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Hello Reader,

The blue tick is getting an upgrade…sort of. 

After a botched roll-out of the verified service that led to a surge in users impersonating celebrities and brands on Twitter, Chief Twit Elon Musk is relaunching it next Friday in different colours—gold for companies, grey for governments, and blue for individuals including celebrities.

In other news, investors have lost $7.4 trillion in just a year on the Nasdaq. While Microsoft lost $700 billion in market cap, Meta’s market cap is down by over $600 billion.

Oh, and if you are still thinking of what to do this weekend, let YS Life’s Curtain Raiser help. 

Last but not least, it turns out that AI systems can get amnesia and the key to preventing it is simple: sleep!

Seems like technology has more in common with us than we thought. How comforting!

In today’s newsletter, we will talk about 

• Exploring Goa’s hidden gems
• PhonePe to acquire ZestMoney
• Inside nature-themed restaurants

Here’s your trivia for today: What country has competitive office chair racing?

Travel

Exploring Goa’s hidden gems

Away from crowded beaches, overrated shacks and the plastic-dumped sea lies the ‘undiscovered’ side of Goa where Oliver Ridley turtles hatch on its coast, Portuguese churches dot its landscape, and the backwaters offer the perfect spot for kayaking.

Unseen Goa:

• Visit Divar Island in Old Goa and see its empty roads dotted with Portuguese houses, vast green fields, and old churches.
• Hop to the Three King’s Chapel in Cansaulim village. It is believed to be haunted by the ghosts of the three kings who killed each other.
• Grab Poi (Goan bread) with Xacuti (a curry made using Goan spices and coconut) instead of your regular bread and curry.

Mergers & Acquisitions

PhonePe to acquire ZestMoney

PhonePe is in the final stages of acquiring BNPL player ZestMoney for $200 million to $300 million, a source told YourStory. The deal is expected to close in two to three weeks, and ZestMoney will continue to function as a separate entity.

Lending boost:

• For PhonePe, ZestMoney gives it instant access to its consumer credit base, bolstering its lending vertical.
• This comes as PhonePe received a fresh capital infusion of about Rs 742 crore from its Singapore-based parent earlier this week.
• PhonePe has made seven acquisitions to date, including OSLabs, Zopper Retail, WealthDesk, and OpenQ.

Wine and food

Inside nature-themed restaurants

Dining among the greens is becoming an increasingly popular trend, and many glasshouse-inspired eateries are bringing the outdoors in. From plant-filled green interiors, glass ceilings and cosy alcoves, many new restaurants are changing the culinaryscape.

Green getaway:

• Banyan Tree Café at Ballard Estate, Mumbai has an ancient banyan tree at its heart and is designed to provide “fluidity of space”.
• Silly in Khar, Mumbai has greenery, gravel pathways, and exposed brick walls housed in line with conscious eating.
• The Conservatory at Juhu reminds you of being in an actual glasshouse with lush greenery all around to create a soothing effect.

News & updates

• Marriage rights: India’s Supreme Court has agreed to examine a petition that seeks legal recognition of same-sex marriage, in a development that could build on a string of rulings expanding protection for the LGBTQ community.
• Hibernation: A crew of four will need at least 11 tonnes of food to complete a 1,100-day mission to Mars and back. Scientists are on the verge of figuring out how to put humans in a state of suspended animation. It could be the key to colonising Mars. 
• Bidding war: Binance and other crypto firms are preparing takeover offers for beleaguered digital currency lender Voyager Digital after FTX, which had initially agreed to acquire the firm, filed for bankruptcy when crypto hedge fund Three Arrows Capital defaulted on a loan from the company worth $670 million.

What country has competitive office chair racing?

Answer: Japan.

We would love to hear from you! To let us know what you liked and disliked about our newsletter, please mail editorial@yourstory.com. 

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