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Vir Das, the award-winning comedian draws spotlight to an Indian taxi driver in the US, with a surprising background—an IIT Bombay graduate with a PhD and who worked as a scientist before being laid off. This highly qualified individual, now driving a cab in America, exemplifies the stark contrast between academic brilliance and the struggles of survival in a foreign land. Vir Das recounted meeting the driver at San Jose airport. Despite his evident discomfort behind the wheel, the driver maintained a polite demeanor, Vir Das said. The conversation soon drifted into Hindi, a language they both found comfort in, offering a brief respite from the alienation of living far from home. During this exchange, the driver shared his story—a tale of layoffs, survival, and the relentless pursuit of financial stability in the U.S. His current role as a cab driver was a far cry from the intellectual rigor of his scientific past, but it was a necessary step to make ends meet. The IIT graduate’s story is a sobering reminder of the unpredictability of life. Having excelled in one of the most prestigious educational institutions in India and pursued advanced research, he now navigated a very different path. His candid admission—missing home every single day—revealed a longing for a simpler life, one unburdened by mortgages, insurance payments, and the endless grind of the American dream. Yet, he stayed, tethered by responsibilities and a complex web of practicalities that often make returning home an impractical choice.

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully conducted a flight trial of its long-range hypersonic missile on November 16, 2024, from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island, off-the-coast of Odisha. This hypersonic missile is designed to carry various payloads for ranges greater than 1500km for all the Services of the Indian Armed Forces. The missile was tracked by various range systems, deployed in multiple domains. The flight data obtained from down-range ship stations confirmed the successful terminal manoeuvres and impact with a high degree of accuracy.

The likes of Godrej Consumer Products, Emami, ITC and Shoppers Stop have reported robust sales of fragrance products for the first half of this financial year, and, according to market researcher NielsenIQ, growth rate in the segment was nearly double that of overall personal care products this year. The fragrance segment grew 12% year-on-year this calendar year till September, according to the latest NielsenIQ data shared exclusively with ET, driven by roll-on deodorants, which recorded a 26% increase. The personal care segment saw a 6.2% growth, while the overall FMCG industry expanded by 5.7%, according to the researcher.

Olav Thon, a billionaire entrepreneur recognizable for his bright red cap who went from selling leather and fox hides in his youth to build one of Norway’s biggest real estate empires, has died

central government is necessary. The ruling from the High Court came while disposing of a plea seeking quashing of criminal proceedings against an Indian company for conducting a survey in Thiruvananthapuram in 2010, which according to the police was aimed at «injuring the emotional feelings of the Muslim community». The survey was conducted by the Indian company — Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS) PLC-- for US-based Princeton Survey Research Associates (PSRA). Rejecting the Indian company's plea to quash the criminal proceedings against it, Justice P V Kunhikrishnan said that if such surveys were allowed to continue, they «will affect the security of our country and importantly religious harmony». «The central government should take it very seriously, and if there is any intention to topple the integrity of our country by conducting such surveys, appropriate steps should be taken in accordance with the law,» the High Court said in its order of November 4. It also noted that in the instant matter, there was no sanction from the central government for conducting such a survey.

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Gold prices have witnessed a significant decline of around 6 per cent since Diwali, driven by a stronger dollar and concerns over US inflation data. The rate of 24-carat gold per 10 grams, which stood at Rs80,710 on November 1, dropped to Rs75,920 on Saturday. This sharp correction reflects ongoing global economic pressures influencing commodity markets.

Nifty and Sensex, falling around 10% from the peak. The weakness in second quarter results and sustained outflow of foreign funds weighed on the sentiments. During the week, as many as 103 smallcap stocks have delivered double-digit negative weekly returns with four of them falling over 25%.

MRF, Cochin Shipyard, ONGC and Ashok Leyland among a host of other companies are likely to remain in focus this week as they are approaching their record dates for the purpose of dividends and stock splits. The record date is the date set by the company to decide the shareholders who are eligible to receive the offer. To be eligible for a buyback offer, bonus issue or a stock split, the shares should be in the demat account on the record date.

Oil prices settled down more than 2% on Friday as investors fretted about weaker Chinese demand and a potential slowing in the pace of U.S. Federal Reserve interest rate cuts. Brent crude futures settled down $1.52, or 2.09%, to $71.04 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures (WTI) settled down $1.68, or 2.45%, at $67.02.

global stocks was set for its biggest weekly drop in two months and the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield hit its highest level in 5-1/2 months on Friday as economic data and comments from Federal Reserve officials suggested a slower pace of interest-rate cuts ahead. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said on Thursday the central bank did not need to rush to lower interest rates due to ongoing economic growth, a solid job market and inflation that remains above its 2% target.

Beauty and personal care company Honasa Consumer, which runs brands like Mamaearth, fell to a net loss in the September quarter while operating revenue declined. The company was hit by a restructuring exercise in its distribution and supply chain wherein it is shifting from a super-stockist model to appointing direct distributors. The quarterly performance lagged the Gurugram-based company's internal projections, cofounder and CEO Varun Alagh told ET's Pranav Mukul. Edited excerpts:

Wall Street's main indexes closed lower on Friday, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq notching their biggest one-day losses in two weeks, on concerns about slower interest-rate cuts and as investors reacted to cabinet picks by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Thursday cited ongoing economic growth, a solid job market, and inflation above the U.S. central bank's 2% target as reasons it can afford to be careful with the pace and scope of future rate cuts.

interest rate cuts and with the view that President-elect Donald Trump's policies could be inflationary. The dollar has benefited from market expectation that Trump administration policies, including tariffs and tax cuts, could stoke inflation, leaving the Federal Reserve less room to cut interest rates.

A battery manufacturer has selected Kentucky for a nearly $712 million project to produce industrial-sized batteries used to store and distribute energy

lunar volcanism. Researchers said on Friday the soil brought back from the Chang'e-6 landing site contained fragments of volcanic rock — basalt — dating to 4.2 billion years ago and to 2.8 billion years ago. This points to a long period of volcanic activity — at least 1.4 billion years — on the far side during the first half of the moon's history, when it was a more dynamic world than it is today. The moon, like Earth, formed about 4.5 billion years ago. Volcanism on the moon, Earth and other planetary bodies involves the eruption of molten rock from the mantle — the layer just under the outer crust — onto the surface. The landing site in the South Pole-Aitken Basin, an impact crater, is an area with the thinnest crust on the moon, helpful for finding evidence of volcanism.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. On a September evening, yoga mats share space with clothing and jewellery displays at Amala Earth’s store in Delhi. The conscious lifestyle marketplace hosts various events at its Vasant Vihar flagship, and the day’s fixture is a yin and sound bath session.

However, there are substantial challenges. Any structure on the Moon will face harsh conditions, including intense cosmic radiation, extreme temperature changes, and moonquakes. Transporting building materials from Earth to Moon is also very expensive. Scientists in Wuhan, China, believe that using lunar soil could be a solution. Researchers at Wuhan’s Huazhong University of Science and Technology have created prototype bricks from materials similar to lunar soil, such as basalt. These samples will be tested for their durability and performance in space. «It's mainly exposure,» said Professor Zhou Cheng. «To put it simply, we put (the material) in space and let it sit there… to see whether its durability, its performance will degrade under the extreme environment.»

Disney’s fourth-quarter adjusted profit beat Wall Street’s expectations, bolstered by strong results from its streaming service and box office success with “Inside Out 2” and “Deadpool & Wolverine.”

According to a research report by Jefferies, the combined market share of the two top automobile manufacturers--Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai--has slipped to a 12-year low in the first half of fiscal year 2025 (1HFY25). This shift highlights a dynamic change in consumer preferences and competitive positioning within the PV sector.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said Thursday he is nominating anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, putting him in charge of a massive agency that oversees everything from drug, vaccine and food safety to medical research and the social safety net programs Medicare and Medicaid.