The critically endangered Asian giant tortoise, the largest tortoise in mainland Asia, has been reintroduced into the Zeliang Community Reserve in Nagaland’s Peren district.

Officials in the State said 10 individuals of the species from the Nagaland Zoological Park in Chümoukedima district’s Rangapahar were released in the reserve through a community event on August 2. The event was organised by the Nagaland Forest Department and the India Turtle Conservation Programme (ITCP).

“These tortoises were bred and head-started from a conservation colony in our park, which has India’s largest captive population of the species,” C. Zupeni Tsanglai, Director of the Nagaland Zoological Park, said on Monday.

Russia has officially declared it no longer considers itself bound by the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. The 1987 arms control deal had banned ground-launched missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometres. Moscow blamed the West for creating what it called a direct threat to its national security. The Russian Foreign Ministry said the treaty’s conditions had disappeared and confirmed it will no longer follow restrictions on missile deployments.

Russia cited recent US military actions as the key reason. These included the deployment of a Typhon missile system in the Philippines and missile drills during the Talisman Sabre exercises in Australia. Moscow said these moves harmed global stability and increased pressure on its security.

The INF Treaty had already weakened after the US withdrew in 2019, accusing Russia of violations. Moscow denied the claims and said the US was developing banned missile systems.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s special programme Pariksha Pe Charcha (PPC) 2025 has set a new Guinness World Record for getting the most number of people to register on a citizen platform in one month. Over 3.53 crore people signed up on MyGov, showing how more and more people in India are taking part in digital public programmes.

The Guinness certificate was officially given in Delhi by Rishi Nath from Guinness World Records. Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, MoS Jitin Prasada, Education Secretary Sanjay Kumar, and MyGov CEO Nand Kumarum were present.

Started in 2018, PPC allows the Prime Minister to talk to students, teachers, and parents about exams, stress, mobile distractions, and time management. It now follows the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and encourages students to see exams as a joyful part of learning, not a burden.

Minister Pradhan said this world record proves how popular the programme is. PPC 2025 got 3.53 crore registrations and was watched by more than 21 crore people across different platforms. He also said this is the second Guinness World Record during his time—the first was for the Pahal LPG subsidy scheme.

India has submitted this year a dossier titled 'Ancient Buddhist Site, Sarnath' to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre for the 2025-26 nomination cycle, the government informed Parliament on Monday.

Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said this in a written response to a query in Lok Sabha.

He was asked the details of the number of new heritage sites being proposed for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List and the timelines set for this process.

The Conscience Network, A Chronicle of Resistance to a Dictatorship, written by Sugata Srinivasaraju, was released in Bengaluru by former Lokayukta N. Santosh Hegde, former Additional Chief Secretary and Development Commissioner Chiranjiv Singh and writer K. Marulasiddappa. Senior journalist A.V.S. Namboodiri was the chief guest.

The book talks of the lesser-known but significant role of the Indian diaspora in the U.S., whose growing influence and vocal opposition to the Emergency emerged as a powerful force. Some of the book’s principal protagonists, including activist S.R. Hiremath, were present at the event.

India Post Payments Bank (IPPB), a pioneer in accessible banking services, announced the nationwide rollout of Aadhaar-based Face Authentication facility for customer transactions — a breakthrough initiative aimed at empowering every Indian, especially the elderly and differently-abled, by making banking more secure, inclusive, and convenient.

The face authentication feature, developed under the framework of UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India), enables customers to perform banking transactions using facial recognition, eliminating the need for physical biometric inputs like fingerprints or OTPs. With this, IPPB strengthens its mission of “Aapka Bank, Aapke Dwaar” by making banking more accessible, inclusive, and customer-centric.

Speaking on the launch, Shri R Viswesvaran, MD & CEO, IPPB said, “At IPPB, we believe that banking should not just be accessible, but dignified too. With Aadhaar-based face authentication, we are ensuring that no customer is left behind due to limitations in biometric fingerprints or OTP verification. It’s not just a tech feature; it’s a step towards redefining financial inclusion at scale.”

IDBI Bank Ltd has announced the sudden and sad demise of Shri T. N. Manoharan who was serving as Independent Director and Part-time Chairman of the Bank on July 30, 2025.Part-time chairperson servicesIDBI Bank services

Shri T. N. Manoharan was associated with the Bank from February 24, 2022. He passed away on 30th July 2025 in Mumbai, while asleep presumably due to cardiac arrest.

The Bank has been benefitted from his vision and varied experience during his stint. The Board of Directors and all employees of the Bank express their profound grief and extend heartfelt condolences to his family.

After a temporary suspension of services due to drop in tourist footfall on the 155-years old Patalpani-Kalakund line, Western Railway resumed the operation of heritage trains last week.

The 9.5 km long Patalpani-Kalakund line, in the Dr Ambedkar Nagar (earlier Mhow)-Khandwa section in Madhya Pradesh, is considered to be one of the six heritage lines of the Indian Railways even though it still awaits official certification by the Railway Board.

It is a meter-gauge section which was preserved by the Indian Railways in 2018, since the line could not be converted to the broad gauge because of its difficult terrain. The first heritage train on the line set-off on December 25, 2018.

The final of the World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025 saw South Africa Champions taking on Pakistan Champions. After stellar performances from the two sides, it was South Africa Champions who registered an emphatic win in the final after a brilliant performance by skipper AB de Villiers.

The clash began with Pakistan Champions coming in to bat first after winning the toss. The side got off to a subpar start as opener Kamran Akmal departed after adding just two runs on the board. However, Akmal’s opening partner, Sharjeel Khan, put in an exceptional performance, amassing 76 runs in 44 deliveries.

Furthermore, Mohammad Hafeez added 17 runs to the board, with Shoaib Malik scoring 20 runs as well. Additionally, Umar Amin went unbeaten on a score of 36 runs, with Asif Ali scoring 28, alongside Aamer Yamin, who went unbeaten on a score of two runs, as Pakistan Champions posted a total of 195 runs in the first innings of the game.

Sometimes, a Formula 1 win is less about speed than strategy and gritty driving. Lando Norris held off McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri in a tense finish to win the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday (August 3, 2025) and boost his title chances.

Overtaking in Hungary is tough, but Norris had to work hard to keep the win as Piastri loomed behind him in the final laps.

Norris celebrated with a double fist pump on top of his car after claiming McLaren's 200th F1 win by less than a second to cut Piastri's standings lead to nine points from 16.