India is close to finalising a $1-billion deal with US company General Electric (GE) to purchase 113 engines for 97 LCA Mark 1A Tejas fighter jets, multiple reports said on Tuesday. Indian state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has already inked a deal to purchase 99 GE-404 engines, ANI reported. Centre has reportedly cleared a ₹62,000-crore deal to buy the jets.

The General Insurance Council has reacted after AHPI said over 15,000 hospitals across north India will stop offering cashless treatment to Bajaj Allianz General Insurance's policyholders. Calling the action "arbitrary", GIC urged AHPI to immediately withdraw its advisory. Thousands of health policyholders may lose access to cashless hospitalisation from September 1 if the order remains in place.

Online Gaming Bill will erase 25% of IPL advertising revenue worth ₹1,500 crore, said Karan Taurani, Executive Vice-President, Elara Capital. He added, "Nearly 80% real-money gaming ad revenue will vanish. This will impact digital ads and cricketers' brand value." Teams like Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad may lose additional ₹10–20 crore yearly from fantasy platform sponsorships.

Apple has held talks internally about acquiring Perplexity and French AI startup Mistral, the Information reported citing people familiar with the matter. Last month, CEO Tim Cook signalled that Apple was open to larger AI-related acquisitions. Financial Times reported this month that Nvidia-backed Mistral was in talks to raise $1 billion at a valuation of $10 billion.

Textile and apparel manufacturers in three Indian cities halted production after US President Donald Trump hiked tariffs on Indian goods to 50%, the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) said. Production has been stopped in Tiruppur, Noida and Surat "amid worsening cost competitiveness", FIEO said. The sector is "losing ground" to low-cost rivals from Vietnam and Bangladesh, it added.

Real-money gaming firm Gameskraft announced that they won't contest India's new Online Gaming Bill, which bans all real-money games. Spokesperson said, "We respect legislative process and remain committed to operating within framework of law." They added, "We have initiated structured internal discussions to chart road ahead...We want to reassure our users that all account balances remain safe."

Paytm-parent One 97 Communications said it'll invest ₹300 crore in its broking subsidiary Paytm Money and another ₹155 crore in its manpower supply unit Paytm Services. The investments won't change One 97's 100% shareholding in either of the two subsidiaries and will be completed within 30 days. Paytm Money and Paytm Services had ₹173-crore and ₹252-crore turnovers in FY25.

The metaverse combines virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and digital spaces to create immersive environments for work, shopping, and social interaction. A common misconception is that it requires VR headsets or is limited to gaming. In reality, access is possible through phones and desktops, with enterprise adoption spanning virtual offices, remote training, and collaboration.

Smart contracts are self-executing code on blockchain that automates conditions, such as releasing payment when a shipment is confirmed. They remove intermediaries, operate transparently, and record updates immutably. Applications include supply chain verification, royalty distribution, and peer-to-peer agreements. Deployment involves writing, testing, and sending on platforms like Ethereum.

Digital commerce now incorporates voice shopping, shoppable videos, social checkout, and AI-powered personalisation to simplify buying. These trends convert engagement into immediate action by leveraging micro-moments, interactive content, and flexible payment methods, reshaping how consumers discover products and complete purchases online.