India’s Drone Destination has announced the establishment of its European subsidiary in Cyprus, marking another strategic step in deepening bilateral economic ties following Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s historic first official visit to the island.

The New Delhi-based company, India’s first drone firm to be listed on NSE Emerge and a leader in commercial UAV operations, provides certified training programmes and tailored Drone-as-a-Service (DaaS) solutions, from agricultural spraying to aerial surveying and asset inspection.

According to the statement, Drone Destination, with a strong reputation for safety and operational excellence, now plans to build a full-fledged unmanned aerial ecosystem out of Cyprus.

The new entity will focus on research and development, service provision, education, and drone sports, aiming to position the island as a regional hub for unmanned systems across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

As part of its expansion strategy, Drone Destination is already in talks with both public and private stakeholders in the wider region.

The initiative is expected to enhance Cyprus’ position as a credible innovation centre in the high-growth unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) sector, with strong potential for foreign direct investment and advanced technological applications.

Commenting on the development, Invest Cyprus CEO Marios Tannousis said that drone technology is redefining key sectors such as defence, logistics, infrastructure monitoring, agriculture, environmental protection, and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education.

“By creating a safe, sovereign and innovation-driven drone hub envisioned by Drone Destination, Cyprus has the opportunity to lead in this critical sector, not only for itself, but also for Europe and its trusted partners globally,” Tannousis noted.

Drone Destination’s president Alok Sharma explained that India’s rapid advancement in drone technology, fostered under Prime Minister Modi through bold industrial policies and incentives, provides a solid foundation for expansion into new markets.

“Cyprus has the opportunity to participate in this momentum,” he said.

“With vision and commitment, it can become a strategic gateway for unmanned systems in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.”

Sharma added that the company’s presence in Cyprus will combine India’s proven expertise in drone services and pilot training with the island’s strategic location, robust intellectual property framework, and policy clarity.

“Together, we can create a global hub that will combine India’s dynamism and innovation with Cyprus’ strategic location,” he said.

The High Commissioner of India to Cyprus, Shri Manish, also welcomed the development, describing Drone Destination’s decision as a vote of confidence in the bilateral agenda.

“We welcome Indian companies, such as Drone Destination, to invest in Cyprus, especially in future-ready sectors such as drone technology and artificial intelligence,” Shri Manish said.

He stressed that the move is aligned with Prime Minister Modi’s vision to make India a global drone hub by 2030, while Cyprus, he added, can serve as an ideal European gateway for such innovations.

“Drone Destination’s decision immediately after the conclusion of the Prime Minister’s first official visit to the Republic of Cyprus testifies to the commitment of Indian companies to engage Cyprus in strengthening our bilateral economic agenda,” Shri Manish concluded.

New Delhi, June 19 (SocialNews.XYZ) Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has reaffirmed India’s commitment to transitioning the free trade agreement (FTA) from a negotiated text into a transformative economic partnership, the ministry said on Thursday.

The minister showcased India’s strategic global outlook and economic leadership at the India Global Forum (IGF) 2025 in London. His visit marked a significant moment following the historic signing of the India–UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in May 2025.

Delivering the keynote address, the Union Minister described the FTA as a reflection of shared ambition between two vibrant democracies. He stated that the agreement not only enhances bilateral trade, but also demonstrates India’s ability to negotiate balanced and future-oriented trade frameworks aligned with its national interests.

Goyal was joined by UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Jonathan Reynolds, with moderation by international journalist Mark Barton.

Outlining the next phase of implementation, Goyal highlighted key priorities such as strengthening institutional mechanisms for joint governance, unlocking early benefits for SMEs and startups, and facilitating smooth mobility of skilled professionals across sectors.

On June 19, the Union Minister participated in a special session on “UK–India Science, Technology and Innovation Collaboration” at the Science Museum in London.

The session explored opportunities for UK stakeholders to contribute to India’s expanding investments in digital public infrastructure, sustainable manufacturing, and green technologies.

Discussions also covered efforts to make India a global manufacturing hub through Make in India, PLI schemes, and enhancing collaboration in sectors such as fintech, artificial intelligence, and creative industries, according to the ministry.

The FTA’s role in deepening cooperation in critical technologies, defence production, and advanced manufacturing was also highlighted. The session further examined how innovations like UPI and CoWIN can be scaled globally through bilateral collaboration.

“By leveraging the India–UK FTA, both nations aim to unlock new avenues in goods, services, technology, and innovation for shared prosperity,” said the ministry.

Source: IANS

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Many fitness trackers are designed without consideration for different body types. (AYO Production/Shutterstock)

CHICAGO — Fitness trackers promise to monitor daily energy expenditure and help guide health decisions, but they’ve consistently failed to provide accurate readings for people carrying extra weight. Hip-worn devices get thrown off by different walking patterns, and wrist-worn trackers haven’t been properly tested for people with obesity. Until now, people with obesity have been making health decisions based on fundamentally flawed data.

Researchers at Northwestern University have created the first algorithm specifically designed to give people with obesity accurate energy expenditure readings from commercial smartwatches. Their work, published in Scientific Reports, could finally put reliable fitness tracking within reach for this underserved population.

The research was born from a deeply personal moment. Lead researcher Nabil Alshurafa got the inspiration for the algorithm after going to an exercise class with his mother-in-law, who has obesity.

“She worked harder than anyone else, yet when we glanced at the leaderboard, her numbers barely registered,” says Northwestern University researcher Alshurafa, in a statement. “That moment hit me: fitness shouldn’t feel like a trap for the people who need it most.”

Why Your Tracker Fails You

Fitness trackers were designed with “average” bodies in mind. For people with obesity, everything changes. Walking patterns shift, preferred speeds differ, and body composition affects how devices sit and function. Due to body composition differences, hip-worn devices can tilt at different angles, leading to inconsistent and unreliable measurements.

Wrist-worn devices seemed like the obvious solution. They’re more comfortable, people actually wear them consistently, and they’re less affected by body composition variations. But until this study, nobody had properly validated wrist-based energy expenditure algorithms specifically for people with obesity.

The researchers noted that existing commercial wrist-mounted device companies have developed algorithms to determine calorie expenditure, but these algorithms remain proprietary and lack transparency in their validation, leaving a critical gap for people with obesity.

Northwestern’s team recruited 52 participants, all with BMIs of 30 or higher. The average BMI was around 36, and participants ranged from their early 40s to mid-50s.

In the lab portion, 27 people wore both a commercial Fossil Sport smartwatch and a research-grade ActiGraph device while performing everything from computer work to vigorous aerobics. Researchers also hooked participants up to a metabolic cart, the ultimate truth detector for measuring actual energy expenditure through breath analysis.

Another 25 participants took the devices home for two days of real-world testing. Researchers used wearable cameras to visually confirm what people were actually doing, ensuring their algorithm matched reality rather than just other estimates.

A Smarter Two-Step Process

Most existing algorithms try to estimate energy expenditure directly from movement data. Northwestern’s team took a different approach, creating a two-step process specifically designed for wrist-worn devices.

First, the system determines whether someone is doing sedentary activities (sitting, reading, typing) or non-sedentary activities (walking, exercising, moving around). For sedentary activities, the algorithm assigns a standard resting value.

For non-sedentary activities, it applies a more sophisticated model that considers not just movement patterns from the smartwatch sensors, but also personal factors like age, sex, weight, height, and BMI.

When tested against the metabolic cart in the lab, the new algorithm achieved much better accuracy than existing methods. It outperformed six out of seven established algorithms, including several designed for hip-worn devices that supposedly provide more accurate readings.

In real-world testing, the algorithm’s estimates fell within acceptable ranges 95% of the time when compared to the best existing methods. Among algorithms tested at the same time window, Northwestern’s approach consistently delivered the lowest error rates.

Statistical analysis confirmed these represented significant improvements in accuracy compared to existing methods.

Algorithm Struggles

No system is perfect, and Northwestern’s algorithm is no exception. It tends to underestimate energy expenditure when the dominant hand stays relatively still compared to the rest of the body. This could happen, for example, when holding a phone against your ear while walking.

On the other hand, it overestimates when the dominant hand moves more than the rest of the body, like scrolling through social media while sitting still or gesturing during a phone conversation.

Walking while talking on the phone led to underestimation more often than overestimation. Sitting activities showed varied results depending on hand movement; passive activities like watching TV led to underestimation, while active phone use led to overestimation.

However, since the algorithm works with smartwatches worn on the dominant hand, it could potentially integrate with other health monitoring applications that track eating, drinking, or smoking behaviors—all activities primarily performed with the dominant hand.

A health monitoring system like this could track both calories consumed and calories burned using the same device. For people managing their weight or monitoring their overall health, having reliable data on both sides of the energy equation could be transformative.

Making Tech More Inclusive

This is a step toward making fitness technology actually useful for people across different body types. Currently, people with obesity may be making health decisions based on flawed data from their fitness trackers.

During the study, Alshurafa would challenge participants to do as many pushups as they could in five minutes. The experience opened his eyes to broader inequities in how we measure fitness and exercise success.

“Many couldn’t drop to the floor, but each one crushed wall push-ups, their arms shaking with effort,” says Alshurafa. “We celebrate ‘standard’ workouts as the ultimate test, but those standards leave out so many people. These experiences showed me we must rethink how gyms, trackers, and exercise programs measure success — so no one’s hard work goes unseen.”

If someone is trying to lose weight, increase activity levels, or simply understand their daily energy expenditure, inaccurate data leads to poor outcomes. When fitness trackers only work accurately for certain body types, they’re failing a significant portion of their users.

Fanatics Fest is expected to lose millions — again. Michael Rubin’s not worried.

“We’re still in investment mode,” the 52-year-old Fanatics CEO said of the celebrity-packed sports and culture convention, set to take place June 20 to 22 at the Javits Center.

Last year, 72,000 fans attended the inaugural festival. It was a massive success.

Sure, the company lost $15 million on the three-day celebration, but that’s a little more than a rounding error for Fanatics, which is projected to generate $12 billion in revenue in 2026.

Fanatics Fest isn’t designed to generate revenue on par with Fanatics commerce or collectible verticals, or its betting platform — it’s designed to bolster them.

“This is really about creating a sports festival that only we can create. It’s a great give back to fans,” Rubin told NYNext.

Rubin is expecting 150,000 attendees at this year’s fest. And the number of participating leagues and organizations will more than double, too. FIFA, Formula 1, the Premier League, USTA, Nike, and Dick’s Sporting Goods are joining returning partners including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, UFC and WWE.

Then there’s the surfeit of talent who will be there.

Jay-Z is spending millions on a pop-up 40/40 Club. Tom Brady is sitting on panels and tossing footballs to fans. And Victor Wembanyama, currently traveling in China, is coming in for a cold-plunge with Kevin Hart on a live-taping of “Cold as Balls.”

Fun can also expect to see LeBron James, Travis Scott, Henrik Lundqvist, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Livvy Dunne, Kevin Costner, John Cena, Charlotte Flair and hundreds of other beloved athletes and entertainers at various autograph-signings and activations.

It will be “organized chaos,” Rubin said.

While he’s coy on specific event details, he teases “Crazy stunts, endless stunts … Twenty to 30 that no one knows about.” 

One bit he will share involves a yet-to-be-named athlete surrounded by 20 identical decoys in matching uniforms, unleashed into the crowd to confuse fans.

“We like chaos,” Rubin added.

While Fanatics Fest 1.0 was largely a hit, it wasn’t without friction. VIP badge-holders, who paid extra for their privileges, were allowed to cut lines for autographs and photos — a move Rubin now bluntly admits was a “disaster.”

“It sucked, it was terrible,” he said. “You can’t be afraid to go out and do things and make mistakes, but then you’ve got to be a great listener.”

This year, he promises that the autograph process has been overhauled and improved, as has crowd logistics, stage management and athlete transportation.

Since Rubin founded Fanatics in 2002, the sports-commerce giant has expanded from selling team merchandise to running trading cards, collectibles and its own sportsbook. The company serves more than 10 million customers annually across its stores and venue shops, and ships more than 40 million online orders a year.

The global spectator sports industry is worth more than $500 billion, but few companies have built a direct, multi-channel relationship with fans as successfully as Rubin has.

This story is part of NYNext, an indispensable insider insight into the innovations, moonshots and political chess moves that matter most to NYC’s power players (and those who aspire to be).

The idea for Fanatics Fest first came to Rubin after he attended SXSW and Comic-Con — flagship experiences that fans were annually traveling across the country and world to attend.

“I thought, ‘Why don’t we have this for sports?’” he said. “There wasn’t [anybody else] that could convene all of the sports properties and all of the athletes … We [had] to do this.”

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I test smartwatches for a living, so there’s no getting away from the fact that I use them a lot. The best smartwatches are comprehensive health, communication and personal management tools, allowing us to pay without wallets, navigate without our phones, log our workouts effectively and monitor our health 24/7.

However, as extensions of our phones, they also represent connection. I’m a big advocate of taking deliberate time away from the constant mess of screens in my life, but having a smartwatch on my wrist often means there are far fewer avenues for escape.