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Current affairs12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum 2026: India Hosts in New DelhiIndia is hosting the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum on 26–27 October 2026 at the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan, New Delhi, under India's current BRICS Chairship. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet the visiting parliamentary delegations. The forum brings together presiding officers and parliamentarians from BRICS member and partner countries to deliberate on institutional resilience, ethical AI, digital transformation, and global governance reforms. Current affairsFund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD): $21.6 Million for Nepal FloodsThe Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD), operationalised under the UNFCCC framework, has provisionally set aside $21.6 million for Nepal following the devastating August 2026 floods — marking the fund's first-ever allocation for a specific disaster. The allocation covers less than 0.5% of Nepal's estimated $4.77 billion recovery needs, highlighting the vast gap in climate finance for vulnerable nations. Current affairsIndia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement Enters into ForceThe India–New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (IN-NZ FTA), signed on April 27 2026 and ratified on September 21 2026, entered into force on October 20 2026. It is India's first FTA to grant New Zealand's 100% tariff lines duty-free access from day one, covering 8,284 product lines across textiles, pharmaceuticals, engineering goods, and agriculture. Bilateral trade is targeted to reach Rs 35,000 crore by 2030. Current affairsFirst BIMSTEC Home Ministers' Meeting 2026: India Hosts Regional Security Dialogue in New DelhiIndia hosted the first-ever Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Home Ministers' Meeting in New Delhi on October 13, 2026. Chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the meeting brought together all seven member states to forge a collective framework against terrorism, transnational organised crime, narcotics, radicalisation, human trafficking, illicit financial flows, and cybercrime — marking a landmark upgrade of the grouping's security cooperation architecture. Current affairsUNCTAD Trade and Development Report 2026: India's 7.3% Growth, Greenfield Investment Lead, and Geoeconomics of DevelopmentThe United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) released its Trade and Development Report 2026 titled "The Geoeconomics of Development," projecting India's GDP growth at 7.3% for 2026 — the fastest among major economies — while cutting global growth to 2.6%. India accounts for 5.7% of global greenfield investments (2020–25), more than double China's 2.8% share, and is identified as a frontrunner in frontier technologies and strategic-sector investment. Current affairsNobel Peace Prize 2026: Navi Pillay Awarded for Promoting Peace and International LawThe Norwegian Nobel Committee on 9 October 2026 awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to South African jurist Navanethem "Navi" Pillay — former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda President, and ICC judge — "for her efforts to promote peace and international law," recognising her pivotal role in prosecuting war crimes and genocide. Current affairsIndia Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS): Compliance Carbon Market Becomes Operational in 2026India's Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS), notified in June 2023 under the Energy Conservation (Amendment) Act 2022, moved into its operational phase in 2026 with the launch of the Indian Carbon Market Portal (March 21, 2026) and emission-intensity targets notified for seven industrial sectors. The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) administers the scheme, which replaces the Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT) mechanism and links India's domestic carbon market to its Paris Agreement commitments. Current affairsTRISHNA Mission: ISRO-CNES Joint Thermal Infrared Satellite for Water, Agriculture, and Urban Heat MonitoringTRISHNA (Thermal infraRed Imaging Satellite for High-resolution Natural resource Assessment) is a joint Earth observation satellite mission between ISRO (India) and CNES (France) designed to map surface temperature, evapotranspiration, and water stress at high spatial resolution — the third major Indo-French space collaboration and a key asset for India's water security, agriculture planning, and climate monitoring. Current affairsUN Political Declaration on Sea-Level Rise 2026: UNGA Affirms Statehood Continuity and Frozen Maritime Zones for Island NationsOn September 24, 2026, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted by consensus the "Political Declaration on Sea-Level Rise" at a High-Level Plenary Meeting of its 81st session in New York — the first global political compact addressing the existential legal and territorial threats that rising seas pose to Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and low-lying coastal nations. Current affairsAIME-2026: Second ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise Begins at Subic Bay, Philippines — "Anchored in Trust, United at Sea"The second edition of the ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise (AIME-2026) commenced at Subic Bay, Philippines on September 28, 2026, with Indian Naval Ships Sahyadri and Kulish participating alongside maritime forces of all 10 ASEAN member states. The exercise runs under the theme "Anchored in Trust, United at Sea" and serves as a capstone activity of the ASEAN-India Year of Maritime Cooperation 2026. Current affairsCAFE-III Norms Notified: India Sets 16.7% Fleet Fuel Efficiency Target for Passenger Vehicles by 2031-32The Ministry of Power notified India's Corporate Average Fuel Economy-III (CAFE-III) norms on September 30, 2026. The new standards — effective April 1, 2027 through March 31, 2032 — require the fleet-average fuel consumption of passenger vehicles to improve by 16.7%, from 3.996 litres per 100 km in 2027-28 to 3.327 litres per 100 km in 2031-32. The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) sets the standards; enforcement is by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) under the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989. Current affairsIndia's Net FDI Hits Five-Year Monthly High of USD 7.3 Billion in July 2026: RBI DataIndia's net Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows reached USD 7.3 billion in July 2026 — the highest monthly net FDI in five years — marking a 64% year-on-year jump from USD 4.5 billion in July 2025, according to data released by the Reserve Bank of India. Gross FDI inflows stood at USD 14.6 billion, over 31% higher than a year earlier, with communication, financial services, and computer services attracting the bulk of equity flows.
In previous-year questions
- Which Article of the Indian Constitution empowers Parliament to make laws for giving effect to international agreements and treaties — the constitutional basis for the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) 1999 and India's FDI policy framework?UPSC · Current Affairs
- Which constitutional provision gives India's Parliament the power to make legislation for implementing international treaties and agreements entered into with other countries, such as BRICS commitments?UPSC · Current Affairs
- Under which Article of the Constitution of India does Parliament have the power to make laws for implementing treaties, agreements or conventions with foreign countries?UPSC · Current Affairs
- Which entry in the Union List of the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India gives Parliament exclusive power to enter into treaties with foreign countries?UPSC · Current Affairs
- Which Article of the Indian Constitution empowers Parliament to legislate for the implementation of international treaties, agreements, and conventions — including climate agreements like the Paris Agreement?UPSC · Current Affairs
- Which constitutional provision forms the primary legal basis for India entering into bilateral defence agreements such as the one with Japan that enables Acquisition and Cross-Servicing (ACSA)?UPSC · Current Affairs
- India's CAFE-III norms cover passenger vehicles running on petrol, diesel, LPG, CNG, hybrid and electric powertrains. In CAFE accounting, electric vehicles (EVs) are treated as zero-emission vehicles with credit multipliers. Which Directive Principle of State Policy most directly supports the government's constitutional mandate to implement fuel efficiency standards like CAFE-III?UPSC · Current Affairs
- Article 51 of the Indian Constitution, which directs the State to promote international peace and security, foster respect for international law and treaty obligations, and encourage settlement of disputes by arbitration, is categorised under which of the following?UPSC · Current Affairs
- Which of the following Constitutional provisions provides the basis for India's participation in international security treaties such as the BIMSTEC Convention on Terrorism? 1. Article 51 — Directive Principle directing the State to promote international peace. 2. Article 253 — Parliament's power to legislate for implementing international treaties. 3. Article 355 — Union's duty to protect states against external aggression.UPSC · Current Affairs
- Which Article of the Indian Constitution empowers Parliament to make laws for implementing any treaty, agreement, or convention with a foreign country — the constitutional basis invoked for the India–New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (2026)?UPSC · Current Affairs
- The BRICS New Development Bank (NDB) is headquartered in which city, and which Article of the Indian Constitution gives Parliament the power to legislate for implementing international agreements such as those arising from BRICS forums?UPSC · Current Affairs