The EU has offered Canada the opportunity to become its first ever “Associate Member”

#InternationalNews

Some petrol pump dealers threaten cash-only payments over ₹5 UPI charge above ₹2,000

"Petrol pump dealers across India oppose the ₹5 MDR on UPI payments above ₹2,000, saying the charge will squeeze their already wafer thin profit margins."

#Policy
https://t.co/dLGyXxZz3r

🇺🇸 US Federal Reserve raises its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to a range of 3.75%-4%.

#InternationalNews

The Defence Ministry transferred nine tech licensing deals to 13 private sector manufacturing partners, to scale the domestic commercial production of indigenous defense systems and precision munitions. #Defence

The U.S. Congress has passed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, granting President Donald Trump the legal power to levy up to 100% tariffs on countries—such as India and China—that continue importing Russian oil and gas. #Geopolitics #ForeignAffairs

The Maharashtra government has disbursed ₹78,700 crore under the Ladki Bahin Yojana since July 2024, while deciding to waive the recovery of roughly ₹5,000 crore mistakenly distributed to 25–30 lakh ineligible beneficiaries. Strict e-KYC and verification checks have since reduced the active recipient pool from a peak of 2.46 crore down to 1.64 crore by July 2026. #Freebies

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In a historic role reversal, India exported around 500 tonnes of Hilsa fish to Bangladesh over a two-month period via West Bengal's Petrapole land port, with most of the catch uniquely sourcing from the Bharuch region of Gujarat.

The high-roe Hilsa shipment met massive consumer demand in Bangladeshi districts like Chattogram and Sylhet, marking a stark shift from the traditional trade dynamic where Bangladesh historically serves as the primary exporter to India. #Exports

Japanese firm Fujifilm is investing ₹800 crore to build a greenfield semiconductor materials manufacturing facility in India.

The project features a two-phase rollout, with Phase 1 groundbreaking set for FY2026 and commercial production targeted for FY2028.

Once operational, the plant will supply materials for both cutting-edge and legacy nodes to support global semiconductor manufacturing. #Semiconductor #MakeinIndia

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NITI Aayog has a comprehensive report out on India's Electricity Mobility Index, with state-wise scores for EV adoption, transport electrification, charging infrastructure and EV research and innovation. Delhi, Maharashtra and Karnataka are the top 3 states based on the index. Gujarat is the worst amongst large states, near bottom or at the bottom for all criteria in the index. #EV

🔗 Report PDF

HORIBA India is open to setting up a local semiconductor equipment manufacturing unit once the chip manufacturing and packaging ecosystem grows, provided there's enough domestic demand.

Aiming for ¥20 billion in revenue by 2028, the firm has already started initial production of Mass Flow Controllers (MFCs) in Pune and plans to partner directly with upcoming Indian fabrication plants to supply critical process-control tools. #Semiconductor

🔗 BusinessStandard

MEA statement on passage of the Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act in the US Congress. #ForeignAffairs #Energy

🇮🇳🤝🇦🇫 India tells the UN it has delivered 500-plus projects in all 34 Afghan provinces, 450 tonnes of medicines & vaccines, 50,000 tons of Wheat, 40,000 liters of pesticides to Afghanistan #ForeignAffairs

Bharat Forge collaborates with Pratt & Whitney for the engine for its offering of India’s indigenous High Altitude Long Endurance(HALE) UAV program.

Yet another Indian defence program with US engines. Never learnt anything from their mistakes. #Defence

Global packaging giants Ball Corporation, Crown Holdings, and Canpack are set to invest ₹6,566 crore in Uttar Pradesh, establishing aluminium beverage can units in Meerut and Unnao. This move will significantly strengthen the state’s advanced packaging ecosystem, boosting manufacturing capacity and industrial growth. #MakeinIndia

🔗 BusinessStandard

We are back with the Asian Games Coverage which is being hosted by Aichi-Nagoya, Japan #AsianGames2026

▪️UPI industry is "bleeding money," cannot keep relying on government subsidies — cited to defend the new MDR.
▪️Industry (banks + fintechs) spends ~Rs 10,000-12,000 crore/year at current UPI volumes; government subsidies fall short of covering this.
▪️MDR marks a shift toward a revenue model after years of UPI being free for merchants.

UPI originally had an MDR of 0.65%, which the government removed during the Covid period in 2020 — so the "free UPI" era itself was a Covid-time decision, not something that existed before.

#policy
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