Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Yellow line from RV Road (Ragigudda) to Bommasandra of Bangalore Metro Phase-2 project having a route length of over 19 km with 16 stations worth around Rs 7,160 crore. With the opening of this yellow line, the operational metro network in Bengaluru will increase to over 96 km serving a large population in the region.
Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of Bangalore Metro Phase-3 project worth over Rs 15,610 crore. The total route length of the project will be more than 44 km with 31 elevated stations. This infrastructure project will address the growing transportation needs of the city catering to residential, industrial, commercial and educational areas.
Prime Minister also flagged off 3 Vande Bharat Express trains from Bengaluru. It includes trains from Bengaluru to Belagavi, Amritsar to Sri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra and Nagpur (Ajni) to Pune. These high-speed trains will significantly enhance regional connectivity, reduce travel time and provide a world-class travel experience to the passengers.
INS Tamal, the Indian Navy’s newest stealth frigate, has completed a port call at Casablanca, Morocco, from 6-9 Aug 2025 during her return voyage to India. Commissioned in Russia on 1 Jul 2025, INS Tamal is transiting back to her home base via multiple European and Asian ports, advancing India’s maritime diplomacy and reinforcing bilateral ties.
INS Tamal is the third Indian Naval Ship in the last two years to visit Casablanca.
On departure from Casablanca, the ship undertook a Passage Exercise with Royal Moroccan Navy Ship Mohammed VI.
The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan shook hands as they joined U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House (August 8, 2025) for a peace summit where they signed an agreement aimed at ending decades of conflict.
The two countries in the South Caucasus signed agreements with each other and,
the U.S. that will reopen key transportation routes while allowing the U.S. to seize on Russia's declining influence in the region.
The deal includes an agreement that will create a major transit corridor to be named the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, the White House said.
PayMate, an Indian B2B payments platform, is expanding into Indonesia through a significant $400 million acquisition deal to buy DigiAsia, a leading Indonesian FinTech-as-a-Service (FaaS) provider. This strategic move marks PayMate’s entry into the Indonesian market and aims to create a fintech powerhouse that spans India, Southeast Asia, and potentially beyond.
The deal, announced in September 2024, involves PayMate acquiring DigiAsia’s Indonesian operations. DigiAsia operates on a “B2B2X model,” offering embedded finance APIs designed to streamline financial processes for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across emerging markets.
These services help optimize supply chain and payment workflows, particularly for distributors and their customers.
With PayMate headquartered in Mumbai and having processed $10.5 billion in transactions during its fiscal year 2024, the company is positioning itself to capitalize on the rapidly growing demand for digital B2B payment solutions.
The Reserve Bank of India has approved Equirus Group’s entry into the non-banking financial services sector with the launch of its lending arm, Equirus Finance. The approval allows the Group to operate as a non-deposit-taking Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC), strengthening its existing portfolio of wealth management, investment banking, and
and equities businesses with a dedicated credit platform.
Equirus Finance is set to focus on providing customised lending solutions to high-net-worth individuals, family offices, and corporate promoters. The company has set itself an ambitious goal of building a diversified loan book exceeding Rs. 3,000 crore in the coming years.
Products on offer will include Loan Against Securities (LAS), ESOP financing, market-linked debentures, structured finance, and other specialised secured lending instruments.
According to the management, the licensing process reflected the Reserve Bank’s thorough scrutiny and professionalism.
EQBAC has officially launched its operations in India with a partner-first approach aimed at simplifying cross-border investing. Headquartered out of Mauritius and already active in the UAE,the company’s India entry comes at a time when both retail investors and high-net-worth individuals are increasingly seeking global exposure but are often hindered by fragmented systems,
complex compliance requirements, and restricted product access.
One of EQBAC’s most notable features is its ability to offer fractional investing in global assets to Indian retail and HNI clients, a privilege previously limited to ultra-wealthy investors.
The annual defence production has soared to an all-time high figure of Rs 1,50,590 crore in the Financial Year (FY) 2024-25. The milestone represents a robust 18% growth over the previous fiscal's output of Rs 1.27 lakh crore, and a staggering 90% increase since FY 2019-20, when the figure was Rs 79,071 crore.
Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) and other PSUs accounted for approx. 77% of total production, while the private sector contributed 23%. The share of the private sector, which increased from 21% in FY 2023-24 to 23% in FY 2024-25, reflects the sector's growing role in the defence ecosystem of the country.
Both public and private segments of the industry have demonstrated consistent year-on-year growth, attributed to far-reaching policy reforms, enhanced ease of doing business, and a strategic focus on indigenisation over the past decade. The overall production of DPSUs and private sector has increased by 16% and 28% respectively in FY 2024-25.
It may be recalled that the defence exports have surged to a record high of Rs 23,622 crore in FY 2024-25. It was a growth of Rs 2,539 crore or 12.04% over the defence exports figures of FY 2023-24, which were Rs 21,083 crore.
In Athletics, Olympian Annu Rani won the women’s javelin throw title at the Indian Open 2025 World Athletics Bronze Level Continental Tour at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
She recorded a best throw of 62.01 meters, comfortably beating Sri Lanka’s NDL Hatarabag Leka 56.27 meters and India’s Deepika 54.20 meters.
This marks a strong return for Annu, who had earlier thrown 62.59 meters in Poland her best in nearly two years.
In the men’s javelin throw, India’s Shivam Lohakare secured the silver medal with a throw of 80.73 meters. Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage claimed the gold with an impressive throw of 86.50 meters, surpassing the World Championships qualifying mark of 85.50 meters.
Another Sri Lankan, Sumeda J Ranasinghe, took bronze with a throw of 80.65 meters.
Meanwhile, India’s Murali Sreeshankar claimed the men’s long jump title with a season-best of 8.13 meters on his final attempt. Shahnavaz Khan came second with 8.04 meters, joining India’s 8 meters club, and Lokesh Sathyanathan was third with 7.85 meters.
This win extended Sreeshankar’s streak to four consecutive titles following his return from injury.
The Indian Open 2025 marked India’s first time hosting a World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze Level meet. The event provided valuable ranking points for athletes aiming to qualify for the upcoming World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
In Boxing, Young Indian women pugilists Nisha and Muskan showcased their impressive skills by winning gold medals, while five others bagged silver in the U19 Asian Boxing Championships in Bangkok.
Out of the 10 female boxers in the fray, nine will return with medals including two gold, five silver, and two bronze,
showcasing India’s strong performance against tough competitors from countries like China, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan.
In the 54kg category, Nisha impressed with a 4:1 win over China’s Sirui Yang, while in the 57kg category Muskan edged out Kazakhstan’s Ayazhan Ermek in a close 3:2 match.
In the Asia Rugby Under-20 Sevens men’s final, Hong Kong defeated Sri Lanka to claim the championship title. In the Women’s category China thrashed Hong Kong to clinch the title of the championship.
The finals were played this evening at Rajgir International Sports Complex in Bihar.
Meanwhile, in another final which concluded a short while ago, for the women’s title saw a thrilling contest between China and Hong Kong.
China emerged victorious, defeating Hong Kong 31-14 to secure the title.
In the third-place playoff, the Indian women’s team, led by Bhumika Shukla, defeated Uzbekistan in a closely fought match, winning 12-5 to claim third place.
In the men’s third-place match, Malaysia defeated China to secure third position. Earlier, in the men’s matches, India defeated Kazakhstan to finish in fifth place.
Ramesh Budhial became the first-ever Indian to win a medal in the Asian Surfing Championships while clinching the bronze in the Open Men's category in Chennai on Sunday. Budhial, also the first-ever from the country to reach the medal round, accumulated 12.60 points to bag bronze.
The gold went to Kanoa Heejae of Korea, who led the field with 15.17 points while Indonesia's Pajar Ariyana grabbed silver with 14.57 points. In the Open Women's category, Japan's Anri Matsuno (14.90 points) won the gold, warding off stiff competition from compatriot Sumomo Sato (13.70).
Isabel Higgs of Thailand settled for bronze with 11.76 points.
Korea's Kanoa Heejae, who won the men's gold earlier, made the day sweeter, winning the Under-18 boys' gold as well, scoring 14.33 points.
Chinese duo of Shidong Wu (13.10) Shulou Jiang (8) won the silver and bronze medals respectively.
The steelpan (also known as a pan, steel drum, and sometimes, collectively with other musicians, as a steelband or steel orchestra) is a musical instrument originating in Trinidad and Tobago.
It is played using a pair of straight sticks tipped with rubber; the size and type of rubber tip varies according to the class of pan being played.
Acknowledging that the steelpan promotes inclusive societies, sustainable communities and the creative economy and can have a positive impact on mental health and well-being, gender equality and youth empowerment, the General Assembly decided to proclaim 11 August as World Steelpan Day.
