NATIONAL NEWS

India Launches World's First Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL)

India has become the first country in the world to launch a Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL), integrating AI-powered tools to preserve, protect, and promote ancient Indian medicine systems like Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa, and Homoeopathy.

The initiative has received global praise, including recognition from the World Health Organization (WHO).

TKDL is a digital platform that catalogues India’s traditional medical knowledge using Artificial Intelligence for better accessibility and analysis.

It aims to prevent misuse of traditional medicine and enable new drug research by linking age-old remedies with modern science.

Ayurgenomics is a new field combining Ayurveda and genomics for personalized healthcare has been highlighted as a key innovation.

TKDL also enables comparison with other traditional systems like Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and fosters development of AI sensors to analyze qualities like Rasa, Guna, and Virya.

BITS Pilani to Launch India’s First AI Plus Campus in Amaravati

Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) Pilani has announced the establishment of India’s first AI Plus Campus in Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh, with admissions beginning in 2027.

The project, backed by an investment of ₹1,000 crore, aims to create a digital-first, AI-centric education hub aligned with global standards.

The Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) has allotted 70 acres for the new campus.

The initiative was unveiled by Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chancellor of BITS and Chairman of the Aditya Birla Group.

Programmes will include Data Science, Robotics, Cyber-Physical Systems, and Computational Linguistics.

The campus will feature IoT-based smart buildings, renewable energy, and modern digital infrastructure.

The campus will explore AI solutions in agriculture, climate change, and healthcare.

The design will merge traditional Indian temple architecture with contemporary features.

A new access road will be developed for better connectivity to the campus.

 

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Microsoft Unveils BioEmu AI System

Microsoft has launched BioEmu, an artificial intelligence system aimed at accelerating the understanding of protein behavior in the human body.

BioEmu helps reduce the time and complexity traditionally involved in protein simulations, which typically take years using conventional methods.

BioEmu-1 (Biomolecular Emulator-1) is a deep learning model capable of generating thousands of protein structures per hour on a single GPU.

It aids in decoding protein motion, thereby enabling faster drug discovery.

Developed by Microsoft Research’s AI for Science team, the system can predict protein conformational changes—the shapes and movements proteins undergo during biological functions.

The upgraded model, BioEmu version 1.1, is a generative AI model that can emulate real-world protein stability.

BioEmu 1.1 achieves prediction errors under 1 kcal/mol and shows strong correlation scores above 0.6 on large datasets.

 

BANKING

AIIB Grants $100 Million Funding to IIFL Home Finance

IIFL Home Finance Ltd (IIFL HFL) received $100 million (approx. ₹858 crore) in financing from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) on July 12, 2025.

The partnership aims to enhance access to affordable housing finance for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) and Lower Income Groups (LIG).

The initiative will also promote green building standards to support climate-conscious housing development.

On the demand side, IIFL HFL will provide home loans to EWS/LIG families in urban and semi-urban areas for buying or constructing homes.

On the supply side, the company will finance affordable housing developers, particularly those integrating green certification standards for sustainable construction.

The funding will strengthen IIFL HFL’s green housing portfolio and support India’s climate goals.

This collaboration aligns with the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Urban (PMAY-U 2.0), addressing the urban housing shortage.

The partnership supports India’s green building agenda and helps bridge the housing gap for low-income families.

IIFL HFL operates across 376 branches in 18 states, focusing on underserved areas, including Tier 1 suburbs and Tier 2 to Tier 4 towns.

AU Small Finance Bank to Offer LIC Insurance Products

The LIC (Life Insurance Corporation of India) and AU Small Finance Bank have entered into a corporate agency tie-up.

Under this arrangement, AU Small Finance Bank will distribute LIC’s products such as annuity, ULIP, term insurance, and savings across its branches and digital channels.

The partnership was officially launched on 14th July, 2025

This collaboration aims to enhance financial inclusion and increase insurance penetration, especially in underserved and rural areas.

AU Small Finance Bank has a strong presence in rural and underserved segments, which will help expand LIC’s reach.

The tie-up is expected to benefit customers by providing wider access to LIC’s insurance products through the bank’s physical and digital platforms.

Ageas Federal Life Insurance Unveils India Sector Leaders Fund

Ageas Federal Life Insurance launched the India Sector Leaders Fund targeting investors with a medium- to long-term investment horizon.

The fund’s New Fund Offer (NFO) starts from July 14, with a flat ₹10 Net Asset Value (NAV) at launch.

The fund aims to deliver strong returns by investing in leading stocks of the BSE India Sector Leaders Index.

It covers 22 diverse sectors based on the India Industry Classification Structure, ensuring a broad and sector-diversified portfolio.

The diversification helps minimise concentration risk while capturing opportunities across the market spectrum.

 

DEFENCE

India Participates in Bilateral Military Exercise in Australia

India, along with 18 other nations, is participating in Talisman Sabre 2025, a major bilateral military drill led by Australia, which started on July 13, 2025.

This is the 11th edition of Talisman Sabre, the largest and most sophisticated warfighting exercise ever held in Australia.

The exercise involves more than 35,000 military personnel from 19 nations.

Participating countries include Australia, USA, Canada, Fiji, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga, and the UK.

Malaysia and Vietnam are attending as observers.

The exercise spans multiple Australian regions: Queensland, Northern Territory, Western Australia, New South Wales, Christmas Island, and for the first time, activities will also take place outside Australia in Papua New Guinea.

It includes live-fire exercises, field training activities, force preparation, amphibious landings, ground force maneuvers, air combat, and maritime operations.

 

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Sonali Mishra Appointed as First Woman Chief of Railway Protection Force

Sonali Mishra, a 1993-batch IPS officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, has been appointed as the first woman Director General (DG) of the Railway Protection Force (RPF).

Her appointment was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, and she will serve until her superannuation on October 31, 2026.

She will take over from the current DG, Manoj Yadava, who is due to retire on July 31, 2025.

Mishra is currently serving as Additional Director General (Selection) in the Madhya Pradesh Police.

The RPF, formed under the Railway Protection Force Act, 1957, is responsible for the security of railway property and passengers.

The RPF gained the status of an "armed force of the Union" on September 20, 1985.

Mishra was earlier appointed in July 2021 as the first woman commandant to head a BSF formation along the India-Pakistan border in Punjab.

 

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Youth Skills Day

On July 15thWorld Youth Skills Day 2025 is celebrated to mention the significance of developing skills among young people worldwide.

World Youth Skills Day 2025 aims to raise awareness about the need to equip young people with skills for employability, entrepreneurship, and self-employment.

The theme for 2025 World Youth Skills Day is "Youth empowerment through AI and digital skills".

World Youth Skills Day was created by the United Nations General Assembly on November 11, 2014, through a resolution initiated by Sri Lanka, and supported by some other countries.

The first World Youth Skills Day was celebrated on July 15, 2015.

The day intends to "raise awareness on the importance of investing in youth skills development" with that in mind.

The day is an opportunity to ensure that young people have the skills and knowledge needed to contribute meaningfully to society and the economy.

World Youth Skills Day 2025 aims to encourage governments, employers, industries, training providers, and other stakeholders to address the global challenge of a lack of technical vocational education and training (TVET) for young people.

 

OBITUTARY

Former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari

Muhammadu Buhari, former Nigerian President and ex-military ruler, died at age 82 in London following a prolonged illness.

Current Nigerian President Bola Tinubu announced Buhari’s death and ordered flags to fly at half-staff in his honor.

Buhari ruled Nigeria first as a military junta leader in the 1980s and later as an elected democrat from 2015 to 2023, serving two terms.

His presidency was marked by frequent medical trips abroad, sparking criticism over government transparency and raising concerns about leadership stability.

Buhari’s aide, Shehu, revealed in a book that he fabricated a story about rats invading the presidential office to divert attention from Buhari’s health issues.

Buhari made history as the first opposition candidate to defeat an incumbent president in Nigeria in the 2015 election, a landmark for Nigerian democracy.