Author: Deepika chandrasekar

Karandeep Anand, the former chief executive officer of Character.AI, is set to join The Walt Disney Company as senior executive vice president and chief technology officer. Disney announced the appointment on September 18, with Anand scheduled to begin his new position on October 2. The role is newly established within the company. Anand will report directly to Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro. In his new position, he will oversee several major areas of Disney’s technology operations, including enterprise technology, infrastructure, data and artificial intelligence platforms, product development and engineering. His responsibilities will extend across Disney’s various businesses. Anand is expected to…

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has reached New York to represent India at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, as world leaders and senior officials gather for the annual high-level meetings. His visit places India’s diplomatic engagement at the center of discussions taking place during the General Assembly’s High-Level Week. According to India’s Ministry of External Affairs, Jaishankar will head the country’s delegation during the high-level segment of the 81st UN General Assembly. He is scheduled to deliver India’s address at the high-level session on September 26, outlining the country’s perspectives on key international issues and its…

India’s Ambassador to the United States, Vinay Kwatra, has emphasized that artificial intelligence will achieve widespread adoption in India only when it provides tangible value to everyday people and businesses. Speaking at the Ideas4India forum in Seattle, Kwatra said India’s AI journey must reflect the country’s distinct economic and social circumstances. He cautioned technology leaders against assuming that approaches successful in the United States would automatically produce similar results in India. Kwatra pointed to small businesses to explain the importance of practical outcomes. A neighborhood grocery store, for instance, would be willing to spend money on an AI-based service only…

India and Canada have resumed negotiations on a proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), with both countries working toward completing the trade pact by the end of 2026. The latest round of discussions began in New Delhi on September 14 and is scheduled to continue for five days. Negotiators are expected to address several key areas during the fourth round, including trade in goods and services, rules of origin and technical barriers. The talks build on the previous round, which took place in Ottawa in July, as the two nations work to strengthen their economic relationship. The year-end deadline was…

India and MERCOSUR have signed the First Additional Protocol to their Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA), introducing electronic Certificates of Origin as a legally recognized alternative to paper documents. The protocol was signed by India’s Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agarwal, Uruguay’s Ambassador to India Alberto Guani and Paraguay’s Ambassador to India Fleming Raul Duarte Ramos. Uruguay’s Foreign Affairs Minister Mario Lubetkin and representatives from the Argentine and Brazilian embassies were also present. The agreement updates Article 16 of Annex III on Rules of Origin. Under the revised provision, electronically issued and signed Certificates of Origin will carry the same legal validity and…

Few symbols have undergone such a dramatic transformation in meaning as the swastika. Derived from the Sanskrit word svastika, the term is traditionally associated with ideas such as well-being, prosperity and good fortune. The hooked-cross design has an exceptionally long history, with examples believed to date back thousands of years across Eurasia. Long before its association with 20th-century fascism, the swastika held religious and cultural importance in several traditions. It remains a sacred motif in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, and can commonly be seen on temples, homes and other religious or cultural spaces, particularly across India and parts of Southeast…

India’s Oceansat-3 satellite is providing scientists with a detailed look at changes taking place across the Pacific Ocean as El Nino conditions develop in 2026. Observations from the Indian Space Research Organisation’s EOS-06, commonly known as Oceansat-3, indicate noticeable shifts in ocean biology and surface wind patterns. Satellite data from June 2026 shows lower concentrations of chlorophyll-a across sections of the central and eastern Pacific compared with observations from the same period in 2024 and 2025. The changes offer scientists a way to examine how evolving climate conditions are affecting both the ocean and the ecosystems that depend on it.…

US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks by honoring those who lost their lives and reiterating the United States’ determination to stand firmly against terrorism. In a message shared on Friday, Gor remembered the nearly 3,000 people killed in the attacks and extended his thoughts and prayers to their families. His statement came as the United States and communities around the world commemorated a defining moment in modern American history. The attacks on September 11, 2001, were carried out after 19 al-Qaeda members seized control of four commercial passenger aircraft. Two…

India and the US have largely finalized their trade agreement, with discussions now focused on establishing a framework for preferential market access before the deal is formally signed, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said on Thursday. Speaking on the sidelines of the Global Fintech Fest 2026 in Mumbai, Agrawal said both sides have reached a broad understanding that has received positive feedback from businesses in India and the US. He explained that India primarily follows Most Favoured Nation tariffs, while the US has been using executive tariffs. As a result, a suitable framework is needed to establish tariff differentials and preferential…

The United States India Relationship Council (USIRC), a bipartisan advocacy organization focused on closer ties between Washington and New Delhi, held a two-day series of meetings with nine members of Congress in Washington, DC, from August 30 through September 1. The organization, which operates as a non-connected political committee under federal law, used the meetings to discuss a broad range of issues shaping the US-India partnership. Topics included trade, defense, Indo-Pacific security, the Quad, concerns related to the Chinese Communist Party and matters affecting Indian-American and Hindu-American communities. USIRC said the outreach was aimed at developing stronger relationships with lawmakers…