India's UPI International payment system is now playing a crucial role in humanitarian efforts, enabling seamless disaster relief donations from Indian users to Nepal's Prime Minister Disaster Relief Fund, showcasing its growing global acceptance and utility beyond tourism. UPI IMAGE: Kindly note that this image has been posted for representational purposes only. Photograph: Unsplash Key Points UPI International, initially for Indian tourists, is now facilitating disaster relief donations to Nepal's Prime Minister Disaster Relief Fund. The embassy of Nepal in India is actively encouraging Indian users to utilise their UPI apps for these contributions. This marks a significant shift, expanding UPI's cross-border use case beyond tourism to include inbound collection for foreign governments. The move positions UPI International alongside global payment giants like Alipay+ and UnionPay for international aid. Donors need to activate the UPI International feature on their apps to transact, with amounts converted from INR to NPR.
The question for the next 20 years is not whether India can become a $5 trillion or $10 trillion economy. Those are attractive targets, but the real question is whether India can create enough productive jobs, educate its children properly, make its cities liveable, and give hundreds of millions of people a substantially better life, asserts Ramesh Menon.
In flood-ravaged Nepal, drones are playing an unprecedented role in disaster response, from airlifting bodies from inaccessible areas to delivering essential supplies and searching for trapped workers. This innovative use of UAVs is transforming humanitarian aid and rescue operations in the challenging Himalayan terrain.
Defending champions India have been drawn into Group B of the SAFF Championship 2026 alongside Maldives and Pakistan. The tournament, hosted in Dhaka from November 4-17, will see India begin their quest for a record 10th title against Maldives on November 5, followed by a clash with Pakistan on November 11.
The Indian Under-17 women's team crushed Bhutan 8-0 in its last round-robin fixture of the SAFF Under-19 Women's Championship to set up a summit showdown with Bangladesh at the Pokhara Rangasala Stadium
India has attracted foreign direct investment (FDI) worth approximately 4,896 crore across 29 projects since May, following the government's relaxation of norms under Press Note 2 of 2026. The revised rules permit investment without government approval from entities with up to 10 per cent non-controlling ownership by land-bordering countries.
The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) has completed a decade since its launch, becoming the backbone of India's digital payments ecosystem. It has seen exponential growth in transaction volume and value, expanding financial inclusion and setting a global benchmark for real-time payments.
The devastating floods in Nepal have brought back memories of two major disasters in Uttarakhand in recent years, the Rishiganga tragedy of February 2021 and the Dharali disaster of August 2025, which caused extensive loss of life and property and left thousands struggling to rebuild their lives.
IIT Madras's Centre of Excellence for Road Safety has organised its first international hackathon, focusing on AI in road safety. The event brought together participants from India and other BIMSTEC nations to develop data-driven, technology-enabled solutions for the region, which faces a high number of road fatalities annually. The hackathon aims to foster collaboration among governments, academic institutions, and regional bodies to address this critical issue.
An easy, cheesy recipe you must try this monsoon.
'The valley is around 16 km from the Nepal border, and it took just 8-10 minutes for the ice and rocks to reach the Nepal border. You can imagine how fast it must have travelled!'
Bangladesh has requested India to create a "conducive environment" for Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's potential visit to New Delhi for the BRICS summit, linking it to their demand for the extradition of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. This comes amidst strained relations following Hasina's media interaction in New Delhi, which Bangladesh deemed offensive, and her subsequent death sentence in absentia for "crimes against humanity." India maintains that the extradition request is under examination and that it had no role in Hasina's media event.
Bhutan's left-arm spinner Sonam Yeshey became the first bowler to pick up an eight-wicket haul in T20 cricket
India has removed a key regulatory hurdle, allowing exporters to receive payments in Indian currency while retaining incentives under the country's foreign trade policy, a move aimed at promoting wider use of the rupee in international trade.
India is currently examining Bangladesh's request for the extradition of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who has been living in India since her government's collapse in August 2024, with New Delhi confirming the issue is being processed according to established procedures.
Veteran athletics coach Parveer Singh, who guided athletes like Seema Punia, Tajinderpal Singh Toor, and Annu Rani to international medals, has been named for the prestigious Dronacharya Award. The article details his extensive career spanning over two decades, his role as a coach educator, and his academic contributions to sports coaching.
NPCI International Payments Ltd (NIPL) and Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) have successfully integrated the Maldives' instant payment system 'Favara' with India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI). This enables real-time fund transfers from Maldives to UPI-enabled Indian bank accounts, marking a significant step in cross-border digital financial connectivity and bilateral economic cooperation.
Sanfida Nongrum's second-half strike sent India into the SAFF Women's Championship final, but coach Crispin Chhetri criticised his side's attitude and admitted Bhutan 'deserved to win' after a scrappy 1-0 semi-final victory.
Over Rs 180 crore was incurred on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to 23 countries including the US, the UK, France, China and Japan in 2025, according to data shared by the government.
Gianni Infantino's bid for a fourth term as FIFA president faces challenges from traditional football powers, but his strategy relies heavily on the support of smaller, emerging nations that benefit significantly from FIFA's development grants.
Japan is deepening its defence relationship with India while simultaneously expanding its economic, infrastructure and security engagement with countries around India -- particularly Bangladesh. The result is an emerging Japanese conception of South Asia in which India remains the strategic anchor, but the geography surrounding India is becoming increasingly important, points out Varun Arya.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has assured the All India Football Federation of full government support to host India's biggest-ever international football fixture against five-time World Cup champions Brazil in Kolkata on October 3. This historic match will be India's first against a top-five FIFA-ranked nation, offering crucial exposure to the national team despite initial concerns over crowd management.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's week-long ongoing tour of France and Slovakia is his 100th foreign trip since he assumed the high office 12 years ago.
The Customs Commissionerate (Preventive), Kochi, has seized multiple SUVs and arrested a used luxury car showroom owner as part of 'Operation Numkhor', an ongoing investigation into the smuggling of luxury vehicles from Nepal and Bhutan.
Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani announced a capital expenditure programme of over 2 trillion for Adani Power, aiming for 45 gigawatts (Gw) capacity in five years, including a significant entry into nuclear power with a target of 10 Gw by 2035 through Adani Atomic Energy.
Mamata said at Nagrakata in Jalpaiguri district that the losses occurred owing to rainwater flowing down from Bhutan through various rivers.
The brother of Champat Rai, who resigned as the general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, on Monday defended him against allegations of embezzling donations for the Ram temple, saying his brother had sacrificed both his personal life and career for the Ram temple movement and the service of the nation.
Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions moderated slightly in June from a record high in May, reaching Rs 28.9 lakh crore. Despite a month-on-month decrease in volume, the daily average transactions hit a new high, indicating UPI's strong adoption for low-value payments. The platform also demonstrated significant annual growth and expanding international presence.
Aligarh resident Habib Saifi has built a small hut-like structure on his bike to protect himself from direct sunlight during this intense summer.
Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi called on Bhutan's King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck in Thimphu on Tuesday, July 1, 2025.
Punjab Police, in collaboration with central agencies, arrested three key suspects in the Batala double murder case from the Indo-Bhutan border in West Bengal. The accused were allegedly linked to a foreign-based fugitive gangster, Happy Jatt.
Five-time champions India take on defending champions Bangladesh in the SAFF Women's Championship 2026 final, with the hosts aiming to end a seven-year title drought and reclaim regional supremacy.
India defeated Bangladesh 3-0 to top Group B and secure a semifinal spot in the SAFF Women's Championship. Goals from Pyari Xaxa, Lynda Kom Serto, and Malavika P sealed the victory, marking India's first win against Bangladesh in seven years.
India and Nepal have launched a peer-to-peer (P2P) cross-border remittance mechanism, linking India's UPI with Nepal's NPI. This system allows real-time money transfers via mobile banking, enhancing convenience for travellers and businesses, fostering financial inclusion, and strengthening economic ties between the two nations.
A team of scientists has identified a 'potentially dangerous' proglacial lake at 16,500 feet in Arunachal Pradesh's Mago Chu basin, a critical headwaters region of the Brahmaputra, warning of a possible Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) due to rapid glacier transformation.
The visitor returns not just with the jewel-like beauty of the country imprinted on the mind, the body rejuvenated by hot stone massages, but also with the captivating stories and myths that are built into every important structure -- whether a tourist magnet or an off-the-beaten track spot.
The India U17 men's national team sealed their spot in the semi-finals of the SAFF U17 Championship 2025
Anuskha Kumari scored a hat-trick as India thrashed hosts Bhutan 8-0 for their third consecutive win at the SAFF Under-17 Women's Championships.
The Indian women's football team will face Bangladesh and the Maldives in Group B of the SAFF Women's Championship, to be held in Goa from May 25 to June 6.
With this emphatic result, India made it four wins from as many matches, scoring 22 goals without conceding any, and tightening their grip at the summit of the table with 12 points from four matches.
