Trump's Board of Peace for Gaza faces European refusals amid concerns it could supplant the UN.
The piece describes international disagreement over the proposed Board of Peace for Gaza, with some Western European states refusing invitations due to concerns the body could supplant the United Nations. The board's Gaza executive committee would implement the ceasefire's second phase-deploying an international security force, disarming militants, supervising reconstruction, and overseeing Palestinian technocrats-while membership, selection, and coordination questions remain unresolved.

Law and economics conference highlights WIPO TKGR Treaty TRIPS interface, India's health services trade and regulatory challenges.
The conference examined the interface between the WIPO TKGR Treaty and the TRIPS Agreement, highlighting risks of fraudulent disclosures and wrongful patent grants based on traditional knowledge, the robustness of India's patent regime, and compliance challenges. It also analysed trade in health services-temporary movement of natural persons, cross-border delivery modes, visa and insurance barriers, Mutual Recognition Arrangements, digital health and AI-stressing institutional, regulatory and fiscal measures to align commercial growth with access objectives.

Gold and silver prices surge to record highs amid safe haven demand, tight supply, weak rupee and geopolitical tensions.
Gold and silver reached domestic record highs driven by persistent safe haven demand, strong inflows into precious metal ETFs, tight local supply and a weaker rupee, producing a domestic premium over international prices while international spot metals rose amid geopolitical tensions and higher global yields.

EU Mercosur trade agreement referred to top court over legality; provisional application may proceed pending ruling.
Lawmakers referred the signed EU Mercosur free trade agreement to the European Court of Justice to assess treaty compatibility, delaying parliamentary approval pending the Court's ruling while the European Commission may proceed with provisional application; political objections emphasised agricultural protections and the pact envisages phased elimination of over 90% of tariffs between the EU and Mercosur members.

India's growth and sustainability roadmap calls for investment, grid modernisation, green finance and stronger carbon markets.
Leaders prioritised rapid expansion of renewable energy and grid stability, requiring substantial additional investment, technology sharing, blended finance and supportive policy frameworks. Key operative proposals include harmonised reporting and taxonomy, a green financing agency, grid digitisation, scaled carbon markets, and deployment of carbon capture utilisation to enable the 500 GW by 2030 target while leveraging regulatory stability and investor returns.

Military corruption charges allege money laundering and abuse of power tied to defence procurement, prompting procurement reforms.
Prosecutions allege money laundering by a former army chief and spouse, and abuse of power and criminal breach of trust by a former defence forces chief, arising from an anti-corruption investigation into defence procurement; investigators report raids, arrests, seizures of cash and luxury goods, frozen accounts, and additional senior officers under investigation, with investigation papers to be submitted to prosecutors.

Bengaluru invites global investors, highlighting talent depth, metro expansion, electric bus fleet, and investor-friendly governance.
The Deputy Chief Minister invited global investors to Bengaluru, stressing the city's deep engineering and healthcare talent pool, presence of major multinational firms, and investor-friendly governance. He highlighted planned infrastructure measures-metro expansion to 153 km, a large electric bus fleet, and statewide transport connectivity upgrades-presenting these as operational steps to support investment and long-term urban growth.

VinFast VF 6 and VF 7 secure 5 star Bharat NCAP safety ratings, meeting India's occupant protection standards.
VinFast VF 6 and VF 7 received 5 star Bharat NCAP ratings based on quantified occupant protection scores: VF 6 (AOP 27.13/32; COP 44.41/49) and VF 7 (AOP 28.54/32; COP 45.25/49). Both models achieved maximum frontal impact protection sub scores, full side impact marks for adults and children, and low pole side impact head injury values well under the 700 threshold. Each vehicle is built on an EV dedicated platform with seven airbags and variant ADAS features contributing to collision avoidance and compliance with India's safety assessment standards.

Indian economy shows resilient growth, stronger credit flows, and reforms supporting medium term stability despite external risks.
Macroeconomic indicators and policy developments point to cautious optimism for 2025-26 growth, with GDP resilience and strengthened credit flows; headline inflation remained below the lower tolerance band. The rupee depreciated amid portfolio outflows and trade deal uncertainty, while gross FDI rose though net FDI was negative due to repatriation. Structural reforms and active trade negotiations are seen as supporting medium term productivity and external risk mitigation.

PNB MetLife Dividend Leaders Index Fund: passive ULIP investing in high-dividend companies with life cover and five-year lock-in.
PNB MetLife launched a passively managed Dividend Leaders Index Fund available through specified ULIP products, replicating a customised BSE 500 Dividend Leaders 50 Index with 60-100% allocation to benchmark equities and up to 40% to money market instruments; initial units offered at INR 10 during the New Fund launch period with defined NAV applicability. The fund provides inbuilt life cover and operates under unit-linked policy conditions where the investment risk is borne by the policyholder and no surrender or withdrawal is permitted in the first five years.

DeepSnitch AI presale offers surveillance tools and tiered bonuses with tokens at $0.03609 and two weeks to launch.
DeepSnitch AI is conducting a Stage 4 token presale (tokens at $0.03609) with $1.278M raised and two weeks until launch, offering a blockchain surveillance stack of five agents-including AuditSnitch, which issues CLEAN/CAUTION/SKETCHY contract verdicts-to detect whale moves and contract vulnerabilities; the sale features tiered bonus codes (30%-300%) for specified minimum purchases and includes a standard high-risk trading disclaimer.

Recycling industry urges open cross-border trade to support circular economy and oppose export restrictions on critical scrap.
Industry leaders press for streamlined cross-border trade and oppose export restrictions on recycled commodities, arguing market access for scrap is critical to resilience, investment and innovation. They note tariff increases raised average rates to about 18% but say export restrictions on copper, aluminium, nickel and stainless steel pose the greater long-term threat. Advocates seek duty reductions or zero duty on scrap, policy alignment to create strategic recycling corridors, and domestic measures (steel and non ferrous policies, green steel roadmaps) to support decarbonised, value added recycling.

SWELECT Energy Systems unveils new brand identity and launches NUMERGY battery energy storage portfolio for solar and integrated solutions.
SWELECT Energy Systems adopted a new brand identity and tagline to emphasize a strategic focus on solar, energy storage, and integrated energy solutions, and launched the NUMERGY Battery Energy Storage Systems portfolio for residential and commercial applications to support round the clock power availability, grid stability, and greater renewable energy penetration.

Bharat Electricity Summit 2026 will coordinate public-private stakeholders to align policy and investment across the power sector.
A national electricity summit in New Delhi (March 19-22, 2026) is organized by the central power authority with industry partners, coordinated by a trade promotion council and supported by a designated nodal agency and public sector undertakings; it seeks to align policy and investment across generation, transmission, distribution, storage and smart consumption through multi-stakeholder engagement and a programme of over 50 sessions, 300+ speakers, 1,000 delegates and extensive exhibitor and public participation.

Siddha Group targets 60% residential development growth to 1.02 crore sq ft across Kolkata, Mumbai and Jaipur by 2030.
Siddha Group's Vision 2030 sets a target of ~60% residential development expansion to 1.02 crore sq ft via eight new projects across Kolkata, Mumbai and Jaipur, built on a current portfolio of 64.41 lakh sq ft, with an emphasis on strengthening market presence and scaling execution and delivery capabilities.

Comprehensive cancer services in Durgapur expand local diagnostics, surgery, chemotherapy and forthcoming radiotherapy to reduce travel and costs.
Gouri Devi Hospital's Oncology Department, reinforced in 2023, delivers comprehensive diagnostic imaging, complex onco surgeries, and chemotherapy while adding radiotherapy and planned PET CT nuclear medicine services to reduce patient travel, consolidate care, improve staging and treatment planning, and address affordability and continuity of cancer care for regional communities.

LIBF Expo 2026: a global multi-sector business event in Mumbai promoting partnerships, startups, investment, and social-impact funding.
LIBF Expo 2026 is a multi-sector business exposition at Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai (Jan 30-Feb 1, 2026) with 200+ exhibitors from 20+ sectors and delegations from 36+ countries to promote cross-border partnerships, startup mentoring, investment, and job creation. Organised by the Lohana International Business Forum under a non-profit framework, any surplus generated will fund education and healthcare initiatives in India and abroad.

Regional government secures Rs 1 lakh crore investment at WEF, targeting energy, semiconductors and green projects.
The regional administration secured Rs 1 lakh crore in investment commitments at an international forum and presents these as a foundation for longer-term capital inflows. It frames investment attraction as a multi-year policy objective and highlights priority sectors for implementation: energy infrastructure (solar storage and green energy), hydrocarbon development, semiconductor and electronics manufacturing, and greenfield chemical and fertiliser projects utilising natural gas, coupled with targeted engagement with domestic and international industrial investors.

Apprenticeship programs in the BFSI sector link industry-led training, government stipend support, and certified pathways to employment.
Government-backed apprenticeship schemes in the BFSI sector create a regulated pathway to employment by combining industry-led on-the-job learning, partial Government-funded stipends, and Government-recognized Certificates of Proficiency. The BFSI Sector Skill Council of India acts as the Joint Apprenticeship Advisor, coordinating onboarding and compliance with apprenticeship law, promoting inclusive participation from diverse groups and non-metro regions, and supporting placement through its industry network.

Sanitary pad dispensers and incinerators improve menstrual hygiene access and reduce school absenteeism among girls.
Installation of sanitary pad dispensers and incinerators in Begusarai schools under the Sangini programme aims to reduce period-related school absenteeism by improving access to sanitary products and providing safe on-site disposal, implemented by a nonprofit with school authority coordination and supported publicly by a media organisation.