Daily Current Affairs 27 July 2026

The Maharashtra government has approved the establishment of the first AI-powered bird sanctuary in India, named 'Bhandup Bird Park', at the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary (TCFS) in Mumbai.

The project, estimated to cost ₹45 crore, will be developed across 20.09 hectares along the Thane Creek shoreline. The park will feature an AI surveillance system with a 1.5-km radius to track bird migration and identify species in real-time.

According to provisional data released by the RBI, India's outward Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) declined by 47.9% year-on-year (Y-o-Y) to $3 billion in June 2026, compared to $5.74 billion in June 2025.

The decline was observed across all three components of outward FDI commitments: equity, debt, and guarantees. In June 2026, equity commitments stood at $738 million, debt at $469.87 million, and guarantees at $1.78 billion. The largest FDI equity commitments were recorded by ONGC Videsh Rovuma Ltd (OVRL), followed by Lenskart and GFCL EV products.

The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has signed an MoU with Mahatma Phule Renewable Energy and Infrastructure Technology Ltd (MAHAPREIT) to jointly finance and promote green, climate-resilient, and sustainable infrastructure projects across rural India, with an initial focus on Maharashtra.

According to the report "The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI 2026): Understanding and Addressing the High Cost of a Healthy Diet" released by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 645 million people (7.8% of the global population) faced hunger in 2025.

Under a quick-recovery scenario, the report projects that the number of chronically undernourished people could decrease to nearly 511 million by 2030. It is to be noted that the report was prepared by 5 specialized UN agencies: FAO, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), UNICEF, World Food Programme (WFP), and WHO.

Bassirou Diomaye Faye, the President of Senegal, has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

He was elected during the 69th Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government held in Sierra Leone. He succeeds the President of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio, for a one-year term.

The World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO) has been officially launched in Shanghai, China. Proposed by China, it is an intergovernmental body designed to foster global AI cooperation, develop civilian AI regulations, and bridge the technological compute divide.

It is headquartered in Shanghai. A total of 29 countries, including Russia, Pakistan, Brazil, South Africa, Indonesia, and Malaysia, have signed its founding convention.

Hussein Ali Mwinyi, the President of Zanzibar and Chairman of the Revolutionary Council, visited India at the invitation of Vice President CP Radhakrishnan.

The visit reinforced the India-Tanzania Strategic Partnership, focusing on bilateral trade, investment, and capacity building.

Mwinyi met Union Minister S Jaishankar to review development partnerships, including the IIT Madras Zanzibar, which serves as a Centre of Excellence (CoE) for higher education in Africa.

During the visit, he attended the 63rd convocation of IIT Madras and unveiled the master plan for the 200-acre IIT Madras Zanzibar campus at Fumba Peninsula.

It is to be noted that this is the first international IIT campus of India.

The Indian Army has launched 'Operation Jal Rahat' in Assam as a large-scale Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) mission to assist the state government. The operation was spearheaded by the Red Shield Division under the Spear Corps.

The United States of America (USA) has delivered the 21st MH-60R Seahawk multi-role maritime helicopter to the Indian Navy in Kochi, Kerala.

Manufactured by Lockheed Martin Corporation, these helicopters are part of a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) agreement signed in 2020 to procure 24 units at a total cost of $2.6 billion. The induction of these helicopters is intended to replace the ageing Sea King fleet.

The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) has launched the Electronic Commerce Council of India (ECCI) in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

The ECCI is a nationwide platform designed to strengthen the digital commerce ecosystem of India through collaboration among the industry, government, and other stakeholders. It has already onboarded 70 to 80 members.

Anurag Jain has been appointed as the CEO of the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog for a tenure of 2 years. He succeeds Nidhi Chhibber.

Pralhad Joshi has assumed charge as the Union Minister of Education. He succeeds Dharmendra Pradhan, who resigned from the post following nationwide protests regarding the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) paper leak controversy.

Satya Pal Kumar has been appointed as the Director of the Financial Intelligence Unit-India (FIU-IND) for a tenure of 5 years.

He succeeds Pankaj Kumar Mishra.

National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval has been selected for the Lokmanya Tilak National Award 2026. The award will be presented to him by Union Minister Amit Shah on August 1.

Akanksha Choudhary from Ajmer, Rajasthan, has been crowned Mrs India 2026 at a ceremony held in Jaipur.

In another achievement, Dr. Priyanka Sharma has won the title of Mrs. Earth International Elite 2026.

Pakistan is set to host the 14th edition of the South Asian Federation (SAF) Games in March 2027. The multi-sport event is expected to feature athletes from 8 South Asian nations.

It is to be noted that the SAF Games were established in 1981 in New Delhi to promote friendship and goodwill among the member countries of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). The SAARC member countries include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.