1 India-Singapore joint military exercise ‘Bold Kurukshetra 2025’ begins in Jodhpur
The 14th edition of the India-Singapore joint military exercise began in Jodhpur . The Bold Kurukshetra exercise will continue till the 4th of next month. The exercise will be conducted as a tabletop exercise and computer-based maneuvers aimed at validating operational procedures for mechanized warfare. It will conclude with a display of equipment by the Indian Army. The aim of the exercise is to enhance the interoperability and joint training capabilities of the two armies under the United Nations mandate, thereby strengthening bilateral defense cooperation. The exercise will be attended by 42 Singapore Armored Regiment of 4 Singapore Armored Brigade and the Mechanized Infantry Regiment of the Indian Army. The Bold Kurukshetra 2025 exercise will further strengthen the strong defense relations between India and Singapore and promote mutual understanding and cooperation at both tactical and strategic levels.
2 Australia and Britain sign 50-year Geelong Treaty under AUKUS, amid alliance review by US
Australia and the United Kingdom (UK) have signed a 50-year commitment to the AUKUS defence treaty , while the US is reviewing the treaty. Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles and UK Defence Minister John Healey signed the bilateral Nuclear-Powered Submarine Partnership and Cooperation Treaty (Geelong Treaty) at their meeting in Geelong, Victoria yesterday . Marles and Healey said in a joint statement that the Geelong Treaty is a landmark agreement, committing to the next 50 years of UK-Australian bilateral defence cooperation under AUKUS Pillar I. According to the statement, the Geelong Treaty will enable comprehensive cooperation on the design, construction, operation, maintenance and disposal of their SSN-AUKUS submarines. Under the AUKUS agreement, the US and the UK will assist Australia in building at least eight nuclear-powered submarines, marking the first time Washington and London will share sensitive nuclear submarine technology with Australia. The signing of the treaty comes at a time when the US is hesitant about its role in the AUKUS alliance. The US Department of Defense has announced a review of the trilateral security partnership to determine whether the agreement is consistent with the America First agenda.
3 NASA launches TRACERS mission to study Earth’s magnetic shield
NASA has launched the TRACERS mission (Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites) to better understand how Earth’s magnetic field protects the planet from solar storms and space weather . The mission aims to study magnetic reconnection—a process in which the Sun’s magnetic field interacts with Earth’s magnetic shield, producing a burst of energy that can affect satellites, power grids and communications. The TRACERS mission was launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The mission consists of two small satellites flying close to each other to study the “polar cusp” region near Earth’s North Pole—the area where the Sun’s activity has the greatest effect on Earth’s magnetic field.
India has achieved a historic milestone in its energy transition journey by achieving the target of 20% ethanol blending in petrol by 2025 — originally set for 2030. This important announcement was made by Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and is being considered a transformational turning point in India’s fuel strategy. This achievement strengthens energy security, promotes sustainability and empowers rural economies. The Ethanol Blending Programme (EBP) was launched in 2003 with the aim of reducing India’s dependence on imported crude oil, promoting renewable energy sources and supporting the domestic sugar and agriculture sectors. Over time, the programme progressed in several phases—the target of 10% blending was achieved in 2022 and now the target of 20% blending in 2025 has been achieved five years ahead of schedule. Ethanol is primarily produced from sugarcane, which is grown extensively in rural India. This initiative was beneficial for farmers and rural areas.
5 Government appoints former Finance Secretary Ajay Seth as IRDAI chief
The government has appointed former Finance and Economic Affairs Secretary Ajay Seth as the Chairman of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) . Seth, a 1987 batch IAS officer of Karnataka cadre, has deep experience in fiscal policy, economic affairs and infrastructure development. The appointment is seen as a strategic move to strengthen regulatory oversight and reforms in India’s fast-growing insurance sector.
6 Centre of Excellence to be set up in Amarkantak for better implementation of PESA Act
7 Gitanjali Shree wins PEN Translate Prize for ‘Once Elephants Lived Here’
International Booker Prize winning Indian author Gitanjali Shree for her book ‘ has been decided to be awarded the PEN Translate Award for Once Elephants Lived Here ‘. London-based human rights organization ‘ English PEN ‘ gave this information. ‘English PEN’ said that it has selected 14 books written in 13 languages from 11 regions of the world for the PEN Translate Award . The winners selected in collaboration with PEN Translate and SALT include Indian writer Gitanjali Shri’s ‘Once Elephants Lived Here’ (translated from Hindi by Daisy Rockwell ) and Pakistani poetess Sara Shagufta ‘s ‘ Eyes, Eyes, Eyes ‘ (translated from Urdu by Javeria Hasnain ).
8 Indian Railways created history, successful trial of hydrogen-powered train
India has entered a new era of green transportation by successfully testing its first hydrogen-powered train coach at the Chennai -based Integral Coach Factory (ICF) on 25 July 2025. The Driving Power Coach tested at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) is the country’s first indigenously manufactured and tested hydrogen train coach. The development of the 1,200 horsepower hydrogen-powered train brings India into the league of technologically advanced railway countries. The concept of hydrogen trains emerged globally as an alternative to diesel-powered locomotives, especially on rail routes that are not yet electrified. Countries like Germany, France and Japan have already introduced hydrogen trains on limited routes. India began exploring the potential of this technology in 2023 under the “Hydrogen for Heritage” initiative. The Railway Ministry proposed to convert Diesel Electric Multiple Units (DEMUs) into hydrogen-powered units and develop new hydrogen trains to promote clean transportation on heritage and mountain routes.
9 Indian government’s big decision, Chinese citizens will again get Indian tourist visa
India has officially resumed issuing tourist visas to Chinese citizens after a gap of five years, marking a significant diplomatic and people-to-people engagement in India-China relations. India had suspended tourist visas for Chinese citizens in 2020 amid the global COVID-19 pandemic . Subsequently, heightened tensions between India and China due to the Galwan Valley clash in 2020 further maintained the suspension. Before COVID-19, travel between India and China included tourism, business, educational exchanges and religious visits, dominated by visits to Buddhist and Hindu shrines.
11 Athlete Seema became the first Indian woman to win a medal in the 5000m event at the World University Games
Indian athlete Seema created history at the ongoing World University Games in Rhine-Ruhr and became the first woman to win a medal in the 5000m final event of the championships. Seema won the silver medal with her season’s best time of 15 minutes 35.86 seconds , which was also her second fastest ever in the event. Sahil Jadhav won the gold medal in the men’s compound individual event , as Indian archers ended their campaign with five medals . Earlier, archer Praneet Kaur won the silver medal in a thrilling women’s compound final. The compound archers also won the mixed team gold, men’s team silver and women’s team bronze. Praveen Chitravel won the silver medal in triple jump with a brilliant jump of 16.66m in his second attempt . India’s total medal tally has gone up to nine. The 32nd edition of the competition is being held in six cities of Germany. The 2023 edition in Chengdu was India’s best ever performance, where the country finished seventh with 26 medals.
12 Gill became the first batsman to score four centuries in his first Test series as captain
Indian cricket team captain Shubman Gill broke several world records by scoring a brilliant century on the fifth day of the fourth Test match against England at Old Trafford . Gill became the first batsman to score four centuries in his debut Test series as captain . Five other batsmen – Warwick Armstrong, Don Bradman, Greg Chappell, Virat Kohli and Steven Smith – have scored three centuries each in their debut series as captain. Gill’s century also means that he now holds the record for the most 100-plus runs by a captain in a Test series against England . As captain, only Don Bradman and Sunil Gavaskar had scored 4 centuries in a Test series before Gill .
13 Joe Root is the second batsman to score the most runs in Tests
In a historic moment at the Emirates Old Trafford ground in Manchester , England’s Joe Root etched his name even deeper in Test cricket . He broke the records of Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis and Ricky Ponting with his brilliant unbeaten innings of 120* in the fourth Test against India in the fourth Test against India to become the second-highest run-scorer in Test cricket, surpassing legends like As of July 2025, Joe Root has over 13,400 runs in Test cricket, and is now only behind Sachin Tendulkar (15,921 runs) .
14 Riley Powell defeats Pankaj Advani to win World 6-Red Snooker title
In a stunning upset of the IBSF World 6-Red Snooker Championship 2025, 16-year-old cueist from Wales Riley Powell defeated Indian snooker legend Pankaj Advani to win the title. Powell beat Advani 5-4 in a thrilling final played in Bahrain’s capital Manama , missing out on a record 29th world title on his 40th birthday. The win marked a turning point in Powell’s career and reflects the global rise of young talent in snooker.