Business
realme partners with KRAFTON India to revolutionise Indian e-sports landscape

New Delhi, Jan 3: India’s gaming industry is experiencing remarkable growth, transforming the country into a major force in the global gaming landscape.
By 2028, the APAC region is projected to generate $181.8 billion in gaming revenue, representing 54.4 per cent of the global market. Within this region, India’s online gaming market is expected to reach Rs 66,000 crore by 2028, expanding at a compound annual growth rate of 14.5 per cent.
Several factors contribute to this growth, including India’s young demographics, with nearly 600 million people under 35 years of age. Coupled with some of the world’s most affordable mobile data prices and over 650 million smartphone users, India has cultivated a strong culture of digital entertainment consumption, particularly in gaming.
The industry’s growth is particularly evident in two key segments. The real-money gaming (RMG) market has gained significant momentum through skill-based games, while the social and casual gaming sector continues to expand its reach among young adults and working professionals.
This surge in app-based gaming reflects broader changes in entertainment preferences, driven by increasing smartphone adoption and improved internet connectivity.
To further tap into India’s burgeoning gaming market, realme has joined forces with KRAFTON India as the official smartphone partner for Battlegrounds Mobile India Series (BGIS) 2025 and Battlegrounds Mobile India Pro Series (BMPS) 2025.
Marking 2025 as its first dedicated gaming year, realme has positioned esports as a core strategic focus. This strategic collaboration comes at a pivotal time, as India is projected to reach 720 million mobile gamers by 2028. The partnership will kick off with the BGIS 2025 LAN Finals in Kolkata, featuring a substantial prize pool of Rs 2 crore, demonstrating the scale of investment in competitive gaming.
To realise this gaming-focused vision, realme has established an internal team, bringing together specialists from research and development, marketing, and product departments.
The team works closely with KRAFTON India on joint research and development and exclusive debugging initiatives, demonstrating realme’s commitment to building a robust e-sports ecosystem.
Following its “make it real” philosophy, this commitment is already evident in devices like the realme GT 7 Pro, which has been well-received in the Indian market for its strong gaming performance capabilities.
The realme GT 7 Pro will also be serving as the official smartphone for BGIS 2025.
The collaboration represents a significant step in realme’s broader vision to revolutionise the mobile gaming landscape in India.
Through strategic investments in esports infrastructure, grassroots initiatives, and technological innovation, realme aims to make premium gaming experiences more accessible while nurturing the next generation of esports athletes.
Beyond tournaments, the partnership focuses on building a comprehensive ecosystem that supports content creators and provides interactive platforms for the gaming community, leveraging realme’s expertise in high-performance smartphones and KRAFTON’s influential position in the gaming industry to create a more engaging gaming ecosystem for Indian users.
The convergence of realme’s technological expertise and KRAFTON’s gaming prowess marks an important milestone in India’s gaming journey.
As the country continues its trajectory to become a global gaming powerhouse, collaborations like these between technology and gaming leaders will play a crucial role in shaping the future of mobile gaming and e-sports in the country.
Business
India red-flags $800 million ADB aid package to Pakistan

New Delhi, June 4: India has expressed deep concerns over the potential misuse of the $800 million ADB aid package to Pakistan as the country is increasing its defence expenditure, despite the poor fiscal position, with the army exercising de facto control over the government in Islamabad.
The army top brass now leads the Special Investment Facilitation Council, which gives it more control over the economic policy. India has warned that this entrenched military role poses serious risks of policy reversal and poor reform implementation, according to reliable sources.
Pakistan’s tax-GDP ratio has been declining, with the country going through an economic crisis. The foreign exchange reserves have hit rock bottom, and inflation has soared to double-digit figures. However, despite the dire economic situation, the military-driven government has gone for increasing expenditure on defence.
India has also pointed out that Pakistan has a very poor track record in implementing the economic reforms that are mandatory with these aid packages from multilateral institutions.
India’s concern is that these funds can be diverted for defence expenditure. The fighter jets purchased from China and the large number of drones used by Pakistan in the wake of Operation Sindoor reflect the increased spending on military hardware, an official said.
It pointed out that Pakistan recently approached the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the 24th bailout, indicating policy ineffectiveness. This further shows that the previous ADB and IMF-supported programmes have failed to create sustainable macroeconomic stability.
India has also highlighted that Pakistan’s policy of promoting cross-border terrorism has led to a worsening of the security situation in the region.
It has further pointed out that Islamabad’s track record on implementation of the FATF action points related to terrorist financing investigations and prosecution of leaders of UN-designated terrorist groups and freezing and confiscation of criminal assets is also highly unsatisfactory.
National
Monsoon session of Parliament from July 21 to August 12

New Delhi, June 4: The Monsoon Session of Parliament will begin on July 21 and conclude on August 12, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju announced on Wednesday.
Both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha will convene at 11 a.m. on the opening day, marking the start of the first parliamentary session in over three months.
The session is expected to be politically charged, especially against the backdrop of heightened demands by the Opposition for a special session.
Sixteen opposition parties had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, pressing for an immediate session to discuss the recent Pahalgam terror attack and the retaliatory Operation Sindoor — a cross-border military operation targeting nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
In response, the government has now formalised the Monsoon Session schedule, asserting that all issues, including those raised by the Opposition, can be taken up during the scheduled sitting.
The Budget Session earlier this year ran from January 31 to April 4 in two phases and saw the passage of several key legislations, including the Waqf Amendment Bill which seeks to focus on improving the management of waqf properties, empowerment of stakeholders relevant to management of waqf properties, improving the efficiency in survey, registration and case disposal process, and development of waqf properties.
While the core purpose remains to manage waqf properties, the aim is to implement modern and scientific methods for better governance. The Mussalman Wakf Act, 1923, was also repealed.
Apart from the Waqf Amendment Bill, the government also passed the ‘Tribhuvan’ Sahkari University Bill, 2025, for the establishment of ‘Tribhuvan’ Sahkari University to provide education, training, and capacity building in the cooperative sector and undertake research and development activities in related areas.
The Immigration and Foreigners Bill, 2025, was also passed to simplify the laws for the requirement of passports or other travel documents in respect of persons entering into and exiting from India and for regulating matters related to foreigners, including the requirement of a visa and registration.
Crime
Man arrested for raping, murdering 80-year-old woman in Karnataka

Kolar, June 4: A man has been arrested on charges of raping and murdering an 80-year-old woman in Srinivasapura town of Karnataka’s Kolar district.
The police have apprehended the accused, who has since been remanded to judicial custody.
The accused has been identified as 37-year-old Baba Jaan, a resident of Gaffar Khan Mohalla in Srinivasapura.
According to the police, the victim’s body was discovered on Monday evening at a garage near an open field on Mulbagal Road in Srinivasapura town.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the victim had been raped and murdered.
The victim had left home two days ago, informing her family that she would visit the church at Srinivasapura.
The woman stayed in Srinivasapura for two days, and on Monday evening, when the woman was waiting for a bus to return home, the accused targeted her.
The accused spoke to her to ensure she was alone.
He then allegedly lifted and carried her to an isolated place, where he brutally raped her before strangling her to death.
The accused also robbed Rs 15,000 from her bag.
During their investigation, the police obtained CCTV footage from a nearby shop, which captured the accused lifting the victim and hurriedly carrying her away.
While the police were gathering information, the accused returned to the crime scene to observe the unfolding events. Alert police personnel identified and apprehended him.
The accused later confessed to committing the crime to rob the victim’s money and jewellery.
The victim’s family has urged the police to “kill” the accused due to the heinous nature of the crime.
More details regarding the incident are yet to emerge.
On August 21, 2024, the Chintamani police had arrested a 28-year-old labourer for sexually assaulting a 65-year-old woman on the hospital premises in the wee hours.
Based on a complaint by the staffers at the Chintamani government hospital, the police launched a hunt and nabbed the accused.
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