World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen broke new ground as he became the first-ever champion of the inaugural Esports World Cup 2025 on Saturday. The Norwegian legend, representing Team Liquid, defeated Alireza Firouzja with two consecutive 3–1 set wins in the Grand Final in Saudi Arabia. By becoming the champion of the first-ever Esports Chess World Cup, the 34-year-old bagged $250,000 in prize money. The Norwegian delivered a convincing performance throughout the four-day event, displaying consistent control and clock management at every stage.

Earlier on the final day, India’s Arjun Erigaisi lost to Hikaru Nakamura 2½–3½ to finish fourth. The tournament featured a fast-paced, no-increment format.

India launched a new collaborative initiative with the support of the UN World Food Programme to strengthen Rice Fortification and Supply Chain Management in Nepal. This initiative is part of India-UN Global Capacity Building Initiative launched on 1st August 2025 by Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, in New Delhi.

The project in Nepal will address gaps in Nepal’s fortified rice supply chain, particularly in procurement processes, data collection, and skilled workforce by facilitating knowledge exchange with India’s successful Public Distribution System. The project offers stakeholders from Nepal the opportunity to learn from India’s experience in leveraging digital technologies for efficient food supply chain management. Focus areas will include beneficiary management, storage and distribution models, monitoring and evaluation systems; and grievance redressal mechanisms.

The project will be implemented in three phases over a period of 12 months. The first phase will focus on needs assessment and stakeholder engagement. The second phase will include a study visit to India for Nepali officials, featuring hands-on demonstrations and expert briefings. The third and final phase will focus on the development of an action plan.

India launched the first set of four development projects under the “India-UN Global Capacity Building Initiative,” aimed at supporting countries of the Global South in meeting Sustainable Development Goals. The projects were officially launched by the Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs, Tanmaya Lal, yesterday. According to the MEA, the India-UN Global South Capacity Building Initiative is a natural extension of India’s development partnership efforts.

In its first phase, the programme will support rice fortification and supply chain management in Nepal with the help of the World Food Programme, develop digital health platforms in Zambia and Lao PDR with UNDP support, train officials in census preparedness in Belize, Barbados, St Kitts & Nevis, Suriname, and Trinidad & Tobago in collaboration with the UN Population Fund, and provide vocational training in South Sudan with UNESCO support. The selected training courses are scheduled to begin in September 2025 and will be carried out through designated Indian training institutes under the ITEC framework.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today paid tributes to Mr. Pingali Venkayya on his birth anniversary. In a social media post, Mr. Modi said Mr. Venkayya is remembered for his role in giving India the Tricolour, the pride of the country. The Prime Minister urged the countrymen to strengthen the Har Ghar Tiranga movement by flying the Tricolour and also asked the citizens to upload their selfies or photos on <http://harghartiranga.com> .

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), India in partnership with NITI Aayog, Union Ministries of Social Justice & Empowerment and Health & Family Welfare supported the Sankala Foundation in organising a day-long National Conference on ‘Ageing in India: Emerging realities, evolving responses’, which was held in New Delhi on 1st August, 2025. The conference focused on protecting the human rights and dignity of senior citizens and redefining ageing as an opportunity. It aimed to promote innovative policies, encourage stakeholder dialogue and highlight scalable best practices in response to the evolving challenges and opportunities of India’s ageing population.

In his inaugural address, NHRC Chairperson, Justice Shri V. Ramasubramanian said that India has a rich cultural tradition advocating care and reverence for the elderly as a fundamental societal value. In this context, he also drew references from the Sangam literature and the Yajur Veda. He called for the integration of these ancient values and principles into modern policy frameworks to ensure the dignity, protection and well-being of senior citizens, in alignment with the NHRC’s mandate to uphold human rights. Underscoring the Commission’s commitment to protecting the rights of the elderly, he highlighted its various initiatives, including advisories, core group meetings, research studies and suo motu cognizance cases.

In his special address, Dr. Vinod K. Paul, Member (Health, Nutrition and Education), NITI Aayog, emphasised the importance of healthcare and social security frameworks for the ageing population. He said that empowering families to take care of their elderly should remain the foundation of India’s approach.

The National Institute of Electronics & Information Technology (NIELIT) Delhi, Ropar, and Jammu in collaboration with Directorate General of Resettlement (DGR) successfully organized the DGR Job Fair 2025 on 2nd August 2025 at NIELIT Delhi – Janakpuri Centre. The job fair was held for facilitating placement opportunities for DGR candidates trained at NIELIT Delhi, Jammu and Ropar. 14 companies shortlisted candidates against 250+ job openings in their respective companies. More than 190 candidates had registered for the Job Fair.

The event provided meaningful employment opportunities to serving and ex-servicemen who have undergone training in various IT and emerging technology domains in NIELIT.

Dr. Alok Tripathi, Director (Scheme & Skilling) and Chief Controller of Examination, NIELIT welcomed the dignitaries & participants and reiterated NIELIT’s commitment to bridging the gap between training and placement.

India's cooperative sector is set to challenge ride-hailing giants Ola and Uber with the launch of a taxi service under the brand Bharat by the end of this year, backed by Rs 300 crore authorised capital and having already onboarded 200 drivers across four states.

The Multi-State Sahakari Taxi Cooperative Ltd, registered on June 6, represents a consortium of eight prominent cooperatives, including the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC), Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative Ltd (IFFCO), and Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF).

Last month, Cooperation Minister Amit Shah had indicated that a cooperative taxi service will be launched by the end of 2025, while unveiling a comprehensive cooperative policy for the sector.

"The key objective is to ensure better returns to drivers and provide quality, safe and affordable services to passengers," NCDC Deputy Managing Director Rohit Gupta told PTI.

India’s foreign exchange reserves increased by $2.7 billion to reach $698.19 billion for the week ending July 25, according to data released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday.

The rise was led by foreign currency assets, which went up by $1.31 billion to $588.93 billion.

These assets, expressed in dollar terms, include the impact of changes in the value of other major currencies such as the Euro, Pound, and Yen held in the reserves.

Gold reserves also contributed to the growth, increasing by $1.2 billion to $85.7 billion.

The special drawing rights (SDRs) with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) rose by $126 million to $18.8 billion, while India’s reserve position with the IMF improved by $55 million to $4.75 billion during the week.

Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav and Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, and Power Manohar Lal on Saturday jointly launched the ‘Matri Van’ initiative, a theme-based urban forest spanning 750 acres in the Aravalli Hill area along the Gurugram-Faridabad Road. The initiative, part of the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ programme, aims to enhance ecological preservation and foster community participation, marking a significant step towards urban sustainability.

The launch event, organized by the Haryana Forest Department as part of Van Mahotsav 2025, was attended by Haryana Minister for Industries and Forest, Rao Narbir Singh, along with senior public representatives and state government officials. Describing the ‘Matri Van’ as a green legacy, Yadav emphasized that the forest would serve as the “heart and lung” for the entire Delhi NCR region. He thanked the Haryana government for allocating the land, currently covered with thorny bushes, and transforming it into a vibrant urban forest by planting tree species native to the Aravallis.

State-run telecom firm BSNL has signed a pact with public sector firm Numaligarh Refinery Limited for the deployment of the 5G private network in the refinery sector, an official statement said on Sunday.

The memorandum of understanding between the companies was signed during the "Industry 4.0 Workshop for CPSEs" organised under the aegis of the Ministry of Finance in Guwahati.

"Under this MoU, BSNL and NRL will collaborate to deploy India's first 5G CNPN (Captive Non-Public Network) within the refinery sector, ushering in a new era of secure, ultra-reliable, and real-time industrial connectivity. This initiative is a pioneering step in leveraging indigenous 5G infrastructure for mission-critical operations," the statement said.