The International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons is observed annually on 26 September to raise global awareness about the severe threat that nuclear weapons pose to humanity.
Achieving global nuclear disarmament is the highest disarmament priority of the United Nations.
It was the subject of the General Assembly’s first resolution in 1946, which established the Atomic Energy Commission (dissolved in 1952), with a mandate to make specific proposals for the control of nuclear energy and the elimination of atomic weapons and all other major weapons adaptable to mass destruction.
The General Assembly declared the International Day in December 2013, in its resolution 68/32 as a follow-up to the high-level meeting of the General Assembly on nuclear disarmament held on 26 September 2013, in New York.
World Tourism Day is observed globally on September 27 to highlight the social, cultural, political, and economic value of tourism.
It has been held on 27 September each year since 1980. The date marks the anniversary of the adoption of the Statutes of the Organization in 1970, paving the way for the establishment of UN Tourism five years later.
The year 2015 has been a milestone for global development as governments have adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, along with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The bold agenda sets out a global framework to end extreme poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and fix climate change until 2030.
Indian Naval Ships Sahyadri and Kulish have concluded their participation in the 23rd ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus Experts’ Working Group on Maritime Security Joint Cooperation Activity at Subic Bay in the Philippines.The five-day activity was hosted by the Philippine Navy and co-chaired by Japan.
The event featured Subject Matter Expert Exchanges on Peace and Security, ASEAN Navy Chiefs’ Meeting and Guidelines for Maritime Interaction, Senior Enlisted Leadership and Marine Environmental Protection. Indian naval personnel also took part in operational synchronisation, a tabletop exercise and a pre-sail conference.
The activity strengthened professional interaction and practical cooperation among participating countries. It added that India’s participation reaffirmed its commitment to regional partnerships under the Act East Policy and the vision of MAHASAGAR – Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions.
The Ministry of Culture has informed that Rajasthan’s rich cultural heritage is being showcased through 37 mementos featured in the PM Mementos e-Auction 2026. The collection includes artefacts representing the state’s folk deities, traditional paintings, textiles, architectural heritage and sporting achievements.
The collection includes a handcrafted wooden Ambabari elephant with Howdah, another wooden elephant procession set depicts a royal Howdah accompanied by ceremonial attendants, silver mementos of folk deity Veer Tejaji Maharaj and Pichwai paintings of Shrinathji from Nathdwara. The collection also features artwork depictions of the Ajmer Sharif Dargah and
textile traditions such as a turban featuring a stone and feather brooch, a yellow pagdi with multicoloured motifs, and several angavastras with gota borders. It also features representations of revered sites and deities, including Kaila Mata of Karauli, Sundha Mata, Khema Baba of Baytu, Brahma Temple in Pushkar and Shri Kalyan Raiji Maharaj.
A painting of Mangarh Dham in Banswara is also part of the collection. Historical and contemporary memorabilia include framed newspaper editions related to the Ayodhya Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha and a decorative plate artwork issued by BJP Rajasthan.
Union Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched the fourth phase of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY-IV) in Bhairunda of Madhya Pradesh’s Sehore district and announced a major development package worth thousands of crores for the state, focusing on rural roads, housing and infrastructure expansion.
The launch event, organised as part of the silver jubilee celebrations marking 25 years of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, was attended by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, Union Ministers of State Dr. Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani and Kamlesh Paswan, state ministers, legislators and senior officials from the Centre and the state government.
Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah, today inaugurated, laid the foundation stone, and launched a series of major railway development projects worth over 1,500 crore rupees in Sabarmati.
The minister along with Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel also flagged off the country’s first LNG-powered train from Sabarmati station.
Mr Shah noted that annual diesel consumption in railways has drastically reduced from 293 crore liters to 108 crore liters, with ongoing efforts aimed at eliminating it entirely. He further emphasised that railway electrification has surged from a modest 75 kilometers per year in 2010-11 to around 7,188 kilometers per year,
achieving 99.6 percent electrification across the national network.
The Minister stressed on India’s rapid strides in modern rail infrastructure ranging from high-power WAG-12 electric locomotives and dedicated freight corridors to advanced indigenous safety systems like ‘Kavach.
The program witnessed the inauguration of the WAG-12 Locomotive Maintenance Shed, automatic signaling systems, and the foundation laying for the indigenous ‘Kavach’ safety system on various routes.
The Eastern Naval Command will organise the 11th edition of the Vizag Navy Marathon in Visakhapatnam on December 13 as part of the Navy Day celebrations. Registrations will open on October 4.
The marathon will feature four categories of 42 kilometres, 21 kilometres, 10 kilometres and 5 kilometres.
The race route has accreditation from the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races. The organisers will offer prize money of about 10 lakh rupees. The event has grown from about four thousand participants in 2014 to 17 thousand in 2025.
Union Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman attended the 7th edition of 'IITMAA Sangam', the annual conference of the IIT Madras Alumni Association, organized in Bengaluru. Participating in a special chat with Prof. Rajeev Srinivasan during the event,
Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman dismissed pessimistic narratives suggesting that India’s growth would remain limited to just 2.5%–3%.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is set to commence the operational phase of Exercise Tarang Shakti 2026 at Air Force Station Jodhpur. Being conducted from 26 September to 12 October 2026, the multilateral air exercise is themed “Power in Partnership”, underscoring the strength that comes from working together,
sharing expertise and building interoperability among partner air forces.
Seven Friendly Foreign Countries (FFCs) — Australia, the United States of America, the United Arab Emirates, France, Germany, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh — are participating in the exercise. The foreign aircraft taking part include the F-35 Lightning II, Rafale, F-16, A400M, MRTT,
C-130, C-130J and KC-30A, bringing together a diverse mix of combat, airlift and air-to-air refuelling capabilities.
Exercise Tarang Shakti 2026 provides the IAF an opportunity to demonstrate its operational capabilities, professional standards and institutional ethos, while highlighting India's growing indigenous aerospace and defence capabilities.
The exercise, under the theme “Power in Partnership”, reinforces the importance of cooperation, interoperability and mutual trust in building enduring partnerships among participating air forces.
The Lalit Kala Akademi, National Academy of Art, is organising the 65th National Exhibition of Art, one of the most prestigious annual exhibitions of contemporary visual art in India. The exhibition provides a national platform for artists to showcase their creative practices and for audiences to engage with the diverse and evolving visual arts.
The 65th National Exhibition of Art has received an overwhelming response from artists across India. The Akademi received 6,175 artworks from 2,495 artists representing 27 States and Union Territories. Following a rigorous selection process, the First-Tier Jury selected 270 artworks for presentation at the exhibition.
NMDC Ltd has commissioned its 2 million tonne per annum (MTPA) pellet plant at Nagarnar in Chhattisgarh, as part of a Rs 5,427-crore integrated project of iron ore processing, pipeline and pellet making connecting its iron ore operations at Bacheli with the company's steel plant at Nagarnar.
The project includes a new iron ore processing plant at Bacheli, a 15 MTPA slurry pipeline and the 2 MTPA pellet plant at Nagarnar. The 135 km slurry pipeline carries processed iron ore concentrate from Bacheli to Nagarnar, providing an alternative to transporting the material by road.
The facilities will enable NMDC to process iron ore fines and slimes from its Bailadila mines into concentrate and subsequently convert the concentrate into pellets. The pellet plant uses Straight Grate Induration technology to produce pellets for use in steelmaking.
Team India secured 10th position at the 48th WorldSkills Competition, Shanghai 2026, winning 6 Silver Medals and 20 Medal for Excellence as the prestigious international skills competition concluded in Shanghai, China. Improving upon its 13th-place finish at WorldSkills Lyon 2024, where India secured four Bronze Medals and 12 Medal for Excellence,
the result marks an important milestone for the country’s skilled youth on the global stage.
Both the Indian men’s and women’s Kabaddi teams won gold medals at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 in Japan.
The Indian men’s Kabaddi team clinched gold, beating Iran 40-34 at the Asian Games. The Indian women’s team also edged out Iran in a tense final clash, winning the contest by a 37-34 margin.
India has made a strong medal haul at the Asian Games today, adding seven medals across Kabaddi, athletics, shooting and squash. Now India are currently placed 10th in the medal standings and its overall tally has reached 30 with four gold, twelve silver and fourteen bronze.
In athletics, Tajinderpal Singh Toor won the silver medal in the men’s shot put with a throw of 20.64 meters. Sawan Barwal bagged silver in the men’s marathon ending India’s 44-year wait for a podium finish in the discipline, clocking 2 hours, 11 minutes and 37 seconds. His performance marked a personal best and a new national record.
In shooting, Tilottama Sen, Vidarsa K. Vinod and Ashi Chouksey secured silver in the women’s 50-metre rifle three-position team event, scoring 1,763 points. Prachi Chaudhary win bronze in women’s 400m with a timing of 53.21 seconds. In mixed doubles squash, Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar bagged bronze.
The Centre has notified Deendayal (Kandla), Jawaharlal Nehru (Nhava Sheva), Paradip and Mundra ports as mega ports under the Indian Ports Act, 2025. The notification was issued by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways on September 25, 2026, and came into force on its publication in the Gazette of India.
Deendayal, Jawaharlal Nehru and Paradip are major ports. Mundra, operated by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone, is a port other than a major port. The major ports were notified under Section 73(2) of the Act and Mundra under Section 73(3).
The notification states that the four ports satisfy the criteria for classification as a mega port.
These criteria were notified on July 30, 2026 in consultation with State governments.
Under the criteria, a port is eligible to be declared a mega port if it handled 150 million metric tonnes (MMT) of cargo in the preceding financial year in the case of a bulk port, or 7.5 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in the case of a container port.
The US and China detailed a plan to cut tariffs on about $30 billion of imports from each country, as the superpower rivals take steps to steady ties following a summit between leaders Donald Trump and Xi Jinping.
The list for goods entering the US contains 77 entries, including fireworks, household products, sporting equipment and toys.
They also listed 1,619 goods set to potentially enter China, such as meat, seafood, dairy products, grains, coal, timber and medical equipment.
The expected tariff relief for $60 billion in bilateral trade was one of the most tangible outcomes of Xi’s state visit to Washington last week, even though the amount is a fraction of the $415 billion in total
goods exchanged between the world’s largest economies last year.
The two sides extended their trade truce until January as they pursue a broader agreement ahead of two more expected meetings between Trump and Xi this year.
The government has approved the voluntary retirement of Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) Managing Director Dinesh Pant, with the state-owned insurer confirming that he has ceased to be the company’s Managing Director and key managerial personnel (KMP).
According to an exchange filing by LIC , September 25,
Pant was relieved from the services of the corporation with effect from September 24, 2026, after close of the day, following approval of his voluntary retirement by the government.
Delhi could become the world's 14th-largest city economy by 2050, with its economic output projected to cross $2 trillion, according to Oxford Economics' 2026 Global Cities Index report. The projection comes as Indian cities emerge as some of the world's strongest urban growth centres, with 55 of them featuring among the global top 100 for growth.
Delhi is currently the world's 63rd-largest city economy, but Oxford Economics expects it to climb 49 places over the next 24 years. The capital is also India's highest-ranked city in the overall index, at 268th, five places higher than its position a year earlier.
Private sector lender Yes Bank has mobilised around $2 billion through FCNR(B) deposits under the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s) concessional forex swap window, with most of the funds raised in the three-year and five-year maturity buckets, according to a source aware of the development.
Yes Bank’s mobilisation is lower than the $3-3.5 billion raised by some of its peers. However, the bank did not want to be “overly active” in raising foreign currency deposits and instead mobilised an amount that it could deploy comfortably.
The RBI said inflows through its concessional forex swap window, operationalised on June 8,
had crossed $143.5 billion as of September 18, including FCNR(B) deposits, overseas foreign currency borrowings (OFCBs) and external commercial borrowings (ECBs).
FCNR(B) deposits accounted for nearly $133 billion of the total mobilisation. OFCBs and ECBs stood at $5.32 billion and $5.3 billion, respectively, as of September 18.
The FCNR(B) mobilisation figure relates to deposits mobilised up to August 31, when the window for fresh FCNR(B) deposits closed. The RBI had earlier said on September 2 that banks had mobilised a little over $127 billion through FCNR(B) deposits under the scheme by August 31.
The final mobilisation figure increased subsequently as banks were allowed to avail of the swap facility with the RBI until September 11 for FCNR(B) deposits mobilised up to August 31.
The RBI had operationalised the concessional forex swap window to attract foreign currency inflows into the banking system and
had initially kept the FCNR(B) window open until September 30. However, it closed the window a month earlier following a strong response from banks.
The mobilisation through FCNR(B) deposits was significantly higher than market estimates of $90-100 billion. While the concessional swap window for FCNR(B) deposits closed on August 31,
the facility for OFCBs and ECBs remains open until December 31.
