AI attacks double cyber funding to $89M; India opens nuclear tender

AI‑powered attacks are slashing costs and scaling threats, pushing Indian enterprises to buy security solutions. As a result, cybersecurity startup funding almost doubled to $89 million in H1 2026, with companies like Mitigata raising $15 million and projecting revenue to jump to ₹300 crore by FY27.

Aggressive fire‑insurance pricing pushed underwriting losses to a 107.2% combined ratio, forcing ICICI Lombard to pull back and restore discipline. The insurer’s Q1 net profit dropped 46% to ₹403 crore, hit by two large fire claims and a Supreme Court motor‑TP ruling that raised reserves.

Aggressive fire‑insurance pricing pushed underwriting losses to a 107.2% combined ratio, forcing ICICI Lombard to pull back and restore discipline. The insurer’s Q1 net profit dropped 46% to ₹403 crore, hit by two large fire claims and a Supreme Court motor‑TP ruling that raised reserves.

NTPC and NPCIL’s joint venture has issued a ₹28,000 cr EPC tender for the nuclear island of the 4‑unit, 700 MW Mahi Banswara project in Rajasthan. It will be India’s first nuclear plant not fully owned by state‑run NPCIL, a key step toward the government’s 100 GW nuclear target by 2047.

The government will use the Producer Price Index instead of the Wholesale Price Index for all new procurement contracts. The move aligns price escalation clauses with a more market‑reflective inflation gauge, affecting roads, rail, defence and other capital projects. Existing contracts stay on WPI.

From July 15, India’s CETA with the UK grants duty‑free access to 99.5% of export value, covering engineering, textiles, leather, gems and more. The pact also opens 137 services sub‑sectors to Indian firms and professionals, aiming to lift bilateral trade to $100 bn by 2030. Gains hinge on how quickly firms can navigate the new rules.

The World Bank’s 2026 income classification lifted Vietnam and the Philippines into upper‑middle‑income status, reflecting export‑led growth and broad‑based expansion. India stayed in the lower‑middle tier despite being the world’s fastest‑growing major economy, underscoring the challenge of converting aggregate growth into higher per‑capita incomes.

With the Gulf war threatening the Strait of Hormuz, India is now pulling roughly 60% of its crude, over half its LNG and 90% of its LPG through the UAE’s Fujairah and Khor Fakkan ports, using the Habshan‑Fujairah pipeline as a bypass. The move reduces exposure to Iranian retaliation and keeps vital energy flows steady.

With the Gulf war threatening the Strait of Hormux, India is now pulling roughly 60% of its crude, over half its LNG and 90% of its LPG through the UAE’s Fujairah and Khor Fakkan ports, using the Habshan‑Fujairah pipeline as a bypass. The shift reduces exposure to Iranian retaliation and keeps vital energy flows steady.

India’s agriculture ministry unveiled two CRISPR‑edited rice lines, Pusa DST Rice 1, which tolerates drought and salinity, and DRR Dhan 100 (Kamala), maturing 20 days earlier and boosting yields by up to 19%. Both varieties contain no foreign DNA and are cleared under a streamlined regulatory framework, promising millions of extra tonnes of paddy and a cut in greenhouse‑gas emissions.