The Department of Hospital Administration at Army Hospital Research & Referral (AHRR), New Delhi, successfully organised the first-ever Armed Forces National Conference, SHAPE 2025: Sustainable Hospital Architecture, Planning, Infrastructure and Equipment, on July 26-27, 2025.
Over 275 experts from the Armed Forces and civil domains including hospital administrators, doctors, nurses, engineers, and architects came together to deliberate on the challenges and future roadmap for creating sustainable, resilient, and patient-friendly hospital infrastructure in India.
The conference comes at a critical juncture as the nation prepares for its centenary of independence under the visionary Viksit Bharat@2047 agenda. SHAPE 2025 brought together stakeholders from military, civil, and private sectors to forge a unified vision for future-ready healthcare facilities.
SHAPE 2025 outlined a framework for integrating green technologies, such as solar energy, rainwater harvesting, disaster-resilient design, and zero-emission infrastructure. Emphasis was also laid on achieving GRIHA ratings, CFEES certification, and adopting ergonomically designed, healing architecture.
The two-day event fostered collaboration across domains and laid the foundation for a comprehensive doctrine on Sustainable Hospital Infrastructure, Architecture, Planning & Equipment Management.
With SHAPE 2025, the Armed Forces have set a benchmark in healthcare transformation.
The initiative by the Department of Hospital Administration, AHRR, marks a turning point in reimagining hospitals not just as buildings but as climate-conscious, people-centric ecosystems and is a vital step towards building a resilient and health-secure India in line with the national aspirations of Vision 2047.
The 14th edition of the India–Singapore Joint Military Exercise, Exercise Bold Kurukshetra 2025, is set to commence at Jodhpur and will continue till 04 August 2025. The exercise will witness the participation of the 42 Singapore Armoured Regiment of the 4 Singapore Armoured Brigade and the Indian Army’s Mechanised Infantry Regiment.
The exercise will be conducted as a Table Top Exercise and Computer-Based Wargame, aimed at validating operational procedures for mechanised warfare. It will culminate in an equipment display by the Indian Army. The objective of the exercise is to enhance interoperability and joint training capabilities of both armies under United Nations mandate,
thereby strengthening bilateral defence cooperation.
The opening ceremony will be marked by participation of senior officers from both sides. Colonel Arjun Ganapathi, Commanding Officer of The Mechanised Infantry Regiment, will lead the Indian contingent, while Lieutenant Colonel Khiew Zhi Yoong, Battalion Commander of the 42 Singapore Armoured Regiment,
will head the Singaporean side. Brigadier Pritam, Commander of 340 (I) Mechanised Brigade, and Colonel Wong Zeng Yu, Commander of the 4 Singapore Armoured Brigade, will be present as chief guests.
Exercise Bold Kurukshetra 2025 will further consolidate the strong defence ties between India and Singapore and foster greater mutual understanding and collaboration.
World Hepatitis Day, 28 July, is an opportunity to step up national and international efforts on hepatitis, encourage actions and engagement by individuals, partners and the public and highlight the need for a greater global response as outlined in the WHO's Global hepatitis report of 2017.
Indian cricket team skipper Shubman Gill shattered multiple world records with a brilliant century on Day 5 of the fourth Test match against England at Old Trafford. Gill became the first batter ever to hit four hundreds in his debut Test series as captain.
Five others – Warwick Armstrong, Don Bradman, Greg Chappell, Virat Kohli and Steven Smith – had three each in their debut series as captain. Gill’s century today also means that he now has the most 100-plus scores by a captain in a Test series against England.
As a captain, only Don Bradman and Sunil Gavaskar have slammed 4 centuries in a Test series before Gill joined the illustrious list.
Indian athlete Seema scripted history at the ongoing World University Games at Rhine-Ruhr by becoming the first woman to win a medal in the 5000m final event at the championships. Seema clinched silver with a season-best time of 15 minutes 35.86 seconds, which was also her second quickest time ever in the event.
Sahil Jadhav won the gold medal in the men’s compound individual event, as Indian archers finished their campaign with five medals. Earlier, archer Preneet Kaur won a silver in a thrilling women’s compound final. Compound archers also won mixed team gold, men’s team silver and women’s team bronze.
Praveen Chitravel won the silver medal in triple jump with a brilliant jump of 16.66 meters in his second attempt.
India’s total medal tally has gone up to nine. The 32nd edition of the competition is being held in six cities of Germany. The 2023 edition in Chengdu was India’s best performance so far, where the country finished seventh with 26 medals.
In a significant advancement for India’s nuclear self-reliance, Director - Technical, NPCIL, Shri Rajesh V and Director, Chemical Engineering Group, BARC, Shri K. T. Shenoy inaugurated the country’s first-of-its-kind private test facility for the upgradation of depleted heavy water, commissioned by TEMA India Ltd.
This state-of-the-art facility, designed and built by TEMA India’s nuclear vertical under technology transfer from BARC and a Purchase Order from NPCIL, marks a milestone achievement being realised for the first time in the private sector. The development is firmly aligned with the Prime Minister’s Atma-Nirbhar Bharat initiative.
Until now, critical testing infrastructure for heavy water distillation components existed solely within BARC.
The dignitaries also flagged off the first validated consignment of eight Distillation Column sections, comprising activated phosphor bronze modules, critical components for Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs).
These modules, having undergone rigorous in-house performance testing, are slated for deployment in key nuclear power projects: RAPP Unit 8, GHAVP Units 1–4, and KAIGA Units 5 & 6.
This initiative represents a new era of public-private collaboration with institutions like NPCIL and BARC, where complementary strengths are harnessed to advance India’s energy future.
Shriram Life Insurance Company (SLIC) has announced a significant partnership with ESAF Small Finance Bank, targeting India’s underserved segments. This collaboration will leverage ESAF’s extensive branch network to bring accessible and affordable life insurance products to millions across the country, especially first-time insurance buyers, low-income families, and
rural households.
Under this strategic alliance, ESAF Small Finance Bank will serve as a corporate agent, distributing Shriram Life’s suite of insurance offerings through its 788 branches, 713 ATMs, and 1,095 customer service centers spread across 24 states and two Union Territories.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi became the second longest serving Prime Minister of India in consecutive terms, surpassing former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s record.
He will have completed 4,078 days in office in unbroken tenure on July 25, 2025. Indira Gandhi had been in office in an unbroken stint for 4,077 days, from January 24, 1966 to March 24, 1977.
She was re-elected in 1980, and served till her death in 1984.
The record for the unbroken stint is held by first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, although Prime Minister Modi has matched Nehru in winning three successive Lok Sabha elections, from 2014, 2019 and 2024.
Former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, also of the BJP, had been elected thrice, in 1996 (when he took oath for a government that lasted 13 days), in 1998, when he headed the government for 13 months, before it fell to a no confidence motion, to finally be re-elected in 1999 for a full term, therefore unable to complete more than one term.
Another record created by Prime Minister Modi is being an elected head of government both in State, as Gujarat chief minister, and Centre as prime minister, for the longest stint. Prime Minister Modi was made Gujarat Chief Minister in 2001 and remained in the office before taking over as Prime Minister in 2014, where he continues till today.
Citigroup has become a latest entrant to join the competitive luxury credit card market with its new Strata Elite Card.
This latest offering is the bank's attempt to grab a piece of the high-fee, high-rewards credit card market that is currently dominated by American Express' Platinum Card and JPMorgan Chase's Sapphire Reserve Card.
The Strata elite card is priced at an annual fee of $595, which is less than the Platinum Card and the Sapphire Reserve Card. The cost can also unlock almost $1,500 in value if used to its maximum potential.
The new launch also aims to be a strong contender by offering:
SBI Card has announced a series of important changes for its credit cardholders, which will take effect from July 15, 2025.
SBI Card will discontinue its complimentary air accident insurance coverage of Rs 1 crore. This insurance coverage is offered on select premium SBI credit cards.
Effective July 15, 2025, this change applies to the following cards: SBI Card Elite, SBI Card Miles Elite, and SBI Card Miles Prime. Customers using these variants of credit cards will no longer be eligible for this benefit after the specified date.
The complimentary air accident insurance coverage of Rs 50 lakh is available on the SBI Card Prime and SBI Card Pulse will also be discontinued, effective July 15, 2025. Cardholders of these variants will no longer receive this insurance benefit from the specified date onwards, as per the information available on SBI's website.
The SBI Card has changed the MAD calculation against the SBI credit card. Effective July 15, 2025, the minimum amount due (MAD) on your SBI Credit Cards will be calculated as follows: 100% of GST + 100% of EMI amount + 100% of fees/charges + 100% of finance charges + any overlimit amount (if applicable) + 2% of the remaining outstanding balance.
Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog, Shri Suman Bery, on 23 July 2025, presented India’s Third Voluntary National Review (VNR) Report on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the Ministerial Segment of the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on SDGs convened by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations.
This VNR marks India’s third submission to the HLPF, reaffirming the country’s sustained commitment to the UN 2030 Agenda for SDGs.
Seventeen Members of Parliament including Supriya Sule (Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar), Ravi Kishan (Bharatiya Janata Party), Nishikant Dubey (BJP) and Arvind Sawant (Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) have been selected for the Sansad Ratna Awards 2025 for their exemplary performance in the Lok Sabha.
The honours also include four Special Jury Awards, recognising their consistent contributions to parliamentary democracy across three successive terms.
The Special Awards have been conferred on Bhartruhari Mahtab (BJP, Odisha), N K Premachandran (Revolutionary Socialist Party, Kerala), Supriya Sule (NCP-SP, Maharashtra), and Shrirang Appa Barne (Shiv Sena, Maharashtra),
all of whom have maintained top performance since the 16th Lok Sabha.
Other award-winning MPs include Smita Uday Wagh (BJP), Naresh Mhaske (Shiv Sena), Varsha Gaikwad (Congress), Medha Kulkarni (BJP), Praveen Patel (BJP), Bidyut Baran Mahato (BJP), and Dilip Saikia (BJP), among others.
In the committee category, the Standing Committee on Finance, chaired by Bhartruhari Mahtab, and the Standing Committee on Agriculture, chaired by Dr Charanjit Singh Channi (Congress), were recognised for the quality of their reports and contributions to legislative oversight.
Chloe Kelly converted the decisive penalty as England defeated Spain 3-1 in a shootout to retain their Women’s Euro title after a 1-1 draw in extra time in Basel. The win not only secured back-to-back European Championships for the Lionesses but also avenged their World Cup final loss to Spain in 2023.
The triumph marked another historic achievement for coach Sarina Wiegman, who now has three consecutive Euros titles to her name - one with the Netherlands in 2017 and two with England.
The Central Government has nominated Ms. Anuradha Thakur, Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Government of India as a Director on the Central Board of Reserve Bank of India in the place of Ajay Seth who has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI).
The nomination of Ms. Anuradha Thakur is effective from July 24, 2025 and until further orders.
In addition to the Economic Affairs Secretary, the other government nominee director on the central board is Financial Services Secretary M Nagaraju.
