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«Over-the-top (OTT) communication services have benefited consumers and businesses, but certain regulatory issues have been raised by law enforcement agencies and traditional communications providers, and [so they] should be subject to structured regulations,» Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti said Wednesday. Speaking on day two of the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2024 here, he added that regulators globally need to maintain a balance between fostering innovation and ensuring a fair and competitive market, given the cross-border nature of OTT services.

Vodafone Idea (Vi), boosted by equity funding, is set to start rolling out next generation (5G) commercial services by March 2025 across 17 circles, starting with Delhi and Mumbai, and is aiming to reach at least 90% of India's population with 4G coverage by June next year, said its chief technology officer Jagbir Singh. «We are going a little slow (wih 5G), but we will be doing 5G in Delhi and Mumbai first, and of course, all metros and major cities across 17 states (circles),» he told ET. Vi, as part of a revival plan, has raised equity funding of ₹24,000 crore including ₹18,000 crore from a follow-on public offer. The telecom operator has said that the bulk of the funds will be used to beef up 4G coverage and roll out 5G as it strives to become more competitive against rivals Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel and stop the decline in the number of subscribers.

rape and murder of a young woman, whose half-charred and semi-clad body was recovered by Nadia district police in West Bengal on Wednesday morning in Nadia’s Krishnanagar near a Durga Puja pandal. The body of the woman was reportedly found in a place which was close to the office of the Superintendent of Police’s earlier this morning. The girl went missing since Tuesday evening. As per statements provided by the family members of the victim, the girl went out on Tuesday evening. Her family started searching for her after she did not return home till late hours.

Divya Khossla Kumar, the wife of producer Bhushan Kumar, earlier voiced her concerns through social media, highlighting the similarities between Jigra and her film Savi. Recently, while talking to Hindustan Times, she asserted, “Both films share the same story, but my film went into production first.” Divya expressed her frustration over how Savi, which follows a housewife's daring attempts to rescue her husband from prison, has been overshadowed by the star power of Alia Bhatt. The familial connection adds another layer, as Savi is co-produced by Mukesh Bhatt, Alia's uncle.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Wednesday dismissed speculations of a realignment with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, claiming that the time was up for the «tired» JD(U) president. Yadav lost his job as the deputy chief minister in January when Kumar abruptly returned to the BJP-led NDA. Talking to reporters in Banka district, the RJD leader challenged him to use his clout with the Centre to get a caste census done besides securing special status for the state and a relief package for areas devastated by recent floods. «The question (of joining hands with Nitish Kumar) does not arise. His time is up. He is tired and no more able to govern Bihar», said Yadav, now the leader of the opposition, in reply to a query as to whether he was ready for a realignment if the offer came from the JD(U) supremo.

This election could determine the fate of political parties like Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the Times of India newspaper wrote on October 16. The Congress, which ranked fourth in the last assembly election, hopes to build on its parliamentary resurgence. For the BJP, a win is vital after a disappointing performance in the Lok Sabha (LS) elections, where it secured only nine seats in Maharashtra, the report (by Priyanka Kakodkar) said. The ruling Mahayuti alliance has introduced several welfare schemes to win voters, including a Rs 1,500 monthly stipend for underprivileged women under the Mukhya Mantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana. This initiative, costing Rs 46,000 crore annually, aims to mimic the success of similar schemes in other states.

Widely shared on social media, the atmospheric black and white shots — a mother and her child starving in the Great Depression; an exhausted soldier in the Vietnam war — may look at first like real historic documents. But they were created by artificial intelligence, and researchers fear they are muddying the waters of real history.

Thomas Tuchel was hired as England coach on Wednesday and will take on the challenge of ending the national team's decades-long wait for a trophy. The German, who previously managed Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich, will begin his tenure in January ahead of the 2026 World Cup in the United States. The English Football Association said Tuchel had been identified as the «preferred candidate» after what it described as an extensive search to replace Gareth Southgate, who stepped down after the European Championship in July.

With plans for a crewed lunar landing in September 2026, which will mark the first time in over 50 years that humans will set foot on the Moon, NASA aims to establish a sustainable human presence there. This mission will not only feature the first woman and the first person of color to walk on the lunar surface but also emphasizes the importance of sustainability in space exploration.

Akasa Air flight bound for Bengaluru from Delhi received a bomb threat on Wednesday in a series of such threats received by multiple airlines in the last two days. The flight, carrying 174 passengers including seven crew members, is being monitored by the budget-carrier's Emergency Response team and is expected to be diverted to the IGI Airport in Delhi. «Akasa Air flight QP 1335, flying from Delhi to Bengaluru on October 16, 2024, and carrying 174 passengers, 3 infants and 7 crew members on board, received a security alert. The Akasa Air Emergency Response teams are monitoring the situation and have advised the pilot to divert the flight to Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi with abundant precaution. The Captain is following all required emergency procedures for a safe landing in Delhi and the estimated time of arrival is approximately 14:00 hrs: Akasa Air Spokesperson,» an airlines spokesperson said. Meanwhile, an IndiGo flight also received a bomb threat on Wednesday, making it the second flight in two days to undergo a security concern. The Mumbai-Delhi was diverted to Ahmedabad where the passengers were disembarked after the flight was isolated, an Indigo spokesperson informed.

TRUST Mutual Fund has launched TRUSTMF Small Cap Fund, an open-ended equity scheme that focuses on small-cap stocks. The new fund offer or NFO of the scheme is open for subscription and will close on October 25. The fund will be benchmarked against the NIFTY Smallcap 250 TRI. The fund will be managed by Mihir Vora and Aakash Manghani.

Disney Star has successfully partnered with eight sponsors for the upcoming season of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL), enhancing its presence across Linear, Digital, and on-ground platforms. Notable sponsors include Dream11, Shriram Finance, ROFF, Parimatch Sports, HP Lubricants, and Mother Dairy, solidifying PKL's status as one of the leading sporting events in India. The broadcaster generates over Rs 100 crore in ad revenue from the property. With its increasing popularity, this season aims to engage a diverse audience through exciting brand collaborations and a unique mix of sports and entertainment. Fans can anticipate thrilling Kabaddi matches alongside fresh, innovative content designed to elevate the viewing experience.

Maharashtra assembly polls, the ruling Mahayuti appears to have maintained a balance in the representation of various communities and tried to avoid any potential rebellion while nominating seven members for the MLC posts, as per political analysts. Of the seven new members of the legislative council who took oath on Tuesday, the BJP has nominated three, while the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's NCP have two members each. On Monday, the state cabinet cleared seven out of 12 names and received approval from Governor C P Radhakrishnan. With his approval, the swearing-in ceremony was held at the Vidhan Bhavan on Tuesday, hours before the announcement of the Maharashtra assembly elections.

National Conference leader Sheikh Bashir Ahmad on Wednesday said that the new government in Jammu and Kashmir will fulfill people's expectations. He stated that unemployment and inflation are major issues in the valley and that Article 370 must be restored. «After ten years, a government that will represent Jammu and Kashmir is being formed. There has been presidential rule for five years. People were suppressed by bureaucracy. J-K has witnessed a lot. We hope that we fulfill all the expectations of the people. Unemployment will be the top priority. The youth has no opportunities. Prices have been skyrocketing. Along with that, there are so many issues. It is a border state. Peace must be established here. We will work together for it,» said the NC leader. Speaking on the demand for restoring statehood, he said, «The day BJP took away the statehood, they mentioned that it will be restored. If they empathise with people, then, it must be done. We will push for this demand. J-K's land and jobs were secure under Article 370. We will fight for it.»

Uday Kotak backed Kotak Mahindra Bank’s ambition to be India’s third largest private sector lender could expose it to significant M&A risk given the integration challenges and the weaker RoA of smaller banks, Bernstein Research a part of the Société Générale group has said. The brokerage house also said that given the high growth outperformance ask, inorganic growth would almost be inevitable for Kotak Mahindra to achieve its ‘Top 3’ objective. To emerge as the third most profitable private sector bank, Kotak will need an organic earnings growth which is 7% percentage points higher than Axis which looks unlikely, it said. In a recent interview with The Economic Times, Kotak Mahindra Bank CEO Ashok Vaswani had said that he aspires that the bank would become the third largest private sector bank by profits by 2030.

Vishnu Deo Sai on Wednesday announced a 4 per cent hike in the dearness allowance (DA) for state government employees, bringing the total DA to 50 per cent. Speaking to reporters in Raipur, CM Sai said, «There is a cabinet meeting today at 11:30 am… Our government has decided that all state employees are currently getting 46 per cent DA, we are increasing their DA by 4 per cent. From now on, they will get 50 per cent DA.» The Chhattisgarh Chief Minister's Office added that the revised 50 per cent dearness allowance will be effective from October 1.

swearing-in ceremony, Jammu and Kashmir CM-designate Omar Abdullah on Wednesday offered floral tributes at the Mazar-e-Anwar of «Sher-e-Kashmir» Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, in Srinagar. Omar Abdullah's grandfather, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, was the first Prime Minister of JK after its accession to India and later served as Chief Minister. Omar's father Farooq Abdullah has been the CM of the erstwhile state thrice. Speaking after he offered prayers Omar Abdullah said his government has a lot to do for the people of the region.

Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner Mritunjay Kumar Narayan, and appointed IPS officer Praveen Vashista as Special Secretary (Internal Security) in the Ministry of Home Affairs. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the extension of Narayan, and the appointment of Vashista as Special Secretary, mentions a Ministry of Personnel order. The Committee has extended the tenure of 1995-batch Uttar Pradesh cadre Indian Administrative Service officer Narayan beyond December 6, 2024, for a period up to August 4, 2026, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.

Index funds are getting popular with investors as they offer a simple and low-cost way to gain exposure to a broad and diversified portfolio. WHAT IS AN INDEX FUND? An index fund is a type of mutual fund or exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks the performance of a market index by buying the same stocks or bonds as the index. These funds aim to replicate the investment returns of particular benchmark indices by holding a securities portfolio that closely mirrors the index’s composition. WHAT ARE THE EQUITY INDEX FUNDS IN INDIA?

Kamala Harris used a teleprompter during the event which resulted in criticism from former US President Donald Trump and other eminent conservative leaders suggesting that Kamala Harris was reading from scripted responses, reported USA Today. Enrique Acevedo, Univision’s moderator, following such alleged criticisms later clarified that teleprompter was solely being used for his opening statement while it later displayed a timer during Kamala Harris’s responses. According to USA Today, Enrique Acevedo confirmed through a post on social media that any claims of US Vice President Kamala Harris using the teleprompter during the event were totally False. Enrique Acevedo also added that the teleprompter showed text in Spanish primarily and it was not at all intended for her assistance while it got switched to a timer as Kamala Harris started engaging with questions from the audience. Also Read: Anatomy of Lies: How former Grey’s Anatomy writer Elisabeth Finch allegedly faked cancer and personal life