Union Minister of State for Labour & Employment, Sushri Shobha Karandlaje, led the Indian delegation at the BRICS Labour & Employment Ministers’ Meeting held under Brazil’s Presidency in Brasília on 25th April 2025. The meeting, convened under the slogan “Strengthening the Cooperation of the Global South for More Inclusive and Sustainable Governance”, culminated in the adoption of a forward-looking declaration addressing two pivotal themes: “Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Future of Work” and “The Impacts of Climate Change on the World of Work and a Just Transition”.

Sushri Karandlaje highlighted India’s human-centric approach to technological transformation, aligning with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of “Technology for Empowerment, Not Exclusion”. She highlighted India’s National Strategy for AI, which prioritizes ethical adoption, workforce upskilling, and sectoral applications in agriculture, healthcare, and education. Initiatives like FutureSkills Prime and the Namo Drone Didi program exemplify India’s commitment to creating tech-enabled livelihoods, especially for rural women and youth. The National Career Service (NCS) platform, powered by AI, was showcased as a model for bridging skill gaps and connecting millions to employment opportunities.

The government has authorised Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) to share and receive information from the Enforcement Directorate under the anti-money laundering law, a move aimed at detecting money trail and combating cyber frauds.

Established under the home ministry, I4C is envisaged to act as the nodal point to curb cybercrime in the country. I4C focusses on improving coordination between various law enforcement agencies and the stakeholders, driving change in India's overall capability to tackle cybercrime.

In a notification dated April 25, the Revenue Department under the Finance Ministry included I4C under Section 66 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). This would help I4C to share and receive information from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and other law enforcement agencies.

In a major step towards advancing India’s technological landscape, HMD Global, in collaboration with FreeStream Technologies (incubated at IIT Kanpur), Tejas Networks, and other partners, has unveiled plans to address the growing demand for Direct-to-Mobile (D2M) phones in the country. The announcement will be officially made at the ‘World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) 2025,’ set to take place from May 1-4 in Mumbai.

D2M technology represents a breakthrough in next-generation broadcasting by enabling the delivery of OTT and live TV, video, audio, and text messages directly to mobile phones without relying on Wi-Fi or internet services.

This innovation aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for a ‘Viksit Bharat’ and further strengthens the ‘Make in India’ initiative.

The red side of Merseyside erupted in celebration as Liverpool FC clinched their 20th English league title with a commanding 5–1 victory over North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield on Sunday.

Goals from midfielders Cody Gakpo and Alexis Mac Allister, alongside strikes from forward Luis Díaz and the ever-reliable Egyptian King, Mohamed Salah, powered the Reds to their second Premier League title—marking their first since the historic triumph in 2020. Tottenham’s only consolation came from Dominic Solanke.

With four games still remaining in the season, Liverpool secured the top spot in the Premier League table, sitting comfortably on 82 points after Sunday’s emphatic win.

This title win comes in the very first season under new manager Arne Slot, who took over the reins following the departure of Jürgen Klopp in 2024. Klopp, who spent eight legendary years at the club, leaves behind a legacy of silverware and unforgettable moments—his successor now writing the next glorious chapter in Liverpool’s storied history.

Speaking at the launch, Union Minister outlined the Government’s clear strategy for electronics manufacturing. He said India started its journey by manufacturing finished products to build volume and basic confidence, enabling downward integration. This was followed by module-level manufacturing, then component manufacturing, and now manufacturing of materials that build components. Highlighting that finished goods account for 80 to 85 percent of the value chain, he noted that the scale achieved in electronics manufacturing has been phenomenal.

The Minister stated that electronics production has grown five-fold and exports have grown more than six-fold, with export CAGR exceeding 20% and production CAGR over 17%. He added that mobile phones, servers, laptops, and IT hardware have seen very strong progress and that the industry is poised to take off significantly.

Shri Vaishnaw described ECMS as a horizontal scheme that will support not just electronics but also industrial, power, automobile sectors and more. He emphasized that a complete ecosystem for electronics manufacturing is coming into place across the country.

The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) and Government of Odisha organized a Workshop cum Capacity Building Programme to Boost Agri Products' Exports from Odisha at Dr. M.S. Swaminathan Hall, Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT), Bhubaneswar.

According to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the event featured over 10 stalls, represented by Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOS)/Farmer Producer Companies, women agripreneurs, government departments of Odisha, and exporters from across the state. Several GI-tagged and Agri-Products from the state, such as Koraput Kalajeera Rice, Nayagad Kanteimundi, Brinjal, Ganjam Kewda Flower Products, Koraput Coffee, Kandhamal Haldi Powder, Kendrapada Rasabali, Salepur Rasagolla, Khajuri Gud, Dhenkanal Magaji Ladoo, and Mayurbhanja Kai Chutni, were displayed at the University.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) on Thursday announced that Hubballi Airport in Karnataka has been awarded the Platinum Recognition--the highest level of honour--in the Green Airports Recognition 2025 by Airports Council International (ACI) Asia-Pacific and Middle East.

Hubballi Airport was awarded in the category "Sustainable Energy at Airports" among airports handling less than 6 million passengers per annum, according to a release.

This prestigious honour was declared during the ACI Asia-Pacific & Middle East Regional Assembly, Conference and Exhibition held in New Delhi on April 16, and the award was received by Rajesh Nilkanth Shinde, Executive Director (Technical), AAI, on behalf of the Chairman, AAI.

Muttayil Govinda Sankara Narayanan, popularly known as M G S Narayanan, a well-known historian, researcher, and an educator, passed away on Saturday at the age of 92.

He breathed his last at 9.52 am at his residence in Malaparamba, Kozhikode, according to a report in Kerala’s daily Onmanorama.

Narayanan carved out a space for an academic understanding of Kerala’s ancient past through his works. He was the member secretary and chairman of the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR), according to the report.

India has lifted 171 million people from extreme poverty in the decade between 2011-12 and 2022-23, the World Bank said.

"Over the past decade, India has significantly reduced poverty. Extreme poverty (living on less than $2.15 per day) fell from 16.2 per cent in 2011-12 to 2.3 per cent in 2022-23, lifting 171 million people above this line, the World Bank said in its Poverty & Equity Brief' on India.

It added that rural extreme poverty dropped from 18.4 per cent to 2.8 per cent, and urban from 10.7 per cent to 1.1 per cent, narrowing the rural-urban gap from 7.7 to 1.7 percentage points a 16 per cent annual decline.

Reliance Industries Ltd on Friday named Anant M. Ambani, the youngest son of Chairman Mukesh Ambani, as a whole-time director of the company. Anant M. Ambani, a Brown University graduate, is the youngest non-executive director to be appointed as a whole-time director at Reliance Industries.

The board, acting on the recommendation of the Human Resources, Nomination and Remuneration Committee, approved Anant Ambani’s appointment for a five-year term beginning May 1, 2025, subject to shareholder approval, the company said in a stock exchange filing.

Anant Ambani, who has served as a non-executive director on Reliance’s board, will now take on a more active executive role at India’s most valuable company. Anant Ambani also serves on the boards of several Reliance group companies, including Jio Platforms since March 2020, Reliance Retail Ventures since May 2022, and Reliance New Energy and Reliance New Solar Energy since June 2021. He has also been a board member of Reliance Foundation since September 2022.