Instant messaging app WhatsApp temporarily put multiple accounts, including those in India, "under review" for 24 hours, blocking all app features. This disruption prompted numerous affected users to voice their concerns on social media, while a WhatsApp spokesperson acknowledged the issue, stating they are working to resolve it quickly.
India is making a significant push to establish itself as a global semiconductor manufacturing hub, driven by strategic investments and policy support. The upcoming SEMICON India 2026 event will showcase the country's advancements and ambitions in this critical industry, which underpins virtually all modern electronic devices and has faced global supply chain vulnerabilities.
FIFA's proposal to create a $20 billion subsidiary for the World Cup highlights the intricate balance of power in global football, where the governing body's authority is often challenged by the significant commercial strength of UEFA, particularly in Europe.
Moody's Ratings has sharply increased India's GDP growth forecast for fiscal 2026-27 to 7 per cent, making it the fastest among G20 economies, driven by economic resilience despite the Middle East conflict. However, the agency flagged significant inflation risks stemming from elevated oil prices and potential El Nino disruptions.
A new study published in The Lancet Public Health journal reveals that almost all countries are overusing 'watch' class antibiotics, which are stronger drugs meant for specific conditions and contribute significantly to antibiotic resistance. The research developed a framework to assess appropriate antibiotic use and found that while many countries overuse antibiotics, particularly the 'watch' category, some also underuse 'reserve' antibiotics, potentially leaving patients with drug-resistant infections untreated. The study highlights a global inequality where lower-income countries need more specialised antibiotics but higher-income countries use them more.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday described BRICS as an important global forum, highlighting the grouping's growing demographic and economic weight and noting that its members account for around half of the world's population and 40 percent of global GDP.
New photographic evidence and a Pentagon inspector general's report confirm extensive damage to US military installations across the Middle East due to Iranian missile and drone strikes. The report details billions in financial costs, structural losses to hundreds of buildings, and damage to dozens of aircraft, contradicting previous assertions about US military readiness and ordnance stockpiles. The conflict also led to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, impacting global oil prices.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman called upon 'Gen Z' and 'Gen Alpha' to assume leadership, prioritise the nation, and contribute to its growth, rather than questioning what the country has done for them.
koda Auto Volkswagen India is actively exploring various approaches to penetrate India's burgeoning electric vehicle (EV) market, including importing global models, local assembly, and developing highly localised products, as EV penetration is expected to reach 17-18% by the end of the decade.
HCL Group, a USD 14.8 billion conglomerate, has announced a new partnership with the DP World Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI). This collaboration aims to leverage technology and innovation to strengthen India's professional golf ecosystem, broaden the sport's reach, and enhance experiences for players, fans, and partners.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian urged BRICS nations to expand trade in national currencies and build an inclusive global economic framework. He criticised "unilateral sanctions" by Western powers, stating they make emerging economies vulnerable and impact global food security. Pezeshkian emphasised BRICS' role in creating a balanced world order and highlighted Iran's geopolitical and energy capacities for cooperation.
HCLTech has launched 'HCLTech Pulse', a new business unit designed to help enterprises with annual revenues between USD 500 million and USD 5 billion accelerate their adoption of artificial intelligence and modernise their technology infrastructure, targeting a USD 400 billion global market opportunity.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has issued a warning against 'malicious' and 'misleading' social media posts concerning the health of world leaders, specifically Chinese President Xi Jinping and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who attended the recent BRICS Summit in New Delhi. The warning comes amidst unverified claims about Xi's health and an official statement from Ramaphosa's office confirming his withdrawal from public engagements due to ill health.
Infosys Senior Vice President Vikram Meghal stated that India is experiencing a significant demand window in the semiconductor market and must evolve from merely engineering products to inventing complete systems. He highlighted the massive shifts driven by AI and supply chain challenges, urging a focus on "Invent in India" to capture higher value and leverage decades of investment in the ecosystem.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated that President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached a crucial consensus during the BRICS summit, agreeing that China and India should be partners, not rivals. The leaders pledged to maintain peace and tranquility in border areas, deepen cooperation, and support each other in multilateral forums, aiming to strengthen the Global South and promote a multipolar world order.
A global research report by HCLTech indicates that integration has surpassed supply chain constraints as the primary challenge for the semiconductor industry. The study, which surveyed 300 senior leaders, highlights increasing dependency on semiconductors across industries, with 98% of enterprises more reliant now than three years ago and 99% expecting further increases. AI is also driving the strategic importance of semiconductor architecture.
Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra announced plans to significantly scale up the company's chip assembly and testing facility in India, moving from "vision to execution" in the nation's semiconductor ambitions. He highlighted the success of the Sanand, Gujarat plant, which is already producing "Made in India" memory chips, and the company's substantial engineering contributions from its Indian centres. Mehrotra also emphasised the critical role of memory chips in the AI era, driving Micron's growth.
Chinese President Xi Jinping addressed the BRICS summit, urging the bloc to play a significant role in achieving peace and tranquillity in West Asia and the Gulf region. He highlighted BRICS' growth over two decades, its efforts in tackling global challenges, and its steadfastness in safeguarding the interests of the Global South. Xi called for opposing the Cold War mentality, strengthening multilateralism, and promoting cooperation in emerging domains like AI, as China prepares to chair the next summit.
The successful hosting of the 18th BRICS summit in New Delhi has provided a significant boost to the BJP, offering a timely opportunity to strengthen its narrative against the opposition ahead of crucial assembly elections next year. BJP sources highlight the BRICS grouping's strong condemnation of the Pahalgam terror attack and the consensus declaration as major diplomatic victories for the Modi government, countering criticisms of its foreign policy. The party plans to leverage these outcomes during its month-long Seva Sankalp campaign to connect with various sections of society.
BRICS members have expressed 'serious concerns' over the unilateral imposition of trade and finance-related measures, including higher tariffs and non-tariff barriers, stating these actions distort trade and are inconsistent with WTO rules. The grouping also highlighted elevated risks to the global economic outlook due to geopolitical tensions, trade fragmentation, and protectionism.
India is hosting the BRICS summit, leveraging the platform to address global trade tensions and champion the developmental priorities of the Global South, including food, energy, and supply chain security. The summit, attended by leaders like President Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, will focus on resilience, innovation, cooperation, and sustainability, with India aiming to strengthen intra-BRICS collaboration and discuss global matters. The expanded BRICS grouping represents a significant portion of the world's population and GDP, making its discussions crucial for global economic stability.
Pakistan's government is exploring measures, including potential smart lockdowns and austerity, to reduce petroleum consumption. This comes after recent fuel price hikes driven by rising global oil prices and West Asia tensions, which have also raised concerns about oil supply disruptions. The government is also implementing a fuel relief scheme and faces public pressure over the price increases.
The BRICS summit in New Delhi brings together leaders from major emerging economies to address global challenges like trade disputes, geopolitical upheavals, and the economic impact of conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia. India, as chair, aims to position BRICS as an economic growth engine, focusing on the Global South's food, energy, and supply chain security. The summit also highlights the grouping's expansion and its growing influence in global governance.
Indian benchmark indices, Sensex and Nifty, saw early gains driven by strong buying in IT stocks like HCL Tech, Tech Mahindra, TCS, and Infosys, alongside a significant boost from HDFC Bank.
Indian women's hockey team goalkeeper Bichu Devi Karibam and Pakistan striker Abdul Rehman have been honoured with the Poligras Magic Skill Awards for their outstanding performances at the recent FIH World Cup. The awards, decided by fan votes, recognised Devi's crucial save and Rehman's exceptional 3D skills.
India's bid to host the 2038 Asian Games will not be decided before 2028, as the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has revealed that five other countries are also vying for the same edition.
The BRICS New Delhi Declaration condemned the April 2025 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, advocating for zero tolerance towards state-sponsored cross-border terrorism. The declaration also addressed global terror, illegal financial flows, cyber fraud, and emphasised accountability for those involved in terror activities.
Indian benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty ended flat on Tuesday, with the Sensex dipping nearly 70 points, as investor sentiment turned cautious ahead of crucial global central bank policy meetings and a significant sell-off in Asian markets.
IIT Madras's Centre of Excellence for Road Safety has organised its first international hackathon, focusing on AI in road safety. The event brought together participants from India and other BIMSTEC nations to develop data-driven, technology-enabled solutions for the region, which faces a high number of road fatalities annually. The hackathon aims to foster collaboration among governments, academic institutions, and regional bodies to address this critical issue.
The highlight of the successful BRICS Summit was its ability to deliver a joint statement that all members, including Iran and the United Arab Emirates, embroiled in the war in West Asia, signed.
India's exports saw a significant increase of 26.12 per cent to USD 43.81 billion in August, leading to a narrowed trade deficit of USD 26.86 billion, driven by strong demand from key global markets and diverse sectors.
UEFA vice-president Laura McAllister stated that UEFA is actively seeking a credible challenger to FIFA President Gianni Infantino for the upcoming March election, emphasising the need for a candidate capable of uniting football's confederations and delivering lasting governance reform, rather than merely installing a European figurehead.
A LinkedIn post by Pooja Sahu, detailing her husband Sourabh's sudden layoff from Oracle after 12 years of dedicated service, including working through holidays and even from a hospital, has gone viral, capturing the emotional toll of the tech giant's latest job cuts.
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has articulated India's position on BRICS, advocating for it to be a "non-West, but not anti-West" platform, a stance he believes is crucial for India's national interest. He highlighted the prestige of hosting the BRICS summit, India's responsibility to represent the Global South, and the significance of bilateral meetings, particularly with China and Russia. Tharoor also addressed the strained India-China relations, citing border issues and trade leverage, and discussed the challenges within BRICS, including difficulties in achieving consensus on global issues and trade imbalances, while also considering the need for diversified international relations amidst unpredictable US sanctions.
The ceremonial torch for the Chess Olympiad 2026 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, was handed over by FIDE Interim President Viswanathan Anand and AICF president Nitin Narang to Uzbek player Javokhir Sindarov. This event marks the official countdown to the prestigious team competition, continuing a tradition started by FIDE in 2022 to build excitement for the global chess event.
BRICS leaders, in their New Delhi Declaration 2026, have called for wider access to Artificial Intelligence resources and stronger international cooperation to ensure the technology is safe, secure, inclusive, and reliable. The declaration outlines a broad technology agenda covering AI, cybersecurity, digital public infrastructure, telecom, quantum technologies, and advanced manufacturing, committing to implement the grouping's statement on 'Global Governance of Artificial Intelligence'.
Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu announced significant opportunities for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) within India's rapidly expanding aviation sector. With Indian airlines ordering over 1,600 aircraft and the aerospace market projected to double by 2035, there's a massive scope for Indian suppliers to integrate into global aerospace supply chains, moving beyond assembly to design and manufacturing.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed a new investment platform, based on the New Development Bank (NDB), to fund projects in trade, infrastructure, logistics, and technology across BRICS nations, emphasising that the grouping's expanding economic cooperation is not 'against anyone' but aims to advance members' national interests.
'It is a blunt and dangerous attempt to pressure India to sign BTA on one-sided terms.'
Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agarwal highlighted the critical need for India to diversify its services exports beyond the dominant IT/ITeS and professional services sectors. Speaking at the Global Fintech Fest 2026, he emphasised the vast potential in the global financial services market, where India currently holds a small share, and stressed how fintech solutions, like UPI, can drive growth, reduce remittance costs, and support MSME trade finance, ultimately leading to sustainable economic expansion.
