NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Delhi rises to 28th in OAG global airport connectivity ranking: Delhi Airport has made a significant jump in the latest global airport connectivity rankings. Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI Airport) now ranks 28th among the world’s most connected international airports in the OAG Megahubs 2026 report. The airport moved up 11 places from No. 39 in 2025, making it the highest-ranked Indian airport in the global list. Delhi Airport also ranked ninth among Asia-Pacific airports. Several established Asian aviation hubs ranked ahead of Delhi, including Bangkok, Singapore Changi, Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo Haneda, Seoul Incheon, Shanghai Pudong, Guangzhou and Hong Kong.
2. U.P. CM Yogi Adityanath Launches ‘Bharat Taxi’ and ‘Mukhyamantri Krishak Samriddhi Yojana‘: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched ‘Bharat Taxi’ and ‘Mukhyamantri Krishak Samriddhi Yojana’ in Lucknow on September 23, 2026, aiming to support local transport workers and ease financial conditions for farmers.
3. Mukhyamantri Krishak Samriddhi Yojana: Reduced Interest Rates: Interest on long-term agricultural loans provided via the Uttar Pradesh Cooperative Rural Development Bank was slashed from 11% to 6%. Target Audience: Focuses on providing affordable, long-term credit for machinery and farming needs to small and marginal farmers. Target Reach: The state aims to benefit around five lakh small and marginal farmers over the coming years. Additional Digital Tools: The event also marked the launch of the Urvarak Setu mobile app and the Uttar Pradesh Cooperative Database Centre (UPCDC)
4. Mandeep K Bhandari Appointed New CBSE Chairperson: Senior bureaucrat Mandeep K Bhandari was appointed as the chairperson of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) following a bureaucratic reshuffle carried out by the Centre on 27 September. Bhandari, a 2001 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram, and Union Territories) cadre, is currently working as Principal Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir.
5. Uttar Pradesh Makes Use-by Date Mandatory for Loose Sweets: The Uttar Pradesh Food Safety and Drug Administration has made it mandatory for sweet shops and manufacturing establishments in the state to display a use-by date for sweets, including loose sweets, from 15 October 2026. The order applies to sweets sold in loose form and to sweets prepared in manufacturing units across Uttar Pradesh. A use-by date is a food labelling term that indicates the last date for safe consumption of a product. In India, packaged foods already carry expiry-related information under food safety rules, while loose sweets earlier did not have a mandatory display requirement for such dates.
6. India’s First Port-Based E-Methanol Facility Announced: India’s first port-based e-methanol production facility is being developed at Deendayal Port Authority in Kandla, Gujarat. The project is a joint initiative of Deendayal Port Authority, with 76% ownership, and Assam Petro-Chemicals Ltd, with 24% ownership. The total investment for the project is ₹2,300 crore, and the planned production capacity is 150 tonnes per day. E-methanol is a synthetic form of methanol produced using renewable power, water, and biogenic carbon dioxide. Methanol is an alcohol with the chemical formula CH3OH and is used as an industrial feedstock and marine fuel. Green methanol is one of the alternative fuels being considered for shipping and heavy transport.
7. India’s First LNG-Powered Train Flagged Off: India’s first LNG-powered train was flagged off on 27 September 2026 from Sabarmati Railway Station in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The train uses a diesel-plus-LNG dual-fuel system and runs with two 1,400 HP Driving Power Cars converted at the Sabarmati Integrated Coaching Depot. LNG stands for liquefied natural gas, which is natural gas cooled to a liquid state for storage and transport. In railway applications, LNG can be used in dual-fuel engines that operate with both diesel and LNG, a configuration used in the converted Driving Power Cars of this train. The system is designed to replace about 40% of diesel consumption. The fuel arrangement is linked with lower emissions of carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter in comparison with conventional diesel-only operation.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Delhi Ranks Highest Among Indian Cities in 2026 Oxford Economics Global Cities Index: Delhi has secured the 268th position among 1,000 cities in the Oxford Economics Global Cities Index 2026. The national capital is among the top half of cities in the ranking, but its performance varies sharply across the five categories used in the index. The Global Cities Index compares 1,000 major cities using five categories such as Economics, Human Capital, Quality of Life, Environment and Governance. The rankings are designed to look at both a city’s present performance and its future potential. Among the Indian cities listed in the 2026 index, Delhi has the highest overall ranking at 268, followed by Bengaluru at 311, Mumbai at 330, Chennai at 381, Hyderabad at 421 and Pune at 427. Other Indian cities in the ranking include Thrissur at 477, Kochi at 489, Kolkata at 496 and Kozhikode at 499.
2. 28 September: World Rabies Day: World Rabies Day 2026 was observed on September 28. Every year on 28 September, the global community comes together to raise awareness about rabies elimination. From local communities and veterinary professionals to governments, healthcare workers, educators, and global partners, we all have role to play in making a world free from rabies a reality. Theme 2026: “Stronger Together”
3. 28 September (Fourth Sunday): World Rivers Day: World Rivers Day 2026 was celebrated globally on Sunday, September 27, 2026, highlighting the vital ecological, economic, and cultural roles that natural waterways play in supporting life on Earth. Established in 2005 by renowned Canadian river conservationist Mark Angelo, following the success of BC Rivers Day. Celebrated annually across over 100 countries with community clean-up drives, educational workshops, and river restoration campaigns. Theme 2026: “No Forests, No Rivers, No Water, No Life”
4. 29 September: World Heart Day: World Heart day is an important annual event, witnessed every year on 29th September. The day is celebrated by organizing various activities and awareness events globally to raise awareness about the heart disease and its preventive measures to manage the cardiovascular diseases. The events mainly focuses on educating people about the sign and symptoms of cardiovascular disease to avoid any further complications and encouraging peoples to inculcate healthy lifestyle to prevent and control any heart related ailments. Theme 2026: “Don’t Miss a Beat”
5. Important Ports on the Indian Ocean Rim: Ports along the Indian Ocean Rim are central to maritime trade, energy movement and regional connectivity. Their location near key sea lanes gives them importance for commerce, logistics, naval power and geopolitical influence across Asia, Africa and the wider Indian Ocean basin. The Indian Ocean is the third-largest ocean and covers nearly one-fifth of the world’s ocean surface. It links Africa, Asia, Australia and the Middle East, and carries a major share of global energy and cargo traffic. Its sea lanes and chokepoints shape trade flows, supply chains and strategic competition.
6. 14th India-UAE Joint Task Force Meeting Held in Mumbai: The 14th Meeting of the India-UAE High Level Joint Task Force on Investments (HLJTFI) was held in Mumbai on 28 September 2026. The meeting was co-chaired by Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce and Industry, and Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Managing Director of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA). Bilateral trade between India and the UAE reached US101.25 billion in FY 2025-26. Non-oil trade between the two countries stood at US76.2 billion in 2025, and both sides have set a bilateral trade target of US$200 billion by 2032. Investment discussions covered the Food Park project in Gujarat and a joint investment intent of US11.5 billion for an integrated aluminium complex in Odisha. The UAE also indicated an intent to invest an additional US25 billion in India in the near future, with a long-term objective of raising total investments to US$100 billion.
OTHER UPDATES:
DEFENCE
1. 24th India-France VARUNA Naval Exercise at Toulon Naval Base, France: The 24th edition of the Exercise VARUNA bilateral maritime exercise between the Indian Navy and the French Navy officially commenced when the Indian guided-missile frigate INS Trishul Arrives at Toulon for 24th India port in France on September 22, 2026.
SPORTS
1. India Ranks 10th at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026: India finished 10th at the 48th WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai, China, which concluded on 27 September 2026. Team India won six silver medals and 20 Medals for Excellence at the global skills event. The WorldSkills Competition is an international vocational skills contest held for young professionals in multiple trades and technical disciplines. The 48th edition took place in Shanghai from 22 to 27 September 2026, with competition rounds held from 23 to 26 September 2026. Types of Sprint Races in Athletics. The 200 metres is especially technical because athletes must control their posture on the bend before driving into the straight. The 400 metres is tougher on endurance, but it still belongs to the sprint category because of its high-speed nature. The 100 metres remains the most iconic sprint because it showcases raw acceleration and maximum velocity in the purest form.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. Major Global AI Governance Initiatives: Artificial intelligence governance is becoming a core global policy issue as AI systems spread across economies, public services and security domains. Countries and international bodies are trying to balance innovation with safeguards on transparency, fairness, accountability and human control. The main focus is to reduce risks while enabling responsible use of AI for development and public welfare. AI governance refers to the policies, standards and institutions that guide the design, development, deployment and use of AI. It seeks to ensure that AI serves societal goals without undermining rights, safety or trust. As AI grows more capable, governance has moved from a technical debate to a major policy concern.
2. SpaceX Starship Set for 14th Test Flight: SpaceX’s Starship is scheduled for its 14th test flight and first orbital launch attempt on Monday, 28 September 2026. The Federal Aviation Administration issued the launch licence for Starship Flight 14 on 26 September 2026, and the mission is planned from Pad 2 at Starbase, Texas. Starship is a fully reusable super heavy-lift launch system developed by SpaceX. The vehicle uses a two-stage configuration with the Super Heavy booster as the first stage and the Starship upper stage as the second stage. Super Heavy Booster 21 and Starship Ship 41 are the hardware assigned for this mission. Ship 41 is planned to splash down in the Pacific Ocean west of Chile, while the Super Heavy booster is planned to return to the Gulf of Mexico.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. SBI Card Launches Fixed Deposit-Backed Secured Credit Cards ‘Advantage SBI Card’ on YONO App: SBI Card has launched a fixed-deposit-backed secured credit card journey on the SBI YONO platform, allowing customers to apply digitally for select cards. The new facility enables SBI customers holding fixed deposits with the bank to apply for a secured Advantage SBI Card through a paperless process. SBI Card said the application can be completed in about 10 minutes.
Customers can apply for four cards under the Advantage SBI Card offering on YONO — SBI Card ELITE, SBI Card PRIME, SimplyCLICK SBI Card and SimplySAVE SBI Card.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1. Lalit Kala Akademi Announces 20 Awards at National Exhibition: The Lalit Kala Akademi, the National Academy of Art, announced 20 awards at the 65th National Exhibition of Art on 27 September 2026. The exhibition is being held at the Lalit Kala Art Galleries, Rabindra Bhavan, New Delhi, and it covers painting, sculpture, drawing, printmaking, and other visual art forms. The Lalit Kala Akademi is India’s national academy of art and functions as an institution for the promotion of visual arts. It was established in 1954 and operates under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. The National Exhibition of Art is an annual exhibition organised by the Lalit Kala Akademi. For the 65th edition, the Akademi received 6,175 artworks from 2,495 artists representing 27 States and Union Territories.
No comments:
Post a Comment