Grocery startup Zepto said on Friday it has raised $200 million in fresh funding at a valuation of $1.4 billion, making it the first startup in the country to cross the billion-dollar valuation mark in nearly a year.

Zepto said it raised the funds “in the midst of the deepest downturn in capital markets in over a decade” from U.S-based investment firms StepStone Group and Goodwater Capital. Existing backers including Nexus Venture Partners, Glade Brook Capital and Lachy Groom also participated in the deal.

The Indian 50m pistol women’s team containing Tiyana, Sakshi Suryavanshi and Kirandeep Kaur bagged the gold medal at the ISSF World Championships 2023 in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Friday.

The Indian trio shot a composite score of 1573-6x to finish on the top of the podium. China finished second with a score of 1567-9x while Mongolia bagged the bronze with a combined score of 1566-3x.

IT major Infosys has onboarded tennis player Iga Świątek as global brand ambassador, to promote Infosys’ digital innovation, in a multi-year partnership.

Infosys will work closely with Świątek’s team to build an advanced data analytics andtechnolog video dashboard by leveraging AI to amplify her training and help rapidly evolve her strengths and match strategy through continuous learning.

The report stressed on the need to conserve the most critically threatened species in the country: Jerdon’s Courser, Great Indian Bustard, & others.

Of the 338 bird species studied in India for changes in numbers over the last 30 years, 60 per cent have experienced a decline, says a new report based on data from about 30,000 birdwatchers across the country.

Also, 40 percent (142) of the 359 species evaluated for change over the last seven years have declined, according to the report titled "State of India's Birds".

The Nagarnar Steel Plant yesterday, achieved the feat of producing its final product of HR (Hot Rolled) Coil, 9 days after the production of Hot Metal. This feat by NMDC is nothing less than astounding, considering that the mining major doesn’t have prior experience of steel making.

“NMDC joins the coveted league of Indian steel makers. This is the fulfillment of a dream that the local community of Bastar had long looked forward to.”, Sh. Amitava Mukherjee, Chairman-Cum-Managing Director of NMDC, mentioned. Industry veterans remarked that it is a rare feat to commission three critical units in the hot zone - Blast Furnace, Steel Melting Shop and the Mills (Thin Slab Caster – Hot Strip Mill) in such a short period of time.

With the help of modern technology, even the visually impaired can now try their hand at sports of shooting. Germany has developed a device for the visually impaired. This device has been brought to India for the first time and given to the visually impaired in Pune. In shooting, the target is identified and aimed through binoculars. The same technique has been developed by these devices, one part of this device is in the rifle and the other part is on the headphones placed on the ear.

This device will do the work of target sighting for visually impaired shooters. This shooting game consists of ten targets in a circle. The device sends a signal to the visually impaired when they come close to the main circle. Accordingly, the player has to aim with guesswork and practice. Blind shooters have to acquire skills like how to handle the rifle, how to load bullets in it and how to operate it. Para Shooting National Coach Akash Kumbhar informed that next year Pune District Para Shooting Association will get another device. This device will now allow blind athletes to participate in yet another world-class sport; there is no doubt that this will brighten up their sports career.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred with 'The Grand Cross of the Order of Honour' award by Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou on Friday. This is the second-highest civilian honour in Greece.

The citation of the honour awarded to PM Modi states, “In the person of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, an honour is bestowed upon the friendly people of India.”

It further says, “On the occasion of this visit, the Greek State Honours the Prime Minister of India, a statesman who has tirelessly promoted the global reach of his country and who works systematically for India’s economic progress and prosperity, bringing about bold reforms. A statesman who has brought environmental protection and climate change among the top priorities of international activity.”

The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu released a postage stamp in memory of Dadi Prakashmani, former chief of Brahma Kumaris at Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre today (August 25, 2023). This stamp was released under the ‘My Stamp’ initiative of the Department of Posts, Ministry of Communications to mark the 16th death anniversary of Dadi Prakashmani.

Speaking on the occasion, the President said that Dadi Prakashmani spread the Indian values and culture in India and abroad through spirituality. Under her leadership, the Brahma Kumaris became the largest women-led spiritual organization in the world. Like a true leader, she stood by Brahma Kumaris family with faith and courage even in challenging circumstances and always guided them.

Meta Platforms on Thursday said it would release an artificial intelligence (AI) model designed to assist in writing computer code, furthering its push into the new technology.

Code Llama, which will be available for free, can write code based on human text prompts and can also be used for code completion and debugging, the social media giant said in a blog post.

MEERUT Kozma Minin Nizhny Novgorod State Pedagogical University of Russia will establish its study centre in Chaudhary Charan Singh University (CCSU) here next month.

CCS University’s vice chancellor Prof Sangeeta Shukla and Minin University’s Dr Petr Chuprikov signed the MoU in this regard on Wednesday.

Prof Rakesh Soni, director for International cooperation in CCS University, said that the centre was expected to be inaugurated in the first week of September. “The date has not been decided yet but preparations are going on “, he said, describing it a landmark achievement of the university. He shared the study centre would teach Russian language and culture free to 250 students in a period of six months. “Further modalities of the course would be decided thereafter,” he said.