Author: News Desk

As of February this year, Bengaluru, India’s Silicon Valley, earned the dubious distinction of being the second-most congested city worldwide, according to the TomTom traffic index. With a vehicular population exceeding 1.1 crore, including an astounding 75.2 lakh two-wheelers and 22.9 lakh cars, traffic woes in this tech mecca had reached unprecedented levels. The Buzz Surrounding a Carpooling Prohibition Recent days have witnessed a flurry of activity on social media platforms, with claims circulating that the Karnataka government had imposed a blanket ban on carpooling in Bengaluru, accompanied by the spectre of violators facing substantial fines amounting to a staggering Rs 10,000.…

The US Securities and Exchange Commission said it is pursuing a court order to compel the Global tech giant Tesla CEO, the man who came up with the idea of widely discussed acquisition deal of the popular social media platform, Twitter,  Elon Musk, to testify as part of a probe into his Twitter acquisition, a deal worth $44 billion. Reportedly, the investigation, which escalates a long-running feud between the SEC and Musk, concerns whether Musk broke federal securities laws in 2022 when he bought stock in Twitter, which Musk renamed as well as statements and SEC filings he made in relation to the deal. SEC Claims According to a…

In a groundbreaking announcement at the annual Conservative Party conference, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak revealed his vision for a smoke-free future in England. His proposal aims to incrementally raise the legal age for purchasing cigarettes, year by year, until it becomes illegal for the entire population. The primary goal is to phase out smoking among young people and ultimately eliminate it altogether. A Gradual Approach to Tackle Youth Smoking Sunak’s proposal, if approved by Parliament, would gradually increase the legal smoking age in England, while Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales would remain unaffected. The incremental changes are designed to…

Shah Rukh Khan’s Blockbuster: In a historic achievement, Shah Rukh Khan’s latest film, “Jawan,” directed by Atlee, has set a new milestone in the Middle East’s cinematic landscape. The Bollywood megastar’s movie has become the first Indian film to cross the remarkable $16 million mark (equivalent to Dh 58,768,240.00) in the Middle East market. Yash Raj Films Announces the Triumph: The production house, Yash Raj Films (YRF), which holds the international release rights for “Jawan,” proudly shared this superhit news on social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter). YRF celebrated the film’s success with the hashtag #Jawan and declared…

As India gears up for its peak travel season between October and December, passengers are bracing themselves for an increase in airfares. IndiGo, one of the country’s largest airlines, has recently introduced a fuel charge ranging from Rs 300 to Rs 1,000 based on the flight’s distance. This move comes in response to the significant surge in aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices over the last three months, putting added pressure on the already financially-strained aviation industry. The Burden of Rising ATF Prices: ATF prices have always been a significant concern for Indian carriers, representing approximately 45 percent of their total…

Indian DeepTech startup in AgriTech ecosystem NAVA Innovation, has secured a Seed investment from angel investors Christo George, CMD of Hykon India Ltd and Manoj V Raman, an NRI Businessman. With this seed stage investment, NAVA hopes to deliver its technological invention, Coconut Sap Tapping device to the worldwide market within the next 6-9 months. Coconut Sap Tapping The business has also secured a utility patent in 28 countries, representing nearly 90% of the worldwide market, for their unique automated ‘coconut sap or neera’ tapping technology. The startup has developed a disruptive and scalable machine that leverages AI, robotics and…

Online gaming industry has not just exploded in popularity in recent times, but its global revenue has overtaken the higher-profile film and sports market. The online gaming industry which so far has witnessed a meteoric rise on the back of the pandemic, perhaps met its worse fate. Implementation of New Tax Policy In the month of July 2023, the Central Government has sent shockwaves to India’s gaming industry with a tight slap of levying 28% Goods and Services Tax (GST) on online gaming, horse racing, and casinos. Even though Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had tried to ease the situation by stating the…

A community for startup founders, PedalStart, has unveiled its latest initiative, the ‘PedalUp Cohort’. This program is specifically designed to accelerate the growth journey of startups incubated within PedalStart, providing them with the tools, mentorship, and support needed to scale their businesses rapidly. Startups from different domains and stages including Edtech, Logistics, Fintech, Healthcare, Cleantech, Mobility, Gaming, Sports, and Agri have become a part of the Cohort. According to an official release, PedalStart intends to deploy INR 2.5 crore in each cohort and incentivize startups with certain cash prizes and rewards. Note from Founders Commenting on this edition, Manas Pal…

Embarking an entry to India’s EV ecosystem, the oil-to-telecom conglomerate Reliance Industries has unveiled its swappable and multipurpose battery storage technology for electric vehicles, to make a bigger push towards clean energy and transport. The idea behind this innovation is that a person can use one battery for mobility as well as for powering appliances at home. The batteries can be swapped at Reliance’s battery swap stations or recharged by households using rooftop solar panels, which it also plans to sell, according to a Reuters’ report. A company presentation at the Renewable Energy India Expo 2023 in Greater Noida on October 4, showed that…

Renowned actor Nayanthara, director Vignesh Shivan, and serial entrepreneur Daisy Morgan have joined forces to embark on an exciting venture in the skincare industry. Their latest venture, 9Skin, promises to bring about a remarkable transformation in the world of skincare with a fresh perspective on self-care and beauty. This article delves into the details of this groundbreaking brand’s mission and its strategic approach to revolutionising the skincare market. The Booming Skincare Industry in India The skincare industry in India is on a rapid growth trajectory, with projections by Research and Markets estimating its value to reach a whopping $10.31 billion…