🏭 Make in India: 12 years, mixed results

Twelve years after launching the Make in India campaign on September 25, 2014, key metrics show limited impact on growth and employment. While incentive schemes saw some success, other growth environment indicators are underperforming across the period. Non-petroleum goods exports grew 53% to $388.3 billion in 2025-26, but global share remained flat. Private sector capital formation and FDI growth into manufacturing have shown declining or slow trends. Total manufacturing employment grew slightly from 5.1 crore in 2016-17 to 5.3 crore in 2025-26.

🗣️ Netanyahu flashes pagers at UN, talks Hezbollah ops

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held up a pager during his address to the UN General Assembly on Thursday. He made this reference while defending Israel’s military actions against Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran at the UN. The speech detailed a September 17, 2024, operation against Hezbollah where pagers exploded, killing 12 people and wounding over 3,000. Netanyahu rejected genocide claims, calling them the biggest lie of the century, while labeling Iran a murderous dictatorship. He further defended striking Iran's nuclear facilities, stating it was an easy decision.

⚠️ Wayanad tourism operations suspended due to rain threat

District Collector V. Chelsasini ordered the suspension of quarry, trekking, and adventure tourism activities in Wayanad. This move was taken following an alert from the India Meteorological Department regarding possible heavy rainfall. The order ensures public safety across the district's vulnerable zones. Authorities must prepare for relocating people from landslide-prone areas, including near the Kalladi-Anakkampoyil tunnel construction site. Penal action will be taken against anyone who violates this safety directive. ⚠️

🏔️ Kedarnath's Waste Problem is Getting Serious

Kedarnath Dham generated 50.30 metric tonnes of waste in just five months, from April to August 2026. This data was provided by the Nagar Panchayat in response to an RTI query from Amit Gupta in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. This five-month total surpasses the entire waste produced in 2023, 2024, and 2025 significantly. The high waste generation puts serious pressure on the Himalayan environment due to millions of annual pilgrims. The concerned activist highlights the urgent need to address this mounting environmental threat.

💊 India to launch digital platform for drug test reports

India's drug regulator is developing a digital platform so consumers can see batch-level quality-test reports of medications. This initiative is being planned by officials in New Delhi amidst concerns over past drug safety incidents. The move aims to go beyond monthly not-of-standard-quality alerts, increasing transparency in the $60-billion pharma industry. The plan was discussed in the second week of September following the Kota hospital incident in May. Authorities are now looking into incorporating this provision into the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. 💊

🎬 'Hanuman Ansh' hits big milestones at box office

Vishal Chaturvedi's 'Hanuman Ansh' earned Rs 3.65 cr in India net collections on Thursday, September 24. The film was shown across 6,729 shows in India on that day. Its overall India net collection has now reached Rs 288.33 cr, while the worldwide gross is Rs 377.05 cr. This performance is part of its seventh week run, which brought in Rs 44.95 cr. The movie is based on Chaturvedi's book and stars Shobhinaw Satyaa.

🤝 Trump hosts Xi at White House for tech summit

US President Donald Trump and Melania Trump welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, to the White House on Thursday. The state dinner brought together major American business, tech, and political figures in Washington. High-profile attendees included Apple CEO Tim Cook, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. This gathering highlights Trump's focus on business ties amidst ongoing US-China tensions. The event is happening while Democrats criticize the summit over Taiwan and trade issues.

🌿 Grasslands change even after 300 years

Scientists discovered that recovering grasslands often become fundamentally different from their original ancient ecosystems. This pattern was analyzed across 742 plant species globally, with research involving teams from Michigan State University. The study noted that India's savannas dropped from 100 million acres in 1880 to 60 million acres in 2010. Disturbance favors fast-growing plants, while old-growth systems support slow-growing, drought-resistant ones. These persistent shifts raise questions about ecosystem recovery and carbon storage. 🌾

👩‍⚕️ ASHAs shaping AI tool for cervical cancer screening

The field experiences of about 110 Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) will guide the creation of an AI-enabled training platform. This development is being driven by The George Institute for Global Health India and Cachar Cancer Hospital and Research Centre in southern Assam’s Barak Valley. The initiative is part of a three-year pilot study funded by the Indian Council of Medical Research, which started recently. ASHAs shared their challenges, reviewing 155 common questions to inform the chatbot's knowledge base. The goal is to build clinically validated support that fits their work without adding digital burden. 👩‍⚕️

🎯 Indian shooters shine at Asian Games 2026 shooting events

Indian shooters are competing in various events at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya 2026 today. Kamaljeet and Suruchi Singh achieved a combined 196/200 in the 10m air pistol mixed team qualification. Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar and Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil are set to compete in the 50m rifle 3 positions later. This performance keeps India highly ranked in the qualification tables for both events. More medal opportunities are lined up throughout the day for the Indian contingent. 🎯

🎬 VIBE hits ₹11.35 cr net in first week

Kunal Kemmu's action-comedy 'VIBE' collected ₹90 lakhs in India on its seventh day at the box office. The film, starring Kunal Kemmu and Preity G Zinta, was released on September 18, 2026, in India. Its Day 7 collection was ₹90 lakhs across 1,984 shows, bringing the first-week net total to ₹11.35 cr. The movie features two friends pulled into an intelligence operation to foil a terrorist plot. The film has grossed ₹13.55 cr in India and ₹15.50 cr worldwide so far.