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.
Amazon Games’ New World: Aeternum continues to evolve with each seasonal update, and season 8 – titled Season of the Divide – is no exception. Launched on 13 May 2025, this update introduces a range of new features aimed at both casual and hardcore players. Whether you're chasing cosmetic rewards, testing your survival skills or diving into PvP, there’s plenty to discover.
Hardcore seasonal world: one life, high rewards
One of the most talked-about additions is the hardcore seasonal world, launching in early June. In this high-risk mode, players start in an “unfallen” state with faster levelling and gear acquisition. The goal is simple: survive without dying. If your character dies, you’ll still be able to play – but you forfeit access to exclusive unfallen rewards. It’s a tough mode designed for those who enjoy a challenge and want to prove their skill.
PvP content expanded
Season 8 brings new energy to PvP. The Coral Divide map adds fresh terrain to the popular Outpost Rush mode, while limited-time 10v10 capture the flag and a new 3v3 arena map offer more ways to test your combat prowess. With the new “ready up” feature, matches start quicker when players are ready, and spectator mode now lets you follow the action even after you’re taken out.
Open world PvP also gets a strategic upgrade with destructible faction camps. These camps can be used as respawn points and targeted by the enemy – making battlefield control more dynamic than ever.
New world bosses and events
For PvE fans, season 8 adds powerful level 70 bosses like Mammoth Mahantaram, Scarab boss Khepri and Fire Naga Ifrit. These appear in open-world events and drop upgraded loot for those who succeed. Seasonal events such as Springtide Bloom, Faction Fest: Expeditions, and Fury of the Spriggan also return with refreshed rewards and cosmetics.
Barbershop and character customisation
Want to change your look? The new barbershop feature lets players customise their character’s appearance using tokens, which can be earned or bought. Every player gets one free token through the season pass, giving everyone a chance to try it out.
Season pass rewards: free and premium
The season 8 pass includes both free and premium tracks:
Free track: Includes two new artifacts (lich gloves and vampire vestments), six Sinner’s Set tool skins, two helm skins (oblivion’s herald and corruption’s witness), five dye sets, and two emotes.
Premium track: For 20,000 marks of fortune, players can unlock nine Fallen Set weapon skins, five Blackguard Set armour skins, and five more dye sets.
There’s also an overall focus on better progression, rewarding regular play with a wide variety of cosmetics and useful items.
Combat tweaks and quality of life improvements
Combat has been rebalanced with changes to target lock, especially for controller users. Aim assist has been adjusted to encourage skill-based play, and target lock now breaks if your opponent moves behind the camera or if you aim down sights.
Five new survival potions have also been introduced to support different playstyles:
Burst regen potion: Heals over time
Health shot potion: Lighter healing, but usable more often
Shield potion: Reduces damage for three hits
Grit potion: Grants uninterruptible status
Lifesteal potion: Boosts health recovery from attacks
Performance improvements are also part of the update, including better visuals for Nvidia GPUs and DirectX 12 being enabled by default on Steam.
Dive into the latest
- YouTubeYouTube/ New World: Aeternum
Season 8 of New World: Aeternum delivers a rich blend of survival-focused gameplay, rewarding progression systems and improved PvP mechanics. With content catering to all types of players – from fashion lovers to hardcore grinders – it’s one of the game’s most diverse updates to date.
If you’re looking to dive into the latest content or return after a break, season 8 offers plenty of reasons to explore Aeternum again.
Play New World: Aeternum now – available on Amazon here.
JAGUAR LAND ROVER (JLR) has delayed the launch of its new electric Range Rover and electric Jaguar models, citing the need for further testing and to allow market demand to grow.
Customers waiting for the Range Rover Electric have been informed that deliveries will now begin next year, instead of the previously planned late 2025. Two sources told The Guardian that the launches of two Jaguar electric models may also be delayed by several months.
JLR recently reported a 15.1 per cent drop in quarterly sales after a pause in exports to the US due to Donald Trump’s tariffs. A voluntary redundancy scheme for up to 500 managers has also been introduced to cut costs.
Despite this, JLR has recorded 10 consecutive quarters of profit and expects a sales boost following a UK-US trade deal that reduced tariffs on the first 100,000 exports to 10 per cent.
JLR, owned by Tata, had been under pressure to meet UK electric vehicle targets, but that eased after the government weakened the zero emission vehicle mandate.
A JLR spokesperson said: “By 2030 JLR will sell electric versions of all its luxury brands... we will launch our new models at the right time for our clients, our business and individual markets.”
Sources told The Guardian the delays stem from extended testing of models being directly built by JLR for the first time. The first rebranded electric Jaguar, the Type 00, is set for production in August 2026, with a second model likely in December 2027. The Range Rover Velar EV could begin production in April 2026, and an electric Defender sub-brand model in early 2027.
Tata’s Agratas battery factory in Somerset is now expected to begin production in late 2027, a year later than originally planned.
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Trump’s administration has been working on trade deals ahead of an August 1 deadline, when duties on most US imports are scheduled to rise again. (Photo: Getty Images)
THE US is very close to finalising a trade agreement with India, while a deal with the European Union is also possible, president Donald Trump said in an interview aired on Real America's Voice on Wednesday. However, he said it was too soon to tell if an agreement could be reached with Canada.
Trump’s administration has been working on trade deals ahead of an August 1 deadline, when duties on most US imports are scheduled to rise again. The push is part of efforts to secure what Trump considers better trade terms and reduce the large US trade deficit.
"We're very close to India, and ... we could possibly make a deal with (the) EU," Trump said when asked about upcoming trade agreements.
Trump’s comments came as EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic travelled to Washington on Wednesday for discussions on tariffs. An Indian trade delegation also arrived in Washington on Monday for fresh negotiations.
"(The) European Union has been brutal, and now they're being very nice. They want to make a deal, and it'll be a lot different than the deal that we've had for years," Trump said.
On Canada, which has said it is preparing countermeasures if talks do not lead to an agreement, Trump said: "Too soon to say."
His remarks echoed the view of Canadian prime minister Mark Carney, who said earlier on Wednesday that a deal that works for Canadian workers was not yet on the table.
Trump also said he would probably impose a blanket 10 per cent or 15 per cent tariff on smaller countries.
(With inputs from agencies)
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The Canary Wharf business district including global financial institutions in London.
BRITAIN's unemployment rate rose slightly to 4.7 per cent in the three months to the end of May, according to official data released on Thursday. This marks the highest level since June 2021, as businesses faced the impact of a UK tax increase and new US tariffs.
The figure is up from 4.6 per cent recorded in the February to April period, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said in a statement.
The data covers the initial period following the Labour government’s first budget last October, which included a rise in business tax. It also includes the start of a 10 per cent baseline tariff imposed by US president Donald Trump in April on goods from the UK and other countries.
The ONS also reported a slowdown in average wage growth, which has reinforced expectations that the Bank of England may lower its key interest rate next month.
This comes despite separate official figures on Wednesday showing that inflation in the UK rose to an 18-month high in June.
“Slowing activity in the labour market, coupled with pay pressures easing, will likely prompt the Bank of England to lower interest rates next month,” said Yael Selfin, chief economist at KPMG UK.
“With domestic activity remaining sluggish, the... (BoE) will likely want to provide support via looser policy to prevent a more significant deterioration in the labour market,” Selfin added.
Earlier data showed that the UK economy contracted unexpectedly for a second consecutive month in May, increasing pressure on prime minister Keir Starmer and his government.
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FILE PHOTO: Passengers gather in front of the ticket counter of Air India airlines in Delhi, India, June 13, 2025. REUTERS/Bhawika Chhabra.
AIR INDIA said on Tuesday (15) it would partially restore its international flight schedule that was scaled back following the crash involving its flight last month that killed 260 people.
As part of the restoration, Air India will start a thrice-weekly service between Ahmedabad and London Heathrow from August 1 to September 30, replacing the currently operating five-times-a-week flights between Ahmedabad and London Gatwick.
A Boeing 787 Dreamliner bound for London from the Indian city of Ahmedabad began to lose thrust and crashed shortly after takeoff on June 12. All but one of the 242 people on board and 19 others on the ground were killed.
Air India reduced some of its international flights following the crash as part of a "safety pause" that the carrier said allowed it to perform additional precautionary checks on its Boeing 787 aircraft.
The partial service resumption will see some flights being restored from August 1, with full restoration planned from October 1, 2025, Air India said.
The airline has reinstated two weekly flights on the Delhi-London (Heathrow) route that were previously cancelled, with all 24 weekly flights on this route now operating from Wednesday (16) onwards.
The Bengaluru-London (Heathrow) service remains reduced from seven flights per week to six flights per week and will be further reduced to four flights per week from August 1. The Amritsar-Birmingham route continues to operate at a reduced frequency of twice weekly instead of three times weekly until August 31, after which normal three-times-weekly service will resume from September 1. The Delhi-Birmingham route remains reduced from three flights per week to two flights per week, a statement said.
Air India has also temporarily suspended the Amritsar-London (Gatwick) route, which normally operates three times weekly, and the Goa (Mopa)-London (Gatwick) route, also a three-times-weekly service. Both suspensions will continue until September 30.
As part of the partial resumption, it also reduced flights to some destinations in Europe and North America. These include reductions in the frequency of Delhi-to-Paris flights to seven times a week from 12, effective August 1.
Flights on the Delhi-Milan route have been reduced to three times a week from four earlier.
The frequency of flights from Mumbai and Delhi to New York JFK has been cut to six times a week from seven earlier, the airline said.
(with inputs from Reuters)
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The showroom, located in Mumbai, was inaugurated by Maharashtra state's chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and opened to select visitors on Tuesday. (Photo: X/@Dev_Fadnavis)
TESLA opened its first showroom in India on Tuesday, marking its entry into the country as the electric vehicle company looks for new customers amid declining sales in the United States and Europe.
The showroom, located in Mumbai, was inaugurated by Maharashtra state's chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and opened to select visitors on Tuesday. It will be open to the general public starting Wednesday.
Inaugurated Tesla’s first-ever Experience Centre in India at BKC, Mumbai, today.This is not just the inauguration of an Experience Centre ; it’s a powerful statement—Tesla is here, and it’s chosen the right city and the right state: Mumbai, Maharashtra!"… pic.twitter.com/4ilfAHCEoO — Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) July 15, 2025
Tesla is currently offering its Model Y vehicle in India and plans to begin deliveries of a more affordable variant later this quarter.
"This is the first launch of Tesla in India. It marks a huge milestone for Tesla globally," said Isabel Fan, the company's senior regional director. She added that charging stations will be set up soon in Mumbai and New Delhi.
Despite heavy rains, many onlookers gathered outside the Mumbai showroom to see the cars on display.
Tesla has expressed interest in entering the Indian market for several years but delayed its plans due to high import tariffs on electric vehicles.
Elon Musk had earlier described India as having "more promise than any large country" but has criticised its import duties, calling them among the "highest in the world".
The Indian government has said that it will consider lowering import taxes on electric vehicles if global automakers commit to significant investment and local manufacturing.
Tesla has not yet announced any plans to build a manufacturing plant in India.
According to local media reports, Tesla will initially sell cars imported from China.
As a result, the Model Y in India starts at around $70,000 on-road, as listed on the company's website, compared to the US price of $37,490 after a $7,500 federal tax credit.
Tesla's launch in India comes at a time when the company is facing slowing demand globally. The electric vehicle market, once led by Tesla, is now highly competitive, with rivals including BYD and other Chinese manufacturers.
India is the world’s third-largest car market, but Tesla is not expected to see large volumes in the near future due to the relatively early stage of the country’s electric vehicle sector and the high prices of its models.
Sales of electric vehicles in India reached about 100,000 in 2024, which is less than three per cent of total car sales.
Soumen Mandal, senior analyst at Counterpoint, said Tesla’s pricing puts it out of reach for most Indian buyers and places it in competition with luxury car brands.
"We don't expect Tesla to play the volume game right away given the price tag," Mandal told AFP.
"We project 500-700 units sold in initial months and then that to taper off to 200-300 (per month)."
India is currently in talks with the United States on a trade deal, which includes discussions on reducing tariffs on automobiles.
In February, Elon Musk held a one-on-one meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington.