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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. For decades, software companies thrived on the XaaS (Everything-as-a-Service) model; products were unbundled into separate, recurring subscriptions. Software empires were built on this approach, offering cloud-based services for a monthly fee.

H-1B visa applications has dropped significantly this year, according to local agents and consultancies in Hyderabad. The fall in demand comes as the US government has raised the application fee and implemented stricter filing rules. Hyderabad, known as a major hub for global technology companies, houses offices of several multinational firms such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Oracle. The city has been a key contributor to India’s IT exports and a large base for professionals seeking US work visas like H-1B. However, this year, local consultancies report a drastic decline in applications, reflecting growing concerns among professionals. Arun Teja Bukkaparapu, who runs a consultancy in Hyderabad, told TOI's Nirupa Vatyam, «I have not even received a single call about H-1B filing until now.» He pointed out that increasing uncertainty over US jobs, along with a steep hike in the application fee from USD 10 to USD 215, has discouraged many potential applicants.

pet cloning after spending 160,000 yuan (approximately US$22,000 or over Rs 19 lakh) to clone her deceased Doberman. According to The Star magazine, while pet cloning is legal in China, it must be carried out by certified companies following strict ethical guidelines. The woman, identified by her surname Xu, resides in Hangzhou, eastern China. She recounted her experience to the mainland media outlet Personage, revealing that she first adopted her Doberman, named Joker, in 2011. Over the years, Joker became more than just a pet—he was a steadfast companion, offering Xu an invaluable sense of security, particularly during the years she lived alone. Joker’s health began to deteriorate as he aged. At nine years old, he was diagnosed with a malignant sarcoma in his neck. Given the risks associated with anesthesia, he underwent surgery without sedation, exhibiting remarkable composure and trust. Xu was deeply moved by his resilience, stating that he endured the pain bravely.

Mukesh Ambani can’t afford to have Donald Trump smash open the latch with a sledgehammer. But that is how the threat is unfolding. The concern in New Delhi is that any retaliatory trade action by Washington will cover broader ground than just India’s “massive tariffs,” as the US president characterized them Friday. American firms do “very little business inside” the most-populous nation, Trump said. Indian conglomerates enjoy varying degrees of protection from foreign competition. While nearly all of them are at risk from concessions to avoid a trade war, Ambani’s empire appears to be unusually vulnerable.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Bengaluru: The heads of three critical functions at digital bank Jupiter have resigned at a crucial juncture for the fintech startup, which is undertaking a cost-cutting and restructuring exerise.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Employees may be in for an even bigger disappointment this year as the economy and the market grapple with uncertainty. Companies are not only offering slimmer hikes but will also elevate fewer people.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. A new chief executive trying to steer the company, generative AI disrupting the information technology (IT) services industry, and now an activist shareholder raising its stake—New Jersey-based Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp now finds itself walking a tightrope. Cognizant is one of the few companies seeing a second round of shareholder activism in less than 10 years.

Investment Grade Index, a key measure of credit risk for top-rated borrowers, widened by 2.06 basis points to 53.54, marking the highest level of US credit risk in 2025, according to a Bloomberg report. When this index rises, it signals that investors see higher risks in lending to these companies. Meanwhile, the Markit CDX North American High Yield Index, which tracks riskier borrowers, dropped by 0.5 points to 106.4, its lowest point in six months. As per Bloomberg, unlike the investment-grade index, this one falls when credit risk increases, showing that investors are becoming more cautious about lending to lower-rated companies.

Apple and Meta Platforms are set to face modest fines for allegedly breaching landmark rules aimed at reining in their power, people with direct knowledge of the matter said on Monday. Both companies have been in the European Commission's crosshairs since last year for potential breaches of the Digital Markets Act which could cost companies as much as 10% of their global annual sales. The act, which became law in May 2023, seeks to make it easier for people to move between competing online services like social media platforms, internet browsers and app stores, allowing smaller companies to compete with Big Tech.

President Donald Trump has spoken of tariffs as a job-creating behemoth.

IKEA flatpacks which are affordable, easy-to-assemble furniture kits, in order to build makeshift bedrooms inside federal office buildings, that they are trying to dismantle in the first place. This comes as they work to shrink the same government agencies they’re temporarily living in, according to recent Politico report. DOGE has fired several federal workers and canceled their contracts, and pushed to reduce government property in just a few weeks. But while slashing costs, employees aren’t skimping on sleep. At least four rooms on the 6th floor of the General Services Administration (GSA) building have been turned into sleeping spaces, complete with IKEA beds, lamps, and dressers, two employees told Politico.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Drivers are finding they wish the smart technology in their cars was just a bit dumber. Automakers have added new tech features in the 2020s that go beyond the touch screens, assisted-driving systems and companion phone apps that have become ubiquitous in new cars.

In an email in October 2023, Richard Heys, deputy director at the ONS, said that the «sample size for the industry in the LFS survey has collapsed to only five individuals». As such, Heys told a swathe of senior recipients of the email that «there is little and falling merit in retaining the LFS».  He added: «The key point is not when the Transformed Labour Force Survey (TLFS) is perfect, it is when it is clearly superior to the LFS.» Cost of Labour Force Survey revamp nearly doubles in a year to £40.4m The emails were dated in the same month that the agency decided to pull the ...

Lee, 41, would normally be flattered. In the past, a fast-growing startup like Gamma, an artificial intelligence company he helped establish in 2020, would have constantly looked out for more funding. But like many young startups in Silicon Valley today, Gamma is pursuing a different strategy. It is using AI tools to increase its employees' productivity in everything from customer service and marketing to coding and customer research.

Bharti Telecom Ltd (BTL) — the main promoter-level controlling company that owns 40.47% in Bharti Airtel — needs a much higher dividend payout from the Sunil Mittal-led telco from FY25 onwards to service its hefty interest costs, analysts said. This is since BTL’s estimated annualised finance cost at Rs 3,183.2 crore is sharply higher than the modest Rs 600.6 crore and Rs 876.9 crore in dividend income it received from Airtel in FY23 and FY24 respectively. According to analysts, BTL’s surging interest costs have been driven by its mounting debt — now at almost Rs 38,000 crore — as it has been regularly buying shares held by Airtel’s promoters — Singapore Telecommunications (Singtel) and the Mittal family.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. India is ramping up its efforts to break China's dominance in the solar supply chain with a $1 billion capital subsidy plan that’s aimed at boosting domestic manufacturing of wafers and ingots—critical components in solar panel production. While the country has made significant progress in solar module and cell manufacturing, wafer and ingot production remains a weak link, with only 2gigawatts (GW)of capacity compared to 71 GW in modules and 11 GW in cells.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Cloud firms that rent out servers have been some of the early winners in the AI revolution. Some of the early winners in the AI boom are the cloud companies that rent out servers—primarily Amazon.com, Microsoft, and Alphabet.

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bridalwear designer is calling an end to the industry he helped supersize. Sales of elaborate bridal outfits — typically weighing up to 17 pounds and costing more than $6,800 — are declining, according to Sabyasachi Mukherjee, who has dressed some of India’s most famous women, including billionaire heiress Isha Ambani. Modern brides are now looking for more low-key designs as part of a broader shift away from traditionally ostentatious wedding celebrations, he said. “The wedding industry in India as we know of it today is breathing its last,” Mukherjee said in an interview at his 25,000-square-foot (2,323 square meter) store in Mumbai.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. IndusInd Bank’s stock closed nearly 4% lower on March 7, 2025, marking its fourth consecutive session of decline. The sharp fall came in the wake of two major developments—the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) approving Sumant Kathpalia’s reappointment as CEO for just one more year instead of the three-year tenure sought by the bank, and reports that Nippon Life Insurance Co.’s India unit, Reliance Nippon Life Insurance, is considering acquiring a minority stake in the lender.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. President Trump’s start-and-stop expansion of tariffs on trading partners has no analog in modern history. President George W.