Jharkhand on Wednesday signed an agreement with the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI), Kolkata, to establish the state's first film and television institute, with Chief Minister Hemant Soren saying it would open a new chapter for the youth in the film and creative industry.

The Jharkhand Film Development Corporation Limited (JFDCL) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with SRFTI for establishing and operating the Film and Television Institute of Jharkhand.

"Through the MoU signed between JFDCL and SRFTI, our youth will have the opportunity to receive world-class technical education and skilling in film, media and the creative industry," Soren said.

India has emerged as one of the world’s leading nations in railway electrification, with 99.6 per cent of its broad gauge network now electrified, making it the second most electrified major railway system globally after Switzerland. The milestone reflects one of the fastest railway electrification programmes undertaken anywhere in the world and marks a significant step towards cleaner, more energy-efficient rail transport.

According to information shared by Union Minister for Railways, Information and Broadcasting, and Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw in a written reply in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Indian Railways has electrified nearly its entire broad gauge network, while work on the remaining routes is progressing.

The pace of electrification has accelerated sharply over the past decade. While 21,801 route kilometres were electrified over nearly six decades before 2014, an additional 48,072 route kilometres have been electrified between 2014 and 2026. The government has also made electrification an integral part of all new railway line and multi-tracking projects.

Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and Safran Aircraft Engines have signed a long-term agreement for the production and supply of turbine ring forgings in superalloys for the CFM LEAP engine programme.

Under the agreement, HAL will manufacture near-net shape ring forgings for the LEAP engine at its state-of-the-art Ring Rolling facility at HAL’s Foundry & Forge Division in Bengaluru. These superalloy ring forgings are used in elevated-temperature applications of the rotating section of the aero-engine and are critical to engine performance and reliability.

While the LEAP engine -- a product of a joint venture between GE and Safran -- powers commercial airliners like the Airbus A320neo, Boeing 737 MAX, and COMAC C919 CFM International, HAL’s latest announcement is meant to support the Indian government’s ‘Make in India’ initiatives.

Indian-American Amish Shah, a moderate Democrat, won the House primary for Arizona’s First District, defeating the establishment-backed candidate in a keen contest.

Mr. Shah, an emergency medicine doctor, known for his door-to-door campaign style where he reached out to nearly 28,000 homes, will take on NFL kicker Jay Feely, the Republican candidate backed by U.S. President Donald Trump for the November election to the U.S. Congress.

Mr. Shah, a three-term member of the Arizona House of Representatives, defeated former broadcast journalist Marlene Galan-Woods, a candidate backed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Ms. Galan-Woods is the third DCCC-backed candidate to lose a contested House primary this year, including Jasmeet Bains in California and Joe Baldacci in Maine.

India have reason to celebrate at the Commonwealth Games 2026 even before the opening ceremony has taken place. Boxer Lovlina Borgohain became the country's first guaranteed medallist after securing a direct place in the women's 75kg category semifinals on Thursday, July 23.

The Olympic medallist received a bye in the final four in her category, which means that she is assured of atleast the bronze medal. Under the Commonwealth Games boxing format, both losing semifinalists receive bronze medals, meaning Lovlina is guaranteed a place on the podium before stepping into the ring in Glasgow.

Now, Lovlina will kick off her campaign on July 31 against T.K.B.P. Taafaki, with a place in the gold medal bout at stake. A win will take the Indian boxer into the final, while a loss would still see her return with the bronze medal she has already secured.

China has taken another step in expanding its commercial space capabilities as private launch company Orienspace successfully launched its Gravity-1 rocket from a sea-based platform in the East China Sea, placing nine satellites into their intended orbits.

The mission marked the third successful flight of the Gravity-1 launch vehicle and further demonstrated the reliability of China's growing offshore launch infrastructure.

According to the company, the launch took place from a mobile sea-launch platform off the coast of Shanghai. All nine satellites were deployed precisely into their designated orbits, with the mission proceeding as planned.

Officials described the mission as an important milestone in validating the performance of the sea-based launch system.

Delectrik Systems will deploy the first utility scale Vanadium Redox Flow Battery project of 100 MWH capacity in India. Delectrik won the tender in collaboration with Bondada Engineering Limited which is a fast-growing infrastructure solution provider. The project was awarded by NTPC Renewable Energy Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of NTPC Limited (NTPC). NTPC is India's largest integrated power utility with an installed capacity of over 90 GW, with a target to reach 149 GW by 2032. Out of the total capacity NTPC aims to have 60 GW of Renewable Energy capacity.

The installation will be based on Delectrik's non-containerized Flow Battery product architecture which it suitable for large Commercial, Industrial and Utility scale applications. The system will be deployed in 2027 at Khavda Solar Park which is slated to become the world's largest RE park with 30 GW of generation capacity by 2029. The company had successfully deployed a smaller 3 MWH variant of a similar product in 2025 at Greater Noida, NTPC.

In a push for a barrier-less tolling system, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has launched a digital “local pass” for residents in the 20-km radius of toll plazas on the Rajmargyatra app.

On June 17, The India Express had reported that the government was planning to introduce this pass by July. The move came after implementation of the Multi-lane free flow (MLFF) tolling or barrier-less tolling system in different toll plazas. In this system, commuters do not have to stop to pay the toll.

The eligibility for the local pass will be established based on the VAHAN details, which will retrieve a commuter’s address, vehicle number and linked FASTag.

Highlighting that a country’s language carries its heritage and offers a window into its culture, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday (July 19, 2026) inaugurated the Museum of Word at the National Library campus here and called it a step to preserve the virasat (heritage) of India.

Developed by the National Library under the aegis of the Union Culture Ministry, the first immersive language museum in the country, also known as Shabdalok, celebrates India’s rich linguistic heritage and showcases the evolution of its oral and written traditions through interactive and technology-driven exhibits.

India is developing a new Unified Payments Interface (UPI) capability to enable payments without needing an internet connection on either the customer’s device or the merchant’s point-of-sale (PoS) terminal, three people familiar with the matter said. This opens up use-cases such as payments on flights and underground trains.

The UPI operator, National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), is likely to certify PoS devices of the country’s leading merchant terminal manufacturers to enable offline UPI payments this year.

Users will be able to tap and pay at offline merchant terminals using near-field communication (NFC) technology, with transactions capped at ₹2,000, replicating the card-tap experience users are already familiar with.