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BBC Chiefs quit over Trump speech edit

The BBC is in turmoil after its top executives resigned over a controversial edit of a Donald Trump speech.

Director-General Tim Davie and News CEO Deborah Turness stepped down following criticism that a Panorama documentary misrepresented Trump’s words. The clip made it seem he urged supporters to march on the Capitol, while the actual speech included calls for a peaceful demonstration. Key details about the timeline of events were also omitted.

BBC chairman Samir Shah said he will apologise to the UK Parliament’s media committee. The resignations have drawn sharp reactions, including praise from Trump, who called the broadcaster “dishonest.”

The episode has raised questions about media trust and editorial standards at one of Britain’s most important public institutions.

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India’s Top Philanthropists Give ₹10,380 Cr

India’s wealthiest are giving bigger donations than ever, with a clear focus on education and social impact. According to the EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2025, total contributions by the country’s top philanthropists rose to ₹10,380 crore in 2024–25, up 85% over three years.

Shiv Nadar, founder of HCL Technologies, tops the list, donating ₹2,708 crore this year, around ₹7.4 crore per day. Over the past five years, Nadar and his family have contributed more than ₹10,120 crore, mainly through the Shiv Nadar Foundation, which supports education and social development.

Mukesh Ambani and family are second, giving ₹626 crore, largely through the Reliance Foundation, for healthcare, rural development, and education. Gautam Adani donated ₹376 crore, followed by Nandan Nilekani with ₹304 crore. Other top donors include the Hinduja family (₹298 crore), Rohini Nilekani (₹204 crore), India’s leading woman philanthropist, Sudhir and Samir Mehta (₹189 crore), and Cyrus and Adar Poonawalla (₹173 crore).

The top 25 donors have contributed nearly ₹50,000 crore in the past three years, averaging about ₹46 crore per day. Education remains the largest focus, followed by skills development and community healthcare.

Experts say the rise in structured philanthropy shows that India’s wealthy are increasingly aiming for long-term social impact, rather than one-off charity. By using foundations and institutional channels, donations are becoming more transparent, measurable, and aligned with national development goals. Large-scale contributions like these could play a crucial role in strengthening India’s education, healthcare, and research systems.

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Delhivery CFO Amit Agarwal Resigns

Logistics company Delhivery announced on Wednesday that its Chief Financial Officer Amit Agarwal has resigned from his position and will step down on December 31, 2025.

Agarwal, who has been with Delhivery for over 13 years, has served as the company’s CFO since January 2019 and played a key role in shaping its financial strategy during its growth and post-listing phases.

Vivek Pabari, who currently heads corporate finance, investor relations and treasury, will replace Agrawal and has been with the company since June 2021.

Delhivery reported a net loss of ₹50.38 crore for the September quarter (Q2 FY26), compared to a profit of ₹10.2 crore in the same period last year. However, the company’s revenue from operations rose 16.9% year-on-year to ₹2,559.3 crore from ₹2,189.7 crore, reflecting continued business momentum despite margin pressures.

While Agrawal cited personal reasons for his resignation, the company said the leadership transition is part of a planned move aimed at ensuring business continuity and driving its long-term growth strategy.

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India Nears Top Three Globally, FM Sitharaman

India is steadily advancing toward becoming the third-largest economy in the world, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, underlining the country’s impressive economic progress over the past decade.

Speaking at the Delhi School of Economics, she noted that India was the tenth-largest economy in 2014. Today, it ranks fifth globally, and with sustained growth, it is poised to move even higher, edging closer to joining the top three alongside the United States and China.

Sitharaman stressed that India’s growth is not just about numbers. An estimated 25 million people have been lifted out of multi-dimensional poverty in recent years, highlighting the social impact of economic development. Government reforms, infrastructure investments, and policies aimed at inclusive growth have all contributed to these achievements, she added.

The Finance Minister also pointed to significant improvements in India’s financial sector. Public sector banks are stronger today, with the long-standing twin balance sheet problem, which had strained both banks and corporate borrowers, largely resolved. This healthier banking environment is expected to boost investment, stimulate job creation, and support further economic expansion.

On fiscal management, Sitharaman noted that the government is on track to meet its fiscal deficit target of 4.4% of GDP (₹15.69 lakh crore) for FY 2025‑26, reflecting a commitment to balancing growth with fiscal responsibility. Analysts say that maintaining fiscal discipline while encouraging investment and consumption is critical to sustaining the momentum toward becoming a top-three economy.

India’s rise in global economic rankings carries broader implications. Achieving third-largest status would enhance the country’s international influence, increase foreign investment, and create more resources for sectors such as healthcare, education, and infrastructure.

Yet challenges remain: continued reforms, improved productivity, job creation, and careful navigation of global uncertainties, including inflation, commodity price volatility, and geopolitical risks, will be essential to secure this trajectory.

Sitharaman’s remarks underline that India’s growth strategy aims to combine economic scale with social progress, ensuring that prosperity reaches citizens across the country while strengthening the nation’s global standing.

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Hinduja Group Chairman Dies At 85 In London

Gopichand P Hinduja, the chairman of the Hinduja Group, died in a London hospital on Tuesday. He was 85.

Gopichand Hinduja joined the family business in 1950 and played a key role in expanding the group’s footprint across automotive, banking and finance, IT, healthcare, power, real estate, and media sectors. The group’s flagship companies include Ashok Leyland, IndusInd Bank, and NXTDIGITAL.

Known as ‘GP’ in business circles, Gopichand graduated from Bombay Jai Hind College and held honorary doctorate degrees from the University of Westminster and Richmond College, according to the company’s website.

The Sunday Times Rich List 2025 ranked the Hinduja family as the UK’s richest, with a fortune of £32.3 billion. Gopichand Hinduja is survived by his wife Sunita, two sons Sanjay and Dheeraj, and a daughter Rita.

The Hinduja Group has businesses in eleven sectors, including automotive, banking and finance, IT, healthcare, real estate, power, and media and entertainment. Some of its well-known brands include Ashok Leyland, IndusInd Bank, and NXTDIGITAL Limited.

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SpiceJet names ex-IndiGo Sanjay Kumar as Executive Director

SpiceJet has appointed former IndiGo executive Sanjay Kumar as Executive Director to be entrusted with leading growth initiatives and optimizing operations.

With over three decades of aviation experience, Kumar will report directly to Chairman Ajay Singh, effective November 3, 2025.

Kumar’s appointment comes after the airline posted a net loss in the first quarter of FY26 and tackles financial and operational hurdles, seeking a turnaround through fleet expansion and debt restructuring.

Kumar has earlier served in key positions, including Chief Commercial Officer and Chief Strategy & Revenue Officer at IndiGo, and held leadership roles as President & CEO at InterGlobe Technology Quotient and Chief Operating Officer at AirAsia India.

SpiceJet recently announced that it will run 250 flights daily in its Winter 2025 schedule, up from 125 daily flights last summer and 150 daily flights in the previous winter season.

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Goldman, JPMorgan CEOs Flag US Debt Risks

Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon has joined JPMorgan Chase chief Jamie Dimon in warning that the United States’ swelling national debt could pose long-term risks to economic stability if growth fails to keep pace.

Speaking at the Economic Club of Washington, Solomon said the US debt, now exceeding $38 trillion, is less alarming for its size than for its rising debt-to-GDP ratio. “If we continue on the current course and don’t take the growth level up, there will be a reckoning,” he said.

He stressed that the issue is not yet a crisis but called for stronger productivity to sustain fiscal health. Solomon sees technology and artificial intelligence as key growth drivers capable of lifting output and offsetting debt pressures. “The path out is a growth path,” he noted, urging that AI be embedded across industries to enhance efficiency.

His comments align with Dimon’s long-standing warnings that unchecked borrowing could eventually unsettle bond markets. The JPMorgan CEO has cautioned that “one day, the bond markets are gonna have a tough time,” though the timing is uncertain. He advocates growth-oriented reforms, including regulatory simplification and workforce development, to rebuild fiscal resilience.

Dimon has also criticised market complacency despite the US losing its triple-A credit rating this year. Analysts warn that rising interest costs and persistent deficits could restrict future government spending flexibility.

Both executives agree the US remains economically strong but must act before confidence erodes. “The US  is still the best house in a tough neighbourhood,” Solomon said, “but we can’t ignore the cracks in the foundation.”

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Colliers India and ME CMD Sankey Prasad Quits

After a distinguished tenure, Sankey Prasad has stepped down from his role as Chairman and Managing Director of both Colliers India and Colliers Project Leaders, marking the end of a significant chapter in his leadership career.

His resignation comes as the global property services firm prepares to usher in new leadership across its India and Middle East operations.

Prasad’s departure was announced in a statement issued on October 28, 2025, in which he expressed his intention to shift his focus toward entrepreneurial ventures and to provide strategic board-level advisory support to clients across the real estate, infrastructure and capital-projects domains.

The statement noted that while he is relinquishing his executive leadership roles, he will continue to hold a stake in the Middle East business of Colliers Project Leaders.

Prasad’s tenure at Colliers included leading the company’s project-management and design-build consultancy business in India and expanding his remit to the Middle East.

He built a track record of overseeing large-scale assignments and driving growth in new geographies, having earlier founded one of India’s largest project-management firms and integrating it into Colliers after an acquisition.

Under his stewardship, Colliers India diversified its service offering, scaled operations across real-estate asset classes and strengthened its regional footprint.

The firm will now look to maintain momentum under new executives who will step in to carry forward the growth agenda set during Prasad’s era.

While details of his successor have not yet been publicly announced, the company has signalled that its India business and Middle East project-management operations will continue to support large-scale developer and investor mandates across emerging markets.

Prasad’s next phase, as he described it, will center on selective entrepreneurial opportunities and providing high-level advisory input to developers, infrastructure firms and investors working across India, the Middle East and North Africa.

By repositioning himself as a strategic adviser and entrepreneur, he aims to harness his decades of industry experience and his deep understanding of large capital-project delivery to new ventures and board roles.

Industry observers view Prasad’s exit from day-to-day operations as natural in a leader’s career arc, but one whose timing is telling given the current inflection point in real-estate and capital-projects markets in India and the Gulf region.

His shift away from full-time executive responsibilities suggests a move toward ecosystem leadership—supporting transformation, advising on governance and guiding growth rather than managing operational execution.

For Colliers, the departure of a leader with both local market depth and a global mindset means it now must balance continuity with change.

Ensuring the transition is smooth and that client relationships remain anchored will be critical, especially as the firm competes for large-scale contracts and seeks to capture the next wave of project-management growth in emerging markets.

As Prasad begins the next chapter of his professional journey, his decision to pivot into entrepreneurship and strategic advisory underscores the evolving role senior executives play in real estate and infrastructure: moving from operators to orchestrators, from build-outs to boardrooms.

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Zarin Daruwala Appointed Group CEO of PL Capital

Zarin Daruwala, a seasoned banking executive with over 35 years of experience, has been appointed as the Group Chief Executive Officer of PL Capital, the financial services arm of the Prabhudas Lilladher Group.

Her appointment, effective October 13, 2025, marks a significant milestone in the company’s plans to expand across multiple financial services verticals.

Prior to joining PL Capital, Daruwala served as the CEO of Standard Chartered Bank for India and South Asia from 2016 until her retirement in April 2025.

During her tenure, she transformed the bank’s operations, focusing on wealth management and corporate banking to align with India’s growing affluence.

Under her leadership, Standard Chartered India became one of the group’s top-performing markets, achieving sustained growth and operational excellence.

At PL Capital, Daruwala is expected to lead the company’s expansion across broking and distribution, institutional equities, investment banking, corporate advisory, private credit, wealth management, and asset management services.

Her appointment is seen as a strategic move to strengthen the firm’s position in India’s financial services sector and to drive its ambitious growth and diversification plans.

Amisha Vora, Chairperson and Managing Director of PL Capital, described Daruwala’s appointment as a defining moment for the company.

Vora emphasized that Daruwala’s extensive experience and strategic vision will be instrumental in building an enduring, institutionally governed organization that combines heritage and trust with scale and capability.

Daruwala expressed enthusiasm for her new role, highlighting PL Capital’s strong foundation, deep market knowledge, and client-first ethos.

She said she is energized by the vision to create a future-ready financial services platform that delivers innovation, value, and impact. Daruwala also noted her eagerness to collaborate with the leadership team to shape the next era of growth for the company.

Industry analysts view Daruwala’s appointment as a significant step for PL Capital, signaling the firm’s commitment to scaling its businesses while investing in technology, talent, and innovative solutions.

With her extensive expertise in corporate and retail banking, governance, and strategic leadership, Daruwala is expected to play a key role in positioning PL Capital as a leading financial services platform in India and beyond.

Her appointment underscores the company’s focus on transformative growth, reinforcing its strategy to leverage market opportunities, enhance client offerings, and strengthen its competitive position across all business verticals.

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Deepinder Goyal Pledges $25 Million to Longevity Research Venture

Indian entrepreneur Deepinder Goyal, founder and CEO of Eternal Ltd., the parent company of Zomato and Blinkit, has announced a personal investment of $25 million into his long-standing science initiative, Continue Research.

The venture, which he launched about two years ago, aims to extend healthy human function and life span through open-source biological research.

The move represents a significant escalation in Goyal’s commitment to scientific exploration beyond his technology and consumer businesses.

In a public post on X (formerly Twitter), Goyal revealed that the investment is “entirely personally backed” and intended to fund researchers across the world who are willing to “ask simpler questions than anyone else” about the science of biology and aging.

He said the broader vision is to lengthen the healthy portion of human life so that people “stop making short-term decisions,” arguing that much of humanity’s short-sightedness stems from the brevity of life itself.

Continue Research operates independently of Eternal and is neither a conventional company nor a commercial startup.

Instead, it functions as a hybrid of a research organization and a seed-funding entity. Its core mission is to support fundamental, open-source biological research rather than proprietary product development.

The group’s approach, according to Goyal, relies on a “systems-level understanding” of biology—studying interconnected mechanisms rather than isolated molecular events—to identify key leverage points in human aging that may have been overlooked by traditional research frameworks.

While best known for building Zomato and Blinkit into major consumer platforms, Goyal has increasingly shifted his focus toward the long-term future of human health and science.

His personal investment underscores both his financial capacity and philosophical interest in areas beyond food technology, including what he calls “humanity’s journey of conscious evolution.”

He described Continue Research as a “multi-decadal journey” meant to catalyze breakthroughs in longevity and health-span extension and to help usher humanity into a “post-Darwin era.”

The announcement comes amid a global surge of interest and capital flowing into longevity research, with scientists and investors alike focusing on understanding the molecular basis of aging, tissue repair, and lifespan extension.

Goyal’s initiative is one of the few large-scale, privately funded longevity efforts to emerge from India, positioning the country to play a larger role in this rapidly expanding field.

Goyal also hinted that the team at Continue Research has identified what he called a “penny-drop insight” about human aging—an early but potentially transformative concept that may redefine biological understanding.

He said details of the discovery would be shared in the coming weeks as the group formalizes its research collaborations and opens funding rounds for early-stage scientific teams.

By pledging $25 million of his personal wealth to Continue Research, Deepinder Goyal has placed himself among a growing cohort of global technology founders who are investing heavily in the science of longevity.

His approach—open, research-driven, and long-term—suggests that India’s entrepreneurial class may soon play a more active role in shaping the future of human health and lifespan innovation.

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