Good morning, Bengaluru!
🌧️ Today’s weather: High: 30 ℃ | Low: 21 ℃ | Generally cloudy sky with one or two spells of rain or thundershowers.
🧐 Did you know? More than 60,000 companies are estimated to be operating within the city.
🐕 Pet-friendly Uber
Uber India has introduced Uber Pet in the city, allowing users to travel with their pets in taxis.
What’s it about? Uber has highlighted the importance of pets to families and the need for inclusive travel. This new service caters to the longstanding demand from pet owners who previously faced challenges in finding pet-friendly transport options.
- The service aims to offer a seamless experience for pet owners while creating extra earning opportunities for drivers.
- Uber Pet is exclusively available as a reserve-only option on the Uber app for Bengaluru residents, allowing users to pre-book rides from 60 minutes to 90 days in advance.
Trailblazer: This initiative marks a first for cab aggregators in Bengaluru, addressing a gap where drivers previously refused to accommodate pets. The launch of this service provides a solution for pet owners who no longer need to leave their pets behind when going out.
🐺 Arctic Wolf’s howl
Arctic Wolf has opened its first Global Capability Centre (GCC) in the city to accelerate platform innovation and expand its security operations solutions.
What’s it about? The Bengaluru office will enhance product development, innovation, and cybersecurity capabilities, leveraging the city’s reputation as a global tech and cybersecurity hub.
- This new centre will help Arctic Wolf provide round-the-clock development support and strengthen its presence in the Asia-Pacific region.
- The company believes that the research and development from the Indian GCC will significantly contribute to the company’s mission to end cyber risks for organisations of all sizes.
Centre’s focus: The Bengaluru centre will focus on advanced machine learning and AI-driven cybersecurity advancements. By mid-2025, Arctic Wolf plans to hire 150 employees, concentrating on roles in threat intelligence, AI, and research and development, while maintaining service delivery teams in North America and Europe.
🌉 A bridge too far (congested)
The traffic police have implemented new traffic restrictions at the Marathahalli Bridge Junction on Varthur Road to address severe congestion.
What’s it about? The junction, located under the HAL Airport Traffic Police Station, is a critical spot on the route for office-going traffic, particularly during peak hours in the morning and evening.
- To reduce gridlocks, the police have enforced restrictions during high-traffic periods: from 7:00 am to 11:00 am in the morning and from 4:00 pm to 10:00 pm in the evening.
- During these times, vehicles are no longer permitted to travel from the KLM Service Road onto the Outer Ring Road (ORR) toward Kundalahalli Gate, one of the most congested areas.
Alternative routes: Alternative routes have been recommended as a part of the initiative as well. Light vehicles are directed to take a U-turn near Akash Vihar Housing, then proceed toward Kundalahalli Gate via Marathahalli Bridge.
💉 War on drugs
The Bengaluru Police have ramped up efforts against drug trafficking with a major crackdown that led to the arrest of 67 individuals, including three foreigners, for drug peddling.
What’s it about? Police Commissioner B Dayananda announced the arrests as part of a larger “war on drugs,” emphasising the city’s zero-tolerance approach towards drug-related activities, including possession, transport, and sale.
- Raids were conducted in various parts of Bengaluru by the city police, with support from the Crime Branch, resulting in the detection of 40 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
- The month-long operation saw significant drug seizures, including 170 kg of ganja, 2 kg of opium, 13 grams of cocaine, 372 grams of MDMA, and 998 Ecstasy tablets.
Raids to continue: Dayananda has said that raids will continue regularly across all areas of the city to identify and apprehend drug peddlers. The police are not only targeting street-level dealers but are also focusing on tracking the supply chains of drugs, working to identify key suppliers.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Do you have a pet?
- I have a pet.
- I do not have a pet.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What’s the best anti-virus software to have on a budget?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- City’s e-waste management firms are engaging in re-selling used devices despite a ban on the activity.
- Yash and Kiara Advani’s Toxic’s shooting’s Bengaluru schedule has been wrapped up.
- Modern ‘Smart Bus Stands’ have been inaugurated at Nripatunga Road, Koramangala, and New Horizon College.
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru have restored and handed over two city lakes.
- Hesaraghatta Grasslands have achieved the Conservation Reserve status.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll:
- I work in the BFSI sector: 16.7%
- I do not work in the BFSI sector: 83.3% 🏆
That’s it for today. Have a great day!