Current affairs

Places in News: Mayun Island- Why Is Perim Island Strategically Important?

Mayun Island, also known as Perim Island, is a small volcanic island belonging to Yemen. It is located in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a major maritime chokepoint connecting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Its strategic location makes...

UPI MDR Charges 2026: Who Will Pay How Much?

UPI MDR Charges 2026: Why in News? The Government has announced a new Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) framework for Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions. The new framework will come into effect from 15 October 2026. Under the new system, person-to-person...

Place in News: Auli – Location, Geography and Yudh Abhyas 2026

Why Is Auli in News? Auli, located in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, is in the news as one of the venues for the 22nd edition of Yudh Abhyas 2026, the bilateral military exercise between the Indian Army and the US...

Species in News: Asian Wild Pig- Habitat, Behaviour, African Swine Fever and IUCN Status

The Asian wild pig is in the news amid growing concerns over the conservation of wild pig species in South and Southeast Asia. Habitat loss, hunting, fragmentation and African Swine Fever (ASF) are putting additional pressure on several vulnerable species....

BRICS AI Open-Source Community: China’s Proposal, India’s Position and Key Concerns

At the 2026 BRICS Summit in New Delhi, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed establishing a “BRICS AI open-source community” to promote cooperation in artificial intelligence among member countries. The proposal focuses on large language models (LLMs), AI training, technology exchange...

India’s Artificial Sun: New 82.6 GHz Gyrotron Boosts Fusion Research | SST-1 Tokamak

India has achieved a significant milestone in nuclear fusion research with the installation of a new 82.6 GHz, 400 kW gyrotron on the SST-1 (Steady State Superconducting Tokamak) at the Institute for Plasma Research (IPR), Gujarat. The upgrade is expected...

World Circular Economy Forum 2026: India Hosts WCEF 2026 in Gandhinagar

India is hosting the World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF) 2026 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, from 15–18 September 2026. This is the first time the global forum is being held in South Asia, placing India at the centre of international discussions on...

SAWEN and Kathmandu Declaration: Strengthening South Asia’s Fight Against Wildlife Crime

Context South Asian countries adopted the Kathmandu Declaration to strengthen coordinated action against illegal wildlife trade and transnational wildlife crime at the first General Assembly of SAWEN in Kathmandu. About SAWEN Nature: A regional intergovernmental mechanism for cooperation against illegal...

Steel Slag Road Technology: India’s 1.85-km Steel Slag Road Sets Guinness World Record

India has achieved a Guinness World Record for the world’s longest steel slag road, marking an important step towards sustainable and resource-efficient infrastructure. The 1.85-km steel slag road in Raigarh, Chhattisgarh, demonstrates how an industrial by-product of steelmaking can be...

Hindi Diwas 2026: Why September 14 Matters and What Happened in 1949?

Hindi Diwas 2026 will be observed on September 14, marking a significant moment in India's constitutional and linguistic history. On September 14, 1949, the Constituent Assembly adopted Hindi in the Devanagari script as the Official Language of the Union. However,...