Lebanon became the first country in the Arab world and the Middle East to formally abolish the death penalty. Capital punishment was replaced with life imprisonment with aggravated hard labour. The decision was passed by a majority in Parliament, despite opposition from Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc. The reform marks a major development in criminal justice and human-rights policy in the region.

Kalanamak rice cultivation has expanded significantly in Siddharthnagar, Uttar Pradesh, with production increasing more than five times between 2018 and 2025. Its sale price increased from ₹40/kg in 2018 to ₹150/kg in 2026, improving farmers’ profitability. Kalanamak rice is a traditional non-basmati aromatic variety known for its high nutritional value. It is mainly grown in eastern Uttar Pradesh, especially Siddharthnagar, as part of the One District One Product (ODOP) initiative. The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has recognized Kalanamak rice as a specialty rice of the world.

An Industry Summit on Prospects and Export of Agarwood Oil from India was held in New Delhi by the Chemicals and Allied Products Export Promotion Council (CHEMEXCIL) with the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region. The initiative focuses particularly on the North Eastern Region, which holds about 96.6% of India’s agarwood trees. Agarwood is a valuable resinous aromatic wood obtained mainly from Aquilaria species and is used for perfumes, incense and agarwood oil. India has an estimated 139.89 million agarwood trees, with Assam accounting for about 114.3 million.

The Ministry of Culture promotes India’s international cultural relations through the Global Engagement Scheme (GES). The scheme currently has valid Cultural Exchange Programmes (CEPs) with 98 countries. It also supports India’s participation in forums such as BRICS, G20, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and BIMSTEC. The Global Engagement Scheme strengthens India’s cultural diplomacy by promoting its heritage, diversity and contemporary cultural traditions abroad. It has four components: International Cultural Exchange Programme, Project Mausam, Brihattar Bharat and the Scheme for Safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage and Diverse Cultural Traditions of India.

The National Overseas Scholarship (NOS) Scheme has supported 580 Scheduled Caste students for higher education abroad during 2019–20 to 2025–26. The scheme has recently been integrated with the SAMAVESH (Single Access Mechanism for All Verticals of Empowerment & Social Harmony) Portal to streamline applications and selection. The scheme provides financial assistance to eligible Scheduled Caste students pursuing higher education abroad. The highest number of beneficiaries was recorded in 2023–24, with 114 students.