Arvind's Newsletter

1.India pauses plans to buy US arms after Trump's tariffs: Reuters

New Delhi has put on hold its plans to procure new U.S. weapons and aircraft, according to three Indian officials familiar with the matter, in India's first concrete sign of discontent after tariffs imposed on its exports by President Donald Trump dragged ties to their lowest level in decades.

India had been planning to send Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to Washington in the coming weeks for an announcement on some of the purchases, but that trip has been cancelled, two of the people said.

2.Union Cabinet approves ₹2,157 crore highway expansion in Tamil Nadu: Business Standard

The Union cabinet on Friday approved a 46-kilometre (km) National Highway project in Tamil Nadu between Marakkanam and Puducherry at a cost of Rs 2,157 crore.

The project will be developed in Hybrid Annuity Mode — this involves the authority paying 40 per cent of the cost upfront to the developer, with the remaining being paid in annuities.

Currently, connectivity between Chennai, Puducherry, Viluppuram and Nagapattinam is dependent on the existing two-lane National Highway 332A (NH-332A) and associated State Highways, which experience significant congestion due to high traffic volumes, especially in densely populated stretches and key towns along the corridor, the cabinet said.

3.Govt weighs new pilot training system to meet soaring demand: Economic Times

India is considering introducing the Multi-Crew Pilot Licence (MPL), which offers airline-specific training, focusing on simulators and multi-crew operations alongside the existing Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL), which requires solo flying experience to modernise pilot training. Aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), will meet stakeholders to explore the MPL, which includes more simulator-based, airline-specific training.

Already used by airlines like Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines, MPL could streamline training as India prepares for rising pilot demand, with over 2,000 aircraft on order.

4.India's electronics exports surge 47% in Q1FY26, led by mobile phones: Business Standard

ndia’s electronics exports saw a significant rise of over 47 per cent year-on-year, reaching $12.4 billion in the first quarter of FY26, according to data from the India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA). This sharp increase was largely driven by strong performance in mobile phone exports.

In comparison, electronics exports stood at $8.43 billion during the April-June quarter of FY25, the industry body said in a statement.

Calling the progress a turning point for the sector, ICEA Chairman Pankaj Mohindroo said: "This is a strategic national achievement. Now begins the real climb towards global competitiveness, sustainability, and deeper value addition."

5.Tata & SP Group reignite exit talks after years: Economic Times

Tata Sons has initiated early talks with minority shareholder Shapoorji Pallonji (SP) Group to explore potential exit and monetisation options for SP’s 18.37% stake, currently pledged with lenders. This follows a resolution by Tata Trusts to retain Tata Sons’ private status and seek a settlement. Chairman N Chandrasekaran recently met Shapoor Mistry, marking their first formal engagement since 2016.

6.OpenAI unveils long-awaited GPT-5 model: Financial Times

OpenAI releases GPT-5, the latest version of its flagship large language model, to free and paying subscribers; new model is heavily focused on advanced reasoning and carrying out tasks for users 

OpenAI has unveiled GPT-5, its long-awaited update to its flagship large language model that powers ChatGPT, which chief Sam Altman hailed as a “major upgrade” and a significant step to artificial general intelligence.

The $300bn company on Thursday said the next-generation model was “state of the art” in areas such as mathematics, science and coding. It will be available to all consumers through ChatGPT, with limits for free users.

The release comes almost two-and-a-half years after the company unveiled GPT-4, which delivered a significant leap in capabilities, and investors and users have been eagerly awaiting the San Francisco-based group’s next model.

OpenAI said GPT-5 was particularly proficient at so-called vibe coding, where users can instruct the AI using text prompts to create novel software. “This idea of software on demand will be a defining part of the GPT-5 era,” Sam Altman said.

Here is Ethan Mollick’s review of GPT-5

7.Bangladesh a year later: democracy is easier said than done: Gzero Media

“Earlier this week, thousands of people flooded the streets in Bangladesh’s capital of Dhaka to mark the one-year anniversary of a student-led protest movement that brought an end to 15 years of rule under former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her political party, the Awami League. Hasina, who fled to India last August, had been accused of increasingly arbitrary and authoritarian rule.

The anniversary celebrations culminated with a nationally televised address by Bangladesh’s current caretaker leader, Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, who pledged to honor the spirit of the protests by working towards an orderly and inclusive democracy in the densely-populated country of 175 million.

But one year on, that path remains rocky.” Read on

8.India and Brazil moved to resist US trade pressure, in a sign of how the White House’s economic policies are alienating friendly nations: Hindustan Times

The two countries’ leaders said after a phone call that they were committed to “defending multilateralisn,” and separately sought to gird their economies against US tariffs: New Delhi faces levies tied to its purchase of Russian oil, and Brasília over its prosecution of a former leader that US President Donald Trump sees as an ally.

In a speech to the key farming lobby, India’s prime minister pledged to “never compromise” in the face of Washington’s tariffs, whereas Brazil’s president is reportedly weighing diverting development funds to support companies hit by American duties.

9.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secured cabinet approval for a military takeover of Gaza City: New York Times

Israel intends to take military control over the entire Gaza Strip, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who made the statement in an interview. Netanyahu said Israel aims to eliminate Hamas and secure the area but has no plans to permanently govern there. The country will instead seek to transfer authority to Arab forces; Netanyahu did not share further details of the plan. 

The statement comes amid stalled ceasefire talks with Hamas and international criticism over the humanitarian situation in Gaza. It also comes amid internal Israeli disagreement, including concerns from officials and families of hostages held by Hamas. At least 20 of the estimated 50 remaining hostages are thought to be still alive.

Israel controls about 75% of Gaza, where roughly 2 million Palestinians have been displaced, and at least 500,000 face famine-like conditions. Canada and the UK have vowed to recognize Palestinian statehood in September if the war does not end, while France has pledged recognition unconditionally.

10.The One Quality Most ‘Super-Agers’ Share: New York Times

Scientists at Northwestern University have been studying this remarkable group since 2000, in the hopes of discovering how they’ve avoided typical age-related cognitive decline, as well as more serious memory disorders like Alzheimer’s disease. A new review paper published Thursday summarizes a quarter century of their findings.

Super-agers are a diverse bunch; they don’t share a magic diet, exercise regimen or medication. But the one thing that does unite them is “how they view the importance of social relationships,” said Sandra Weintraub, a professor of psychiatry and behavioural sciences at the Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, who has been involved in the research since the start. “And personality wise, they tend to be on the extroverted side.” Gift article in NYT