THE LEELA AND ARA LUMIÈRE BRING ‘FASHION FOR A CAUSE’ TO MILAN FASHION WEEK

The Leela’s third-year collaboration with Kulsum Shadab Wahab’s Ara Lumière brings The Phoenix Circle to Milan, uniting Indian luxury, fashion and art with a shared commitment to women’s empowerment

MUMBAI, India, Oct. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — For the third consecutive year, The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts has partnered with Ara Lumière, founded by philanthropist and social entrepreneur Kulsum Shadab Wahab, at Milan Fashion Week, continuing a shared commitment to creating meaningful intersections between luxury, fashion and purpose. This year, the collaboration brought The Phoenix Circle to Milan alongside contemporary artist Raghava KK, presenting PASSPORT as part of an intimate gathering centred on identity, resilience and women’s empowerment.

Founded by Kulsum Shadab Wahab, The Phoenix Circle is rooted in a long-standing commitment to empowering women survivors of acid and burn attacks, creating opportunities for dignity, creative expression and livelihood. Through fashion and art, the initiative seeks to shift the narrative from adversity towards agency, resilience and possibility.

This year’s PASSPORT collaboration with Raghava KK explored ideas of identity and representation, bringing together the artist’s perspective and the creative voices of the women at the heart of The Phoenix Circle. Presented against the backdrop of Milan Fashion Week, the initiative offered a powerful reminder of how fashion can transcend its traditional role as a form of expression to become a platform for social dialogue and change.

For The Leela, the collaboration reflects its belief that True Indian Luxury extends beyond hospitality into culture, creativity and purpose. By bringing an Indian perspective to a global fashion platform, the partnership creates a space where Indian luxury and a movement for women’s empowerment can come together in a meaningful way.

“Our association with Ara Lumière and The Phoenix Circle reflects our belief that luxury becomes more meaningful when it creates space for purpose, dialogue and impact. Milan Fashion Week offers a global platform to bring together India’s rich cultural perspective with voices that are challenging and reshaping the way we understand empowerment. Through our collaboration with Kulsum and Ara Lumière, The Leela is proud to support a movement that places resilience, creativity and the agency of women at its centre, while creating an experience that carries the spirit of True Indian Luxury onto the global stage,” said Preeti Makhija, General Manager, The Leela Palace New Delhi.

“The Phoenix Circle was created to transform narratives of adversity into stories of strength, dignity and possibility. Fashion gives us a powerful language through which these stories can be seen and heard, and our collaboration with The Leela allows this message to reach a global audience. Bringing PASSPORT to Milan is another step in creating spaces where the women we work with are not defined by what they have endured, but by their creativity, identity and the futures they are shaping for themselves,“ said Kulsum Shadab Wahab, Founder, Ara Lumière and The Phoenix Circle.

Through its continued association with Ara Lumière, and as The Leela celebrates four decades of True Indian Luxury, the brand reinforces the idea of fashion as a force for purpose — creating a dialogue between Indian luxury, global creativity and social impact, and demonstrating how hospitality can extend beyond the boundaries of a hotel to become a platform for meaningful cultural exchange.

About The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts

The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts is India’s largest institutionally owned and managed pure-play luxury hospitality brand. Backed by Brookfield, The Leela’s portfolio comprises 15 operating award-winning properties spanning owned, operated, and managed hotels and another 10 in the pipeline across leading leisure and business destinations in India and Dubai. Recognized globally for architectural excellence and bespoke services, The Leela was ranked #2 globally among the best Hotel Brand in the World by the Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards 2026 and has been previously ranked as the World’s Best Hotel Brand by Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards in 2020 and 2021, and among the global top three in 2023, 2024 and 2026. The brand remains committed to delivering timeless Indian hospitality through world-class luxury experiences.

Please visit our website www.theleela.com and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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Odisha Bureaucratic Reshuffle: Trilochan Mohanty Gets New Posting as ROTI Joint Director

Bhubaneswar, Oct 8 (UDN): The Odisha government on Thursday carried out a minor bureaucratic reshuffle, assigning new responsibilities to four senior officers under the Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) cadre.

 Representational Image 

According to a notification issued by the General Administration & Public Grievance Department, the changes include fresh postings in the Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water, Electronics & Information Technology, General Administration and Revenue Officers’ Training Institute (ROTI) departments.

Trilochan Mohanty Transferred to ROTI

Trilochan Mohanty, who was serving as Joint Secretary to the Chief Minister, has been transferred and posted as Joint Director of the Revenue Officers’ Training Institute (ROTI), Bhubaneswar.

The posting is among the key changes announced in the latest administrative order.

Gitanjali Nayak Gets New Responsibility

Gitanjali Nayak, Additional Secretary in the Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water Department, has been transferred to the Electronics & Information Technology Department.

She will take charge as Additional Secretary to the Odisha government in the department.

Nibedita Biswal Posted in Panchayati Raj Department

Nibedita Biswal, who was serving as Additional Secretary in the Labour & Employees’ State Insurance Department, has been posted as Additional Secretary in the Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water Department.

Her earlier proposed appointment as Registrar of Fakir Mohan University in Balasore has also been cancelled. The General Administration Department has withdrawn its previous notification issued on May 27, 2026, concerning her posting as Registrar of the university.

Kukumina Das Appointed Project Director

Kukumina Das, former Registrar of Fakir Mohan University, Balasore, has been assigned a new responsibility as Project Director, Rehabilitation & Resettlement (R&R), Subarnarekha Irrigation Project, Baripada.

Das had recently been posted to the General Administration & Public Grievance Department.

The latest reshuffle is part of the state government’s ongoing administrative adjustments and comes into effect as per the orders issued by the General Administration & Public Grievance Department.

CM Mohan Charan Majhi Mourns Demise of Veteran Actor Nana Patekar

Bhubaneswar, Oct 8 (UDN): Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday expressed deep grief over the demise of veteran actor Nana Patekar, describing his death as a great loss to Indian cinema.

The demise of veteran actor Nana Patekar Ji is a great loss to Indian cinema. Through his exceptional talent, powerful performances and enduring contribution to the arts, he left an indelible mark on generations of audiences. May Mahaprabhu Shri Jagannath grant eternal peace to the departed soul and provide strength and solace to his family, friends and countless admirers in this hour of grief. Om Shanti. 🙏

— Mohan Charan Majhi (@MohanMOdisha) October 8, 2026

In a condolence message, the Chief Minister said Nana Patekar’s exceptional talent, powerful performances and enduring contribution to the arts had left an indelible mark on generations of audiences.

“His remarkable contribution to Indian cinema will always be remembered. Through his exceptional talent and memorable performances, he earned a special place in the hearts of countless admirers,” Majhi said.

The Chief Minister prayed to Mahaprabhu Shri Jagannath to grant eternal peace to the departed soul and give strength and solace to Nana Patekar’s family, friends and admirers during this difficult time.

“May Mahaprabhu Shri Jagannath grant eternal peace to the departed soul and provide strength and solace to his family, friends and countless admirers in this hour of grief. Om Shanti,” Majhi said.

Odisha Bandh Disrupts Travel: Passengers Stranded, Doctor Stopped on Way to Hospital

Bhubaneswar, Oct 8 (UDN): The 12-hour Odisha bandh called by the INDIA bloc disrupted public transport and affected daily life across the state on Thursday, with buses and auto-rickshaws remaining largely off the roads and passengers struggling to reach their destinations.

 Representational Image 

The bandh began at 6 am and is scheduled to continue until 6 pm, with opposition parties urging people to keep vehicles off the roads and close shops, markets, commercial establishments and offices.

Passengers Left Stranded

The shutdown created significant difficulties for travellers in several parts of the state.

In Cuttack, passengers at bus stands reportedly faced trouble after bus services were disrupted. Some travellers said they were caught unaware by the bandh and were unable to find transport to return home.

A group of five passengers who had travelled to Puri reportedly said they were stranded after failing to find a bus back home.

Another passenger said hiring an auto-rickshaw was too expensive, leaving the family with little option but to wait at the bus stand.

Surgeon Stopped While Heading to Hospital

The bandh also led to an unusual situation in Bhubaneswar, where a surgeon was reportedly stopped while travelling to Capital Hospital to attend to patients and perform scheduled surgeries.

The doctor reportedly explained to the protesters that he was required to reach the hospital for medical duties and was subsequently allowed to proceed.

Essential and emergency services have been kept outside the purview of the bandh, with protesters directed not to obstruct medical care, ambulances and other critical services.

Security Stepped Up in Capital

The Commissionerate Police has strengthened security arrangements across Bhubaneswar to prevent any untoward incident during the shutdown.

Around 18 platoons of security personnel and 100 officers have reportedly been deployed or kept ready at key locations, including areas considered vulnerable to protests and traffic disruptions.

Police personnel are maintaining a close watch on major roads, public places and sensitive points as demonstrations continue.

Opposition Lists Four Key Demands

The INDIA bloc has called the bandh over several issues, including the demand for withdrawal of the MMDR Amendment Act, 2026.

The opposition parties have also sought the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging irregularities in the electoral-roll revision process.

Another demand is the resignation of School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond over alleged irregularities in school textbooks.

The opposition has additionally demanded immediate and adequate relief for families affected by floods in Odisha.

While the bandh has affected transport and commercial activity in several areas, authorities are continuing efforts to ensure that essential services remain operational and the situation remains peaceful.

Fibocom and Grid-OS Accelerate IoT Deployment at Scale in India at IMC 2026

NEW DELHI, Oct. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Fibocom, a leading global provider of wireless communication modules and AI solutions, is collaborating with India-based IoT ODM Grid-OS to advance smart payment and vehicle tracking applications in India. At IMC 2026, Grid-OS is showcasing a Payment Soundbox powered by Fibocom’s LE270 LTE Cat 1 bis module, alongside two 4G Vehicle Trackers based on Fibocom’s LE250 series LTE Cat 1 bis modules.

India’s IoT market is moving rapidly toward large-scale deployment. NPCI data shows that UPI transactions reached 24.51 billion in August 2026, while growing applications such as vehicle tracking are creating increasingly diverse requirements for reliable connectivity, low power consumption and positioning capabilities.

For the Payment Soundbox, Fibocom LE270 provides stable 4G connectivity for real-time payment information transmission. Optimized for connected-mode and DRX standby power consumption, LE270’s low-power design helps the Soundbox achieve approximately 7–8 days of battery life with a 2000mAh battery.

The collaboration also extends to two Grid-OS 4G Vehicle Trackers based on Fibocom LE250. The module provides LTE connectivity and GPS/BeiDou positioning, supporting vehicle location and operational data transmission. LE250 also supports OpenCPU and DFOTA, helping simplify product development and subsequent software maintenance.

“Fibocom’s broad wireless communication portfolio gives us the flexibility to select suitable solutions for different IoT product requirements,” said Raghav Gautam, Founder of Grid-OS. “Together with our capabilities spanning product development through mass manufacturing, this provides a strong foundation for expanding our collaboration across more applications.”

Ronald Chan, Vice President of APAC Sales at Fibocom, said: “India is an important IoT market for Fibocom. Our collaboration with Grid-OS, expanding from payment soundbox to vehicle tracker, demonstrates how our diversified wireless portfolio can support local partners across different device requirements and accelerate commercial deployment at scale.”

About Fibocom

Founded in 1999, Fibocom is a leading global provider of wireless communication modules and AI solutions. Its portfolio spans cellular, AI, automotive and GNSS modules, together with AI toolchains, global connectivity and cloud services, empowering connected and intelligent applications worldwide.

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Times Prime Takes ‘Born to Reward’ to Daalchini Vending Machines, with Golden Tickets Worth ₹20,000

1,00,000 limited-edition ₹10 reward envelopes across 5,000 machines, each carrying benefits worth over ₹5,000

NEW DELHI, Oct. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — For ₹10, consumers can now pick up more than a snack at their office vending machine. Times Prime is celebrating its birthday with Born to Reward and has partnered with Daalchini to place 1,00,000 limited-edition reward envelopes in vending machines across Mumbai and Delhi. Five of them hide Golden Tickets that unlock rewards worth up to ₹20,000.

The campaign runs from 23 September to 31 October 2026. The envelopes are available across 5,000 Daalchini vending machines in Mumbai and Delhi. Each costs ₹10 and contains a voucher offering benefits worth over ₹5,000 from Times Prime partners.

Five envelopes carry a Golden Ticket. Finders receive a reward package worth up to ₹20,000, which includes enhanced benefits from participating Times Prime partners and access to an exclusive Times Prime event. Consumers can find their nearest participating machine at timesoffer.daalchini.co.in.

The vending activation extends a celebration that began in the Times Prime app. From 23 to 30 September, members unlocked one new partner offer each day, and every offer stays available to redeem for the rest of the campaign. The offers span travel, shopping, wellness, beauty, healthcare and lifestyle, from brands including Flipkart Flights, Klook, IGP, MeraDoc, FirstCry, Geetanjali Salon, GIVA and Duolingo.

Prerna Kalra, co-founder and CEO, Daalchini, said, “India’s instant commerce story has been about delivery in minutes. We believe the next chapter is zero-wait, with value available the moment you walk past a machine. Gift cards and vouchers are a big step in that direction, and Times Prime’s birthday is the perfect moment to put rewards into consumers’ hands, literally.”

Click here to know more – https://timesoffer.daalchini.co.in/

About Times Prime

Times Prime is a digital lifestyle membership platform from Times Internet. It brings together subscriptions, benefits and experiences across entertainment, dining, travel, shopping, wellness and more, curated through a wide partner ecosystem around members’ daily lives. www.timesprime.com

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ONLYOFFICE 10.0 brings AI tools, modular apps, and stronger security to its open-source office suite

SINGAPORE, Oct. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — ONLYOFFICE presents the major autumn update 10.0 with context-aware AI tools directly in the editors, new modular Apps, and a significant security upgrade. Around 50 new features and more than 1,000 fixes for the online, desktop, and mobile editors.

AI that understands your documents, in every editor

ONLYOFFICE 10.0 puts context-aware AI inside the document, spreadsheet, presentation, and PDF editors. A dedicated AI tab with built-in chat lets teams draft, summarize, translate, clean and format without leaving the file or copying content into a separate tool.

AI simplifies everyday work: legal teams can summarize contracts, analysts can generate forecasts or Pivot Tables, and managers can turn ideas into structured presentations.

Ready-made prompts, custom AI actions, assistants, and saved prompts help teams streamline workflows and automate routine tasks.

Organizations control how AI is used, choosing models based on quality, speed, and cost. Cloud users can enable ONLYOFFICE AI via OpenRouter, while server deployments can connect any model, including local ones. Sensitive data remains within infrastructure.

New modular apps

The release introduces four free Apps that extend ONLYOFFICE Docs (under AGPL v3). AI Agents automate the workspace, with intelligent search, personalized knowledge base, extended reasoning, powered by MCP servers. Forms streamlines data collection and analyze responses. Files centralizes document storage with access controls. Rooms supports secure collaboration, including Virtual Data Rooms for confidential content. In the cloud, the Apps are on by default. On servers, a single command installs them.

Editor enhancements

The PDF Editor adds metadata removal, customizable annotations, automatic table recognition, and reusable signatures. In the Document Editor, co-authors can follow each other’s cursor in real time, new “Keep with next” keeps related content together, and RTL support is more reliable. Spreadsheets run faster, with optimized functions, formula hints and an animated copy marquee. Presentations gain new view modes and extended print settings, GIF or video export for slides.

Users can now work with .ofd files, save spreadsheets as .xls, convert SVGs to editable shapes, add Data Tables to charts. With Antidote, Curly, and a Salesforce new plugins in redesigned Plugin Manager.

Security

ONLYOFFICE 10.0 fixes 35 vulnerabilities, strengthening protection for organizations handling sensitive data as AI-driven threats continue to evolve.

Desktop and mobile

The Desktop Editors get a refreshed homepage, redesigned Templates and Clouds sections, Odoo integration, and visual improvements on Linux. In Desktop Community, AI tools are available as an optional add-on.

The free iOS and Android apps add an AI assistant with new providers, as Grok and DeepSeek, AI AutoFill for forms and voice input for work on the go.

About ONLYOFFICE

ONLYOFFICE, an open-source office software project, focuses on advanced and secure office solutions. With over 21 million users worldwide, it is recognized for its innovation in the online office domain.

The ONLYOFFICE ecosystem comprises a comprehensive suite of collaborative applications, including online editors for text documents, spreadsheets, presentations, forms, and PDFs, as well as modular apps.

www.onlyoffice.com

github.com/ONLYOFFICE

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D Prime Launches Daily ROI PK Feature for #DooTrader International Cup 26/27 USD 1M Trading Competition

Traders can now compete in daily head-to-head ROI challenges to earn extra Season Scores toward the USD 1,000,000 global prize pool and Grand Final spots.

DUBAI, UAE, Oct. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — D Prime has introduced Daily ROI PK, a new head-to-head challenge within the #DooTrader International Cup 26/27, giving eligible participants another way to earn Season Scores and advance on the season Scoreboard.

Alongside monthly individual rankings, the USD 1 million global trading competition features multiple formats, including the Team Challenge, Knockout Challenge and season-long Scoreboard. The Top 3 traders on the final Scoreboard will secure invitations to the Island Showdown Grand Final.

With Round 4 underway, Daily ROI PK brings one-on-one competition into the action every day.

A New Rival Every Day

From 18 September 2026 to 14 January 2027, eligible participants can challenge traders within their division based on daily account return on investment (ROI).

• 10 Season Scores Per Win: Finish the daily match period with a higher ROI than your opponent to earn 10 Season Scores.
• Tailored Matchmaking: Each day, participants are presented with up to five potential opponents with similar ROI levels and can select one to challenge. Results are calculated automatically at the end of the match period.
• Up to 20 Season Scores Daily: Participants can compete once per day in each division, Rising Star and Wave Rider, allowing eligible traders participating in both divisions to earn up to 20 Scores per day.
• No Season Scores Deduction: A loss or draw does not deduct previously earned Season Scores.

Daily Matches, Season-Long Progress

Season Scores earned through Daily ROI PK contribute directly to the overall #DooTrader season Scoreboard. Each win can help participants move up the rankings, with the final Top 3 securing spots at the live Island Showdown Grand Final.

The new feature complements #DooTrader’s existing competition formats, creating another pathway for participants to compete throughout the season.

One day. One rival. 10 Season Scores. Another step toward the Island Showdown.

For full competition mechanics and eligibility requirements, visit the official #DooTrader page.

About D Prime

“D Prime” is a brand name of D Prime Vanuatu Limited, a company incorporated and regulated by the Vanuatu Financial Services Commission (Company Number: 700238). The availability of products and services may vary depending on jurisdiction and applicable regulatory requirements.

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