Author: Akancha Mishra

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday stressed the need for India to significantly increase its exports to Russia in order to create a more balanced and diversified trade basket. Speaking at the India–Russia Business Forum in New Delhi, Goyal highlighted the growing economic potential between the two nations, even as bilateral trade edges toward the $70 billion mark. Goyal noted that despite the impressive growth in overall trade, the imbalance remains a concern, with Indian imports from Russia—driven largely by crude oil—far outweighing exports. “Bilateral trade between the two countries is reaching $70 billion, but we cannot rest.…

American fintech leader PayPal has entered into a strategic alliance with Kreative & Co, one of India’s top performance marketing agencies for D2C brands, under its Ecosystem Partnership Program. The collaboration aims to support Indian consumer brands in expanding internationally by leveraging PayPal’s global payment network, cross-border expertise, and trusted infrastructure. Through this partnership, Kreative & Co will guide high-potential D2C brands in accessing PayPal’s international transaction capabilities, ensuring market readiness, regulatory compliance, and frictionless acceptance of overseas payments. The initiative is designed to simplify and scale cross-border commerce for India’s rapidly growing brands. A PayPal representative expressed confidence in…

Elon Musk has opened up about the personal history of his partner, Shivon Zilis, revealing that she has Indian roots. The Tesla and SpaceX chief spoke about her background during a conversation with Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath, where he mentioned that Zilis is “half Indian” and was adopted as an infant before being raised in Canada. This rare insight into Zilis’ early life highlighted a part of her identity that has not often been discussed publicly. Musk and Zilis are parents to four children—twins Strider and Azure, daughter Arcadia, and son Seldon Lycurgus. While speaking on the podcast, Musk also…

India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) continued its robust upward trajectory in November, reaffirming its position as the backbone of the country’s digital payments ecosystem. The platform processed a remarkable 20.47 billion transactions throughout the month, demonstrating sustained public trust and expanding digital financial activity. Although November saw a minor 1% dip compared to October, analysts attribute this soft decline to an unusually high transaction spike during the festival season rather than a decrease in consumer engagement. Despite the month-to-month variation, the average daily usage showcased strong stability. Both October and November recorded an impressive 682 million UPI transactions per day,…

India has formalized a significant set of defense agreements with the United States, valued at roughly $894 million, aimed at strengthening the long-term maintenance and operational support of the Indian Navy’s MH60R helicopter fleet. The Ministry of Defence announced the development on Friday, marking another step forward in the deepening military partnership between the two countries. The contracts cover a broad range of support services essential to ensuring the readiness and reliability of the multi-role MH60R helicopters, which play a key part in India’s maritime operations. These helicopters are used for surveillance, anti-submarine warfare, and advanced naval missions, making sustained…

Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to India on December 4–5 for the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit, the Ministry of External Affairs confirmed on Friday. The announcement ends months of anticipation and comes at a time when New Delhi and Moscow continue to strengthen their long-standing partnership despite shifting global alignments. According to the official statement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has formally invited President Putin for a state visit. The MEA noted that the two leaders will engage in high-level talks, while India’s President will host a ceremonial banquet in honor of the visiting head of state. The ministry emphasized…

Indian researchers have unveiled an artificial intelligence framework that offers a transformative way to interpret cancer biology and personalise treatment strategies. The system, developed by the S N Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences in collaboration with Ashoka University, shifts the focus from traditional tumour staging to the molecular processes that drive cancer progression. The framework, named OncoMark, decodes what scientists describe as the “hallmarks of cancer”—the biological programmes that enable malignant cells to grow, spread, evade immune detection and resist therapy. While staging systems such as TNM provide information on tumour size and spread, they often fail to explain…

The Indian government has pushed back against the IMF staff’s assessment that the recently imposed 50% US tariffs on Indian exports will remain in place indefinitely. This assumption formed the basis for the IMF’s projection that India’s GDP will expand by 6.6% this year and slow to 6.2% in 2026–27. According to the IMF, the persistent tariffs could weaken external demand and discourage investment, ultimately dragging growth next year. While New Delhi agreed that certain sectors may feel a sharper pinch, officials maintained that the broader economic effects are likely to be manageable over the short term. However, Indian authorities…

The United States has reiterated its strong support for India’s ongoing efforts to bring those responsible for the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks to justice, while paying tribute to the victims and expressing solidarity with their families and survivors. Marking the anniversary of the devastating attacks, the US Embassy in India reaffirmed its commitment to stand with the Indian government in the global fight against terrorism and to strengthen cooperation aimed at ensuring the safety of citizens. In its statement, the Embassy highlighted the extradition of Tahawwur Hussain Rana as a significant step forward in the pursuit of justice. Rana, a…

As the Akshaya Patra Foundation marks its 25th year, it reflects on an extraordinary transformation — from serving just 1,500 meals in Bengaluru in 2000 to feeding millions of schoolchildren across India every day. Mission and InnovationOver the years, Akshaya Patra has expanded to 78 kitchens across 16 states and three Union Territories, working in partnership with the Government of India under the PM POSHAN scheme. These kitchens provide nutritious mid-day meals and, in some regions, morning nutrition as well, ensuring consistent food support for students. Leadership Driven by PurposeCEO Shridhar Venkat describes the organisation’s guiding principle as “selflessness with…