Every year, July 28 is observed as World Nature Conservation Day, a global reminder of the need to protect and preserve the environment. In 2025, the message is clear: even one lifestyle change like reducing single-use plastic or switching to public transport can have a huge impact on the health of our planet.

HISTORY AND SIGNIFICANCE

World Nature Conservation Day is not linked to any international body like the UN, but is widely celebrated across the world, especially in countries like India. The day aims to raise awareness about the importance of a healthy environment and the urgent need to preserve natural resources for future generations.

India won three medals on the final day of the World University Games on Sunday as the contingent closed their campaign with a total of 12 medals at 20th place in Rhine Ruhr. India won two gold medals, five silver and five bronze medals.

This is a poor performance compared to the previous edition in Chengdu, China when India finished seventh in the medal tally with 26 medals in total including 11 gold, 5 silver, and 10 bronze medals.

Steeplechaser Ankita Dhyani won the silver medal in the 3000m while the men’s 4x100m relay quartet bagged a bronze medal. Along with them, the trio of Munita Prajapati, Mansi Negi, and Sejal Singh finished third to win the bronze medal in the women’s 20km team racewalk.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has announced the formation of the State Sanitation Workers Commission, fulfilling a long-standing demand of sanitation workers’ unions. The commission will be known as Bihar Rajya Safai Karmachari Ayog.

Making the announcement, the Chief Minister in social media post today said, the constitution of this new commission will ensure the protection of the rights and interests of sanitation workers in the state, who play an important role in maintenance of cleanliness in the state. He added that the commission will focus on the welfare, rehabilitation, social upliftment, grievance redressal, and monitoring of various welfare schemes for sanitation workers.

The Chief Minister mentioned that the Department of Social Welfare has been directed to initiate the process for setting up the Bihar State Sanitation Workers Commission. This commission will provide recommendations to the government concerning the protection of the rights and interests of sanitation workers. It will also review and ensure the implementation of welfare schemes related to those engaged in sanitation work.

Seventeen parliamentarians have been awarded Sansad Ratna Awards 2025 in New Delhi today for their exemplary performances. These parliamentarians include Ravi Kishan, and Dinesh Sharma from BJP, Varsha Gaikwad from Congress, Supriya Sule from NCP-SP and Arvind Sawant from Shivsena-UBT. The awards have been given by a non-government organisation. Talking to the media on the occasion, Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju said, this award is the recognition of MPs outstanding performances. He also congratulated all the MPs who got this award today.

Over 800 million people across the world have vision problems and do not have access to eye care, said Dr Yutaro Setoya, Team Lead Non-communicable Diseases and Comorbidities, World Health Organisation (WHO) India.

Dr Setoya was addressing a conference on adolescent eye health in India — with a special focus on the alarming increase in myopia — at Amity University, Noida. The conference was organised by WHO and Drishti, an NGO working to create awareness on eye care, founded by Amity student Sanjana Chauhan.

“Vision problems affect millions of people worldwide. It not only affects your eyesight, but also affects your education, economic productivity, and overall well-being. Children and adolescents between five and 15 years of age suffer from vision impairment and refractive errors,” Dr Setoya said.

Net foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows stood at $35 million in May 2025, 98% lower than the $2.2 billion seen in May 2024 and 99% lower than the $3.9 billion in April 2025, according to new data released by the Reserve Bank of India on Wednesday (July 23, 2025).

Net FDI is the gross amount coming into India minus the money sent abroad by foreign companies operating in India (through repatriation or disinvestment) and the investments abroad made by Indian companies (outward FDI).

The reason behind this reduction in net FDI flows was not only that gross FDI flows were lower in May 2025 than in both May 2024 and April 2025, but also because the quantum of repatriation was higher.

The Ministry of Panchayati Raj, in collaboration with the Government of Madhya Pradesh and Indira Gandhi National Tribal University (IGNTU), Amarkantak, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) today in Bhopal, to establish a Centre of Excellence on PESA. The initiative marks a major step towards strengthening local self-governance in tribal areas and the effective implementation of the Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA). This Centre of Excellence at IGNTU, Amarkantak will serve as a dedicated platform for research, capacity building, participatory planning, and policy support, aligned with the broader goals of tribal empowerment and localized sustainable development.

The event was graced by Shri Vivek Bharadwaj, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj; Smt. Dipali Rastogi, Principal Secretary, Panchayat and Rural Development Department, Government of Madhya Pradesh; Smt. Mukta Shekhar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj; Prof. Byomakesh Tripathy, Vice-Chancellor (I/c), IGNTU; along with other senior officials. A key highlight of the event was the formal launch of the PESA Compendium titled “PESA in Action: Stories of Strength and Self-governance”, a curated document capturing best practices, case studies, legal provisions, and field innovations from across the PESA-implementing States.

Regular practice of yoga may reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by as much as 40% among individuals at high risk, according to a new report titled ‘Yoga and Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes’. The findings were presented on Thursday to the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, J.P. Nadda, in the presence of Union Minister for Science & Technology Dr. Jitendra Singh.

The report, based on evidence-backed research, was prepared by the Research Society for the Study of Diabetes in India (RSSDI), one of India’s largest organizations of diabetes researchers and healthcare professionals. It was led by Dr. S.V. Madhu, former President of RSSDI and current head of the Department of Endocrinology at the University College of Medical Sciences, Delhi.

Wrestling icon Hulk Hogan has died at the age of 71, WWE confirmed on Thursday. Emergency responders were called to his home in Clearwater, Florida early in the morning following reports of a cardiac arrest.

In a statement World Wrestling Entertainment says it’s “saddened to learn WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan has passed away”.

Describing Hogan as “one of pop culture’s most recognizable figures”, it says “Hogan helped WWE achieve global recognition in the 1980s”.

In a major step forward for India’s defence capabilities, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully conducted flight trials of the UAV-Launched Precision Guided Missile (ULPGM)-V3. The test was carried out at the National Open Area Range (NOAR) in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh confirmed the successful trial on Friday, stating, "This marks a significant boost to India’s defence capabilities. Congratulations to DRDO and our industry partners, including DcPPs, MSMEs, and start-ups, for this remarkable achievement."

The ULPGM-V3 system, designed to be launched from drones, represents a cutting-edge advancement in India's arsenal of precision-strike capabilities, aligning with the broader push for unmanned and smart warfare systems.