🤖 AI skilling

Good morning. New images of Fedal dropped and petition to have them back on the courts please 🎾 

Ruchirr Sharma & Shatakshi Sharmaa  

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• 🤖 India launches AI skilling program for students and teachers

• Bite-sized summaries

  • 🇬🇧 India-UK free trade pact gets cabinet nod

  • 💰️ Trump slams Fed Chair Powell, signals exit in 8 months

• 🧑‍🍳 What else is cookin’?

MARKETS

🇮🇳 India

• The Indian stock market declined marginally. Most sectors, including media, PSU banks, realty, auto, and pharma, posted losses. Despite an early positive start and gains in select stocks like Eternal (formerly Zomato), market breadth was negative as more stocks declined than advanced. Investor sentiment remained cautious amid foreign fund outflows and subdued global cues.

🌍️ International

• US markets ended mixed, with the Nasdaq declining on weakness in major tech stocks like Nvidia and Amazon. While the S&P 500 and Dow posted modest gains, the tech-heavy Nasdaq snapped a winning streak. Investor focus remained on corporate earnings and trade developments, with cautious sentiment limiting broader upside despite strong performances in other sectors.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

🤖 India launches AI skilling program for students and teachers

In a move to future-proof India's workforce from the classroom up, the government has launched a new national program called SOAR: Skilling for AI Readiness.

The initiative, led by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, aims to embed AI literacy among schoolchildren and educators across the country.

Designed for students from Classes 6 to 12, the program introduces three 15-hour modules:

• AI to be Aware

• AI to Acquire

• AI to Aspire

Each step builds on foundational knowledge in artificial intelligence, ethics, generative AI, cybersecurity, and its use in daily life. There’s also a 45-hour course for teachers titled AI for Educators to ensure that instructors aren’t left behind in this digital transformation.

This initiative isn't just about coding and machines - it’s about equity. SOAR aims to bridge India’s digital divide, making sure students from all geographies, including underserved regions, have access to future-ready skills. By introducing AI concepts early, the government hopes to prepare students for the jobs of tomorrow while supporting teachers with tools to guide them.

The launch also marks 10 years of the Skill India Mission, reflecting a growing urgency to align India’s young population with evolving tech landscapes.

Read more: Economic Times

GENERAL OVERVIEW

🗞️ Bite-sized summaries

🇬🇧 India-UK free trade pact gets cabinet nod - India’s Cabinet has approved a free trade agreement (FTA) with the UK, to be signed on July 24 during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to London. The deal aims to double bilateral trade to $120 billion by 2030 by eliminating or reducing tariffs on key goods. Indian exports like textiles, leather, and footwear will gain, while imports of British whisky and cars will become cheaper. The pact also covers services, IP rights, and public procurement. It requires British parliamentary approval to take effect. Talks on a separate bilateral investment treaty are ongoing, while a social security pact for professionals has been finalized.

💰️ Trump slams Fed Chair Powell, signals exit in 8 months - U.S. President Donald Trump called Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell a “numbskull” for keeping interest rates high, blaming him for hurting the housing market and hinting at political motives. Trump claimed Powell will be out in eight months, though Powell’s term runs until May 2026 and he’s said he won’t resign early. Trump insists rates should be 3% lower. Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent criticized the Fed’s $2.5 billion building renovations, calling it “mission creep.” The administration is urging the Fed to focus on monetary policy, while the Fed defends the spending as essential for safety and efficiency.

HEADLINES

🧑‍🍳 What else is cookin’?

What’s happening in India (and around the world 🌍️)

• 28 countries sign statement calling for end of war in Gaza.

• India's IPO market set to soar with Rs 2.58 lakh crore offerings in pipeline.

• US nuclear weapons agency breached in Microsoft SharePoint hack.

CULTURE

🍿 Entertainment, Entertainment, Entertainment

• Two Much: Kajol and Twinkle Khanna's all-new talk show announced 🎙️ 

• Bigg Boss hosted by Salman Khan will be returning for Season 19 in August this year potentially featuring Indian’s AI influencer, Kavya Mehra.

• Ozzy Osbourne, the frontman of pioneering heavy metal band Black Sabbath, has died in the UK at the age of 76.