Focus on Research and Livestock Development

The discussions covered scientific research, genomics, advanced reproductive technologies and skill development through the exchange of technical expertise and best practices. Both sides also explored opportunities to improve trade under the India–UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), including issues related to market access and regulations for dairy, livestock, marine and other animal-origin products.

The meeting reaffirmed both countries’ commitment to closer cooperation and sustainable growth in animal husbandry and related sectors.

Fleet Support Ships to Strengthen Navy’s Reach

HSL is building five Fleet Support Ships under a single contract for the Indian Navy. Each ship has around 43,500-tonne displacement and 82% indigenous content. These vessels are designed to refuel and resupply naval ships at sea, helping them remain deployed for longer periods without frequently returning to port.

‘INS Surya’ is around 223.6 metres long and 31.5 metres wide, can reach about 20 knots and is designed for missions of nearly 60 days. It can carry fuel, fresh water, ammunition and other essential supplies, along with maintenance facilities, a helicopter deck and self-defence systems.

Upgraded Shipbuilding Facilities at HSL

The upgraded 235-metre Slipway-4 and the new 300-tonne Goliath Crane will allow HSL to build and launch ships of up to 45,000 DWT. The new infrastructure is expected to support larger and more complex shipbuilding projects.

The Fleet Support Ship programme will strengthen the Navy’s operational endurance, maritime reach and blue-water capability, particularly during extended operations in the Indian Ocean Region.

28 Ladakh Features Added to the Official Map

The identified features cover a range of geographical categories, including peaks, mountains, passes, glaciers, valleys, rivers, lakes, water bodies and land areas.

Among the named peaks are Atisha Giri, Kanishka Peak, Martand Giri, Zorawar Peak, Rinchen Zangpo, Sakyasri Giri, Marpa Lotsava Ri, Milarepa Kangri, Shiva Ri and Maheshvara Ri.

The list also includes Karun Pir, Drak Karpo and Jolmori as mountains; Chapchingal Pass and Shachmirk Pass as passes; Parpik and Skamri Glacier as glaciers; and Shkorga Valley as a valley.

Gogra, Hot Spring and Other Features Included

Several other geographical features have also been formally recorded. Gogra has been classified as a land area, while Hot Spring has been identified as a water body. The list also includes Guru Rinpoche as a lake and Yangpa River as a river.

Other identified land areas include Brangsa, Kuksel, Dehra Compass, Kumarayana Point, Panglung and Shamal Lungpa.

Standard Names to Improve Recognition and Awareness

According to the Government, formally identifying these places on the Survey of India map will facilitate their accurate recognition and consistent use of their names in official and public references. The exercise was carried out in consultation with the Ladakh administration.

The development comes after the government undertook a similar exercise in Arunachal Pradesh in August 2026, when 27 places and geographical features were identified using standard names on Survey of India maps.

According to the official UNESCO World Heritage Centre, the five sites have been included based on their historical, cultural and architectural significance.

The Group of Temples of the Chambal Valley includes Bateshwar, Padavali and Kakarmath in Madhya Pradesh. Dating mainly from the 8th to 11th centuries, the temple group represents an important phase in the development of regional Nagara-style architecture.

The Bagh Cave Paintings comprise nine rock-cut Buddhist caves in Madhya Pradesh, mainly dating from the 4th to 6th centuries. Their murals are important examples of post-Ajanta Buddhist cave paintings.

The Udaigiri Caves are a Gupta-era rock-cut sacred complex featuring 20 caves, sculptures and inscriptions. The site includes the famous Varaha relief in Cave 5 and Anantasayana Vishnu in Cave 13.

The Ginnorgarh Fort was an important political and administrative centre of the Gond kingdom from the early 16th to early 18th century. Its remains include palaces, stepwells, reservoirs, wall paintings and an indigenous water-management system.

The Sites of Satyagraha is a transnational nomination covering nine properties across India and South Africa, including Sabarmati Ashram, Mani Bhavan, Sevagram Ashram and Phoenix Settlement. The sites trace the emergence and development of Mahatma Gandhi’s Satyagraha movement.

The latest assistance comes as India and Sri Lanka continue to strengthen cooperation in the healthcare sector, including tuberculosis control, primary healthcare and medical infrastructure.

India and Sri Lanka Discuss TB Control

On September 8, 2026, Sri Lankan Health and Mass Media Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa posted on X about his meeting with India’s Health and Family Welfare Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda during the 79th Session of the WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia in Dili, Timor-Leste.

According to Jayatissa, the two sides discussed strengthening tuberculosis control and primary healthcare services, along with expanding technical assistance and knowledge sharing to improve healthcare delivery. India also agreed to continue providing technical and other assistance to strengthen Sri Lanka’s TB-control efforts.

Foundation Stones Laid for Four Major Healthcare Projects 

On September 16, 2026, Sri Lankan Health and Mass Media Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa posted on X about the foundation-stone ceremonies for four major healthcare infrastructure projects with a combined value of SLR 7,148 million, supported by JICA and the Government of India.

The projects include a Cardiology and Cardiothoracic Complex at Teaching Hospital Anuradhapura, a Cardiology Unit at District General Hospital Trincomalee, an Accident and Emergency Unit at District General Hospital Mannar, and a Four-Storey Medical Ward Complex at District General Hospital Mullaitivu.

The projects aim to strengthen access to specialised cardiac care, emergency treatment and inpatient services across Sri Lanka’s Northern, North Central and Eastern provinces.

Santosh Jha Highlights India’s Support for Mannar Hospital

Also on September 16, Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha posted on X about the foundation-stone ceremony for a new two-storey Accident and Emergency Unit at District General Hospital, Mannar.

The project is being supported through an Indian grant of SLR 600 million and includes essential medical equipment to help provide timely emergency care during the critical “golden hour.”

Indian Grant Assistance for Mullaitivu Hospital

On the same day, Santosh Jha also posted on X about the foundation-stone ceremony for a four-storey Medical Ward Complex at District General Hospital, Mullaitivu.

The project is being constructed with Indian grant assistance of SLR 600 million. According to the Indian High Commission, the Mannar and Mullaitivu projects each receive SLR 600 million in Indian grant assistance, for a combined total of SLR 1.2 billion.

This version is better because Jaishankar’s name and the September 28 X post are already in the first paragraph, while the later sections introduce new information from Nalinda Jayatissa and Santosh Jha instead of repeating the anti-TB shipment.

Abhishek Sharma played a fiery inning of 84 runs in 35 balls, smashing 5 fours and 8 sixes, and Surya Kumar Yadav scored 32 runs in 22 balls. After them, Hardik Pandya smashed some classy shots and scored 25 runs in 16 balls. Rinku Singh justified his comeback by scoring 44 runs in 20 balls for India, smashing 4 fours and 3 sixes. India made a tough total of 238 runs for 7 wickets.
For New Zealand, Jacob Duffy, Kyle Jaminson, Kris Clarke, Ish Sodhi, and Mitchell Santner took wickets against India.

In the second innings, Devon Conway and Tim Robinson opened for New Zealand, but Devon Conway lost at 0, and Tim Robinson contributed 21 runs in 15 balls, while Rachin Ravindra also lost his wicket at 1.

After this, Glenn Phillips played an important inning for New Zealand and scored 78 runs in 40 balls, smashing 4 fours and 6 sixes. Mark Chapman and Daryll Mitchell scored 39 runs in 24 balls and 28 runs in 18 balls, respectively. Mitchel Santner scored 20 runs in 13 balls, but because of the collapse in the top order, Indian bowlers stopped New Zealand at 190 runs.

For India, Shivam Dube, Varun Chakaravarthy, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, and Arshdeep Singh took wickets against New Zealand and helped India to win by 48 runs.

Abhishek Sharma won the player of the match award for his amazing performance, scoring 84 runs in 35 balls.

In that scenario, Sri Lanka’s women scored 121 runs on the loss of 6 wickets in 20 overs. In the 1st inning, the batting lineup collapsed very badly, and the opener, Vishmi Gunaratne, made 39 runs in 43 balls. 

Kranti Gaud, Deepti Sharma, and Nallapureddy Charani took 3 wickets each, and also 3 sharp run-outs were done by them. And these collective efforts stopped Sri Lanka’s women at 121 runs.

In the 2nd inning, Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma opened the inning for Indian Team. Samriti was successful in giving a positive start to India, but Shefali gave her wicket at 9 runs.

Jemimah Rodrigues scored 69 runs in 44 balls and led India towards victory in the game. She was named Player of the Match for her impressive and sharp performance in the match. 
Sri Lanka’s bowlers Inoka Ranaweera and Kawya Kavindi took wickets of the opening batswomen Smriti Mandhana and Shefali Verma. With the powerful performance of Jemimah Rodrigues, India won the match by 8 wickets and scored 122 runs in 14.4 overs. India leads the series 1-0.

UNESCO tweeted on their Twitter about this:
BREAKING

New inscription on the #IntangibleHeritage List: Deepavali, #India.

Congratulations!

unes.co/20ich #LivingHeritage

This inclusion of Deepawali in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list is respected all across the country because it is a global achievement for India.

 P.M. Narendra Modi also tweeted on his Twitter regarding this. He said:

People in India and around the world are thrilled.

For us, Deepavali is very closely linked to our culture and ethos. It is the soul of our civilisation. It personifies illumination and righteousness. The addition of Deepavali to the UNESCO Intangible Heritage List will contribute to the festival’s global popularity even further.

May the ideals of Prabhu Shri Ram keep guiding us for eternity.

The IOC session is an annual meeting of IOC members consisting of 101 voting members and 45 honorary members. Important activities of the global Olympic campaign are discussed and decided during the session, including the amendment or adoption of the Olympic Charter, the election of IOC members and office bearers, and the election of the host city of the Olympics.

Neeta Ambani, the first woman to be elected as an IOC member from India, said, “The Olympic movement comes back to India after 40 years, as we have the honor of hosting the IOC session in Mumbai in 2023. I am excited for youth for India to experience the magic of Olympics. It is our dream to host the Olympic games in India in the years to come.

Besides Neeta, the Indian delegation included Indian Olympic Association President Narinder Batra, Sports Minister Anurag Thakur and India’s first individual Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra.

Abhinav Bindra also expressed his excitement in  a tweet, “The 2020 Olympics was historic for India. Today, we make more history as Mumbai is announced as host of the 2023 IOC Session. Proud to have been part of the delegation led by Mrs. Nita Ambani, and Dr. Narinder Batra! #StrongerTogether #IOCSessionMumbai2023

BMW 2 series Gran Coupe 220i Sport Specifications

The 220i Sport is powered by a TwinPower Turbo two-liter four-cylinder petrol engine that produces 190 horsepower and 280 Nm of peak torque and is manufactured locally at BMW’s Chennai plant. It has a seven-speed Steptronic Sport automatic transmission and can accelerate to 100 km/h in 7.1 seconds. The driver can choose from four different driving modes: ECO PRO, Comfort, and Sport.

Sport seats for the driver and front passenger, ambient lighting, a panoramic sunroof, BMW Live Cockpit Plus, Performance Control, and Parking Assist with Reverse Assist are among the features of the more capable addition to the 2 Series family.

Inside the 220i Sport, there’s an 8.8-inch main display with 3D Navigation, a 5.1-inch digital instrument cluster with analog dials, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support.

The sedan features cruise control with brake function, parking assistant with rear-view camera, reversing assistant, auto start/stop, brake energy regeneration, and more in terms of driving convenience.

Six airbags, Attentiveness Assistance, Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with Brake Assist, ARB technology (actuator contiguous wheel slip restriction system), Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) with Dynamic Traction Control (DTC) and Electronic Differential Lock Control (EDLC), and Cornering Brake Control are among the advanced safety features available (CBC).

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