India

12 Jul

Disney explores strategic options for Star India, Hotstar businesses

Priyanka BhowmickBusiness, IndiaBusiness, india

Walt Disney is exploring various strategic options for its Star India business, including a joint venture or potential sale, according to sources familiar with the topic cited by The Wall Street Journal. The company has engaged in discussions with at least one bank to identify growth opportunities for its India business and share some of the associated costs. Although the talks are still at an early stage, it is not yet clear what specific options Disney may pursue for its Indian operations. The conglomerate's India business includes the popular Disney+ Hotstar streaming service and Star India, which came under Disney…

12 Jul

Google Doodle celebrates ‘Pani Puri’ with unique game

Priyanka BhowmickBusiness, IndiaBusiness, india

Call it 'Golgappa', 'Pani Puri' or 'Puchka', this delicious snack is one of India's favorite street foods, loved by all age groups. And today, Google is celebrating its favorite street food with a special interactive doodle game. Google chose this day to celebrate snacks, as on July 12, 2015, a restaurant in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, achieved the world record for serving the most flavored panipuri offering 51 options. Eight years later, Google is celebrating an extraordinary record and giving users the opportunity to play interactive games. Google wrote,'' Today's interactive game Doodle celebrates pani puri — a popular South Asian…

11 Jul

Anupam Kher will portray Rabindranath Tagore in his 538th film

Priyanka BhowmickEntertainment, IndiaEntertainment, india

Renowned Indian actor Anupam Kher has announced that he will be portraying the iconic poet, philosopher, and essayist Rabindranath Tagore in his 538th film. The news was shared by Kher on his Instagram, where he posted a photo of his first look as the revered poet. In the striking black-and-white image, Anupam is seen in an outfit reminiscent of Rabindranath Tagore's signature style. Sporting white hair and a long beard, he gave a serious expression as he looked down at the floor.The post is accompanied by an instrumental rendition of Tagore's famous song "Sakhi, Bhabona Kahare Bole" playing in the…

11 Jul

CarTrade buys OLX India’s Auto Business in India for Rs 537 Crore

Priyanka BhowmickBusiness, IndiaBusiness, india

CarTrade Tech Ltd has announced the acquisition of Sobek Auto India Pvt., a company owned by the auto sales division of OLX India, in a deal worth Rs 537 crore. CartTrade will buy 100% of Sobek's shares and is making the purchase "to provide synergistic benefits to CartTrade Tech's existing businesses," it said in an exchange filing on Monday. The transaction will be a pure cash agreement and the acquisition is likely to be completed within 30 days. According to the exchange filing, OLX India Pvt. also sold its classified internet business to Sobek on June 30. Prasas-owned OLX made…

10 Jul

Oswaal Books announces Jitendra Kumar as brand face for two years

Priyanka BhowmickBusiness, BUSINESS, IndiaBusiness, Entertainment, india

The two-year partnership between Oswal Books and Jitendra Kumar aims to inspire and empower students by making education an engaging and enjoyable journey. Jeetu Bhaiya's association with Oswaal Books will further strengthen the brand's commitment to providing high-quality educational resources to meet the growing needs of students. Talking about the collaboration, Naresh Jain, MD, Oswal Books, said, "We are delighted to welcome Jitendra Kumar as the brand ambassador of Oswaal Books. Jitendra's versatility, authenticity and deep connection with the youth are perfectly aligned with us. Vision to transform the way students perceive and approach their educational journey. Through this association,…

10 Jul

Indian-origin 14 business owners arrested in $53 Million COVID-19 relief fraud case

Priyanka BhowmickCovid19, Health, IndiaBusiness, Health, india

A group of around 14 people, including several business owners and employees of Indian origin, have been charged in a massive fraud scheme involving a COVID-19 pandemic relief program in the US state of Texas. The case, considered the largest investigation to date by the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) Fraud Task Force, has led to the arrest of defendants across Texas, California and Oklahoma. The defendants are alleged to have defrauded the proceeds of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), a financial program introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as more than $53 million in loans to various financial…

08 Jul

Indian Oil to raise Rs 22,000 crore via rights issue

Priyanka BhowmickBUSINESS, Business, IndiaBusiness, india

Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) will raise 22,000 crore rupees ($2.66 billion) through a share rights issue, the state-owned refiner said on Friday. Last month, Reuters reported that the Indian government had started planning to finance energy transfer projects at three major state refineries "IOC, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) in exchange for equity." IOC, the country's apex regulator, did not specify which projects the newly raised funds would target. It said it would provide more details on rights, including pricing and timing, after board approval. Last week, BPCL said it would raise $2.19 billion…

08 Jul

Sara Ali Khan named first brand ambassador of Zouk

Priyanka BhowmickBusiness, BUSINESS, Entertainment, IndiaBusiness, Entertainment, india

Zouk, a 100% vegetarian lifestyle brand dedicated to bringing India-inspired designs into modern use, is thrilled to announce Sara Ali Khan as their first brand ambassador and their first brand film. She followed a very Indian but modern approach in her real and reel life and was perfect for the brand in this gesture. The news came after Zouk entered the offline store in Mumbai. "Sarah's energy, authenticity and passion for fashion make her a perfect fit for our brand. We believe that Sarah's impact and dedication to living will inspire our customers to adopt a traditional yet functional lifestyle…

07 Jul

Twitter threatens to sue Threads

Priyanka BhowmickBusiness, IndiaBusiness, india

In a letter sent by Twitter lawyer Alex Spiro to Facebook's parent CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Twitter threatened to sue Meta Platform over its new Threads platform. Meta, which launched Threads on Wednesday and has more than 30 million signups, wants to take advantage of Elon Musk's Twitter and Instagram's billions of users. Spiro, in his letter, accused Meta of hiring former Twitter employees who "had and continue to access Twitter's trade secrets and other highly confidential information," news website Semafour first reported. “Twitter intends to strictly enforce its intellectual property rights, and demands that Meta take immediate steps to stop…

07 Jul

Motorola makes Kriti Sanon its new brand ambassador

Priyanka BhowmickBusiness, IndiaBusiness, Entertainment, india

Smartphone brand Motorola has signed actress Kriti Shannon as its brand ambassador. The company said he was brought on board to announce its 'Motorola Razer 40 Ultra' and 'Razor 40' products. Shannon will appear in two television commercials. To kick off their collaboration with Kriti Sanon, Motorola worked on two television commercials (TVCs), focusing on the 'Flip the Script' offering for the newly launched range. The campaign showcases Kriti Sanon teaming up with Motorola to explore the many possibilities of the latest Motorola razr phone while showcasing its flip side. Speaking about the partnership, Shivam Ranjan, Marketing Head, APAC, Motorola,…