South Asia News

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. NEW DELHI: As India plans to set up 10 gigawatts (GW) of data centre capacity by 2030, demand for electricity is expected to surge. Mint explains how this will impact India’s power sector.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. MUMBAI/NEW DELHI: After nearly two years of delivery disruptions, Akasa Air is emerging from aircraft supply constraints, an inflexion point that allows India’s third-largest airline to restart pilot hiring, stick to its original growth plan and avoid costly short-term fixes in a fiercely competitive aviation market. “So I’d say that’s a thing of the past," Vinay Dube, the founder and chief executive officer of Akasa Air, said in an interview with Mint, referring to earlier delays.

Uber claims to have over 1 million monthly active drivers in India, and the newly introduced features aim to improve their daily experience while making driving more rewarding and fulfilling.Also Read | India mobility opportunity massive, underpenetrated; have barely scratched surface: UberUber is now providing drivers with the ability to record audio if they feel "uncomfortable or concerned about their safety" during trips. The good news is that these recordings are not accessible to the drivers, and Uber states they will only be opened if the driver submits them as part of a safety report.We have reached out to Uber for further clarity on how rider data is handled during this process.

Ride-hailing app Uber on Thursday announced a host of new features such as SOS integration, helmet selfie and women rider preference for female drivers — all aimed at making experience for million-plus drivers on its platform «safer, easier and fairer». Further, in support of the government's Code on Social Security (CoSS), which seeks to provide a safety net for gig workers, Uber announced the promotion of registrations on the e-Shram portal, which is a unified database for gig workers and unorganised workers. To encourage participation and accelerate such registrations, Uber is offering cash incentives to the first 10,000 drivers who register on the portal. Key enhancements for drivers include SOS integration, helmet selfie, women rider preference for female drivers, and audio recording, as also upfront tipping, instant payments, and mentorship program.

GE Aerospace plans to boost component sourcing from India as the aviation sector in the country expands. GE Aerospace already operates a manufacturing facility in Pune and the John F Welch Technology Centre in Bengaluru. The company currently partners with 13 major suppliers, including Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL). Mahendra Nair, Group Vice President for Commercial Programs at GE Aerospace, mentioned the growing importance of India's role in their supply chain. Nair told PTI in an interview that, «We have got some very capable companies in India with the right engineering talent, the right production footprint and as long as they can meet the technical standards that we are looking for, it is only upside and it is going to grow.» Nair added, «India is a market that is going to grow and that makes sense for us to continue sourcing more from India.»

Uber on Wednesday announced the launch of its flagship product Uber Black, starting with Mumbai next week. ET had exclusively reported on August 26 about the cab aggregator's plan to bring back its top-of-the-line product Uber Black as Indian consumers spend more for premium experiences. Under Uber Black, the company will offer a range of features, including higher-end cars and top-rated drivers.

advertising giant Dentsu sees India as vital not just for its revenue potential but also for its contributions to technology and innovation, and to support its growth strategy, the company is considering acquisitions in sectors like artificial intelligence (AI) and tech, top executives told ET. «We have partnerships with Google, Meta and TikTok where we jointly develop AI propositions together so it's not a side hustle, it's very integrated into the way that we do business,» said Amanda Morrissey, chief growth officer-media-at Dentsu and global president of iProspect. India is a big part of Dentsu's global strategy, and the company is keen to leverage India's tech and creative talent, she said. The agency employs between 9,000 and 10,000 people in India across client-facing and outsourcing businesses.

Indian institutional investors now consider sustainability information essential in their due diligence process, a study by Deloitte and The Fletcher School at Tufts University said, adding as sustainability becomes more integral to investment management, trust in the ESG data used to inform these decisions is lacking, posing challenges in accessing trustworthy data. «According to Indian investors, the inconsistency or incomparability of ESG rating data (73 per cent), cost constraints on integrating ESG data into investment decision models (71 per cent) and lack of measurable outcomes in corporate disclosures (70 per cent) reduce the trust factor of available sustainability data, inhibiting their ability to implement ESG investment strategies,» Deloitte said citing its study titled 'Investor trust in sustainability data'. The study further highlights that Indian investors are more likely to trust in-house proprietary data systems and audited (or assured) corporate disclosures for sustainability analysis. However, as compared with global investors, Indian investors are less likely to rely on external data sources and ratings.

Sunil Dahiya, a South Asia analyst at CREA, said, “This ongoing issue highlights the need for stronger regulations and a focus on reducing emissions. Using better technology and data can help control pollution.” He added, “India’s standards are more lenient than WHO’s, which can lead to long-term exposure to harmful particles. Research shows that even short-term exposure to PM2.5 in India poses significant health risks, suggesting that air quality standards need to be updated to better align with international guidelines to prevent diseases.”

Airbus will launch its first assembly line for the single-engine H 125 helicopter in India, Sunny Guglani, head of Airbus Helicopters in India and South Asia said. «The plan is to have the first Made-in-India H125 rollout of the assembly line in 2026 that's the plan we're working with TATA,» Gugltold ANI. Guglani further stated, «This Final Assembly Line (FAL) will actually produce the H125, which will already be EASA-certified quality assurance, and the airworthy assurance is being taken care of by experts from airbus helicopters that will be located at the FAL site in India.»

Radisson Hotel Group announced the signing of 10 new hotels on Wednesday. The company said the signings materialised over the past four days, and are spread across brands, including Radisson Blu, Radisson, Radisson Individuals, and its brand extension Radisson Individuals Retreats. The Group also entered five new markets and will be the first to open internationally branded hotels in Jawai (Rajasthan), Sagar (Madhya Pradesh), Yavatmal (Maharashtra), Ooty (Tamil Nadu) and Calicut (Kerala). The chain also signed Radisson Blu Hotel, Nathdwara Stadium, Rajasthan, featuring 234 rooms. This hotel is India's first Cricket Stadium Hotel, with 75% of its rooms offering views of the main cricket field. There are two signings under its Radisson brand — Radisson Sagar and Radisson Mohali. The chain has also signed Park Inn & Suites by Radisson, Calicut.

In a recent interview to The Indian Express, G. Hari Babu, national president of National Real Estate Development Council (Naredco)—a real estate industry association—shared some interesting data: “There are 1.14 crore flats lying vacant in India. These are being bought as investment opportunities." This is not the first time such a comment has been made.

PepsiCo India is seeking to enhance the livelihood prospects for 1 million women in the country by 2026 under an initiative that focuses on sustainable development and gender equality, the beverages and packaged foods company said. It is looking at doing this through a combination of upskilling, awareness building and by offering job opportunities. The company has named this initiative as RevolutioNari, and is currently looking at partnering with other companies for this project.

Airbus has received approval from aviation regulator DGCA for its new generation H160 helicopter in India. More than 100 helicopters of Airbus, including the single-engine H125, are being operated by various entities in the country. In a release on Thursday, Airbus said its H160 helicopter has been granted the letter of type acceptance by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) that will pave the way for its entry into the Indian market. A multi-role helicopter, H160 can be used for offshore transportation, emergency medical services, private and business aviation and public services, among others.

NEW DELHI : Gadar 2, the Sunny Deol-starring action movie that released in theatres in August, went on to become the eighth highest-grossing Hindi film of all time, fetching its producer and distributor Zee Studios a neat pocket. If you want to watch the movie now, it’s available on Zee5, Zee Entertainment Enterprises’ video-streaming, or over-the-top, platform. But only the original Hindi version.

New Delhi, 1st March, 2024: The Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (IACC) announces the India-US Legal Services Summit, the first of its kind, scheduled to be held at The Lalit, New Delhi on 4th March 2024. Organized in collaboration with Bar and Bench, Society of India Law Firms (SILF), Services Export Promotion Council (SEPC), and Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb), the summit aims to promote cooperation between legal professionals from India and the United States on corporate and legal issues. The Inaugural Session, set to be a distinguished gathering, will be graced by luminaries in the legal fraternity including the Attorney General, Mr.

Advertisement spending on connected TV (CTV) is projected to touch $500 million by 2027 as the consumption of streaming content increases due to the affordability of internet-enabled TV sets and wired broadband subscriptions, a senior industry executive has said. «Ad spend on CTV is likely to grow at a rapid pace to touch $500 million by 2027,» said Siddharth Dabhade, South Asia managing director of global marketing intelligence firm MiQ. Previously, GroupM had projected that the CTV ad spend would be $395 million by 2027.

Visa has unwrapped an overview of payment trends observed during recently concluded ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023. As per Visa’s data, there has been a 12.5% growth in contactless cross border transactions during the World Cup as compared to July 2023, before the festive season began.

Uber is rolling out a tiered rewards programme ‘Uber Pro’ for drivers in 12 cities. The programme will give drivers benefits such as area preference, discounted vehicle maintenance and motor insurance, as well as enhanced micro credit offerings. Drivers will be eligible for these benefits upon reaching certain milestones. This rewards programme will operate independently from Uber’s ride-based cash incentive programme, where drivers earn incentives based on the number of rides completed in a stipulated time period, and ratings received from riders.

Mastercard, on Thursday, announced a collaboration with U GRO Capital to extend financing solution to small businesses in India that require financial support to maintain and grow their operations. This collaboration aims to address this challenge by enabling a holistic digital supply chain financing solution for millions of small businesses in India. MSMEs in India have long grappled with substantial challenges, including constrained access to capital.