03rd July 2026

1. Bank of Baroda Partners with Japan’s Mizuho Bank to Enhance Collaboration in M&A Financing
2. NPCI Partners with HSBC India and JP Morgan to Boost Cross-Border UPI Payments
3. Himachal Pradesh Secures 8 New GI Tags; Total GI Products Rise to 17
4. RBI Appoints Ravi Shankar as Executive Director
5. Kotak Mahindra Bank to Acquire Deutsche Bank’s India Retail and Wealth Business for Rs 281.7 Crore
6. BPCL Signs Pact to Acquire 40% Stake in Tiki Tar-Shell India JV
7. MoEFCC Launches ATS 4.0; ZSI Releases Animal Discoveries and Plant Discoveries (2025) on 111th Foundation Day
8. Former Mizoram and Puducherry Governor Lt Gen M. M. Lakhera Passes Away
9. Eminent Tamil Poet and Sahitya Akademi Award Winner Puviyarasu Passes Away at 96
10. World Sports Journalists Day 2026 – July 2
11. Tamil Nadu Appoints Former ISRO Scientist Mylswamy Annadurai as Chairman of CDC for School Education
12. Mukesh Ambani and Sunil Mittal Join AI for Good Global Commission to Promote Responsible Artificial Intelligence
13. Microsoft Partners with Lightstorm to Build I-2SEA Undersea Cable Linking India and Southeast Asia
14. International Booker Prize Renamed as Bukhman International Booker Prize with Doubled Prize Money
15. PM Modi and Japan PM Sanae Takaichi Unveil Strategic Roadmap on Energy, Technology and Defence Cooperation
16. Skyroot’s Vikram-1: Everything You Need to Know About India’s First Private Orbital Rocket and Mission Aagaman
17. Cristiano Ronaldo Becomes Oldest FIFA World Cup Knockout Goalscorer as Portugal Beat Croatia
18. Meet the World’s Largest Digital Camera That’s Mapping the Universe
19. Gujarat Police Launch Operation Surakshit Cyberspace to Strengthen Online Safety for Women and Children
20. Sunil Bharti Mittal Honoured with 2026 USISPF Leadership Award
21. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri Gets One-Year Extension
22. Air Marshal Jasvir Singh Mann Takes Charge as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Air Command
23. Lt Gen Rajesh Pushkar Assumes Command of Indian Army’s Southern Command
24. NPCI Partners with HSBC India and JP Morgan Payments to Enable Real-Time FX Settlement for International UPI Payments

National News

Zoological Survey of India Celebrates Foundation Day on June 30

• What: The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) celebrated its 111th Foundation Day by inaugurating the three-day Animal Taxonomy Summit (ATS) 2026 in Kolkata to advance biodiversity conservation.
• Tell me more:
  • Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav inaugurated this scientific summit and released the flagship Animal Discoveries–2025 publication.
  • The new publication revealed that scientists added 709 new faunal records, which expanded the total documented faunal diversity of India to 1,05,953 species.
  • Kerala recorded the highest number of newly discovered species at 98, while West Bengal followed closely with 76 new species records.
  • The Union Minister launched the PaleoIndia Portal, which contains detailed geological datasets of more than 5,000 fossil specimens across the country.
  • The organization also conducted a nationwide 111-Hours Hackathon on Traditional Knowledge for Biodiversity Conservation to integrate indigenous knowledge with modern technology.
• Knowledge Nuggets:
  • Established in 1916, the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, is India’s premier institution for animal research, taxonomy, faunal surveys, and biodiversity conservation.

India and Japan Unveil Military Cooperation Pact

• What: During Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s first official visit to India, India and Japan signed an economic partnership framework and a defence agreement to jointly develop military equipment.
• Tell me more:
  • Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and announced new measures to strengthen cooperation in energy and critical technologies.
  • The defence agreement follows Japan’s decision to ease arms export restrictions for 17 countries, including India.

State News

Himachal Pradesh Secures Eight New Geographical Indications

• What: Himachal Pradesh secured Geographical Indication (GI) tags for eight more traditional products to preserve cultural heritage and boost the rural economy.
• Tell me more:
  • The state now possesses a total of 17 GI-recognized items after these new inclusions.
  • The newly registered products include Spiti’s seabuckthorn, Salooni safed makka, Chamba metal art, Sirmauri loiya, Kinnauri topi, sepuvadi of Mandi, Kinnauri apple, and Kinnauri jewellery.
  • The state government is also actively pursuing GI tag for four more native products including Bhot Jau, Chamba chukh, Plectranthus honey, and Sirmaur ginger.

Former ISRO Scientist To Head Curriculum Committee

• What: The Tamil Nadu government has appointed former ISRO scientist Mylswamy Annadurai as the Chairman of the Curriculum Design Committee for School Education to revise and modernise the state’s school curriculum.
• Tell me more:
  • The 17-member committee, constituted under the 2025 State Education Policy for a three-year term, will redesign the syllabus for over 1.3 crore students, focusing on critical thinking, AI, science, and technology.
  • Other members of the committee include Right to Education activist Anantajit Makia, physicist Rita John, scientist T. V. Venkateswaran, and historian K. Rajan.
  • Mylswamy Annadurai was the Project Director of Chandrayaan-1 and the Programme Director of the Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan).

Gujarat Police Launch Operation Surakshit Cyberspace

• What: The Gujarat Police launched a statewide 28-day campaign in July month named Operation Surakshit Cyberspace to strengthen online safety for women and children while creating a secure and resilient digital ecosystem.
• Tell me more:
  • Local SHE Teams and dedicated Cyber Crime Police Stations will spearhead grassroots implementation through community outreach, victim counseling, and field-level verification.
  • The campaign aims to educate 25 lakh citizens, engage 20 lakh students, cover 10,000 schools and 1,500 colleges, while ensuring police take initial action within 24 hours using advanced cyber intelligence tools.

International News

World’s Largest Digital Camera that’s Mapping the Universe

• What: The National Science Foundation-Department of Energy (NSF-DOE) Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile has officially commenced its decade-long cosmic survey utilizing the world’s largest digital camera to map the southern night sky.
• Tell me more:
  • The car-sized digital camera, weighing about 3,000 kg, is installed on Cerro Pachón mountain to capture detailed images of the universe.
  • It will take 700–800 images every night to create a detailed map of the solar system over the next 10 years.
  • Scientists will use these images to track faint space objects, map the Milky Way, and search for the proposed Planet Nine.
  • The international project will also help scientists study dark matter, dark energy, black holes, and supernovae.

Banking and Economy

Bank of Baroda and Mizuho Bank Partner

• What: State-owned Bank of Baroda (BoB) and Mizuho Bank, the banking arm of Japan’s Mizuho Financial Group, announced a strategic partnership to enhance collaboration across mergers and acquisitions (M&A) financing and related services.
• Tell me more:
  • This collaboration combines the global network and structured finance expertise of Mizuho Bank with the strong domestic presence and corporate relationships of BoB.
  • Both financial institutions will work together on transactions covering acquisition financing, joint origination, structuring, co-underwriting, and syndication.

NPCI Partners with Global Banks for UPI

• What: The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) announced separate strategic partnerships with HSBC India and JP Morgan Payments to introduce real-time foreign exchange conversion and settlement for cross-border Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions.
• Tell me more:
  • The collaboration enables Indian travellers to view payment amounts in Indian Rupees before overseas QR-code payments, while supporting secure 24×7 multi-currency settlements and improving transparency across nine countries.
  • NPCI operates as a not-for-profit umbrella organization created by the Reserve Bank of India and the Indian Banks’ Association for retail payment systems.

Kotak Mahindra Bank Acquires Deutsche Bank Businesses

• What: Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd. executed a business transfer agreement to acquire the retail banking, private banking, and wealth management business of Deutsche Bank AG in India for approximately rupees 281.7 crore.
• Tell me more:
  • The major commercial transaction will likely conclude by September 2027 after securing regulatory clearances from the Competition Commission of India (CCI).

Bharat Petroleum Corporation Acquires Infrastructure Stake

• What: State-run Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) signed an agreement to acquire a 40% stake in Tiki Tar and Shell India Pvt Ltd for ₹85 crore to strengthen its presence in the bitumen and road infrastructure materials segment.
• Tell me more:
  • BPCL entered into a share purchase agreement to acquire the minority stake from Shell Overseas Investments B.V.
  • The acquisition will allow BPCL to become an equal joint venture partner alongside the existing shareholder after obtaining necessary regulatory approvals.

Indian Business Leaders Join Global AI Commission

• What: Reliance Industries Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani and Bharti Enterprises Founder and Chairman Sunil Mittal have been appointed as founding members of the newly launched AI for Good Global Commission.
• Tell me more:
  • The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has established the Commission to promote the safe, inclusive, responsible, and trustworthy use of artificial intelligence (AI).
  • The Commission comprises more than 40 leaders, including heads of state, CEOs, technology experts, and heads of international organisations.
  • It will be co-chaired by Paul Kagame and Marc Benioff, with ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin serving as Vice-Chair.
  • The Commission aims to bridge the digital divide by ensuring AI benefits the 2.2 billion people who are still offline, instead of widening global inequalities.
  • The Commission will hold its first meeting during the AI for Good Global Summit 2026 in Geneva from 7–10 July 2026.

Microsoft-Led Consortium to Build Undersea Cable Connecting India, Malaysia and Singapore

• What: A consortium led by Microsoft and Singapore’s Lightstorm will build a 3,600-km undersea cable connecting India, Malaysia, and Singapore to strengthen AI and cloud infrastructure.
• Tell me more:
  • The India-Southeast Asia (I-2SEA) submarine cable system is expected to be operational by the fourth quarter of 2029 and will support AI, cloud computing, and large-scale data processing.
  • The consortium also includes Tata Communications, Singapore Telecommunications, Singapore’s ASEAN Cableship, and Japan’s NEC Corporation.
  • The cable will have a landing station at Machilipatnam, Andhra Pradesh, and will expand Lightstorm’s connected cloud zones from 19 to 29.
  • The project aims to meet India’s rapidly growing demand for data centres, whose operational capacity is expected to increase five-fold by 2030.

Science and Technology

Skyroot Aerospace Announces Maiden Vikram One Launch

• What: Skyroot Aerospace has announced that the first flight of Vikram-1, India’s first privately developed orbital-class rocket, will take place between 12 July and 4 August under “Mission Aagaman”.
• Tell me more:
  • The launch will take place from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota, subject to final assembly, testing, technical approvals, and suitable weather conditions.
  • Mission Aagaman aims to collect flight data to test and validate the rocket’s performance for future commercial missions.
  • The seven-storey, multi-stage rocket is built with an all-carbon composite structure and uses 3D-printed engines and in-house developed solid rocket boosters.
  • Vikram-1 can carry satellites weighing up to 350 kg into Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

Awards

International Booker Prize Renamed and Prize Money Doubles

• What: The International Booker Prize will be renamed the Bukhman International Booker Prize from 2027 onwards following a ten-year funding commitment by Bukhman Philanthropies, which will also double the annual winning prize money to £100,000.
• Tell me more:
  • Billionaire couple Daria Bukhman and Dmitri Bukhman founded Bukhman Philanthropies and committed to fund this translated fiction prize until 2036.
  • The doubled award of £100,000 (approximately ₹1.28 crores) and the shortlist reward of £5,000 (approximately ₹6.37 lakhs) will be split evenly between authors and translators.
  • Novelist Katie Kitamura will chair the 2027 judging panel alongside Patrick McGuinness, Caleb Azumah Nelson, Olga Ravn, and Tessa Thompson.
  • Judges will evaluate long-form fiction or short story collections translated into English and published in the United Kingdom (UK) or Ireland between May 1, 2026, and April 30, 2027.
  • Booker Prize Foundation CEO – Gaby Wood

Sunil Bharti Mittal Receives 2026 Leadership Award

• What: The US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) presented its 2026 Leadership Award to Sunil Bharti Mittal, founder and chairman of Bharti Enterprises, to recognize his role in transforming the telecommunications landscape of India.
• Tell me more:
  • The organization presented this award to recognize his global leadership in advancing economic relations between India and North America.
  • The forum also honored V Prem Watsa, chairman and chief executive officer of Fairfax Financial Holdings, and Christopher T Calio, chairman and chief executive officer of RTX Corporation.
  • These two leaders received recognition for strengthening the strategic and economic partnership between India and the United States (US).

Important Days

World Sports Journalists Day 2026 – July 2

• Theme: Championing Fair Play: Reporting with Integrity and Impact

Appointments

Reserve Bank of India Appoints New Executive Director

• What: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has appointed career central banker statistician Ravi Shankar as its new Executive Director (ED) with effect from July 1, 2026.
• Tell me more:
  • Prior to this promotion, Ravi Shankar served as the Adviser-In-Charge of the Department of Statistics and Information Management within the central bank.
  • In his new leadership role as ED, Ravi Shankar will look after the Department of Statistics and Information Management.

Government Extends Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri Tenur

• What: The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved a one-year service extension for Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, allowing the veteran diplomat to continue in his post until July 14 next year.
• Tell me more:
  • The senior official previously served as the Ambassador of India to China from January 2019 until December 2021.

Air Marshal Jasvir Singh Mann Commands SAC

• Air Marshal Jasvir Singh Mann assumed charge as the Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Air Command (SAC) of the Indian Air Force (IAF) following the superannuation of his predecessor.

Lieutenant General Rajesh Pushkar Commands Southern Command

• Lieutenant General Rajesh Pushkar assumed charge as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) of the Southern Command of the Indian Army, succeeding Lieutenant General Sandeep Jain who became Vice Chief of the Army Staff.

Miscellaneous

Former Mizoram Governor Madan Mohan Lakhera Passes Away

• Former Governor of Mizoram Lieutenant General Madan Mohan Lakhera passed away at the age of 88 in a private hospital in Dehradun, prompting Mizoram Governor General Vijay Kumar Singh and Chief Minister Lalduhoma to express profound grief.

Award-Winning Tamil Poet Puviyarasu Passes Away

• What: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay announced state honours for Sahitya Akademi Award-winning writer and poet Puviyarasu following his demise, calling his passing an irreparable loss to Tamil literature.
• Tell me more:
  • He received the Sahitya Akademi Award for the Tamil poetry collection Kaiyoppam (Signature), the Sahitya Akademi Translation Award for Puratchikkaaran (The Revolutionary), and will be accorded full state honours.

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