CCTV+: 2026 “Liangzhu: A Dialogue across World Civilizations” Cultural Exchange Event Arrives in Russia

India Pushes Stronger Agri Cooperation to Boost Technology, Research and Trade

NEW DELHI, Sep 10: India is looking to deepen agricultural cooperation with Malaysia, Timor-Leste and Myanmar, with discussions focusing on research, modern technology, innovation, trade and better market access.

The discussions took place on the sidelines of the 9th ASEAN-India Ministerial Meeting on Agriculture and Forestry, where Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan held separate bilateral meetings with his counterparts from the three countries.

During the meeting with Malaysia’s Agriculture and Food Security Minister Mohamed Bin Sabu, both sides explored ways to strengthen cooperation in agricultural research, technology and innovation. The two countries also discussed the possibility of an agreement that could provide a formal framework for sharing expertise and developing joint initiatives in agriculture and allied sectors.

Issues related to germplasm exchange, agricultural trade and market access were also discussed. Greater cooperation in these areas could help both countries share improved agricultural resources, strengthen research capabilities and create new opportunities for farmers and agri-businesses.

India also held discussions with Timor-Leste on strengthening the country’s agricultural research and innovation capabilities. Timor-Leste sought greater institutional cooperation to address challenges related to agriculture and food security.

India expressed its willingness to share its experience and best practices with Timor-Leste through exchanges involving scientists, agricultural experts and other professionals. Such cooperation could help build local skills and strengthen the country’s ability to adopt modern farming and research practices.

In the meeting with Myanmar, both sides discussed expanding cooperation in agriculture and allied sectors. The two countries share long-standing cultural and people-to-people ties, while their geographical proximity also provides scope for stronger agricultural and trade linkages.

The proposed India-Myanmar Memorandum of Understanding on agriculture and allied sectors is at an advanced stage of finalisation, which could provide a stronger institutional framework for future cooperation.

The growing engagement with the three countries reflects India’s wider effort to build stronger agricultural partnerships in the region. Cooperation in technology, research and innovation can help countries address common challenges such as climate change, food security, productivity and sustainable farming.

For farmers and agri-businesses, stronger international partnerships can create opportunities to access new technologies, improve farming practices and explore wider markets. Greater cooperation in agricultural trade can also strengthen regional supply chains and open new avenues for investment and collaboration.

The latest discussions highlight India’s focus on using agricultural knowledge, technology and international partnerships to strengthen food security while creating new opportunities for farmers, researchers and businesses across the region.

Asset Managers Confident of Using AI in their Operations, but Mindful of Necessity for High Quality Data, Global Research Reveals

70% of asset managers believe the quality of their organization’s data is good or excellent, while almost a third (32%) claim it to be excellent

BOISE, Idaho, NEW YORK, CHICAGO, LONDON and HONG KONG, Sept 10 – Asset managers are broadly confident in the quality of the data being used to train artificial intelligence (AI) models being deployed in their organizations, new research from Clearwater Analytics, drawn from its “GenAI and the Data Divide” study, shows.

The study, which covered a broad spectrum of fund managers including insurance asset managers, hedge funds, private markets specialists, and general asset managers, reveals that nearly three quarters of asset managers (70%) surveyed believe their data is good or excellent (32% said it is excellent). That confidence isn’t evenly spread. It depends heavily on which part of “data quality” is being asked about.

As far as accuracy and reliability is concerned, only just over half (56%) said their data was good or excellent, the lowest score of any dimension tested. Yet on the matter of completeness and coverage, almost eight out of 10 (79%) said it was good or excellent, (48% said it is excellent). The gap between the two, roughly 23 percentage points, is the clearest sign that firms have more data than they fully trust.

Almost three quarters (73%) were satisfied that data quality with regard to representativeness and bias was good (31%) or excellent (42%). However, more than a quarter (27%) said it was poor (11%) or average (16%).

Slightly fewer (70%) consider the timeliness and freshness of the data to be good (46%) or excellent (24%). On every dimension but one, confidence holds above seven in 10. Accuracy is the exception, and it’s the dimension that decides whether an AI output can actually be acted on.

The majority (69%) said that their data sets are complete, while 12% of those said they were very complete. However, more than a fifth (21%) said they were incomplete. Coverage, in other words, is largely a solved problem. Trust in what that coverage actually says is not.

Despite the overall confidence in the quality of the data, there remains quite high levels of concern about the potential use of poor quality data in an organization’s AI operations, and those concerns escalate quickly once the conversation turns to consequences. Almost three quarters (72%) said the risk of this made them concerned or very concerned (36% in each group).

Four out of five (80%) were concerned – 20% of them very concerned – that the use of poor quality data could erode trust in the effectiveness of their AI tools, rather than placing the blame on the quality of the data that has been used to develop it. That’s the risk compounding on itself: a data problem gets misread as a technology problem, and the tool takes the blame the data deserves.

Seven out of 10 (70%) of managers are concerned about the financial and legal risks coming from biased investment decisions or regulatory fines, with almost half (48%) very concerned about the impact from the use of poor quality data.

These concerns have an impact on available resources, too. Almost two thirds (65%) were concerned that data scientists are spending their time cleaning up data instead of building better models, with 39% of them very concerned about resources being wasted. The people best equipped to improve AI are the ones stuck fixing the data underneath it.

Almost all asset managers (99%) agreed that the biggest barrier to trusting AI outputs, fueling an “AI trust gap”, is the use of unreliable and opaque data. Near-unanimous numbers like that are rare in any survey. It’s the clearest signal in the entire study of where the industry’s attention needs to go next.

It has been well documented that without careful monitoring, poor quality data can amplify inherent biases within AI models. While almost three quarters (73%) are concerned that this could happen, more than two thirds (67%) are satisfied their organizations’ AI models have the ability to track and audit sources of data. Even so, more than a fifth (22%) were unsure and a further 10% suggested the abilities were incomplete. That leaves close to a third of firms without full visibility into the data their own AI models are relying on.

The vast majority (74%) said the data aggregation platform they use is effective at reconciling and aggregating data from disparate sources into a unified system. A fifth (20%) said it was very effective. Aggregation, like coverage, is a capability most firms have already built. Accuracy is the one they’re still building toward.

Souvik Das, CTO at Clearwater Analytics, said: “The data that a model trains on is the input that actually matters, more than the model itself. That’s why this finding lands the way it does. Firms have built real confidence in their AI, but confidence in the underlying accuracy hasn’t caught up yet, and that gap is what determines whether a firm acts on an output or checks it first. Closing it is the discipline this next phase of AI actually requires.”

VIRGIO expands VIRGIO Thursday campaign with new film, turning weekly fashion drops into a recurring consumer ritual

Bengaluru, Sep 10: VIRGIO, the sustainable fashion-tech brand redefining the way consumers experience contemporary fashion, has expanded its ongoing ‘VIRGIO MOD Thursday’ campaign with a new film, building further anticipation around its weekly fashion drops. With new collections and products arriving every Thursday, the initiative aims to turn a regular day of the week into a recurring fashion moment that consumers can anticipate and look forward to. 

Built around VIRGIO’s consistent Thursday drop cadence, VIRGIO Thursday brings together the brand’s focus on trend-led fashion, newness and a demand-led approach to product drops. Rather than positioning every Thursday drop as an individual launch, the brand is building a recognisable consumer ritual around the day, creating a consistent reason for shoppers to return and discover what’s new. 

The campaign draws on a familiar cultural observation: Thursday can often feel like the longest stretch of the working week, positioned between the start of the week and the anticipation of the weekend. VIRGIO Thursday flips this sentiment by giving consumers another reason to look forward to the day, here is always something new to discover at VIRGIO. 

The latest film brings the VIRGIO Thursday thought to life through relatable situations, humour and digital-first storytelling, using unexpected reactions to Thursday to build excitement around the brand’s weekly fashion drops. As fashion discovery becomes more frequent and trends move faster, the weekly cadence gives consumers a consistent moment to discover new styles beyond traditional seasonal cycles.

Designed as a top-of-funnel brand-building platform, VIRGIO Thursday aims to drive reach, recall, and engagement while creating a recurring reason for consumers to return to VIRGIO every Thursday. Through this ongoing platform, the brand is building Thursday into a distinctive property associated with newness and fashion discovery.

Reflecting on the campaign, Amar Nagaram, Founder & CEO, VIRGIO, said,

“With VIRGIO Thursday, we wanted to turn something that is already part of our business rhythm into a distinctive brand experience. Every Thursday gives our consumers a reason to come back and discover what’s new, and the campaign is about building that anticipation in a way that feels entertaining, relatable and uniquely VIRGIO. Our ambition is to make Thursday synonymous with newness at VIRGIO and build a brand property that consumers recognise and look forward to.”

The new film marks the next chapter in the ongoing VIRGIO Thursday platform, as the brand continues to explore relatable situations, characters and cultural observations to make the Thursday ritual increasingly familiar to consumers.

Through VIRGIO Thursday, VIRGIO aims to build a distinctive association around the day: Thursday means something new at VIRGIO.

From Family Celebrations to Weekend Adventures: Sony Gadgets for Every Occasion

Sep 10: Some of the best moments are found in the everyday, whether it is gathering with family for a special occasion, settling in for a movie after a long week, taking music along on a weekend outing, or capturing spontaneous moments during a short getaway. As the way we enjoy entertainment and create memories continues to evolve, the right technology can make these experiences more immersive, convenient, and enjoyable.

From premium personal audio and powerful portable speakers to creator-friendly cameras and immersive home entertainment, Sony offers devices designed to fit different moments and lifestyles. Whether you are looking to elevate a family movie night, take your favourite music on the road, or document your next adventure, here are some Sony gadgets worth considering for the occasions that matter.

BRAVIA 7 II: There is something special about getting everyone together for a movie night, especially when a favourite film or series becomes the centrepiece of an evening at home. The Sony BRAVIA 7 II is designed to bring a more cinematic feel to these shared viewing experiences, combining vibrant visuals with detailed picture quality that can make everything from blockbuster films to live sports more engaging.

Powered by Sony’s True RGB LED technology, the BRAVIA 7 II features RGB Backlight Master Drive Pro™, RGB Triluminos Max™, and the Cognitive Processor XR™ to deliver vibrant colours, enhanced contrast, and lifelike detail. The television also features a 4K 120Hz refresh rate, XR Motion Clarity, and support for Dolby Vision®, Dolby Atmos®, and IMAX Enhanced, while Google TV brings a wide range of entertainment together in one place.

Sony WF-1000XM6: Whether it is listening to music during a commute, catching up on podcasts while travelling, or simply enjoying some quiet time at home, personal audio can make everyday moments feel more immersive. The Sony WF-1000XM6 brings the latest generation of Sony’s 1000X true wireless experience into a compact design, combining advanced noise cancellation with high-quality sound for listening wherever the day takes you.

The WF-1000XM6 features Sony’s HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN3e, Integrated Processor V2, Multi Noise Sensor technology, and an 8.4mm driver unit. It supports LDAC, LC3 and DSEE Extreme, along with Ambient Sound Mode and multipoint connectivity. The earbuds offer up to 8 hours of continuous music playback with noise cancelling enabled, or up to 12 hours with it switched off, and are IPX4 water resistant, making them well suited to everyday listening and travel.

Sony 1000X THE COLLEXION: For occasions when music, movies, or simply some uninterrupted personal time call for a more refined listening experience, the Sony 1000X THE COLLEXION offers a premium take on the company’s flagship headphone experience. The collection is built around a luxury design and premium comfort, making it suited to everything from long journeys to relaxed evenings at home.

The WH-1000XX features a bespoke driver and audio co-created with mastering engineers, along with 360 Reality Audio Upmix for Cinema for a more immersive movie experience. Its advanced noise cancellation system is supported by AI-based beamforming, while the Integrated Processor V3 helps optimise sound and call quality. Multipoint connectivity, next generation LE Audio, and up to 24 hours of battery life add to its versatility for travel, work, and entertainment.

Sony ULT FIELD 5: Weekend plans often become more enjoyable when there is a playlist to go with them, whether it is a road trip, an outdoor gathering, or simply an evening spent with friends. The Sony ULT FIELD 5 is built for these occasions, combining powerful sound with portability and features designed to make music a bigger part of the experience.

The speaker features a dedicated ULT button that delivers enhanced bass, along with 360° Party Light to add a visual element to music sessions. Its IP67 water, dust, and shock resistance makes it suitable for outdoor use, while the built-in battery offers up to 25 hours of playback. Quick charging can provide up to 2 hours of playback from a 10-minute charge, and the speaker can also function as a power bank for compatible devices.

Sony ZV-E10 II: Weekend getaways, family outings, food trails, and spontaneous plans often create moments worth capturing and sharing. The Sony ZV-E10 II is designed for creators who want greater flexibility when shooting photos and videos, combining an APS-C sensor, interchangeable lenses, and creator-focused features in a lightweight body.

The camera features a 26MP APS-C Exmor R™ CMOS sensor and Sony’s BIONZ XR™ image processing engine, with 5.6K oversampling supporting 4K video recording at up to 60p. It also offers 759-point phase-detection autofocus for stills, 495-point phase-detection autofocus for movies, Creative Look and Cinematic Vlog settings, vertical shooting, and 5 GHz Wi-Fi connectivity for easier sharing. The body weighs approximately 292g and uses Sony’s high-capacity NP-FZ100 battery, making it practical to carry on trips and outings. The linked ZV-E10 II kit comes with the E PZ 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OSS II power zoom lens.

From bringing everyone together for a family movie night to taking music along on a weekend adventure, technology can add something special to the moments we already enjoy. A powerful television can turn shared viewing into a more immersive experience, while premium audio can make a commute, journey, or quiet evening more enjoyable. For those who love documenting their experiences, a capable camera can also turn spontaneous moments into memories that can be revisited and shared.

With products spanning home entertainment, personal audio, portable sound, and content creation, Sony offers options suited to different occasions and ways of enjoying everyday life. Whether the plan is a family celebration, a relaxed evening at home, or an adventure waiting to be captured, these devices are designed to complement the moments that make each occasion memorable.

JioFinance app gets two new features to make finance smarter: JioFinance plus and JioFinance360

Commenting on the launch, Surbhe S Sharma, Chief Executive Officer, Jio Finance Platform and Service Limited said, “The launch of JioFinance+ and JioFinance360 is a pivotal step in our mission to democratise access to intelligent finance for every Indian at scale. With JioFinance+, we are pioneering the most comprehensive membership model that shares a portion of our platform commission revenue directly with customers as value-back on each eligible transaction. This reflects our deep commitment to shared growth, fostering lasting relationships with our customers, and bringing down transaction costs for the end-customer; even as JioFinance360 enables them to get a comprehensive and granular snapshot of their financial health, and encourages them to take necessary steps to ensure their long-term economic well-being.

TOTO India Launches L Series Accessories for Japanese Design & Everyday Convenience

Sep 10, 2026: TOTO India, the Japanese sanitaryware brand, has announced the launch of its new L Series Accessories, comprising 19 products, a thoughtfully designed range of bathroom essentials that combines functionality, convenience and refined Japanese design. Created for contemporary bathroom spaces, the range brings together practical accessories that help enhance organisation while maintaining a clean and cohesive aesthetic.

The L Series Accessories include essential solutions such as towel bars and shelves, glass shelves, towel rings, soap holders, paper holders, tumbler holders, toilet brush holders and robe hooks. Designed to complement modern interiors, the range enables homeowners and professionals to create more organised and visually harmonious bathrooms.

With the festive season approaching, consumers are becoming increasingly attentive to their home aesthetics and looking to refresh and enhance their living spaces. This growing focus on home aesthetics also extends to bathrooms, where thoughtfully designed accessories can add both functionality and visual harmony to the space.

A well-planned bathroom is not only about sanitaryware and fittings but also about how everyday essentials are arranged and accessed. The L Series Accessories offer practical solutions for organising towels, toiletries and other frequently used items, helping create a more efficient space while reducing visual clutter.

The range reflects a broader approach to bathroom design, where functionality, hygiene, comfort and aesthetics come together to create a more considered everyday experience. By combining practical utility with understated design, the L Series allows consumers to coordinate different elements of their bathroom while maintaining a contemporary visual language.

Commenting on the launch, Shiozawa Kazuyuki, Managing Director of TOTO India, said: “As bathrooms continue to evolve into more thoughtfully designed spaces within the home, every element plays an important role in creating a comfortable and cohesive experience. With the new L Series Accessories, we are bringing together functionality and refined Japanese design to address everyday needs while complementing contemporary bathroom interiors. The range reflects our understanding of how consumers are increasingly looking for solutions that are practical, well-designed and harmonious with the overall space.”

With the launch of the L Series Accessories, TOTO India continues to expand its portfolio of bathroom solutions for contemporary Indian homes. Comprising 19 products, offering consumers greater flexibility in bathroom planning while reinforcing TOTO’s focus on Japanese design, functionality and everyday convenience.

Visa Launches Whitepaper on Frontier AI & Cyber resilience at Global Fintech Fest 2026

Mumbai, Sep 10: As cyber threats become increasingly automated and AI-enabled, the challenge facing organisations is no longer simply identifying vulnerabilities, but validating, prioritising and fixing them before they can be exploited at machine speed. To help financial institutions, fintechs and technology providers prepare for this shift, Visa today launched its new whitepaper, Frontier AI: A New Era of Cyber Resilience, at Global Fintech Fest 2026. The whitepaper was launched by Subra Kumaraswamy, Chief Information Security Officer, Visa and Suresh Sethi, Group Country Manager, India and South Asia, Visa. 

The report examines how frontier AI is transforming both cyber defence and cyber risk and outlines practical strategies to help organisations strengthen resilience in an increasingly autonomous threat environment.  

India’s digital payments ecosystem has become one of the largest and most dynamic in the world. Total digital payment transactions increased from 6,365 crore in 2021 to 26,762 crore in 2025, while total digital payments value grew from INR 1,675 lakh crore to INR 3,144 lakh crore over the same period. In 2025, India recorded INR 22,495 crore in cyber fraud losses across 2.81 million cases, up 24% year on year. Investment scams accounted for 76% of losses, while digital arrest scams accounted for 9%. The cybercrime helpline logged 32.4 million calls in 2025, equivalent to approximately one victim every second. As digital payments become more interconnected and AI-enabled, maintaining trust and cyber resilience is emerging as a critical priority for the broader financial ecosystem.

Launched at Global Fintech Fest 2026, the whitepaper explores how frontier AI models can identify, analyse and validate vulnerabilities at machine speed, while enabling organisations to move from periodic testing and manual remediation to continuous, intelligence-driven security operations. Drawing on Visa’s participation in Project Glasswing, the report highlights lessons from deploying advanced AI in high-criticality environments, where the time between vulnerability discovery and exploitation has shrunk from months to minutes.  

AI is transforming cybersecurity, but resilience must evolve just as quickly

The report highlights a major shift in cybersecurity. Advanced AI models can perform deep analysis across complex systems, identify subtle weaknesses and uncover exploit paths that traditional approaches may miss. At the same time, attackers are increasingly leveraging AI to automate reconnaissance, phishing, fraud and exploitation, accelerating the pace of cyber threats. This changing landscape requires organisations to move beyond periodic testing and manual remediation towards continuous, intelligence-driven security operations to not just find but to fix such identified vulnerabilities quickly enough.  

To address this, organisations must rethink cybersecurity effectiveness through new approaches that focus on adaptability and speed of response.  

Trust remains the foundation of India’s digital payments ecosystem

As digital payments become increasingly embedded in everyday commerce, cyber resilience will play a critical role in sustaining consumer confidence and trust in the ecosystem.  

The report emphasises that while AI can significantly enhance fraud detection, risk management and security operations, threat actors are also adopting the same technologies to create sophisticated cyberattacks, including deepfakes, advanced phishing campaigns and automated fraud at scale. As a result, collaboration across industry participants will be critical to safeguarding the future of digital payments.  

Speaking on the importance of strengthening cyber resilience in the age of AI, Suresh Sethi, Group Country Manager, Visa India and South Asia, said:

“As AI becomes more powerful, the cybersecurity challenge is no longer just finding vulnerabilities, it is fixing them faster than they can be exploited. India’s digital payments ecosystem has demonstrated what innovation at population scale can achieve, but sustaining trust will require the same pace of innovation in security and resilience. At Visa, we are investing in practical approaches that combine AI-driven security with human oversight, governance and accountability, helping organisations strengthen resilience in an increasingly automated threat environment. We believe collaboration across the ecosystem will be critical to ensuring India’s digital economy remains secure, inclusive and future-ready.”  

The whitepaper also introduces Mean Time to Adapt as a new measure of cybersecurity effectiveness, reflecting the growing need to reduce the time between vulnerability discovery and remediation. It argues that as AI accelerates the pace of both attacks and defence, organisations must complement automation with strong governance, oversight and accountability to build resilient security programmes at scale.