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Hello,

It’s not every day that WordPress, the company that essentially powers millions of websites across the world, finds itself in the news. The platform is free, open source, and generally reliable.

However, this seemingly happy WordPress community was thrown into chaos last week as the conflict between WP Engine and WordPress prevented users from updating themes and plugins.  

WP Engine is a specialised hosting platform designed specifically for WordPress websites and the fight has opened a debate on how much for-profit companies should benefit from open source.

Speaking of open source, it will be interesting to see how OpenAI navigates the complex path to becoming a for-profit company. 

ICYMI: All that happened at the star-studded TechSparks 2024!

Moving on, Earth has a new visitor. 

An asteroid dubbed 2024 PT5 has become a “mini-moon” of sorts. It has temporarily entered Earth’s orbit and is expected to stay around for around two months.

In today’s newsletter, we will talk about 

• Exploring different cuisines
• Women need to embrace risks: Rohini Srivathsa

Here’s your trivia for today: Which element of the periodic table is named after the Norse god of thunder?

Startups

Exploring different cuisines

Many of us struggle to choose while ordering food online. The sheer variety of food and the number of restaurants overwhelm us so much that we end up ordering the same old dish from the same old restaurant. 

This is what HOGR wants to change. The Bengaluru-based food discovery platform wants people to approach food with curiosity and explore cuisines with confidence. 

Key takeaways:

• The startup helps people discover restaurants their friends have been to and connect with people with similar culinary interests. It also helps restaurant owners understand customer preferences and target a captive audience on the app. 
• HOGR has partnered with over 250 restaurants in Bengaluru, Kochi and Chennai and collated food and restaurant recommendations from users across the country. 
• Users of HOGR can log in to the app and sync up contacts on their phones to find friends and family. They can also search for food bloggers, influencers and fellow foodies and follow them for their recommendations and reviews.

TechSparks

Women need to embrace risks: Rohini Srivathsa

Rohini Srivathsa’s talk at TechSparks 2024, was more of a conversation with the audience and touched upon pertinent topics like women’s participation in the workforce, work from home for both genders and more.

The Chief Technology Officer at Microsoft India & South Asia, Srivathsa is a leader in the tech industry. At Microsoft, she is responsible for driving tech innovation and growth across industry and the government.

Equality:

• India’s female participation in the workforce stands at an abysmal 37%. “This means out of 100 women who are eligible to be in the workforce, only 37 are. The number is among the lowest in the world, and you will be amazed at the countries that are above India on the list. It’s not something to be proud of,” she said.
• Srivathsa believes change is imperative because studies (from the UN, World Economic Forum, McKinsey, Harvard and others) have shown that when women participate in the workforce, economies grow more equitably. 
• “There is better education, better care and sustainability. If India wants to achieve its goal of a Viksit Bharat by 2047, we need to get our act together,” she said.

News & updates

• Moving borders: Switzerland and Italy have redrawn a border that traverses an Alpine peak as melting glaciers shift the historically defined frontier. The two countries agreed to the modifications beneath the Matterhorn peak, one of the highest summits in Europe, which straddles Switzerland’s Zermatt region and Italy’s Aosta Valley.
• Super typhoon: Tropical storm Krathon is headed for the Philippines as authorities place northern parts of the main Luzon island on alert, saying there’s a high chance of rapid intensification and the possibility it could become a super typhoon.

What you should watch out for

• Key changes: Starting October 1, individuals will no longer be able to use their Aadhaar Enrollment ID when applying for a Permanent Account Number or filing Income Tax Returns. Securities Transaction Tax on futures and options trading will increase, with rates set to rise to 0.02% for futures and 0.1% for options. 
• IPO watch: Diffusion Engineers IPO will close for bidding on Monday, September 30, while Divyadhan Recycling Industries IPO, Sahasra Electronics Solutions IPO, Forge Auto International IPO, and Nexxus Petro Industries IPO will also close for subscription on September 30. 

Which element of the periodic table is named after the Norse god of thunder?

Answer: Thorium.

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