16th-17th July, 2026

1. Three Indian-Origin Experts Named to Lead US Federal Reserve Monetary Policy Review Task Forces
2. Inaugural Asian U23 Athletics Championships 2026: China Tops Medal Table; India Finishes Fourth with Three Gold Medals
3. India Wins First-Ever Women’s T20I Deaf Cricket Series Against Sri Lanka
4. International Day of Hope 2026 – July 12
5. Google India Signs MoU with Tripura to Build an AI Ecosystem
6. MoFPI and NIFTEM Thanjavur Launch Pilot Short-Term Skill Training Programme at ITC-Trichy
7. TCS Expands Partnership with ABB to Transform Global Network Operations
8. Brand Finance India 100 Report 2026: Adani Group Fastest to Enter India’s Top 10 Most Valuable Brands
9. Ukraine’s Parliament Appoints Serhii Koretskyi as Prime Minister
10. HEX20 Launches Second Satellite KOYO aboard SpaceX Transporter-17
11. ATREE Researchers Discover Two New Rare Solitary Bee Species in Siang Valley, Arunachal Pradesh
12. Vice President Releases Book The Voice of Justice: Justice Gavai Speaks
13. Tamil Nadu CM C. Joseph Vijay Launches “Nalam TN” AI-Powered WhatsApp Chatbot for OP Registration
14. Madhya Pradesh Secures USD 2 Billion Semiconductor Investment from Spain’s Submer
15. Maharashtra Legislature Moves Towards Implementation of NeVA under the Digital India Programme
16. PM Narendra Modi Inaugurates Advanced Mother and Child Centre and Advanced Neurosciences Centre at PGIMER, Chandigarh
17. Serum Institute to Manufacture M72 TB Vaccine under Gates MRI Partnership

State News

Tripura Partners with Google for Digital Transformation

• What: Tripura signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Google to strengthen Artificial Intelligence (AI), cloud infrastructure, and digital public services.
• Tell me more:
  • The project includes a 5.81-acre Tripura IT and Data Ecosystem Zone in Agartala, a 10-acre IT Park with an AI Centre of Excellence.
  • Google will train local talent to help retain nearly 5,000 technical graduates passing out from Tripura every year.

NIFTEM-T Partners with ITC for Skill Training

• What: National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management – Thanjavur (NIFTEM-T) launched a short-term skill training certificate programme for Assistant Baking Technician in coordination with ITC Limited in Trichy.
• Tell me more:
  • NIFTEM-Thanjavur operates as a National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET) recognized body under the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI).

Tamil Nadu Launches Nalam TN Digital Health Portal

• Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay launched Nalam TN, an integrated digital platform, to facilitate remote outpatient registration and appointments at state government medical facilities.
• Operating as a Section 8 non-profit company, the portal allows individuals and corporates to directly sponsor medical equipment or donate to government hospitals.

Submer Group Invests $2 Billion in Madhya Pradesh

• What: Spain-based Submer Group announced an investment of USD 2 billion (₹19,000 crore) in Madhya Pradesh’s semiconductor sector, creating nearly 5,000 direct jobs.
• Tell me more:
  • The announcement was made at the Madhya Pradesh Tech Growth Conclave 3.0 on Global Capability Centres (GCCs), Data Centres, and Semiconductors.
  • Chief Minister Mohan Yadav inaugurated 20 industrial units and announced new Information Technology (IT) parks in Indore and Bhopal.
  • Google Play India and the Madhya Pradesh State Electronics Development Corporation (MPSEDC) signed an agreement during the conclave.

Maharashtra Legislature to Adopt National e-Vidhan Application

• What: The Maharashtra Legislature agreed to adopt the National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) during a meeting at Vidhan Bhawan, Mumbai.
• Tell me more:
  • NeVA is a Mission Mode Project under the Digital India Programme, implemented by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs (MoPA).
  • The project aims to digitalise all 37 State and Union Territory Legislatures on a single platform with an outlay of ₹673.94 crore.
  • So far, 33 Legislatures have signed MoUs, and 21 Houses have become fully digital.

Prime Minister Launches Development Projects in Chandigarh

• What: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of development projects worth ₹4,736 crore in Chandigarh to improve road, healthcare, and education infrastructure.
• Tell me more:
  • He laid the foundation stone for a 150-bed Critical Care Block (CCB) under the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM).
  • The Union Government has spent over ₹2,500 crore to develop Chandigarh into a high-tech city with digital governance and smart traffic systems.

Banking and Economy

TCS Partners with ABB for AI Network Transformation

• What: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) signed a multi-million, multi-year agreement with ABB to modernise its global network operations using an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) model.
• Tell me more:
  • Formed in 1988, ABB is a Swiss-Swedish multinational technology company. It specializes in electrification, robotics, industrial automation, and motion technologies to help industries operate efficiently and sustainably.

Reports and Indices

Brand Finance India 100 Report 2026

• What: Brand Finance released the Brand Finance India 100 2026 report, showing that the total brand value of India’s top 100 brands rose 7% to reach $252.8 billion.
• Tell me more:
  • The report identified Suzlon Energy as India’s fastest-growing brand in 2026
  • Adani Group entered the top 10 most valuable brands for the first time, achieving a 31% growth to reach $8.5 billion.
  • Tata Group retained the top spot for the tenth consecutive year and Taj Hotels maintained its position as India’s strongest brand for the fifth straight year.
  • Top 10 brands in India:

Science and Technology

HEX20 Launches Second Satellite Aboard SpaceX Mission

• What: Indian spacetech startup HEX20 successfully launched its second satellite, KOYO, for Taiwan’s National Central University aboard Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX)’s Transporter-17 mission.
• Tell me more:
  • The SatNOGS amateur radio community confirmed the satellite was working after receiving and decoding its first beacon signals 40 minutes after deployment.
  • KOYO carries a fiber optic gyroscope from Taiwan, a configurable power system from the United States of America (USA), solar cells, and a digipeater.
  • The mission successfully tested custom solar panel deployment systems with a new feedback mechanism and a deployable antenna.
  • HEX20 earlier launched Nila, the first private satellite from Kerala, and plans six more missions in the next 12 months for space weather, asteroid impact, and Earth imaging payloads.

Rare Solitary Bee Species Discovered in Arunachal Pradesh

• What: Researchers from the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), Bengaluru, discovered two rare solitary bee species in the Siang Valley of Arunachal Pradesh.
• Tell me more:
  • The discovery was published in the European Journal of Taxonomy.
  • The researchers named the species Elaphropoda triangulata, after its triangular abdominal markings, and Habropoda adi, after the Adi indigenous community.

Serum Institute to Produce New Tuberculosis Vaccine

• What: Serum Institute of India (SII) partnered with the Gates Medical Research Institute (Gates MRI) to manufacture the experimental tuberculosis (TB) vaccine M72/AS01E, which could become the first new TB vaccine in over 100 years.
• Tell me more:
  • WHO estimates the vaccine could prevent 76 million TB cases, save 8.5 million lives, and reduce costs by $41.5 billion over 25 years.

Important Days

International Day of Hope 2026 – July 12

• UN Focus: A Universal Need in Uncertain Times

Sports

India Finishes Fourth at Asian U23 Athletics Meet

• What: India finished fourth at the first Asian Under-23 Athletics Championships 2026 in Ordos, People’s Republic of China, winning 16 medals—three gold, four silver, and nine bronze.
• Tell me more:
  • Shravani Sachin Sangle won three medals—gold in the mixed and women’s 4×400m relays, and bronze in the 400m hurdles.

India Deaf Women’s Team Wins T20 Series 5-0

• What: The India Deaf Women’s cricket team won its first international T20 series, defeating the Sri Lankan Deaf Women’s cricket team 5-0 at the De Soysa International Cricket Stadium, Moratuwa, Sri Lanka.
• Tell me more:
  • Indian Deaf Cricket Association (IDCA) CEO Roma Balwani said the team completed a 5-0 clean sweep in its first international series.
  • The captain of the India Deaf Women’s cricket team for that series was Kajal Dhawan, with Needa Zabi Shaikh serving as vice-captain.

Appointments

US Federal Reserve Appoints Indian Experts for Monetary Policy Review

• What: Federal Reserve (Fed) Chairman Kevin Warsh announced five independent task forces, including former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Raghuram Rajan, Raj Chetty, and Asha Sharma, to review monetary policy operations.
• Tell me more:
  • Raghuram Rajan joined the Balance Sheet Policy task force with Karen Dynan and Jeremy Stein to review the costs, benefits, and institutional impact of current asset holdings.
  • Raj Chetty joined the Data task force with Doug McMillon and Kevin Murphy to improve the quality and timeliness of economic data used for policy decisions.
  • Asha Sharma joined the Productivity and Jobs task force with Marc Andreessen and Charles I. Jones to study the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other general-purpose technologies on the economy.
  • The Federal Reserve (Fed) also formed task forces on Communications and Inflation Frameworks to provide independent, evidence-based recommendations to the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC).

Ukraine Appoints Serhii Koretskyi as New Prime Minister

• Ukrainian parliament approved Serhii Koretskyi as the country’s new prime minister following a nomination by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a major government reshuffle.

Miscellaneous

Vice President Releases Book on Justice Gavai

• What: Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan released the book “The Voice of Justice: Justice Gavai Speaks” at Uprashtrapati Bhavan.
• Tell me more:
  • Prof. (Dr.) S. Sivakumar edited the book, published by Thomson Reuters and the Commonwealth Legal Education Association (C.L.E.A.).
  • The book contains speeches, lectures, and reflections of former Chief Justice of India Justice B.R. Gavai.

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