Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced India's first bullet train will begin operations in August 2027, running between Surat and Bilimora on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail corridor. The 508-km project, executed with Japanese technical and financial assistance, is expected to be fully completed by December 2029. Services will extend to Thane by 2028 and Mumbai by 2029. The corridor features 12 stations including Mumbai, Thane, Surat, Vadodara, and Ahmedabad. With a total estimated cost of ₹1,08,000 crore, Japan International Cooperation Agency funds 81% while the remaining comes from the Ministry of Railways and state governments. By June 2025, ₹78,839 crore had been spent.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw praised India's homegrown navigation app Mappls after personally testing it during a car journey. Developed by MapmyIndia in partnership with ISRO under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative, Mappls offers a privacy-focused alternative to Google Maps and Apple Maps. The minister highlighted its 3D junction views for overpasses and underpasses, voice-guided navigation, and real-time traffic updates. Key features include doorstep navigation, driving alerts for speed limits and accident zones, CCTV spot indicators, and a trip cost calculator for toll charges. Available in nine Indian languages including Hindi, Kannada, and Punjabi, the free app supports Android Auto and Apple CarPlay integration.

Renewable energy surpassed coal as the world's leading electricity source in the first half of this year, marking a historic milestone according to global energy think tank Ember. This unprecedented shift is being driven by countries like China, India, Pakistan, and Nigeria, which are rapidly expanding their renewable energy capacity. The achievement represents a significant turning point in the global energy transition away from fossil fuels. However, the progress isn't uniform worldwide as the United States and Europe have increased their reliance on gas and coal during the same period. This divergence highlights the uneven pace of the renewable energy transition across different regions despite the overall global shift toward cleaner power sources.

Historian William Dalrymple argues in his new book 'The Golden Road' that ancient India's pivotal role in shaping global civilization has been overlooked for centuries. Speaking to Fareed Zakaria on CNN, Dalrymple described India as "the cultural superpower of Asia," whose influence through Buddhism and Hinduism shaped over half the world's current population. Sanskrit united Asia like Latin did Europe between 200 BCE and 1200 AD. Indian mathematician Aryabhatta introduced zero and place value, enabling modern mathematics and computing. Dalrymple noted India's historical trade dominance, with most Roman coins found in India and Sri Lanka. He predicts India will become a top-three global economy by century's end.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif again backed US President Donald Trump's claims of preventing an India-Pakistan war, nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize at a Gaza peace conference in Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh. Sharif praised Trump as "genuinely a man of peace" for brokering the Israel-Hamas ceasefire that freed 20 hostages Monday after two years. He credited Trump with stopping eight wars, claiming his intervention during the four days following India's Operation Sindoor, the retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam attack prevented nuclear escalation between India and Pakistan. Trump called Sharif's praise "really beautiful." India maintains the ceasefire understanding resulted from direct DGMO-level military talks between both nations.

Lyricist Javed Akhtar strongly condemned the Taliban minister Amir Khan Muttaqi's visit to India, calling the Taliban the "world's worst terrorist group." Akhtar expressed shame over the "respect and reception" Muttaqi received, particularly criticizing the reverent welcome at Darul Uloom Deoband seminary in Saharanpur, where flower petals were showered and students took selfies. He condemned honoring someone who banned girls' education. Muttaqi's six-day visit included meeting External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar marking India's first high-level Taliban engagement since 2021. Despite facing UN sanctions, Muttaqi received temporary travel exemption. His initial press conference sparked controversy for excluding women journalists, later dismissed as a "technical issue."

BJP leader Nishikant Dubey strongly condemned Pakistan at the UN General Assembly, calling it "one of the worst violators" of the Children and Armed Conflict agenda. During Monday's session on children's rights, Dubey accused Pakistan of cross-border terrorism affecting Afghan children through military airstrikes near the Afghanistan border and firing at Indian border villages in May 2025, causing civilian casualties. He criticized Pakistan's "highly hypocritical" behavior at international forums while violating child protection norms. Dubey referenced India's Operation Sindoor, which targeted nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. He urged Pakistan to "stop preaching" internationally and instead protect children within its own borders, condemning attacks on women and children.

Nepalese agriculture student Bipin Joshi, 23, who arrived in Israel just three weeks before the October 7, 2023 Hamas assault, has been confirmed dead after nearly two years in captivity. Joshi was among 17 Nepalese students at Kibbutz Alumim when Hamas attacked, killing ten of his compatriots. According to survivors, he heroically caught and threw away a grenade, saving a fellow student before being captured. His family traveled to Israel, meeting President Herzog and joining vigils at Tel Aviv's Hostage Square. Hamas announced Monday it had no more living hostages, and Joshi's body was recovered. He was the only non-Israeli hostage previously believed alive in Gaza.

Israel and Hamas carried out a major exchange under a US-brokered peace deal, freeing all living Israeli hostages and nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Emotional scenes unfolded in Israel and Gaza as families reunited after two years of war. US President Donald Trump, arriving in Israel, called the ceasefire a “historic dawn in a new Middle East.” Later in Egypt, Trump and world leaders signed a declaration to secure lasting peace. The agreement faces challenges over troop withdrawal and Gaza’s future governance, but leaders hailed it as the first real step toward ending years of conflict and suffering. (PC: BBC)

US President Donald Trump praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a “very good friend” at the Gaza Peace Summit in Egypt. Trump also gestured toward Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who stood behind him. He said he believed India and Pakistan would “live very nicely together.” Shehbaz thanked Trump and said his help had stopped a possible wider war. India was represented at the summit by Kirti Vardhan Singh. Prime Minister Modi praised Trump’s peace efforts. The summit ended with leaders signing a ceasefire agreement to ease fighting and help civilians. (PC: India Today)