Category: India LIVE

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held discussions with retail magnate M. A. Yusuff Ali on the continuity of food supplies from India to Gulf markets, as policymakers and industry leaders assess supply resilience amid shifting global trade dynamics.

The meeting highlighted the role of LuLu Group International, which operates more than 280 hypermarkets across the Gulf Cooperation Council, in maintaining steady flows of essential commodities including rice, wheat, pulses, fruits and vegetables. Officials familiar with the interaction indicated that the discussion centred

Reliance Industries has secured about five million barrels of crude oil from Iran in a transaction estimated at more than $350 million, signalling a calculated return to a trade corridor constrained for years by geopolitical tensions and sanctions.

The purchase, attributed to cargoes loaded through intermediaries and structured channels, underscores a shifting pattern in global oil flows as refiners seek cost advantages amid volatile benchmarks. Market participants said the acquisition reflects both commercial pragmatism and a broader recalibration of sourcing strategies

France’s decision to withhold access to critical source codes for Rafale fighter systems has intensified concerns within New Delhi over long-term control of its air combat capabilities, exposing tensions between strategic partnership and technological dependence.

Officials and defence analysts indicate that the refusal centres on highly sensitive software governing the aircraft’s Active Electronically Scanned Array radar, mission computer architecture and the SPECTRA electronic warfare suite. These components underpin the Rafale’s operational edge, enabling advanced targeting, threat detection and real-time combat adaptability.

Two Indian-flagged liquefied petroleum gas carriers are navigating the Strait of Hormuz along a route close to Iran’s coastline, according to ship-tracking data, underscoring a cautious approach by operators as geopolitical tensions continue to shape shipping decisions in one of the world’s most critical energy corridors.

The vessels, loaded with LPG cargoes, are following a path similar to that taken by earlier ships that received clearance to transit the narrow waterway. Industry observers say hugging the Iranian side of the strait

UTI Pension Fund, the country’s third-largest pension manager, is recalibrating its investment strategy by increasing exposure to debt instruments after an extended period of aggressive equity accumulation, a move that market participants say could stabilise segments of the sovereign and corporate bond market under pressure.

Senior executives within the fund have indicated that elevated equity valuations and tightening liquidity conditions have prompted a reassessment of asset allocation, with a renewed emphasis on fixed-income securities offering more predictable returns. The adjustment comes

Central Board of Secondary Education has cancelled all Class 12 board examinations scheduled between March 16 and April 10 across several Middle Eastern countries, citing security concerns linked to the widening conflict involving Iran and regional powers.

The decision affects CBSE-affiliated schools in Bahrain, Iran, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, where thousands of expatriate students were preparing for the final phase of the 2026 board examination cycle. The

Dubai-based technology firm Solstice Data has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Kerala government to invest ₹52,600 crore in a large-scale data infrastructure project at the KINFRA Industrial Park in Mattannur, marking one of the biggest technology investments proposed for the state’s digital economy. The agreement envisions the development of advanced artificial intelligence-driven high-performance computing data centres on approximately 100 acres of land in Kannur district, a move officials say could reshape

New Delhi has pressed Tehran to allow more India-bound vessels to cross the Strait of Hormuz after two liquefied petroleum gas carriers carrying critical fuel supplies cleared the strategic waterway, highlighting the vulnerability of energy flows through one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints.

Officials confirmed that two Indian-flagged LPG carriers, Shivalik and Nanda Devi, passed through the strait with cargo bound for ports in Gujarat, transporting roughly 92,700 tonnes of cooking gas.

Bosch SDS and NxtGen Datacenter & Cloud Technologies have unveiled plans to launch a sovereign artificial intelligence cloud platform designed to accelerate Industry 4.0 adoption across India’s manufacturing and industrial sectors. The initiative aims to give enterprises secure domestic infrastructure for deploying advanced AI applications, including predictive maintenance, asset optimisation and real-time industrial data orchestration from factory floors to cloud platforms.

The partnership brings together Bosch’s software and digital engineering capabilities with NxtGen’s

Government plans to establish an $11 billion fund aimed at accelerating semiconductor development, a move designed to strengthen the country’s position in the global electronics supply chain and reduce dependence on imported chips. The proposed initiative, valued at more than ₹1 trillion, is under active discussion and could be unveiled within months as part of a broader push to expand domestic technology manufacturing.

Semiconductors form the backbone of modern technology, powering devices

Pressure on cooking gas supplies has pushed households and businesses across the country toward more polluting fuels, including kerosene, biomass and fuel oil, highlighting the vulnerability of energy supply chains during geopolitical upheaval.

Authorities have authorised the wider use of alternative fuels to ease the strain on liquefied petroleum gas and natural gas networks after disruptions to shipments from West Asia tightened availability and drove up prices. The shift marks a temporary reversal of a decade-long policy drive aimed at replacing

Engineering group ABB has committed about $75 million to expand manufacturing and research operations across five locations in India, a move aimed at strengthening production for sectors such as renewable energy, metro rail systems and data centres. The investment reflects rising demand for advanced electrification and automation technologies as infrastructure projects accelerate and digital capacity expands across the country.

ABB said the spending will upgrade and enlarge facilities that produce critical components including switchgear, power distribution equipment and industrial automation systems.

Government officials confirmed that a warship from Iran was granted permission to dock at a naval facility in Kochi shortly before another vessel from the same flotilla was sunk by a United States submarine in the Indian Ocean, an episode that has drawn global attention to maritime diplomacy and escalating naval tensions around South Asia.

The vessel, identified as IRIS Lavan, sought permission to enter Kochi harbour

Stock markets across India tumbled sharply as escalating conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran heightened geopolitical risks and rattled investor confidence. The benchmark Sensex plunged by more than 1,000 points, slipping beneath the 81,000 mark, while the Nifty 50 index lost upwards of 300 points, breaching the crucial 25,000 support level as traders moved out of riskier assets. Over two trading sessions, equities have shed value significantly, wiping out approximately ₹11 lakh crore in market capitalisation, underlining how

India’s economic expansion has moderated to 7.8 per cent, yet the country continues to outpace other major economies, reinforcing its position as the fastest-growing large market amid a fragile global backdrop.

Official data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation showed that gross domestic product growth eased compared with earlier quarters, reflecting softer manufacturing momentum and uneven external demand. Even so, the figure places India ahead of the United States, China, Japan

OpenAI’s chief executive Sam Altman delivered a candid message to students at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, telling them that conventional career guidance may be of limited value as artificial intelligence reshapes the world of work. Speaking at an interactive session in Dogra Hall, Altman said that younger generations will have to trust their own instincts and adapt to fast-changing technological landscapes rather than relying on established rules or advice from

Tata Group, Tata Consultancy Services and OpenAI unveiled a landmark strategic partnership that aims to redefine the landscape of artificial intelligence deployment across enterprise, infrastructure and workforce development. With a multi-year agreement signed at a major AI summit in New Delhi, the collaboration is centred on building out AI infrastructure in India, rolling out Enterprise ChatGPT to thousands of employees and co-creating industry-tailored AI solutions.

Under the pact, TCS’ HyperVault unit will

Air India has scrapped all its flights to and from New York City and Newark Liberty International Airport for both Monday, 23 February and Tuesday, 24 February, citing a powerful winter storm bearing down on the US East Coast that has forced widespread travel disruption and grounding of services. The airline said heavy snow, strong winds and hazardous conditions forecast across New York, New Jersey and adjoining states would significantly disrupt airport

India is pushing ahead with a rapid build-out of artificial intelligence data centres, even as concerns mount over water stress and rising electricity demand in the very regions chosen to host them.

Global technology groups including Microsoft, Amazon and Google have pledged billions of dollars to expand cloud and AI infrastructure across the country, betting on strong digital adoption, a vast developer base and policy support from New Delhi. At the same time, domestic conglomerates such as Reliance Industries and the

Agentic artificial intelligence is forcing a fundamental reassessment of how enterprise software is sold, bought and priced, with implications for licensing models, cloud economics and the broader SaaS market worldwide. As autonomous AI agents that can plan, execute and optimise complex workflows proliferate across enterprises, traditional per-seat software licensing is coming under pressure, major vendors are redesigning pricing frameworks and investors are recalibrating valuations around AI’s transformative potential.

Industry executives and analysts

Prime Minister Narendra Modi used a high-profile artificial intelligence summit to project India as a pivotal force in the global AI race, even as logistical strains and policy gaps underscored the scale of the challenge ahead.

The gathering brought together senior executives from global technology firms, domestic start-ups, academic leaders and policymakers, signalling a concerted push by New Delhi to position the country as both a major market and a development hub for AI. Modi framed the technology as central to

India has joined the Pax Silica Initiative, signing the Pax Silica Declaration and a Joint Statement on the India–U. S. AI Opportunity Partnership at a special event held on the margins of the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, marking a new phase in strategic cooperation on advanced technologies.

The twin agreements signal a coordinated push to deepen collaboration on artificial intelligence research, semiconductor supply chains and standards-setting at a time when global competition over emerging technologies is intensifying. Officials described

OpenAI has announced a sweeping expansion of its global education strategy by forging deep partnerships with a group of India’s most influential higher education institutions to embed artificial intelligence tools, training and research into campus life and academic workflows. The initiative, unveiled in New Delhi this week, aims for institutional transformation by offering enterprise-grade AI access and structured integration support across disciplines including engineering, management, health sciences and creative industries.

The programme