The world motorsport body FIA has strongly endorsed 11-year-old Indian racer Atiqa Mir, highlighting her as a rising star redefining the future of the sport. Atiqa, the first Indian backed by the F1 Academy, has achieved significant success in European karting series, including a pole position and top-10 finishes in FIA European Championship rounds.
Punjab Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian emphasised the importance of innovation, technology adoption, and artificial intelligence in shaping the future of farming at the Smart Agri Summit 2026. He highlighted the need to combine traditional knowledge with data-driven insights to mitigate climate risks and enhance agricultural productivity.
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant urged national law universities to proactively lead the integration of technology into the legal system, rather than merely reacting to changes. Speaking at a conclave, he stressed the importance of incorporating academic integrity and responsible AI use into the curriculum, rejecting outright bans on generative AI. The CJI highlighted that law schools must prepare graduates to critically engage with technological tools, ensuring justice, fairness, and human judgment remain central to the evolving legal landscape.
A Chinese humanoid robot, Tiangong Ultra, achieved a remarkable feat by running the 100 metres in 8.64 seconds, surpassing Usain Bolt's human world record. This achievement occurred at the second World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, showcasing significant advancements in robot mobility and embodied artificial intelligence. The event highlighted the rapid progress in robotics, with spectators noting improved capabilities and developers seeing it as a crucial test bed for future applications.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu laid the foundation for a USD 15 billion Google Artificial Intelligence data centre near Visakhapatnam, calling it a 'growth engine for India' and Asia's biggest such facility.
Young table tennis players Syndrela Das and Payas Jain have been inducted into the Sports Ministry's TOPS Development group, while Manika Batra's international event funding request has also been approved, aiming to strengthen India's table tennis presence on the global stage.
The White House has launched a major crackdown on the 'Great Transhipment Scam', accusing India and over 40 other nations of helping Chinese exporters bypass US tariffs by misrepresenting the origin of goods. The US plans to use AI-driven monitoring and anti-transhipment clauses in future trade agreements to strengthen enforcement.
Humanoid machines boxed, danced and tackled everyday tasks at the 2026 World Robot Conference in Beijing.
Steven Spielberg voices concerns about AI's role in filmmaking, advocating for its use as a tool but cautioning against it replacing human creativity.
'The future of a microbiology course is highly promising in India and abroad,' says rediffGURU Radheshyam Zanwar, founder of Zanwar Classes.
The Indian Golf Union (IGU) has partnered with Golf New Zealand to enhance India's golf development and high-performance ecosystem. Gregg Thorpe, General Manager of High-Performance & Talent Development at Golf New Zealand, visited India to assess facilities and interact with stakeholders, aiming to build a strategy for future success, including potential Olympic hosting in 2036.
BIT Mesra has launched 'HimClimX', an AI-powered platform designed for Himalayan climate intelligence and visualisation. It integrates over a century of climate data to offer trend analysis, anomaly detection, spatial visualisation, impact assessment, and AI-driven forecasting for the Himalayan region.
Cars24 has announced the launch of its AI Labs, backed by a USD 20 million investment, to foster AI innovation and support startups in the field.
E-commerce major Flipkart has announced significant appointments to its technology leadership team, bringing in experts in artificial intelligence, data science, fintech, and core engineering. These strategic hires, including Goda Ramkumar, Mohan Palisetti, and Nitesh Jain, are aimed at strengthening Flipkart's capabilities in these critical areas to better serve India's expanding digital consumer and seller base.
E-commerce major Flipkart has announced significant appointments to its technology leadership team, bringing in experts in artificial intelligence, data science, fintech, and core engineering. These strategic hires, including Goda Ramkumar, Mohan Palisetti, and Nitesh Jain, are aimed at strengthening Flipkart's capabilities in these critical areas to better serve India's expanding digital consumer and seller base.
'... that work is done. The task is to reallocate what has been built, with the courage of a founder and the discipline of an owner.'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Independence Day address, highlighted technology and innovation as central to India's goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047. He called for India to lead in emerging technologies like AI, quantum computing, and space, announcing a massive AI skilling initiative for one crore youth. Modi stressed the importance of becoming a global innovation hub, bolstering energy security with nuclear power, and strengthening cybersecurity.
Broadband technology firm GX Group is set to commence manufacturing operations at its advanced photonics facility in India from December, investing Rs 500 crore. This initiative aims to strengthen domestic manufacturing, create skilled jobs, and reduce dependence on imported optical components crucial for high-speed data networks and AI data centres.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy announced an additional USD 13 billion investment in India, bringing the company's total capital commitment to USD 48 billion by 2030. This significant investment will primarily focus on expanding AI and cloud infrastructure, supporting job creation, boosting e-commerce exports, and digitising small businesses, aligning with India's growing digital economy.
A technology institute in Indore has developed an 'AI Yoga Coach' that can distinguish between correct and incorrect yoga postures and provide real-time guidance to practitioners.
India women's hockey team chief coach Sjoerd Marijne addressed concerns regarding his pre-World Cup leave, asserting his continuous involvement in the team's preparations. He reflected on the team's creditable fifth-place finish at the World Cup, emphasising the need for sustained hunger and improvement. Marijne also discussed the advantages of his second stint, his focus on team discipline, and the positive impact of the Women's Hockey India League on player development.
Matter Motor's CEO discusses the increasing role of data and intelligent systems in the automotive industry, highlighting the shift towards software-defined mobility and AI-defined vehicles.
A senior Microsoft executive says India is uniquely positioned to lead the next phase of global AI deployment, driven by a massive developer base, rapid enterprise adoption, and robust digital public infrastructure.
Drone technology company ideaForge Technology has successfully raised Rs 500 crore through a Qualified Institutional Placement (QIP). The funding, which saw strong interest from domestic and international institutional investors, will be used to accelerate innovation, expand its product portfolio into combat drones and autonomous systems, and strengthen its working capital to meet growing demand in defence, homeland security, and civil sectors.
Drone technology company ideaForge Technology has successfully raised Rs 500 crore through a Qualified Institutional Placement (QIP). The funding, which saw strong interest from domestic and international institutional investors, will be used to accelerate innovation, expand its product portfolio into combat drones and autonomous systems, and strengthen its working capital to meet growing demand in defence, homeland security, and civil sectors.
'...as we believe with the adoption of AI, our IT services companies' revenue models will have to undergo a reset, which may in turn impact their potential for earnings growth.'
Food delivery and e-commerce platform magicpin aims to expand its AI assistant, Vera's, merchant base to over 1 million by the end of 2026. Launched three months ago, Vera already supports over 5 lakh merchants by providing real-time order insights and has facilitated over 50 lakh interactions across various business verticals. The company has invested USD 1 million in its AI stack and plans further enhancements to Vera's capabilities.
A new report by FICCI, BCG, and IBA outlines that India's banking sector must grow significantly faster than nominal GDP to support a USD 30 trillion economy by 2047, requiring banking assets of USD 45 trillion. The report highlights the sector's current strength, challenges in digitisation, and the need to enhance resilience against fraud and cyber threats, proposing a 13-point agenda for stakeholders.
The National Medical Commission is emphasising the importance of preparing doctors and healthcare systems for the responsible and effective use of artificial intelligence, highlighting the need for ethical and equitable AI adoption in healthcare.
Indian Grandmaster Nihal Sarin discusses fellow world champion D Gukesh's recent performance slump, attributing it to a lack of confidence rather than a decline in skill. Sarin expresses hope that the upcoming Chess Olympiad will help Gukesh regain his form. He also shares his views on the increasing role of AI in chess, the evolution towards faster formats, and potential improvements in the chess ecosystem.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emphasised that India's Olympic performance can significantly improve by increasing participation in sports where the nation currently lacks representation. Speaking at the Khelo India Dialogue, Modi highlighted that India competes in only half of the Olympic sports, leading to a missed opportunity for medals. He also reiterated his vision for sports as a nation-building process, not just about winning medals, and mentioned a nationwide talent hunt for young children.
Promising Indian golfer Arjun Prasad has officially joined the AM Green Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL) ahead of its second half of the season, set to begin in late September. Prasad, 27, brings a strong performance record, including a recent professional title win and multiple top-10 finishes, making him a significant addition to the league's roster alongside other notable players.
A joint study by IBM and IndiaAI, a MeiTY initiative, indicates that Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to contribute over USD 500 billion to India's economy by 2030. The report highlights the need for improved AI literacy, infrastructure, and data quality to fully realise this potential.
The Bombay High Court has ordered major social media platforms, including Meta, X Corp, and Google LLC, to immediately remove 'vile, abusive, obscene, and defamatory' deepfakes and AI-generated content targeting Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, emphasising the urgent need for online platforms to curb malicious digital content.
State Bank of India's latest report highlights a 'chalk and cheese' divide in the Reserve Bank of India's recent policy communications, with the Monetary Policy Committee minutes showing a hawkish tone while the Governor's statements are more data-dependent, leading to market uncertainty regarding future interest rate hikes.
Fintech company Cashfree Payments India Private Limited has significantly reduced its consolidated net losses to Rs 118.5 crore in FY26 from Rs 154 crore in FY25. The firm also saw a substantial revenue growth of over 51 per cent, reaching Rs 967.4 crore. Co-founder & CEO Akash Sinha highlighted achieving EBITDA profitability in March 2026 and outlined plans for full-year profitability in FY27, driven by growth in SMB and cross-border payments.
Astronauts Anil Menon and Sophie Adenot encountered unexpected delays during a spacewalk to replace a critical space-to-ground antenna on the International Space Station. Despite successfully removing the failed antenna, they ran out of time to install the replacement, rescheduling the task for a future spacewalk. Menon, of Indian origin, and Adenot, the first French woman to spacewalk, faced challenges with tight connectors and bolting during the six-hour mission.
Microsoft has launched its fourth cloud region in India, located in Hyderabad, significantly expanding its hyperscale cloud presence. This move is part of a USD 20.5-billion investment in India's digital and AI infrastructure, aiming to support the country's rapid digital growth and meet increasing demand from major enterprises.
OpenAI and Anthropic are not simply enabling new software capabilities, they are moving directly into enterprise execution, workflow ownership, and decision orchestration.
Olympic gold medallist javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem is embroiled in a controversy with the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) for travelling to South Africa for training without obtaining a No Objection Certificate (NOC). This unapproved travel could impact his participation in upcoming international competitions like the World Ultimate Athletics Championship and the Asian Games.
