Vadodara (Gujarat) [India], April 28: Navrachana University will host ACS 2026 – the Asian Congress of Semiotics from 27–29 November 2026, marking its first edition in India. The conference is organized under the Asian Semiotics International Association (ASIA) and hosted by the School of Environmental Design and Architecture (SEDA) at Navrachana University. It will bring together scholars and researchers to examine how meaning is shaped across cultural, visual, and technological contexts. The central theme, “Similitude,” focuses on the role of similarity and relational structures in meaning-making, offering new perspectives within semiotic discourse. The conference will include keynote lectures, paper presentations, and panel discussions, creating a platform…
Author: Riddhi Jain
New Delhi: Big numbers are common in corporate earnings, but every now and then, one stands out for what it represents rather than just its size. Reliance Industries crossing the $10 billion annual profit mark is one of those moments. For the financial year FY24 (latest full-year publicly reported), Reliance Industries posted a consolidated net profit of around ₹79,000–₹80,000 crore (roughly $9.5–$10 billion depending on exchange rates). With continued growth into FY25, estimates and early reports indicate the company has surpassed the $10 billion mark, making it the first Indian firm to do so. What makes this significant isn’t just the number,…
New Delhi: There’s something slightly different about trade talks these days. Earlier, they used to feel almost mechanical tariffs here, quotas there, maybe a long, drawn-out back-and-forth over one stubborn sector. Now, though, they carry more weight. Quietly, but clearly, they sit somewhere between economics and geopolitics. That’s the backdrop for the recent three-day discussions between India and the United States to advance a bilateral trade agreement. On the surface, yes, it’s about improving trade flows. But if you look a little closer, it’s also about positioning both countries in a global order that’s still shifting. Not Just a Trade…
New Delhi: There’s a strange thing happening in tech right now. Everyone says AI is about models and breakthroughs, but if you look a little closer, it’s actually about money—and not just small money, but the kind that shifts entire industries. The numbers being discussed don’t feel like typical venture rounds anymore; they feel closer to long-term positioning moves. So when reports say Google could invest up to $40 billion in Anthropic, it doesn’t exactly come out of nowhere. It sounds dramatic, sure, but it also fits into a pattern that has been building across the AI ecosystem. A Relationship…
New Delhi: India is preparing a large credit guarantee plan worth around ₹2–2.5 lakh crore, aimed at improving access to loans for small businesses and supporting smoother credit flow across the economy. The proposal, which has reportedly received Cabinet approval, is expected to work as a risk-sharing system between the government and lenders rather than a direct lending program. At a time when businesses continue to face uneven demand and occasional cost pressures, credit availability, especially for MSMEs, remains an important policy focus. The new framework is designed to make banks and financial institutions more confident about lending by reducing…
New Delhi: A recent incident near the Strait of Hormuz has once again brought attention to one of the world’s most critical trade routes. Iran has seized two vessels in the region, including one that was reportedly on its way to Gujarat. While the development is geopolitical in nature, its business implications are immediate. The Strait of Hormuz carries nearly 20% of the global oil supply, making it central to energy trade. Any disruption here, even temporary, can influence shipping costs, insurance premiums, and oil prices. Why this matters for India India is one of the world’s largest crude oil…
New Delhi: As Apple Inc. prepares for a major leadership change, a message from Sundar Pichai has drawn attention across the tech industry. With Tim Cook expected to step into a Chairman role and John Ternus likely to take over as CEO, the transition is being closely watched. Pichai kept his message simple. He called Cook’s time at Apple an “incredible run” and said, “I’ve always respected his focus and commitment to Apple. Looking forward to working with John Ternus.” It was a short note, but it reflects the kind of professional respect that exists even between competitors. Cook’s Long Run…
New Delhi: At the Financial Times Commodities Global Summit in Lausanne (April 20, 2026), Citadel’s head of commodities, Sebastian Barrack, delivered a blunt assessment of today’s oil markets: they are no longer being driven primarily by physical supply and demand. Instead, he suggested, they are increasingly reacting to something far less predictable: presidential social media. The implication was stark. In today’s trading environment, a single post on Truth Social can rival or even outweigh traditional market signals such as inventory data, production cuts, or shipping flows. For oil traders, the “fundamental” has begun to share space with the “political feed.”…
New Delhi: Global bullion markets have been moving in a way that feels less predictable these days, more like quick reactions than a steady trend. Prices dip, recover, and then shift again as traders respond to every new geopolitical update, currency move, or hint of economic change. On April 22, 2026, that pattern repeated itself once more, with both gold and silver bouncing back after two days of weakness. The recovery was seen clearly across markets. On India’s MCX, gold rose about 1%, moving back into the ₹1,53,000–₹1,55,000 per 10 grams range. Globally, COMEX gold climbed to around $4,768 per…
New Delhi: Global oil markets don’t usually move because of one headline. They react to a mix of geopolitics, supply routes, and expectations about what might happen next. But every now and then, a development is enough to shake that balance. That seems to be happening again around the Strait of Hormuz. Recent political signals, including comments from former U.S. President Donald Trump about extending a ceasefire window with Iran without broader concessions on shipping access, have brought fresh attention to the region. At the same time, estimates suggest Iran could be losing significant oil revenue due to disrupted or…
