🇮🇳 National News
On 7 May 2025, the Indian Armed Forces carried out ‘Operation Sindoor’, targeting nine terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir (PoJK) — identified as launchpads for attacks against India. The operation was a direct response to the deadly Pahalgam terror attack in J&K (April 2025), one of the biggest attacks since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.
The operation was named ‘Sindoor’ to honour the women who lost their husbands in the Pahalgam attack. The nine targets were terror camps operated by Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed.
- Strikes conducted from Indian airspace without crossing the Line of Control (LoC); care taken to avoid Pakistani military sites
- Aircraft used – Rafale, Mirage 2000, and Su-30 MKI
- Official media briefing – Jointly led by Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, Wing Commander Vyomika Singh (two women officers), and Vikram Misri (Foreign Secretary, MEA) — a significant moment in Indian military history
Ahmedabad-based Adani Green Energy Limited (AGEL) — a JV between Adani Group and TotalEnergies (France) — became the world’s first RE Independent Power Producer (IPP) to achieve water positivity with its massive 14 GW operational portfolio, achieving the milestone one year ahead of its FY26 target.
Water positivity = restoring more freshwater to the environment than the entity uses. AGEL is the only RE company in India of this scale to achieve this certification.
- Certified by Intertek (London) — a global assurance firm — after auditing 103 operational sites and 85 water conservation sites
- 85 revitalised ponds benefited 1,23,000+ people
- Over 54% of AGEL’s operational capacity uses robotic cleaning for solar modules, saving ~546 million litres of water annually
- Also certified: single-use plastic free and zero waste-to-landfill
CEO: Ashish Khanna | HQ: Ahmedabad | Incorporated: 2016
On 8 May 2025, the Ministry of Coal signed the Coal Gasification Plant Development and Production Agreement (CGPDPA) with selected applicants under Category II of the Coal Gasification Financial Incentive Scheme (FIS). Applicants: Jindal Steel and Power Limited (JSP), New Delhi; New Era Cleantech Solution, Mumbai; Greta Energy and Metal, Chennai.
| Category | Participants | Outlay | Grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cat I | Govt PSUs | ₹4,050 cr | ₹1,350 cr or 15% capex |
| Cat II | Govt PSUs + Private | ₹3,850 cr | ₹1,000 cr or 15% capex (tariff-based bidding) |
| Cat III | Demonstration projects | ₹600 cr | ₹100 cr or 15% capex; min capex ₹100 cr; min output 1,500 Nm³/hr syngas |
Converts carbon-based coal into fuel/synthesis gas (syngas) — a cleaner alternative to burning coal. FIS target: 100 MMT of coal gasification by 2030; total outlay: ₹8,500 crore.
Minister: G. Kishan Reddy (Secunderabad, Telangana)
On 8 May 2025, India and Chile signed the Terms of Reference (ToR) for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). Signed by Chile Ambassador H.E. Juan Angulo and India’s Chief Negotiator Vimal Anand (Joint Secretary, Dept. of Commerce, MoC&I). First round of negotiations: 26 May 2025.
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2005 | Framework Agreement on Economic Cooperation signed |
| 2006 | Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) implemented |
| Sep 2016 | Expanded PTA signed (effective 16 May 2017) |
| 2019 | Both countries agreed to pursue further PTA expansion |
| 8 May 2025 | ToR for CEPA signed; negotiations from 26 May 2025 |
The CEPA will widen the scope to digital services, investment, MSMEs, critical minerals.
President: Gabriel Boric Font | Capital: Santiago | Currency: Chilean Peso (CLP)
🌐 International News
On 8 May 2025, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost (USA) was elected as the 267th Pope of the Catholic Church, adopting the name Pope Leo XIV. He is the first Pope from the United States of America. He was elected at the fourth ballot on the second day of the Papal Conclave held in the Sistine Chapel, Vatican City, securing at least 89 votes (two-thirds majority). He succeeds Pope Francis, who died on 21 April 2025.
Ordained as priest in Rome (1982) | Missionary work in Peru from 1985 | Prior General, Order of Saint Augustine (2001–2013) | Bishop of Chiclayo, Peru (2015) | Holds dual US–Peru citizenship | In 2023, appointed by Pope Francis as Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and President of Pontifical Commission for Latin America; promoted to Cardinal.
Black smoke = no pope elected | White smoke = new pope selected
📅 Important Days
The UN’s Time of Remembrance and Reconciliation for Those Who Lost Their Lives during the Second World War is observed on 8–9 May annually to honour ~40 million civilians and 20 million soldiers who perished in WWII (1939–1945). 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII.
- Proclaimed by UNGA Resolution A/RES/59/26 on 22 November 2004
- First observance: 2005 — marking the 60th anniversary of both the end of WWII and the founding of the UN
Secretary-General: António Guterres | HQ: New York | Established: 1945
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