India’s shooting star Manu Bhaker continued her strong run on the international stage by clinching the silver medal in the women’s 25m pistol event at the Asian Shooting Championships. Bhaker narrowly missed out on gold after losing a closely contested shoot-off against Vietnam’s Nguyen in the final. Despite the tough finish, Bhaker’s performance marked a confident return to the podium, reaffirming her status as one of India’s most dependable shooters in pistol events. The final witnessed intense competition, with fine margins separating the medalists. Adding to India’s success, Esha Singh delivered a composed performance to secure the bronze medal in the same event. Her podium finish further strengthened India’s medal haul at the championships and highlighted the depth of talent in the country’s shooting contingent. The results underline India’s growing consistency in shooting at the Asian level, with athletes continuing to deliver strong performances across categories.
Global star Priyanka Chopra Jonas may have bid goodbye to Hyderabad, but she made sure to take a flavour of the city along on her journey. The actor recently shared a glimpse from her flight, revealing a box of Hyderabad’s iconic bun maska packed carefully as her travel companion. The moment, which quickly caught fans’ attention online, showcased Priyanka’s love for Indian comfort food and her connection to local flavours, even while living a jet-setting international life. The image featured the bun maska neatly placed on her flight tray, symbolising a sweet blend of home and travel.
Priyanka, who has been in Hyderabad for work commitments, often shares snippets from her travels and shoots, giving fans a peek into her life on the move. This small yet relatable gesture struck a chord with many, highlighting how Indian food continues to hold a special place in her heart. As she heads to her next destination, one thing is clear — no matter where in the world she goes, a taste of India is never far behind.
PANAJI, GOA – Writer, poet and lyricist John Aguiar is set to release his latest collection of Konkani poems, titled Thembe (Drops), further strengthening his contribution to contemporary Konkani literature. The book release ceremony will be held on February 28, 2026, at 3.30 pm at Shenai Goembab Sabhaghar, Goa Konkani Akademi (BSNL Building), 5th floor, Patto, Panaji. The book will be released at the hands of Dr Purnanand Chari, Chairman of the Konkani Akademi. Smt Aparna Garudi will speak on the book, while Shri Ramesh Ghadi, Vice Chairman of the Konkani Akademi, will attend as Guest of Honour. Poet Prakash Naik will be a special guest at the event. The function is organised by Ugtem Molob. Shri Vivek Pissurlekar, President of Ugtem Molob, has appealed to writers, poets and literature enthusiasts to attend the function in large numbers. John Aguiar is widely recognised for his versatility, writing across Romi and Devanagari Konkani, English and Marathi. His works are known for their deep engagement with Goan culture, social realities and the subtleties of everyday life.
A retired officer from the Government of Goa’s Department of Information and Publicity, Aguiar brings a journalist’s clarity and precision to his creative writing. Beyond literature, he is also a well-known lyricist, with several of his songs regularly aired on All India Radio. His published works span multiple genres. His poetry collections include Paulam, Gulmohar, Sanz and Olyo Yadi, which won the 2017 Konkani Bhasha Mandal’s Rock Barretto Literary Award. His essay collections include Offside (English) and Mandovichea Dege Voilean (Roman Konkani), while his dramatic works include Sonvgam, a collection of one-act plays in Roman Konkani. One of the early milestones in his career was the publication of the booklet Jinn in 1982–83, which was released by noted writer, poet and lyricist Advocate Uday Bhembre, then President of the Konkani Bhasha Mandal, at Chowgule College during Aguiar’s student days.
Regional airline FLY91 has inducted two aircraft under long-term operating leases from regional aircraft lessor TrueNoord, continuing its measured fleet expansion aimed at strengthening air connectivity across Tier-2 and Tier-3 markets in India. The first aircraft entered service in December 2025, while the second, delivered in January 2026, is scheduled to commence operations in February. With this transaction, TrueNoord becomes FLY91’s second aircraft lessor. “This partnership gives us the flexibility to scale our fleet in a disciplined manner, aligned with demand and our long-term regional strategy,” said Manoj Chacko, Managing Director and CEO of FLY91. “The addition of a second leading global lessor to our portfolio is a significant reaffirmation of FLY91’s operational strengths, governance standards and execution capability.” One of the newly inducted aircraft will be based in Goa, the airline’s home base, while the other will operate from Hyderabad, reinforcing FLY91’s dual-hub strategy and its focus on underserved regional routes. Harsha Raghavan, Chairman of FLY91 and Managing Partner at Convergent Finance, said the collaboration supports responsible scaling. “The partnership with TrueNoord enables growth while maintaining financial and operational discipline.”
India’s regional aviation market continues to gain momentum, driven by increasing demand from smaller cities and policy support under the UDAN scheme. Welcoming the partnership, Anne-Bart Tieleman, CEO of TrueNoord, said the company is pleased to support FLY91’s growth plans. He noted that regional flying in India is becoming increasingly viable and commercially sustainable, with airlines seeking aircraft that can be rapidly deployed, operate from regional airports and deliver low trip-cost economics. Abhineet Awasthi, Commercial & Transaction Manager at TrueNoord, highlighted FLY91’s execution-focused approach. “FLY91 is an agile, execution-driven airline with a clear regional connectivity focus. The team demonstrated a pragmatic, solution-oriented approach throughout the transaction.” With the induction of these aircraft, FLY91’s fleet expands to four aircraft. The airline currently serves nine destinations and plans to grow its network to 15 destinations in the first quarter of 2026, with two additional aircraft expected to join the fleet by the end of Q1 FY2026.
Kotak Mahindra Asset Management Company Ltd. has announced the launch of the Kotak Services Fund, an open-ended equity scheme following the services theme. The New Fund Offer (NFO) opens on February 4, 2026, and closes on February 18, 2026, providing investors an opportunity to participate in India’s fast-growing services sector, which contributes nearly 55 per cent to the country’s Gross Value Added (GVA) and employs about 31.5 per cent of the workforce. India’s services economy spans a wide range of sectors including consumer services, telecom, healthcare, logistics, financial services, information technology, power, and oil and gas, many of which are scaling rapidly and unlocking multiple structural growth drivers for long-term investors. The Kotak Services Fund seeks to capture this opportunity through a disciplined investment approach anchored in Growth at Reasonable Price (GARP) and a bottom-up Business-Management-Value (BMV) framework. The fund will invest across market capitalisations, focusing on quality businesses with strong cash flows, scalable business models, and long-term compounding potential.
Commenting on the launch, Mr. Nilesh Shah, Managing Director, Kotak Mahindra Asset Management Company Ltd., said India’s services economy is undergoing a structural transformation driven by rising incomes, increased digital adoption, and expanding urbanisation. He added that these forces are reshaping consumption patterns and access to essential services, and the fund aims to capture evolving opportunities within the services ecosystem to deliver long-term value to investors. Mr. Rohit Tandon, Fund Manager for the Kotak Services Fund, said the services theme offers a blend of stability and growth across consumption-driven and export-driven segments. He noted that the sector presents a compelling combination of resilience and scalability, and the fund’s portfolio construction will focus on companies capable of sustaining margins, upgrading business models, and deploying capital prudently for long-term wealth creation. The fund is being launched at a time when service-oriented enterprises are redefining how households, businesses, and institutions operate. With evolving customer expectations and advancements in service delivery models, the sector continues to witness strong growth driven by specialisation, technology-enabled processes, and operational efficiency. The NFO offers a minimum investment of ₹1,000 and in multiples thereafter during the offer period. The scheme is suitable for investors seeking long-term capital appreciation through a diversified portfolio of companies engaged in service-oriented businesses, as per the product suitability disclosures.
