Venture capital flows into Indian startups gathered pace in the first week of October, with total funding rising to $418 million across 22 deals from $382 million in the prior week. The uptick underscores continued investor appetite for selective, growth-oriented bets even as the market remains disciplined, with enterprise AI emerging as a key theme through companies such as Softdel.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has told venture capital investors that the state will match private contributions to a new deeptech investment pool, in a bid to accelerate high-value startup formation. The proposed Rs 500 crore fund, being developed with PanIIT, aims to support 25 Andhra Pradesh startups by 2030 and signal the state’s intent to compete for frontier technology capital.
Political leaders across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana paid tribute to acclaimed filmmaker Singeetham Srinivasa Rao, whose work reshaped Indian popular cinema through inventive storytelling and technical experimentation. They recalled landmark films such as Pushpaka Vimanam and Aditya 369, while actor Nandamuri Balakrishna described his death as a great loss for Indian cinema.
India’s primary market is set for a comparatively subdued week after a September fundraising burst of about Rs 39,000 crore, but the calendar still shows 29 listings as issuers continue to tap improved investor appetite. The pace reflects a market that has regained confidence since August, helped by stronger listing gains, steady liquidity and a recovery in demand after a muted start to FY27.
A proposed new secretariat project in Pattinapakkam has sparked resistance from eight fishing villages, with residents warning that the development could disrupt livelihoods, access routes and the coastal ecology they depend on. The protest has sharpened an already sensitive debate over how urban expansion is being pursued along Chennai’s shoreline, where fishing communities say they are being asked to absorb the costs of state-led infrastructure planning.
India’s ethanol programme has moved from policy experiment to industrial reality, but the next phase will depend on building a market large and diverse enough to absorb rising supply. The challenge now is not merely meeting blending targets, but creating durable demand across fuel, industrial and allied uses while preserving fiscal discipline and farm incomes.
India’s new UPI merchant fee framework could translate into an effective cost of about 47.2 basis points for merchants once GST is added, according to the structure announced for person-to-merchant transactions above Rs 2,000. The levy, which takes effect on October 15, applies only to merchants, while consumers will continue to pay nothing for UPI payments.
HDFC Bank has appointed Anup Bagchi as managing director and chief executive officer, effective October 27, 2026, subject to regulatory and shareholder approvals. The Reserve Bank of India has cleared the appointment, and Bagchi will also join the board as an additional director. His return to banking after a three-year stint at ICICI Prudential Life Insurance comes at a pivotal moment for India’s largest private lender.
Vellore’s wholesale market, founded in 1868, has expanded from about 200 shops to more than 700 permanent outlets and 300 temporary stalls, becoming one of the city’s most enduring commercial ecosystems. Even as trade has intensified and the market has grown busier, older businesses continue to survive, preserving a rare continuity between the town’s trading past and its present-day economy.
The English-Telugu film 'Impure' uses the familiar language of adolescence to stage a sharper argument about class, gender and self-invention. Framed around two female cousins and their shared male friend, the film plays like a Jane Austen-inspired social comedy that gradually reveals its more pointed satirical edge.
Indian wrestler Aman Sehrawat delivered a composed, tactically disciplined performance to defeat a tricky Han opponent and claim gold at the Asian Games 2026. The 23-year-old, who had previously won bronze at the Hangzhou Asian Games, converted promise into podium-topping success with a display that underlined both maturity and competitive control.
India’s media and entertainment sector is likely to see improved growth in Q3FY27, supported by stronger festive spending and a richer content pipeline, according to Nuvama. The brokerage said the timing of Diwali, falling later in the quarter, should aid advertising demand and consumer engagement across television, digital and cinema-linked formats.
After a 10-year gap, Chennai indie-rock quartet The F16s have returned with a new album, 'All Dogs Go To Heaven,' a record that reflects both personal reinvention and a more assured creative instinct. The band says the project captures the realities of growing older, working independently, and trusting a stripped-down artistic vision that even extends to a striking, naked album cover.
The Kerala government is set to begin discussions on establishing an academy dedicated to calligraphy, in a move aimed at creating a formal centre for learning and preserving the discipline’s cultural integrity. The proposed institution would focus on training, documentation and the protection of calligraphy as an art form with deep historical and aesthetic value.
Jio Financial Services and German insurer Allianz have cumulatively invested ₹640.1 crore in their general insurance joint venture, underscoring a fresh push to build scale in India’s underpenetrated non-life market. The capital infusion signals that both partners are moving from strategic alignment to operational execution in a sector where distribution reach, underwriting discipline and digital efficiency will be decisive.
Italian football manager Carlo Ancelotti said he hopes the occasion will be “an entertaining night for everyone,” while also endorsing India’s ambition to host a future World Cup. His remarks add weight to India’s growing football aspirations at a time when the country is seeking greater global recognition in the sport.
Chainsmoker Cat arrives as a deliriously unsanitary comic fever dream, built around a chain-smoking catgirl and a gallery of damaged oddballs. Yet beneath the filth, the series lands as a sharply observed, unexpectedly humane work that turns excess into insight and absurdity into craft.
A vast majority of G20 countries have declined to back the United States' position on excess industrial capacity and forced labour in supply chains, underscoring deep divisions over trade, industrial policy and labour standards. Only Mexico and Argentina joined the U.S. statement on forced labour, highlighting the limits of Washington's effort to build a broader coalition.
Bitchat, the messaging app built by Jack Dorsey, has been removed from Apple’s India App Store after a government demand, according to Dorsey. The move revives scrutiny around the app in India, where it had already drawn official attention in July, and raises fresh questions about platform compliance and digital governance.
Axis Bank is preparing to significantly expand its lending to India’s data centre sector, with exposure projected to double from Rs 8,688 crore over the next three years, according to the latest market context. The move reflects a broader banking shift toward financing the infrastructure underpinning artificial intelligence, cloud computing and digital services, even as lenders weigh concentration risk, long project tenors and execution challenges.
Reserve Bank of India Deputy Governor Shirish Chandra Murmu has said the introduction of a merchant discount rate on UPI payments above Rs 2,000 from October 15 should not be assumed to push consumers back toward cash. He argued that India’s payments landscape shows a more complex pattern, with digital transactions expanding even as cash in circulation also rises.
A fund associated with the late investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala has acquired a stake in Tourism Finance Corporation of India, drawing market attention to the lender’s improving business outlook and the broader revival in tourism-linked credit demand. In an interview with CNBC-TV18, TFCI Managing Director Satpal Arora said the company is seeing a healthier operating environment and remains focused on disciplined growth.
Banks are expected to put additional liquidity from FCNR(B) deposits to work in the coming months as festive-season borrowing demand strengthens, Reserve Bank Deputy Governor Rohit Jain said. He added that the central bank will not direct lenders toward specific sectors, leaving deployment decisions to banks based on the quality of credit proposals and prevailing demand across the economy.
Storage in India’s key reservoirs improved marginally this week, offering some relief to water managers and power planners, but levels remain below both last year’s position and the long-period average. The cautionary backdrop is a forecast of below-normal rainfall this month, which could limit replenishment and keep pressure on irrigation, drinking water supply and hydropower generation.
At Artiform in Mylapore, a group exhibition is turning ordinary materials into vehicles for recollection, loss and lived experience. Featuring Kannan P, Mani Murugesan, Ramki Ravi, Ramesh N, Surya S and Yogeshwaran V, the show examines how wood, metal, graphite and paper can carry personal and collective memory beyond the frame of conventional art-making.
Tensions at Aligarh Muslim University intensified on Tuesday as protesting students blocked all four entry gates during an agitation demanding long-delayed students' union elections. The university proctor said an 'outsider' was detained from a hostel, underscoring the administration's concerns over security and the widening scope of the unrest.
The Election Commission of India will conduct a special enrolment drive in Villupuram to bring left-out voters into the electoral roll, according to District Election Officer and Collector Sheik Abdul Rahman. The initiative comes with a procedural clarification: the Declaration Form attached to Form 6 will be used only during the Special Summary Revision phase, while other periods will follow the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.
A consortium of lenders led by the State Bank of India has said that businessman Vijay Mallya still owes Rs 8,752 crore, even after recoveries of more than Rs 10,270 crore through repayments and asset monetisation. The disclosure intensifies scrutiny of Mallya’s repeated claims that his bank debts have been settled, while court proceedings and criminal cases tied to the long-running default continue.
The Supreme Court has refused to grant an interim stay on the government’s new merchant discount rate policy that introduces a 0.4% charge on certain UPI transactions above ₹2,000, allowing the measure to remain on track for an October 15 rollout. The court, however, has issued notices to the Centre, the Reserve Bank of India, the National Payments Corporation of India and other respondents after a public interest litigation challenged the legality of the levy.
Michael Showalter’s adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel arrives with the trappings of a glossy psychological thriller, but the result is closer to an unintended parody than a dark, erotic drama. Despite star power from Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson, the film is weighed down by tonal confusion, overcooked dialogue and a premise that never fully commits to its own menace.
Google’s latest Pixel launch has renewed scrutiny over the privacy cost of increasingly capable consumer AI. As assistants become more predictive and personalized, the line between convenience and surveillance is drawing sharper attention from users, regulators, and investors alike.
Kannada indie musicians Ashwin Mandoth and Vivek Kiran will release their new song 'Neenillade' on October 6, positioning the track as a contemplative work about the absences that shape human life. The release adds to the growing visibility of regional independent music in India, where artists are increasingly using digital platforms to reach audiences beyond traditional film and mainstream channels.
Visa used its booth at #GFF26 to present a forward-looking view of how trusted commerce and digital payments are evolving across mobility, retail, and connected consumer experiences. The display underscored how payment infrastructure is becoming more embedded, secure, and seamless as India’s digital economy expands into new use cases.
India all-rounder Naman Dhir has framed his approach in the third ODI against the West Indies as a matter of discipline rather than invention, after a difficult high-scoring contest in Guwahati. Although he has not yet had an opportunity to bat in the first two matches, his six-over spell in the previous game offered a useful glimpse of his role in India’s broader tactical setup.
Srikanth Odela’s The Paradise arrives with scale, ambition and a striking physical transformation from Nani, but the film struggles to translate those assets into emotional force. The result is a visually assertive yet narratively thin epic that never fully establishes its characters, conflict or stakes.
Neeraj secured the individual recurve bronze medal at the Asian Games 2026 after prevailing in a tense bronze-medal playoff marked by narrow margins and sustained pressure. He posted scores of 29-26, 27-28, 28-29, 30-28 and 29-28 to seal the podium finish in a contest that demanded precision under fatigue and scrutiny.
Traders have sharply reduced expectations for another Federal Reserve rate hike later this year after a weaker-than-expected US jobs report signaled a cooling labor market. The economy added just 29,000 jobs last month, far below forecasts, while the unemployment rate rose to 4.2%, reinforcing the view that policymakers may have less room to tighten further even as inflation remains a concern.
A dry-weather shift linked to El Niño is drawing the long-tailed shrike, locally known as Kasai Pitta, into sharper view across the scrub lands of Rayalaseema. Birdwatchers and field observers report sightings along the Penna River belt and the fringes of the Erramala and Palakonda ranges in Nandyal and Kadapa, underscoring how climate variability is reshaping local wildlife visibility and seasonal movement patterns.
Axis Bank is preparing to substantially expand its financing to India’s data centre sector, with exposure expected to double from about Rs 8,688 crore over the next three years. The move reflects a broader shift in bank lending as artificial intelligence, cloud computing and digital infrastructure create a new class of capital-intensive borrowers.
The expansion comes as the government supports data centre growth through enabling policy measures, but the sector still carries execution, power and concentration risks that lenders will need to manage carefully.
The head of Japan’s Olympic movement has acknowledged serious logistical shortcomings at the Asian Games, including cramped accommodation and transport disruptions after a cost-cutting decision to abandon the traditional Athletes’ Village. But he insisted the criticism captures only part of the picture, arguing that the event still delivered sporting value and operational lessons that should not be ignored.
The southwest monsoon is expected to begin withdrawing from parts of Rajasthan over the next three to four days, signalling the seasonal transition toward drier weather across the state. Most districts in eastern Rajasthan are likely to remain mainly dry for the next five to six days, limiting the chance of widespread rainfall even as the monsoon persists in other pockets.
Anup Bagchi, a long-serving ICICI Group executive with deep experience across retail and wholesale banking, is set to join HDFC Bank as managing director after receiving Reserve Bank of India approval. His appointment marks a significant leadership transition at India’s largest private lender, where continuity, execution and deposit mobilisation remain central priorities.
HSBC Holdings Plc is preparing a sharper expansion in India, planning to increase its branch network by 35% over the next two years as it targets affluent clients and higher-value banking relationships. The lender is positioning India as a key growth market, with ambitions to rank among the country’s top private banks by 2030 through wealth management and transaction banking.
Drone maker ideaForge Technology has received a GST demand and penalty order totalling ₹109.2 crore, according to the company, over alleged underpayment of tax. The notice adds fresh regulatory pressure on one of India’s best-known drone startups at a time when the sector is still balancing rapid growth, government-linked demand, and tighter compliance scrutiny.
The National Human Rights Commission has sought a police inquiry into allegations that minors were used during a protest linked to the Citizens for Justice and Peace in Mumbai. It has asked Mumbai Police to examine the role of organisers and submit an action taken report within a week, while also directing X Corp. to preserve digital evidence relevant to the complaint.
Singeetham Srinivasa Rao, one of Indian cinema’s most inventive and genre-defying filmmakers, is being remembered for a career that repeatedly expanded the language of mainstream film across languages and formats. From a silent film experiment in the 1980s to the Telugu musical 'Sing Geetham' this year, Rao’s work left a durable imprint on generations of directors who saw in him a model of fearless formal innovation.
Anthropic PBC is expected to begin marketing its initial public offering around November 9, with a trading debut potentially arriving before Thanksgiving on November 26, according to people familiar with the matter. The move would place one of the most closely watched artificial intelligence companies on the public markets even as the broader new-listings pipeline has faced delays and investor caution remains elevated.
‘Chainsmoker Cat’ arrives as a deliriously strange series built around a chain-smoking catgirl, a gallery of damaged oddballs and a relentless stream of humiliations, accidents and bad decisions. Yet beneath the shock-value premise lies a sharply observed, unexpectedly humane work that turns chaos into one of the year’s most accomplished and original television experiences.
Tributes have poured in from across Indian cinema following the death of veteran filmmaker Singeetham Srinivasa Rao, whose work reshaped the language of popular Indian film across generations and industries. Kamal Haasan, S.S. Rajamouli, Jr NTR, Mahesh Babu and other leading figures remembered him as a singular creative force whose imagination, technical daring and storytelling range left an enduring mark on the medium.
Elysium delivered a decisive performance to claim the feature event, underlining its current form and composure on a day when execution mattered more than reputation. The result adds another notable chapter to the India sports calendar, with the winner showing the sharper edge when the contest tightened.
