Current Affairs 29 August 2026

Science & TechMediumquizQuiz

Bengaluru Peptide Party Cancelled After Karnataka Drug Regulator's Notice

•An invite-only peptide party planned in Koramangala, Bengaluru was cancelled after the Karnataka Food Safety and Drug Administration issued a notice to the organisers.
•The regulator had asked for details of the peptide preparations, including composition, manufacturers, regulatory status, dosage and intended use.
•The FSDA said such preparations may fall within the definition of drugs under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, depending on composition, presentation, claims and manner of administration.

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Flash Flood Devastates Bright Angel Canyon in Grand Canyon National Park

•A major flash flood struck Bright Angel Canyon and the Phantom Ranch area of Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona on 29 August 2026, beginning at about 2.30 p.m. local time.
•Nearly all the footbridges spanning Bright Angel Creek were destroyed, cutting hiker access across the creek, and trails, utilities and facilities were damaged along the canyon floor.
•Sixty-two people had been evacuated from Phantom Ranch and the lower North Kaibab Trail by the morning of 30 August; two bodies were later recovered and one person remained unaccounted for.

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Niger's Junta Puts Down Mutiny at Niamey's Base 101 with Russian Support

•Niger's military government said it had contained a mutiny by soldiers at Base 101 in Niamey on 29 August 2026, after a night of gunfire around the airport, the presidential palace and the state broadcaster.
•Loyalist forces from the Presidential Guard, supported by Russia's Africa Corps paramilitary contingent, retook the base by the evening; the capital was reported calm the following day.
•Base 101 adjoins Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey and hosts the headquarters of Russia's Africa Corps in Niger.

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Aditya-L1 Spots Pre-Flare Brightenings Hours Before Major Solar Flares

•Scientists using India's Aditya-L1 solar observatory reported small, short-lived brightenings in the Sun's chromosphere that appear hours before a major flare and cluster around the spot where the flare later erupts.
•The study examined seven M- and X-class flares and identified 102 pre-flare transients in the Mg II h (2803 A) images taken by the Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT).
•About 28 per cent of these transients had matching X-ray signatures in data from the SoLEXS and HEL1OS payloads, linking chromospheric activity to the corona above it.

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Banking & FinanceHighquizQuiz

HDFC Bank CEO Sashidhar Jagdishan to Retire on 26 October, Declines Reappointment

•Sashidhar Jagdishan, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of HDFC Bank, has decided not to seek reappointment and will retire from the bank on 26 October 2026.
•He conveyed the decision to the bank on 29 August 2026, and the Board of Directors took note of it at its meeting the same day after failing to persuade him to reconsider.
•Jagdishan has led India's largest private sector bank since October 2020, when he succeeded Aditya Puri, and his current term was the result of a three-year extension approved by the Reserve Bank of India.

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Ecuador Declares Nationwide Red Alert as El Nino Threatens Drought and Fires

•Ecuador's Ministry of Risk Management declared a red alert across the country on 29 August 2026 in response to the ongoing El Nino episode.
•The alert activates emergency committees that can order preventive evacuations and other precautionary measures.
•Official estimates project that nearly 1.3 million residents across 17 provinces could be affected, with drought and wildfires in the Amazon region the main worry.

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State NewsMediumquizQuiz

Himachal Announces First Ozone-Based Drinking Water Project at Dehra in Kangra

•Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu announced the state's first ozone-based drinking water treatment project at Dehra in Kangra district on 29 August 2026.
•The state government has allocated Rs 46 crore for the project, which will use ozone gas to disinfect water and improve its taste.
•The announcement was made at Baddal Thor in the Dehra assembly constituency, where a veterinary hospital was also announced.

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Schemes & CommitteesLowquizQuiz

Foundation Stone Laid for 110 PMGSY-IV Roads Worth Rs 1,503 Crore in Udhampur Constituency

•Union Minister of State Dr Jitendra Singh laid the foundation stone for 110 road projects under PMGSY-IV Batch-I of 2026-27 in the Udhampur Lok Sabha constituency, covering 598.455 km at a sanctioned cost of Rs 1,503.53 crore and expected to benefit 46,972 people.
•The projects are spread across five districts - Udhampur (44 roads, 235.040 km, about Rs 554.90 crore), Kathua (24 roads, 128.925 km, about Rs 307.12 crore), Kishtwar (16 roads, 83.950 km, about Rs 224.88 crore), Ramban (13 roads, 60.360 km, about Rs 154.97 crore) and Doda (13 roads, 90.180 km, about Rs 260.66 crore).
•A notable feature recorded in the project statement is the use of waste plastics in road construction across several packages; the Minister also noted that the constituency had earlier received Rs 1,524 crore of Jammu & Kashmir's Rs 3,566 crore PMGSY allocation, about 43 per cent.

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DRI Seizes 18 kg Amphetamine and MDMA as CBN's Operation Vajra 2.0 Nets 66.8 Lakh Tablets

•The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence seized more than 18 kg of synthetic drugs in two intelligence-led operations on 25 August 2026 - about 14.9 kg of Amphetamine at Bengaluru and about 2.53 kg of Amphetamine plus 878 grams of MDMA tablets at Pune - and arrested four persons under the NDPS Act, 1985.
•Both consignments moved by train from Delhi: one carrier was intercepted at KSR Bengaluru Railway Station travelling from New Delhi, the other at Pune Junction travelling from Hazrat Nizamuddin, with follow-up action in the Bengaluru case leading to two more arrests down the delivery chain.
•Across a fortnight the DRI has seized around 150 kg of Amphetamine Type Stimulant drugs in five operations, including 76 kg of Methamphetamine tablets along the north-eastern frontier and 55.86 kg of Methamphetamine mixed into a maize/corn export consignment destined for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

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National Sports Day 2026 Marks Dhyan Chand's 121st Birth Anniversary

•National Sports Day was observed on 29 August 2026 to commemorate the 121st birth anniversary of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand, with the national event held at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, India Gate, New Delhi.
•Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Dr Mansukh Mandaviya and Union Minister of Law and Justice Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal led the celebrations, which began with floral tribute at Major Dhyan Chand's statue.
•The celebrations centred on the nationwide 'Ek Ghanta Khel Ke Maidan Mein' initiative, urging citizens and especially young people to dedicate at least one hour to sports and physical activity - presented by the Minister as a push for the Fit India Movement.

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EconomyMediumquizQuiz

Petroleum Ministry Defends Rs 2,110 per MMBtu CBG Price Under GOBARdhan Scheme

•The Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas rejected a newspaper claim that the revised Compressed Biogas (CBG) price under the GOBARdhan Scheme would place a significant additional burden on CNG and household PNG consumers, calling the calculation a product of select inconsistent assumptions.
•Under the existing system the price paid to CBG producers was linked to 85 per cent of the retail selling price of CNG, working out to about Rs 1,478 per MMBtu; under GOBARdhan it has been fixed at Rs 2,110 per MMBtu, an increase of roughly 43 per cent.
•Government affordability support of Rs 10 per kg of CBG - about Rs 215 per MMBtu for CBG with 95 per cent methane content - brings the effective cost to be recovered from gas consumers down to about Rs 1,895 per MMBtu, an effective increase of about 28 per cent.

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InternationalMediumquizQuiz

India and Argentina Hold 4th Joint Trade Committee Meeting in Buenos Aires

•The Fourth Meeting of the India-Argentina Joint Trade Committee was held on 24 August 2026 at Palacio San Martin, Buenos Aires, with Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal leading India and Ambassador Fernando Brun, Secretary for International Economic Relations, leading Argentina.
•Bilateral trade crossed USD 6.5 billion in 2025 with consistent annual growth of over 17 per cent; India is now Argentina's fifth-largest trading partner.
•KABIL's lithium project in Catamarca province - the first lithium mining initiative by an Indian company in Argentina - has completed Phase II drilling, with the provinces of Salta and Jujuy being explored next.

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PM Visits Uzbekistan and Kyrgyz Republic, to Attend 26th SCO Summit at Bishkek

•The Prime Minister's departure statement, issued on 29 August 2026, sets out a visit to the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Kyrgyz Republic from 29 August to 1 September 2026.
•He visits Tashkent on 29-30 August for a State Visit at the invitation of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, with talks on trade and investment, digital connectivity, defence and energy, framed around the two countries' 'Viksit Bharat' and 'Yangi Uzbekistan' visions.
•In Tashkent he is to visit the Shastri Memorial and the Mahatma Gandhi Centre at the Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies.

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Schemes & CommitteesHighquizQuiz

PMFBY Completes a Decade: 92.46 Crore Applications Insured, ₹2.06 Lakh Crore Paid

•A PIB Backgrounder issued on 29 August 2026 reports that from Kharif 2016 to Rabi 2025-26, more than 92.46 crore farmer applications have been insured under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana and over 26.33 crore applications have received claims exceeding ₹2.06 lakh crore.
•The Union Budget 2026-27 allocates ₹12,200 crore to PMFBY, which is being implemented by 25 States and Union Territories in Kharif 2026.
•Farmers pay a maximum of 2% of the sum insured for kharif foodgrain and oilseed crops, 1.5% for rabi and 5% for commercial and horticultural crops; the balance premium is shared by the Centre and states 50:50, and 90:10 for North-Eastern and Himalayan States and UTs.

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Per Drop More Crop Covers 115 Lakh Hectares Under Micro Irrigation

•A PIB Backgrounder issued on 29 August 2026 records that the Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) scheme has brought more than 115 lakh hectares under micro irrigation as of July 2026 — about 8.11% of India's net sown area.
•Central assistance of ₹8,123.24 crore has been released under PDMC over the last three years. During 2025-26, ₹8,957.72 crore was released or sanctioned for PM-RKVY, of which ₹3,226.36 crore was dedicated to PDMC.
•Assistance covers up to five hectares per beneficiary — 55% for small and marginal farmers and 45% for other farmers — and the same land becomes eligible again after seven years.

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National Test House Marks 115th Foundation Day at New Bengaluru Campus

•The National Test House celebrated its 115th Foundation Day on 29 August 2026 at its Jakkuru campus in Bengaluru.
•Union Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Minister Pralhad Joshi was chief guest, with Ministers of State B.L. Verma and Shobha Karandlaje and Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare present.
•A new NTH building, an advanced electric vehicle battery testing centre and a mobile application platform were inaugurated at the campus.

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NationalHighquizQuiz

FSSAI Proposes Red Hexagon Warning Labels for Packaged Foods High in Sugar, Salt and Fat

•FSSAI has proposed mandatory front-of-pack warning labels for packaged foods high in sugar, salt and saturated fat, setting out the plan in an affidavit before the Supreme Court.
•The warnings would appear as bold red hexagonal symbols reading HIGH FAT, HIGH SUGAR, HIGH SALT or HIGHLY SWEETENED BEVERAGE on the principal display panel.
•Nutrient thresholds are aligned with the Dietary Guidelines for Indians, 2024, issued by ICMR-NIN.

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National Sports Day 2026 Observed on 29 August With Theme Tribute, Play and Move

•India observed National Sports Day on 29 August 2026, the birth anniversary of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand.
•The 2026 observance carries the theme 'Tribute, Play and Move' and runs as a three-day campaign from 28 to 30 August.
•The day has widened from a sporting commemoration into a fitness drive since the Fit India Movement was launched on this date in 2019.

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