India has climbed eight places on Henley Passport Index 2025 to 77th rank from 85 last year though the number of countries allowed visa-free access to Indian passport holders has mariginally been increased to 59. A passport is a government-issued document that allows an individual to travel overseas.

The Henley Passport Index is a popular ranking of global passports that measures passport strength by the number of destinations that holders can visit without a prior visa. The index ranks countries based on statistics provided by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

According to the most recent data, Singapore’s passport remains the most powerful in the world, granting visa-free access to 193 of 227 locations.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is set to implement a paradigm shift in its policy regarding excise tax on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) from January 2026, announced the Ministry of Finance and Federal Tax Authority (FTA) .The new rule will shift from a flat 50% tax rate to a tiered volumetric model, where the tax per liter is directly linked to the sugar content per 100ml of a beverage. This move aims to reduce sugar consumption, promote healthier dietary habits, and combat lifestyle-related diseases such as obesity and Type 2 diabetes.

Under the current system, introduced in 2017 and expanded in 2019, all sweetened beverages—including carbonated drinks, energy drinks, and products with added sugars or sweeteners, are subject to a uniform 50% excise tax. The new tiered system will impose higher taxes on beverages with greater sugar content, incentivizing manufacturers to reformulate their products to lower sugar levels. “The updated mechanism encourages manufacturers to reduce added sugars and empowers consumers to make more informed dietary choices,” the Ministry of Finance stated.

The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has reported notable progress under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), with over 20 lakh candidates trained in the financial year 2024-25 alone. The flagship scheme, launched in 2015, aims to equip India’s youth with skill development through Short-Term Training (STT) and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) initiatives.

Over the last five financial years, a cumulative effort across States and Union Territories has contributed to a significant rise in skilled manpower. Uttar Pradesh led the training numbers in FY 2024-25, with more than 4.63 lakh individuals trained, followed by Rajasthan with 2.79 lakh and Madhya Pradesh with over 2.58 lakh trainees.

Placement tracking under PMKVY was actively carried out during its first three phases-PMKVY 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0-covering the period from 2015-16 to 2021-22. As per official data, the placement rate of candidates certified under the STT component during these phases stood at 43%. Under the current phase, PMKVY 4.0, the emphasis has shifted towards empowering candidates to make informed choices in their career paths with necessary orientation support.

Bestselling author Rhonda Byrne, known for "The Secret", is making a comeback with "Countdown to Riches: 21 Days of Wealth-Attracting Habits", which will release on November 25.

In the upcoming book, which is the first in a planned series of Byrne's new books and will be published by HarperCollins, she argues that financial struggle is caused by barriers in our mind, and to free ourselves from financial burden, we must learn how to train the brain to become wealthy.

"I'm so excited for the opportunity to share the secrets of abundance and living your best life with my readers, as well as a new generation," the 74-year-old author said in a statement.

Rajasthan Assembly will establish a 'Kargil Shaurya Vatika' in its premises to honour the soldiers who died in 1999 Kargil war.

On the occasion of Hariyali Amavasya on Thursday, a total of 1100 saplings will be planted in the vatika (garden) which will be inaugurated by Assembly Speaker Vasudev Devnani who will plant a Sindoor (vermilion) sapling.

Marking the 26th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas, 21 Veeranganas (war widows) of the soldiers will join Devnani in planting saplings.

ISRO's Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) to develop a submersible spherical vessel, MATSYA-6000, which can carry humans into the sea up to a depth of 6km.

The human-occupied vehicle (HOV) is part of 'Samudrayaan', a project under the Deep Ocean Mission of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), according to ISRO.

In a release issued by the space agency on Wednesday, the design of the HOV along with development of the material for realisation was carried out by VSSC.

Ministry of Food Processing Industries will organise the 4th edition of World Food India 2025 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi from 25th of September this year. The theme of the four day event is Processing for Prosperity. Speaking at the Curtain Raiser event in New Delhi, Union Minister of Food Processing Industries Chirag Paswan said the event will bring together the Stakeholders to share new ideas, innovation and best practices for the growth of food processing sector. He said, this sector has a potential to enhance the income of farmers, creating job opportunities and generating revenue. He emphasized for harnessing the the potential of this sector which is now untapped. Mr Paswan said that the aim of the government to make India a food processing hub.

The Union Minister also highlighted the schemes including Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana aiming to boost the food processing sector in the country.

On the occasion, Secretary, Ministry of Food Processing Industries Avinash Joshi highlighted the sector’s significant contribution to Gross Value Addition and its leadership of milk, millets and pulses.

The US House of Representatives has passed the Genesis Act, a bill to regulate US dollar-pegged stablecoins, and sent it to President Donald Trump, who is expected to sign it into law. The bill passed with bipartisan support, 308-122, and marks a major step for the crypto industry, which has long pushed for clear federal rules.

If signed into law, the stablecoin bill would require tokens to be backed by liquid assets, such as US dollars and short-term Treasury bills, and for issuers to publicly disclose the composition of their reserves every month.

The House also passed two other crypto bills. One creates a wider regulatory framework for digital assets, which is called the Clarity Act, and the other would ban a US central bank digital currency.

Deepak Bagla has assumed charge as the mission director of the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), an official statement said on Monday.

Prior to this, Bagla served as the managing director & CEO of Invest India, the government's national investment promotion and facilitation agency.

He has served on several high-level government committees and represented India in multiple international forums, including as president of World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA).

Bagla holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics from St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi, and Master's degrees in International Diplomacy and International Trade & Finance from Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.

The UN Security Council (UNSC) adopted a resolution to strengthen mechanisms for the peaceful settlement of international disputes. Resolution 2788, adopted unanimously by the 15-member council, urges all UN member states to utilise effectively the mechanisms as outlined in Article 33 of the UN Charter, including negotiation, inquiry, mediation, conciliation, arbitration, judicial settlement, resort to regional agencies or arrangements, or other peaceful means of their own choice.

Resolution 2788 reaffirms the UNSC’s role to recommend appropriate procedures or methods of adjustment for the peaceful settlement of disputes, and calls on member states to take necessary measures for the effective implementation of UNSC resolutions for the peaceful settlement of disputes. The settlement encourages the UN secretary-general to ensure that the United Nations can lead and support mediation and preventive diplomacy efforts, encourages the secretary-general to continue to use his good offices, and calls on member states to support and cooperate with the secretary-general in this regard.