Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare and Chemicals and Fertilizers JP Nadda concluded his three-day visit to Saudi Arabia, securing crucial agreements that will significantly enhance India’s fertilizer supply chain and strengthen bilateral cooperation in health and pharmaceutical sectors.
During discussions with Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar bin Ibrahim Al Khorayef in Riyadh, both ministers witnessed the signing of long-term agreements between Maaden and Indian companies including IPL, KRIBHCO, and CIL. These agreements will supply an enhanced 3.1 million metric tons of Diammonium Phosphate fertilizer per annum for five years from,
2025-26 onwards, with provision for further extension of five years with mutual consent.
The agreements represent a substantial increase from current supply levels. India’s imports of DAP fertilizer from Saudi Arabia totaled 1.9 million metric tons in 2024-25, reflecting a 17 percent increase over the 1.6 million metric tons imported during FY 2023-24.
The new agreements will boost this supply to 3.1 million metric tons from the upcoming fiscal year.
Nadda also held a bilateral meeting with Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud, Minister of Energy and co-chair of the Economy and Investment Committee of the Strategic Partnership Council between India and Saudi Arabia,
to discuss ways to enhance economic partnership between the two countries. The Prince hosted a lunch in honor of the Union Minister.
The long-term fertilizer agreements are expected to provide greater supply security for India’s agricultural sector and strengthen the strategic partnership between the two nations.
Eight African-born billionaires are featured in Forbes' 2025 list of America's Richest Immigrants.
These individuals represent 6 African countries and include Elon Musk from South Africa as the richest global immigrant.
Immigrant billionaires constitute 14% of U.S.-based billionaires, controlling 18% of total U.S. billionaire wealth.
Senior IPS officer Sonali Mishra has been named as the first woman director general of the Railway Protection Force (RPF), officials said.
She is a 1993 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved Mishra's appointment as DG, RPF, until her superannuation on October 31, 2026, said an order issued by the Personnel Ministry.
She will take charge of the post from incumbent Manoj Yadava, who is due to superannuate on July 31.
She is currently posted as the additional director general (selection), Madhya Pradesh Police.
The RPF was constituted by an Act of Parliament in 1957 for providing security to railway property.
Subsequently, the force was empowered to enquire, arrest and prosecute the offenders involved in unlawful possession of railway property in 1966.
In a significant step towards global healthcare innovation, the World Health Organization (WHO) has released a technical brief titled "Mapping the Application of Artificial Intelligence in Traditional Medicine", acknowledging India's pioneering efforts in integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) with traditional medicine systems, particularly Ayush systems.
The WHO release follows India's proposal on the subject, leading to the development of WHO's first-ever roadmap for applying AI in traditional medicine, the Ayush Ministry said in a release.
The WHO document showcases a range of AI-driven applications in Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, Sowa Rigpa, and Homoeopathy, including diagnosis support systems,
that integrate traditional methods like pulse reading, tongue examination, and Prakriti assessment with machine learning algorithms and deep neural networks.
One of the standout features in the WHO brief is the mention of Ayurgenomics, a scientific breakthrough that combines genomics with Ayurvedic principles.
This initiative aims to identify predictive disease markers and personalise health recommendations using AI-based analysis of Ayurvedic constitution types. The document also highlights efforts to decode the genomic and molecular basis of herbal formulations for repurposing in modern disease conditions-a major leap in integrating traditional wisdom with contemporary science.
The annual rate of inflation based on All India Wholesale Price Index (WPI) number is (-) 0.13% (provisional) for the month of June, 2025 (over June, 2024). Negative rate of inflation in June, 2025 is primarily due to decrease in prices of food articles, mineral oils, manufacture of basic metals, crude petroleum & natural gas etc.
The National Stock Exchange (NSE) has emerged as the fourth-largest exchange in the world in terms of IPO fundraising during the first half of calendar year 2025, a new report said.
NSE raised $5.51 billion through initial public offerings in the six-month period, accounting for 8.9 per cent of the total global IPO fundraising of $61.95 billion,
according to data compiled by S&P Global Market Intelligence.
The top three positions on the global IPO league table were taken by the Nasdaq Global Market, NYSE, and the Nasdaq Global Select Market, which together raised $28.95 billion in the same period.
This strong performance comes at a time when expectations are rising for NSE's own public listing -- a long-anticipated move that could mark a historic moment in India's capital markets.
In Football, Chelsea Football Club made history by winning the first-ever FIFA Club World Cup, beating Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) 3-0 in a stunning final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Cole Palmer became a star, scoring twice in eight minutes and setting up Joao Pedro for the third just before halftime.
Chelsea finished as top scorers in the tournament with 17 goals; one more than PSG, Manchester City and Bayern who were all on 16. Palmer’s first goal came after a sharp move from Joao Pedro. Minutes later, he curled in a second from the edge of the box.
Chelsea lifted the trophy as deserved champions, scoring more than any other team in the tournament.
India’s U-20 freestyle wrestling team finished second at the 2025 U-20 Wrestling Championship in Bishkek, securing 2 gold, 1 silver, and 5 bronze medals, with a total of 157 points. Iran claimed the championship title.
Ankush in 57kg category won gold while Amit in 79kg category clinched the second gold after a close 5-4 win over Iran.
Ashwani in 65kg category took silver, while Saurabh in 70kg category, Sachin in 86kg and 92kg category, Vishal in 97kg category, and Jaspooran Singh 125kg category, secured bronze. Overall, India won 21 medals including 10 gold, 3 silver, 8 bronze across all styles.
In Tennis, World No.1 Jannik Sinner claimed his maiden Wimbledon 2025 title at the All England Club in London. He defeated defending champion Carlos Alcaraz 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in a high-octane final to become the first Italian man to win Wimbledon in the competition’s 148-year history.
The 23-year-old World No.1 flipped the narrative, ending Alcaraz’s perfect 5-0 record in major finals and halting a five-match losing streak against the Spaniard. Sinner’s victory came after three hours and four minutes of gripping tennis, where he imposed his aggressive baseline game and served with authority.
With the win, Sinner secures his fourth Grand Slam title, now only missing Roland Garros to complete the career Grand Slam. He also leaves London with a commanding 3,430-point lead in the PIF ATP Rankings.
A Ra Harikrishnan earned his third GM-norm at the La Plagne International Chess Festival in France to become the country’s 87th Grandmaster. The Chennai-based Chess professional earned his first GM norm in July 2023 at the Biel International Chess Festival in Switzerland. Harikrishnan, 24, gained his second one at Andujar Open in Spain.
In chess, a Grandmaster (GM) norm is a performance in a tournament that meets specific criteria, indicating a strong level of play. To achieve the GM title, a player typically needs to earn three GM norms and reach a FIDE rating of 2500.
In Tennis, world No.4 Iga Swiatek was crowned Wimbledon champion tonight after a stunning 6-0, 6-0 victory over 13th seed Amanda Anisimova on Centre Court, in London. The match lasted just 57 minutes, marking a historic milestone as the first women’s final in the Open Era to be won without the champion dropping a single game.
The triumph secures Swiatek’s maiden Wimbledon title and her sixth Grand Slam overall. It also marks her 100th match win at a Grand Slam, and makes her the first Polish player to win a Wimbledon singles title.
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS) to establish the HAL Advanced Academic Initiation Centre in Karnataka. The initiative, undertaken under HAL’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme, aims to promote science education and enhance social outreach,
particularly among students from rural backgrounds.
The new centre will be housed at CeNS’ Arkavathi Campus and function as a hub for science education under the institute’s flagship Vigyaani Vidyarthi Vichar Vinimay (V4) programme.
This initiative has already reached over 20,000 students across 200 institutions, introducing them to cutting-edge advancements in science and technology.
The agreement signed by HAL's General Manager (HR) Pradeep Kumar and , CeNS's Director Prof. BLV Prasad in the presence of HAL's Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Dr DK Sunil, HAL's Director (HR) MG Balasubrahmanya.
Indian lender Karnataka Bank on Monday said Chief Operating Officer Raghavendra Srinivas Bhat will act as interim managing director and chief executive officer for a period of three months.
Former Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Srikrishnan Hari Hara Sarma resigned on June 29, citing personal reasons and triggering a slump in the lender's shares.
Raghavendra Srinivas Bhat, who has been with the bank for more than three decades, was appointed COO in June.
