India is the world's fifth-biggest military spender. According to the latest report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), which tracks global defence trends every year, India spent $92.1 billion on defence in 2025.
This is an 8.9 per cent jump from the previous year.
The United Arab Emirates has announced it will exit the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and the broader OPEC+ alliance, with the decision taking effect from May 1, 2026. The move follows a comprehensive review of national production policy, capacity, and long-term economic priorities.
The UAE, which joined OPEC in 1967 through Abu Dhabi and remained a member after the federation was formed in 1971, said it values decades of cooperation. It noted, “The time has come to focus our efforts on what our national interest dictates and our commitment to our investors, customers, partners and global energy markets.”
Officials confirmed the country will continue increasing output gradually, aligned with demand. The UAE’s production capacity is close to 5 million barrels per day, though OPEC+ quotas had limited output to significantly lower levels. The government said it will maintain investments across oil, gas, and renewable energy sectors while supporting long-term market stability.
After nearly six decades, the United Arab Emirates has stepped away from OPEC, marking the end of one of the most significant partnerships in global energy. Abu Dhabi joined the oil producers’ group in 1967, even before the UAE was formed, and went on to become one of its most influential members, ranking as the third-largest producer after Saudi Arabia and Iraq.
Flipkart, Axis Bank and PayU announced the launch of biometric authentication for card payments on the e-commerce platform, allowing Axis Bank cardholders to approve transactions using their fingerprint or Face ID instead of a one-time password (OTP).
The feature is currently live for Axis Bank cardholders on supporting Android and iOS devices. PayU handles the merchant-side infrastructure and authentication flows, while Axis Bank uses Wibmo — a PayU subsidiary — to power verification on the issuer side. Flipkart said it is among the first major Indian e-commerce platforms to offer this capability.
Flipkart said it is among the first major Indian e-commerce platforms to offer this capability.
The move comes against a backdrop of rising digital payment fraud in India. According to RBI-linked data cited in the announcement, fraud values grew more than fivefold to exceed ₹1,400 crore in FY 2024.
The Reserve Bank of India has since issued its ‘Authentication Mechanisms for Digital Payment Transactions Directions, 2025’ circular, which explicitly encourages biometric and risk-based authentication over SMS OTPs.
The three companies say the system reduces exposure to SIM-swap and OTP-interception fraud through device binding and enhanced security checks.
China launched a Pakistani satellite from its Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in north China’s Shanxi Province on April 26, 2026.
The satellite named PRSC-EO3 was lifted off at 8:15 p.m. (Beijing Time) by a Long March-6 carrier rocket and successfully entered its planned orbit, China’s State-run Xinhua news agency reported.
This is the fourth Pakistani satellite launched by China since last year. China launched three Pakistani satellites last year.
Separately, two Pakistanis who were selected by Beijing for astronaut training to participate in China’s space mission training arrived in Beijing on April 24.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 594-km-long Ganga Expressway, a mega infrastructure project connecting Meerut to Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh.
The project, built at a cost of Rs 26,230 crore, traverses 12 districts- Meerut, Bulandshahr, Hapur, Amroha, Sambhal, Badaun, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Unnao, Raebareli, Pratapgarh, and Prayagraj-
thereby connecting Western, Central, and Eastern regions of Uttar Pradesh through a high-speed corridor.
The six-lane project is expected to significantly reduce travel time between Meerut and Prayagraj from the current 10-12 hours to approximately 6 hours.
The expressway also consists of a provisional 3.5 km-long Emergency Landing Facility (airstrip) in Shahjahanpur district, making it a "dual-use infrastructure" to enhance national security preparedness, the government said in a release.
The expressway is also linked to numerous corridors, both operational and planned, including the Agra–Lucknow Expressway, Jewar Link Expressway, Farrukhabad Link Expressway, and the proposed extension from Meerut to Haridwar.
Trucks loaded with crushed rock and ore made their way through a craterlike landscape in western Finland, the first place in Europe to house the entire cycle of lithium mining, from mine to refinery.
Lithium is critical for the manufacture of modern electronics and has become a strategic resource,
with some comparing it to the role that oil played at the start of the 20th century.
With China accounting for a majority of world supplies at the moment, countries have raced to develop their own sources.
While there are lithium reserves in other European countries, like Portugal and the Czech Republic, the Finnish site is the first to have the entire production chain-
from mine to concentrator and refinery -- located within 43 kilometres, according to the CEO of the operating company, Hannu Hautala.
The around 783-million euro ($920-million) project will produce battery-grade lithium hydroxide -- a mineral essential for the manufacture of products such as electric vehicles and smartphones.
The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association recently called out for applicants to appear for the State Panel Umpire exams. For the first time, the application form allowed a person to select ‘Other’ in the gender category, in addition to Male and Female. While it may look like a small change, it came thanks to the sheer grit and determination of a 31-year-old umpire from Coimbatore.
R. Rithika Sri is a transwoman from Salem who has been umpiring in the Salem and Coimbatore circuit since 2021 and has been instrumental in forcing this through.
Rithika is the first transgender umpire in Tamil Nadu. Born as R. Muthuraj, she is a diploma holder in Mechanical Engineering.
In a significant step towards strengthening the Basmati rice ecosystem in India, the transfer of land for the establishment of a Basmati & Organic Training Centre-cum-Demo Farm at Tanda Bijaisi, Pilibhit, has been formalised through the signing of a 70-year lease agreement between the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA),
the Department of Agriculture, and the Government of Uttar Pradesh.
The proposed Basmati & Organic Training Centre-cum-Demo Farm will be developed over an area of approximately seven acres.
The centre will be equipped with facilities including an auditorium, museum and gallery on Basmati and organic farming, conference room, laboratory and storage space for organic farming inputs. The facility is expected to support training and capacity building for Basmati and organic farmers, and also serve as a resource centre for agricultural experts and students.
Once established, the facility will be the country’s first Basmati organic training and demonstration farm covering both conventional and organic Basmati cultivation. Owing to its location, the centre is expected to benefit farmers and stakeholders in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Navy have successfully conducted the maiden salvo launch of Naval Anti-ship Missile-Short Range (NASM-SR) from the Navy’s helicopter platform off the coast of Bay of Bengal in Odisha.
During the trial, two missiles were launched in quick succession from the same helicopter, making it the first salvo launch of an advanced air-launched anti-ship missile system.
All test objectives were fully met as per the data captured using various range tracking instruments like radar, electro-optical system and telemetry deployed by the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur. Along with proving the salvo launch capability, the missiles demonstrated the waterline hit capability.
The missile system has been developed by Hyderabad-based Research Center Imarat in collaboration with other DRDO laboratories namely Defence Research & Development Laboratory, Hyderabad; High Energy Materials Research Laboratory, Pune; Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory, Chandigarh & ITR Chandipur.
India and Sri Lanka reaffirmed their growing maritime partnership through the fourth edition of the bilateral diving exercise, IN–SLN DIVEX 2026, conducted at Colombo from 21–28 Apr 2026.
A specialised engagement focusing on complex underwater operations, IN–SLN DIVEX aims to strengthen interoperability between the Indian Navy and the Sri Lankan Navy.
The exercise witnessed participation of the Indian Navy’s Diving Support and Submarine Rescue Vessel, INS Nireekshak, alongside diving teams from both navies-underscoring enhanced operational coordination and professional synergy.
A key highlight was the conduct of mixed gas dives off Colombo over World War-era wrecks - SS Worcester and SS Perseus.
Marking a significant milestone, divers from both navies successfully executed deep-sea dives beyond 55 metres- enhancing joint capabilities in underwater search, rescue, and salvage operations, while reinforcing coordination in the Indian Ocean Region.
Reform-linked Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) 2.0 were signed with the States of Uttarakhand, Karnataka and Tripura following the approval of JJM 2.0 by the Union Cabinet on 10 March 2026.
The reform‑linked MoU mandates a Gram Panchayat‑led, service‑based and community‑centred model of rural water governance, aligned with the objectives of Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0.
The reform‑linked MoU seeks to ensure that every rural household has access to drinking water supply in adequate quantity and of prescribed quality on a regular basis, through strengthened community participation (Jan Bhagidari) and bringing in structural reforms for sustainable operation and maintenance of rural water supply systems,
thereby enhancing the living standards of rural communities contributing to long‑term water security aligned with the national vision of Viksit Bharat @2047.
The MoUs were signed during separate scheduled meetings in the presence of the Union Minister of Jal Shakti, Shri C.R. Patil, and Minister of State, Shri V. Somanna.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued final guidelines exempting non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) that do not avail of public funds, do not have a customer interface, and have assets of less than ₹1,000 crore from the requirement to register with it. These NBFCs will be classified as “Unregistered Type I NBFCs”.
International Jazz Day is celebrated annually on 30 April to highlight jazz's role in uniting people, promoting peace, and fostering dialogue, officially designated by UNESCO in 2011. Initiated by Herbie Hancock, the day is observed in over 190 countries with concerts, educational programs, and community events.
International Jazz Day raises awareness in the international community of the virtues of jazz as a force for peace, unity, dialogue and enhanced cooperation among people, as well as an educational tool.
