MIT Professor Embarks On 44th Indian Scientific Expedition To Antarctica To Study Climate Change Impacts

Dr. Anish Kumar Warrier, a Professor of Geology and the Coordinator of the Centre for Climate Studies at MIT's Department of Civil Engineering, is set to embark on a groundbreaking scientific journey as part of the 44th Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica. Dr. Warrier, alongside an international team of scientists, will head to East Antarctica in October 2024 for a critical research project nicknamed STAPLES (Spatio-Temporal Investigations of Polar Lacustrine Systems).

The eight-member team, comprising experts from India, Japan, and Belgium, will conduct a joint field campaign to investigate the region’s climate history. Their primary focus will be collecting sediment cores from lakes in East Antarctica, which hold valuable information about the Earth's past climate, ice-sheet fluctuations, and historical sea levels. By analyzing these sediment samples, the researchers aim to unlock crucial insights into how ice sheets have behaved over time and how sea levels have responded to natural climate variability.

The data gathered during this expedition will deepen our understanding of the past and provide critical input for climate models that predict future sea-level changes. As climate change accelerates, these predictions will help global policymakers and scientists make informed decisions to address its consequences.

This will mark Dr. Warrier’s fifth expedition to Antarctica, underlining his extensive experience and commitment to polar research. The expedition is financially supported by the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), an institution under India’s Ministry of Earth Sciences.

Commenting on this remarkable achievement, Commander (Dr) Anil Rana, Director of Manipal Institute of Technology, said, "Dr. Warrier’s participation in such a prestigious and critical international scientific endeavor is a testament to his expertise and dedication. His work in Antarctica will enhance our understanding of climate change and elevate MIT's global standing as a leader in scientific research. We are incredibly proud of his contributions and wish him and the team great success in their mission."

Given the importance of predicting the future impacts of climate change, this mission represents a significant step toward understanding and mitigating the global effects of rising sea levels.

Fossil Strengthens Retail Presence In South India With New Bengaluru Store At Phoenix Mall Of Asia

~The New Fossil Store in Phoenix Mall Of Asia marks the 25th Exclusive Retail Outlet in India and 7th in the city, Encouraging Brand Accessibility and Customer Experience

Strengthening its presence in India, Fossil, a global leader in lifestyle accessories, proudly announces the opening of its latest retail store at Phoenix Mall of Asia, Bengaluru. This marks the 7th Fossil retail store in the city further consolidating the brand’s presence in Bengaluru. This new location also represents a significant step in Fossil’s commitment to bringing its premium brand experience closer to customers across key markets.

"Bengaluru's vibrant retail landscape and fashion-conscious consumers make it an ideal location for our newest store," said Johnson Varghese, Managing Director of Fossil India. He further added, "The appetite for cutting-edge fashion and timeless style among Bengaluru's consumers has driven us to expand further. We’re excited to launch our 7th store in this dynamic city at Phoenix Mall of Asia. With this, we are not only offering a curated space for customers to explore our latest collections but also reinforcing our commitment to delivering a premium, personalized shopping experience. We’re thrilled to continue our growth journey in India, and this new store is a key milestone in enhancing our brand’s accessibility and presence across the country”.

The new store will feature Fossil's statement timepieces, such as watches, handbags, and accessories, all designed to give a unique and enhanced shopping experience. Being the  25th exclusive store in India, this expansion reflects Fossil’s commitment to bringing timeless craftsmanship closer to the customers while creating immersive shopping experiences that resonate with India's discerning consumers.

As Fossil India continues its expansion, each store opening reinforces the brand's commitment to exceptional craftsmanship and innovative design.  The new location at Phoenix Mall of Asia provides customers with a premium shopping destination where they can explore and experience the latest collections in an engaging environment.

About Fossil:

FOSSIL

Fossil is a leading global lifestyle accessories brand inspired by creativity and ingenuity, dedicated to connecting people to what matters most: time. Fossil takes pride in creating timeless and exceptionally crafted watches, leather goods and jewelry—designed to accompany you on every journey life presents. As a trailblazer in the industry, Fossil brings innovation and style to its accessories, while also working diligently to Make Time For Good™, a platform created to enact positive change for the brand’s people and communities.

MAHE FAIMER International Institute Launches 10th Batch: Empowering Leaders In Health Professions Education

The MAHE FAIMER International Institute for Leadership in Interprofessional Education (M-FIILIPE) has officially launched its 10th batch, marking a significant milestone in shaping the future of healthcare professionals. This program is dedicated to empowering leaders and innovators through a strong emphasis on interprofessional education (IPE), which is essential for transforming healthcare practices and educational methodologies.

In his keynote address, Dr. P Giridhar Kini, Registrar, MAHE the chief guest, underscored the critical need for collaborative interprofessional research across the fellows’ organizations. He encouraged participants to engage in positive leadership and leverage MAHE’s research vertical for both personal and professional growth.

Prof. John HV Gilbert, Professor Emeritus from British Columbia and the Dr. TMA Pai Endowment Chair in Interprofessional Education of M-FIILIPE, praised the regional institute as one of the most unique FAIMER Regional Institutes globally. He highlighted the impressive outcomes of previous fellows, who have produced influential research papers with significant policy implications for sustainability in healthcare.

Dr. Elsa Sanatombi Devi, Director of M-FIILIPE, emphasized the vertical growth of fellows and the establishment of various centers aligned with Competency-Based Medical Education across India. "Our fellows are our pride, and their aspirations are vital for the future of healthcare quality," she stated, noting the participation of 24 fellows from 11 states and 2 countries who are committed to making a positive impact.

Dr. Tatiyana Mandal expressed gratitude to the administrative officials and global leaders in IPE, motivating the fellows with her insights and experiences. FAIMER faculty from various Regional Institutes contributed to the event by discussing innovative approaches to interprofessional education. As the 10th batch of fellows embarks on this transformative journey, M-FIILIPE continues to pave the way for a collaborative and effective healthcare system.

Zoho Corporation To Leverage NVIDIA NeMo To Build LLMs

Zoho Corporation, a global technology company headquartered in Chennai, announced today that it will be leveraging the NVIDIA AI accelerated computing platform - which includes NVIDIA NeMo, part of NVIDIA AI Enterprise software – to build and deploy its large language models (LLMs) in its SaaS applications. Once the LLMs are built and deployed, they will be available to Zoho Corporation's 700,000+ customers across ManageEngine and Zoho.com globally. Over the past year, the company has invested more than USD 10 million in NVIDIA's AI technology and GPUs, and plans to invest an additional USD 10 million in the coming year. The announcement was made during NVIDIA AI Summit in Mumbai.

Ramprakash Ramamoorthy, Director of AI at Zoho Corporation, commented, "Many  LLMs on the market today are designed for consumer use, offering limited value for businesses. At Zoho, our mission is to develop LLMs tailored specifically for a wide range of business use cases. Owning our entire tech stack, with products spanning various business functions, allows us to integrate the essential element that makes AI truly effective: context.”

Zoho prioritises user privacy from the outset to create models that are compliant with privacy regulations from the ground up, rather than retrofitting them later. Its goal is to help businesses realize ROI swiftly and effectively by leveraging the full stack of NVIDIA AI software and accelerated computing to increase throughput and reduce latency.

Zoho has been building its own AI technology for over a decade and adding it contextually to its wide portfolio of over 100 products across its ManageEngine and Zoho divisions. Its approach to AI is multi-modal, geared towards deriving contextual intelligence that can help users make business decisions. The company is building narrow, small and medium language models, which are distinct from LLMs. This provides options for using different size models in order to provide better results across a variety of use cases. Relying on multiple models also means that businesses that do not have a large amount of data can still benefit from AI. Privacy is also a core tenet in Zoho's AI strategy, and its LLM models will not be trained on customer data.

“The ability to choose from a range of AI model sizes empowers businesses to tailor their AI solutions precisely to their needs, balancing performance with cost-effectiveness,” said Vishal Dhupar, Managing Director, Asia South at NVIDIA. “With NVIDIA’s AI software and accelerated computing platform, Zoho is building a broad range of models to help serve the diverse needs of its business customers.”

Through this collaboration, Zoho will be accelerating its LLMs on the NVIDIA accelerated computing platform with NVIDIA Hopper  GPUs, using the NVIDIA NeMo end-to-end platform for developing custom generative AI—including LLMs, multimodal, vision, and speech AI. Additionally, Zoho is testing NVIDIA TensorRT-LLM to optimize its LLMs for deployment, and has already seen a 60% increase in throughput and 35% reduction in latency compared with a previously used open-source framework. The company is also accelerating other workloads like speech-to-text on NVIDIA accelerated computing infrastructure.

About Zoho Corporation

Zoho Corporation is a privately-held, profitable technology company. Founded in 1996, it is headquartered in Chennai, India. Zoho Corp. has more than 15,000 employees globally. It is the parent company of prominent technology brands including ManageEngine, Zoho, TrainerCentral, Qntrl, and Zakya.

Turkish Technic Provides Redelivery Check For IndiGo’s Airbus A320neo

Turkish Technic, a leading provider of maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services, and IndiGo, India’s largest airline, have signed an agreement covering the Redelivery Checks of 7 Airbus A320neos.

Under this agreement, Turkish Technic will provide Redelivery Check services for Airbus A320neo aircraft at Turkish Technic facilities in ?stanbul Atatürk Airport as well as Sabiha Gökçen Airport, with the first aircraft arriving in October 2024.

Regarding the agreement, Mikail Akbulut, CEO and Board Member of Turkish Technic, said: ‘‘We are pleased to further expand our partnership with IndiGo. This agreement stands as a testament to our technical expertise in aircraft services. With years of experience under our belt, we are fully equipped to ensure the smooth and timely redelivery of IndiGo’s Airbus A320neo aircraft, contributing to their continued operational success. We look forward to strengthening our collaboration and exploring new opportunities with IndiGo.”

Commenting on the continuation of the partnership, Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, COO of IndiGo said: "We are committed to ensuring the highest standards of safety and efficiency through our partnership with Turkish Technic. This agreement for the Redelivery Checks of our Airbus A320neo underlines our trust in Turkish Technic's expertise and capabilities. This collaboration will support the seamless redelivery process, ensuring our aircraft are maintained to the highest global standards."

Operating as a one-stop MRO company with high-quality support, competitive turnaround times, and comprehensive in-house capabilities at its state-of-the-art hangars, Turkish Technic provides maintenance, repair, overhaul, engineering, modification, tailor-made component supply and reconfiguration to many domestic and international customers at five locations.

About Turkish Technic

Turkish Technic (IATP: TKT), an association of Turkish Airlines group companies (Istanbul Stock Exchange: THYAO), is one of the world’s leading aviation services providers, where comprehensive maintenance, repair, overhaul, modification, and reconfiguration services are performed with a highly qualified workforce of 11.350 staff within Istanbul Ataturk Airport, Sabiha Gokcen Airport and Istanbul Airport facilities on two separate continents. Aside from its engineering and maintenance activities, Turkish Technic supports aircraft operators and owners globally with encompassing component pooling, design, certification, and production services. For more information: visit our website or connect with us on Facebook, X, Youtube, Linkedin, and Instagram.

About IndiGo

IndiGo is amongst the fastest-growing low-cost carriers in the world. IndiGo has a simple philosophy: offer fares that are affordable, flights that are on time, and provide a courteous and hassle-free travel experience across its unparalleled network. With its fleet of 370+ aircraft, the airline is operating around 2100 daily flights and connecting 85+ domestic destinations and 30+ international destinations. India by IndiGo! For more information, please visit http://www.goindigo.in/ or download our mobile app. You can also connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Uber Auto And Moto Expected To Drive INR 36,000 Crores In Economic Activity In 2024: Report

-      Rides with Uber generated INR 80,000 crores in consumer surplus* for riders in Bengaluru

-      Rides with Uber created INR 130,000 crores in consumer surplus for riders in Delhi

-      As per estimates, Uber saves worker over 40 million hours a year

Uber, India’s leading ridehailing apps, has released its 2024 India Economic Impact Report, compiled by Public First. The report highlights Uber’s significant contribution to transform the on-demand economy in India. After more than a decade in India, Uber continues to evolve, offering a variety of services tailored to diverse travel needs, from local rides to intercity journeys and bus travel.

With the increasing popularity of two and three wheeler transport in facilitating last mile connectivity, Uber Moto and Uber Auto have become essential services in India. In 2024, these services supported an estimated INR 36,000 crores in economic activity, highlighting Uber's significant role in the country's transportation landscape. These services not only provide convenient options for commuters but also contribute to the overall growth of the economy by connecting people to jobs and opportunities.

The report takes a deeper look at the factors driving the economic contribution of Uber in India:

Key findings:

Supporting a wider economic footprint

*       Earning Opportunities:  In total, in 2024, we estimate that driver-partners earn an additional 60% a year in higher income through Uber, relative to their next best alternative type of work.

*       Uber Auto and Moto Expected to Drive INR 36,000 Crores in Economic Activity in 2024

*       Local Exploration: 70% of riders find it easier to explore new restaurants and bars, expanding their local experiences

Expanding opportunity 

*      Higher Earnings: Uber is estimated to boost drivers’ earnings by about 24% compared to working without a platform

*      Increased Opportunity: 65% of Uber drivers believe to have more opportunities thanks to the platform

Safety & Improving Access

*      Women’s Safety: 95% of female riders cite safety as their top reason for using Uber. 84% of female riders believe that taking an Uber is the safest way to get home

*      Transforming Urban Mobility: Uber has transformed urban mobility, with 84% of Indians stating that the app has improved quality of transportation in India

Congestion and Pollution

*      Delhi: A significant 74% of Delhi riders express a preference for electric vehicles, with 56% willing to choose an EV option even at a higher cost

*      Bengaluru: 93% of riders in Bengaluru consider time savings a key reason for using Uber, while 80% believe the service has improved travel speed

Commenting on the report, Prabhjeet Singh, President, Uber India and South Asia, said: “We are committed to transforming the mobility landscape in India while driving economic growth. Our 2024 Economic Impact report highlights our role in supporting drivers, improving the travel experience of riders, and promoting sustainable options. We are proud to have made a significant contribution to India’s economy, showing our commitment to connecting communities and creating livelihoods.”

*One of the most important measures of economic welfare – the amount you would pay someone to voluntarily give up a good or service. If a good has a zero consumer surplus, that implies we can take or leave it – whereas goods with a high consumer surplus are playing an important role in our lives.

About Uber

Uber came to India in 2013 with a simple promise: press a button, get a ride. 10 years and over 3 billion trips later, we continue to build products to help people get where they need to be. Today, Uber is available across 125 cities in India and has become #IndiaKiRide where people can go where they have to on Moto, Auto, Cars and even Buses - designed for their various intracity and intercity travel needs. With just a swipe on the app we make mobility seamless for millions and support over 1 million Indians make a sustainable income by getting in the driver's seat. We continue to reimagine the way the world moves for the better in ever expanding ways and as we mark our ten-year milestone - we remain committed to keep India Moving Forward.

Tata Motors Inaugurates ‘Customer Care Mahotsav’, A Nationwide Engagement Program For Commercial Vehicle Customers

* Pan-India program will be hosted from 23rd October to 24th December, 2024

* Aims to offer enhanced after-sales experience, including vehicle check-ups, value-added services and driver training for the entire range of commercial vehicles

Tata Motors, India’s largest commercial vehicle manufacturer, announced the launch of its Customer Care Mahotsav 2024, a comprehensive customer engagement program for commercial vehicle customers till 24th December, 2024. The unique and value adding programme will be held at over 2500 authorised service outlets across the country, bringing together fleet owners and drivers for insightful discussions. Through the Mahotsav, customers can avail a range of benefits, including thorough vehicle check-ups conducted by trained technicians, and access to value-added services. Additionally, drivers will receive extensive training on safe and fuel-efficient driving practices, along with tailored offerings under its Sampoorna Seva 2.0 initiative.

Launching the Customer Care Mahotsav 2024 edition, Mr. Girish Wagh, Executive Director, Tata Motors highlighted, “We are excited to bring back the Customer Care Mahotsav this year, starting 23rd October. The day holds a special significance for us as we sold our first commercial vehicle in 1954, we now celebrate it as the Customer Care Day. This Mahotsav reflects our commitment to deliver the best-in-class service, through meticulous vehicle check-ups and by offering a wide range of benefits. By ensuring that the Mahotsav delights our customers at every touchpoint across the country, we aim to strengthen our relationships across all our stakeholders. We cordially invite all our customers to their nearest Tata authorized service centres, and I am confident that this initiative will add significant value to their businesses.”

Tata Motors’ widest commercial vehicle portfolio is complemented by a host of value-added services designed for comprehensive vehicle lifecycle management through its Sampoorna Seva 2.0 initiative. This all-inclusive solution begins with the vehicle purchase and supports every operational aspect throughout its lifecycle, including breakdown assistance, guaranteed turnaround times, annual maintenance contracts (AMC), and convenient access to genuine spare parts. Additionally, Tata Motors leverages Fleet Edge, its connected vehicle platform for optimal fleet management, enabling operators to maximize vehicle uptime and minimize total cost of ownership.

About Tata Motors

Part of the USD 165 billion Tata group, Tata Motors Limited (BSE: 500570 and 570001; NSE: TATAMOTORS and TATAMTRDVR), a USD 44 billion organization, is a leading global automobile manufacturer of cars, utility vehicles, pick-ups,  trucks, and buses, offering an extensive range of integrated, smart, and e-mobility solutions. With ‘Connecting Aspirations’ at the core of its brand promise, Tata Motors is India’s market leader in commercial vehicles and ranks among the top three in the passenger vehicles market.

Tata Motors strives to bring new products that captivate the imagination of GenNext customers, fuelled by state-of-the-art design and R&D centres located in India, the UK, the US, Italy, and South Korea. By focusing on engineering and tech- enabled automotive solutions catering to the future of mobility, the company’s innovation efforts are focused on developing pioneering technologies that are both sustainable and suited to the evolving market and customer aspirations. The company is pioneering India's Electric Vehicle (EV) transition and driving the shift towards sustainable mobility solutions by developing a tailored product strategy, leveraging the synergy between Group companies and playing an active role in liaising with the Government of India in developing the policy framework.

With operations in India, UK, South Korea, Thailand and Indonesia, Tata Motors markets its vehicles in Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and the SAARC countries. As of March 31, 2024, Tata Motors’ operations include 90 consolidated subsidiaries, two joint operations, five joint ventures, and numerous equity-accounted associates, including their subsidiaries, over which the company exercises significant influence.