Applications
Kiran Kumar takes over as Space Applications Centre director
MUMBAI: AS Kiran Kumar, distinguished scientist and associate director, Space Applications Centre (SAC), Ahmedabad, has assumed the office of Director, Space Applications Centre.
Kumar took over the charge from Dr R R Navalgund.
Joining SAC/Isro in 1975, Kumar has made immense contribution to the design and development of Electro-Optical Imaging Sensors for Airborne, Low Earth Orbit and Geostationary orbit satellites starting from Bhaskara TV payload to the latest Terrain Mapping Camera and Hyperspectral Imager payloads for Chandrayaan-1 mission. He has made significant contributions to the task of evolving the observation strategy encompassing land, ocean, atmospheric and planetary studies.
As Associate Director of Space Applications Centre, Kumar has steered the design and realisation of communication, navigation, microwave and remote sensing payloads.
Kumar obtained B.Sc (Honours) degree in Physics and M.Sc degree in Electronics from Bangalore University as well as M.Tech degree in Physical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.
Kumar is the recipient of many laurels and awards like Indian Society of Remote Sensing Award for the year 1994, VASVIK award (Electronic Sciences and Technology) for the year 1998, Astronautical Society of India Award (Space Sciences and Applications) for the year 2001, Isro Individual Service Award 2006, Bhaskara Award conferred by the Indian Society of Remote Sensing for the year 2007, Laurels for Team Achievement Award 2008 of the International Academy of Astronautics and Isro Performance excellence Award 2008.
He is a fellow of the National Academy of Engineers and Corresponding Member of the International Academy of Astronautics. Kumar has represented Iro in international forums like World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) and is currently the chairman of CEOS.
Applications
With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
