Is the war entering a new phase? The annual BRICS summit has opened in New Delhi, with China's President Xi Jinping, Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian among those attending. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi is hosting the two-day meeting, the fourth time the country has hosted a BRICS summit. Expansion of non-Western cross-border payment channels and cooperation on artificial intelligence are also key items on the agenda. President Xi arrived in the Indian capital on Saturday morning, his first visit to the country in seven years as the two Asian giants seek to thaw relations.

Did Pakistan shoot down five Indian jets? India has taken a major step towards opening one of its most sensitive areas of defence production to private companies. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved the transfer of technologies developed by the state-run Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for all conventional missile systems to Indian industry for domestic production, the country's Ministry of Defence said on Tuesday. Private companies will be able to compete for the technology and production rights, subject to technical qualifications, certifications and other regulatory requirements, the ministry said. The Narendra Modi-led government says the aim is to move missiles from development into mass production faster, increase domestic manufacturing and reduce India's dependence on imports.

Modi threatens to target'intellectual Naxals' in Independence Day speech India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said the country has largely eliminated a Maoist rebellion which it battled for decades but still faces a threat from the movement's ideological backers. Speaking on India's Independence Day on Saturday, Modi said India had succeeded in "getting rid of armed Naxals" - referring to members of the Maoist-influenced Naxalite movement that challenged state authority across swaths of central and eastern India. The phrase "dimagi Naxal" echoes the politically charged label "urban Naxal," a term Modi and leaders of his Bharatiya Janata Party have previously used for activists, academics, intellectuals and other government critics. The remarks come weeks after a youth-led protest movement, the Cockroach Janta Party, emerged as a rare challenge to Modi's government and helped force the resignation of his education minister . While Modi did not mention the protests, he repeatedly highlighted initiatives aimed at young Indians, including AI skills training and free online coaching for competitive exams.

Tata-ASML deal: How significant is it for India's semiconductor push? India's Tata Electronics has signed a deal with the Dutch technology giant ASML (Advanced Semiconductor Materials Lithography) to build India's first front-end semiconductor fabrication plant as New Delhi pushes to develop a domestic semiconductor manufacturing base. Front-end manufacturing refers to the building of microscopic circuits onto a blank silicon wafer using specialised lithographic machines. ASML is a pioneer of lithographic technology used in the mass production of microchips across the world. Semiconductor chips power modern technology and are critical for everything from smartphones and cars to artificial intelligence systems and defence technology.

India's Tata Electronics has signed a deal with Dutch technology giant ASML to build a major semiconductor plant in western India, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Netherlands during his European tour. The agreement, announced on Saturday, will support the development of Tata's semiconductor facility in Dholera, Gujarat - Modi's home state. The Dutch company said it would help "establish and ramp up" production at the plant by supplying its cutting-edge chipmaking tools. Tata Electronics plans to invest $11bn in the facility, which is expected to manufacture chips for artificial intelligence, the automotive industry and other sectors. ASML chief executive Christophe Fouquet said the company saw "many compelling opportunities" in India's growing semiconductor industry.

Tech's politics push at home and abroad We report from California's Silicon Valley, where billionaires pour money into midterms, and the AI Impact summit, where India pushes back on'AI monopoly' held by US and China This week, we're examining the tech industry's push for influence in two places separated by a time difference of 13 hours and 30 minutes. The first is where tech sees its next big market, the second its home turf. My colleague Robert Booth reports from last week's India AI Impact summit, where tech companies pledged to spend tens of billions in the coming year to build customer bases and datacenters in the subcontinent. Dara Kerr and Lauren Gambino reported from Silicon Valley, where billionaires are marshalling their wealth to influence California's politics at greater levels than they ever have before. Visitors explore the Google pavilion during the AI Impact summit at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, India, on 20 February.

Epstein's shadow: Why Bill Gates pulled out of Modi's AI summit Microsoft founder Bill Gates has cancelled his keynote speech at India's flagship AI summit just hours before he was due to take the stage on Thursday. Gates, who has faced renewed scrutiny over his past ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, withdrew to "ensure the focus remains on the AI Summit's key priorities", the Gates Foundation said in a statement. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi had billed the summit as an opportunity for India to shape the future of AI, drawing high-profile attendees, including French President Emmanuel Macron and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Instead, it has been dogged by controversy, from Gates's abrupt exit to an incident in which an Indian university tried to pass off a Chinese-made robotic dog as its own innovation. So, what exactly went wrong at India's flagship AI gathering and why has it drawn such intense scrutiny?

Emmanuel Macron told delegates at the AI summit: 'Europe is not blindly focused on regulation.' Emmanuel Macron told delegates at the AI summit: 'Europe is not blindly focused on regulation.' Macron defends EU AI rules and vows crackdown on child'digital abuse' Emmanuel Macron has hit back at US criticism of Europe's efforts to regulate AI, vowing to protect children from "digital abuse" during France's presidency of the G7. Speaking at the AI Impact summit in Delhi, the French president called for tougher safeguards after global outrage over Elon Musk's Grok chatbot being used to generate tens of thousands of sexualised images of children, and amid mounting concern about the concentration of AI power in a handful of companies. His remarks were echoed by António Guterres, the UN secretary general, who told delegates - including several US tech billionaires - that "no child should be a test subject for unregulated AI". "The future of AI cannot be decided by a few countries or left to the whims of a few billionaires," Guterres said. "AI must belong to everyone".

World leaders discuss AI future at India's global summit in New Delhi The fourth, and most high-profile, day of a global artificial intelligence summit in India is under way with world leaders such as United Nations chief Antonio Guterres and French President Emmanuel Macron taking the floor to discuss how to handle the fast-advancing technology that is prompting investment enthusiasm and deep concern in equal measure. The huge gathering in New Delhi is the fourth in a series of international AI meetings that have been taking place since 2023 in France, South Korea and the United Kingdom. Job disruption, child safety and regulations have topped the agenda of this year's edition. The UN chief called on tech tycoons to support a $3bn global fund to ensure open access to the fast-advancing technology for all. The French president also spoke of needing deep involvement: "The message I have come to convey is what is that we are determined to continue to shape the rules of the game, and to do with our allies such as India," Macron said. "Europe is not blindly focused on regulation - Europe is a space for innovation and investment, but it is a safe space."

An Indian university is facing backlash after one of its professors was caught falsely presenting a Chinese-made robot dog at a major artificial intelligence summit, it has reportedly since been asked to leave, as the institution's own. "You need to meet Orion. This has been developed by the Centre of Excellence at Galgotias University," Neha Singh, a professor of communications, told Indian state-run broadcaster DD News this week. The episode has drawn sharp criticism and has cast an uncomfortable spotlight on India's AI ambitions. The embarrassment was amplified by Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who shared the video clip on his official social media account before the backlash.