THE HEADLINES :-
- Prime Minister says trust of Global South nations grown in BRICS; Warns against weaponisation of technology and critical minerals.
- Prime Minister Modi holds bilateral meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit.
- Indian Railways records 5.4 percent year on year growth in freight loading in August 2026.
- Gujarat’s Ukai region records over 11 inches of rain; Red alert issued across several southern districts of the state.
- In Indonesia, around 140 passengers and crew missing after a ferry carrying more than 240 people overturned today.
- In Women’s Cricket, India to face defending champions Sri Lanka in the finals of T-20 Asia Cup in Dubai, today.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi today noted that the trust of Global South nations in BRICS has grown, because their voices are heard, and their experiences are respected. He opined that the strength of BRICS lies in diversity and cooperation. Addressing the open session of BRICS Summit at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, Mr Modi said pandemics, climate disasters and supply chain disruptions have demonstrated that in today’s inter connected world, no crisis remains confined to a single region. Mr. Modi said BRICS nations have therefore placed special emphasis on enhancing resilience among the grouping.
Prime Minister Modi cautioned that weaponisation of technology and critical minerals can become a hurdle for progress. He said BRICS nations have stressed on inclusivity in adoption of technology.
Prime Minister Modi further stated that an initiative has been proposed to establish the BRICS-MSME Cooperation Portal to connect small enterprises with knowledge, finance, and new markets. Mr Modi said they have set up a BRICS Digital Center of Excellence for smart grids and energy storage, which will help make clean energy systems more reliable, efficient, and accessible. Prime Minister said that the benefits of solutions developed within BRICS should be made adaptable and accessible to meet the needs of the Global South.
Mr Modi further stated that the BRICS Logistic Supply Chain Cooperation Framework will help make supply chains more reliable and resilient. Under the umbrella of innovation, the BRICS Incubator Network will connect startups and incubators. Prime Minister said India has proposed the BRICS Startup Innovation Fund to promote innovative and scalable solutions. He added that the BRICS Network on Digital Agriculture will create new opportunities for farmers. Through this initiative, AI, geospatial technology, and digital public infrastructure will be aligned with the actual needs of farmers.
Now we go over live to our correspondent Anupam who is at Bharat Mandapam.
Q-1 Anupam, How significant is the BRICS Summit for India, and how could the outcomes shape the country’s global role and strategic priorities ?
Thank you Anupam for that comprehensive update.
Q-2 Now, we are joined by Ankit, who is present at the venue, for the latest updates. Ankit, Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with several leaders, today. Which key issues are likely to figure in these talks ?
Right, Thank you Ankit for that latest update from the venue of the BRICS Summit.
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The three-day Dryland Congress 2026 concluded in New Delhi with a call for greater South-South and triangular cooperation to accelerate solutions for dryland agriculture. The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare said that the event culminated with the adoption of the Delhi Declaration on Drylands (3D). The declaration set out a shared agenda for transforming dryland agriculture through collaboration, knowledge exchange, innovation and collective action across the Global South.
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The World Health Organisation (WHO) has praised the New Delhi Declaration adopted by the BRICS nations during the BRICS Summit 2026. In a social media post, the Director General of the World Health Organisation Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus appreciated the commitment to universal health coverage, resilient health systems, successful conclusion of negotiations on the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing Annex to the Pandemic Agreement. He also expressed gratitude towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the warm welcome at the summit.
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Indian Railways registered a 5.4 per cent year-on-year growth, loading 137.9 million tonnes of freight during August 2026, compared to 130.9 million tonnes in August 2025. The Ministry of Railways informed that freight revenue during August 2026 increased by 6.27 per cent compared to August 2025, indicating continued strengthening of the freight business of Indian Railways. The Ministry added that last month five new Gati Shakti Cargo Terminals were commissioned, taking the cumulative number of commissioned GCTs to 149 as on 31 August 2026. The Ministry also said that 14 Amrit Bharat services were regularised from special train to regular train last month, taking the total number of Amrit Bharat services to 86.
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Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah today inaugurated a specially curated exhibition of manuscripts titled “Shri Ganesh Dnyanarati” at the Asiatic Society of Mumbai. Addressing the gathering, Mr. Shah said India possesses a rich and radiant knowledge tradition, whose light has the potential to guide the entire world. He said this enduring legacy of knowledge has enabled India to preserve its identity and civilisational continuity despite the many foreign invasions it has witnessed. He exhorted the Asiatic Society to use modern technology to take its treasure of knowledge to people across the country.
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Bihar continues to witness a gradual improvement in the flood situation with water level receding in several rivers. Floodwaters, however, continue to affect fifteen districts and the threat of erosion remains a concern in several areas. Relief and rescue operations are underway. More from our correspondent.
The flood situation in fifteen districts of Bihar is showing gradual improvement. Water levels in the Ganga, Gandak, Punpun, Son and Bagmati rivers are receding at several monitoring stations. The Ganga is flowing at a steady level at Gandhi Ghat and Digha Ghat in Patna, while a decline of ten to thirty centimetres has been recorded at several other locations. More than forty-eight lakh people in five hundred seventy-five gram panchayats remain affected by the floods. With the receding water levels, several areas are facing an increased threat of riverbank erosion. The Water Resources Department has alerted the district administrations in this regard. Twenty-seven SDRF and ten NDRF teams have been deployed across the affected districts for relief and rescue operations. Nidhi Shree, Akashvani News, Patna”
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India Meteorological Department has issued a Red Alert for Gujarat today, warning of extremely heavy rainfall across several parts of the state, particularly in South Gujarat. This fresh monsoon spell has already battered the state over the last 24 hours, with 193 talukas recording rain. The highest rainfall was reported in the Ukai region of Tapi district, which was inundated with over 11 inches of rain by 6:00 AM today.
The Met department also issued an orange colour warning for very heavy rainfall over Madhya Maharashtra, Saurashtra, Kutch, Telangana, Vidarbha and Madhya Pradesh today.
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In Indonesia, around 140 passengers and crew are missing after a ferry carrying more than 240 people overturned in bad weather in the Java Sea today. Indonesian rescuers said, at least 102 people have been rescued and the body of one passenger recovered as search operations continue around the vessel’s last known position.
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Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has called for the artificial intelligence industry to slow its rapid development, saying safety measures need time to catch up with the technology. Mr Amodei warned that without stronger safeguards, AI could, within six to 12 months, become capable of leading a swarm that could potentially take over the internet, among other risks. He said AI development should continue, but the risks are serious and companies and governments need time to address them.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and xAI chief Elon Musk have backed the call. Mr Altman said OpenAI would adopt one of Mr Amodei’s proposed safety measures, while Mr Musk said, Dario is right.
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Domestic investors are expected to focus on key market triggers in the holiday-shortened week ahead, including the US Federal Reserve’s policy decision, macroeconomic data, foreign institutional investor flows, commodity prices, and bond yields. Indian stock markets will remain closed tomorrow for Ganesh Chaturthi. Meanwhile, market participants will closely track key economic indicators, including retail and wholesale inflation data, import-export figures, and employment data.
On the economic front, consumer price inflation data from Japan and the Euro area will also be in focus. Investors will also monitor geopolitical developments surrounding the West Asia conflict.
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In the Women’s T20 Asia Cup cricket final, India will face defending champions Sri Lanka in Dubai today. The match will begin at 8 PM Indian time. Both India and Sri Lanka have reached the final unbeaten.
Seven-time champions India have reached the final topping Group A with three wins before defeating Bangladesh by 40 runs in the semi-final. Sri Lanka also remained unbeaten in the group stage, winning all three matches before overcoming Pakistan by four wickets in the semi-final. India are the most successful team in Women’s Asia Cup history with seven titles.
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In Men’s cricket, India will begin their three-match Twenty20 International series against Afghanistan today at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. The first match will start at 7 PM Indian time.
Shreyas Iyer will lead the Indian side, with Tilak Varma as his deputy. The pace attack includes Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Yash Thakur.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN :-
- Prime Minister says trust of Global South nations grown in BRICS; Warns against weaponisation of technology and critical minerals.
- Prime Minister Modi holds bilateral meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit.
- Indian Railways records 5.4 percent year on year growth in freight loading in August 2026.
- Gujarat’s Ukai region records over 11 inches of rain; Red alert issued across several southern districts of the state.
- In Indonesia, around 140 passengers and crew missing after a ferry carrying more than 240 people overturned today.
- In Women’s Cricket, India to face defending champions Sri Lanka in the finals of T-20 Asia Cup in Dubai, today.
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