INTERNATIONAL NEWS

India–Uzbekistan Relations and PM Modi’s Highest State Honour

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi received Uzbekistan’s highest state honour, the Order of Oliy Darajali Do’stlik, from President Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the Kuksaroy Presidential Palace in Tashkent on 30 August 2026.

• The Order of Oliy Darajali Do’stlik, also known as the Order of Friendship in English, is Uzbekistan’s highest state honour and recognises distinguished contributions to bilateral relations and international cooperation.

• On 30 August 2026, India and Uzbekistan agreed to elevate their bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, reflecting deeper cooperation in trade, clean energy, regional connectivity and cultural exchanges.

• The Indian delegation accompanying PM Modi in Tashkent included External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.

• Tashkent is the capital of Uzbekistan and the venue of major diplomatic and state events, while the Kuksaroy Presidential Palace serves as the official presidential residence.

• Uzbekistan is a Central Asian republic and a former constituent republic of the Soviet Union. The elevation to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership provides a high-level framework for expanding India–Uzbekistan cooperation.

• As part of the cultural engagement, PM Modi witnessed a yoga session involving 52 Uzbek practitioners, including six members of the Yoga Federation of Uzbekistan, highlighting the longstanding cultural linkages between India and Uzbekistan.

• President Shavkat Mirziyoyev is the head of state of Uzbekistan. With this honour, PM Modi has received more than 30 international honours from different countries.

India–Russia Gasoline Trade

• India exported nearly 1 million barrels of petrol to Russia in July–August 2026 amid Russian fuel shortages.

• Russia’s seaborne gasoline imports reached about 125,000 barrels per day in August 2026.

• India imported over 2.6 million barrels per day of Russian crude in June–July and processed it into refined petroleum products.

• Around 32 Ukrainian drone strikes disrupted Russian refineries in July–August, with fuel production falling by up to 70% in some assessments.

• Russia’s continued fuel-export restrictions further increased its dependence on imported refined products.

• Most Indian petrol exports came from the Vadinar refinery, Gujarat, operated by Nayara Energy, 50% owned by Russia’s Rosneft.

• India’s refining capacity was around 272 MMTPA, moving towards the 300 MMTPA target.

• Turkey and Morocco also supplied refined fuel to Russia, highlighting Russia’s growing dependence on overseas fuel supplies.

India–China Boundary Talks: Eight-Point Consensus

• India and China reached an eight-point consensus during the 25th Round of Talks between the Special Representatives on the Boundary Question held in Beijing on 25 August 2026.

• The talks were co-chaired by India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

• The consensus focused on maintaining peace and tranquillity along the border and reducing friction along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

• Both sides agreed to use existing diplomatic and military communication channels, including local commander-level meetings, to address ground situations promptly.

• The Expert Group on Boundary Delimitation and the Working Group on Border Management were tasked with further work under the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC).

• The two countries agreed to establish two additional military meeting points for the General Level Mechanism and Senior Highest Military Commander meetings.

• India and China also agreed to establish two new military hotlines in the Eastern and Middle Sectors to strengthen direct military communication.

• The next meeting of the Expert-Level Mechanism on Trans-border Rivers was agreed to be held in September 2026, focusing on hydrological data sharing and renewal of agreements on river cooperation.

Bangladesh–China 2+2 Diplomacy and Defence Dialogue

• Bangladesh and China have begun preparations for their first “2+2” Diplomacy and Defence Dialogue, combining foreign affairs and defence-level discussions.

• The proposed mechanism includes a State Minister-level Diplomacy and Defence Dialogue and an early Foreign Minister-level Strategic Dialogue.

• A 2+2 dialogue is a bilateral format in which two ministers from each country participate together, generally involving foreign affairs and defence ministers or their equivalents.

• Discussions were held in Dhaka between Chinese Ambassador Yao Wen and Bangladesh’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir, including preparations following Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman’s visit to China from 22–26 June 2026.

• The two sides reviewed major bilateral projects, including the Mongla Port Facilities Modernization and Expansion Project and the Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project.

• The China Economic and Industrial Zone (CEIZ) in Chattogram is a major economic cooperation project and has attracted investment commitments of around US$500 million from more than 30 Chinese companies.

• Bangladesh reaffirmed its commitment to the One-China Principle, under which the Government of the People’s Republic of China is recognised as the sole legal government of China.

• The proposed China–Bangladesh strategic dialogue has not yet received a final date, while the new 2+2 mechanism is expected to strengthen cooperation in diplomacy, defence, security and strategic affairs.

NATIONAL NEWS

Uniform Standards for Mortuary and Post-Mortem Infrastructure

• India has finalised its first uniform minimum standards for mortuary and post-mortem facilities under the National Council for Clinical Establishments.

• The standards apply to government and private hospitals and are enforced through State and Union Territory authorities.

• Mortuaries cannot be located in basements or near hospital waste-disposal areas and must be situated on the ground floor with separate entry for body movement.

• Cold-storage units must maintain 4°C–8°C, with a minimum capacity of four bodies and a unique serial number for each storage cabin.

• Medico-legal and non-medico-legal bodies must be stored separately for proper identification, custody and record-keeping.

• A dedicated autopsy block of about 4,000 sq ft, including a 2,000 sq ft operatory area, is prescribed.

• Mortuary corridors must be at least 8 feet wide, ceilings 10 feet high, and windows must have fly-proof screens with sills at least 5 feet above the floor.

• The standards are framed under the Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010, with implementation resting on State and UT authorities.

Gnani Artha: India’s Indigenous Sovereign AI Stack

• Gnani Artha, an indigenous sovereign Artificial Intelligence stack, was launched by Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan on 28 August 2026 at Uprashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi.

• The stack was developed by Bengaluru-based GNANI AI and focuses on data residency, data sovereignty and secure AI deployment for Indian institutions and enterprises.

• Gnani Artha combines Evon v3.3, a foundational language model, with Plexus, an enterprise-grade platform for AI-agent orchestration.

• Evon v3.3 is an open-weights model with 30 billion parameters, based on a Mixture-of-Experts architecture, activating about 3.5 billion parameters per token.

• Evon v3.3 supports 11 Indian languages, and its model weights are available on request through Hugging Face under the Apache 2.0 licence.

• The model’s tokenizer is designed for Indian languages and reportedly uses about 20% fewer tokens per Indian-language word than the GPT-5 family and less than half the tokens required by models such as DeepSeek, Llama and Qwen.

• Plexus is designed to deploy autonomous, goal-oriented AI agents across organisational workflows while providing controlled and secure enterprise-level AI deployment.

• Gnani Artha aligns with the broader IndiaAI Mission and the concept of sovereign AI, which emphasises domestic control over data, infrastructure and AI-model deployment.

STATE NEWS

Bihar’s Proposed Mahila Vishwavidyalaya

• Bihar has proposed a Mahila Vishwavidyalaya, where students, faculty, non-teaching staff and the Vice-Chancellor would all be women.

• The announcement was made in Patna during the launch of the Samriddh Mahila Samriddh Bihar Abhiyan on the eve of Raksha Bandhan.

• Under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana, around ₹600 crore was transferred through DBT to nearly 5 lakh women beneficiaries for self-employment and income generation.

• The government plans to spend around ₹20,000 crore by 2030 for the development and economic empowerment of JEEViKA Didis associated with women’s self-help groups.

• Bihar’s Excise and Prohibition Department signed an MoU with Prajapita Brahma Kumari Ishwariya Vishwavidyalaya for an anti-addiction awareness campaign.

• The state launched the Beti Startup Challenge, Balika PhD Fellowship and Police Didi scheme on 26 August 2026.

• The proposed university revives an idea first announced in January 2014, when a plan was made to convert Patna Women’s College into Bihar’s first women’s university.

• The initiative aims to strengthen women’s higher education, employment and economic empowerment, adding to India’s existing women-focused universities such as SNDT Women’s University and Banasthali Vidyapith.

Bihar–Jharkhand Sone River Water-Sharing Agreement

• Bihar and Jharkhand are scheduled to sign a Sone River water-sharing agreement on 31 August 2026, ending a 25-year dispute that began after Jharkhand’s creation in 2000.

• The agreement allocates 5.75 million acre-feet (MAF) to Bihar and 2.0 MAF to Jharkhand, totalling 7.75 MAF.

• The total allocation corresponds to the share originally assigned to undivided Bihar under the 1973 Bansagar Agreement.

• The Bansagar Agreement (1973) was signed by Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and undivided Bihar for sharing Sone River waters.

• The settlement was mediated by the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti through a committee chaired by the Central Water Commission (CWC).

• A major breakthrough came at the Eastern Zonal Council meeting in Ranchi on 10 July 2025, chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

• The Bihar Cabinet approved the draft agreement on 13 January 2026. The Sone is a major southern tributary of the Ganga and is important for irrigation.

• The agreement is linked to the Sone canal system and Indrapuri Reservoir Project, benefiting irrigation in Bhojpur, Buxar, Rohtas, Kaimur, Aurangabad, Patna, Gaya and Arwal districts.

GOVERNMENT SCHEME

Semicon 2.0 Scheme

• The Government of India notified Semicon 2.0 on 31 August 2026 as the second phase of the Semicon India Programme, with a fiscal outlay of ₹1,27,500 crore.

• The scheme has six pillars: chip design, machines and materials, fabrication units, ATMP/OSAT facilities, R&D, and talent development.

• Silicon wafer fabs with a minimum investment of ₹20,000 crore are eligible for 40% fiscal support, while compound, display and specialised fabs receive 35% support.

• Startups and Indian- or OCI-owned companies can avail chip-design incentives under the scheme.

• The Deployment-Linked Incentive (DLI) is 9% of net sales for up to five years, capped at ₹30 crore per application.

• The government aims to train 1 lakh additional semiconductor engineers, building on 85,000 engineers already trained.

• A high-level expert panel, co-chaired by the Principal Scientific Adviser and National Security Adviser, will identify strategic semiconductor chips eligible for targeted incentives.

• The scheme targets about ₹4 lakh crore investment and ₹2 lakh crore production, while industry estimates suggest it could catalyse over ₹5 lakh crore in cumulative private investment.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

EOS-05 (GISAT-1A) Mission

• ISRO is scheduled to launch EOS-05, also known as GISAT-1A, on 4 September 2026 from the Second Launch Pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

• The 2,367 kg Earth Observation Satellite will be launched using the GSLV-F17 into a Sub-Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit.

• EOS-05 is designed for Earth observation, imaging and monitoring, with applications in weather tracking, agriculture, disaster management and security-related observation.

• The satellite is planned to operate from a geostationary orbit at about 36,000 km above the equator, allowing continuous observation of the Indian subcontinent.

• EOS-05 is expected to provide near-real-time images every 30 minutes, with a 5-minute revisit time for priority targets.

• GSLV-F17 is 51.7 metres tall and has a lift-off mass of 420.5 tonnes; its cryogenic upper stage enables high-energy satellite launches.

• A geostationary orbit is approximately 35,786 km above the equator, where a satellite has an orbital period equal to Earth’s rotation and appears fixed over one location.

• EOS-05 is planned as India’s first imaging satellite to operate from a geosynchronous orbit, strengthening capabilities for continuous Earth observation and rapid monitoring.

Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope

• NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope was launched on 30 August 2026 at 7:26 a.m. EDT aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy from Launch Complex 39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida.

• The $4.3 billion observatory separated from the Falcon Heavy upper stage about 31 minutes after liftoff and began its journey to its science orbit.

• Roman is planned to reach the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 2 (L2), located about 1 million miles from Earth, after a journey of approximately three months.

• The telescope has a mass of about 18,000 pounds and is designed for a five-year science mission.

• Roman carries a 300-megapixel Wide Field Instrument, whose field of view is about 100 times larger than Hubble’s, enabling large-area infrared surveys.

• The Falcon Heavy, developed by SpaceX, uses three Falcon 9-derived cores; its two side boosters successfully landed at Landing Zones 2 and 40.

• Roman will investigate major questions concerning dark energy, dark matter and exoplanets, using wide-field observations in infrared astronomy.

• The telescope is named after Nancy Grace Roman, NASA’s first chief astronomer, and communications with the spacecraft use NASA’s Deep Space Network.

DEFENCE

Turkey–Saudi Arabia–Pakistan Defence Alliance

• Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are scheduled to hold the first ministerial and committee meeting of their new defence alliance in Istanbul on 31 August 2026.

• The alliance was established on 7 August 2026 through the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, signed by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Mohammed bin Salman and Shehbaz Sharif.

• The agreement contains a collective security clause, under which an armed attack against one member is treated as an attack against all three members.

• This provision is structurally similar to Article 5 of NATO, which establishes the principle of collective defence among NATO members.

• The Istanbul meeting is expected to establish a political and defence strategic committee comprising the three countries’ foreign ministers, defence ministers and military chiefs of staff.

• The discussions are expected to cover international security, collective military capabilities, troop interoperability and cooperation in defence production.

• Interoperability refers to the ability of armed forces from different countries to operate together through compatible systems, procedures and communication mechanisms.

• The 31 August 2026 Istanbul meeting will be the first ministerial-level gathering following the signing of the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, involving Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.