Super Typhoon Fung-Wong forces evacuation of nearly 1M Filipinos as 230km/h winds near. Zero deaths so far; helplines, timeline, Kalmaegi toll inside.
Marks & Spencer’s April 2025 ransomware hack by Scattered Spider obliterated online ops for 46 days, triggering a 40% collapse in fashion/home e-sales and slashing H1 adjusted pre-tax profits 55.4% to £184.1M ($240M). Statutory profits plunged 99% to £3.4M amid £300M lost revenue, only partly offset by £100M insurance. Stores pivoted heroically (footfall +10%), food sales rose 7.8%, and six new outlets opened. By November 2025, shares hold at £3.82, H2 profits are guided “at least in line,” and full recovery is eyed by March 2026. Balance sheet stays solid—net assets £5.2B (+2.5%), net funds £176.1M, liquidity £1.6B—fueling IT in-housing and £600M cost cuts. M&S proves resilient but warns: one breach can undo years of gains.
Singapore is charging into India’s green energy surge, with $174.9B cumulative FDI and $34.3B bilateral trade fueling the rush. Targeting India’s 500 GW renewable goal by 2030, firms like SP Group and Sembcorp are scaling solar (Rajasthan’s 2.2 GW Bhadla Park), green hydrogen (Odisha’s ₹20,700 crore NTPC-Avaada hub), and semiconductors (Tata’s Gujarat fab). Recent MoUs from PM Wong’s 2025 visit and CEPSI 2025 unlock district cooling, EV charging, and 1.5M-ton hydrogen flows. SEAS’s 300+ members drive JVs, while YTC Ventures offers Singapore investors de-risked entry into solar, ammonia, and chip plays—mirroring GIC’s 33% YTD gains. Risks? Minimal. Rewards? A $250B pipeline by 2030. India’s sun + Singapore’s tech = Asia’s net-zero engine.
Microsoft’s Windows Phone dominated India’s budget segment in 2013–14, with the ₹6,999 Lumia 520 outselling iPhones 10:1. Yet by 2016, sales crashed from 7.8M units to under 500K. The global app gap (Snapchat, Instagram absent) hit India harder—no Paytm, Ola, or Jio apps at launch. Strategy failed by ignoring local languages, e-com (Flipkart), and carrier bundles; implementation botched supply (3–6 month stockouts) and marketing (global ads dubbed in Hindi). The killer blow? Jio’s 2016 VoLTE launch—Windows Phone lacked support, dropping calls and users overnight. Microsoft never localized or subsidized data like Android One. Result: a 9.2% market share in 2013 evaporated to <0.5% by 2016. India proved ecosystem > hardware; cheap Lumias couldn’t save a dying OS.
Britain’s economy teeters on the brink, haunted by the 1947 loss of India and the empire’s collapse. Decolonization stripped away cheap resources and captive markets, leaving a bankrupt nation to fund a welfare state on borrowed time. From Attlee’s nationalizations to Starmer’s tax hikes, prime ministers have compounded the damage—stifling productivity, inflating debt, and widening inequality. Brexit delivered a 4–6% GDP scar; London’s billionaires thrive while workers scrape by. Blue-collar trades average £35,500 annually in the capital, white-collar £41,000—both crushed by £1,800 rents. The sterling area, Suez fiasco, and Big Bang deregulation all trace back to imperial retreat. The UK is no longer a global power but a middleweight mired in managed decline. Without bold reform, irrelevance beckons.
Subedar Preeti Rajak, 23, from Itarsi, Madhya Pradesh, has made history as the first woman to be promoted to Subedar in the Indian Army. Enlisting in 2022 as a Havildar in the Corps of Military Police, she earned an out-of-turn promotion on Republic Day 2024 for her stellar trap shooting achievements, including a silver medal at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou. Daughter of a dry cleaner and a social worker, Preeti began shooting at age 13 under coach Indrajeet Singh Chouhan at the Madhya Pradesh Shooting Academy. Her international debut came at the 2019 Junior World Championships in Italy. Now training at the Army Marksmanship Unit in Mhow, she balances military duty, IGNOU studies, and Olympic aspirations. Hailed as a symbol of Nari Shakti, Preeti’s journey inspires millions, proving precision, discipline, and determination shatter barriers.
The Recruiting Office (Headquarters), Bengaluru, will conduct an Agniveer Recruitment Rally at Ballari District Stadium from November 13–19, 2025, exclusively for candidates shortlisted in the Online Common Entrance Exam (CEE) held June 30–July 10, 2025. No new applications will be accepted at the venue. Under the Agnipath Scheme, Agniveers serve a 4-year tenure with a starting salary of ₹30,000/month, rising to ₹40,000, and receive a tax-free Seva Nidhi payout of ₹11.71 lakh upon exit. Up to 25% may be absorbed into regular cadre. Over 1.4 lakh Agniveers have been inducted since 2022 (~1.2 lakh in Army, ~10,000 each in Navy & Air Force). Approximately 25–30 Agniveers have lost their lives in service, primarily due to suicides and training incidents. Applications are online via joinindianarmy.nic.in; next cycle likely opens in early 2026.
Shriram Properties has signed a ₹600 crore Joint Development Agreement for a premium row housing project on 7 acres in Yelahanka, North Bengaluru. The eco-friendly gated community, launching in FY26, is adjacent to the upcoming 154-acre Mini Lalbagh Biodiversity Park and targets mid-premium buyers seeking spacious, sustainable living near IT hubs.
Foreign powers treat Sudan as a proxy arena, supplying arms to sustain allies amid gold-for-weapons trades. The SAF receives state-backed aid from Russia, Iran, and Turkey; the RSF from the UAE and opportunistic brokers. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is the central provider to the RSF, delivering drones, artillery, and Nimr APCs in exchange for gold access. Russia supplies the SAF with AK/SVD rifles, fuel, and Wagner/Africa Corps mercenaries, while Iran provides drones and munitions for Red Sea influence. Turkey exports blank guns convertible to lethal use and offers training, and China arms both sides indirectly. Egypt and Saudi Arabia offer non-lethal support to the SAF, while Libya’s Khalifa Haftar facilitates RSF smuggling. Ending these inflows demands Quad-enforced embargoes and sanctions.
Indian Railways has approved a new Vande Bharat Express from Bengaluru to Ernakulam, cutting travel time to just 8 hours 40 minutes—a 4-hour saving over existing trains. Starting mid-November 2025, Train Nos. 26651/26652 will run six days a week (except Wednesdays), covering 540 km with stops at Krishnarajapuram, Salem, Erode, Tiruppur, Coimbatore, Palakkad, and Thrissur. Departing Bengaluru at 5:10 a.m. and arriving in Ernakulam by 1:50 p.m., the return service leaves at 2:20 p.m. and reaches Bengaluru by 11:00 p.m.. This third Vande Bharat in Kerala boosts connectivity for IT professionals, textile workers, and tourists. With 160 km/h speeds, modern amenities, and strategic halts, the train strengthens economic ties between Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala, making weekend trips and business travel faster and more efficient.