India's dual pursuit of a robust strategic partnership with Washington and a pragmatic, tension-management policy with Beijing represents the essence of modern multi-alignment. By embracing economic pragmatism, learning to compartmentalize political differences, and engaging in continuous dialogue, India can secure its borders, grow its economy, and contribute to a stable, multipolar Asian century, points out Ambassador Rajasekhar.
The Indian government has notified the Legal Metrology (Indian Standard Time) Rules, 2026, establishing IST as the sole reference for all official purposes nationwide. These rules, effective in 180 days, aim to synchronise digital systems, reduce reliance on foreign time sources, and enhance coordination across critical sectors like banking, railways, and telecommunications.
Razorpay CEO Harshil Mathur highlights India's leadership in real-time payments, stating it can foster numerous billion-dollar fintech companies capable of expanding globally. He draws parallels with the US internet boom and discusses how India's unique regulatory and private sector collaboration, exemplified by UPI, can be replicated in other emerging markets. Mathur also touches upon the opportunities and risks associated with leveraging AI in business.
Six initial public offerings, including Rentomojo Ltd and Karamtara Engineering, were fully subscribed on their final day of bidding, with Rentomojo's IPO subscribed 72.88 times and Karamtara's 62.63 times, reflecting robust investor appetite in the primary market.
Jindal Supreme (India) Ltd's initial public offering, a manufacturer of plastic piping solutions, was subscribed an astounding 181.07 times on its final day, reflecting robust investor demand across all categories.
The National Stock Exchange of India's initial public offering (IPO) was subscribed 5.69 times, with qualified institutional buyers (QIBs) showing the strongest demand, as the Rs 22,561-crore issue moves towards allotment and a planned listing on the BSE.
India's foreign exchange reserves surged by USD 11.475 billion to a new record high of USD 740.803 billion for the week ended August 28, driven by the RBI's concessional forex swap initiatives.
Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions in India reached Rs 29.8 lakh crore in August, approaching record levels. Volume also hit a new high of 24.51 billion transactions, driven by festive activities like Raksha Bandhan. The digital payment system continues its rapid growth, expanding its global presence to 11 countries, with further growth anticipated during the upcoming festive season and new use cases like credit on UPI.
Indian T20I skipper Shreyas Iyer expressed his excitement for the historic one-off T20I against Japan, marking the 75th anniversary of India-Japan diplomatic relations. He praised Japan's hospitality and acknowledged the team's anticipation despite unfamiliar conditions.
India's foreign exchange reserves have surged by $12.42 billion, reaching a new all-time high of $729.33 billion for the week ended August 21, driven by increases in foreign currency assets and gold reserves.
India T20I skipper Shreyas Iyer has highlighted the importance of regular game time and confidence for Jasprit Bumrah, who is returning from injury ahead of the Afghanistan T20I series, the Asian Games, and the ODI World Cup.
'If you listen to a rowdy in a class, he will keep on bullying you.' 'India can say do whatever you want. We will not compromise on anything.'
India's junior men's hockey team successfully defended their Asia Cup title, defeating Korea 4-1 in the final in Moqi, China. This victory marks their record sixth continental crown and secures their spot in the upcoming World Cup. The team displayed a dominant performance with goals from Ajeet Yadav, Anmol Ekka, Prabhdeep Singh, and Ashu Maurya.
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.
KPMG in India CEO Yezdi Nagporewalla expressed concern over the high valuations of global AI companies, deeming them unsustainable. He believes India, despite a late start, has a strong chance to develop its own unique Local Language Models due to its robust tech ecosystem and global capability centres.
Xi's bilateral meeting with Modi was substantial and readouts from both sides gave indications of rapprochement, if not a reset of bilateral relations between India and China, notes Ambassador T P Sreenivasan.
India have never looked so vulnerable in Test cricket in recent times. They need a complete reset of their approach to Test cricket, and perhaps a new coach with fresh ideas could revitalise Shubman Gill and his boys.
The Indian men's kabaddi team commenced its Asian Games title defence with a decisive 49-24 victory over hosts Japan in their opening Group A fixture.
Microsoft has officially launched its fourth cloud region in India, located in Hyderabad, as part of its USD 20.5 billion investment in the country's digital and AI infrastructure. This new facility, which became available on August 6, features zero-water cooling technology and aims to enhance capacity and resilience for organisations in India and Asia, supporting the nation's rapid digital growth and projected increase in data centre capacity.
Defending champions India began their Asian Games campaign with a resounding 13-1 victory over Indonesia in their opening Pool A match. Striker Dilpreet Singh was the star, netting four goals, while Shilanand Lakra and Sukhjeet Singh each scored a brace, showcasing India's dominant performance.
Led by R Praggnanandhaa on the top board and World champion D Gukesh on the fourth, the Indian men scored an emphatic 3-1 victory over Holland but the Indian eves were shocked by Poland in the fifth round of the 46th chess Olympiad in Samarkand.
Dave Cousins, India's new national compound archery head coach, believes a historic first Olympic medal for India is inevitable. He is preparing the team for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games and has long-term plans for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, noting the changing Asian archery landscape and the impressive work ethic of Indian archers.
The Indian women's hockey team secured its second consecutive Pool B victory at the Asian Games, defeating Indonesia 17-1. Deepika Sehrawat, Rutuja Dadaso Pisal, and Navneet Kaur each scored a hat-trick, contributing to the dominant performance. Coach Sjoerd Marijne expressed satisfaction but highlighted the upcoming match against Japan as the real challenge for topping the pool and securing direct Olympic qualification.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir stated that all-rounder Hardik Pandya is not yet fit to bowl a full 10-over quota in ODIs and will not be rushed back. Gambhir also hinted at the possibility of playing both Pandya and Nitish Kumar Reddy once Pandya achieves full bowling fitness, emphasizing his return depends on his all-round contribution.
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.
India's title defence at the Chess Olympiad suffered a setback after a loss to hosts Uzbekistan, leaving them two points behind the leaders.
India's badminton contingent is set to begin its Asian Games campaign, with the men's team aiming to improve on their previous silver medal and the women's team seeking a second medal. Key players like Lakshya Sen, Satwik-Chirag, PV Sindhu, and Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand are expected to lead the charge against strong opponents like Japan, China, and Korea in both team and individual events.
Srihari Nataraj secured a spot in the 50m backstroke final at the Asian Games, clocking 25.37 seconds. However, other Indian swimmers, including Rishabh Das, Akash Mani, Geetesh Shah, Danush Suresh, and the men's 4x200m freestyle relay team, failed to advance beyond the heats, marking a mixed day for India in the pool.
Indian skipper Shreyas Iyer expressed enthusiasm for India's historic bilateral T20 match against Japan, marking cricket's expansion into new territories and celebrating 75 years of diplomatic relations. Iyer highlighted the unique cultural experience and the importance of such fixtures for global cricket growth, despite initial weather challenges.
Indian swimmer Rishabh Das secured the sixth position in the men's 100m backstroke final at the Asian Games, clocking 54.77 seconds. China's Xu Jiayu won gold, while other Indian participants, Utkarsh Patil, Benediction Beniston, and Akash Mani, had disappointing results in their respective events.
UST, a California-based technology company, highlights India's unique opportunity to build an AI-native semiconductor ecosystem, bypassing older models. Speaking at SEMICON India 2026, UST COO Gilroy Mathew emphasised India's advantage in investing in infrastructure and talent at the right time, enabling it to create AI-native manufacturing and supply chains for future competitiveness.
India launched 'Suryapath Tiranga', a unique initiative involving over 50 Indian missions globally, to digitally relay images of the tricolour across multiple time zones, starting from Fiji, to mark the country's 80th Independence Day.
Salesforce executives, including South Asia CEO Arundhati Bhattacharya, predict a significant shift in India towards wider enterprise AI adoption, moving from experimentation to production deployments. The company plans to invest in physical infrastructure and talent upskilling in India. Salesforce's vision for the "agentic enterprise" involves a four-layer architecture, emphasising the need for robust security and governance for autonomous agents. Executives also highlighted the evolving nature of jobs, with AI handling repetitive tasks and creating new specialised roles, positioning India as a potential leader in agentic innovation by 2030.
Veteran Indian shuttler H S Prannoy discusses his likely final Asian Games appearance and his long-term Olympic aspirations for LA 2028. Doubles specialist Chirag Shetty urges the Indian men's badminton team to go for gold, reflecting on their previous silver medal and the team's strong cohesion.
Microsoft India and South Asia President, Puneet Chandok, discusses the company's strong belief in human-centric AI development, significant investments in India's cloud and AI infrastructure, and the country's pivotal role as an AI market, talent hub, and technology builder. He highlights AI's impact on jobs and the need for responsible innovation.
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.
Legendary Indian hockey player Harbinder Singh reminisces about India's historic first Asian Games gold medal in 1966, defeating arch-rivals Pakistan. He shares insights into the team's motivation, the challenging final match played with 10 men, and the evolution of hockey over the decades, including concerns about declining domestic spectator interest and India's prospects for future Asian Games.
'The large number of tariff lines in the 90-99 per cent band highlights how deeply embedded Chinese sourcing has become in India's electronics imports.'
International Hockey Federation (FIH) President Tayyab Ikram has commended India's professional approach to hockey, urging other Asian nations to adopt similar strategies to improve their global standing. He highlighted India's journey from past Olympic glory to recent bronze medals, positioning it as a model for development in the sport.
The Indian men's and women's hockey teams commence their Asian Games campaign in Japan, with both aiming for a gold medal to secure direct qualification for the Los Angeles Olympics. The men's team seeks to recover from a recent World Cup slump, while the women's team looks to build on their strong World Cup performance, facing significant challenges from opponents like China.
