India ranks first in Swedish Business Climate Survey 2026.

Dated: 22 September 2026

India ranked first among 41 global markets in the Business Climate Survey 2026 released by the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in India on September 19.

Key Highlights:
1.  India was identified as a benchmark for stability, growth and ease of doing business.
2.  The survey captures Swedish companies’ views of international operating conditions.
3.  It analyses economic performance and market outlook in major export destinations.
4.  The study identifies challenges in foreign markets and expansion opportunities.
5.  India’s environment was described as a gold standard for trade stability amid global turbulence.

Additional Information:
1.  The Swedish Chamber of Commerce in India was established in 2008 and is headquartered in New Delhi.
2.  Sweden’s capital is Stockholm and its currency is the Swedish Krona.

Karnataka recognises Tulu as second official language.

Dated: 22 September 2026

The Karnataka Cabinet recognised Tulu as the second official language for Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts on September 18, 2026.

Key Highlights:
1.  Tulu may now be used for official communication and government functions in both coastal districts.
2.  The decision followed an expert committee report led by Dr. M. Mohan Alva.
3.  The formal proposal was submitted to the state government in 2023.
4.  Article 345 permits state legislatures to adopt one or more official languages.
5.  Article 347 permits presidential direction for recognition when a substantial population seeks it.

Additional Information:
1.  Tulu belongs to the Dravidian language family and is spoken in coastal Karnataka and parts of Kerala.
2.  Karnataka was formed on November 1, 1956; Bengaluru is its capital and Kannada its primary official language.

India to launch first approved dengue vaccine Qdenga in 2027.

Dated: 22 September 2026

Qdenga, India’s first approved dengue vaccine, is scheduled for commercial launch in the first half of 2027, according to a September 18 announcement.

Key Highlights:
1.  CDSCO granted marketing authorisation in July 2026.
2.  Dr. Reddy’s signed an exclusive agreement with Takeda to promote and distribute it in India’s private market.
3.  Qdenga, or TAK-003, is a live-attenuated tetravalent vaccine.
4.  It uses a DENV-2 backbone with structural proteins from DENV-1, DENV-3 and DENV-4.
5.  Two doses are given three months apart to people aged 4-60 years.

Additional Information:
1.  CDSCO is India’s central drug authority under the Health Ministry and Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.
2.  Dengue is spread mainly by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and has four serotypes.

President appoints 14 judicial officers to four High Courts.

Dated: 22 September 2026

The President appointed 14 judicial officers as judges and additional judges of four High Courts on September 19, 2026.

Key Highlights:
1.  Appointments covered Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, Jharkhand and Karnataka High Courts.
2.  Delhi received two permanent and five additional judges.
3.  The common J&K and Ladakh High Court received one permanent judge.
4.  Jharkhand received two permanent judges and Karnataka received three additional judges.
5.  Appointments followed constitutional powers and consultation with the Chief Justice of India.

Additional Information:
1.  Article 217 covers permanent High Court judges and Article 224 additional judges.
2.  High Court judges retire at 62; additional judges may serve for up to two years.

17th Kathakali Festival held at Kalakshetra Foundation.

Dated: 22 September 2026

The 17th Kathakali Festival, themed Kadha Rasa Sangama, was held at Kalakshetra Foundation in Chennai from September 18-20.

Key Highlights:
1.  The Culture Ministry’s Kalakshetra Foundation organised the festival.
2.  It took place at Bharata Kalakshetra Auditorium in Thiruvanmiyur.
3.  Productions included Mandodari, The Old Man and the Sea and Rugmangada Charitham.
4.  Sadanam Academy, Kerala Kalamandalam and Margi Theatre participated.
5.  Lecture-demonstrations and student presentations were held at Rukmini Arangam.

Additional Information:
1.  Kalakshetra was founded by Rukmini Devi Arundale in 1936 in Chennai.
2.  Kathakali is one of India’s eight classical dances and originated in Kerala.

Luke Lindberg appointed World Food Programme Executive Director.

Dated: 22 September 2026

The United Nations appointed Luke Lindberg as Executive Director of the World Food Programme on September 19, 2026.

Key Highlights:
1.  He succeeds Cindy McCain as head of the Rome-based food agency.
2.  UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu announced the appointment jointly.
3.  Lindberg earlier served as a USDA trade undersecretary and US Export-Import Bank chief of staff.
4.  WFP aims to assist 110 million people this year.
5.  About 266 million people worldwide face acute hunger.

Additional Information:
1.  WFP was established in 1961 and is headquartered in Rome.
2.  The organisation received the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize for combating hunger.

Tamil Nadu launches one-gram gold ring scheme for newborns.

Dated: 22 September 2026

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay will launch a one-gram gold ring scheme for newborns on September 28, 2026.

Key Highlights:
1.  The benefit is limited to permanent residents of Tamil Nadu.
2.  Each ring weighs exactly one gram and has a unique serial number.
3.  Tamper-proof packaging will protect security and quality.
4.  Newborns delivered in government hospitals are the target group.
5.  The scheme gives families a welfare token at a child’s birth.

Additional Information:
1.  Tamil Nadu’s capital is Chennai; its state animal is Nilgiri Tahr and bird Emerald Dove.
2.  Bharatanatyam is the state’s classical dance.

PM inaugurates international environment conference and NGT app.

Dated: 22 September 2026

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the two-day international conference on The Future of Environment and Climate Dynamics and launched the NGT mobile application in New Delhi on September 19.

Key Highlights:
1.  India reached 54.18% non-fossil installed electricity capacity, surpassing its 50% target early.
2.  India ranks third in renewable capacity, second in solar-market growth and third in annual net forest-area gain.
3.  Forest and tree cover reached 8.27 lakh square kilometres.
4.  Representatives from 17 countries, UNEP and ADB attended.
5.  The conference discussed Polluter Pays, Precautionary and Absolute Liability principles.

Additional Information:
1.  The National Green Tribunal was created under a 2010 Act and is headquartered in New Delhi.
2.  UNFCCC COP31 is scheduled in Antalya, Turkey.

Inaugural AIFF U15 Women’s Youth League begins in Karnataka.

Dated: 22 September 2026

The first AIFF U15 Women’s Youth League will begin at Sporting Planet Sports Complex in Belagavi, Karnataka, on October 15, 2026.

Key Highlights:
1.  Sixteen teams will compete in four groups of four.
2.  The top two teams from each group advance to the quarter-finals.
3.  Belgaum United Football Academy is the host team.
4.  The final is scheduled for October 31, 2026.
5.  The competition follows the AIFF U17 Women’s Youth League launched in July 2026.

Additional Information:
1.  AIFF was founded on June 23, 1937, is headquartered in New Delhi and joined FIFA in 1948.
2.  Belagavi hosted the 1924 Congress session, the only one presided over by Mahatma Gandhi.

1965 war hero Alfred Tyrone Cooke passes away.

Dated: 22 September 2026

Flight Lieutenant Alfred Tyrone Cooke, a Vir Chakra awardee from the 1965 India-Pakistan War, died in New Delhi on September 18.

Key Highlights:
1.  Cooke fought an aerial battle over Kalaikunda, West Bengal, on September 7, 1965.
2.  He intercepted raids launched from East Pakistan.
3.  Flying a Hawker Hunter, he shot down a Pakistan Air Force Sabre jet.
4.  He operated with Flying Officer Subodh Chandra Mamgain against superior enemy numbers.
5.  Cooke belonged to Indian Air Force 14 Squadron, known as The Bulls.

Additional Information:
1.  Vir Chakra was instituted on January 26, 1950 for gallantry in the enemy’s presence.
2.  The Indian Air Force was established on October 8, 1932 and is headquartered in New Delhi.

Anthropic and Accenture invest $2 billion in AI model evaluation.

Dated: 22 September 2026

Anthropic and Accenture announced a $2 billion five-year partnership on September 20 to independently evaluate and improve the safety of frontier AI models.

Key Highlights:
1.  Each organisation will contribute at least $1 billion to evaluation capacity.
2.  Accenture’s specialised AI business Faculty will lead assessment and red-team testing.
3.  Work includes alignment tests, safeguard checks and reporting unexpected model behaviour.
4.  Evaluators will monitor agents that may aid their own development with limited human input.
5.  A vantage-point arrangement gives independent evaluators employee-like access inside AI companies.

Additional Information:
1.  Anthropic was founded in 2021 and develops the Claude AI model family.
2.  Accenture is headquartered in Dublin and was formed in 1989 after separating from Arthur Andersen.

9th India International Water Week begins in New Delhi.

Dated: 22 September 2026

Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan will inaugurate the ninth India International Water Week at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, on September 22.

Key Highlights:
1.  The September 22-26 event theme is Climate Resilient Water Management.
2.  The Jal Shakti Ministry is lead organiser with central ministries and states.
3.  The Netherlands and Germany are partner countries; 14 states and 6 central departments participate.
4.  Ten major forums include ministerial, start-up and youth sessions across seven sub-themes.
5.  The second international WASH conference runs September 22-24.

Additional Information:
1.  A water-technology exhibition runs September 22-25.
2.  The Jal Shakti Ministry was formed in May 2019; the first Water Week was held in 2012.

Pawan Sehrawat named India’s male flag-bearer for 2026 Asian Games.

Dated: 22 September 2026

Kabaddi player Pawan Sehrawat was named India’s male flag-bearer for the 2026 Asian Games opening ceremony in Nagoya on September 19.

Key Highlights:
1.  Pawan Sehrawat and shooter Manu Bhaker will lead the Indian contingent.
2.  He replaced shot-putter Tajinderpal Singh Toor because of technical issues.
3.  Sehrawat is a lead raider for Tamil Thalaivas and won Asian Games gold in 2022.
4.  Manu Bhaker won two bronze medals at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
5.  She is independent India’s first athlete to win two medals at one Olympics.

Additional Information:
1.  Men’s kabaddi entered the Asian Games in 1990; India has won 8 golds in 9 editions.
2.  The Indian Olympic Association was established in 1927 and is headquartered in New Delhi.

Hansraj Singh Verma appointed India’s next Ambassador to Cuba.

Dated: 22 September 2026

Diplomat Hansraj Singh Verma was appointed India’s next Ambassador to Cuba on September 17, 2026.

Key Highlights:
1.  Verma is a 2008-batch Indian Foreign Service officer.
2.  He currently serves as Consul General of India in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
3.  He will be stationed in Havana.
4.  Outgoing Cuba Ambassador T. Armstrong Changsan was appointed Ambassador to Armenia.
5.  Verma served as Deputy Chief of Protocol at headquarters from March 2019 to July 2021.

Additional Information:
1.  India was among the first to recognise Cuba’s new government in January 1959.
2.  India’s first mission in Havana opened on January 12, 1960.

World Patient Safety Day 2026 commemorated at NIHFW.

Dated: 22 September 2026

The Health and Family Welfare Ministry commemorated World Patient Safety Day 2026 at NIHFW in New Delhi on September 18.

Key Highlights:
1.  The 2026 theme was Safe Care for Noncommunicable Diseases.
2.  About 63% of all deaths in India are linked to noncommunicable diseases.
3.  NFHS-6 says public facilities conduct 96% of immunisations and 90.6% of institutional deliveries.
4.  All Ayushman Aarogya Mandir sub-health centres target NQAS certification by March 2027.
5.  Jharkhand, Kerala and Rajasthan presented state innovations in screening, prevention and referral.

Additional Information:
1.  World Patient Safety Day is observed annually on September 17.
2.  NIHFW is the Health Ministry’s apex technical institute in New Delhi.

Karnataka approves Marine Biotechnology Policy 2026-2031.

Dated: 22 September 2026

Karnataka approved the Marine Biotechnology Policy 2026-2031 on September 19 to expand its blue bioeconomy from $2 billion to $8 billion.

Key Highlights:
1.  The policy targets a $6-8 billion blue bioeconomy by 2031.
2.  Karnataka Institute of Marine Biotechnology and Blue Economy will support research and commercialisation.
3.  The five-year policy has a proposed outlay of Rs.120 crore.
4.  It introduces a seaweed value-addition production incentive and a pilot blue-carbon certification programme.
5.  Marine biotechnology zones with common logistics and ready facilities will be developed.

Additional Information:
1.  The policy targets 2,500 technical jobs and 7,500 coastal livelihoods.
2.  Karnataka has about 320 kilometres of coastline along the Arabian Sea.

NASA awards SpaceX $950 million for three ISS crew flights.

Dated: 22 September 2026

NASA awarded SpaceX a $950 million contract extension on September 18 for three additional crewed Dragon missions to the International Space Station.

Key Highlights:
1.  The extension comes under the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability contract.
2.  It raises SpaceX’s operational missions under the contract to 17 and extends service through 2030.
3.  Total SpaceX earnings under the contract will reach $5.92 billion.
4.  Support covers ground, launch, orbit, recovery, cargo and docked lifeboat capability.
5.  Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida is the main launch site.

Additional Information:
1.  SpaceX was founded by Elon Musk in 2002 and became the first private company to send humans to the ISS in 2020.
2.  The ISS launched in 1998 and involves the US, Russia, Europe, Japan and Canada.

Mohan Joshi receives Lifetime Achievement Award at Pune Festival.

Dated: 22 September 2026

Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan presented veteran actor Mohan Joshi with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 38th Pune Festival on September 18.

Key Highlights:
1.  The event was held at Shri Ganesh Kala Krida Rangmanch in Pune.
2.  Joshi received the Founder Suresh Kalmadi Pune Festival Lifetime Achievement Award.
3.  Ugavate Tare and Indradhanu platforms promoted young artists.
4.  Mahila Mahotsav provided a dedicated programme for women’s creativity.
5.  International students from 20 countries joined traditional Ganesh worship.

Additional Information:
1.  The Pune Festival was founded by the late Suresh Kalmadi to promote heritage and local talent.
2.  Thanjavur’s Saraswathi Mahal Library is among Asia’s oldest libraries and holds palm-leaf manuscripts.

25th SCO economic and trade ministers meeting held in Dushanbe.

Dated: 22 September 2026

The 25th meeting of SCO ministers responsible for foreign economic and trade activity was held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on September 17.

Key Highlights:
1.  Yashvir Singh represented India and highlighted security, connectivity and opportunity in trade.
2.  Members adopted a 2026-2030 multilateral trade and economic cooperation action plan.
3.  They approved rules for a creative-economy special working group and a joint ministerial statement.
4.  Discussions covered resilient supply chains and trade finance for small firms and start-ups.
5.  Members supported paperless trade, digitalisation and simplified customs.

Additional Information:
1.  The next ministerial meeting will be held in Uzbekistan in 2027.
2.  SCO was founded in Shanghai on June 15, 2001 and is headquartered in Beijing.