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Merry Christmas!

There are some big design changes in the pipeline at Twitter. The social media giant will tweak its count feature to allow users to turn it off.

Meanwhile, the suspended @elonjet account, which tracks Elon Musk’s private jet, is back. It is now called @ElonJetNextDay and will upload tracking information but is delayed by 24 hours.

Also, in the spirit of Christmas, would you give up meat-based foods for alternative proteins and mycelium-based sausages, locust burgers, and vegan desserts? These Israeli startups are passionate about curbing food waste with their innovative products.

In today’s newsletter, we will talk about 

• India’s first online auction house
• Top books on entrepreneurship in 2022
• Garuda Aerospace drones get wings

Here’s your trivia for today: Which famous Christmas carol became the first song ever to be broadcast from space?

Splurge

India’s first online auction house

Based in Kala Ghoda, Mumbai, India’s first online-only premium auction house AstaGuru enables bidders to follow and participate in real-time auctions from home. It primarily deals in modern and contemporary Indian art.

Show-stoppers:

• AstaGuru saw the highest bidding so far for a 1973’s painting by Indian painter Tyeb Mehta. The artwork was sold for Rs 25,29,41,062.
• A 100-year-old rare ruby red Persian floor chandelier was bid for Rs 22,73,015.
• An 18K white gold annual calendar Patek Philippe watch was auctioned for Rs 35,06,580.

Books

Top books on entrepreneurship in 2022

This year, books about the startup ecosystem in India and across the world threw light on the constantly shifting entrepreneurial landscape, especially in the wake of the pandemic that changed the rules of the game.

Reading list:

• Namita Thapar, Executive Director, Emcure Pharmaceuticals, and a Shark on Shark Tank has penned her experiences being a judge and her business journey in The Dolphin and The Shark.
• In his book, The DREAM Founder: Creating a Successful Startup, angel investor Dhruv Nath advises early-stage founders to have a clear grasp of unit economics, marketing communication, and fundraising fundamentals.
• Arkam Ventures MD Bala Srinivasa and angel investor TN Hari relay inspiring stories of entrepreneurs in Winning Middle India: The Story of India’s New-Age Entrepreneurs.

Drones

Garuda Aerospace drones get wings

Drone manufacturer Garuda Aerospace has received both type certification and pilot training approvals from the DGCA for its homegrown ‘kisan’ (farmer) drones. They will be deployed to reduce crop loss, monitor crop health, measure yield, and mitigate crop losses.

Key points:

• Garuda Aerospace’ GA-AG model has been awarded the type certificate, making it eligible for a 50%-100% subsidy from the government.
• It also qualified to receive Rs 10 lakh in unsecured loans from the Agri Infrastructure Fund at a 5% interest rate.
• The startup earlier this month launched the country’s first drone skilling and training virtual e-learning platform.

News & updates

• Safety concern: Twitter has reportedly removed a feature in the past few days that promoted suicide prevention hotlines and other safety resources to users looking up certain content. Twitter head of trust and safety Ella Irwin said the feature was temporarily removed for fixes.
• Bone-chilling: Around 200 million people in the US have been impacted by an ice storm with winds dropping temperatures to as low as -45°C. The storm has also impacted the delivery of millions of Christmas presents and led to flight cancellations.
• Christmas surprise: One month after the huge layoff of about 11,000 of its employees, Meta is sending Christmas boxes to them with a unique surprise inside. An ex-employee received Christmas box labelled “Leaver” containing Christmas tree ornaments of “sad” and “wow” emojis.

Which famous Christmas carol became the first song ever to be broadcast from space?

Answer: Jingle Bells.

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