THE HEADLINES:
- External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar calls for UN reforms to encourage collaboration with Global South; Holds meetings with leaders of Global South countries on sidelines of UN General Assembly in New York.
- Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal says India expects to increase energy trade with US.
- Government brings out selection criteria for participation of individuals and teams in Asian Games 2026 and other multi-sports events.
- Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei cautions against nuclear talks with the US; Warns of major irreparable losses to Iran.
- ISSF Junior World Cup to kick off in New Delhi today.
- And in Asia Cup Cricket, India to clash with Bangladesh in Super Fours stage encounter at Dubai this evening.
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External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar hosted a High-Level Meeting of Global South Countries in New York on the sidelines of the 80th UN General Assembly session. During the meeting, Dr Jaishankar called for utilizing existing forums to strengthen consultations among the Global South with a view to enhance solidarity and encourage collaboration. He also made a proposal on reforms in the UN and multilateralism as whole.
In a social media post, Dr Jaishankar informed that on the sidelines of the High-Level meeting, he also met Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, St Lucia’s Foreign Minister Alva Baptiste and Foreign Minister of Somalia Abdisalam Ali. He also interacted with his Dutch counterpart David van Weel where he had an insightful conversation on European strategic positioning and India’s approach.
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India has strongly criticised Pakistan at the UN Human Rights Council for misusing the forum with baseless and provocative statements against India. Speaking at the 60th Session of the UN Human Rights Council, Counsellor, Permanent Mission of India in Geneva, Kshitij Tyagi, said that Pakistan must vacate India’s territory instead of attempting to possess it and focus on rescuing its economy, which is on life support. He also highlighted that Pakistan has a polity which is stifled by military dominance and a human rights record stained by persecution.
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Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has said that India is in a great spot to expand its clean energy over the next five years. Addressing the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum in New York, Mr Goyal said the government aims to grow its clean energy capacity from over 250 Gigawatts to 550 Gigawatts. The Minister said the government expects to increase its trade with the US on energy products in the upcoming years. Mr Goyal said India and the US can plan to collaborate on Nuclear power.
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President Droupadi Murmu has emphasised the need for collective efforts to strengthen India’s identity as a cultural power, alongside its growing stature as an economic power. Speaking at the 64th National Exhibition of Art ceremony, organised by Lalit Kala Akademi, in New Delhi, the President said, art is a powerful medium to enrich cultural heritage and make society more sensitive. She highlighted that Indian art is continuously evolving and presenting new dimensions.
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The Government said more than two crore eighty two lakh houses have been completed under Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G). As of August this year, a total target of 4.12 crore has been allocated by the Rural Development Ministry to States and Union Territories. Out of which 3.85 crore houses have been sanctioned, and more than 2.82 crore houses have been completed.
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The Election Commission today announced Biennial elections to four seats of the Rajya Sabha from Jammu and Kashmir. All these seats have been vacant since February 2021. The Commission also announced a By-election for one seat of the Rajya Sabha from Punjab. The seat was vacant after the resignation of Sanjeev Arora in July this year. The notification for the polls will be issued on the 6th of next month. The voting and counting will be held on the 24th of October.
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The next-generation GST reforms represent a significant step towards simplifying India’s indirect tax system. People can nowavail the benefits of GST reforms, which were already implemented on the 22nd of this month. Under the new structure, the GST council has simplified the earlier four-tier structure of 5, 12, 18, and 28 per cent into a two-tier structure of 5 per cent and 18 per cent. By reducing the tax rate on a wide range of goods and services, the reforms are bringing substantial relief to citizens.
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Guided by the mantra of Seva and Sushasan, that is, Public Service and Good Governance, the Government, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has been working tirelessly to bring transformation and progress. Today, in this Special Series – ‘Seva Parv’, we bring to you how the Modi government is preparing India for the future through the IndiaAI Mission..
Semiconductors are the essential building blocks of modern electronics, acting as the hidden brains that make devices work. Since the launch of the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) in 2021, India has transformed its semiconductor journey from vision to reality under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. While addressing the Semicon India 2025 in New Delhi this month, Prime Minister Modi described semiconductor chips as Digital Diamonds.
The India Semiconductor Mission is driving the 76,000 crore rupee Semicon India Programme, offering up to 50% support for semiconductor and display manufacturing. Through the Design Linked Incentive Scheme, it has engaged over 280 academic institutions and 70+ startups, while the SPECS scheme provides 25% support for electronic component manufacturing.
India’s Semiconductor journey reached a milestone at the SEMICON India 2025, where Union Electronics and Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw officially presented the first set of Made-in-India chips to Prime Minister Modi.
Together, these initiatives reflect the country’s steady progress towards building a self-reliant semiconductor industry. As PM Modi has said, “today’s India inspires confidence in the world, and when the chips are down, the world can bet on India”.
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Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, has warned against nuclear negotiations with the US under the current circumstances, stating that they would not serve Iran’s national interests. He further cautioned that such talks could result in major losses for Iran, some of which might be irreparable. Iran initially signed a nuclear deal with world powers in July 2015, agreeing to curb certain aspects of its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of sanctions. However, the United States withdrew from the agreement in May 2018.
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The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has brought out the Selection Criteria for participation of Individuals and Teams in the Asian Games 2026 and other multi-sports events. The decision has been taken with a view to laying down a transparent and equitable framework aiming to ensure that the athletes who have a real chance of winning a medal are only considered for participation in multi-disciplinary sports events. These criteria will not apply to the Olympics and other international competitions.
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The ISSF Junior World Cup will kick off in New Delhi from today. The next generation of shooting talent across 15 Olympic events and 2 non-Olympic events will be competing in Rifle, Pistol, Shotgun will be held at Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range from today till October 2. Altogether 208 young shooters from 18 countries, showcasing the young talent will be fighting it out for a total of 51 medals at stake. Hosts India will lead the field with a strong contingent of 69 athletes.
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In Men’s T20 Asia Cup, India and Bangladesh will clash in a Super Fours stage encounter at Dubai International Cricket Stadium this evening. The match will begin at 8 PM. Today’s winner will confirm the place in the final.
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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall over Odisha and Chhattisgarh today. The meteorological department has predicted heavy rainfall in parts of North East, Bihar, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, East Madhya Pradesh, Gangetic West Bengal, Jharkhand, Telangana, and Vidarbha for two to three days.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:
- External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar calls for UN reforms to encourage collaboration with Global South; Holds meetings with leaders of Global South countries on sidelines of UN General Assembly in New York.
- Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal says India expects to increase energy trade with US.
- Government brings out selection criteria for participation of individuals and teams in Asian Games 2026 and other multi-sports events.
- Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei cautions against nuclear talks with US; Warns of major irreparable losses to Iran.
- ISSF Junior World Cup to kick off in New Delhi today.
- And in Asia cup Cricket, India to clash with Bangladesh in Super Fours stage encounter at Dubai this evening.
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