Telangana State Education Department has signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with some NGOs to enhance teaching infrastructure and learning outcomes across all government schools yesterday. The MoUs have been signed in the presence of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy. As per the MoUs, the NGOs will offer state-of-the-art technology-based teaching services free of cost to students in the government schools.

Among the NGOs that signed the MoU are Nandan Nilekani-led EkStep Foundation, Sunita Krishnan’s Prajwala Foundation, Alakh Pandey’s Physics Wallah, Khan Academy, Shoaib Dar’s Pi Jam Foundation, and Safina Hussain’s Educate Girls. These NGOs bring a wide range of expertise in digital education, foundational learning, and girl child education. An official release stated that the move is part of the government’s broader strategy to bridge the digital divide and elevate the quality of education in public institutions across Telangana.

Brazil’s Foreign Ministry has announced that Vietnam has officially joined BRICS as a partner country. The ministry’s statement said that, as a dynamic economy deeply integrated into global value chains, Vietnam is an important player in Asia.

The Russian news agency Sputnik reported that after expressing its desire to become a member of the global body, Vietnam has now become the 10th BRICS partner. The partner country category was created at the 2024 BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia. The current list of partners includes Vietnam, Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, and Uzbekistan.

World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is being observed today globally. The day is a unique moment to remind everyone that land degradation neutrality (LDN) is achievable. The commemoration of the day is led by the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. The theme for this year is – “Restore the land. Unlock the оpportunities”, which shines a light on how restoring nature’s foundation-land-can create jobs, boost food and water security, support climate action and build economic resilience.

As part of its celebrations in India, Union Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change Bhupender Yadav and Union Minister of Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat will inaugurate the National Workshop on “Strategies for Combating Desertification and Drought” at the Arid Forest Research Institute in Jodhpur today. The workshop is aligned with the 2025 global theme, and it will emphasise the importance of land restoration for climate resilience, biodiversity, and sustainable rural development. The workshop will bring together scientists, policymakers, forest officials, and civil society organisations.

Britain on Sunday named Blaise Metreweli, a career intelligence officer, as the first female head of the Secret Intelligence Service, the foreign spy service known as MI6.

Metreweli, 47, who is currently MI6’s head of technology, known as “Q”, joined the Secret Intelligence Service in 1999, and has spent most of her career in operational roles in the Middle East and Europe, the government said in a statement.

Richard Moore, the current chief of MI6, will step down in the autumn after a five-year tenure.

“I am proud and honoured to be asked to lead my service,” said Metreweli, who takes on one of the most powerful jobs in Western intelligence and will be known by the code name “C”.

The recently released report card on Rajasthan’s Cash Plus model — India’s first State-led pilot to converge Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT) with Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) for improving maternal and child nutrition — indicates a 49% rise in early breastfeeding (now reaching 90% of newborns), 44% of women being more receptive to home-based counselling, 49% improvement in dietary diversity among pregnant women, and 54% more women using cash specifically for nutrition.

The State government scheme augments the national Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), which provides financial assistance to pregnant and lactating women for their first living child. It aims to improve the health and nutrition of mothers and their infants by offering cash incentives. The scheme is implemented by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.

Rajasthan carried out the assessment of its enhanced programme through a three-year field study starting 2021.

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and Eurobank of Cyprus have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to introduce Unified Payments Interface (UPI) services in Cyprus for cross-border transactions that will benefit tourists and businesses.

This was one of the key business outcomes from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Cyrus, which concluded on Monday with the two sides agreeing on measures to ramp up cooperation in trade and investment.

The NSE International Exchange at Gujarat’s Gift City too signed an MoU with Cyprus Stock Exchange to enable cross-border flows. The agreement is expected to benefit investors in Gift City, Cyprus and Europe, officials said.

The youth and elders share notably stronger traditional values and intergenerational bonds in non-metro cities than metros, reveals a first-of-its-kind study conducted by HelpAge India to mark the World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) on Sunday. Two-thirds of elders and 70 per cent of youth out of a total of 5789 respondents surveyed in 10 cities, report their daily interaction at home is the reason behind the bonding. This frequency is higher in joint families and non-metro cities, indicating the continued importance of shared living spaces and traditional community structures. The surveyed 10 cities include Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Kanpur, Nagpur and Ahmedabad. The report named ‘Understanding Intergenerational Dynamics & Perceptions on Ageing’ (India Intergenerational Bonds – INBO Report), was released by Director, Punjab & Chandigarh of Mera Yuva Bharat, Paramjit Singh.

The report suggests that in terms of proximity to elders, a notable difference is seen between metro city and of non-metro city youths, with the latter showing stronger expressions of respect, possibly due to more traditional or community-oriented value systems.

Singapore-based life coach Sucheta Raj Khanna blends emotion, politics and spiritual reflection in her debut novel “The Stars Light the Way”, which is about the journey of a woman rediscovering her true self amid life’s most defining crossroads.

At the heart of the novel, published by Penguin Random House India, is Shazma, who is leading a quiet life in Singapore till she receives an unexpected invitation to join the Indian Parliament.

The weight of a decision threatens to unravel the life she’s built with her husband, Nikhil, in Singapore. As she faces this life-altering choice, mysterious signs from her late father, SR, pull her back to her childhood, revealing truths along the way.

These intertwined paths of reflection and growth draw them closer – with Shazma reconnecting with her authentic self, and SR advancing in his spiritual journey.

U Mumba delivered a dominant performance to defeat Jaipur Patriots 8-4 and capture the Ultimate Table Tennis title here on Sunday.

Despite a strong start by the Patriots with skipper Kanak Jha winning the opening game 11-4 against Lilian Bardet, the Frenchman bounced back impressively to take the next two games (11-5, 11-7), turning the momentum in U Mumba’s favour.

Then, Mumba captain and World No. 12 Bernadette Szocs emerged as the star of the night, ending Sreeja Akula’s unbeaten run with a 2-1 win.

Chandra pulled one back for Jaipur with a 2-1 win over P B Abhinandh, but it was not enough to stop U Mumba.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy presented the inaugural Gaddar Film Awards, honouring cinematic excellence at a glittering ceremony held at the HITEX Exhibition Centre.

Named in honour of revolutionary poet Gaddar, the event celebrated achievements of film personalities from June 2014 to December2024, marking a revival of state-sponsored film awards, replacing the former Nandi awards.

Held before a star-studded audience that included prominent Tollywood personalities, the ceremony celebrated achievements in acting, direction, technical crafts and featured top honours such as Best Feature Film, Best Actor and Best Actress.