At Bagh-e-Gul Dawood – Kashmir’s first exclusive chrysanthemum garden – Vicky watches his six-year-old son lollop about. Around him stretch rows of vibrant chrysanthemums – red, pink, brown, yellow, and white – their sweet, lush scent filling the air.

“This is beyond my imagination,” Vicky, a tourist from Uttar Pradesh, says in awe. “Kashmir is beautiful but here you feel at peace. It’s a great escape from the ruthlessness of city life.”

On Saturday, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah will officially open Kashmir’s latest tourist spot – the Bagh-e-Gul Dawood at Cheshma Shahi. Cradled between the bluish Zabarwan mountains and the shimmering Dal Lake, the terraced Bagh-e-Gul Dawood – or Chrysanthemum Garden – stands next to Srinagar’s other main attraction, the Tulip Garden.

A new global platform to confront mounting debt challenges — the Sevilla Forum on Debt — was launched on October 22, 2025, at the 16th United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD16) in Geneva.

The Forum, a Spanish-led initiative supported by UNCTAD and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), aims to serve as an open and inclusive space for dialogue and action on sovereign debt reform.

Announced jointly by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Spain’s Minister of Economy, Trade and Business Carlos Cuerpo, UNCTAD Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan, and UN DESA Under-Secretary-General Li Junhua, the Forum marks one of the first tangible outcomes of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) held earlier this year.

India won two bronze medals today at the Asian Youth Games in Bahrain. Indian athlete Veer Bhadu scripted history by winning the bronze medal for the country in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). This is India’s first medal in this sport. Veer secured his position on the podium with a win over Thailand’s Dechachot Barisri by unanimous decision in the Men’s 80 kilgramme category.

Palash Mandal won a bronze medal in the boys’ 5000 metre walk race. Palash secured the third position in the final behind Chinese duo of Haoze Zhang and silver medallist Yujie Lu. India also took their medal tally to 12 at the event in Bahrain with two gold, three silver and seven bronze.

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has launched a new AI-powered assistant, ‘UPI Help’, to simplify digital transactions on the Unified Payments Interface (UPI). The tool is designed to assist users with queries, manage payment mandates, and address grievances related to UPI payments. NPCI aims to make digital transactions more efficient by reducing the dependence on manual customer support.

UPI Help will allow users to receive quick responses for issues encountered during UPI transactions. Users can check transaction statuses, report failed or pending payments, and raise complaints directly through the assistant. The system interacts with banks to give faster dispute resolution under the UPI Dispute Resolution (UDIR) framework, which could help resolve payment-related concerns efficiently.

Investors can now use their mutual funds to make payments via UPI. The recently launched “Pay with Mutual Funds” feature allows investors to instantly redeem units from their liquid funds and make payments as needed.

If you have a liquid mutual fund and the fund issuer supports this service, the payment amount will be taken directly from your fund. Redemption will happen on the back-end and the money will be transferred instantly via UPI. For example, ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund and Bajaj Finserv AMC have launched this service with Curie Money.

This feature turns liquid funds into a kind of bank account, but also offers market-linked returns and UPI payments.

The Centre has granted approval to Adani Power Limited (APL), a large thermal power producer, to lay an overhead transmission line to connect its Godda Ultra Super Critical Thermal Power Plant with the Indian grid through a Line-In Line-Out (LILO) arrangement of the Kahalgaon A–Maithon B 400 KV line. As of now, the Godda plant supplies electricity exclusively to Bangladesh.

For laying the proposed transmission line, which will pass through 56 villages of two tehsils — Godda and Poreyahat — in Godda district of Jharkhand, the Centre has conferred the same powers to the APL, which the telegraph authority possesses under the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, for placing telegraph lines and posts. Under the Act, the authority can, from time to time, place and maintain a telegraph line under, over, along or across, and posts in or upon, any immovable property.

The Ministry of Power extended similar authority to APL by issuing an order on September 29 using powers under Section 164 of the Electricity Act, 2003.

On 24th October every year, World Polio Day is observed all over the globe, in memory of Dr. Jonas Salk, the scientist who was instrumental in developing the first successful vaccine for polio. This day serves as a reminder that continued caution and vigilance is still crucial in the fight against polio. Polio, also known as poliomyelitis, is a highly infectious disease caused by the poliovirus that attacks the nervous system. It can cause permanent paralysis or even death in extreme cases. At its peak, thousands of children were afflicted by polio worldwide. The development of the polio vaccine is considered to be one of the greatest achievements in the field of medicine, as it helped contain the spread of this infectious disease and turn it into a preventable condition.

World Polio Day serves as an opportunity to recognise the contributions of scientists, healthcare professionals, volunteers, researchers, and organisations that have worked tirelessly to protect children and communities. It reminds us that vaccines are not only lifesaving but also essential for long-term public health security.

An essential part of the work on development consists of the mobilization of public opinion in both developing and developed countries in support of set objectives and policies. Governments of the more advanced countries must continue and intensify their endeavors to deepen public understanding of the inter-dependent nature of development efforts, and of the need to assist the developing countries in accelerating their economic and social progress. Similarly, Governments of developing countries must continue to make people at all levels aware of the benefits and sacrifices involved, and to enlist their full participation in achieving the development goals and objectives.

The mobilization of public opinion has to be the responsibility mainly of national bodies. Governments may give consideration to the establishment of new national bodies or to strengthening the existing ones designed to mobilize public opinion, as a long-term measure, to give increasing development orientation to the educational curricula. Considering that leadership can make a significant contribution to the mobilization of public opinion, the formulation of concrete aims by the competent authorities is indispensable.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday released the Defence Procurement Manual (DPM) 2025 at a ceremony in South Block, New Delhi. The manual, effective from November 1, aims to simplify procurement procedures, bring uniformity in functioning, and enhance operational preparedness of the Armed Forces.

The new manual will govern revenue procurement worth approximately ₹1 lakh crore by the three Services and other establishments under the Ministry of Defence. Addressing the gathering, Singh said the revised guidelines will also provide increased opportunities for MSMEs and start-ups in defence manufacturing and technology, ensuring transparency, fairness, and accountability in procurement processes.

Financial Advisor (Defence Services) Dr. Mayank Sharma briefed attendees on the manual, highlighting that it was prepared in close consultation with the Services and other stakeholders to ensure efficiency and ease of implementation.

President Droupadi Murmu has said that the teachings of Sree Narayana Guru went beyond the boundaries of religion, caste, and creed. The President today inaugurated the observance of the Mahasamadhi centenary of Kerala’s spiritual leader and social reformer, Sree Narayana Guru, at Sivagiri Mutt in Varkala. The President said, Sree Narayana Guru promoted literacy, self-reliance, and moral values among the oppressed communities. She said, Sree Narayana Guru’s message becomes even more relevant in today’s world.

The President paid tributes at the Maha Samadhi. Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar and Ministers V. N. Vasavan and V. Sivankutty were among the dignitaries who attended the event. President Droupadi Murmu, who is on a four-day visit to Kerala, will attend the platinum jubilee celebrations of St. Thomas College, Palai, in Kottayam this evening. She will conclude her visit tomorrow by attending the centenary celebrations of St. Teresa’s College in Ernakulam.