nassr contract, unmatched sponsorship deals, global fitness ventures, CR7 fashion line, and the world’s largest Instagram following make him a modern-day commercial powerhouse. Ronaldo’s influence is driven by digital…
Vikas Khanna’s rise from a humble dishwasher to one of the most globally respected Indian chefs is a story that embodies discipline, resilience, and unwavering passion. Born in Amritsar, Khanna showed an early interest in cooking, despite facing physical challenges and limited resources. His culinary journey began in modest kitchens, where he started with the most basic tasks — cleaning dishes, prepping ingredients, and observing senior chefs for hours after his shifts ended. Through relentless hard work, he earned formal culinary training and gradually worked his way into prestigious professional kitchens. His determined climb eventually led him to international platforms, including high-end restaurants in…
The year 2025 was packed with big moments in India’s business circles. Top corporate leaders, startup founders and tech entrepreneurs made headlines, some for major achievements, others for controversies that shook the industry. Here are some of the business newsmakers of 2025. Noel Tata Noel Tata, the half-brother of former chairman Ratan Tata, dominated corporate headlines in 2025 as the Tata Trusts underwent its most dramatic governance clash in decades. The flashpoint came on October 28, when Noel and his allies blocked the reappointment of Mehli Mistry to the Sir Dorabji Tata and Sir Ratan Tata Trusts. Mistry’s removal exposed…
The government reported that freight loading on Indian Railways rose from 1,233 million tonnes (MT) in 2020-21 to 1,617 MT in 2024-25, making it the second-largest freight-carrying railway network in the world. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw noted that freight rates have remained unchanged since 2018 despite rising input costs, keeping transport rates competitive. Passenger fares, on the other hand, were revised from July 1, 2025, for the first time in over five years, with minimal increases ranging from half a paisa to two paise per kilometer for premium classes. Measures to ensure affordable travel include: no increase for general class…
Kerala’s burgeoning startup ecosystem needs to focus on securing more diverse funding avenues to realise its potential as a global innovation hub, according to Shri Vikram Gupta, Founder and Managing Partner of IvyCap Ventures. Kerala’s Rise as a Startup HotspotSpeaking at India’s largest startup festival, Huddle Global 2025, on the theme “Kerala’s Moment from Talent to Scale,” Shri Gupta highlighted that Kerala possesses the fundamentals necessary to become a global startup hotspot. He noted the state’s strong talent pool and focus on deeptech and emerging technologies as key drivers. Kerala’s startup ecosystem has grown by 147% in value, bolstered by…
In Disney’s “Zootopia 2,” detectives Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde are back, chasing a mysterious reptile through the bustling mammal city of Zootopia. The Walt Disney Company has scored its second billion-dollar hit of 2025 with the animated sequel, joining the live-action remake of “Lilo & Stitch” as the only Hollywood films this year to surpass the $1 billion mark. As of Friday, “Zootopia 2” had earned $232.7 million domestically and $753.4 million internationally. “This milestone means the world to us because it shows audiences are coming together in theaters to experience this movie on the big screen — a…
Football legend Lionel Messi received a grand welcome as he arrived in Kolkata, drawing thousands of enthusiastic fans. In a highlight event in the morning, Messi unveiled a 70-foot-tall statue of himself, created by the Kolkata Sreebhumi Sporting Club. Reception programs were also held at Salt Lake Stadium, where Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan joined Messi for the celebrations. After unveiling the statue, Messi expressed his happiness at being in India. The visit, called the ‘GOAT India Tour 2025’, is organised by sports promoter and business consultant Shatadru Dutta. Fans across India now have the chance to see the football icon…
InterGlobe Aviation, the operator of India’s largest airline IndiGo, filed a petition with the Delhi High Court on Friday seeking to recover nearly ₹900 crore from the Customs department. The claim relates to Integrated Goods and Services Tax (IGST) and cess paid on aircraft parts sent abroad for maintenance and subsequently re-imported into India. The move follows a major Delhi High Court judgment in March, which struck down as unconstitutional the levy of IGST and cess on the repair component of goods re-imported after overseas maintenance. Portions of the 2021 Customs exemption notification, which had sought to tax the repair…