North Korea ousts defence minister
INDIA NEWS | Sun, 30 Aug 2026, 9:14AM IST
Seoul: North Korea's defence minister has been dismissed as part of a reshuffle of the country's military leadership, state media reported Sunday.The "structural reorganization plans" were decided during a meeting on Saturday led by Kim Jong Un, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.No Kwang Chol was not only dismissed as defence minister but also demoted in the ruling party leadership to "first vice-director of the Munitions Industry Department," KCNA said.Kim Song Gi, director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army, was named as the new defence minister.Another senior official, defence advisor Pak Jong Chon, was given the position of vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission and named to the ruling party's Political Bureau.Several other promotions were also announced.In a separate report, KCNA said Kim had lauded scientists, researchers and officials at a ceremony on Saturday for their advances in defence technology, giving them top national honours.The honorees greatly contributed to "resolving scientific and technological problems of epochal significance in developing new combat weapon systems", KCNA said, without specifying the type of system.A photo released by KCNA shows Kim pinning a medal on a recipient.The nuclear-armed state's weapons research centre "has recently developed exclusive technologies, to be regarded as an event in strengthening the capability for fighting a war", it added without giving details.With such technologies, it has shown "the course of unique development of the country's military and technological capabilities", it said.In late June, Kim oversaw tests of a new extended-range multiple rocket launcher and artillery.- Trilateral drills -The leadership shuffle comes shortly after joint annual drills between South Korea and the United States wrapped up.The drills, which are regularly denounced by Pyongyang as preparations for an invasion, were closely watched this year after US President Donald Trump ordered them to be cut short.Trump criticised the drills as provocative towards the North and bashed Seoul for not supporting his war against Iran.The US president also praised North Korean leader Kim, whom he met twice during his first term in office, as he eyes a new meeting, potentially this year.Despite Trump's overtures, North Korea has shown little sign of reciprocating, firing missiles and condemning the scaled-down drills.Pyongyang has also slammed Washington's approval of arms sales to South Korea and plans to fund programmes documenting human rights abuses in the North.Military cooperation among Washington and its regional allies is meanwhile set to continue, with South Korea, the United States and Japan due to hold trilateral joint exercises -- called Freedom Edge -- from September 7 to 11 in international waters east and south of South Korea's Jeju Island."This exercise is a defensive drill conducted annually by the three countries to respond to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats and safeguard peace and stability in the region," Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Friday.
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INDIA BUSINESS | Sun, 30 Aug 2026, 8:56AM IST
Global wine regions face climate challenges and declining demand. India's wine tourism is experiencing significant growth and expansion. Younger consumers are driving demand for sustainable and diverse wine options. Technology and new farming methods are future-proofing vineyards globally. India is poised to leverage these shifts in the evolving wine landscape.
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AI introduces a new set of problems
INDIA NEWS | Sun, 30 Aug 2026, 8:39AM IST
It has been just a couple of months since Toby Weiss took over as the CEO of enterprise cybersecurity software company Securonix, headquartered in Texas. He has assumed the role at a time when AI is transforming the threat landscape, with autonomous agents escaping a sandbox during an OpenAI safety evaluation and compromising parts of developer platform Hugging Faces production infrastructure. It demonstrated the sheer randomness of cybersecurity challenges due to AI. Weiss, who was in India recently, spoke to Nirmal John about AIs impact, human accountability, India as a vital engineering talent hub and more. Edited excerpts:Will the deployment of AI in various use cases lead to more consolidation in the fragmented technology landscape that is cybersecurity?Just yesterday I was talking to the employees about this. In 2009, there were hundreds of security vendors and the discussion was how it was going to consolidate. The consensus was that this is going to consolidate like crazy and theres going to be five major players because no one wants to deal with all these vendors. Fast forward now. I just went to the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas. It looks exactly the same. There are just as many vendors, except every booth said the same thing. They all said AI security and some variation of it. I really felt an enormous empathy for a customer who was walking around.Will AI simplify? I dont think so. This is a new technology that is moving faster than anything we have seen. Enterprises are adopting it rapidly. Security departments want to naturally say, hold on, let us get our hands around it. But the business value is too big for enterprises to slow down [on AI adoption] right now.Now not only is AI a new technology, it is a new technology that is very good at finding security vulnerabilities. The stories of last month [the Hugging Face incident] have got everyone terrified.What I saw at Black Hat is that you now have a ton of new companies saying how we can secure AI. You have existing vendors saying let us expand and make our products more AI. AI introduces a new set of problems. So, I honestly dont think its going to change the story in the short term in terms of the fragmented nature of cybersecurity.It is fascinating what happened around Hugging Face and OpenAI. Are we putting too much trust without truly understanding these systems?Im from the Bay Area. You are on the street for not more than 30 seconds and you see Waymos [self-driving cars] whizzing by. It wasnt really that long ago that people were very scared. The talk in my neighbourhood was, would you go in one? Do you trust one?But when I get in an Uber, I really dont know whats going on in that persons brain. In fact, we dont even come close to understanding how the human brain works. And, yet, its sort of safer for us and we trust it.We do know how AI works. We might not be able to understand in our heads the millions of weights and the model and the particular decision its making at that moment in time. I think its really not whether we can trust it or not. Its about whether it is the better way.In cybersecurity theres also a reality that you almost have no choice. The bad guys are going to be using it, so if you are an enterprise, you cant just say, well, I dont trust it. You have to implement it.How has the incident changed the conversation around cybersecurity and AI in the Valley?I think whats probably changed in the last month or two is the conversation about how much regulation we should have. Do we need an industry consortium like in some aspects of finance where companies get together and self-regulate before the government does?Theres another group that says we need to slow things down. So I think the discussion has really been about how do we govern it.The fact that it was a Chinese model that helped Hugging Face makes it even more interesting from both an open-source and geopolitical point of view.The way the technology is built, the same AI wont give you the same answer each time. So from our perspective, its incredibly important to have many models. To have choice. You are going to need other tools in the toolbox.Whats your vision for Securonix in the middle of this flux?I think we are at an inflection point now where the number of events is going to skyrocket. The organisations, of course, are going to increase their spending, but they cant handle this problem manually.Our vision is to help our customers be prepared for security in the age of AI.India is now a decently sized market for cybersecurity products and is a major engineering talent pool. How is the market for you?We do extremely well in the India market. From a sales perspective, close to 15% of the revenue comes from India. I think part of it is also because we have a big local presence.The founders of our company were very eager to invest early in India from an R&D perspective. Im probably more excited about the market opportunity than the talent. The talents already there and its great.What is the percentage of business in India thats coming from government versus private enterprises?Oh, good question. Its mainly private.
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From crypto bets to SIPs, young India finds its money habit
INDIA BUSINESS | Sun, 30 Aug 2026, 8:31AM IST
Young investors are embracing Systematic Investment Plans for disciplined wealth creation. Data shows a significant rise in SIPs among those under thirty years old. Fintech platforms are observing increased SIP adoption across various asset classes. Parents are also initiating SIPs for their children's future education needs. This growing SIP habit faces challenges from market volatility and investor education.
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8th Pay Commission: NC-JCM Staff Side General Secy Denies Rumours Of Stopping Pension To Retirees
INDIA MARKET | Sun, 30 Aug 2026, 8:31AM IST
Mishra urged pensioners to rely only on information issued through official union handles.
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54m
Lanterns Season 1 Episode 3 Release: Recap, Plot, When, Where To Watch All You Need To Know
INDIA MARKET | Sun, 30 Aug 2026, 8:00AM IST
Lanterns stars Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre as John Stewart.
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Trump to attend 2026 Presidents Cup
INDIA NEWS | Sun, 30 Aug 2026, 7:47AM IST
President Donald Trump will serve as the honorary chairman at the 2026 Presidents Cup and plans to attend the event that will be held at Medinah Country Club in Chicago from Sept. 24-27."At the request of the PGA Tour, and its Great new Commissioner, Brian Rolapp, it is my Honor to accept being the Honorary Chairman of the upcoming Presidents Cup, which will take place at the Medinah Country Club in Chicago," Trump said in a statement posted on Truth Social. "This will be a particularly exciting event. Both teams are "loaded" with Talent. I look forward to being there, and greeting all of these fantastic athletes, on both teams! Thank you for your attention to this matter. See you in Chicago!Trump served the same role for the 2017 Presidents Cup held at Liberty National Golf Club in New Jersey during his first presidential term. The U.S. won that competition over the international team, 19-11. He also made an appearance during the first round at last year's Ryder Cup held at Bethpage Black on Long Island."The Presidents Cup has a proud tradition of engaging world leaders from across the globe and across political lines, and President Trump's involvement continues that legacy," PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp said in a statement. "His participation will help elevate the event on the international stage while furthering our mission of bringing people together through the game of golf."Brandt Snedeker will serve as captain of the American team that will take on an international team led by captain Geoff Ogilvy of Australia next month.Trump joins six former presidents to serve as the honorary chairman for the event: Joe Biden, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Gerald Ford.Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took part in the trophy presentation at the most recent Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal in 2024. Other world leaders who have held the position include Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and South Korean President Park Geun-hye.
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US plans 35% stake in Venezuela oil firm
INDIA NEWS | Sun, 30 Aug 2026, 7:24AM IST
The U.S. government plans to take a 35% passive stake in Venezuelan businessman Alejandro Betancourt's North American Blue Energy Partners, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday, citing people involved in negotiating the deal.The U.S. also plans to secure preferential rights to purchase 20% of the company's production at cost, the WSJ reported.The Pentagon's Office of Strategic Capital plans to structure the investment through penny warrants that would yield the U.S. an equity ownership in the business without significant capital investment, the WSJ reported.The report comes only a day after U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that the U.S. would take control of a fifth of Venezuela's vast oil reserves.Trump provided few details about the arrangement, saying only that the U.S. had secured majority control of more than 65 billion barrels of Venezuela's proven oil reserves through a partnership with private business.Responding to a Reuters request for comment, chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said: "The Office of Strategic Capital (OSC) does not take equity stakes in private companies. Under its statutory authority, OSC's role is strictly limited to providing capital assistance in the form of a loan, loan guarantee, or technical assistance (including transaction structuring for developing and financing investments)."The White House and North American Blue Energy Partners did not respond to requests for comments outside regular business hours.
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2h
ACC Men's Premier Cup 2026: Schedule, Teams, Live Streaming And Squads
INDIA MARKET | Sun, 30 Aug 2026, 5:30AM IST
ACC Men's Premier Cup 2026 starts Aug. 30 in Malaysia, with 10 Associate teams battling for the title and a spot in the 2027 Men's Asia Cup.
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3h
Temasek backs Singapore Airlines to fly long haul with Air India
INDIA BUSINESS | Sun, 30 Aug 2026, 5:30AM IST
Temasek has shown its support for Singapore Airlines' investment in Air India amidst rising concerns regarding the Indian carrier's financial downturn. Following its first quarterly loss since 2022, Singapore Airlines is looking for substantial new equity from its stakeholders. Temasek perceives this investment as part of a broader long-term strategic vision.
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3h
Automakers widen powertrain bets as petrol dominance weakens
INDIA BUSINESS | Sun, 30 Aug 2026, 5:30AM IST
Indian automakers are expanding powertrain options as petrol's market share declines. New models offer electric, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid choices to consumers. CNG and diesel technologies also remain relevant in this evolving market. Carmakers are hedging bets due to buyer preference uncertainty. This complex transition offers customers diverse mobility pathways.
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3h
Trumps Venezuelan Oil Deal Relies on a Powerful and Divisive Partner
GLOBAL NEWS | Sun, 30 Aug 2026, 4:17AM IST
The administration will work with a private Venezuelan oil company that has close ties to the countrys government.
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5h
Treasury Bars Some Reporters From G20 Finance Meeting
GLOBAL NEWS | Sun, 30 Aug 2026, 3:52AM IST
Specific reporters from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg were not granted credentials to cover the meeting of financial leaders next week in Asheville, N.C.
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5h
Warsh, After Talking Tough on Inflation, Faces a No-Win Situation on Rates
GLOBAL NEWS | Sun, 30 Aug 2026, 2:09AM IST
Kevin M. Warsh, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, must soon decide whether to raise interest rates if inflation does not ease, even if it draws President Trumps ire.
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7h
40,000 Pounds of Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer Reported Stolen in California
GLOBAL NEWS | Sun, 30 Aug 2026, 12:45AM IST
The company responded to the theft by setting a deadline for the return of the product. P.S., this is real and we are deadly serious, it said on social media.
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8h
HDFC Bank CEO Sashidhar Jagdishan to step down in October
INDIA BUSINESS | Sun, 30 Aug 2026, 12:37AM IST
Ending all speculation over extension, Jagdishan has told the board he won't be seeking reappointment. The bank will now fast-track the successor selection process.
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8h
Air India teases another new Boeing 787-9 from Everett
INDIA BUSINESS | Sun, 30 Aug 2026, 12:28AM IST
Air India has teased the arrival of another Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. This development marks another step in the airline's ongoing fleet transformation plans. The carrier is also refurbishing its existing legacy Boeing 787-8 aircraft with upgraded cabins. By the end of 2026, nearly sixty percent of its widebody fleet will feature modern interiors. This signals a milestone in strengthening its international long-haul market position.
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