Week 4 (Sep 22 – Sep 28) (2026/09/22 to 2026/09/28)
S&P Global has highlighted India’s ability to outperform many peers despite persistent inflation, geopolitical uncertainty and slower global growth. But the assessment also points to gathering risks that could test the economy’s momentum in the months ahead, especially if external shocks deepen or domestic price pressures linger.
Members of the transgender community have spoken out against the online backlash directed at the Tamil film Dorothy, saying the movie reflects lived realities and was made with sincere intent. Released on September 25, the film has drawn homophobic and transphobic comments on social media, prompting calls to judge it on its message rather than prejudice.
India’s used-car market is being reshaped by digital platforms that bundle financing into the purchase journey, offering pre-approved loan options with clearer pricing and less paperwork. The shift is helping buyers compare interest rates, processing charges and eligibility criteria upfront, reducing the risk of last-minute surprises at the point of sale.
Indian wrestler Sunil added a second Asian Games bronze to his record, reinforcing his status as one of the country’s most dependable Greco-Roman performers. The result also underscored India’s uneven day on the mat, with Nisha Dahiya bowing out after failing to progress in her bout.
At Delhi’s Sunder Nursery, Anuradha Kapur’s ‘Virasat’ turns Mahesh Elkunchwar’s Wada trilogy into a searching meditation on inheritance, memory and the cost of refusing change. The production is less a nostalgic tribute than a stern reminder that modernity can be disruptive, but clinging to a dying past can be far more ruinous.
Generative AI is rapidly shortening the path from travel intent to confirmed booking, with users increasingly asking one assistant to handle flights, transit visas and card-linked offers in a single exchange, according to MakeMyTrip Group CTO. The shift could reshape how online travel platforms design search, recommendation and conversion flows, while raising the stakes for trust, accuracy and commercial relevance.
For Indian homebuyers, an approved project can make the difference between a slow, document-heavy loan process and a faster, more predictable path to disbursal. Such projects undergo legal and technical scrutiny before lenders extend funding, reducing risk for both the financier and the borrower. Bajaj Housing Finance is positioning its pre-approved project network and swift disbursal options as a way to streamline purchases and improve access to larger loan amounts and longer repayment tenures.
Flipkart has recorded its highest-ever single-day sale, grossing about $200 million in a milestone that underscores the scale of India’s online consumption market. The Bangalore-based company said the performance marks the biggest one-day sales event since its launch in 2007, reinforcing the depth of demand across categories and the continuing strength of festive-season e-commerce.
Filmmaker Ameya Gore is drawing attention at IDSFFK 2026 for his documentary 'Going Solo,' a film that follows cyclists Gareema Shankar and Renu Singhi on their 2022 journey to the London-Edinburgh-London event. Produced by Sharib Khan and Vikas Kumar, the documentary uses endurance cycling as a lens to examine ambition, discipline, and the expanding place of women in non-fiction sports storytelling. Gore says the project is designed to push the boundaries of what a sports documentary can capture.
Artificial intelligence is rapidly shifting from a passive advisor to an active buyer in the automotive ecosystem, a change that could reshape how vehicles, EVs and mobility services are discovered, priced and purchased. The next phase of commerce will test consumer trust, dealer economics and the regulatory boundaries around machine-led transactions.
A nationwide sanitation worker welfare initiative has reached more than 369,000 beneficiaries across 3,870 urban local bodies, underscoring a renewed policy push to pair public cleanliness with occupational safety and social dignity. The scale of the outreach signals a broader administrative effort to formalize support for sanitation workers through health, protection, and recognition measures.
Veteran director Radhakrishna Malineni is marking 26 years in Telugu television with a reflective look at a career shaped by family dramas, social values and audience trust. His latest work, 'Seetaramayya Gari Manavaralu' on E TV, continues that trajectory by foregrounding women’s resilience, intergenerational bonds and the emotional architecture of family life.
The Central Institute of Fisheries Technology is positioning digital tools as a major lever to modernise India’s fisheries sector, with Director George Ninan saying AI, IoT, rapid quality-assessment systems and traceability platforms can reshape the value chain. The push reflects a broader shift toward data-driven production, safer supply chains and higher export competitiveness in a sector that remains vital to coastal livelihoods and food security.
India has reduced its windfall tax on diesel and aviation turbine fuel exports for a fortnight, while leaving the levy on petrol exports unchanged, according to a finance ministry notification. The move signals a calibrated adjustment to fuel export taxation as global product spreads and domestic supply conditions continue to evolve.
Transport authorities are examining a counterflow bus rapid transit arrangement that would allow RTC buses to operate in a dedicated lane through Hyderabad’s congested IT corridor. The proposal is aimed at improving bus speeds, reducing travel time, and easing pressure on one of the city’s most traffic-heavy stretches without waiting for a full-scale road expansion.
In-Solutions Global is positioning trust, compliance and consumer protection as the defining pillars of the emerging agentic commerce era, where AI systems can initiate and complete transactions with limited human intervention. The company says the shift will expand consumer autonomy but also raise the stakes for fraud prevention, regulatory readiness and payment safety, with India potentially serving as a launchpad for global adoption.
Australia-A tightened their grip on the contest after the host batting unit suffered a damaging collapse, leaving the visitors in command at a crucial early stage. The setback has shifted momentum sharply, exposing familiar pressure points in the home side’s top order and handing Australia-A the initiative in the opening exchanges.
The Legislative Department and the Department of Legal Affairs jointly organized a labour volunteer programme in New Delhi as part of the Swachhata Hi Seva 2026 campaign, underscoring the government’s continuing emphasis on cleanliness, civic discipline, and institutional participation in public-service drives. The event reflects how central ministries are using symbolic and practical outreach to reinforce the national sanitation message within the administrative system itself.
Gold prices edged lower on Friday and were on track for a second straight weekly decline as a firmer US dollar and rising Treasury yields continued to weigh on the non-yielding metal. Traders are now focused on the upcoming US payrolls report, which could reshape expectations for the Federal Reserve’s next move and determine whether bullion finds support or extends its retreat.
Director Radhakrishna Malineni is marking 26 years in Telugu television with a career that has tracked the medium’s evolution from family-centric storytelling to more layered, values-driven drama. His latest work, E TV’s ‘Seetaramayya Gari Manavaralu,’ underscores themes of family legacy, women’s resilience and moral continuity that have long defined his screen sensibility.
Director Ram’s latest film, ‘Yezhu Kadal Yezhu Malai,’ arrives as an ambitious but deeply uneven meditation on love, mortality and reincarnation, anchored by Nivin Pauly and Soori. The film’s emotional distance, haphazard storytelling and conspicuous use of artificial intelligence make its humane intentions feel curiously undermined.
Apple TV+ has released the trailer for 'Nocturne', a crime thriller built around a tense cat-and-mouse pursuit between an ex-soldier turned homicide detective and a notorious serial killer. Liev Schreiber leads the series opposite Stephen Graham, in a premise that blends psychological suspense with procedural stakes and a disrupted domestic reset.
The Central Narcotics Bureau’s DNC office in Lucknow has mounted a public awareness campaign under Operation Jagriti to warn against drug abuse and addiction. The initiative reflects a broader governance push to pair enforcement with prevention, community outreach, and early intervention.
Varahi Mallipamula’s Telugu-English dramedy ‘Impure’ is drawing attention for its unsparing look at patriarchy, sexual double standards and the social policing of women’s bodies. The film, directed by Nishanti Evani and featuring actor Kireeti Damaraju, won the Audience Award at the Indiewood Film Festival 2026 in Los Angeles, giving the project fresh momentum beyond India’s independent cinema circuit.
India is likely to receive normal rainfall in the October-December period, even as the southwest monsoon closes with one of its weakest performances in more than a century, according to the latest meteorological outlook. The India Meteorological Department expects below-normal rain in October overall, though the southern peninsula is projected to fare better, while 313 of 741 districts recorded deficient precipitation during the monsoon season.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday accused the Congress of selective outrage and political double standards after raising questions over an alleged paper leak in Karnataka’s Veterinary Officers Recruitment Examination held in January. BJP MP and spokesperson Sambit Patra said the opposition party had been quick to target the Centre on exam integrity while remaining silent on alleged irregularities in a Congress-ruled state. The charge has sharpened the political contest around recruitment transparency, a sensitive issue in a state where competitive examinations carry high stakes for job seekers.
As household budgets tighten and borrowing costs remain a concern, borrowers are increasingly looking for practical ways to reduce the monthly strain of personal loan EMIs without worsening the overall cost of credit. Financial planners say the most effective approach is not a single fix, but a disciplined mix of choosing the right tenure, making selective prepayments, curbing fresh borrowing and using EMI calculators to test repayment scenarios before committing.
India's tea exports could decline by as much as 20% in 2025 as higher freight rates, port-side disruptions and broader logistics bottlenecks erode competitiveness in overseas markets, industry sources said. Shipments already fell 16.11% year-on-year to 128.56 million kilograms in January-July, underscoring the pressure on one of the country's most established agricultural export segments.
Jose Coronado brings wit, poise and self-awareness to 'The Final Problem,' a series that uses the locked-room mystery as both plot engine and commentary on detective fiction itself. The result is a polished, playful watch that leans on genre tradition while quietly poking at the myths that sustain it.
PhonePe is deploying artificial intelligence across internal operations to improve efficiency, reduce costs and accelerate routine workflows, underscoring how India’s largest digital payments firms are turning to automation to protect margins. The company says some audit processes that previously took four days can now be completed far faster, a sign that AI is moving from product features into core back-office execution.
Tamil Nadu vice-captain Andre has framed the demands of leadership as an advantage rather than a burden, underscoring the mindset expected in high-stakes domestic cricket. His remarks reflect a broader culture in which responsibility, composure and adaptability are increasingly central to team success.
India’s manufacturing sector accelerated to a seven-month high in the latest purchasing managers’ survey, signalling that domestic demand remains resilient despite a challenging global backdrop. New orders expanded at the fastest pace since February, with electronics, food, pharmaceuticals and textiles among the key product categories driving the upturn.
Indian equities endured a punishing stretch as surging US bond yields, persistent foreign investor selling and firmer crude prices combined to trigger a broad-based market rout. The Sensex and Nifty extended losses for an unusually long run, eclipsing the severity of several downturns seen during the Covid era, even as analysts said selective opportunities may emerge in pockets of the market.
Chanakya International is marking its 40th anniversary with three exhibitions that frame women as both inspiration and subject, linking the divine feminine to the realities of everyday life. The shows underscore how the house has built a reputation for craft-led storytelling while positioning Indian textile artistry within a contemporary cultural conversation.
Complaints are intensifying in Kozhikode over alleged illegal excavation and removal of soil from hillocks under the pretext of house construction. Residents and local observers say some groups are exploiting the recent transfer of certain approval powers from the Department of Mining and Geology to local self-government institutions to secure legal cover for activity that may amount to unauthorised mining.
Foreign portfolio investors have withdrawn more than ₹3 lakh crore from Indian equities in the first nine months of 2026, marking the largest outflow on record and underscoring a sharp shift in global risk appetite. Rising US bond yields, persistent geopolitical tensions and a stronger pull toward safer assets have combined to weaken India’s relative appeal, raising questions about whether further selling pressure lies ahead.
As Tamil poet and lyricist Kannadasan’s birth centenary is observed, cultural attention is returning to a writer who helped define the moral and emotional vocabulary of Tamil cinema. Born Muthaiah in Sirukoodalpatti in present-day Sivaganga district, he moved from early atheism and Dravidian politics to a later spiritual outlook that deeply shaped his work.
Automation could threaten 69% of jobs in India, according to World Bank data cited in a new assessment that underscores the scale of technological disruption facing labour markets across emerging economies. The warning places India among the countries most exposed to machine-led change, with implications for wages, hiring, productivity, and the future of work in both formal and informal sectors.
The Hindu is set to release its documentary 'Gandhi for GenZ' today, positioning the film as a contemporary reflection on the relevance of Mahatma Gandhi to young Indians navigating uncertainty, inequality and social change. The project seeks to bridge historical memory with present-day youth concerns, using Gandhi’s ideas as a lens for civic responsibility, non-violence and public purpose.
A group of eight documentaries selected for the International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala are awaiting clarity on whether they will receive exemption from censorship requirements after the Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry’s recent move to block the films. The delay has left filmmakers in limbo, raising fresh questions about festival autonomy, documentary circulation, and the reach of state scrutiny over non-fiction cinema.
At Delhi’s Sunder Nursery, Anuradha Kapur’s Virasat offers a searching reimagining of Mahesh Elkunchwar’s Wada trilogy, turning a landmark of Indian theatre into a meditation on inheritance, erosion and the emotional cost of refusing change. The production is less a nostalgic revival than a disciplined warning: a dying past can be seductive, but modernity is not automatically salvation.
The US dollar climbed to a 17-month high as a global selloff in government bonds intensified, lifting Treasury yields to their highest level since 2002 and sharpening investor concern over inflation and heavy public borrowing. The euro came under fresh pressure amid worries about France’s fiscal outlook and broader political uncertainty in Europe, reinforcing the dollar’s appeal as a relative safe haven.
Simple Energy’s Rs 1,750 crore Series C fundraise is being positioned as a reset for the electric two-wheeler maker after a period marked by delivery delays and working-capital strain. Co-founder Shreshth Mishra said the capital will be used to clear pending orders, strengthen operations and support a broader India expansion.
Karnataka has set out a new Sustainable Data Centre Policy for 2026–2031 that aims to lift the state’s cumulative data centre capacity to 1 GW by 2031 while steering the sector toward cleaner power and lower water stress. The policy is designed to position the state as a preferred destination for digital infrastructure even as regulators and operators confront rising concerns over energy use, emissions and resource intensity.
Complaints are intensifying in Kozhikode over alleged illegal excavation and removal of soil from hillocks being carried out under the guise of house construction. Residents and local observers say some groups are exploiting the recent transfer of certain powers from the Department of Mining and Geology to local self-government institutions to secure approvals that may not reflect the true scale of the activity. The controversy has sharpened scrutiny of how land-use permissions are being issued and monitored in Kerala.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir has sharply criticised the Guwahati ODI surface, arguing that a match producing five centuries and more than 800 runs was entertaining for spectators but fundamentally distorted the balance between bat and ball. His remarks reflect a broader concern that pitches offering little assistance to bowlers reduce elite cricket to a one-sided run-fest rather than a genuine contest.
Authorities in Tirupati have begun a cleanliness drive at Vinayaka Sagar following the recent Ganesh idol immersion activity, with officials moving to clear debris and restore the waterbody. The effort reflects a broader governance challenge in balancing religious observances, public hygiene, and environmental management at high-footfall pilgrimage sites.
A fresh dispute over whether OpenAI’s Codex has meaningfully advanced the Navier-Stokes problem has reignited debate over how far AI claims should be trusted in scientific research. At the same time, India’s startup market is being tested by a very different signal: Moneyview is moving toward a large public listing, underscoring renewed investor appetite for profitable fintech scale-ups even as scrutiny of AI hype intensifies.
Air India CEO-designate Tewolde Gebremariam has received security clearance, removing a key procedural hurdle ahead of his formal assumption of office on October 1. The development marks an important step in Tata Group’s effort to stabilise and reshape the national carrier under new leadership.
Apple has launched Apple Pay in India, ending years of anticipation and giving iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch users a new way to make contactless payments in stores and online. The rollout marks a significant addition to India’s fast-evolving digital payments market, where convenience, security, and ecosystem integration are increasingly shaping consumer choice.