Gayathri Kallukaran is a Junior Journalist with Eastern Eye. She has a Master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from St. Paul’s College, Bengaluru, and brings over five years of experience in content creation, including two years in digital journalism. She covers stories across culture, lifestyle, travel, health, and technology, with a creative yet fact-driven approach to reporting. Known for her sensitivity towards human interest narratives, Gayathri’s storytelling often aims to inform, inspire, and empower. Her journey began as a layout designer and reporter for her college’s daily newsletter, where she also contributed short films and editorial features. Since then, she has worked with platforms like FWD Media, Pepper Content, and Petrons.com, where several of her interviews and features have gained spotlight recognition. Fluent in English, Malayalam, Tamil, and Hindi, she writes in English and Malayalam, continuing to explore inclusive, people-focused storytelling in the digital space.
Aspiring crime writers now have the opportunity to be taught by Agatha Christie herself, at least in a virtual sense. A new online writing course on the subscription platform BBC Maestro features lessons “delivered” by Christie, who died in 1976, using a combination of artificial intelligence, licensed images, and restored voice recordings.
The AI-powered course was developed by BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC, in collaboration with the Agatha Christie estate. The project aims to present writing advice directly drawn from Christie’s own interviews, letters, and other archival material. The end result is a reconstructed version of the author offering guidance on how to craft mystery stories, including structure, suspense, and plot twists.
The course was curated by a group of Christie scholars: Dr Mark Aldridge, Michelle Kazmer, Gray Robert Brown, and Jamie Bernthal-Hooker. According to Aldridge, “We meticulously pieced together Agatha Christie’s own words from her letters, interviews and writings. Witnessing her insights come to life has been a profoundly moving experience.”
To bring the author to life on screen, actor Vivien Keene worked closely with visual effects specialists. She studied rare footage of Christie in order to capture her mannerisms and expressions. Keene described the experience as unique, noting that it was unlike any other role she had undertaken in her 44-year acting career.
The audio in the videos was created using restored voice recordings and AI-enhanced technology. Although the end product appears to feature Christie’s voice and likeness, her great-grandson James Prichard, CEO of Agatha Christie Limited, clarified that the course content was compiled and written by experts, not generated by artificial intelligence.
“This was not written by AI,” Prichard said. “It is a leading academic unearthing everything that she said about writing. And I believe that what we are delivering here in terms of her message is better presented and will reach more people as a result of being presented, if I can use inverted commas, ‘by her’.”
He acknowledged ethical concerns surrounding the use of AI in creative industries but said he believed the project had used the technology in an ethical and helpful way. “I’d be lying if I said there weren’t worries,” he told The Telegraph, “but the AI model of Agatha doesn’t work without the performance of Vivien Keene.”
Agatha Christie, often referred to as the queen of crime, wrote 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections. Her work has sold more than two billion copies worldwide. She also penned The Mousetrap, the world’s longest-running play, and her stories have inspired numerous film and television adaptations.
The AI-generated video series will be available exclusively on BBC Maestro, which offers a range of expert-led video courses in various disciplines.
RELIANCE Industries plans to take its telecom and digital arm, Jio Platforms, public by mid-2026, chairman Mukesh Ambani said on Friday. The announcement sets a new timeline for the long-awaited IPO of a business analysts value at over $100 billion.
At its annual general meeting (AGM), Reliance also announced the launch of an artificial intelligence unit in partnership with Google and Meta.
Ambani had first indicated plans in 2019 to list Jio within five years. On Friday, he told shareholders the company is preparing to file for an IPO next year.
Reuters reported in July that Jio decided against launching an IPO in 2025. Analysts at the time valued the company at over $100 billion.
Jio Platforms includes India’s largest telecom operator, Reliance Jio Infocomm, with more than 500 million users. Backed by investors such as Meta, Google and KKR, the business is central to Ambani’s move to diversify Reliance beyond oil and chemicals into retail, consumer and technology. AI and international expansion are now key areas of growth.
Reliance is also investing $8.8 billion in its chemicals business. It expects retail to grow sales by nearly 10 per cent a year on a like-for-like basis and plans to add 2,000–3,000 new stores annually.
“Jio is not being fully valued within Reliance's broader petrochemicals and retail portfolio, and a separate listing would help unlock higher value for the telecom and digital unit,” said Saurabh Parikh, senior analyst at ICRA Ltd.
AI Unit with Meta and Google
Reliance and Meta announced a new AI joint venture with an initial investment of around $100 million. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg told the AGM the venture will provide Meta’s open-source AI models to Indian businesses.
Google will partner with Reliance to deploy AI across energy, retail, telecom and financial services. It will also set up a Jamnagar Cloud region dedicated to Reliance, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said at the meeting.
The partnerships come as India-US relations face tensions following US President Donald Trump’s decision to impose 50 per cent tariffs on Indian exports in response to India’s purchase of Russian oil.
Reliance runs the world’s largest refining complex in Gujarat and is India’s biggest buyer of Russian oil.
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A logo is pictured outside a Jaguar Land Rover new car show room in Tonbridge, south east England. (Photo: Getty Images)
UK VEHICLE exports to the United States rose in July after a new trade deal between London and Washington reduced tariffs, industry data showed on Thursday.
According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), exports increased 6.8 per cent in July to nearly 10,000 units, following three consecutive months of decline.
The SMMT had earlier reported that exports to the US dropped 55.4 per cent in May compared with the same month last year, with smaller falls recorded in April and June.
"The US remains the largest single national market for British built cars, underscoring the importance of the UK-US trade deal, and July's performance illustrates the impact of this deal," the SMMT said.
The agreement, finalised in May and effective from June 30, cut tariffs on UK car exports to 10 per cent on up to 100,000 vehicles a year.
In April, US President Donald Trump had imposed a 27.5 per cent tariff, reducing demand and forcing manufacturers, including Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) and Aston Martin, to scale back or suspend shipments.
Almost 80 per cent of cars made in the UK last year were exported, mainly to the European Union.
The UK auto industry is largely made up of foreign-owned brands such as Japan’s Nissan and India-owned JLR.
The US is also a major market for UK-produced luxury models from Bentley and Rolls-Royce, both owned by German groups.
WORKERS at the Radisson Blu hotel in Canary Wharf have cancelled a planned six-week strike after reaching an agreement that met all their demands.
The group of housekeepers, most of whom are migrant women from Nepal and members of the United Voices of the World (UVW) union, were due to begin industrial action on Sunday (31). It would have been the longest hotel strike in the UK since 1979, a statement said.
The dispute involved staff employed through the outsourcing company WGC, which provides facilities services to several Radisson Blu hotels in London.
Following negotiations with UVW, WGC agreed to increase pay to the London Living Wage of £13.85 per hour, issue back-payments, reduce workloads to 14 rooms per day, and reinstate guaranteed 40-hour contracts.
In response, the workers voted unanimously to call off the strike. The decision follows earlier strike action on August 9, which was the first hotel workers’ strike in England in nearly five decades.
Doris Selembo, a housekeeper at Radisson Blu for over 30 years, said, “The whole team stood together and achieved this win. We are both excited and grateful — excited for the future and grateful because we are with UVW, and WGC are finally listening to us.”
UVW general secretary Petros Elia called the agreement a significant milestone. “This is the first victory in the hotel sector in England since 1979. Our women members have proven that when workers organise, stand together, and fight, they win. They have made history," Elia said.
The workers’ initial demands focused on secure contracts, fair pay, and manageable workloads, issues that the union and workers say had long been ignored.
The resolution brings an end to the dispute in a sector where outsourced workers are commonly employed under less secure terms and lower pay, the statement added.
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The Enforcement Directorate searches were conducted at locations linked to the Gupta brothers, Piyoosh Goyal of World Window Group, and entities such as Sahara Computers and ITJ Retails Pvt Ltd.
INDIA's financial crime fighting agency, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday carried out searches at locations connected to the Gupta brothers of South Africa and their associates in a money laundering case.
The action followed a Mutual Legal Assistance Request (MLAR) received by India from South Africa in connection with the "state capture scam," reported PTI quoting sources.
The three brothers of Indian origin—Atul, Ajay, and Rajesh Gupta—are accused of siphoning off billions of rands in South Africa through their ties with former president Jacob Zuma. The brothers and Zuma have denied any wrongdoing.
The Guptas and their families moved to Dubai after Zuma was removed from office in 2018.
Searches were conducted at locations linked to the Gupta brothers, Piyoosh Goyal of World Window Group, and entities such as Sahara Computers and ITJ Retails Pvt Ltd.
ED sources told PTI they also searched premises of Ram Ratan Jagati in Ahmedabad, who was described as a "key person" in the money laundering network.
Jagati allegedly set up a shell company named JJ Trading FZE in Dubai, which was used by Piyoosh Goyal and the Gupta brothers for money laundering, according to the sources.
The Gupta brothers had shifted to South Africa after the fall of apartheid, building their business empire through Sahara Computers and later expanding into IT, media, and mining. Some of their assets in South Africa were recently auctioned by the government there.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Donald Trump speaks with the press as he meets with Narendra Modi in the Oval Office of the White House on February 13, 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)
US tariffs on Indian imports rise to as much as 50 per cent
Nearly 55 per cent of India’s $87bn exports to US could be affected
Exporters warn of job losses and call for loan moratoriums
India says support measures will be offered to affected exporters
US PRESIDENT Donald Trump’s doubling of tariffs on Indian imports took effect on Wednesday, raising duties on some shipments to as much as 50 per cent. The move escalates trade tensions between India and the United States.
A 25 per cent tariff announced earlier in July was followed by another 25 per cent duty linked to India’s purchases of Russian oil, taking total tariffs to as high as 50 per cent on items such as garments, gems and jewellery, footwear, sporting goods, furniture and chemicals. These rates are on par with those imposed by the US on Brazil and China.
The new tariffs are expected to affect thousands of small exporters and jobs, including in prime minister Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat. Exporter groups estimate nearly 55 per cent of India’s 87 billion dollars in merchandise exports to the US could be impacted, benefiting competitors such as Vietnam, Bangladesh and China.
India and the US have held five rounds of talks since April to try to reach a trade agreement, but differences over access to India’s farm and dairy sectors, as well as India’s rising imports of Russian oil, led to a breakdown.
Officials on both sides blamed political misjudgment and missed signals for the collapse. US Census Bureau data shows their two-way goods trade totalled 129 billion dollars in 2024, with a US trade deficit of 45.8 billion dollars.
White House trade adviser Peter Navarro confirmed the new tariffs would take effect as announced. “Yeah,” he said when asked if the increased tariffs on India’s exports would be implemented on Wednesday.
Indian officials had earlier indicated hope that US tariffs could be capped at 15 per cent, the rate applied to some other US trade partners including Japan, South Korea and the European Union.
The additional tariffs will affect goods such as textiles, chemicals and leather. Exporters say this could create a price disadvantage of 30–35 per cent compared to competitors.
“The move will disrupt Indian exports to the largest export market,” said SC Ralhan, president of Federation of Indian Export Organisations. He suggested the government provide a one-year moratorium on bank loans for affected exporters, besides extending low-cost credit and easier loan access.
A US Customs and Border Protection notice allows a three-week exemption for Indian goods shipped before the deadline. These shipments can enter the US under the earlier lower tariffs until September 17.
Steel, aluminium and derivative products, passenger vehicles, copper and other goods subject to separate tariffs of up to 50 per cent under the Section 232 national security trade law remain exempt.
India’s response
India’s Commerce Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. However, an official said on condition of anonymity that exporters hit by the tariffs would be given financial assistance and encouraged to diversify to markets such as China, Latin America and the Middle East.
Rajeswari Sengupta, an economics professor at Mumbai’s Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, said a weaker rupee could provide indirect support to exporters by helping them regain competitiveness.
Officials say trade talks with the US are continuing. India has not announced any change in its stance on Russian oil purchases. Russian officials in New Delhi have said Moscow expects to continue supplying oil to India.
Broader ties
Despite the tariff dispute, both countries have stressed their broader strategic partnership. On Tuesday, the US State Department and India’s Ministry of External Affairs issued identical statements saying senior officials met virtually and expressed “eagerness to continue enhancing the breadth and depth of the bilateral relationship.”
Both sides also reaffirmed their commitment to the Quad grouping, which includes the US, India, Australia and Japan.