Truecaller Battles India Over Anti-Spam Rules Backfire

Microsoft's Windows operating system, a stalwart in the desktop OS arena, has witnessed a major decline in its global market share. According to StatCounter's latest data, Windows accounted for just 56.55% of desktop OS usage in June 2026. This marks the first time in years that Microsoft's share has fallen below the 60% mark, a major shift for an operating system that has dominated desktop computing for years.

Oil prices surged on Thursday, following fresh US military strikes on Iran. The action has raised concerns over possible supply disruptions in the Middle East. Brent crude futures for September delivery rose by 1.03% to $78.82 a barrel while West Texas Intermediate futures for August increased by 1.06% to $74.29 per barrel.

OpenAI has just launched a new voice model for its AI chatbot, ChatGPT. The company claims the new model, called GPT-Live, will make conversations with the chatbot sound more human-like. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman described the update as "magical" and "real," suggesting a significant leap in natural language processing technology.

Elon Musk's AI venture, SpaceXAI (formerly known as xAI), has unveiled its latest artificial intelligence model, Grok 4.5. The new offering is a direct competitor to OpenAI's GPT-5.6 and Anthropic's Claude Opus 4.7 models, promising better performance and faster response times at a lower cost. The launch comes amid an intense race in the AI industry with new models being introduced almost every other week.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has revised India's economic growth forecast for the fiscal year 2026-27 to 6.4%. The new projection is slightly lower than the previous estimate of 6.5% made in April. The revision comes as a result of global challenges such as the ongoing conflict in West Asia and rising energy prices, which are affecting global economic activity and keeping energy costs high.

WhatsApp has launched the Meta Business Agent in India, an artificial intelligence (AI) assistant that automates customer interactions. The tool can recommend products, book appointments, qualify leads, and provide 24/7 support. The announcement was made during the third edition of WhatsApp's annual Business Summit in Mumbai.

Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) have made a record net investment of ₹41,773 crore in Indian government bonds under the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) Fully Accessible Route (FAR) in June. The massive inflow comes after a brief period of selling earlier this year and is largely driven by expectations that Indian government bonds could be included in the Global Aggregate Bond Index.

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has announced that biometric-based Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions have crossed 600 million in June. The figure highlights the growing acceptance of this secure authentication method among users. The technology allows payments to be authorized through a smartphone's fingerprint or facial recognition, making digital transactions faster and more efficient.

Jeff Bezos's space venture, Blue Origin, is reportedly looking to raise $10 billion in its first-ever external funding round. The company has been valued at $130 billion pre-money, according to a New York Times DealBook report. The move comes as investor interest in space companies has surged after SpaceX's recent IPO last month.

Allianz, a leading global insurance and asset management company, has announced plans to cut up to 1,800 jobs in its travel insurance division. The move comes as the company expands its use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Allianz Partners CEO Tomas Kunzmann confirmed the decision at an event in Munich on Tuesday evening.