US President Donald Trump presided over a landmark moment on Friday as the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a U.S.-brokered peace agreement to formally end more than three decades of conflict. The deal, signed at the White House by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, marks a dramatic diplomatic win for the Trump administration and ushers in a new era of cooperation in the South Caucasus.

Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity

At the center of the deal is a major infrastructure initiative dubbed the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, a transit corridor that will connect mainland Azerbaijan to its Nakhchivan exclave through Armenian territory. The corridor is intended to boost regional connectivity and symbolizes a new chapter of economic integration and diplomatic normalization between the two former adversaries.

Astronaut Jim Lovell, the commander of Apollo 13 Moon Mission, who guided the Apollo 13 safely back to Earth in 1970, has died on Thursday in Lake Forest, Illinois, US. He was 97.

NASA said in a statement that he had turned a potential tragedy into a success after an attempt to land on the Moon was aborted because of an explosion onboard the spacecraft while it was hundreds of thousands of miles from Earth. Acting NASA head Sean Duffy said Lovell had helped the US space programme to forge a historic path.

Tens of millions watched on television as Lovell and two other astronauts splashed back down into the Pacific Ocean, a moment which has become one of the most iconic in the history of space travel.

History was made on Sunday as India’s Ramesh Budihal secured the bronze medal in the Open Men’s category at the Asian Surfing Championships in Mahabalipuram.

This was India’s first-ever individual medal in the history of the competition.

He scored 12.60 points in the final, finishing behind Indonesia’s Pajar Ariyana (14.57) and South Korea’s Kanoa Heejae (15.17).

Budihal started strong, catching the opening wave of the heat and scoring a 6.17. His opponents also showcased their skills, putting in high scores. Budihal was in second after the first waves, with the young South Korean taking the lead.

Punjab has become the first state in India to empanel sign language interpreters, translators, and special educators under the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015 to ensure accessible and sensitive justice for all, particularly children with hearing and speech impairments.

The announcement was made by Dr Baljit Kaur, Minister for Social Security, Women and Child Development. These experts will be deployed district-wise to provide support services to children in need.

This landmark step, undertaken under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, is designed to empower children with special needs by eliminating communication barriers in legal, educational, and daily life settings. The move is also aligned with the provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.

The Republic of Moldova has officially become the 107th member of the International Solar Alliance (ISA). The Instrument of Ratification was handed over by Moldova’s Ambassador to India, Ana Taban, to P. S. Gangadhar, Joint Secretary (Economic Diplomacy) and Head of Depository, ISA, during a meeting in New Delhi.

The inclusion of Moldova is expected to further strengthen global cooperation in promoting solar energy and advancing sustainable development goals.

Headquartered in India, the ISA collaborates with multilateral development banks, private and public sectors, civil society, and international institutions to implement cost-effective solar solutions, especially in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Member Countries.

The Business Confidence Index (BCI) rose sharply to 149.4 in the April-June period from 139.3 in the last quarter of 2024-25, according to the Business Expectations Survey of National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER).

NCAER in a statement said the BCI is based on four components -- overall economic conditions to improve in next six months, financial position of firms will improve in the next six months, present investment climate and whether present capacity utilisation was close to or above optimal level.

The share of positive responses across the four components remains above 60 per cent in the first quarter and also each component exhibited improving trend compared to the preceding quarter, the statement added.

The Indian handloom industry is one of the oldest and most vibrant cottage industries globally. With a legacy dating back thousands of years, it reflects India’s rich culture and skilled craftsmanship.

Indian weavers have long been known for their expertise in hand-spinning, weaving and printing skills. They are located in small towns and villages across the country, where skills are passed down to the next generations.

From Swadeshi to Self-Reliance

The handloom sector played a vital role in India’s freedom movement. The Swadeshi Movement, launched on August 7, 1905, championed indigenous industries, especially handlooms, as a form of economic resistance to colonial rule.

A day ahead of the Monsoon Session, Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Sunday inaugurated the E-Vidhan (paperless assembly) system and a 500 kW solar power plant at the Delhi Legislative Assembly Complex.

With this, all legislative work in the Delhi Assembly will now be conducted digitally, enhancing the pace and quality of policymaking.

The solar initiative is expected to generate savings of up to Rs 15 lakh per month, roughly Rs 1.75 crore annually, and is projected to recover its cost quickly while potentially generating surplus electricity through net metering. The E-Vidhan platform complements this transition by enabling a paperless legislative process, promoting administrative efficiency and cutting down the institution’s carbon footprint.

India’s journey towards a financially inclusive economy gained significant momentum as the Reserve Bank of India’s Financial Inclusion Index (FI-Index) rose to 67 in March 2025, marking a 24.3 percent increase since its inception in 2021, according to a statement released by the Press Information Bureau on Wednesday. The index, which stood at 64.2 in March 2024, reflects growth across its three sub-indices—Access, Usage, and Quality—underscoring the government’s commitment to ensuring equitable access to financial services for all citizens.

The FI-Index, launched by the RBI in 2021, measures financial inclusion across banking, investment, insurance, postal, and pension sectors through 97 indicators. Ranging from 0 to 100, where 100 signifies complete financial inclusion, the index evaluates access to financial infrastructure, usage of services, and quality aspects such as financial literacy and consumer protection. The 2025 growth highlights improvements in usage and quality, driven by enhanced financial literacy initiatives and expanded digital infrastructure. The Access sub-index tracks physical and digital infrastructure, including savings accounts, post offices, and Point of Sale terminals, while Usage reflects demand through savings, credit, and digital transactions like UPI. The Quality sub-index focuses on financial education and grievance redressal mechanisms.

India and Russia on Wednesday reaffirmed their strategic partnership and signed a key protocol to boost cooperation in sectors including aluminium, fertilizers, railways, and mining technology, during the 11th session of the India-Russia Working Group on Modernization and Industrial Cooperation.

The meeting, held at Vanijya Bhawan in the capital, was co-chaired by Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) Secretary Amardeep Singh Bhatia and Russian Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Alexey Gruzdev. It was conducted under the framework of the India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological, and Cultural Cooperation.

Around 80 delegates from both nations — comprising senior officials, experts, and industry representatives — participated in the session.