On 8 December 2016 the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution designating 26 April as International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day. An explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in 1986 spread a radioactive cloud over large parts of the Soviet Union, now the territories of Belarus, Ukraine and the Russian Federation.
Since the Chernobyl nuclear plant accident on 26 April 1986, the United Nations, along with the Governments of Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine, has been leading the recovery and development efforts to support the affected regions.
In 2000, WIPO's member states designated April 26 – the day on which the WIPO Convention came into force in 1970 – as World IP Day with the aim of increasing general understanding of IP. World Intellectual Property Day 2025 highlights how creativity and innovation, backed by IP rights, keep a vibrant, diverse, and thriving music scene that benefits everyone, everywhere.
The theme for this year’s World Intellectual Property Day is set as IP and Music: Feel the Beat of IP. It highlights how music, as a form of creative expression, benefits from a strong intellectual property system.
Union Minister of State for Labour & Employment, Sushri Shobha Karandlaje, led the Indian delegation at the BRICS Labour & Employment Ministers’ Meeting held under Brazil’s Presidency in Brasília on 25th April 2025. On climate action, India emphasized it’s just transition framework, ensuring green growth translates into equitable job creation.
The meeting, convened under the slogan “Strengthening the Cooperation of the Global South for More Inclusive and Sustainable Governance”, culminated in the adoption of a forward-looking declaration addressing two pivotal themes: “Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Future of Work” and “The Impacts of Climate Change on the World of Work and a Just Transition”.
India’s achievement of reduction in GHG emissions (2020–2019) and its net-zero by 2070 pledge reinforced its climate leadership. Collaborative efforts with the ILO to protect workers’ rights during this transition were also emphasized.
In a moment of pride for Indian cinema, “A Doll Made Up of Clay”, a student film by the Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute (SRFTI), has achieved official selection in the prestigious La Cinef section at the 78th Festival de Cannes 2025. As the only Indian entry in this category, the film marks a significant milestone in India’s cinematic education journey.
Founded in 1995, SRFTI is named after the legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray, continuing it’s legacy of empowering new generations of storytellers through excellence in film education.
National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation was honoured with the Udyog Vikas Award during the Udyog Vikas event organised by Janmabhumi Daily, a leading news daily in the state of Kerala. The Palakkad Industrial Smart City, spanning 1,710 acres across Pudussery Central, Pudussery West, and Kannambra, represents a major milestone in Kerala’s industrial development.
Since its inception in September 2022, ULIP has integrated 43 systems from 11 ministries, connected through 129 APIs and more than 1,800 data fields, empowering over 1,300 registered companies and enabling more than 100 crore API transactions.
The Government of India, under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, launched the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) – UDAN (“Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik”) on October 21, 2016. The dream of affordable air travel for the common citizen began to take tangible form with the first UDAN flight. This landmark flight took off on April 27, 2017.
The UDAN scheme was conceptualised under the National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP) 2016, with a 10-year vision, to connect Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities through a market-driven yet financially supported model. The scheme incentivised airlines through concessions and Viability Gap Funding (VGF) to operate on regional routes, ensuring affordable fares and improved accessibility.
The Ministry of Cooperation has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Swiggy Instamart to onboard cooperative dairy and other products on the e-commerce platform. Under the agreement, products under Bharat Organics and other cooperative dairy products will be available on Swiggy's e-commerce and q-commerce platforms.
The partnership aims to support cooperative brands in marketing, promotion, consumer technology and capacity building, according to the ministry. The collaboration comes as the United Nations has declared 2025 as the International Year of Cooperation, with Swiggy and the ministry planning an awareness campaign to promote cooperative movements nationwide.
India's central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), announced on April 21, that minors above the age of 10 will be able to open and operate independent bank accounts. According to the report, the minors will be able to independently open and operate a savings bank account, along with term deposit accounts.
The RBI also permitted that the banks are permitted to offer additional banking facilities to minor accounts based on their risk management policy. The banks are free to offer additional banking facilities like internet banking, ATM, cheque book facility, etc to the minor account holders based on their risk management policy, product suitability and customer appropriateness