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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. NEW DELHI : Global fashion and personal-care brands are scrambling to enter India, attracted by rising affluence and evolving consumer aspirations in the world’s fastest-growing major economy, even as demand cools in other key markets. Large international clothing labels such as COS, Bershka, Next, and G-Star Raw, and cosmetics brand Lush have entered the Indian market over the past year.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Financial services stocks in India could benefit from strong tailwinds in 2026, driven by rising incomes, digital penetration, and structural reforms.​ Healthy credit growth, improving asset quality, margin expansion from lower interest rates, and stable deposits, position banks and NBFCs for earnings upgrades. One company that has managed to ride the tailwinds and grow dramatically over the years is Bajaj Finance.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Even as India’s rural land-mapping has progressed substantially, most urban areas lack reliable, up-to-date maps and clear ownership data. This gap leads to land disputes, inefficient property transactions, poor municipal tax collection and delays in infrastructure planning.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The department of telecommunications (DoT), on 28 November, issued notifications to mobile phone brands, asking them to pre-install the Centre’s cybersecurity app, Sanchar Saathi, on devices, without an option to disable it.

Soon after its order on keeping chat apps linked to phone SIM cards even for web access to such messaging platforms, India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) issued a fresh directive aimed at tightening network security further. This one is likely to ruffle even more feathers.DoT has asked smartphone makers to pre-install a government-run cybersecurity app called Sanchar Saathi on all new devices. This app must be placed prominently to catch attention the first time a phone is used.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. NEW DELHI: French spirits major Pernod Ricard India is sharpening its focus on premium alcohol, exiting the mass-market whisky segment even as it launches a new India-made brand aimed at consumers trading up. The company this week completed the sale of its Imperial Blue whisky, among India’s largest-selling mass brands, to Tilaknagar Industries.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The AI chatbot Estée Lauder Companies built for its Jo Malone London fragrance brand has a uniquely difficult task. Unlike the current barrage of agentic stylists and shoppers tasked with picking outfits and hunting down deals, the “AI Scent Advisor" must spin everyday language into the intangible and totally nondigital experience of smelling.

World Health Day 2025, with WHO's theme «Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures,» India continues to strengthen its healthcare systems through initiatives like Ayushman Bharat and the National Health Mission, marking significant progress in improving maternal and child health, expanding digital healthcare access, and enhancing public health infrastructure. World Health Day, observed annually on April 7, underscores the importance of global health and calls for collective action to address pressing health challenges. Started by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1950, it unites governments, institutions, and communities in addressing critical health priorities each year. According to an official release, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has made substantial strides in improving India's public health outcomes through various key initiatives and programs. The National Health Mission (NHM) has played a central role in this progress. The release mentioned that the MMR (Maternal Mortality Ratio) in India dropped from 130 (2014-16) to 97 (2018-20) per 1,00,000 live births, a decline of 33 points. «Over the last 30 years (1990-2020), MMR declined by 83% in India,» the release stated.

OpenAI is struggling to convert that momentum into meaningful revenue, TechCrunch reported, citing third-party data. Despite rising engagement, subscription income from India remains a fraction of what the company earns in the United States. Strong adoption, limited monetisation According to analytics firm SensorTower, Indian users have spent $8 million on ChatGPT subscriptions via in-app payments since 2023, excluding web-based payments. In contrast, US users have spent around $330 million during the same period.

The first, written by a broad team of authors and published in The Lancet, investigates the impact of mobile phone policies in schools on students’ mental health, academic performance, physical activity and sleep, drawing on data from over 1,200 adolescents aged 12–15 years across the UK. The second article, written by six authors in The British Medical Journal, focuses on strategies to support the development of healthy technology use among young people. Apoorva Mittal spoke to Goodyear on Zoom about the findings and their implications in a world where digital devices are deeply woven into the lives of young people, and at a time when Australia has introduced a law banning social media for minors and shows like Netflix’s Adolescence are highlighting the negative impacts of these platforms on young adults. Edited excerpts: What inspired you to undertake the study on phone use in schools and its impact on adolescents? When we started the study, we were seeing growing concerns about adolescent mental health—especially around increased anxiety and lower well-being. At the same time, there was a noticeable rise in smartphone ownership and social media use among teenagers. Many discussions were linking the two, but the evidence was inconsistent. Meanwhile, several countries were starting to consider or implement school phone bans or delay smartphone access for adolescents. We wanted to look at whether these bans were making a difference. What have you observed on the use of technology by adolescents? Adolescents use phones for all sorts of things—accessing information, playing games, staying connected with friends. But they are also spending a lot of time on these platforms throughout the day.

The report attributed this slowdown to seasonal weakness and reduced discretionary spending on digital transformation projects by global clients. It said, «We expect IT services companies within our coverage to report subdued growth during 4QFY25 on seasonal weakness and lower discretionary digital transformation spends.»

Modi landed in Colombo last evening after concluding his trip to Bangkok where he attended a summit of the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation). «PM @narendramodiwas welcomed by President @anuradisanayake with a ceremonial reception at the Independence Square in Colombo,» External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on 'X'. «Bilateral discussions to foster a partnership for a shared future & mutual prosperity of our people, lie ahead,» he said. Officials said it was the first time a foreign leader was accorded such a welcome at the Independence Square.

Bitcoin entered the public view in 2009 and has remained a central part of the crypto conversation, for the past decade and a half. It has become a key crypto asset, closely tracked and widely regarded as a bellwether of industry health.

IIM Shillong celebrated its 16th Annual Convocation Friday. The ceremony witnessed the conferment of degrees upon 475 graduating students, including 381 from the Post Graduate Programme (PGP) 2023–25 batch. Around 54 from the Post Graduate Programme for Executives (PGPEx) 2024–25 batch, and 35 from the Post Graduate Programme for Working Executives (PGPWE) 2023–25 batch. In addition, five scholars were awarded the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree. Shishir Kumar Bajoria, Chairman of the Board of Governors, IIM Shillong, extended his heartfelt congratulations to the graduating students and their families.

New York State appellate judges. A 74-year-old entrepreneur without legal training, he was there to contest a ruling in his employment case. But the real twist wasn’t in the lawsuit. It came when the video he submitted began playing in court. A young, clean-cut man appeared on the courtroom screen. “May it please the court,” the digital figure began. “I come here today a humble pro se before a panel of five distinguished justices.” It took just seconds for Justice Sallie Manzanet-Daniels to interrupt. “Ok, hold on. Is that counsel for the case?” “No,” Dewald replied from his seat. “I generated that. That’s not a real person.”

The penalties are set to include a fine and demands for product changes, said the people, who declined to be identified discussing an ongoing investigation. These are expected to be announced this summer and will be the first issued under a new EU law intended to force social media companies to police their services, they said. European authorities have been weighing how large a fine to issue X as they consider the risks of further antagonizing Trump amid wider trans-Atlantic disputes over trade, tariffs and the war in Ukraine. The fine could surpass $1 billion, one person said, as regulators seek to make an example of X to deter other companies from violating the law, called the Digital Services Act.

In the core Male 15+ ABC audience segment, the tournament reached 109 million viewers. The average TVR-a combination of reach and time spent-stood at 4.34 TVR for the MF 2+ category and 5.4 TVR for the male 15+ ABC segment. With a TVR of 6.4, this season has recorded the highest-ever rating for a 74-match format among male 15+ AB audiences in urban India excluding Covid-19 years of 2020 and 2021. Watch time touched 65 billion minutes for 2+ All India TG, making it the highest in IPL history, including the Covid-19 years. Further, the live reach for this target group touched 319 million unique viewers, the second-highest ever, while high definition (HD) reach soared to 47 million, marking a 30% increase compared to IPL 2024. Engagement levels also hit a record high, with an average time spent of 70 minutes per user, reflecting a 6% increase from the previous season.

Salman Khan’s Sikandar has seen a further drop in its earnings. The movie, which released on March 30, has witnessed declining box office collections since Eid. On Thursday, April 3, Sikandar saw a fall of 41.03 percent in its collection. As per Sacnilk, Sikandar grossed Rs 5.75 crore on April 3, bringing its total domestic earnings to Rs 90 crore.

Mickey 17, directed by Bong Joon Ho, will soon be available for home viewing. Warner Bros. has announced that the sci-fi film will be released digitally on April 8, with physical copies arriving on May 13.

Securis Finance, a subsidiary of FirstPay Technologies, has received approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to operate as a non-banking financial company (NBFC). The company plans to disburse Rs 100 crore in education loans in its first year, initially targeting key educational hubs such as Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad, and Pune on a pilot basis. Securis Finance is a fully owned subsidiary of FirstPay Technologies, which operates Junio, a digital pocket money smart card for teenagers. Securis Finance aims to offer loans ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 5 lakh, addressing a major gap in access to credit for teenagers. Its lending solutions will cover diverse educational needs, including school fees, college tuition, coding boot camps, and entrance exam coaching.