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Sea Vigil exercise to check the preparedness of security forces began off the Goa coast on Wednesday, officials said. Conceived in 2018, the exercise was basically to derive the lessons and actions to be taken after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, Commodore Dushyant Purohit, Chief Staff Officer, naval officer in-charge of the Goa naval area, told reporters at Vasco (in South Goa). The first phase of the exercise was held from November 12 to 19.

Before it started, 56-year-old Kim Yun-suk fell asleep to the hum of insects and woke to the chirping of birds. Now, she is kept awake every night by what sounds like the soundtrack of a low-budget horror movie at top volume. «The peaceful sounds of nature… have now been drowned out,» Kim told AFP.

Raheja Developers on Wednesday moved before the appellate tribunal NCLAT to challenge the initiation of insolvency proceedings against the realty firm over default on non-delivery of its Gurugram-based Shilas project. On Tuesday, the Principal Bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) admitted a plea filed by over 40 of its flat allottees of Sector 109, Gurugram-based projects and directed to initiate a Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP). Moreover, the NCLT had also appointed an Interim Resolution Professional (IRP), suspending the board of the realty firm and putting it under the protection of moratorium against lenders, as per the provisions of the Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code. The NCLT has also directed the IRP to submit a report on the progress of the CIRP by January 22, 2025.

ReNew Energy Global Plc (ReNew) on Wednesday reported a 31 per cent rise in net profit to Rs 493.9 crore (USD 59 million) in the September 2024 quarter pushed by higher income. It posted a net profit of Rs 377.1 crore (USD 45 million) in the July-September period of preceding 2023-24 fiscal, the Nasdaq-listed entity said in a statement. ReNew's total income in the second quarter also rose to Rs 2,988.7 crore (USD 357 million) from Rs 2,863.2 crore (USD 342 million) during the same period last financial year.

Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said he has sought an appointment with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to discuss the «reduction» in loan amount to the state this year, from the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). The Chief Minister will be travelling to the national capital tonight. «There is a launch of Nandini products in Delhi, so I'm going. I have also sought appointment with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, because NABARD loan to the state this year has been reduced. Last year, Rs 5,600 crore was given, this year it is Rs 2,340 crore. It has been reduced by 58 per cent,» Siddaramaiah said. Speaking to reporters here, he noted that the NABARD comes under the Finance Ministry. «I will make a request to her.»

U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs. The closure comes as a precautionary measure, with embassy staff instructed to shelter in place. «Out of an abundance of caution, the embassy will be closed, and embassy employees are being instructed to shelter in place,» the department said.

Margi Systems, a US company founded by Shrinath and Shrikant Acharya. Margi created the first widely available Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) card that enabled full DVD playback on laptops. It is a standard for peripheral cards used in laptops. Users could connect this hardware, plug in a DVD and enjoy movies on their laptops with a Margi card. This was a disruption in the 1990s.

Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, was already listed under the «wanted» section on the FBI website in English. However, Indian authorities clarified that Yadav is not absconding—he was jailed for alleged robbery and is currently out on bail. The FBI's intensified interest in Yadav comes amidst rumors circulated by Pannun’s organization, Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), suggesting Yadav may be in Haryana or Punjab. Yadav is facing charges in a New York court for his alleged role in the Pannun murder-for-hire plot. The FBI has already arrested Nikhil Gupta, an Indian-origin man accused of working with an undercover officer and a DEA informant to orchestrate the killing.

The company will also be opening a second such flagship store in Bengaluru later this week, with plans to open 25 more such stores across the country by next year, chief business officer Sudhir Goel told ET. Goel said Acer is the first IT hardware company to open a store encompassing products across both IT and non-IT categories. “Let’s say when a family walks into the store for an experience of IT products, they can also see the variety of consumer electronics which are in high demand. That’s the concept behind the store in Ahmedabad. We will be opening a second one in Bengaluru on Friday,” Goel said.

ICRA. This moderation is attributed to challenges such as heavy monsoon rains and weaker corporate margins, which offset the positive effects of increased government capital expenditure and a strong kharif sowing season. Gross Value Added (GVA) is also expected to see a marginal dip, with growth estimated at 6.6% in Q2 FY2025, compared with 6.8% in Q1 FY2025. “Q2 FY2025 saw tailwinds in terms of a pick-up in capex after the Parliamentary Elections as well as healthy expansion in sowing of major kharif crops. However, sectors faced headwinds due to heavy rainfall and weak margins. We project a slight dip in India’s GVA and GDP growth in Q2 FY2025 to 6.6% and 6.5%, respectively,” Aditi Nayar, Chief Economist at ICRA, write in a note. Government capital expenditure showed a promising recovery in Q2 FY2025, rising by 10.3% YoY to ₹2.3 trillion, reversing the sharp 35% contraction witnessed in Q1 FY2025. This rebound was led by key infrastructure-focused ministries such as the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and the Ministry of Railways, which posted growth rates of 41.7% and 8.0%, respectively. However, the pace of state government spending remained muted, with the combined capital outlay and net lending of 22 states increasing by only 2.1% YoY in the quarter.

The anonymous plantiff said he attended the party with friends and consumed alcohol that had been provided to him by other individuals at the party, the lawsuit claimed. He now lives in Georgia. ALSO READ: Sean 'Diddy' Combs-Jennifer Lopez love story: The reason why the two never tied knot will shock you

Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole on Wednesday slammed the BJP for dragging him in its allegations of Bitcoins misappropriation to influence the state polls and said he would take the legal route to fight the «fake» charges against him. Talking to reporters after casting his vote in Bhandara district, Patole said he is a farmer and has nothing to do with Bitcoins. The BJP on Tuesday played purported voice notes of Patole and NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule to allege attempts to encash Bitcoins to influence the state assembly elections, claiming it poses a serious question on the conduct of polls in a free and fair manner. Sharing the audios in which the voices and signal chats purportedly belonging to the two opposition leaders stress the Bitcoin transactions for allegedly funding their poll campaign, BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said it is clear that the MVA has seen the writing on the wall that it is facing defeat in the polls.

Zomato is leading India's food delivery space with a market share of 58% in the first quarter of FY25, according to a report by Motilal Oswal. Recently-listed rival Swiggy lags with a 42% share. In the rapidly growing quick commerce space, Zomato-owned Blinkit commands a 46% market share, followed by Zepto at 29% and Swiggy Instamart at 25%, in Q1FY25. «Zomato has continued to gain market share from Swiggy from FY22 to 1QFY25, aided by its stronger execution. According to reported gross order value (GOV), Zomato’s market share grew from 54% in FY22 to 58% in 1QFY25,» the report said.

The ‘AI Collaboration Index’ report by Atlassian – a team collaboration and productivity software company – surveyed 5,000 knowledge workers across India, the US, Australia, Germany, and France. It outlines four stages of AI collaboration – from basic adoption as a simple tool (stage 1) to advanced usage as a strategic partner and decision-making advisor (stage 4). Even at the earliest stages of AI adoption, Indian knowledge workers are experiencing significant productivity gains. In India, those using AI as a simple tool (stage 1) report saving an average of 104 minutes per day, compared to the global average of around 45 minutes. This jumps to a whopping 127 minutes per day for strategic AI collaborators (stage 4), equivalent to more than an extra workday each week.

Supriya Sule and Nana Patole for their alleged involvement in using Bitcoins illegally to fund elections, and claimed their roles will surface during the probe. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra also targeted Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, and asked the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha to hold a press conference on the issue. In a press conference, Patra rejected the opposition's claim that the BJP was behind the «conspiracy» to target them amid the Maharashtra polls as he claimed that the suspected crypto currency fraud occurred years back and the opposition alliance used the money in previous elections as well. It appears that the money involved so far in this scam is Rs 235 crore, he claimed.

Putin is open to discussing a Ukraine ceasefire deal with Donald Trump but rules out making any major territorial concessions and insists Kyiv abandon ambitions to join NATO, five sources with knowledge of Kremlin thinking told Reuters. U.S. President-elect Trump, who has vowed to swiftly end the conflict, is returning to the White House at a time of Russian ascendancy. Moscow controls a chunk of Ukraine about the size of the American state of Virginia and is advancing at the fastest pace since the early days of the 2022 invasion. In the first detailed reporting of what President Putin would accept in any deal brokered by Trump, the five current and former Russian officials said the Kremlin could broadly agree to freeze the conflict along the front lines.

National Association of Realtors (NAR) India has partnered with Universal Consulting Opportunities (UCO), a subsidiary of Stellar MLS, to set up a National Multiple Listing Service (MLS). MLS aims to revolutionize Indian real estate by introducing a standardized and centralized property listing system. With India’s real estate market projected to reach $1 trillion by 2030, the introduction of MLS could significantly elevate industry standards and boost the economy, NAR said in a press statement adding that MLS will address the information gaps and reduce fraudulent practices to create a trustworthy ecosystem for property transactions.

Dynamic Midcap Strategy, we follow the GSM investment philosophy. ‘G’ stands for growth, ‘S’ stands for strategic value and ‘M’ stands for margin expansion,” says Mohit Khanna, Fund Manager at Purnartha. In an interview with ETMarkets, Khanna said: “In the Multi-asset, Purnartha One Strategy, we optimize risk by actively managing the asset allocation using a VMS framework – ‘V’ stands for valuations, ‘M’ stands for macro outlook and ‘S’ stands for sentiments.” Edited excerpts:

The martech sector is creating significant opportunities for mid-career professionals, too, particularly those with a strong understanding of marketing strategies and cutting-edge technologies, says Trupti Oak, Vice President-People Management and Talent Acquisition, LS Digital. Marketing automation specialists, data analysts and data scientists, customer experience managers, content strategists and SEO experts are some of such roles that are in high demand for mid-career professionals, she says. Sonali De Sarker, SVP-HR, Epsilon India, estimates the industry to surpass $215 billion by 2027. This growth has skyrocketed demand for skilled engineers. “The adtech and martech fields offer exciting opportunities for mid-career professionals seeking a harmonious blend of creativity and technology,” she says.

innovation hubs (CIHs) have an expanded portfolio of services today and India has an opportunity to capture a big share of this market, says Boston Consulting Group. CIHs are centres that provide access to high quality talent and advanced technology to help businesses grow by playing a prominent leadership role in formulating and driving business priorities across the enterprise. In its latest white paper, BCG says CIHs’ portfolio today includes front-end customer facing business operations and capabilities in emerging technology. Sreyssha George, Managing Director & Partner at BCG, says that global CIH spend is currently estimated at $265-290 billion and is expected to grow to $390-420 billion by 2027 (10% CAGR). “India is uniquely positioned to capture a 35-50% market, given its rich and scaled talent pool. Also, these hubs will bring significant innovation and talent upskilling to the Indian ecosystem,” she states.