Stories from earlier this week and beyond.
Uttar Pradesh announced an interim minimum wage revision effective April 1, 2026, for unskilled, semi-skilled, and skilled workers. Noida and Ghaziabad workers get the highest increase of 21%, while other districts are slated for near 15% and 9.21% hikes depending on category. The government also clarified that a proposed Rs 20,000 statewide minimum wage is untrue.
FedEx says it has completed India’s first intra-city drone delivery flight trials in Bengaluru with IIT-Madras under its SMART Centre framework. The tests show transit time could fall from a 60-minute road trip to about 21 minutes, using a 39-42 km aerial route. The results point to faster last-mile logistics in cities.
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Spain and Portugal are reporting a jump in summer flight and hotel bookings as travelers reroute away from conflict-affected parts of the Middle East. Industry groups have nudged growth forecasts upward, expecting stronger revenues, with Spain leading the demand shift. Still, higher fuel costs and broader travel pullbacks—plus uncertainty around the Strait of Hormuz—could blunt the gains.
A new study finds India’s future workforce demand is converging on AI, cybersecurity, digital and data skills, with companies increasingly favoring certifications over degrees. To close widening talent gaps, employers are raising learning budgets and adopting diversity-led, inclusive skilling programs designed to match rapidly evolving industry needs.
The Association of Indian Entrepreneurs has warned that an LPG shortage could trigger job losses across the MSME sector. It has urged both the central and state governments to step in urgently, asking for direct LPG supply support and a temporary reduction in fuel duties to ease operating costs and prevent business disruptions.
KPMG says it will cut about 10% of its US audit partners, impacting over 100 people, after a multi-year push to encourage early retirements saw weak uptake. The firm insists the decision is not tied to performance reviews and says layoffs aim to align partner numbers with the current size of its audit business. Packages and job-search support will be offered.
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The Centre has proposed a new Sugarcane (Control) Order 2026, replacing the 1966 framework, and is seeking public comments by May 20. While it retains core obligations like FRR and payment deadlines, the draft adds ethanol-focused conversion formulae, digital compliance requirements, and a formal approval process for new factories.
Infosys has signed tennis sensation Carlos Alcaraz as its global brand ambassador in a multi-year deal. The partnership will use Infosys Topaz, an AI-first platform, to deliver advanced match analytics and personalized performance applications designed to help refine Alcaraz’s game. The collaboration also points to shared goals around precision, continuous improvement, and social impact initiatives.
Indian companies are planning to hire more mid-level professionals, with salary hikes expected to stay moderate between 5% and 10% for 2026–27. While budgets tighten, firms also face persistent attrition risks, especially among mid-senior employees. The move suggests employers want experienced growth without escalating pay and retention costs.
Razorpay is reportedly preparing a confidential IPO filing, but investors may scrutinize whether its growth is sustainable and how quickly it can reach profitability. The startup, previously valued at $7.5 billion, could face valuation pressure, with estimates pointing to roughly $5 billion. The move also comes after Walmart-backed PhonePe paused its $1.3 billion IPO due to geopolitical concerns.
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Japan’s Nikkei closed at a record high, extending a third straight weekly gain. Investors were buoyed by upbeat technology sector earnings, which helped absorb lingering uncertainty tied to possible developments in the Middle East. Despite concerns about a potential peace deal, risk appetite stayed focused on corporate results and growth signals.
An AWS cloud network outage left streaming, messaging, and even some banking services offline for hours on Monday. Reports said customers experienced disruptions across multiple popular platforms, while banks such as Lloyd’s were also impacted and traced the issue back to Amazon Web Services. The incident highlights how deeply everyday online life relies on a single cloud infrastructure provider.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says he has reviewed pay for all 42,000 employees, emphasizing a people-first operating philosophy. In his account, he repeatedly increased operating expenses (OpEx) because caring for employees drives the rest of the results. The remarks spotlight how compensation and spending priorities are linked to company performance.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has introduced updated rules for BSF Assistant Commandant (Official Language) posts. The key change raises the maximum age limit for deputation to 60 years, while educational qualifications and experience requirements remain unchanged. The move is designed to broaden the pool of experienced applicants and help fill vacancies in the BSF’s official language cadre.
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Official data cited by ET shows apprentice registrations under the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) hit a record 3.06 million in FY’26, up from 2.05 million in FY’25—an increase of 49.3%. The rise is attributed to reforms introduced in 2025-26, including higher NAPS stipends and decriminalizing minor offences to make participation easier.
Fourteen years after Airtel acquired Zain Telecom’s African assets, Sunil Mittal’s review of Airtel Africa’s journey is back in focus. The Prime piece asks whether the long-term bet has delivered the right outcomes for users, markets, and shareholders across multiple countries—highlighting how far the telecom operator has come since the landmark deal.
The Northern Region of the Airports Authority of India handles around 30% of India’s air passenger traffic, but winter fog remains a persistent operational threat, disrupting flight schedules. The AAI says multiple airport infrastructure projects are underway across northern India. Alongside expansion, the authority is also pursuing environmental targets, including carbon neutrality by 2030.
Lovable, the app-building platform, has apologized after some public projects exposed chat data. The company says it wasn’t a data breach, but a combination of unclear product design and a technical mistake that let chat history appear publicly when projects were set to public. It has since changed default settings to private and claims the issue is fixed.
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More than 100 Indian companies are participating in Singapore’s FHA fair, betting that the city-state can lift India’s currently small 2.6% share of Singapore’s food and beverage imports. Organizers say success in Singapore could open doors across ASEAN, turning the trade hub into a springboard for wider regional expansion.
The Trump administration has defended a court challenge over its move to blacklist Anthropic, maker of the Claude AI assistant. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly labeled the company a national security supply-chain risk after Anthropic declined to remove guardrails tied to preventing use in autonomous weapons or domestic surveillance.
The RBI appears set to make its first monetary policy stance shift since April 2022, signaling a potential change in how it steers interest rates. While the exact direction will be confirmed in the upcoming policy decisions, market expectations are already reacting to the central bank’s latest signals about inflation control and growth support.
With India’s IPO boom fueling a “happy harvest” for PE and VC, a Supreme Court stance is casting a shadow over how offshore investors structure funds into the country. Stakeholders fear renewed scrutiny of complex cross-border arrangements, and the court has signaled that simply producing tax-haven residency certificates won’t automatically justify tax treatment.
Paramount Skydance chief David Ellison is directly reassuring cinema owners that the company will keep a minimum slate of 30 films annually if regulators clear its proposed $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery. By taking the case to theater operators, Ellison is aiming to reduce concerns about fewer releases and protect box-office demand as the deal faces regulatory scrutiny.
Table Space has expanded its managed office portfolio in Maharashtra by adding 425,000 sq ft across Pune and Navi Mumbai. The move strengthens its regional presence to 2.6 million sq ft, with Pune sites in Wakad, Yerwada and Koregaon Park. The expansion is tied to rising GCC demand fueling demand for turnkey office space.
A decade after Anna Kitex group backed its political project Twenty20 in Kerala, the party is reportedly losing steam. The experiment that initially drew attention for its corporate sponsorship is now at a crossroads, raising questions about leadership, grassroots traction, and whether the strategy can translate into durable political influence.
India Inc is grappling with rising attrition as employee expectations climb and AI adoption stays cautious. While pay remains the biggest driver of churn, workers increasingly view AI as essential for career growth—yet worry about surveillance. Companies are responding with human–AI collaboration and rapid upskilling, anticipating structural workforce shifts across roles.
From April 1, new PAN application rules under the Income-tax Act 2025 take effect. Category-specific PAN forms will replace the earlier Aadhaar-only option, and mandatory PAN quoting expands for high-value transactions like large cash deposits and property deals. Taxpayers may also need extra documents when applying, making compliance more important than ever.
Bamboo producers and sector players are pushing a climate-focused shift for India’s construction and real-estate industry. Their argument: bamboo can replace high-carbon materials, helping reduce emissions while supporting a pathway beyond net zero. If adopted at scale, bamboo may turn a low-cost renewable resource into a practical decarbonization lever for the built environment.
EPFO has announced a major change for EPF withdrawals and tax reporting: Forms 15G and 15H are being replaced by one unified Form 121 starting April 1, 2026. The update comes under the new Income-tax Act, 2025, and EPFO says it clarifies which members need to file the new form.
Hathway Cable and Datacom has named Gurjeev Singh Kapoor as its new CEO, taking over from Tavinderjit Singh Panesar, who is set to retire after a long tenure. Kapoor brings experience from India’s media and entertainment sector as the company navigates intensifying competition from digital services reshaping the cable industry.
American Express plans to acquire Hyper, an AI expense management startup co-backed by Sam Altman, to deepen automation for business customers. The deal underscores how financial firms are embedding AI directly into everyday tools. Hyper’s AI agents can handle expense management, submit reports, and monitor spending against budgets, potentially speeding up workflows and tightening control.
US Senator Elizabeth Warren has flagged concerns over Nvidia’s planned acquisition of SchedMD, warning it could give the company major control over software used by US government supercomputers. Warren wants details on how much federal systems depend on Nvidia-linked technology, saying the deal may raise national security risks and reshape competition in high-performance computing.
KG-98/2, once celebrated after a 2002 Reliance Industries gas discovery, has spent years falling short of expectations and getting tangled in controversies. Now ONGC is pushing to revive the field’s promise, aiming to regain momentum after long delays. The long-awaited ignition marks a potential turning point in India’s domestic energy narrative.
TSMC plans to open its first advanced chip packaging plant in an existing Arizona facility, with an executive pointing to 2029. The move targets advanced packaging techniques that join multiple components into modern AI chips. TSMC said it is seeking permits to start construction but has not specified when output will begin, raising expectations for supply relief.
A Nashik court denied interim protection to Nida Khan, accused in an alleged religious conversion and sexual harassment case tied to the Tata Consultancy Services Nashik office. The court deferred the hearing on her anticipatory bail plea to April 27, leaving her without immediate legal cover while the case proceeds.
NASA has released fresh Earth images captured by Artemis II astronauts while en route to the Moon. Shot from inside the Orion capsule, the photographs reveal vivid planetary colours and even a striking green aurora. Coming as the mission targets returning humans to the lunar surface, the images provide a rare, firsthand perspective on Earth’s beauty from deep space.
Sun Pharmaceutical has won a trademark dispute in Bombay High Court, which barred Meghmani Lifesciences from using the drug mark “Esiraft.” The court accepted Sun’s claim that Meghmani’s “Esiraft” is visually and phonetically similar to Sun’s “Raciraft,” creating a strong likelihood of consumer confusion and amounting to infringement and passing off.
Tamil Nadu’s assembly elections recorded an 85% voter turnout, up 9% from the 2011 high of 78%. Officials say the sharp rise reflects stronger political engagement among voters and a desire to shape governance. The polls also featured a high-stakes contest between major political coalitions and a rising new contender.
Bret Taylor’s AI customer service startup Sierra has acquired YC-backed French company Fragment. The deal signals Sierra’s push to expand the capabilities of its customer support agents by bringing Fragment’s AI technology in-house. Details of the acquisition were shared by Sierra, underscoring continued consolidation in AI tooling aimed at improving service speed and quality.
JioHotstar has launched “Conversational Voice Discovery,” letting users talk about their mood or the genre they want and getting tailored show and movie suggestions powered by ChatGPT. The feature is designed to cut down endless scrolling and indecision, with multilingual support included. However, it can struggle with highly specific requests and broader context gaps.
As crude prices whipsawed amid West Asia tensions, India’s retail fuel rates stayed largely unchanged, unlike other countries and even private retailers. The divergence casts doubt on the credibility of “market-linked” pricing, and renews calls to decontrol oil prices while replacing broad cross-subsidies with targeted DBTs for needy households.
IIT Roorkee has announced that JEE Advanced 2026 will be held on Sunday, May 17, 2026. The exam will be conducted in computer based test (CBT) format and will include two mandatory papers covering Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics. The test is designed to evaluate candidates’ conceptual understanding and problem-solving skills for IIT admissions.
Allcargo Group has appointed Punit Misra as President, Chairman Office & Chief Business Officer. With around three decades of experience across media, entertainment, and FMCG, Misra will partner closely with Founder and Chairman Shashi Kiran Shetty to strengthen institution-building and push long-term business sustainability.
Thailand has warned travelers to avoid fake websites offering the Digital Arrival Card, which is mandatory for foreign visitors but completely free. Scammers are reportedly charging fees and using unofficial forms that can expose personal data. Travelers should register only through official Thai immigration channels at least three days before departure to prevent delays at immigration counters.
In a sharp message, the RBI argued that weak growth can’t be blamed on monetary policy alone. It pointed to its decision to avoid cutting rates by 35 bps or more, signaling that liquidity availability is not the binding constraint on growth. The stance seeks to limit the idea that more monetary easing would automatically translate into stronger economic performance.
Asia’s key rice export hubs are seeing limited activity as freight costs climb sharply following conflict in the Middle East. Traders say buyers are holding back until shipping rates ease, keeping prices muted. Still, Bangladesh’s domestic market remains firm ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr, with aromatic rice demand picking up despite the broader export slowdown.
The “ethanol man of India” argues the country’s energy future won’t be driven by EVs, but by flex-fuel vehicles. Praj Industries, long seen as the go-to ethanol player, spent nearly three decades fighting to gain ground. Its turnaround is being pitched as a roadmap for other companies trying to scale in India’s flex-fuel ecosystem.
The Delhi High Court has reserved its decision after taking time on SpiceJet’s review petition filed by the airline and its head, Ajay Singh. They want to challenge an earlier ruling that ordered a Rs 144 crore deposit in their dispute involving Kalanithi Maran and Kal Airways. The case is now awaiting the court’s next call.
Digital lending firm Kreditbee has raised $280 million and crossed into unicorn territory with a $1.5 billion valuation. The company says this is its final private round ahead of a planned public listing, but it is still awaiting regulatory approval for its IPO. Kreditbee is also expanding offerings and investing in new technology as it prepares for market scrutiny.
West Bengal Board of Primary Education has released TET 2023 results for Class 1 to 5 teacher recruitment. Out of 2.73 lakh candidates who appeared for the exam held in December 2023, fewer than 7,000 qualified—just 2.47 percent. With 13,421 posts up for filling, the board has decided to investigate why the qualification rate was so low.
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