Annie Ruiz

The shirtless protest by Indian Youth Congress workers at the AI Impact Summit 2026 on Friday continued to fuel a political row with Prime Minister Narendra Modi also attacking the opposition's leading party on Sunday. Modi called the protest an act of "dirty and naked politics" that “shamed the country” before international guests. In response to Modi's remarks, the Congress shared an undated old photo of Haryana ex-minister Anil Vij in a public gathering, apparently a protest rally, where Vij and others in the crowd are shirtless. The photo was shared by Congress leader Sreenivas BV, who has also served the president of the Indian Youth Congress. “If stripping off a T-shirt to protest is called nudity? Then what do you call this?” Sreenivas wrote in the caption of the photo on X. The protest by the IYC workers at AI Summit on Friday turned into a flashpoint between the Congress and the BJP, who slammed the Grand Old Party for the protest which it said e...

India hosted one of the world's biggest AI events this week, but it was marred by chaos and confusion, apparently not the message it's trying to send as it strives to become a leading artificial intelligence player. Despite the drama, U.S. tech firms in particular couldn't resist the temptation of the Indian market, talking up the country's AI potential and making a number of announcements. I have been on the ground in New Delhi since Monday and I can honestly say that the AI Impact Summit has been one of the most challenging reporting assignments of my career. Traffic has been a nightmare more than usual in the Indian capital. There were times it didn't move at all. On Wednesday, I had events and interviews at three different hotels and getting the team around to these appointments on time was a real challenge. India hosted one of the biggest AI events in the world that was marred by some chaos and confusion. Photo: AI Impact Summit 2026 At one point o...

 US trading partners, including India, that have reached tariff deals with Donald Trump's administration before the Supreme Court verdict, will now face a 10 per cent duty, despite higher levels they may have agreed on previously, the White House has said. The certification came after the US Supreme Court struck down Trump's sweeping and often arbitrary duties, delivering a stinging rebuke of his signature economic policy.  Following the tariff setback, the American commander-in-chief has imposed an additional 10 per cent duty on imports into the United States. After signing the new tariff order, Trump said on social media that it was "effective almost immediately". The new duty is slated to take effect on February 24 for 150 days, with exemptions remaining for sectors under separate probes, including pharma, and for goods entering the US under the US-Mexico-Canada agreement, according to a White House factsheet. What Happens To Already Signed Trade Deals The White Ho...

 AI is poised to accelerate progress at an unprecedented rate — but only if we democratize access to it from the start. Today, Google is announcing new investments in digital infrastructure and skilling initiatives designed to increase connectivity, accelerate economic growth, and deepen resilience in India and around the world. Expanding AI connectivity across four continents Infrastructure is foundational to prevent the digital divide from becoming an AI divide. Today we’re announcing America-India Connect, a collaborative infrastructure initiative anchored by our five-year $15 billion AI infrastructure investment in India to increase the reach, reliability, and resilience of digital connectivity across four continents.  In collaboration with local partners, America-India Connect will establish a new international subsea gateway in Visakhapatnam (Vizag); three new subsea paths connecting India to Singapore, South Africa, and Australia; and four strategic fiber-optic routes t...

  At the summit of AI giants, the technology was impressive, but the experience was even more memorable. Messy queues outside, serene discussions inside, and an irony that made the whole day feel wonderfully, unmistakably human. Here's how I spent my day at the India AI Impact Summit... AI Impact Summit If one word had to define the experience, it would not be “futuristic.” It would be “human.” I went to listen to the biggest minds in artificial intelligence, Sam Altman, Dario Amodei, Demis Hassabis, Yann LeCun, Brad Smith, and walked away thinking not about machines, but about people. Because before the conversations on safeguards, the future of work, and responsible AI even began, there was a very earthly scene playing out at the gates of Bharat Mandapam. There was confusion, there were queues, and there was sloganeering. At one point, amid security barricades and visibly anxious attendees, a few voices even broke into “Inquilab Zindabad!,” a slogan that felt wildly out of place ...