SEWA Grih Rin Ltd, an affordable housing finance company of the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) Group, said it has raised Series B funding. The lender, operating under Sitara brand, has closed Rs 67 crore ($9.8 million at current exchange rate) funding round from Oikocredit, Omidyar Network India, HDFC Life Insurance, HDFC Holdings Ltd and Women’s World Banking. The company will …

SoftBank-backed Ola has raised Rs. 670 crores ($104.4 million) in fresh funding from investors including UC-RNT Fund, a venture between the University of California and Ratan Tata. While UC-RNT Fund has pumped in Rs. 267.99 crores, another Rs. 402 crores has been infused by FO Mauritius I Ltd, according to regulatory filing by ANI Technologies – which runs Ola. However, …

From radical feminism to songs about student dorms, no pants subway rides to breweries in fancy hotels. Expect the unexpected, as Andreea Campeanu shows us her Bucharest Two girls taking a selfie in Herastrau Park, Bucharest. Photograph: Andreea Campeanu Cities is supported by: In five words Merdenele pastry* scented underground stations *(pastry filled with cheese or meet) Sound of the …

From drinking tea with yak herders to battling through the mountains, exploring the world on a bicycle is an adventure like no other – and the best way of meeting the world on its own terms Cyclist Emily Chappel at a Chinese petrol station. Photograph: Emily Chappell A new grant, launched by well-known adventurer Tom Allen last week, aims to …