Oracle's workforce shrank by roughly 21,000 employees in fiscal 2026. Estimates suggest India accounted for more than half of those reductions, placing the country at the centre of one of the technology sector's most significant restructuring exercises.

Oracle's latest restructuring plans are drawing renewed attention to India after reports suggested the country may have absorbed more than half of the company's workforce reductions over the past year.

According to a Business Insider report published on August 11, Oracle is preparing another round of job cuts before the start of its second fiscal quarter on September 1. Managers have reportedly been asked to identify employees for potential redundancy, with some teams facing double-digit percentage reductions.

The planned cuts follow a year in which Oracle's workforce declined from about 162,000 employees to approximately 141,000, according to the company's filings, representing a reduction of roughly 21,000 jobs or 13% of its workforce.

https://www.peoplematters.in/news/strategic-hr/india-may-have-absorbed-over-half-of-oracles-21000-job-cuts-51404

Oracle has drawn up plans for a new round of job cuts to reduce payroll as it racks up billions in debt to fund AI infrastructure, according to people familiar with the plans and an internal document viewed by Business Insider.

The cuts could reach double-digit percentages on some teams, according to the document. The company has requested managers provide lists of affected employees, with the intention of reducing payroll by the time the second quarter begins on Sept. 1, according to one of the people with direct knowledge.

https://www.businessinsider.com/oracle-is-planning-another-round-of-job-cuts-this-month-2026-8

President Donald Trump in a new interview declined to rule out declaring a national security emergency as a means to try to assert more control over the 2026 midterm elections.

It’s merely the latest warning sign that Trump could try to mess with the election not just by baselessly claiming voter fraud and challenging the results afterward — as he did in 2020, leading to a violent riot at the US Capitol — but by trying to unilaterally take control before votes are cast.

In the interview, Wayne Allyn Root of Real America’s Voice pitched such a scenario to Trump. He suggested it as an alternative, given the Senate has failed to pass Trump’s coveted elections bill, known as the “SAVE America Act.”

“If they never get the SAVE America Act done, you have the right to declare a national security emergency for elections,” Root said. He added that “if you declare a national security emergency as the president of the United States, they can’t challenge it. It can only be overturned by a two-thirds vote by both houses of Congress. So if you do this in the next month, we will get photo ID, proof of citizenship (for voter registration) and a limit to mail-in ballots.”

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/08/11/politics/trump-national-emergency-election

France has submitted a detailed technical and commercial proposal covering 114 Rafale multirole fighters for the Indian Air Force, advancing a procurement potentially worth US$34–39 billion.

Approximately 20 Rafales would arrive directly from France to address immediate operational pressure, while another 94 would be manufactured or assembled domestically, establishing the first Rafale production line outside French territory.

The Astra beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile occupies the centre of these negotiations, reflecting India’s determination to secure operational sovereignty without requiring unrestricted access to every proprietary element of the Rafale’s protected combat architecture.

https://defencesecurityasia.com/en/france-india-114-rafale-fighter-jets-39-billion-deal-china-pakistan/

JPMorgan said the level of corporate interest in GIFT City is unlike anything the bank has previously seen in the market.

More than 100 companies have approached JPMorgan Chase to explore banking and payment services for corporate treasury operations in India’s Gujarat International Finance Tec-City, reflecting growing multinational interest in the country’s international financial hub, according to Bloomberg.

The discussions involve potential activity over the next 12 to 18 months. Companies considering operations at GIFT City include multinational corporations, insurance companies, and financial technology businesses seeking more efficient ways to manage liquidity, borrowing, and cross-border payments.

Corporate treasury centers enable multinational companies to centralize cash management, financing, foreign exchange and financial risk activities across subsidiaries and markets.

Establishing these operations in one location can provide companies with greater visibility over their cash positions while helping them deploy surplus capital and manage borrowing costs more efficiently.

Companies are particularly interested in the ability to maintain foreign-currency accounts alongside accounts denominated in Indian rupees.

This combination could allow multinational businesses to manage both their international and domestic financial activities from a single treasury platform. It may also reduce the operational complexity involved in moving funds between subsidiaries, currencies and banking jurisdictions.

JPMorgan provides corporate treasury clients with services including physical pooling, cash concentration and notional pooling.

https://pulse2.com/jpmorgan-in-talks-with-more-than-100-multinationals-about-gift-city-treasury-operations/

NEW DELHI: With the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between India and the UK kicking in on Wednesday, 50 consignments of goods worth over $140 million were shipped to the UK on the first day of the agreement’s implementation, the Union commerce ministry said.

“CETA will give fresh momentum to our farmers, entrepreneurs and MSMEs. Several sectors will gain stronger access to the UK market. It will also deepen cooperation in technology, professional services and innovation, while supporting greater mobility for skilled Indian talent,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a social media post on Wednesday.

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said the CETA and the Agreement on Social Security have come into force, delivering zero-duty market access for nearly 99% of India’s exports, covering almost 100% of trade value.

Rules of origin certificates are being issued through the DGFT portal, and customs facilitation is being undertaken at ports and airports to ensure that consignments are dispatched under the CETA, the commerce secretary informed the media on Wednesday.

With the FTA taking effect, several labour-intensive sectors such as textiles, apparel, handicrafts, engineering goods, and gems and jewellery are expected to gain zero-duty access to the UK market. Exporters from sectors including textiles, gems and jewellery, and marine products have already dispatched consignments at zero duty on the first day of the agreement.

https://www.newindianexpress.com/india/2026/Jul/16/goods-worth-140-million-exported-on-day-1-of-uk-free-trade-agreement

In the Thar Desert, a 28-kilometer artificial reservoir uses plastic lining to store water from the Indira Gandhi Canal and reduce shortages in Jaisalmer and Barmer during maintenance periods.

In the Indian state of Rajasthan, supply authorities have built a large artificial reservoir in the Thar Desert to store water intended for the districts of Jaisalmer and Barmer, two areas marked by water scarcity in western India.

The structure is about 28 kilometers long, with a bottom lined by a plastic sheet of 300 microns and a reported capacity of approximately 1.41 billion liters.

The project was designed to function as a strategic reserve during periods when the Indira Gandhi Canal, one of the main water sources in the region, undergoes scheduled maintenance interruption.

This annual stoppage, locally known as Naharbandi, usually affects the supply in areas dependent on the canal.

According to Indian reports, the reservoir was built by the Rajasthan state water supply department at an approximate cost of 242 crore rupees, equivalent to 2.42 billion rupees.

The forecast released by the consulted sources was for inauguration in July 2026, after the completion of the filling process, but no reliable public confirmation of the official opening was found.

https://en.clickpetroleoegas.com.br/india-excavates-a-28-km-artificial-lake-in-the-thar-desert-lines-the-bottom-with-a-giant-plastic-sheet-to-prevent-141-million-tons-of-water-asaf04/

Common sour fruit became the starting point for a student invention related to natural rubber, in an experiment that combines simple chemistry, environmental impact, and an international science competition aimed at young researchers from different countries.

Two Indian teenagers transformed a common sour fruit into an eco-friendly alternative for an essential stage of natural rubber production by testing bilimbi extract in the latex coagulation process.

Aman K A and A U Nachiketh Kumar developed a process that uses bilimbi extract, a fruit with the scientific name Averrhoa bilimbi, to coagulate rubber latex in six hours, replacing the use of formic acid in this production phase.

The proposal attracted attention for combining a simple, cheap, and available material in tropical regions with an environmental problem related to the disposal of acidic waste in the soil, a theme associated with natural rubber production.

The project earned the students the National Geographic Explorer Award at the Google Science Fair, an international competition aimed at young scientists and innovation projects, after presenting a low-cost solution for a globally known production chain.

https://en.clickpetroleoegas.com.br/indian-teens-win-national-geographic-award-at-google-science-fair-for-using-common-sour-fruit-to-naturally-coagulate-rubber-in-6-hours-reduc-afch/