Current affairs — 9 July 2026

Prelims pointers

• The declaration reaffirms the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, which the text says was established in 2020.
• It recalls the India-Australia Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation of 2009 as a foundation for the defence partnership.
• The document backs a maritime domain under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, including freedom of navigation and overflight.
• It supports IORA, ASEAN and ASEAN-centred regional architecture, and the Pacific Islands Forum as important regional forums.
• Counter-terrorism cooperation is to cover emerging technology, terrorism financing, critical infrastructure, crowded spaces, the maritime domain and online radicalisation.

Prelims pointers

• The Prime Minister said the 2022 ECTA strengthened India-Australia economic partnership and doubled India’s exports to Australia after implementation.
• India’s targets cited in the speech are 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030 and Net Zero by 2070.
• The speech says the SHANTI Act opened India’s nuclear sector to private companies and cites a 2047 target of 100 GW nuclear energy.
• Infrastructure figures mentioned were about 34 km of national highways per day and more than 8 km of railway tracks per day.
• Deakin University and Wollongong University were cited as having opened campuses in GIFT City.

Prelims pointers

• PACTS succeeds and replaces the 2020 Framework Arrangement on Cyber and Cyber Enabled Critical Technology Cooperation between Australia and India.
• The partnership has five pillars: Supply Chain Resilience and Diversification, Critical Technology, Cybersecurity, Digital Resilience and Defence Research Collaboration.
• Supply-chain cooperation includes trusted vendor frameworks, Quad cable-connectivity work, semiconductor supply-chain research and critical-minerals supply chains.
• Critical-technology cooperation covers artificial intelligence, space technologies, telecommunications, biotechnology and advanced materials.
• PACTS will be chaired by Australia’s Deputy Secretary International and Security Group and India’s Deputy National Security Advisor.

Prelims pointers

• The statement describes Australia and India as Comprehensive Strategic Partners with a shared vision for a free, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific.
• Both countries link energy cooperation to the Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement and ongoing work towards a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement.
• Administrative arrangements were finalised to enable Australian uranium exports to India for exclusively peaceful purposes under IAEA safeguards.
• The statement recognises Australia as an important supplier of liquefied natural gas to India and India as a supplier of liquid fuels to Australia.
• Australia noted India’s Global Biofuels Alliance initiative while both sides reaffirmed cooperation on low-carbon fuels.

Prelims pointers

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Australia from 8-10 July 2026 for the Third Australia-India Annual Summit in Melbourne/Naarm.
• The leaders announced the Joint Declaration on Defence and Security Cooperation and welcomed an Annual Defence Ministers’ Dialogue.
• The India-Australia Maritime Security Collaboration Roadmap is to cover information sharing, capability development, capacity building and operational coordination.
• The leaders reaffirmed commitment to a balanced and mutually beneficial Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement after noting growth under ECTA.
• Australia supported India’s Gaganyaan programme through commissioning of a temporary space tracking terminal on Cocos Keeling Islands.

Prelims pointers

• At NISER Bhubaneswar’s 15th graduation ceremony, degrees were conferred on 260 students across Integrated M.Sc., Integrated M.Sc.-Ph.D., M.Sc. and Ph.D. programmes.
• Dr. Jitendra Singh described NISER as a premier institution functioning under the Department of Atomic Energy, which reports directly to the Prime Minister.
• The Minister recalled Dr. Homi Jehangir Bhabha as the architect of India’s nuclear programme and said it was dedicated to peaceful purposes.
• The release states that India entered the second stage of its nuclear programme with the first Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor.
• India’s installed nuclear power capacity was stated as 8,780 MW, with a target of expanding it to 22,380 MW by 2032.

Prelims pointers

• QCI and NSIC signed an MoU to strengthen quality, competitiveness and market access for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises across India.
• The collaboration integrates MSME Sustainable (ZED) Certification, MSME Global Mart, the TEAM Initiative and the Single Point Registration Scheme.
• ZED-certified MSMEs will get opportunities for MSME Global Mart, ONDC onboarding under TEAM, AI-enabled cataloguing and export promotion.
• The MoU provides for a Joint Coordination Committee with representatives from QCI and NSIC, meeting every quarter during the five-year tenure.
• The partnership includes NABL accreditation support for NSIC testing facilities and NABET-led assessment and capacity building for NSIC centres.

Prelims pointers

• Jyotiraditya Scindia addressed the Destination Tripura Business Conclave 2026 virtually.
• The release presents Agartala as a strategic gateway to the ASEAN region of over 670 million people.
• Tripura’s highlighted strengths include natural gas, bamboo, agarwood, rubber, tea, spices and horticultural produce.
• The article calls Tripura India’s largest bamboo-producing State and second-largest producer of natural rubber.
• Connectivity initiatives cited include the India–Myanmar–Thailand Trilateral Highway, Kaladan project, Sabroom SEZ and Maitri Setu.

Prelims pointers

• The 28th meeting of the Wildlife Institute of India Society was held at CaSFOS, Coimbatore.
• Bhupender Yadav presided over the meeting as Union Environment Minister and President of the WII Society.
• The meeting was the first after the WII Society’s recent reconstitution for a three-year tenure.
• WII’s institutional roadmap was asked to prioritise human-wildlife conflict resolution and technology-driven management.
• Dr G.S. Bhardwaj, Director of WII and Member-Secretary, presented WII achievements and current priorities.

Prelims pointers

• The 29th NTCA meeting was held at CASFOS, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.
• Bhupender Yadav chaired the meeting as Union Environment Minister and Chairperson of NTCA.
• Roadmap to Rescue covers temporary or transit facilities for rescue-rehab-release of wild animals in tiger landscapes.
• STRIDES 2026 assesses tiger reserves on infrastructure, development, ecology and social parameters.
• The Authority deliberated on the 6th cycle of Management Effectiveness Evaluation of Tiger Reserves.

Prelims pointers

• The national LoA launch for high-seas fisheries was held on 9 July 2026 at Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
• The Vice President launched both the Letter of Authorisation framework and the Odisha Deep Sea Mission Document.
• The LoA is mandatory, vessel-specific, non-transferable and integrated with the ReALCraft Fishing Vessel Registration Portal.
• Vessels with LoA must follow RFMO measures including catch limits, gear regulations, bycatch mitigation and voyage reporting.
• The Odisha Deep Sea Fishing Mission 2026-2036 aims to establish Odisha as a deep-sea fishing and marine export hub.

Prelims pointers

• Samriddh Gram won the WSIS Prizes 2026 Global Winner award under Action Line C6 – Enabling Environment.
• The project is titled Samriddh Gram: Integrated Phygital Service Delivery Model Enabled by BharatNet.
• The WSIS Prizes process is led by the International Telecommunication Union and recognises ICT projects advancing sustainable development.
• Samriddhi Kendras deliver services including tele-consultation, Health ATM diagnostics, smart classrooms, skilling, agriculture, banking and e-governance.
• The PIB release states that BharatNet has made more than 2.17 lakh Gram Panchayats service-ready and online.

Prelims pointers

• The 91st meeting of the Standing Committee of NBWL was chaired by Bhupender Yadav at Coimbatore.
• The committee reviewed progress on decisions from the 7th meeting of the NBWL chaired by the Prime Minister.
• The meeting discussed Greater One-horned Rhinoceros conservation based on the Rhino DNA Indexing System.
• Future conservation strategy for the Great Indian Bustard and inclusion of Pygmy Hog under the Species Recovery Programme were discussed.
• More than 100 development proposals requiring wildlife clearance under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 were considered.

Prelims pointers

• The 46th meeting of the Central Zoo Authority was chaired by Bhupender Yadav at Coimbatore.
• CZA’s achievements and strategic priorities for financial year 2026-27 were presented to the governing body.
• The meeting discussed the second cycle of Management Effectiveness Evaluation of zoos by six teams.
• A CCMB-LaCONES concept note proposed a network of animal biobanks with reproductive technologies for conservation breeding.
• The meeting discussed enforcement against unauthorised display of non-native wild animals listed in CITES appendices.

Prelims pointers

• DPIIT notified the footwear QCO amendments on 12 June 2026 through S.O. 3038(E) and S.O. 3037(E).
• The amendments cover the 2024 QCOs for footwear made from leather and other materials, and footwear made from rubber and polymeric material.
• The timeline for clearance of legacy footwear stock was extended from 31 July 2026 to 31 July 2027.
• Manufacturers may import up to 4,500 pairs of footwear samples annually for research and development and other non-commercial purposes.
• Imported samples must be marked “NOT FOR SALE”, disposed of as scrap after use, and recorded year-wise by manufacturers.

Prelims pointers

• The Joint Declaration on Defense and Security Cooperation renews the existing India-Australia Joint Declaration on Security of 2009.
• The civil nuclear administrative arrangement operationalises the 2014 India-Australia Civil Nuclear Agreement and enables uranium supply from Australia to India.
• PACTS builds on the 2020 Framework Arrangement on Cyber and Cyber Enabled Critical Technology Cooperation.
• A Rooftop Solar Training Academy at Pandit Deendayal Energy University, Gandhinagar aims to train 2,000 women and youth.
• Three Indian antiquities to be returned include Nandi, a Trident with Auspicious Kali or Bhadrakali, and six-headed Skanda.