NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Supreme Court of India Hosts BRICS Chief Justices’ Forum in New Delhi: India is hosting the three-day BRICS Chief Justices’ Forum 2026 in New Delhi from September 4 to 6, 2026. Aims: Discuss contemporary issues concerning justice delivery, international dispute resolution, technology and sustainable development, while facilitating an exchange of views among judicial leaders. The forum has brought together Chief Justices, Presidents of Supreme Courts and senior judicial leaders from BRICS Member States and Partner Countries.
2. Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan Launches “Mission Rangeen Machhli 2031” for Ornamental Fisheries Development in Lakshadweep: Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan attended the Fisheries Outreach Programme at Agatti, Lakshadweep, and released “Mission Rangeen Machhli 2031”, the Strategic Action Plan for Ornamental Fisheries Development. He also distributed various government benefits and assistance to beneficiaries from the fisheries sector.
The Vice President described the event as a historic milestone for Lakshadweep and a new milestone in India’s Blue Revolution.
3. Dinesh Sharma Appointed Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands: Dr. Dinesh Sharma, a Bharatiya Janata Party Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament and former Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, was appointed Lieutenant Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on 5 September 2026. The appointment was issued by President Droupadi Murmu and took effect when he formally assumed charge of office. A Lieutenant Governor is the constitutional head of a Union Territory under Article 239 of the Constitution of India. The office is used in Union Territories such as Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Delhi, and Puducherry, where the administrator or Lieutenant Governor acts as the representative of the President. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands is a Union Territory of India in the Bay of Bengal. It consists of two island groups, the Andaman Islands and the Nicobar Islands, and Port Blair serves as its capital.
4. Government Appoints Eight New High Court Chief Justices: The Central Government of India notified the appointment of eight Chief Justices to different High Courts on 5 September 2026. President Droupadi Murmu approved the appointments under the Constitution of India after consultation with Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and the Supreme Court Collegium. Article 217 of the Constitution of India deals with the appointment of High Court judges and Chief Justices. The President appoints High Court judges after consultation with the Chief Justice of India, the Governor of the State, and, in the case of a judge other than the Chief Justice, the Chief Justice of the High Court concerned. Each High Court in India functions as the highest judicial authority at the State or Union Territory level. The Chief Justice allocates cases, supervises administrative work, and heads the roster of judges in the High Court.
5. Sanjay K. Agrawal Appointed Rajasthan High Court Chief Justice: Justice Sanjay Kumar Agrawal was appointed as the 44th regular Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court on 5 September 2026. He was serving as a judge of the Chhattisgarh High Court before the appointment, and the Central Government also cleared his name in a wider order that named eight new chief justices for different High Courts in India. The Chief Justice is the head of a High Court under Article 217 and Article 223 of the Constitution of India. A High Court exercises jurisdiction over a state or a group of states and Union Territories, and it functions as the highest court at the state level. The Supreme Court Collegium recommends appointments and transfers of judges to the higher judiciary in India. On 31 August 2026, the Collegium recommended Justice Sanjay K. Agrawal for Rajasthan and proposed the transfer of Justice Pushpendra Bhati, the second-most senior judge of the Rajasthan High Court, to the Jammu and Kashmir High Court.
6. Parliamentary Committees on Finance and Tax Reforms: Parliamentary control over public finance is a core feature of fiscal accountability in India. Financial committees examine how money is raised, spent, and audited, while also reviewing tax reforms and administrative efficiency. For Prelims, the key committees, their composition, and their mandate are important. Established first in 1921 under the Government of India Act, 1919. It examines appropriation accounts and the reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India. The Central Board of Direct Taxes administers direct taxes in India under the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance.
7. India’s Direct Tax Buoyancy Stays Above 1 for Third Year: India’s direct tax buoyancy remained above 1 for the third consecutive financial year, with the figure at 1.39 in 2024–25. Direct tax buoyancy measures the rate of growth in direct tax collections relative to the rate of growth in nominal Gross Domestic Product. Direct tax buoyancy is a fiscal ratio used to compare changes in direct tax revenue with changes in nominal Gross Domestic Product. A buoyancy value above 1 means direct tax revenue grows faster than nominal Gross Domestic Product in the same period. In India, direct taxes include income tax, corporate tax, securities transaction tax, and other taxes levied directly on income or profits. The Central Board of Direct Taxes administers direct taxes under the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. India to Host iBRICS Global Sovereign Capital Summit in New Delhi: The inaugural iBRICS Summit 2026 will take place on September 12–13, 2026, at The Oberoi in New Delhi, convening on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit to connect over $1 trillion in sovereign and private capital with major infrastructure, energy, and digital projects. Discussions on non-dollar settlement corridors, linking fast-payment networks (such as India’s UPI and Brazil’s Pix), and Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) interoperability.
2. Bank of Canada unveils new $20 banknote featuring King Charles III: Canada has unveiled a new $20 banknote featuring King Charles III, marking the first time his portrait appears on a Canadian banknote and the first change of monarch on the country’s notes in more than seven decades. The Bank of Canada presented the new note at an event on 5 September attended by Governor Tiff Macklem, Governor General Louise Arbour and Wayne Long, secretary of state for the Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions.
3. Major India-Afghanistan Relations and Connectivity Channels: India and Afghanistan have long shared civilizational, economic and people-to-people ties. In the absence of direct land access, their partnership depends on transit corridors, strategic ports and institutional mechanisms that support trade, development and connectivity. The July 2026 JCM was co-chaired by M. Anand Prakash, Joint Secretary (Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran) in India’s Ministry of External Affairs, and Shuaib Baryalai, Director General of the First Political Division in Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This is the main bilateral forum for sector-specific economic issues, including trade facilitation, regulatory coordination and follow-up action.
4. India to Host BRICS Chief Justices’ Forum: The Supreme Court of India announced on 3 September 2026 that India would host the three-day BRICS Chief Justices’ Forum in New Delhi. The forum began on 4 September 2026 and was scheduled to continue until 6 September 2026 ahead of the 18th BRICS Summit. Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant opened the forum on 4 September 2026 and held bilateral meetings with judicial heads from Russia, China, Egypt, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Belarus, Kazakhstan, South Africa, Iran and Uzbekistan. The discussions covered modern jurisprudence, artificial intelligence in judicial administration, international commercial mediation, sustainable development and the cross-border enforcement of arbitral awards.
5. Munitions India, Drogo Aerospace Sign MoU for UAV Systems : Drogo Aerospace Pvt Ltd and Munitions India Limited (MIL) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Pune on 4 September 2026 for cooperation in indigenous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and loitering munition systems. The agreement covers design, development, integration, safety evaluation, field trials, range trials, and quality certification of munition-linked aerial platforms. An MoU is a formal agreement between two entities that sets out areas of cooperation without creating a full commercial contract. In this case, the MoU links a private aerospace firm and a Government of India-owned defence manufacturer for work on UAV platforms and loitering munitions. Yashwanth Bonthu, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Drogo Aerospace, and Kumar Vaibhav Gaur, Executive Director of MIL, signed the agreement in Pune. Drogo Aerospace is based in Hyderabad and is engaged in the design, development, and manufacturing of UAV platforms and empty-payload hardware.
6. Important Arctic Ports, Terminals and Tanker Systems: The Arctic maritime system depends on a small set of deep-water ports, coastal terminals and ice-class vessels built for extreme conditions. At the centre of this network is the Northern Sea Route (NSR), which supports energy exports and links Arctic production zones to global shipping lanes. The NSR runs entirely within the Arctic, along Russia’s northern coast from the Barents Sea to the Bering Strait. It connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and reduces sailing distance between Northern Europe and East Asia compared to the Suez Canal route. Arctic ports and terminals are designed to function in ice-prone waters and serve both export and logistical needs. Some are historic ports, while others are purpose-built energy terminals linked to major oil and LNG projects. Vostok Oil is one of Russia’s major Arctic energy projects and is developed by the state-controlled company Rosneft. It brings together oil fields in Krasnoyarsk Krai and the Taimyr Peninsula and depends on large-scale pipeline and terminal infrastructure.
7. Russia Begins First Oil Flow Through Vostok Oil Pipeline: Russia began the first oil transport through the Vostok Oil trunk pipeline on 5 September 2026, with crude loaded at the Sever Bay (Bukhta Sever) terminal in Krasnoyarsk Krai. The launch was linked to the Vostok Oil project, a large Arctic oil development led by Rosneft and connected to the Northern Sea Route. Vostok Oil is a Russian Arctic oil project associated with low-sulphur liquid hydrocarbons and large-scale pipeline and terminal infrastructure. Rosneft has placed the project’s estimated resource base at about 7 billion tonnes of liquid hydrocarbons. The Sever Bay terminal is the coastal export point for the Vostok Oil pipeline system. The terminal is designed to handle Arctic tanker operations, including loading onto the high-ice-class tanker Valentin Pikul. The Northern Sea Route is a maritime corridor along Russia’s Arctic coast that links the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through Arctic waters. Russian authorities have projected higher cargo movement on this route, with traffic estimates rising from 37 million tonnes in 2025 to 70 million tonnes annually by 2030.
OTHER UPDATES:
DEFENCE
1. Vice Admiral Dilip Raghavan assumes as Director General Hospital Services (Armed Forces): Surgeon Vice Admiral Dilip Raghavan has assumed the appointment of Director General Armed Forces Medical Services (Armed Forces). He joined the Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC), Pune, in 1985 and completed his MBBS in 1989. He was commissioned into the Indian Navy in December 1989. Raghavan completed his MS (ENT) from Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) Pune, in 1998 and subsequently underwent a two-year fellowship in ENT Microsurgery and Cochlear Implant Surgery at the Madras ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) Research Foundation, Chennai.
2. IAF Successfully Tests Indigenous Khagantak-243 Long-Range Glide Bomb: The Indian Air Force has recorded a notable advance in home-grown precision-strike technology after a successful drop trial of the Long Range Glide Bomb (LRGB) Khagantak-243, a weapon designed and built entirely within the country. The exercise was carried out on 2 September and is being read as a landmark for both the air force and the domestic defence manufacturing sector.
3. Adani Defence signs five-year AK-203 ammunition deal: Adani Defence & Aerospace signed a five-year agreement with Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited for the supply of indigenous 7.62×39 mm small-calibre ammunition for the AK-203 assault rifle programme. The arrangement covers domestic ammunition supply for the Indian armed forces over the five-year period and links locally produced rifles with locally manufactured ammunition in India. The AK-203 is a 7.62×39 mm assault rifle produced in India at the Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited manufacturing plant in Korwa in the Amethi district of Uttar Pradesh. The Indian Ministry of Defence signed a contract with Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited on 6 December 2021 for 6,01,427 AK-203 assault rifles. Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited was incorporated in 2019 under an India-Russia intergovernmental pact. Its Indian shareholders are Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited and Munitions India Limited, while its Russian shareholders are Rosoboronexport and Concern Kalashnikov.
SPORTS
1. Argentina Won 2026 Women’s FIH Hockey World Cup: The Argentina women’s national hockey team won the 2026 Women’s FIH Hockey World Cup by defeating host nation Netherlands in a dramatic penalty shootout at the Wagener Stadium in Amsterdam, Netherlands. This marks Argentina’s third women’s World Cup title, adding to their previous victories in 2002 and 2010.
2. Roger Federer Inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame Class of 2026: Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame on 29 August 2026 at Newport, Rhode Island, USA. The 20-time Grand Slam champion delivered an emotional speech during the ceremony, describing the honour as one of the greatest of his life. Federer retired from professional tennis in 2022. He won Olympic doubles gold for Switzerland at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. Major Artificial Intelligence Concepts and Applications: Artificial intelligence is a broad field of computing that enables machines to perform tasks usually associated with human intelligence. It has evolved from rule-based systems to learning-based models that can recognise patterns, generate content and execute multi-step tasks. Designed for specific tasks such as facial recognition, recommendation systems or language translation. It cannot transfer learning across unrelated domains. A theoretical AI that can understand, learn and apply knowledge across a wide range of tasks at a human level. A subset of AI in which algorithms learn from data and improve decisions without being explicitly programmed for every rule.
2. India Develops Small Machine for Fusion Research: India has added two small-scale spherical tokamaks to its fusion research base in 2026. Bengaluru-based Pranos Fusion developed Pragya, while the Institute for Plasma Research (IPR) in Gandhinagar completed and operated its own compact spherical tokamak for plasma experiments. Pragya is a compact, low-aspect-ratio spherical tokamak. A spherical tokamak is a type of magnetic confinement device with a more compact plasma chamber than a conventional tokamak, and it is used in fusion research to study plasma behaviour under strong magnetic fields. Pragya was completed on 21 August 2026 and launched on 3 September 2026. It was built in eight months by a 12-member team led by Shaurya Kaushal and Roshan George.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. Nvidia to Acquire Hugging Face in $12.93 Billion AI Deal: Nvidia is moving to acquire artificial intelligence software platform Hugging Face in a deal valued at roughly $13 billion, giving the chipmaker a much larger position in the open-source AI ecosystem it already supplies with computing hardware. The acquisition comes as Nvidia looks beyond the processors that have powered much of the AI boom and builds deeper ties with the developers, researchers and companies creating and deploying AI models.
2. Razorpay and IndusInd Bank Launched AI Account Manager ‘RAY’ on WhatsApp for Businesses: Razorpay on September 2 launched an AI-powered account manager on WhatsApp that allows businesses to access payment information, seek support and carry out certain payment-related actions through messages or voice notes. Businesses can ask RAY for information such as payment summaries and transaction analysis. The AI assistant can also perform certain actions, including generating payment links and initiating refunds, without requiring users to access Razorpay’s dashboard.
3. LIC Gets RBI Approval for ICICI Bank Stake: On 5 September 2026, ICICI Bank stated in a regulatory filing that the Reserve Bank of India had approved the Life Insurance Corporation of India to acquire an aggregate holding of up to 9.99% in the bank. The approval letter was received by ICICI Bank on 4 September 2026 at 9:09 PM, and the RBI set a validity period of one year from thIn Indian banking, shareholding by an insurer in a bank is subject to approval from the Reserve Bank of India and compliance with statutory conditions. LIC held 31,18,17,010 shares in ICICI Bank during the April to June 2026 quarter, which represented a 4.35% stake in the bank’s net paid-up capital. As of the quarter ending 30 June 2026, insurance companies together held an 8.24% stake in ICICI Bank. SBI Life Insurance held a 1.43% stake in the bank during the same period.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1. Nobel Prize 2026 Honours Unusual Research That Makes Think: The 36th annual Ig Nobel Prize ceremony on September 3, 2026, honored quirky and imaginative scientific achievements that first make people laugh and then make them think. Awarded to an international team including Indian researchers from InStem Bengaluru for discovering that protein crystals in Pacific beetle cockroach milk contain over three times the energy of cow’s milk. warded posthumously to Dr. Tokuji Unno for a 1977 aerodynamic study on how humans blow their noses. Went to researchers who gently stepped on venomous pit vipers wearing boots to see what triggers a bite. Honored a study revealing that upper-class individuals are more prone to taking candy meant for children. Awarded for the “Underwear as Evidence” project using buried cotton underpants to measure soil health. Included research on the evolutionary history of kissing, which you can read more about in this report from Nature.
2. NHAI Announces Winners of ‘Green Highways Excellence Awards 2026’: In September 2026, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) announced the winners of the ‘Green Highways Excellence Awards 2026’, instituted to recognise and promote best practices in National Highway (NH) landscaping and plantation management. Category I: Avenue Plantations: Chilakaluripet Bypass (NH-16, Vijayawada) – 1st, Vadodara–Kim Expressway (Gandhinagar) – 2nd, NH-925/925A sections (Jaipur) – 3rd, and Trichy–Karaikudi maintenance project (Madurai) – Consolation. Category II: Median Plantations: Hyderabad–Yadgiri (NH-163, Hyderabad) – 1st, Vadodara–Kim Expressway (Gandhinagar) – 2nd, Varanasi Ring Road (NH-31, UP East) – 3rd. Category III: Plantation in Land Parcels: Jamtha Clover Leaf, NH-44 (Nagpur) – 1st, ToT Bundle-7 land parcels, Duhai (Delhi) – 2nd, Lucknow–Ayodhya & Outer Ring Road (UP West) – 3rd.
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