• Following recent child deaths linked to contaminated cough syrups, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has launched the Online National Drug Licensing System (ONDLS) to monitor and regulate high-risk pharmaceutical solvents.

• The Israeli Parliament (Knesset) has given preliminary approval to a bill extending Israeli law to the occupied West Bank, a move widely viewed as de facto annexation.

• The bill passed its first reading by a narrow 25–24 margin, while a separate measure on annexing the Maale Adumim settlement passed 31–9.

• The legislation was introduced by lawmakers outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition.

• It received support from right-wing factions, including Itamar Ben-Gvir’s Jewish Power party and Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism bloc, but not from Netanyahu’s Likud party.

• The Indian Army has launched a major restructuring and modernization drive titled ‘Decade of Transformation (2023–2032)’, announced by Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi on Vijay Diwas, 26 July 2025.

• The initiative focuses on creating a more agile, tech-driven, and integrated force, marking the Army’s biggest structural reform in decades.

Geneva, October 22, 2025 

• At the 16th United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD16), India urged developing and least developed nations to unite in confronting global trade inequalities. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal called for the Global South to “speak with one voice” to ensure equitable participation in the international trading system.

Tehran, October 22, 2025 

• Iran has officially ratified the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism (CFT Treaty), marking a major step toward meeting Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards. The move, led by President Masoud Pezeshkian’s reformist government, aims to ease economic isolation and restore access to the global banking system.