🎉 Hubballi preps for Ganesha festival grand finale

Hubballi is getting ready for the grand finale of the Ganesha festival this Friday, with authorities making big arrangements for the immersion processions. Civic and police bodies are managing crowd control and security across the region for the event. Traffic diversions will be active from 1 p.m. on Friday until 1 a.m. on Saturday. Various parking spots have been identified, and specific roads are strictly banned for parking. The celebrations are expected to attract thousands of people across the region. 🥳

🚀 Skyroot in talks for $280M investment

Skyroot is currently being valued between $2.8 and $3 billion. Fidelity is reportedly set to invest $170-190 million, alongside General Catalyst's $70-80 million and Benchmark's $20-30 million. This significant funding round is noted as the first bet from Valley VCs in India. The talks were reported on September 24, 2026. This capital injection is set to fuel Skyroot's next phase of growth and operations. 🚀

🛡️ YouTube CEO skips Meta's child safety deal

YouTube CEO Neal Mohan has officially rejected joining Meta's multistate child safety settlement. This decision comes after Meta agreed to a deal worth up to $18 billion, which targets restrictions on teen use of Facebook and Instagram. The settlement required comparable measures from YouTube and TikTok, contingent on meeting specific conditions. Mohan argued that YouTube already has years of work done to keep young people safe on their platform. Consequently, this puts YouTube in opposition to Meta's push for industry-wide safety standards. 🛡️

🏭 Centre promises anti-dumping duty on Chinese titanium dioxide

The Union government has assured that anti-dumping duty will be imposed on Chinese titanium dioxide imports. This assurance came after MP N.K. Premachandran met with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Revenue Secretary Arvind Srivastava in New Delhi. DGTR initially found things on February 12, 2025, and issued fresh findings on August 3, 2026. The low-priced imports are hurting Kerala's domestic producers like KMML and TTPL, threatening 3,000 jobs. The government must swiftly implement the duty to protect local industry. 🏭

💊 Ex-CM Channi tackles Punjab's drug and crime issues

Former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi addressed the persistent drug crisis and gangsterism in the state. He spoke about the difficulties facing Punjab's youth and the necessity for stricter action against organized crime. Channi called for better coordination between the Centre and Punjab, alongside improved police accountability. He emphasized that education, jobs, and opportunities are crucial parts of the solution. The discussion outlined the path forward for combating addiction and crime in the region.

🤖 Gemini 3.8 upgrades text-to-speech audio tech

Google introduced new text-to-speech models, Gemini 3.8 TTS and Gemini 3.8 Flash-Lite TTS, on September 23. These models are now the tech giant's most advanced audio generation tools. The new features let creators make high-quality, expressive audio for various media types. While similar tech exists from vendors like ElevenLabs, Google is boosting its in-house AI audio quality. This allows enterprises to gain more choice and realism for their specific use cases. 🤖

🧀 FSSAI aims to ban 'paneer' name for non-milk products

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has proposed a ban on using the term "paneer" for analogue products made without milk-derived ingredients. This move comes after several states recently cracked down on the manufacture and sale of these non-dairy substitutes. The draft amendment regulations, 2026, were notified on September 22, 2026, and seeks to prohibit the sale of such products under specific conditions. The goal is to prevent consumers from being misled about the true composition of the food they are purchasing. FSSAI is now accepting public suggestions for 60 days before finalizing these regulatory changes. 🧀

🔪 Kanpur millionaire's son arrested in father's murder case

A pharmaceutical trader, Vineet Manocha, was stabbed to death in Kanpur on September 5. His son, Subrat Manocha, was subsequently arrested and sent to judicial custody on Thursday. The murder was allegedly planned due to the father's affairs and fear of property transfer. Subrat reportedly accumulated debts over Rs 40 lakh through gambling. Police are investigating the full conspiracy, which involved alleged contract killers. 🔪

🏛️ BJP changes Karnataka leadership ahead of 2028 polls

The Bharatiya Janata Party appointed new in-charge leaders for its Karnataka unit to gear up for the 2028 Assembly elections. Party National General Secretary Harish Dvivedhi, formerly in charge for Assam, takes over as the in-charge. He replaces Dr. Radhamohan Das Agarwal, with Dr. Kasam Venkanteshwaralu appointed as co-in-charge. Separately, a Congress member demanded a special session to discuss the caste census report. Upa Lokayukta B. Veerappa also inspected cleanliness and wages at the Chikkodi bus stand on September 24.

💰 Paramount needs $7.5B more for Warner Bros. deal

Paramount Skydance announced it is launching a syndication to raise $7.5 billion via new term loans. This funding is earmarked for the $111 billion Warner Bros. Discovery merger and for paying down existing debt. Paramount now plans to secure roughly $44.4 billion in extra secured debt overall. The merger is nearing completion after settling an antitrust lawsuit with 12 state attorneys general. The deal is expected to close in about two weeks, pending a judge's approval.

🤢 Fly in ₹500 Starbucks drink sparks outrage

A woman named Shikha discovered a dead fly floating in her Starbucks drink, which cost her approximately ₹500. This incident occurred at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, leading her to appeal to Tukaram Mundhe regarding food safety. The discovery gained massive traction on social media platforms and quickly prompted a formal response from the US-based coffee chain. Starbucks India subsequently apologized to Shikha and requested her contact information via direct message. The company reportedly operates 500 cafes across India through its joint venture with Tata Consumer Products. 😬