29th April 2026

1. Jordan joins India-led Global Initiatives ISA, CDRI and GBA
2. UNESCO Adds 12 New Global Geoparks, Expanding Network to 241 Sites
3. India–Kenya Sign Customs Cooperation MoU at 10th JTC Meeting in Nairobi
4. MobiKwik Receives RBI Approval for NBFC Licence
5. ONGC Approves JV with MRPL and OPaL to Integrate Petrochemicals Marketing Operations
6. Sigma Advanced Systems signs Rs.3,800 crore deal with Rolls-Royce for Aerospace Components
7. ISSF and IPC Sign Agreement to Transfer Governance of Para Shooting Sport to ISSF
8. World Penguin Day 2026– April 25
9. World Veterinary Day 2026– April 25
10. International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day 2026 – April 26
11. World Intellectual Property Day 2026 – April 26
12. India Announces 3-Year IP Fee Waiver for Sports Sector to Boost Innovation
13. International Dance Day 2026: Celebrating Movement, Expression and Cultural Unity
14. Who Was Bharat Kapoor? Know His Education, Career and Contribution to Indian Cinema
15. Sur Jyotsna National Music Awards 2026 Honour Sumitra Guha, Laxman Krishnarao Pandit
16. IRCTC Launches 14-Day Bharat–Bhutan Mystic Mountain Tour from New Delhi
17. Ladakh to Get Five New Districts, Boosting Decentralised Governance and Development
18. Visa Appoints Suresh Sethi as Group Country Manager for India and South Asia
19. P. V. Sindhu Gets Voting Role in BWF Council, Becomes Voice of Athletes in Global Badminton
20. UNGA Annalena Baerbock to Visit India on April 28 for Talks on Global Cooperation

National News

Jordan Joins Three Indian Led Global Initiatives

• What: Jordan officially joined three major global initiatives spearheaded by India including the International Solar Alliance (ISA), the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), and the Global Biofuel Alliance (GBA) to support sustainable energy and resilient infrastructure.
• Tell me more:
  • The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed Jordan’s membership in these three Indian-led global platforms.
  • The Ambassador of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to India, Yousef Abdelghani, formally handed over the membership documents.
  • Shri Manish Chauhan was appointed as the Ambassador of India to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in May 2024.
  • Separately, India and South Korea decided to elevate their bilateral ties to a futuristic partnership, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi announcing deeper cooperation across multiple sectors.
  • Both countries reaffirmed their shared commitment to democratic principles, a market economy, and the rule of law, while South Korea joined the ISA and the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI).

10th Session of the India–Kenya Joint Trade Committee in Nairobi

• What: The 10th Session of the India–Kenya Joint Trade Committee (JTC) took place in Nairobi to review bilateral trade and sign agreements to improve economic cooperation between the two nations.
• Tell me more:
  • Shri Rajesh Agrawal, Commerce Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, co-chaired the meeting with Ms. Regina Akotah Ombam from the Republic of Kenya.
  • Bilateral trade reached USD 4.31 billion in 2025–26, marking a 24.91% increase from the previous year.

Indian Railways Launches International Bharat Bhutan Mystic Mountain Tour

• What: The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) announced the launch of a 14-day international “Bharat-Bhutan Mystic Mountain Tour” aboard the Bharat Gaurav Deluxe AC Tourist Train, starting on May 5, 2026, to connect cultural sites in North East India and Bhutan.
• Tell me more:
  • The tour covers Guwahati, Shillong, and Cherrapunji in India before crossing the border into Bhutan via Phuentsholing.
  • Iconic Bhutanese landmarks in the itinerary include Thimphu, Punakha, and the Tiger’s Nest basecamp in Paro.

UNGA President Annalena Baerbock to Visits India

• What: The President of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Annalena Baerbock, called for a renewed commitment to the United Nations (UN) Charter and strengthened multilateralism during a press briefing in New Delhi amid rising geopolitical tensions and international fragmentation.
• Tell me more:
  • Ongoing UN80 reform efforts aim to create a more efficient and responsive United Nations (UN).
  • The UN80 reforms were launched in March 2025.
  • The UN80 reforms are built around three core workstreams: improving efficiency in the UN Secretariat, reviewing how UN mandates are created and implemented, and restructuring programmes to make the UN system more coordinated and effective.

State News

Five New Districts Created in Union Territory of Ladakh

• What: The Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena, approved the notification to create five new districts named Sham, Nubra, Changthang, Zanskar, and Drass, increasing the total number of districts in the Union Territory from two to seven.
• Tell me more:
  • The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) previously approved the formation of these five districts in August 2024.
  • Nubra, Sham, and Changthang were carved out from the existing Leh district.
  • Zanskar and Drass were carved out from the existing Kargil district.

International News

UNESCO Council Approves Twelve New Global Geoparks

• What: The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Global Geoparks Council approved twelve new applications to expand the global network of sites with international geological significance.
• Tell me more:
  • The UNESCO Global Geoparks Council announced this decision during its tenth session.
  • Total site numbers will increase from 229 to 241 across 51 countries if the UNESCO Executive Board endorses these decisions in 2026.

• There is no indian site in the UNESCO Global Geoparks List.
  

Banking and Economy

MobiKwik Receives Approval for NBFC License from RBI

• What: One MobiKwik Systems Ltd. (MobiKwik) announced that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) approved the application for a Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) license to launch a new lending division named MobiKwik Financial Services Private Limited (MFSPL).
• Tell me more:
  • MFSPL functions as a wholly owned subsidiary of the MobiKwik Group.
  • Co-Founder, MD & CEO – Bipin Preet Singh
  • Co-Founder, Executive Director & CFO – Upasana Taku

ONGC Board Approves Petrochemicals Joint Venture

• What: The board of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (ONGC) approved the appointment of Yogish Nayak S as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and sanctioned the formation of a joint venture for petrochemicals marketing to improve group efficiency.
• Tell me more:
  • The board approved a joint venture company with Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) and ONGC Petro additions Ltd (OPaL), subject to approval from the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM).
  • ONGC will hold a 50% stake in the new company, while MRPL and OPaL will each hold 25%, and ONGC will contribute ₹25 crore toward the equity share capital of the marketing venture.

Defence News

Sigma Advanced Systems Wins Aerospace Order from Rolls-Royce

• What: Hyderabad-based Sigma Advanced Systems (Sigma) secured a ₹3,800 crore order from British multinational Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc (Rolls-Royce) to supply high-precision-engineered aerospace parts and assemblies over the next seven years.
• Tell me more:
  • CEO, Sigma: Sunil Kumar Kalidindi

Awards

13th Sur Jyotsna National Music Awards Held in Delhi

• What: The 13th edition of the Sur Jyotsna National Music Awards took place in New Delhi to honor veteran Hindustani vocalists Sumitra Guha and Pandit Laxman Krishnarao Pandit for their significant contributions to Indian classical music.
• Tell me more:
  • The awards commemorate Jyotsna Darda, the founder of Lokmat Sakhi Manch.
  • Lokmat Sakhi Manch, launched by Lokmat Media Group in 2000, is a women’s empowerment platform in Maharashtra and Goa that promotes self-expression, skill development, networking, and social participation among women.
  • Singer Kailash Kher and his band Kailasa Live performed during the opening and conclusion of the event.

Important Days

World Penguin Day 2026 – April 25

World Veterinary Day 2026 – April 25

• Theme: “Veterinarians: Guardians of Food and Health”
• The World Veterinary Association (WVA) traces its origin to 1863, when Dr J. Gamgee convened the first International Veterinary Congress.
• This initiative was established by Dr J. Gamgee to bring veterinarians together globally, and it later evolved into the World Veterinary Association (WVA).
• WVA Secretariat: Brussels, Belgium

International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day 2026 – April 26

• The Chornobyl disaster happened on 26 April 1986, and 2026 marks its 40th anniversary.
• Chernobyl is in northern Ukraine.

World Intellectual Property Day 2026 – April 26

• What: In 2000, WIPO member states designated 26 April as World Intellectual Property Day to increase public understanding of intellectual property (IP), marking the day on which the WIPO Convention came into force in 1970.
  • 2026 Theme: IP and Sports: Ready, Set, Innovate
• Tell me more:
  • Union Minister Shri Piyush Goyal announced a three-year fee exemption for all sports-related IP registrations, including patents and trademarks, to promote innovation within the sports ecosystem during the World IP Day celebrations.
  • The fee waiver applies to trademarks, copyrights, patents, designs, traditional knowledge, and Geographical Indications (GI).
  • Shri Piyush Goyal felicitated the J&K Ranji Trophy team for its landmark victory after 67 years and highlighted that the Kashmir willow cricket bat remains India’s only GI-tagged sports product.
  • India signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with New Zealand while celebrating 100 years of sporting ties.
  • The DPIIT, in collaboration with IIT Delhi, launched the Viksit Bharat Digital Matrix 2026 – Design Hackathon, a six-month initiative focused on developing smart wearables and next-generation wellness solutions.

International Dance Day – April 29

Sports

ISSF and IPC Agree to Transfer Shooting Governance

• What: The International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) signed an agreement to transfer the governance of shooting Para sport to the ISSF to unify Olympic and Paralympic shooting under one global body.
• Tell me more:
  • This stability includes the qualification process for the Los Angeles (LA) 2028 Paralympic Games.

Appointments

Visa Appoints Suresh Sethi as South Asia Group Country Manager

• What: Visa, a payment gateway provider, announced the appointment of Suresh Sethi as the Group Country Manager for India and South Asia to lead the strategy and operations of the company across multiple regional markets including Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
• Tell me more:
  • Suresh Sethi will manage operations in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives, and Bhutan.
  • Sethi will report to Stephen Karpin, who serves as the Regional President for Asia Pacific at Visa.

PV Sindhu Joins BWF Council as Voting Member

• What: Former World Champion and Olympic medallist PV Sindhu officially started her tenure as a voting member of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Council after being elected as the Chair of the BWF Athletes’ Commission to represent global players.
• Tell me more:
  • BWF President: Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul (Thailand)

Miscellaneous

Veteran Bollywood Actor Bharat Kapoor Passes Away

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