The Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) inaugurated the International Trade Negotiations Program for officials of the Department of Commerce (DOC). Organised by IIFT’s Centre for International Negotiations (CIN), the program is designed to strengthen the negotiation skills of government officials and bolster India’s global trade engagement.
This program brings together all relevant topics delivered by experts in their respective fields. IIFT has always played an important role in international trade and negotiations, and we wish all participants the very best as they go through this unique learning experience
The Parcel Directorate, Department of Posts (DoP), Ministry of Communications, Government of India signed a comprehensive Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Packaging (IIP), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, significant step towards promoting sustainable packaging practices and enhancing postal service efficiency.
This strategic partnership leverages IIP's 58 years of expertise in packaging technology and DoP's extensive network of over 1.65 lakh post offices to create a robust framework for sustainable packaging innovation. The collaboration supports the Government's vision of environmental sustainability while enhancing the safety and security of postal services.
The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), headquartered in Chennai, has sanctioned an amount of ₹82 lakh to the Andhra Pradesh Biodiversity Board for the conservation of the endemic plant species Red Sanders (Pterocarpus santalinus).
The initiative is aimed at raising one lakh saplings of Red Sanders, which will subsequently be supplied to farmers, thereby contributing to the Trees Outside Forests (ToF) programme, and thus marking a significant step towards conserving a species unique to the region.
The funding has been provided from the benefit-sharing amount collected from users of Red Sanders and is being channelled back to the concerned stakeholders for conservation-related activities. These funds are in addition to the sale proceeds or sale values realised by stakeholders.
The sanction demonstrates the application of the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) mechanism under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 (amended in 2023). The ABS mechanism regulates access to biological resources, while ensuring fair and equitable sharing of benefits with beneficiaries including local communities, individuals and Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs).
Red Sanders, native to the Southern Eastern Ghats and found particularly in the districts of Anantapur, Chittoor, Kadapa, and Kurnool, has been under heavy threat due to its high commercial value, leading to rampant smuggling. The species is protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972,
and listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which strictly regulates its international trade.
NBA has already released over ₹31.55 crore to the Andhra Pradesh Forest Department for various conservation and protection activities related to Red Sanders in the past.
The present release is expected to flow directly into grassroots-level conservation involving Biodiversity Management Committees. Local and tribal communities will participate in nursery development, plantation and long-term care, creating employment, promoting skill-building and enhancing local stewardship in conservation of biological resources.
Giving new impetus to the rejuvenation of River Ganga, the 16th meeting of the Empowered Task Force (ETF) was held under chairmanship of the Union Minister for Jal Shakti Shri C.R. Paatil.
The Minister emphasized that the conservation of the Ganga is not just an environmental effort, but is intrinsically linked to India’s cultural heritage, faith, and the lifeline of millions of people.
The Centre announced first set of two rail links totaling 89 km between India and Bhutan, i.e. Kokrajhar-Gelephu (Assam) and Banarhat-Samtse (West Bengal), at a cost of ₹4,033 crore.
These two projects are part of the first set of rail connectivity projects between India and Bhutan, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri announced at a press conference.
The MoU for these projects was signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Bhutan in March 2024 and a formal agreement was signed here on the occasion of the Bhutanese Foreign Secretary’s visit to New Delhi.
The Minister said the 89-km rail links would provide Bhutan access to 1,50,000 km of the Indian railway network.
While the Kokrajhar-Gelephu rail link would be developed over the next four years, the Banarhat-Samtse line would be constructed over a period of three years. The railway lines would be designed for running Vande Bharat trains.
The former had six stations, two viaducts, 29 major bridges, 65 minor bridges, two good sheds, one flyover and 39 underpasses.
The latter would include two stations, one major flyover, 24 minor flyovers, 37 under passes. It would be developed at a cost of ₹577 crore.
The 18-year-old Indian Sheetal Devi scripted history by becoming the first woman armless archer to win world championship gold in the compound individual section, and Toman Kumar replicated the title run in the corresponding men’s event as India continued their good run at the Para World Archery Championships here on a riveting September 27, 2025.
On a day when India produced two world champions and a total of five medals, Sheetal added a new page to history book, defeating Turkiye’s world No.1 Oznur Cure Girdi 146-143 to claim gold.
The Jammu and Kashmir archer, the only competitor without arms in the tournament, shoots using her feet and chin.
In fact, the only previous instant of an armless archer winning gold came back in 2022 when USA’s Matt Stutzman stood on top of the podium during the Dubai World Championships.
Sheetal had earlier won a mixed team bronze in the compound event with Toman Kumar, defeating Great Britain’s Jodie Grinham and Nathan MacQueen 152-149.
In the compound women’s open team event, Sheetal and Sarita settled for silver after losing to Turkey in the final.
Later, Toman claimed the compound men’s title after fellow Indian Rakesh Kumar was forced to withdraw following a technical glitch as he lost 40-20 in an all-Indian final.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) and the UNICEF announced the launch of the Promise to Children digital campaign during the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025, urging cricket fans, players and audiences to commit to equal opportunities for all children, particularly the most vulnerable.
The campaign, supported by UNICEF National Ambassador and Bollywood actor Ayushmann Khurrana and Indian women's cricket team vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, aims to harness the unifying power of cricket to champion children's rights, including access to quality education, healthcare, nutrition, safe water, sanitation and protection from violence, according to a UNICEF.
One of the 16 cheetahs born in India will reach adulthood on September 29, 2025 at Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh, marking a hopeful turn for the three-year-old reintroduction efforts, an official said.
Mukhi, a female cub born to Namibian cheetah Jwala on March 29, 2023, will reach adulthood, as it will turn 915 days or 30 months old, on Monday (September 29, 2025), ready to contribute to increasing the cheetah population in India,” Project Cheetah Director Uttam Kumar Sharma told.
On September 17, 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released eight cheetahs brought from Namibia into a special enclosure at Kuno. It marked the world's first inter-continental relocation of a large wild carnivore species.
India subsequently imported 12 more cheetahs from South Africa in February 2023.
At present, India has 27 cheetahs, including 16 born in the country, with 24 in Kuno and three in the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, Mr. Sharma said.
He confirmed that 19 cheetahs, comprising nine imported adults and 10 cubs born in India, died of various causes since the project began, while a total of 26 cubs have been born in the KNP so far.
After three years of Project Cheetah, which saw 20 felines imported from Africa, India now has a gain of seven cheetahs compared to the initial number.
Despite a strong 7.8 per cent growth in the first quarter, the Indian economy is expected to grow at 6.5 per cent in the current financial year as the impact of US tariffs on Indian exports will reduce prospects, particularly in the second half, ADB said.
It is to be noted that the Asian Development Outlook (ADO) of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), released in April, had projected a higher growth rate of 7 per cent, which was lowered to 6.5 per cent in the July report on concern of a steep 50 per cent US tariffs on shipment from India.
While GDP grew strongly in the first quarter (Q1) of FY26 at 7.8 per cent on improved consumption and government spending, additional US tariffs on Indian exports will reduce growth, particularly in the second half of FY26 and in FY27, though resilient domestic demand and service exports will cushion the impact, ADO September 2025 said.
ADO also anticipates that the fiscal deficit is likely to be higher than the budget estimate of 4.4 per cent of GDP on account of reduced tax revenue growth partly because of GST cuts, which were not included in the original budget while spending levels are assumed to be maintained, pushing up the deficit.
The free trade agreement between India and the four-nation European bloc EFTA will come into force from Wednesday under which New Delhi has received an investment commitment of $100 billion in 15 years from the grouping while allowing several products such as Swiss watches, chocolates and cut and polished diamonds at lower or zero duties.
The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) members are Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. It was signed on March 10, 2024.
The Index of Industrial Production (IIP) growth rate in August stood at 4 per cent, against 3.5 per cent in July, driven by strong mining activity, according to data released by the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
While the manufacturing sector recorded growth of 3.8 per cent in August, the electricity sector grew by 4.1 per cent, and the mining sector registered 6.0 per cent growth during the same period.
Moody's Ratings affirmed India's long-term local and foreign-currency issuer ratings and the local-currency senior unsecured rating at Baa3 with a 'Stable' outlook on the back of robust economic growth and sound external position.
The global rating agency also affirmed India's other short-term local-currency rating at P-3.
These strengths lend resilience to adverse external trends, in particular as high US (Aa1 stable) tariffs and other international policy measures hinder India's capacity to attract manufacturing investment, it said.
India's credit strength is balanced by long-standing weaknesses on the fiscal side, which will remain, it said.
India's long-term local-currency (LC) bond ceiling remains unchanged at A2 and its long-term foreign-currency (FC) bond ceiling remains unchanged at A3, it said.
The one-notch gap between the LC and FC ceiling reflects limited external indebtedness and the low likelihood of a debt moratorium,
The one-notch gap between the LC and FC ceiling reflects limited external indebtedness and the low likelihood of a debt moratorium, especially in the context of recent steps towards liberalisation of non-resident portfolio investment, it said.
On August 14, S&P Global Ratings upgraded India's sovereign rating by a notch to 'BBB', from 'BBB-', with a stable outlook its first upgrade for India in over 18 years.
On 24 May 2017, the General Assembly adopted resolution 71/288 on the role of language professionals in connecting nations and fostering peace, understanding and development, and declared 30 September as International Translation Day.
30 September celebrates the feast of St. Jerome, the Bible translator, who is considered the patron saint of translators.
St. Jerome was a priest from North-eastern Italy, who is known mostly for his endeavor of translating most of the Bible into Latin from the Greek manuscripts of the New Testament. He also translated parts of the Hebrew Gospel into Greek.
