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Elon Musk joined Google CEO Sundar Pichai on a call with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, according to The Information. Pichai called Trump to congratulate him on his victory over Kamala Harris in the recently concluded U.S. presidential election. While the conversation details remain unclear, Musk reportedly listened in as Pichai conveyed his message to Trump.

After the close of voting, several exit polls backed the BJP-led alliance to dominate, while two suggested that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition would go all the way. Some saw the BJP-led Mahayuti securing as high as 160 seats. Congress-led INDIA bloc is projected to get approximately 120 seats. The majority mark in the state is 145. In the 2019 Maharashtra assembly elections, BJP won 105 seats and its then ally Shiv Sena (undivided) 56. The NCP (undivided), which was part of the UPA, bagged 54 constituencies and Congress 44.

Swiss chocolate company Lindt & Sprüngli has found itself at the centre of a legal controversy in the United States. In 2023, a class action lawsuit was filed against the company, accusing it of misleading consumers about the quality of its products. The case stems from allegations that Lindt’s premium dark chocolate contains significant amounts of lead and cadmium, two heavy metals known to have harmful effects on health. The legal dispute began after a 2022 Consumer Reports study, which highlighted the presence of alarmingly high levels of lead and cadmium in Lindt’s Excellence Dark Chocolate 85% Cocoa and Excellence Dark Chocolate 70% Cocoa. The study, which examined several brands of dark chocolate, raised concerns about the long-term health effects of consuming chocolate with high metal levels. Lindt, however, was the focus of much of the backlash. In its defence, Lindt claimed that «lead and cadmium are unavoidable in the food supply» and insisted that the trace amounts in its products were well within regulatory limits. The company further argued that marketing terms like “expertly crafted” and “finest ingredients” were simply promotional language, or “puffery,” which should not be taken as literal guarantees. This legal strategy was intended to have the case dismissed, but it only sparked further criticism.

BEML on Thursday said it has secured an order worth Rs 246.78 crore from Central Coalfields Ltd (CCL) for the supply of rear dump trucks which are used in mining operations. As part of the order, BEML said it will supply 48 BH60M rear dump trucks, along with spares, and also provide after-sales service support. «BEML has secured a substantial order worth Rs 246.78 crore from Central Coalfields Limited (CCL),» it said. The trucks have been developed in-house with features like a 360-degree rear camera for comprehensive visibility and improved safety, an automatic fire suppression system for emergency preparedness, and an auto lube system to ensure seamless maintenance, BEML said in a statement.

Adani Group, helmed by billionaire Gautam Adani, bounced back from the attack by American short-seller Hindenburg Research, which had accused it of stock manipulation and fraud, the conglomerate has suffered a massive hit as prosecutors in the United States charged Gautam Adani with helping drive a $250 million bribery scheme. Stocks of Adani Group companies fell up to 20% on Thursday after Adani and seven others faced charges in the US. Prosecutors have alleged that the group bribed Indian officials to secure solar energy contracts. The US prosecutors have charged Adani and others because they allege the defendants concealed the plan to pay more than $250 million in bribes to Indian government officials to win solar energy contracts as they sought to raise money from US investors. The mega Adani deal that has landed in controversy

BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra on Thursday hit back at Rahul Gandhi after the Congress leader demanded a probe into allegations against Gautam Adani and SEBI chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch. Patra dismissed Gandhi’s statements, claiming they were a repetition of past tactics to level unfounded allegations against BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) on Thursday said it will set up two renewable energy plants at its vehicle manufacturing unit in Tamil Nadu as part of the company's move to transition to 100 per cent renewable electricity across manufacturing operations by 2025. The company has signed a power purchase and shareholder agreement with Fourth Partner Energy Ltd (FPEL) for the purpose of setting up of a 75 MW solar plant and a 43 MW wind power plant to cater to its renewable energy requirements, Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) said in a statement. These facilities will operate under a group captive mode with a special purpose vehicle (SPV) formed for engineering, procurement, construction, operations and maintenance. HMIL will hold 26 per cent and FPEL will hold 74 per cent equity stake in the project, it added. This long-term agreement will ensure a 25-year supply of renewable energy to HMIL, the company said.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday revealed its first list of candidates for the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections, expected to be held in early 2025. The list includes several former BJP and Congress leaders who recently joined AAP. Brahm Singh Tanwar, Anil Jha, and BB Tyagi from the BJP, along with Chaudhry Zubair Ahmad, Veer Dhingan, and Sumesh Shokeen from the Congress, have been given tickets for the elections.

In a shocking case of cybercrime, a 59-year-old senior executive at a Mumbai-based software company lost ₹6.29 crore to fraudsters impersonating CBI officials, ToI reported. The incident, recorded as the largest online fraud case by the Pune Cyber Police, unfolded between November 9 and November 14 at the victim’s residence in Pashan, Pune. Police revealed that the crooks kept the victim under «digital arrest» for five days, using the pretext of verifying alleged money laundering transactions linked to his mobile number. «The victim, who will retire from service in the next six months, was thoroughly disturbed when he approached us with a complaint,» said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Cyber) Vivek Masal. «We took him into confidence and counselled him into lodging a complaint and registered an FIR. A police team has been formed to analyse the audio-video calls between the crooks and the victim and details of the bank accounts where money was transferred to establish the money trail.»

Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea—continued to suffer major customer losses for the third month in a row in September, even as state-run BSNL continued its addition spree, following the mobile tariffs hikes by the private telcos in early July. As per data released by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) for the month of September, Jio lost 7.9 million wireless customers, followed by Vodafone Idea which saw a decline of 1.5 million wireless customers and Bharti Airtel lost 1.4 million wireless users. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL), was the only telco which added wireless customers in September as the state-run firm had not raised tariffs and is benefitting because users are shifting to the company. BSNL added 849,493 subscribers during the month. The three private telcos had raised mobile rates in the range of 11-25% in early July and these firms have been seeing their user base decline after that.

Gautam Adani charged in an alleged bribery and fraud case in the US, Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale on Thursday asked if the Narendra Modi-led government was involved in it. Gokhale said while markets were reacting to the news of the indictment, the government was «silent» on the issue. Adani has been charged by US prosecutors over his role in an alleged years-long scheme to pay USD 250 million bribe to Indian officials in exchange for favourable terms for solar power contracts. The BJP, reacting to Congress's attack on the issue, questioned the timing of the development, as it came just before the start of the Parliament session and Donald Trump's impending presidency. All the states mentioned in the indictment where government officials were paid bribes allegedly by the Adani Group were Opposition-ruled during that time, BJP's IT department head Amit Malviya said.

Also read: Google has kept a ‘lid’ on internal comms through concealment strategies amid antitrust fears, report saysThe company confirmed that the iQOO 13 will feature a Q10 LTPO AMOLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate and 2K resolution. The smartphone will come with a triple-camera setup consisting of a 50MP main camera with a Sony IMX 921 sensor, a 50MP Sony portrait sensor and a 50MP ultra-wide camera. On the front, it will feature a 32MP selfie camera.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. BENGALURU : Enterprise e-commerce unicorn Moglix has acquired Uttarakhand-based Khatema Fibres Ltd, a manufacturer of eco-friendly paper products, for approximately ₹80 crore, as part of its strategy to bolster its sustainable packaging portfolio and cement its leadership in the industrial procurement space. The deal, announced by Moglix founder and CEO Rahul Garg, adds a suite of specialty packaging products—including high-strength kraft paper, food-grade packaging solutions, and machine-glazed papers—to its offerings.

OneCell Diagnostics raised $16 million in an oversubscribed series A funding round led by Celesta Capital. Other participants in the funding round included Tenacity Ventures, Cedars Sinai, Eragon, and Singularity Ventures. The company, which has developed cutting-edge technology for precision oncology liquid biopsy diagnostics and is headquartered in India and Silicon Valley, said the funding will be used to advance its vision of democratising precision oncology through cancer diagnostic testing that is more accessible, actionable, and affordable.

Narendra Modi met with the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit, for a bilateral discussion in Georgetown, Guyana. The meeting, held during PM Modi's visit to Guyana, is part of India's ongoing engagement with Caribbean nations to strengthen ties and foster cooperation. India and the Commonwealth of Dominica have enjoyed traditionally cordial bilateral relations since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1981. While Dominica does not maintain a diplomatic mission in India, it is concurrently accredited to India's mission in Port of Spain.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The Indian Premier League (IPL) laid out a level playing field through player auctions from the very outset in 2008. Every team has a fixed purse, ensuring that the richest franchises cannot dominate the league simply by buying the best players.

Gautam Adani, the billionaire chair of Indian conglomerate Adani Group and one of the world's richest people, has been indicted in New York over his role in an alleged multibillion-dollar bribery and fraud scheme, U.S. prosecutors said on Wednesday. Authorities said Adani and seven other defendants, including his nephew Sagar Adani, agreed to pay about $265 million in bribes to Indian government officials to obtain solar energy supply contracts expected to yield $2 billion of profit over 20 years. According to an indictment, some conspirators referred privately to Gautam Adami with the code names «Numero uno» and «the big man,» while Sagar Adani allegedly used his cellphone to track specifics about the bribes. Prosecutors also said the Adanis and another executive at Adani Green Energy, Vneet Jaain, raised more than $3 billion in loans and bonds for that company by concealing the corruption from lenders and investors.

The exercise is directed at minimising the tax burden in the US, where there is a provision to lower FMV taking into consideration various parameters such as stocks issued at lower prices, legal experts said. Another large fintech, Razorpay, which has sought board approval to move its domicile to India, may see a similar 30-40% cut in fair market value, said a person close to the matter. The final number may differ as the math on the tax outgo will depend on calculations involving the delta between common and preferred stock and total fundraising over the years. Preferred stock or preference shares come with a number of benefits not available to holders of common stock.

Jungle Ventures. At $1.2 million, the median funding raised by these companies is three times the overall median of $0.4 million, it said. These founders are raising significantly more funds than those by first-time entrepreneurs, and their businesses are largely concentrated on the top-ten funded sectors, such as fintech, retail, enterprise and healthtech, said the report, titled ‘The First Cheque Report 2024’. «Despite whatever has happened as first-time founders, these people are coming back and starting a second startup. These second-time founders are still pursuing their ventures instead of going back to corporate jobs and are raising money,” Jungle Ventures founding partner Amit Anand said.

oil refinery and a petrochemical hub at Ramayapatnam in Nellore district that entails an investment of Rs 60,000 crore, fulfilling a promise made at the time of the state’s bifurcation in 2014 and giving chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu a boost. Bharat Petroleum Corp. Ltd (BPCL) will establish the refinery and hub on 1,000 acres of land, said people with knowledge of the matter. As first reported by ET on July 11, the state government had offered three locations to BPCL — Srikakulam, Machilipatnam and Ramayapatnam. After a meeting with the BPCL’s senior leadership in July, Naidu had ordered detailed feasibility studies for the three sites. A formal announcement is likely to be made by the end of the month, said the people cited above.

security checks, officials told ET. IGI Airport will build a separate, temporary enclosure for passengers stranded due to the take-off delays — expected in fog season this winter — as the Centre tweaks a key security-related rule to ease the pain of travellers and airlines. The proposed changes to the security protocol will allow the airlines to optimally use slots at India’s busiest aviation hub, saving critical time in a season when foul weather often drastically shortens effective operating hours.