Daily Current Affairs 26 October 2026

The All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), an autonomous body under the Ministry of AYUSH, has celebrated its 10th foundation day in New Delhi.

During the event, AIIA signed two MoUs with Rashtriya Ayurved Vidyapeeth (RAV) and Arogya Bharati to strengthen institutional collaboration and knowledge-sharing in Ayurveda.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has proposed the phase-wise implementation of Bharat Stage VII (BS-VII) emission standards for new cars and Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) across India.

The proposed standards are aligned with the European Union (EU) emission (Euro 7) norms. They are scheduled to be rolled out in 3 phases over a 6-year period, spanning from April 2029 to April 2035. Under the new guidelines, the permitted particulate matter limit has been reduced from 23 nanometres (nm) to 10 nm.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has launched the Cyclone Warning and Marine Weather Services Decision Support System (DSS).

The interactive Web-based Geographic Information System (WebGIS) platform is designed to strengthen cyclone early-warning services, disaster preparedness, and public safety across the country.

The central government, through the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (MoFAHD), has approved India’s accession to the Southern Indian Ocean Fisheries Agreement (SIOFA).

The accession will enable Indian fishing vessels to access authorised high-seas fisheries and harvest high-value marine resources sustainably.

Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh has inaugurated the world’s first-of-its-kind air pollution analysis facility named the Integrated Atmospheric Chemistry and Aerosol Toxicity Analysis Laboratory (AATAL) at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) in Delhi.

The facility generates air pollution forecasts and compositional analysis at an ultra-fine spatial resolution of 400 metres for a 72-hour window.

The Union Cabinet has approved a Productivity-Linked Bonus (PLB) equivalent to 78 days wages for 11.4 lakh non-gazetted railway employees.

The implementation of the bonus will cost the Indian Railways an estimated amount of ₹2,009.61 crore.

The central government has constituted a four-member committee to examine the demands of sugarcane farmers for higher remunerative returns and the revision of the ex-mill Minimum Selling Price (MSP) of sugar. The committee is headed by Ramesh Chand, a former member of the NITI Aayog.

Bank of Baroda (BoB) has launched a new festive campaign titled “bob Ke Sang Tyohaar Ki Umang- Shubh bhi, Labh bhi” to offer a range of financial benefits across various products, including home loans, car loans, MSME financing, savings products, and debit card spending.

ICICI Life Insurance Ltd (formerly known as ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company Ltd) has unveiled a new brand identity along with its tagline, “Har Kal Aasaan”.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Japan have signed financing agreements with the Hyderabad-based AM Green Ammonia (India) Pvt Ltd, established by the founders of the Greenko Group, to develop one of the world’s largest renewable-powered green ammonia plants in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh.

The plant will feature an annual production capacity of 1.1 million tonnes. It is to be noted that this project marks the first investment under the Action for Creating Energy Security for Long-term Resilience (ACCEL) initiative launched by the ADB and Japan in May 2026.

India has signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) with New Zealand to enable the electronic exchange of origin data for trade in goods.

The agreement aims to strengthen customs cooperation and facilitate bilateral trade under the Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

The Ministry of Earth Sciences has signed an MoU with the Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR) to recognize all 10 MoES research institutes as AcSIR Associated Research Institutes (AcSIR-ARIs).

The initiative aims to expand Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) research opportunities in atmospheric, ocean, polar, and other Earth system sciences.

The NSE International Exchange (NSE IX) has signed an MoU with London Stock Exchange plc (LSE) to explore cross-border listings, trading connectivity, and the development of new financial products, strengthening capital market cooperation between India and the UK.

According to the Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2026 titled “No Security Without Food Security” released by Germany-based Welthungerhilfe (WHH), in collaboration with the Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict (IFHV) and Helvetas, India is ranked 100th with a score of 24.1, placing it in the “serious” hunger category.

Armenia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Chile, Costa Rica, and Croatia are among the 24 countries that recorded scores below 5.0. Moldova and Mongolia secured the 25th and 26th positions respectively, while Somalia is ranked least at 122nd.

Typhoon Champi has swept past the northeastern coast of Taiwan, causing widespread disruption, power outages, and infrastructure damage.

The World Health Summit (WHS 2026) was held in Berlin, Germany, under the theme “From Crisis to Resilience: Innovating for Health”, led by WHS President Professor Axel R Pries. The main program of the summit was structured around 6 central topics.

During the event, the WHO launched the Hub 2030 Strategy to help countries detect and assess emerging health threats within 24 hours. Bangladesh and the European Investment Bank announced a €250 million women’s health programme, while Germany pledged €10 million for maternal and child health.

The DRDO has developed indigenous armour panels through its Pune-based Research and Development Establishment (Engineers) that are 20% lighter than existing systems.

These armour panels are designed to withstand 30 millimetre (mm) armour-piercing (AP) ammunition and meet the STANAG 4569 Level 6 protection standard.

Microsoft has developed an AI tool named “Diagnostic Orchestrator” which is designed to mimic the step-by-step clinical reasoning of human doctors for patient diagnosis.

The global and Indian digital landscape has recently faced a series of security incidents, including the State Bank of India (SBI) data exposure, the eMudhra weak cryptographic key flaw, and critical “PHP2Shell” core language vulnerabilities.

Ashoke Sen, an Indian physicist, has been awarded the 2026 Oskar Klein Medal, becoming the first Indian physicist to receive the international honour. The medal is jointly awarded by Stockholm University and the Nobel Committee for Physics of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

Upon receiving the award, Professor Sen delivered the 2026 Oskar Klein Memorial Lecture titled “Gravity from strings and strings from gravity”. It is to be noted that he is also a recipient of the Padma Shri (2001) and the Padma Bhushan (2013).

B Madhusoodana Kurup, a renowned fisheries scientist and the founding Vice-Chancellor (VC) of the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS), passed away at the age of 71.

He co-authored the book titled “Exploring the Legacy of Fishing and Farming Below Sea Level: Vembanad-Kole Wetlands of Southern India”.

Vummidi Ethiraj, a renowned jeweller and craftsman, passed away at the age of 99.

He was instrumental in crafting the historic Sengol (gold-plated silver sceptre) presented to Jawaharlal Nehru, the first PM of India, in 1947 at the time of Independence.

National Postal Week

Day - October 9 to 15

Theme 2026 - “World Post Day: One Postal Network, Infinite Possibilities”

Observed by - Department of Posts (DoP), under Ministry of Communications

World Standards Day

Day - October 14

Theme 2026 - “Shared vision for a better world: Spotlight on SDG 7-Affordable and Clean Energy”

Observed since - 1970

Commemorating - Establishment of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in 1947