Recent Current Affairs related to US

Skyroot Aerospace Pvt Ltd has signed a contract with the US-based Reflect Orbital for two dedicated satellite launches. The launches will use the Vikram family of rockets to support the development of on-demand sunlight at night.

Union Minister Piyush Goyal has attended the Group of Twenty (G20) Trade Ministers’ Meeting held in Milwaukee, USA.

The Joint Ministerial Statement was released by the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) and was signed by 15 participating countries, including India and the USA.

Bharat Forge Ltd has signed a long-term contract with Pratt & Whitney Canada, a subsidiary of RTX Corporation, for the supply of mission-critical aerospace engine components.

The components will be manufactured locally at the advanced aerospace facility of Bharat Forge Ltd in India.

Eva Marie Saint, a veteran Oscar-winning actress, passed away at the age of 102. She won an Oscar in the Best Supporting Actress category in 1955 for her debut film, “On the Waterfront (1954)”.

American economists Robert E Hall (Stanford University) and Michael Woodford (Columbia University) have been jointly awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Economics by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

The pair was honoured “for microeconomic foundations of macroeconomic stabilisation”. The laureates will share a cash prize of 12 million Swedish kronor ($1.2 million).

Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, and Georg Nagel have been awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine by the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden.

They are recognized for their discovery of light-gated ion channels and the development of optogenetics, a biological technique that uses light-sensitive proteins to control specific neurons. The three laureates will share the prize money of 12 million Swedish kronor (SEK) equally.

It is to be noted that Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel identified channelrhodopsin in green alga, while Karl Deisseroth integrated the gene into rat neurons in 2005, proving that blue light could trigger neural signals. The methodology was officially named optogenetics in 2006.

Francis Louis Halzen, an 82-year-old Belgian-American particle physicist, has been conferred the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

The award, carrying a prize value of 12 million Swedish kronor (SEK), recognizes his contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory (IceCube) and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos from astrophysical sources. It is to be noted that the discovery is based on a concept proposed in 1988, which involved the utilization of Antarctic ice as a massive neutrino detector.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued a Letter of Intent (LoI) to the University of Colorado Denver (CU Denver) to establish a campus in Hyderabad.

With this, the university becomes the first public American university authorized to set up a degree-granting location in India.

According to the “World University Rankings 2027” released by the Times Higher Education (THE) during the World Academic Summit hosted by the University of Cape Town, South Africa, the IISc Bengaluru is the highest-ranked institution in India, ranking 254th worldwide with an overall score of 57.

The University of Oxford (UK) is ranked top for the 11th consecutive year, followed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA). Princeton University (USA) and Stanford University (USA) are jointly ranked third, while the University of Cambridge (UK) is ranked fifth.

According to the “OAG Megahubs 2026 report” released by the Official Airline Guide (OAG), the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) of Delhi is ranked 28th globally.

Istanbul Airport (IST) of Turkiye is ranked as the most connected international airport with flight connections to 337 destinations. It is followed by London Heathrow Airport and Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.

Indian scientists Roxy Mathew Koll and Neelima Satyam have been named among the 43 awardees of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) 2026.

The awards recognise excellence and leadership in research, education, and innovation in advanced earth and space sciences.

The Indian Institute of Technology (Banaras Hindu University) (IIT-BHU) has signed an MoU with the USA-based University of Michigan to strengthen research collaboration in electric mobility, focusing on electric vehicles (EVs) and sustainable mobility innovation.

Union Minister Manohar Lal has led the Indian delegation at the G20 Energy Abundance Ministerial Meeting held in Houston, USA, under the USA G20 Presidency.

The meeting focused on three key pillars: Energy Security & Affordable Baseload, Permitting & Regulatory Efficiency, and Critical Minerals & Resilient Supply Chains.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has commenced the operational phase of the multilateral air exercise named “Tarang Shakti 2026” at Air Force Station Jodhpur, Rajasthan.

The exercise, themed “Power in Partnership”, witnessed the participation of seven Friendly Foreign Countries (FFCs): Australia, the USA, the UAE, France, Germany, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. It builds upon the successful inaugural edition of the exercise held in 2024.

Luke J Lindberg has been appointed as the Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP) for a 5-year term. He succeeds Cindy McCain.

According to the “Survey on Computer Software and Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES) Exports: 2025-26” released by the RBI, the software services exports of India grew by 8.2% year-on-year to reach $221.4 billion.

The USA remains the top destination for these exports, accounting for 54.1% of the total export volume.

Sethuraman Panchanathan, an Indian-origin computer scientist, has been named the recipient of the Arthur M Bueche Award 2026 by the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). He is the first Indian-American and the first individual from Arizona(USA), to receive the honour.

The award is given recognising his leadership in advancing science and technology policy. It is to be noted that he was previously conferred with the Padma Shri in 2025.

According to the 9th edition of the “Trade Watch Quarterly (TWQ) Thematic Analysis: Metals and Ores Trade” released by the NITI Aayog for the first quarter (Q1) of FY 2027 (April to June 2026), global goods trade reached $13.7 trillion in the first half of Calendar Year (CY) 2026, reflecting a 12.5% Year-on-Year (Y-o-Y) growth.

The total merchandise and services trade of India expanded to $506.9 billion in Q1 FY27, registering a 15.5% Y-o-Y growth. During the same period, merchandise exports increased by 16% to $129.5 billion, while merchandise imports grew by 19.8% to reach $216.1 billion.

US President Donald Trump, along with the leaders of Denmark and Greenland, has signed a trilateral security agreement titled “Infinite Life” at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

The pact allows for the expansion of the military presence of the USA in the Arctic region without changing the territorial status of Greenland. The agreement grants the USA permanent basing, overflight, and operational rights. It is to be noted that the agreement serves as an update to the original defense pact which was established in 1951.

OpenAI has launched “GPT-6 Astra”, a next-generation AI model designed to function as a highly capable computer operator.

The organization has also expanded the AI ecosystem with the introduction of “Astra for Law”.