Daily current affairs

Short summaries with exam relevance and source links. Updated every morning.

India and Brazil sign $5 billion defence collaboration
11 May 2026
UPSC
International Relations
Defence

India and Brazil signed defence collaboration worth $5 billion. Joint production of light helicopters, naval platforms, and small arms. Both countries also discussed BRICS-related cooperation.

India and Russia sign nuclear partnership extension
11 May 2026
UPSC
International Relations
Energy

India and Russia agreed to extend cooperation for 6 additional nuclear reactors at Kudankulam (units 7-12). Also covers floating SMRs (Small Modular Reactors) for coastal areas.

India and France sign agreement for Rafale-Marine fighter jets
11 May 2026
UPSC
International Relations
Defence

India signed a Government-to-Government deal with France for 26 Rafale-M fighter jets for the Indian Navy's aircraft carriers (INS Vikrant and Vikramaditya). Estimated cost ₹63,000 crore.

ISRO's Chandrayaan-4 sample return mission cleared
11 May 2026
UPSC
Banking
Science

The Centre approved Chandrayaan-4 — India's first lunar sample return mission. Target launch: 2028. Will use SLV2 (heavy launcher) and two-spacecraft rendezvous architecture.

KAVACH installed on 5,000 route km of Indian Railways
11 May 2026
UPSC
SSC
Banking

Indian Railways completed KAVACH (indigenous Automatic Train Protection) deployment on 5,000 route km, mainly Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah corridors. Prevents collisions and signal violations. Target: 35,000 km by 2027.

India and EU sign defence and security partnership
10 May 2026
UPSC
International Relations
Defence

Building on the January 2026 FTA, India and the European Union signed a defence and security partnership focusing on maritime cooperation, cyber security and joint defence R&D.

India successfully tests reusable launch vehicle (RLV-LEX-04)
10 May 2026
UPSC
Banking
Science

ISRO conducted the fourth landing experiment of its Reusable Launch Vehicle Technology Demonstrator at the Aeronautical Test Range, Chitradurga. The autonomous spaceplane landed precisely after release from a helicopter at 4.5 km altitude.

India and Sri Lanka launch joint maritime patrol in IOR
10 May 2026
UPSC
International Relations
Defence

Indian and Sri Lankan navies launched the first joint maritime patrol in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) under the Colombo Security Conclave. Focus: anti-piracy, drug-smuggling, illegal fishing, and humanitarian/disaster response.

ISRO successfully tests Gaganyaan crew escape system
10 May 2026
UPSC
SSC
Science

ISRO completed the TV-D2 abort test for Gaganyaan, demonstrating crew module escape from a malfunctioning rocket. Critical step before the uncrewed orbital test in 2026.

INS Vikrant joins second carrier strike group exercise
9 May 2026
UPSC
Defence

India's indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant joined the navy's second large-scale carrier strike group exercise in the Indian Ocean, marking operational maturity. Tejas-N fighter aircraft launched and recovered successfully.

India unveils ₹14,500 crore Critical Minerals Mission
9 May 2026
UPSC
Banking
Economy

Cabinet approved the National Critical Minerals Mission with ₹14,500 crore outlay over 7 years for exploration, extraction and processing of 30 critical minerals including lithium, cobalt, rare earths.

India launches National Mission on Quantum Technologies
9 May 2026
UPSC
Banking
Science

Centre approved expansion of the National Quantum Mission to ₹10,000 crore till 2031. Four verticals: quantum computing, quantum communication, quantum sensing, materials and devices.

India launches dedicated National Cyber Resilience Framework
9 May 2026
UPSC
Banking
Science

MeitY unveiled India's first National Cyber Resilience Framework (NCRF) defining minimum cybersecurity baselines for critical infrastructure (banking, power, telecom, transport). Mandatory compliance audits every 6 months for designated entities.

India inaugurates first National Center for Cybersecurity Excellence
9 May 2026
UPSC
Banking
Science

PM inaugurated the National Centre for Cybersecurity Excellence (NCCE) at Hyderabad. ₹2,000 cr facility with R&D labs, training infrastructure, and global threat intelligence. India faces ~1.5 M cyber attacks/day.

India successfully launches GSAT-N3 communication satellite
4 May 2026
UPSC
Banking
Science

ISRO successfully launched GSAT-N3, a high-throughput communication satellite, on the LVM3 rocket. The satellite supports broadband connectivity in remote regions and Ka-band services.

India successfully tests hypersonic missile Shaurya-II
30 Apr 2026
UPSC
Defence
Science

DRDO successfully test-fired Shaurya-II hypersonic missile from Abdul Kalam Island, Odisha. The missile reportedly achieved Mach 7+ speeds and demonstrated boost-glide capability.

India launches indigenous Quantum Communication Mission
22 Apr 2026
UPSC
Banking
Science

The government approved a ₹6,000 crore Quantum Communication Mission to develop quantum key distribution networks across major cities by 2030. ISRO and DRDO will jointly execute the mission.

India hosts 4th Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting
20 Apr 2026
UPSC
International Relations
Defence

India hosted the 4th Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting in New Delhi. Agreed on enhanced cooperation in critical and emerging tech, maritime security, and supply chain resilience.