A number of Western officials and security agencies have recently warned of the growing challenges posed by Russian hybrid warfare . This threat is not new, of course. The Kremlin has long been engaged in acts of hybrid aggression against the West, with information warfare playing a central role in Moscow’s efforts to destabilize its democratic adversaries. With geopolitical tension now rising amid a jockeying for position ahead of anticipated Ukraine peace talks in early 2025, Russian information attacks look set to intensify. It is important to acknowledge that Russian information warfare is highly innovative and continues to evolve at a rapid pace. Russia’s information offensives initially focused on the Kremlin’s own media platforms such as RT and Sputnik , but these outlets have proven relatively easy to identify, discredit, and restrict. In recent years, Russia has increasingly sought to promote its narratives via partners and proxies, as the recent scandal involving prominent US podcasters highlighted. The pioneering use of social media troll farms to fuel divisions and distort public opinion remains a major component of Russian information warfare. In addition, the Kremlin engages in the large-scale creation of fake websites mimicking prominent news outlets, adding a veneer of credibility to Russian disinformation. Russian narratives are also evolving. In 2022, the Kremlin’s attempts to depict Ukraine as a Nazi state largely failed to connect with international audiences, who struggled to understand how a country with a popularly elected Jewish president and no far-right presence in government could be in need of “de-Nazification.” Instead, Moscow has turned its attention to promoting the decline of the West and the need for a new multipolar world order. Through a wide variety of traditional and digital media initiatives, the Kremlin has sought to highlight economic problems in Europe and North America, while pushing the idea of growing Western public dissatisfaction over issues such as identity politics and minority rights. Meanwhile, Russia positions itself as a bastion of traditional family values, social stability, and conservatism. This has struck a chord with alienated segments of society throughout the West. As the world watches the Russian invasion of Ukraine unfold, UkraineAlert delivers the best Atlantic Council expert insight and analysis on Ukraine twice a week directly to your inbox. The Global South is currently a priority front in Russia’s information war. With the invasion of Ukraine leaving Russia isolated from the West, the Kremlin has reoriented its foreign policy toward the non-Western world. In its messaging to audiences across the Global South, Russia plays on historical resentment at centuries of Western colonialism and portrays itself as a fellow victim of the West. Despite Russia’s long history of imperial aggression and openly imperialistic ambitions in Ukraine, Putin has sought to win over audiences in Africa, Asia, and South America by posing as a defender against Western imperialism. It would be foolish to dismiss Russia’s anti-imperial messaging as absurd. Older generations across the Global South are often aware of the role played by the Soviet Union in the decolonization movement that followed World War II. Others have little knowledge of the imperial ambitions underpinning the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and tend base their opinions on Putin primarily on his opposition to the West. This is helping to shape the geopolitical outlook throughout the Global South and is creating a range of foreign policy challenges for the West that expand far beyond the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Another key element of the Kremlin’s disinformation campaign is the claim that NATO enlargement represents a direct security threat to the Russian Federation and is the real cause of the war in Ukraine. This argument resonates loudly with international audiences suspicious of the West’s dominant role in world affairs. While other Russian attempts to justify the invasion of Ukraine have fallen flat, attempts to blame NATO have proved highly effective. In reality, Putin seems well aware that NATO doesn’t pose a threat to Russia. Tellingly, he raised no serious objections in 2022 when neighboring Finland and Sweden announced their intention to join the alliance, despite the fact that this would more than double Russia’s NATO borders and transform the strategically crucial Baltic Sea into a NATO lake. Indeed, he has since withdrawn most Russian troops from the country’s Finnish frontier. Evidently, Putin’s expansionist foreign policy reflects his opposition to Ukrainian independence rather than any artificial fears over NATO expansion. Putin’s NATO narrative may not stand up to scrutiny, but it is likely to play an important role in any upcoming peace talks, with Russia currently pushing for an end to NATO enlargement and a firm commitment to permanent Ukrainian neutrality. This would be potentially disastrous for international security. A neutral Ukraine would be highly vulnerable to further Russian aggression and eventual occupation. Meanwhile, rising anti-NATO sentiment in the US and elsewhere risks undermining transatlantic cooperation and fostering isolationism. The West must trend carefully when attempting to confront Russian disinformation. Crucially, any efforts to moderate content on social media or impose restrictions on even the most openly propagandistic of platforms invites accusations of censorship. With this in mind, Western governments must walk a fine line as they seek to protect themselves against the Kremlin’s information warfare while safeguarding freedom of expression. Given the transnational nature of the modern information landscape, international cooperation is essential when attempting to combat Russian disinformation. Looking ahead, the Western response should include the creation of collaborative task forces, real-time intelligence sharing, and coordinated efforts to sanction state and private actors. Western policymakers must also match the Kremlin in terms of versatility and innovation if they wish to keep their countries safe in an increasingly complex and interconnected information environment. Putin’s Russia has demonstrated the importance of the information front in modern warfare. It is time for the West to catch up. Kateryna Odarchenko is a partner at SIC Group Ukraine. Elena Davlikanova is a fellow at CEPA. Further reading The views expressed in UkraineAlert are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Atlantic Council, its staff, or its supporters.
Watch emotional moment that Barry McGuigan breaks down in tears over father’s death and family trauma on Unpacked
The Tale Of Lady Ok episode 3 will not air on JTBC TV on Saturday (December 7) at 10:30 PM KST. The historical fantasy thriller drama is taking a short hiatus for the special news coverage of the dramatic political turmoil in South Korea. According to the production team, the third chapter telecast has been rescheduled for Sunday (December 8). People in Korea can watch the mini-series on TV or stream it on various online platforms. K-drama fans from other parts of the world, including the US, Canada, Australia, the UK, Mexico, Denmark, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Greece, Greenland, Hong Kong, China, Japan, New Zealand, UAE, Singapore, Turkey, and South Africa, can watch the mini-series with subtitles on various online streaming platforms, including Kocowa. The Tale Of Lady Ok is a historical romance drama. It follows runaway slave Goo Deok Yi. It narrates the title character's survival con game as she fakes everything, including her husband. The mini-series features Lim Ji Yeon, Choo Young Woo, Yeonwoo, and Kim Jae Won. It premiered on JTBC on Saturday (November 30) at 10:30 PM KST. Here is everything about The Tale Of Lady Ok episode 3, like the airdate, preview, spoilers, and streaming details. Airdate, Time, and Streaming Details The historical romance drama will air its next episode on JTBC TV on Sunday (December 8) at 10:30 PM KST. People in Korea can watch the mini-series on TV or stream it on various online platforms. K-drama fans from other parts of the world, including the US, Canada, and Australia, can watch the mini-series with subtitles on various online streaming platforms, including Kocowa. Here are the International Air Timings of The Tale Of Lady Ok Episode 3: Preview and Spoilers The Tale Of Lady Ok episode 3 promotional stills show fake Ok Tae Young embracing herself as a noblewoman. The female lead wouldn't only look like an aristocratic family. She would adapt to the lifestyle of a wealthy lady. The character would use her powers to protect fellow handmaids. This chapter will feature romantic tension between Ok Tae Young and Cheon Seung Hwi. According to the production team, viewers can expect drama and mystery. The producers teased an intriguing twist with the arrival of Seong Yoon Gyeom. Choo Young Woo will portray the character, who resembles the male lead. "1 point for the viewers to fill is to watch the chemistry between the onscreen couple. It was my first time working with Choo Young Woo. Although we both faced the challenge of portraying multiple personas, we filmed with consideration for each other. I received help from him, and we worked hard to embody our characters," the actor shared .
As far as giants go, they do not come taller in the badminton women’s singles circuit than India’s 1.79m P. V. Sindhu, who has a 2019 world title and an Olympic silver (Rio 2016) and bronze (Tokyo 2020) to match her stature. For five years since their first encounter in 2019, Sindhu has towered over Singapore’s Yeo Jia Min in their head-to-head record, earning four wins without conceding a game. That all changed on Nov 21, when world No. 13 Yeo put aside her 16cm height deficit and produced consistently high-quality badminton to break the hoodoo. She won 21-16, 17-21, 23-21 after a 69-minute match in the US$1.15 million (S$1.55 million) China Masters round of 16 at the Shenzhen Arena. Showing how much the victory meant to her, Yeo screamed and slumped to the ground clenching her fists as she progressed to the Nov 22 quarter-finals, where she will meet Thailand’s world No. 10 Supanida Katethong. “I’m happy to have another breakthrough for myself. Sindhu is tall and has a good smash, so I have to be wise with my shots to restrict her as much as I can, while I attack as well,” said the 25-year-old Singaporean, who had beaten Hong Kong’s Happy Lo 21-7, 21-18 in the first round on Nov 20. In her first win against Sindhu, Yeo seized the initiative from the start to put her more illustrious rival on the back foot with some delicate net shots and disguised drops. She was 12-7 up in the opening game, before the 29-year-old Indian fought back to 15-15. Loh Kean Yew’s coach Kelvin Ho to take over national training squad But with sparring partner Vega Nirwanda in her corner to motivate and remind her “to be brave and not to follow certain habits”, the Singaporean remained calm to take six of the next seven points to clinch her first-ever game against Sindhu. The roles were reversed in the second game as Sindhu raced to a 10-5 lead before Yeo levelled at 16-16, only to lose five of the next six points as the match went to a decider. Putting her long reach to good use, Sindhu built a 13-9 advantage as it looked like normalcy had resumed. But Yeo had other ideas, changing her strategy to include body shots in her repertoire. She also rode her luck, as Sindhu was up 13-10 when she used up her challenges after two unsuccessful attempts. Yeo then won five straight points, and was successful in her own challenge by a whisker for a cross-court net shot. That gave her a fourth match point, which was finally converted after a tight net shot set up a smash which her 19th-ranked rival returned into the net. While she has not won a title in 2024, Yeo has been consistent since the agonising three-game loss to Japan’s Aya Ohori in the Paris Olympics round of 16 in August, reaching the quarter-finals in five out of seven tournaments. The purple patch has also helped her climb to a career-high world No. 13 this week. In 2024, she has also beaten four top-10 players in South Korea’s An Se-young, Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi, China’s Han Yue and Indonesia’s Gregoria Tunjung. Said Yeo: “Today I was able to adapt to Sindhu’s shots and stayed calm to avoid making mistakes. I believe I can be a top-10 player and I have been using the Olympics as motivation to become better because I don’t want to let that defeat bring me down.” National singles coach Kelvin Ho said Yeo has been playing well with her speed and good technique, making it difficult for opponents to predict her shots. “She still needs to work on crucial moments, when it requires her to have killer shots but cut down on unforced errors, especially during high-pressure scenarios,” added Ho, who will become coach of the national training squad in 2025. South Korean Kim Ji-hyun, former coach of Sindhu and Supanida, will take over as women’s singles coach. In the opening round on Nov 19, Singapore’s top men’s singles player Loh Kean Yew could not end his wretched winless run against Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie, who won 21-17, 19-21, 21-11 for his eighth straight victory over Loh.Former President Donald Trump expressed confidence in his pick to run the Pentagon, former Fox News host Pete Hegseth, amid allegations of excessive drinking and abuse of women. "It looks like Pete is doing well now," Trump said in an exclusive interview with "Meet the Press" Moderator Kristen Welker that will air Sunday." "I mean, people were a little bit concerned. He’s a young guy, with a tremendous track record actually. He went to Princeton and went to Harvard. He was a good student at both. But he loves the military and I think people are starting to see it so we’ll be working on his nomination along with a lot of others." Read more on this story at NBCNews.com and watch Kristen Welker’s full interview on “Meet the Press” on Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m. ET or check local listings. NBC News reported on Tuesday that Hegseth's nomination was in peril with as many as six Senate Republicans not currently comfortable with supporting his bid, three GOP sources with direct knowledge of the nomination process said, amid reports highlighting concerns from colleagues over his drinking and allegations of sexual misconduct. NBC News reported Tuesday that Hegseth's drinking worried his Fox News colleagues, 10 current and former employees of the network said. Two of those sources said Hegseth smelled of alcohol before he went on air more than a dozen times. A Trump transition spokesperson called the claims "completely unfounded and false." Separately, Hegseth, an Army National Guard veteran, was accused of sexually assaulting a woman in California in 2017, as a police report that was made public after Trump nominated him detailed. He was not charged, and Hegseth said the encounter was consensual. He paid the woman an undisclosed amount as part of a settlement. This week, Hegseth took meetings on Capitol Hill in an effort to reassure senators — and the president-elect. "Yes I do, I really do," Trump said when Welker asked if he maintained confidence in the pick. "He’s a very smart guy. I’ve known him through Fox, but I’ve known him for a long time. And he’s basically a military guy. Every time I talk to him, all he wants to talk about is the military. He’s a military guy." Pressed on whether senators assured Trump that Hegseth can be confirmed, Trump said "a lot of senators call me up saying he’s fantastic." Welker noted that Trump himself does not drink and has warned of the dangers of excessive drinking. She asked if he has concerns that his pick to oversee the U.S. military has struggled with drinking, according to those who've worked with him. "But I’ve spoken to people that know him very well and they say he does not have a drinking problem," Trump responded.
You probably haven’t gotten wind of the news yet, but the Bears fired coach Matt Eberflus last week. No, really, they did . Happy to hear it? We figured some of you would be. In this week’s “Polling Place,” your home for Sun-Times sports polls on the social platform X, we wanted to know if Bears fans’ enthusiasm about the team has changed with Eberflus out. Suffice it to say, almost no one who voted was disappointed. “Call me crazy,” commented @JeffreyCanalia, who was about to write something really crazy, “but I still think they can make the playoffs.” Next, we asked about Sunday’s Bears-49ers game . And the winner is? “I have thought they were going to win too many times this year to think this now,” @P6Cassidy offered. Last, we asked which Bears coach was worst among Marc Trestman, John Fox, Matt Nagy and Eberflus. “Yes,” answered @IllinoisGolfer, hilariously. And from @Marie_Manning: “None of them stayed long enough to find out.” One supposes we should count our blessings. On to the polls: Poll No. 1: Has your enthusiasm about the Bears changed since the firing of coach Matt Eberflus? Upshot: Will things be better on the field? Will better decisions be made on the sideline? We’ll see. It certainly could be argued that not having to hear Eberflus’ interpretations of events will be a victory in itself. Poll No. 2: How will the Bears fare Sunday at the 49ers in their first game post-Eberflus? Upshot: “Once again,” @RiisPark99, “the media and the fans are listening to their hearts and not their heads. Bears lose.” Wait a minute, where does this commenter get off implying the media have hearts? Poll No. 3: Of the Bears’ four head coaches since Lovie Smith, who was the worst? Upshot: What in the holy hell did we ever do to the football gods to deserve that lineup? Asking for a few million friends.
'Unacceptable is one word': B.B. Comer football uses 3-7 season as motivation
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Penn State has won a closely watched trademark fight over an online retailer's use of its vintage sports logos and images. A Pennsylvania jury awarded Penn State $28,000 in damages on Wednesday over products made and sold by Vintage Brand and Sportswear Inc., two firms co-founded by former minor league baseball player Chad Hartvigson. Penn State accused them of selling “counterfeit” clothing and accessories, while the defendants said their website makes clear they are not affiliated with the university. At least a dozen other schools have sued the defendants on similar grounds, including Purdue, Stanford and UCLA, Penn State said in its 2021 lawsuit. However, the Penn State case was the first to go to trial and seen by some as a test case in the sports merchandising industry. “It addresses an important issue with trademark law — whether or not the mark owner is able to prevent third parties from using its marks on T-shirts and paraphernalia without permission,” said Tiffany Gehrke, a trademark lawyer in Chicago who was not involved in the case. The verdict, she said, maintains the status quo, while a victory for Vintage Brand “could have shaken things up.” It followed a six-day trial in federal court in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, overseen by Chief U.S. District Judge Matthew W. Brann. Defense lawyers declined to comment on the verdict and whether their clients planned to appeal. Penn State, in a statement, called its trademarks “critical” to the school's brand, and said it was grateful for the verdict. “The university appreciates this result as it relates to the many hundreds of licensees with whom the university works and who go through the appropriate processes to use Penn State’s trademarks," the statement said. Founded in 1855, Penn State adopted the Nittany Lion as its mascot in 1904 and has been using various images of the animal, along with the school's seal and other logos, for decades, the lawsuit said. The school now has more than 100,000 students at 24 campuses. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!Adele has said she will miss her residency shows “terribly” but needs to “move on” after playing her 100th and final show in Las Vegas on Saturday night. The British singer-songwriter, 36, launched Weekends With Adele, located at The Colosseum theatre in Caesars Palace in November 2022. In July, she announced she would be taking a “big break” from music after her run of of sell-out shows at the venue, which seats around 4,000 people. In a social media post on Monday, she said: “Well what an adventure! Las Vegas you’ve been so good to me. A post shared by Adele (@adele) “This residency went on to mirror what 30 was about, lost and broken to healed and thriving! “Seems so fitting in the end. The only thing left to do in this case is move on.” The Easy On Me star made a return to the spotlight in 2021 when she released her fourth album, 30. Adele said: “These 100 shows have been so easy to love. “They were all completely different because I got to really be with every single person in the room every night. “I’ve loved every single second of it and I am so proud of it! I will miss it terribly, and I will miss you all terribly too. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! See you next time.” Videos posted online from her concert on Saturday show the singer getting tearful as she bid farewell to Vegas. “It’s been wonderful and I will miss it terribly and I will miss you terribly,” she said. “I don’t know when I next want to perform again.” The singer, full name Adele Adkins, shared an emotional embrace with Celine Dion after she spotted the music artist in the audience during her Las Vegas show last month. In August, Adele played shows in a purpose-built outdoor arena in Munich, with capacity for 80,000 people per night, and told fans on the last night that they would not be seeing her for a “long time”.
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is taking a first step back into the huge Chinese market with two preseason games set to take place in Macao next October, five years after the league was effectively blocked from China. The Brooklyn Nets and the Phoenix Suns will play the preseason games on October 10 and 12 at the Venetian Arena next year, while an NBA Flagship Store will also open in Macao. "Bringing preseason games to Macao will showcase the excitement of the NBA to fans in one of the world's emerging hubs for sports," NBA Deputy Commissioner and COO Mark Tatum said in a press release. "The Nets and the Suns feature an exciting mix of established and rising stars, and we look forward to engaging fans, aspiring players and the local community in Macao through these games and a variety of interactive events, youth development programs and social impact initiatives." NBA teams command a huge following in China, where basketball is wildly popular. The league has not staged a game in the country since 2019, when a tweet in support of pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong from the Houston Rockets' then general manager Daryl Morey sparked a political firestorm. At the time, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver refused to punish or censor Morey – who is currently the Philadelphia 76ers' president of basketball operations – prompting ire from Beijing and leading the sports station of China's central broadcaster to stop showing the league's games for a year. Hong Kong was roiled by pro-democracy protests in 2019, which at times brought several hundreds of thousands of people onto the streets to push for democracy in the city. Like Macao, Hong Kong is considered a special administrative region of China, partly distinct from the mainland. Beijing repeatedly accused Western democratic forces of working to fuel the popular Hong Kong protests and lashed out at any support for the movement, which died out in 2020 when the capital imposed a sweeping national security law on the city. Silver said two years ago that the NBA had lost "hundreds of millions of dollars" in revenue following the fallout with China, with whom the league had shared a long-standing relationship. According to Reuters, 17 NBA teams played 28 games in China between 2004 and 2019. However, tensions between the league and the country now appear to have thawed, with a legends game featuring six former NBA stars set be held in Macao on Saturday. "We always love the opportunity to compete on the global stage and we are grateful to participate in the NBA China Games 2025," said Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks. "The Brooklyn Nets have an incredible fanbase around the globe and we can't wait to bring our love of the game directly to our fans while giving our players and coaches the opportunity to immerse themselves in a different culture." Phoenix Suns CEO Josh Bartelstein, meanwhile, added that playing in Macao is part of the team's vision to "bring the Suns to a global audience and impact fans across the world."
Has a waltz written by composer Frederic Chopin been discovered in an NYC museum?NORMAN, Okla. — Freshman Jeremiah Fears finished with 20 points, Duke Miles scored 19 and Oklahoma cruised to an 84-56 victory over East Texas A&M on Thursday night. Fears used 7-for-10 shooting to turn in his best scoring effort thus far for the Sooners (4-0). He was 1 for 4 from 3-point range and 5 of 6 at the free-throw line, adding five assists and four rebounds. Miles hit 7 of 13 shots with three 3-pointers. Glenn Taylor Jr. came off the bench to sink four 3-pointers and scored 16 for Oklahoma. Scooter Williams Jr., Josh Taylor and reserve TJ Thomas all scored nine to pace the Lions (1-5). Miles had 14 points in the first half and Fears scored 11 to guide the Sooners to a 38-33 lead at intermission. Taylor buried all four of his shots from distance and scored 14 in the second half to help Oklahoma double up East Texas A&M 46-23 after the break. The Sooners shot 47.5% overall and made 10 of 32 from beyond the arc (31.3%). The went 18 for 22 at the foul line. The Lions shot 37.7% from the floor, hit 7 of 32 from distance (21.9%) and 9 of 17 foul shots. Oklahoma heads to the Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis, playing three games in three days. The Sooners open the event on Wednesday against Providence.
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NoneNew Delhi, Nov 24 (PTI) India's 26 major listed real estate firms have sold properties worth nearly Rs 35,000 crore during the September quarter with Godrej Properties reporting highest sales bookings. According to the data compiled from regulatory filings, the 26 major listed realty firms have reported a combined sales bookings of Rs 34,985 crore in the second quarter of the current fiscal year. Bulk of pre-sales (sales bookings) came from residential segment. In terms of sales bookings, Godrej Properties emerged as the largest listed player during July-September quarter with pre-sales of Rs 5,198 crore. Mumbai-based Macrotech Developers Ltd, which sells properties under the Lodha brand, reported sales bookings of Rs 4,290 crore during the quarter under review. Delhi-NCR-based Max Estates sold properties worth Rs 4,100 crore, while Bengaluru-based Prestige Estates Projects Ltd clocked sales bookings of Rs 4,022.6 crore during the quarter. Delhi-NCR based Signature Global achieved sales bookings of Rs 2,780 crore in the September quarter, driven by strong demand for its housing projects at Gurugram. DLF Ltd, the country's largest realty firm in terms of market capitalisation, sales bookings declined sharply during the July-September period to Rs 692 crore as it did not launch any new housing project. Among other major listed players, Bengaluru-based Brigade Enterprises Ltd reported a sales bookings of Rs 1,821 crore during July-September period of this fiscal year, while Mumbai-based Oberoi Realty did pre-sales of Rs 1,442.46 crore. Mumbai-based Aditya Birla Real Estate sold properties worth Rs 1,412 crore. Bengaluru-based Puravankara Ltd and Sobha Ltd clocked sales bookings of Rs 1,331 crore and Rs 1,178.5 crore, respectively. Delhi-based TARC Ltd also performed well and achieved pre-sales of Rs 1,012 crore during the September quarter. There were many players that reported sales between Rs 500 crore and Rs 1,000 crore during the second quarter of this fiscal year. Pune-based Kolte-Patil Developers Ltd sold properties worth Rs 770 crore, while Mumbai-based Keystone Realtors (Rustomjee brand) achieved pre-sales of Rs 700 crore. Delhi-based Ashiana Housing Ltd reported sales bookings of Rs 673 crore during the September quarter while Bengaluru-based Shriram Properties clocked pre-sales of Rs 568 crore. Mumbai-based firms Raymond Ltd and Sunteck Realty Ltd sold properties worth Rs 562 crore and Rs 524 crore, respectively. Among listed firms that booked less than Rs 500 crore, Ahmedabad-based Arvind Smartspaces sold properties worth Rs 464 crore during the July-September period. Mumbai-based Mahindra Lifespace Developers Ltd achieved a sales bookings of Rs 397 crore. Mumbai-based realtors Arihant SuperstructuresLtd, Ajmera Realty & Infrastructure Ltd and Arkade Developers Ltd reported sales bookings of Rs 270.8 crore, Rs 254 crore and Rs 215 crore, respectively. Suraj Estate Developers sold properties worth Rs 107 crore, while Lucknow-based Eldeco Housing & Industries Ltd clocked pre-sales of Rs 102.9 crore. Mumbai-based Equinox India Developments Ltd (earlier Indiabulls Real Estate Ltd) achieved pre-sales of mere Rs 98 crore during the second quarter of this fiscal year. Sales bookings of many listed entities have declined in the second quarter of 2024-25 because of inauspicious Shraadh period, monsoon rain and also lack of regulatory approvals to launch their projects. For example, DLF Ltd's pre-sales plunged to Rs 692 crore in the September quarter from Rs 6,404 crore in the first quarter of this fiscal. Sales bookings data of many listed players was not available on the stock exchanges. Post-Covid pandemic, the residential real estate segment has revived strongly because of pent-up demand growing desire to have homeownership. Housing prices too have appreciated significantly. Housing market is witnessing a shift in consumer demand towards those realty companies and brands which have better track record of executing real estate projects. Real estate developers, which are not listed on stock exchanges, generally do not report their quarterly and annual sales bookings. Branded and reputed players, including both listed and unlisted ones, have benefited most in this revival cycle as homebuyers do not want to take risk of getting stuck in real estate projects after making payments. Thousands of buyers of many NCR-based builders, like Unitech and Jaypee Infratech, are stuck and fighting legal cases in real estate regulatory authorities at the state-level, tribunals, and courts. (This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)
