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.
In her address to the nation on the eve of the country's 80th Independence Day, the president stressed that just as government and society remain united to ensure national security, everyone must contribute through joint and concerted efforts to safeguard the present and future of students.
World Cup 2026 is on track to become the biggest betting event in history, with global wagers expected to exceed $50 billion as sportsbooks report record-breaking activity driven by the expanded tournament format and growing legal gambling markets.
S&P Global Ratings warns that a sustained rise in crude oil prices to $130 per barrel could significantly slow India's economic growth, weaken fiscal metrics, and strain corporate and banking sector performance, potentially reducing growth by up to 80 basis points.
The business value of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has surged by over 11% to $20.6 billion this year, according to U.S.-based investment bank Houlihan Lokey. This growth is driven by its robust commercial model, attracting significant investor interest, as evidenced by recent franchise ownership changes and a diversified commercial ecosystem.
Mizoram has declared a full holiday for educational institutions and a half-day for government offices to allow residents to watch the FIFA World Cup final. Chief Minister Lalduhoma highlighted the state's passion for football and the importance of the sport to its youth.
US President Donald Trump will visit China from May 13 to 15 at the invitation of President Xi Jinping. The visit occurs amidst global tensions, including the war in West Asia and trade disputes between the US and China. Discussions are expected to cover China-US relations, world peace, and economic issues.
Lionel Messi, nearing 39, has broken the World Cup all-time goal-scoring record with 18 goals, surpassing Marta and Miroslav Klose. This latest achievement adds to his illustrious career, which includes numerous club and international titles, cementing his status as one of football's greatest players.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has revised down India's GDP growth forecast for fiscal year 2026-27 (FY27) to 6.6 per cent from an earlier 6.9 per cent, primarily attributing the change to elevated energy prices stemming from the Middle East conflict. Despite this moderation, India is still expected to remain the world's fastest-growing major economy.
India has significantly improved its position as a global foreign direct investment (FDI) destination, climbing two places to 11th in 2025, with inflows surging by nearly 44 per cent to $38.89 billion, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad) World Investment Report 2026.
AI4Bharat at IIT Madras and Josh Talks AI have launched 'Voice of India', a multimodal AI evaluation platform designed to assess AI systems against Indian conditions, languages, accents, and dialects. This platform aims to provide scientifically rigorous, India-specific evaluations, covering areas like Voice AI, large language models, document processing, safety, cultural appropriateness, and Indian legal reasoning, to build trust and enable informed deployment decisions.
The United Nations has revised downward India's economic growth forecast for 2026 to 6.4 per cent from an earlier 6.6 per cent, attributing the change to global uncertainties and economic shocks stemming from the ongoing West Asia crisis.
Public sector banks in India are increasing their IT spending to bolster cybersecurity measures in response to concerns about Anthropic's Claude Mythos AI tool and its potential to exploit vulnerabilities in financial systems.
Scotland defeated Haiti 1-0 in a World Cup Group C match, with John McGinn scoring the winning goal. This victory marks Scotland's first win in the tournament since 1990, placing them at the top of their group. Haiti, despite their pace, lacked the finishing touch.
Temasek is exploring investment opportunities in India's booming IPL cricket league, a senior executive told Reuters, making the Singapore state investor the latest player to target one of the world's richest sports tournaments.
The initial public offer (IPO) of SBI Funds Management Ltd was fully subscribed on the second day of bidding, receiving bids for 1.17 times the shares on offer, with strong interest from non-institutional investors and anchor investors.
'At the end of the day, it is just another technology produced by the human mind.'
The World Bank on Wednesday lowered India's growth forecast for the current fiscal by 4 percentage points to 6.3 per cent amid global economic weakness and policy uncertainty. In its previous estimate, the World Bank had projected India's growth at 6.7 per cent for the fiscal year 2025-26.
India, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, will rely heavily on openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma to perform against a challenging Pakistan side in their ICC Women's T20 World Cup campaign opener.
LIC is the only brand in the Brand Finance India 100 2026 report that has a top five rank in both brand value and brand strength.
The DP World Professional Golf Tour of India has appointed Rachana Bahadur, Senior Vice President and Country Head " India at Synchrony Financial, as an advisor to the organisation.
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy will virtually deliver the keynote address at the Harvard Kennedy School's AI symposium, focusing on the global AI landscape.
The ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 begins in England with Australia chasing a seventh title and India targeting a historic double. England, South Africa and New Zealand add to what promises to be the most competitive edition yet.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has reduced India's growth forecast for FY27 to 6.4 per cent, citing the potential impact of higher energy prices offsetting the country's economic resilience. Despite this, India remains among the fastest-growing major economies.
Bharti Airtel is strategically shifting its focus towards data centres, cloud services, and financial services as key drivers for its next phase of growth, leveraging significant past investments in digital infrastructure, as outlined by Chairman Sunil Mittal in the company's Annual Report for 2025-26.
Despite aggressive expansion, India's solar power sector faces significant hurdles from rising regional disparities in installed capacity and a looming manufacturing glut due to overcapacity in domestic solar equipment production, potentially leading to consolidation and pricing pressures.
Dr Lovi Raj Gupta, pro vice-chancellor, Lovely Professional University, explains how aspiring professionals can equip themselves for a competitive AI-driven job market.
'After that the burdens of an ageing population will be upon us, and the share of working age population will shrink.'
The World Bank on Tuesday raised the growth forecast for the Indian economy to 7 per cent for the current fiscal year on the back of recovery in agri sector and rural demand. World Bank had in June projected India to grow at 6.6 per cent for FY24. According to the World Bank Report released on Tuesday, India's growth continues to be strong despite a challenging global environment.
Zelle, a major US peer-to-peer payment service, is set to launch in India by the end of this year, marking its first international expansion. The move aims to tap into India's large remittance market, offering a service similar to UPI but integrated with bank apps. Zelle also introduced ZelleUSD, a stablecoin for future global payment capabilities.
Despite current headwinds, India remains the world's fastest-growing major economy and should not allow near-term challenges to obscure its long-term growth potential, said Jane Fraser, Citi Chair and Chief Executive Officer.
Sonia Gandhi criticised PM Modi's Israel visit, calling it a "bewildering strategic decision" amid the regional conflict.
India should not stay on the margins of this initiative. There should be a serious debate about what would be in India's best interests asserts former foreign secretary Shyam Saran.
Sir David Beckham, the first English player to win league titles in four countries, was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Friday.
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.
State Bank of India Chairman C S Setty has expressed support for a 'pause' in policy rates by the Reserve Bank of India's monetary policy committee, believing it will help stabilise conditions and support economic growth. He also urged investors to look beyond short-term equity market movements and focus on India's structural transformation, driven by reforms and digital infrastructure.
Gwadar is viewed as a critical pearl in China's maritime strategy as it would give a permanent logistical footprint near an important choke point - the Strait of Hormuz and the oil rich Persian Gulf, explains Commodore Venugopal Menon (retd).
'Why not aspire for 8 or 9 or even 10 per cent?'
Global investment firm KKR remains optimistic about India's long-term growth, citing rising incomes, premiumisation, financial deepening, and demand for quality services as key drivers for its consumption story, even as higher energy prices and AI disruption pose near-term challenges.
Global oil prices fell on Thursday to their lowest levels since before the outbreak of the Iran conflict, offering a significant economic tailwind for India, the world's third-largest crude importer, by easing inflation risks, reducing the import bill and improving the government's fiscal position.
