Recently, during the conference titled “Raksha Navachar Samvaad: Interaction with iDEX Startups,” held ahead of the National Conference on Defence Innovation at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on October 7, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh stated that the nature of warfare is rapidly evolving. He noted that future conflicts will be shaped by artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous systems, drones, quantum computing, and directed-energy weapons. Singh urged innovators and startups to pioneer cutting-edge defence technologies and make India a global leader in innovation.

Against the backdrop of ineffectiveness of the UN in diffusing West Asia and Eurasia conflicts, failure to adopt a global pact on plastic pollution, and over and above all, the rise of unilateral trade protectionism, the China-led Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) has concluded its two-day (August 31 - September 1) high-profile 25^th Summit in Tianjin, China.

The debate over free expression on social media today straddles politics, technology, and civil liberties. When Elon Musk completed his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter on October 27–28, 2022, he declared his ambition to transform the platform into a global forum for candid discussion. One of his earliest and most controversial actions was restoring the account of former U.S. President Donald Trump, who had been permanently banned in January 2021 following the Capitol riots.