Gaganyaan astronaut Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair stressed the critical importance of AI sovereignty for national cybersecurity, citing the increasing difficulty in distinguishing between real and fake content due to AI. Speaking at the Kerala Cyber Suraksha Summit, Nair highlighted that future conflicts and industries would involve a 'whole-of-nation approach,' blurring physical and digital boundaries. He urged greater awareness of digital threats and emphasised India's need to build on its technological capabilities in AI and cybersecurity, drawing parallels with the success of Chandrayaan-3. Other speakers also underscored the rising threat of cyberattacks and the potential for Kerala to contribute to national technology requirements.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) has requested the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to gather data on IT infrastructure and available space from government institutions. This initiative aims to establish new testing centres for the computer-based NEET-UG examination, which is set to be implemented from 2027 following a recent paper leak and NTA's ongoing overhaul.
After strengthening physical security around establishments, it is now time for the Indian IT companies to focus on securing data, industry experts said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing the SCO summit in Bishkek, called for a united front against terrorism and its financing, rejecting double standards. He emphasised resolving conflicts through dialogue and diplomacy, not battlefields. Modi also highlighted that connectivity projects must respect national sovereignty and territorial integrity, a veiled reference to China's Belt and Road Initiative. India's vision for SCO rests on security, connectivity, and opportunity.
The failure of the State when it directly affects our lives, through a corrupt exam system, has produced this current anger, points out Aakar Patel.
'Applying AI to change the lives of Indians and at population scale -- just like we did with DPI [digital public infrastructure] -- is really where it's going to go.'
A report indicates that mid-tier banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI) entities in India are highly exposed to cyberattacks due to aggressive digitisation coupled with insufficient cybersecurity investments.
Amidst ongoing ethnic tensions, a new political alignment in Manipur sees Meitei and Naga groups uniting to demand an update to the National Register of Citizens with a 1951 base year, a move fiercely opposed by Kuki-Zo communities who fear it will disenfranchise them.
Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal announced that the legal scrubbing of the India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) text is expected to be completed within 10-12 days, with the final deal anticipated to be signed by December 31.
The Indian government is set to accelerate reforms, including measures to enhance foreign direct investment, speed up divestment, and boost asset monetisation, to maintain economic growth despite rising fuel and fertiliser import costs driven by the West Asia crisis.
Indian companies' overseas expansion plans are holding strong despite geopolitical tensions in West Asia, driven by structural factors like supply-chain diversification, free trade agreements, and market expansion, according to Ajay Sharma, managing director and head of banking at HSBC India.
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India-European Union Broad-based Trade and Investment agreement came up for discussion in a meeting between Sharma and visiting Netherlands Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Lilianne Ploumen in New Delhi.
India's newly formed Artificial Intelligence Governance and Economic Group (AIGEG) is set to advocate for a unified legal framework for AI companies, including developers of large language models and chatbot systems, alongside broader operational rules.
'One has to be very mindful because it will be applicable for big tech platforms and even for banks and insurers, whose business is completely different.'
Over the years, India-EU ties have grown, and covered trade, investment, climate change, science and technology, space, digital, mobility, and connectivity.
The case for long-term investment in gold, however, remains intact.
'General Subramani's appointment as military adviser in the NSCS has given him insight into decision-making at the apex level prior to formally taking over as CDS.'
rediffGURU Pankaj Vyavahare, career counsellor and life coach at the Bhagirath Counselling Centre, counsels students on how to make informed career choices.
rediffGURU Nayagam PP, career counsellor and founder of EduJob360 explains why cracking the UPSC exam is a dream for lakhs of young Indians.
'When global politics has some intervention on the core software one uses, and if you are cut off from your own data in critical workflows, sovereignty is no longer optional. It becomes a necessity.'
Indian exporters are unlikely to receive direct tariff refunds from the US's $166 billion payout, but the rollback of reciprocal duties is enhancing their pricing power and improving order prospects, particularly in textiles, apparel, and engineering goods.
'Every year we import approximately $70 billion worth of gold -- closer to $72 billion in 2025-2026, an all-time record.' 'There is no parallel for this anywhere in the world. And this love for gold will not disappear overnight.'
'The West Asia or the Gulf crisis has shown that what we develop as national infrastructure when things are not as bad as they could be, we forget to plan for adversities.'
'What exactly is on the prime minister's mind, we do not know. But it feels like the government wants the country to be prepared for unseen challenges ahead.'
Four Census officials were assaulted in Odisha's Dhenkanal district, prompting the state government to formulate a standard operating procedure (SOP) to safeguard census officials from physical harm and heat-related risks.
We cannot simply have a 60-65 per cent import dependency in LPG, the bulk of which comes from just one volatile region -- West Asia, points out R Jagannathan.
The Lok Sabha witnessed a heated debate between BJP and Congress members regarding the handling of Naxalism, with the BJP accusing the previous UPA government of failing to contain left-wing extremism and the Congress defending its efforts to curb the threat.
For the first time, the Data Security Council of India assembled a joint task force to source threat intelligence at the origin and ensure coordinated action across the cybersecurity spectrum.
This election is different. It is no longer simply about governance or welfare. It is about identity, fear, and who belongs. The BJP has successfully shifted the terms of the debate from what the government has delivered to who the real Bengali is and who is an outsider, points out Ramesh Menon.
'The way the attacks are coming has become much stronger and much wider because of AI.'
With the Iran war escalating sharply and crisis deepening in the global energy market, India on Monday unveiled a coordinated plan to support exporters and shippers caught in the fallout.
'The next two to three weeks will not be decided in Washington.' 'They will be decided in Tehran, in whatever calculation Iran makes about the costs of continued resistance against the costs of appearing to have yielded.'
The partnership strengthens HMC's presence in global cricket, marking its return to the sport after its earlier association with the ICC between 2011 and 2015.
India's gems & jewellery exports witnessed 30.6 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) contraction in October to $2.17 million, amid the imposition of a steep 50 per cent tariff by the United States (US) on several Indian products.
'Don't play the American game... India is too big for a US game.'
The operator's liability in the case of an incident is limited to 3,000 crore for reactors with thermal power above 3,600 Megawatt; 1,500 crore for reactors with thermal power between 1,500 Mw and 3,600 Mw; 750 crore for reactors with thermal power between 750 Mw and 1,500 Mw; 300 crore for reactors with thermal power between 150 Mw and 750 Mw; and 100 crore for reactors having thermal power up to 150 Mw, fuel cycle facilities other than spent fuel reprocessing plants and transportation of nuclear materials.
Both the life and non-life insurance segment posted over 20 per cent premium growth in November for the first time in this financial year (FY26), supported by the reduction in goods and services tax (GST) on premiums from 18 per cent to zero and a favourable base effect.
In a serious data breach, personally identifiable information of 815 million Indians has been up on the dark web for sale, according to a report by US-based cybersecurity firm Resecurity. Details such as Aadhaar and passport information along with names, phone numbers and addresses are available for sale online, it has said.
After Donald Trump became president of the United States, he unleashed economic weaponisation, upsetting the old world order, leading to much unrest. If that wasn't all, the threat of an imminent nuclear war was issued by the US, Russia, China, North Korea and Pakistan. In today's fractious times, Dr Paulos Mar Gregorios would have made a dent, notes His Holiness Baselios Marthoma Mathews III.
'What's currently underway is not a 'reset'.' 'What needs to be arrived at is a new balance.'
