Vice Admiral Vineet McCarty on Monday assumed charge as the 20th Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC), India’s only tri-service operational command, at Sri Vijaya Puram.

A recipient of the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM), Vice Admiral McCarty succeeds in leading the strategically important command responsible for safeguarding India’s interests in the Indian Ocean Region and the wider Indo-Pacific.

Commissioned into the Indian Navy on July 1, 1989, the Flag Officer is a specialist in gunnery and missile warfare and brings more than 36 years of experience across operational, training, staff and tri-service appointments. He is an alumnus of the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, and the National Defence College, New Delhi.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday suspended Cricket Canada's membership with immediate effect after finding serious breaches of its membership obligations, following Board meetings held in Ahmedabad.

The decision was among a series of measures approved by the ICC Board aimed at strengthening governance, supporting women's cricket, improving global competition structures and encouraging innovation across the sport.

Despite the suspension, the ICC said it was committed to protecting Canadian players from the fallout of the governance issues affecting the national governing body. As a result, Canada's national representative teams will remain eligible to participate in ICC events during the suspension period.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has notified the Immigration and Foreigners (Amendment) Rules, 2026, introducing key changes to registration timelines and the appeals mechanism under the Immigration and Foreigners Rules, 2025.

The amendment allows registration to be completed at any time before the expiry of 180 days from arrival in India. Previously, registration had to be completed within 14 days after the end of the 180-day period. However, late registration beyond this period will now be permitted only under emergent circumstances.

India will host the Second BRICS Culture Working Group Meeting in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, from the 4th to the 5th of this month. The announcement was made by the Culture Secretary Vivek Aggarwal at a press conference in New Delhi.

The two-day meeting will facilitate structured multilateral dialogue on cultural cooperation in keeping with India’s BRICS 2026 theme: Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability. Mr Aggarwal said that the 2026 BRICS Culture Working Group deliberations are structured around three major thematic priorities, including creative economy and AI, Heritage Protection, Culture and Sustainable Development.

Air Marshal Tarun Chaudhry assumed command of the Indian Air Force's Central Air Command on Monday, taking over from Air Marshal Balakrishnan Manikantan, who superannuated after four decades of service.

According to the IAF, Air Marshal Chaudhry was commissioned into the fighter stream in December 1989. He carries over three decades of experience across operational, staff and diplomatic assignments. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Defence Services Staff College, College of Air Warfare and the National Defence College.

The Central Air Command, headquartered at Allahabad, plays a critical role in the IAF’s operational architecture, covering a vast stretch of central India and providing strategic depth to both the western and northern fronts.

The US state of Florida has sued AI giant OpenAI for choosing profits over safety, knowing very well that its product ChatGPT is not safe, according to an NBC report.

The state becomes the first to sue the company and its CEO, Sam Altman, over safety concerns of its offering, according to CNN. "Sam Altman and ChatGPT have chosen the AI race over the safety and security of our kids. They have chosen profit over public safety, and we're not going to stand for it here in Florida," the CNN report quoted Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier as saying.

Uthmeier accused Altman of harming Floridians through his "reckless and willful conduct as founder and CEO of OpenAI, including his utter disregard for the risk to human life caused by his firm's conduct", NBC reported.

Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan today bid farewell to military service after receiving a ceremonial Tri-Services Guard of Honour at the National War Memorial in New Delhi. The ceremony marked the culmination of his distinguished tenure as the country’s top military officer.

After laying a wreath at the National War Memorial, General Chauhan said it was a matter of great honour for him to superannuate with a Tri-Services Guard of Honour. Marking his transition to civilian life after more than four decades of service, General Chauhan described his tenure as satisfying and fulfilling.

Commissioned into the Indian Army in 1981, General Chauhan served the nation for over 40 years and held several key command and staff appointments during his illustrious military career.

He has been awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Sena Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal. Lieutenant General N S Raja Subramani will succeed General Chauhan.

India has signed a deal to export its BrahMos supersonic cruise missile to Vietnam, while a similar agreement with Indonesia is in the final stages, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh said during his visit to Singapore.

Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit, Singh said the Vietnam deal has already been signed, although it has not yet been publicly announced. He added that talks with Indonesia are nearing completion and that the agreement could be finalised soon.

"My understanding is that with both Indonesia and with Vietnam, the deal is in the final stages. In fact, for Vietnam, I understand that it has already been signed, probably not publicly announced, but it's already been signed," Singh said.

After years of anticipation and nearly four decades of sustained demand, the South Coast Railway (SCoR) Zone will formally commence operations from Visakhapatnam on Monday, marking a major restructuring of Indian Railways.

The zone, the 18th in the country, positions Visakhapatnam as a key administrative hub for railway operations in Andhra Pradesh.

The new zone brings under its jurisdiction the Vijayawada, Guntur and Guntakal divisions, which were earlier part of South Central Railway, along with a restructured Waltair Division of the East Coast Railway (ECoR). The Waltair Division has been bifurcated, with its southern portion forming the Visakhapatnam Division under SCoR, while the northern section becomes the Rayagada Division under ECoR.

Y. Balaji Kiran, a 2013-batch Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS) officer, has taken additional charge as the Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of the South Coast Railway (SCoR), here.

Mr. Balaji Kiran has been serving as the Deputy General Manager-cum-Secretary to the General Manager of South Coast Railway since November 2025. His earlier postings include the Senior Divisional Operations Manager for the Guntakal Division, and the Senior Divisional Commercial Manager for the Secunderabad and Hyderabad Divisions.

He holds a B.Tech in Computer Science from the Sri Kalahasteeswara Institute of Technology (SKIT), Srikalahasti, and an MBA from Osmania University, along with Master’s degrees in Political Science and Industrial Relations.