Filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan’s moving drama Homebound dominated the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) 2025 awards night, bagging the coveted honours of best film and best director.

Ghaywan's movie, starring Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jetwa and Janhvi Kapoor, triumphed at the annual gala, which honours the best of Indian cinema on a global stage, on Friday night.

Homebound, which explores themes of belonging, displacement and the emotional complexities of returning home, will also serve as the festival’s closing film on August 24.

The country’s largest refiner and fuel retailer Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) expects to start producing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) on commercial scale at its Panipat refinery by December, following the recent international certification received by the unit for manufacturing the biofuel from used cooking oil, according to energy major’s chairman Arvinder Singh Sahney. By the end of this calendar year, IOC will have the capacity to produce 35,000 tonnes per year of SAF from used cooking oil, which will be sourced from large hotel chains, restaurants, and sweets and snacks majors like Haldiram’s, which normally discard cooking oil after single use.

“The capacity (35,000 tonnes per year) will be sufficient to meet the country’s 1 per cent SAF blending requirement (for international flights) by 2027…for feedstock (used cooking oil), we will be engaging aggregators to collect it from big hotel chains and restaurants. There is a large amount of such oil available in the country. The only challenge is collection. While it is easy to collect from large hotel chains, a solution needs to be found for collection from small users, including households,” Sahney said.

In Arunachal Pradesh, under Indian Army’s Operation Sadbhavana initiative, an ‘Arogyam Health and Wellness Centre’ was inaugurated at DahJhong in Tawang district today. The centre was inaugurated by Tawang Deputy Commissioner Namgyal Angmo.

Equipped with basic life-saving facilities, the centre aims to provide timely health support to villagers and tourists visiting the high-altitude regions of Thingbu, Mago, Jethang, and Luguthang in the district.

On the occasion, the Deputy Commissioner expressed gratitude to the Indian Army for establishing the centre and dedicating it to the villagers.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi marked this Independence Day with a historic milestone, delivering his longest-ever address from the ramparts of Delhi’s Red Fort, clocking in at 103 minutes. The speech, which touched on the nation’s achievements, pressing challenges, and his vision for the future, also saw PM Modi cement his place in history as the second prime minister after Jawaharlal Nehru to have given such a long consecutive run of Independence Day speeches.

This year’s address was PM Modi’s 12th in a row since first taking office in 2014, breaking the record previously held by Indira Gandhi, who delivered 11 consecutive speeches. The only leader ahead of him now is India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, who addressed the nation 17 times in a row between 1947 and 1963.

In his Independence Day address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Rs one lakh crore Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana, a nationwide employment initiative aimed at transforming job opportunities for India’s youth.

“There is big news for the youth of the country,” PM Modi declared from the Red Fort on Friday. “On this day, we are starting and implementing a scheme of Rs 1 lakh crore for the youth of my country,” he said.

The scheme, effective from August 15, is designed to incentivise both first-time employees and private sector employers.

Under the initiative, any young person securing their first job in the private sector will receive Rs 15,000 directly from the government. “The son or daughter who gets their first job will be given Rs 15,000 by the government,” PM Modi announced, emphasising the scheme’s role in easing the transition into formal employment.

In his Independence Day address from the Red Fort, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the ambitious "Sudarshan Chakra Mission," aimed at bolstering India's national security over the next decade.

Emphasizing self-reliance, PM Modi stated that by 2035, the nation seeks to expand, strengthen, and modernize its security framework, drawing inspiration from Lord Shri Krishna's Sudarshan Chakra.

"In the next ten years, by 2035, I want to expand, strengthen, and modernise this national security shield. Drawing inspiration from Lord Shri Krishna, we have chosen the path of the Sudarshan Chakra...The nation will be launching the Sudarshan Chakra Mission." The entire modern system should be researched, developed, and manufactured in India, harnessing the talent of our youth. This powerful system will not only counter terrorist attacks but also strike back at the terrorists," he said.

India’s wholesale price index (WPI), a key measure of factory-gate inflation, fell to –0.58 per cent in July 2025, marking the second consecutive month of deflation and the lowest level in two years, according to the data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Thursday.

The last time WPI inflation was this low was in July 2023, when it stood at –1.36 per cent.

The decline was led mainly by a sharp fall in food prices. Primary food articles saw a drop of 6.29 per cent, with vegetables falling 28.9 per cent, onions 44.4 per cent, potatoes 41.3 per cent, pulses 15.12 per cent, fruits 2.65 per cent and eggs, meat and fish 1.09 per cent. Fuel and power prices also eased, recording a decline of 2.43 per cent compared with a year earlier.

The logo and Mascot of the first-ever Khelo India Water Sports Festival (KIWSF) were unveiled today in Srinagar. The Himalayan Kingfisher, will be the mascot for the Games while logo captures the essence of Kashmir, featuring a Shikara gliding on Dal Lake, framed by snow-capped mountains and pine trees. The event will be held at the city’s iconic Dal Lake from August 21-23. More than 400 athletes from 36 states and Union Territories are expected in Srinagar to compete in rowing, canoeing and kayaking. The KIWSF will be hosted by the J&K Sports Council in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs.

In Chess, German Grandmaster Vincent Keymer has won the Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters 2025 with one round to spare, becoming the first sole champion in the event’s history.

The 20-year-old secured the title after drawing with Dutch Grandmaster Jorden van Foreest, while other results confirmed his victory. His performance also pushed him into the world’s Top 10 in live ratings for the first time.

In the Masters, all games in Round 8 ended in draws, leaving the fight for second and third place wide open.

Arjun Erigaisi and Karthikeyan Murali, who face each other in the last round, are among the contenders.

The Maharashtra government has officially declared Ganeshotsav as the state festival and issued a Government Resolution to this effect. As part of the initiative, Bhajani Mandals will be eligible for a grant of up to 5 crore rupees.

In order to promote public Ganeshotsav celebrations at national and international levels, a range of cultural and spiritual programs will be organized under this initiative, including a spiritual drama festival, drone shows, and a statewide lecture series.

A dedicated portal will be launched for the online viewing of major Ganesh temples and public celebrations. A digital platform will also be developed for citizens to upload photographs of domestic Ganeshotsavs. To enhance public engagement, awards will be presented to the best Ganeshotsav Mandals across the state.

The initiative will further include interactive events such as a reel-making competition and other cultural activities, aiming to make Ganeshotsav more inclusive and widely celebrated.