Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the Swasth Nari Sashakt Parivar Abhiyaan on the 17th of this month. In a social media post, Union Health Minister J P Nadda said the initiative aims to strengthen healthcare services for women and children across the country, ensuring better access, quality care, and awareness. He said, as part of the nationwide Abhiyaan, 75 thousand health camps will be organised at Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, Community Health Centres and other healthcare facilities.

These camps will provide essential services specifically designed to address the healthcare needs of women and children, supporting the government’s vision of inclusive healthcare.

The Minister said, in addition, Poshan Maah will be observed at all Anganwadis to promote nutrition, health awareness, and overall well-being. Mr Nadda said these measures aim to build healthier families and empowered communities across the country. He appealed to all private hospitals and healthcare stakeholders to come forward and be an integral part of this Jan Bhagidaari Abhgiyaan.

India and Israel today signed a landmark Bilateral Investment Agreement (BIA) aimed at strengthening reciprocal investments and expanding trade ties between the two nations.

The agreement was signed in New Delhi on September 8 by India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who is leading a high-level delegation to India.

First OECD nation under India’s new treaty model

Israel has become the first OECD member state to sign an investment pact under India’s new model treaty framework. The BIA replaces the earlier investment treaty signed in 1996, which was terminated in 2017 as part of India’s policy overhaul on such agreements.

Every year, September 8 is marked as World Physiotherapy Day. Physiotherapy is for anyone who wants to live a healthier and active life, and not just for seniors and athletes. This year, the theme is “Rehabilitation and Healthy Ageing”, a timely reminder as India’s ageing population continues to rise.

People often think physiotherapy is just some stretches after an injury. According to Dr Indramani Upadhyay, MPT (Ortho), HOD, The Centre for Knee & Hip Care in Ghaziabad, it’s so much more than that. “It’s about preventing problems before they begin, managing pain, improving mobility—and all without relying on surgery or long-term medication", says Dr Upadhyay.

Many people push through daily aches, hoping they disappear on their own. Some take painkillers and others rely on home remedies. “By the time most people come to us, the issue has often worsened”, says Dr Upadhyay. “Early physiotherapy can make a huge difference in preventing complications, speeding up recovery, and even avoiding surgery.”

The Armed Forces will host the Combined Commanders' Conference (CCC) 2025 in Kolkata, West Bengal, from September 15 to 17, 2025. The theme for this year's conference is 'Year of Reforms - Transforming for the Future', said a statement from the Ministry of Defence on Monday.

The conference will be inaugurated by the Prime Minister and will also be graced by the Defence Minister, National Security Advisor, Raksha Rajya Mantri, Chief of Defence Staff and Defence Secretary. Secretaries from other Ministries are also likely to be present in addition to officers from the three Services and the Integrated Defence Staff.

The CCC 2025 will focus on Reforms, Transformation & Change and Operational Preparedness. Together, these reflect the Armed Forces' commitment to institutional reforms, deeper integration and technological modernisation, while sustaining a high level of multi-domain operational readiness.

Centre has recently announced wide-ranging reductions in Goods and Services Tax across key sectors that directly impact cooperatives, farmers, rural enterprises and benefit more than 10 crore dairy farmers in the country. Ministry of Cooperation said in a statement that these landmark reforms will strengthen the cooperative sector, make their products competitive, increase demand of their products and increase income of cooperatives. The reforms will promote rural entrepreneurship, and ensure affordable access to essential goods for millions of households. GST rate reductions will benefit cooperatives in farming and animal husbandry, promote sustainable farming practices, and benefit small farmers. The Ministry added that these Next Generation GST reforms brought under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi have been hailed by the entire dairy cooperative sector, including the big cooperative brands.

In the dairy sector, direct relief has been provided to farmers and consumers as milk and paneer, whether branded or unbranded, have been exempted from GST. The tax on butter, ghee and similar products has been reduced from 12 percent to 5 percent. GST on milk cans made of iron, steel or aluminium has also been lowered from 12 percent to 5 percent.

Israel on Tuesday launched its latest spy satellite into space from an undisclosed site, the Defence Ministry said.

The Ofek 19 satellite was built by state-run Israel Aerospace Industries.

“Ofek 19 is a highly advanced SAR (synthetic aperture radar) observation satellite with enhanced capabilities. Upon entering Earth’s orbit, the satellite will undergo a series of designated tests to assess its integrity and performance,” the ministry said in a statement.

Israel has launched Ofek observation satellites since 1988 for monitoring and intelligence gathering for the military.

Internet users in India, Pakistan, and parts of the Middle East faced widespread disruptions after subsea cable systems in the Red Sea were damaged, according to internet observatory NetBlocks. The outage has highlighted the vulnerability of global digital infrastructure that depends heavily on undersea cables for connectivity.

According to Reuters, the impact of the outage was not limited to South Asia. Users in the United Arab Emirates also reported difficulties in accessing online services, particularly those using Etisalat and Du networks. NetBlocks confirmed the disruptions and traced the problem to failures in cable systems near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Indian filmmaker Anuparna Roy has won Best Director award in the Orizzonti section at the 82nd Venice Film Festival. This section highlights new and indie films. Her film, Songs of Forgotten Trees, was the only Indian entry in this category and tells the story of two migrant women in Mumbai. The award was announced by Julia Ducournau, president of the Orizzonti jury.

Vetern U.S. director Jim Jarmusch won festival’s top honor, the Golden Lion for Best Film, for his movie Father Mother Sister Brother. The film explores family dynamics and generational tension, with scenes set in New Jersey, Dublin, and Paris. The Silver Lion runner-up award was given to The Voice of Hind Rajab, directed by Tunisia’s Kaouther Ben Hania. Based on a true story of a young Palestinian girl killed during the Gaza war.

Toni Servillo won Best Actor for his role as a weary president in Paolo Sorrentino’s Italian film La Grazia while the Best Actress award went to Chinese star Xin Zhilei for her performance in The Sun Rises On Us All. Benny Safdie was named Best Director in the main competition for The Smashing Machine. Italian director Gianfranco Rosi received a special jury prize for his black-and-white documentary Below the Clouds.

Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh has felicitated the student winners in New Delhi, comprising the Indian team at the 18th International Earth Science Olympiad (IESO-2025) held at Jining in China last month.

Team India put up a stellar performance by securing a total of seven medals including one Gold, 4 Silver and 2 Bronze, along with a 3rd Prize in the International Geoscience Youth Movement Reporter category.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Jitendra Singh lauded the young achievers for bringing glory to the nation and said the results reflect the new aspirational spirit among youth, particularly from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, after India’s startup revolution in the last decade. The Minister underlined that the National Education Policy (NEP-2020) has unleashed the creative potential of young minds by freeing them from the limitations of rigid subject streams and enabling them to explore diverse disciplines.

Max Verstappen stormed to victory at the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday, September 7, taking the chequered flag from pole position and shattering Michael Schumacher’s long-standing record for the fastest race in Formula 1 history.

The Red Bull driver completed the 53 laps at Monza in 1 hour, 13 minutes and 24.32 seconds, eclipsing Schumacher’s 2003 benchmark of 1 hour, 14 minutes and 19.838 seconds. That race, also at Monza, had stood as the sport’s speed record for more than two decades.

Reflecting on the win, Verstappen said: “Lap 1 was a bit unlucky but after that we were flying. The car was really enjoyable, I could manage the pace and we pitted at the right time. Just fantastic execution by everyone. Step by step, race by race — but this was for us an unbelievable weekend.”