Find the Weekly Current Affairs for the 1st week of August 2026. Stay informed with the most important news and events from around the world. Our curated updates provide a comprehensive summary of the week’s key happenings, covering politics, economics, science, technology, sports, and international affairs.
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Highlights of August 1st Week Current Affairs
- PM CARES Fund remained in focus as it has not published audited financial statements since FY 2022–23, leading to concerns over transparency, accountability, and its exemption from RTI and CAG audit.
- The Supreme Court held that pellet guns cannot be banned while existing advisories permit their use for crowd control, provided their deployment follows the principles of necessity, proportionality, and reasonableness.
- The Supreme Court struck down the 2021 Office Memorandum permitting routine ex post facto environmental clearances, reinforcing that prior environmental approval should generally precede project execution.
- The Houthis announced a maritime blockade in the Red Sea, raising concerns over the security of one of the world’s most important trade and energy routes.
- India launched the Bharat Maritime Insurance Pool (BMIP), the country’s first sovereign-backed maritime insurance pool with a total capacity of USD 1.5 billion to strengthen maritime risk coverage.
- The annual Kanwar Yatra began across North India during the month of Shravan, with extensive security arrangements along the pilgrimage routes.
- The Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026 proposes to extend statutory protection to Vande Mataram by bringing the National Song under the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971.
- The Cauvery Water Management Authority directed Karnataka to release 3,500 cusecs of water per day to Tamil Nadu for 15 days despite severe hydrological distress caused by below-average inflows.
- Machilipatnam (BY 529), the seventh Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft built by Cochin Shipyard Limited for the Indian Navy, was launched to enhance coastal defence and underwater surveillance capabilities.
- India recorded notable achievements as the Department of Telecommunications honoured telecom innovators with the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Telecom Excellence Awards 2025, while Indian para-athletes secured multiple medals at the Commonwealth Games 2026.
- India proposed the SHANTI (Securing Holistic Advancement through Norms, Trust, and Integrity) framework to promote a rules-based maritime order in the Bay of Bengal and Indo-Pacific through cooperation, resilience, and regional trust.
- The PM Vidyalaxmi Scheme has expanded to 1,425 premier higher education institutions, offering collateral-free, guarantor-free education loans with interest subsidies for eligible students.
- IRDAI introduced major insurance reforms, including the Policyholders’ Education and Protection Fund (PEPF), perpetual licensing, stricter accountability for insurance agents, and liberalised capital norms.
- An OECD report highlighted that Southeast Asia’s blue economy faces a USD 2.1 trillion financing gap by 2030, along with threats from overfishing, pollution, and climate change.
- Doxxing, the unauthorised disclosure of personal information online, has emerged as a serious cybersecurity and privacy concern in India, where no dedicated anti-doxxing law currently exists.
- SHetA2, an investigational oral small-molecule therapy evaluated by ICMR-NICPR, has shown promise in preventing precancerous cervical lesions from progressing to cervical cancer.
- In the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) 2026, India ranked 176th out of 177 countries, despite performing comparatively better in other climate assessments like the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI).
- Ceuta, Spain’s autonomous city in North Africa near the Strait of Gibraltar, remains a major migration gateway into Europe due to its strategic location on the African coast.
- The Indian Navy received INS Nipun, its second indigenous Diving Support Vessel (DSV), enhancing submarine rescue capabilities with Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV) operations up to 650 metres.
- The UNAIDS “United to End AIDS” Report warned that declining international funding has created a significant HIV financing gap, threatening the global target of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
- The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026 mandates reporting of births and deaths within 21 days and introduces stricter approval mechanisms for delayed registrations to prevent fraud.
- The Bill requires approval from executive authorities for registrations delayed by 1–2 years and a Judicial Magistrate’s order for delays beyond two years, while strengthening verification procedures.
- The Noida Police registered a Zero FIR over alleged remarks against the Prime Minister, highlighting legal provisions on intentional insult, public mischief, defamation, and the distinction between vulgarity and obscenity under the BNS.
- The Supreme Court has consistently held that vulgar or abusive language alone does not amount to obscenity, adopting the community standards test in place of the earlier Hicklin test.
- The Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rojgar Yojana (PM-VBRY) completed one year, with over 72 lakh first-time formal employees joining the workforce and incentives encouraging employment generation through EPFO.
- The Union Cabinet approved the Pradhan Mantri Surya Sarovar Yojana with an outlay of ₹5,070 crore to develop 5 GW of floating solar capacity and 10,000 MWh of battery storage by 2030–31.
- The Cabinet also launched the Samudra Manthan Scheme with an outlay of ₹84,084 crore to boost offshore hydrocarbon exploration, reduce import dependence, and strengthen domestic energy security.
- Concerns over the Collegium System resurfaced as Justice Ujjal Bhuyan highlighted its lack of transparency, while debates continue over judicial independence, accountability, and reforms in judicial appointments.
- Prime Minister paid tribute to Pingali Venkayya on his 150th birth anniversary, recognising his contribution as the designer of the original Indian National Flag and a prominent freedom fighter.
- India and China resumed border trade through Shipki La after a six-year suspension, reopening an important Himalayan trade route in Himachal Pradesh that forms part of the historic Silk Route.
- The government approved nationwide rollout of the Vessel Communication and Support System (VCSS) at ₹364 crore, giving ISRO-built transponders free to about 1 lakh fishing vessels for safety and surveillance.
- The Union Cabinet cleared a revamped Khelo India Scheme with ₹36,441 crore allocated for 2026–31, introducing a grassroots-to-podium athlete pipeline and a new National Coach Accreditation Board.
- Vizhinjam Port in Kerala was designated a customs port by CBIC, allowing full EXIM cargo operations alongside its role as India’s first deep-water transshipment hub.
- Reports of around 120 ISRO scientists resigning have spotlighted India’s research brain drain, with over 73% of internationally mobile Indian researchers reportedly not returning home.
- The Supreme Court ruled that protection against domestic cruelty under BNS Sections 85–86 can extend to women in live-in relationships resembling marriage.
- PM Modi launched the Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan, a 100-week youth-led campaign against substance abuse tied to the Viksit Bharat @2047 vision.
- Parliament passed the MSME Development (Amendment) Bill, 2026, mandating CPSEs to settle MSME payments via TReDS and setting time-bound arbitration for payment disputes.
- India won 39 medals (13 gold, 17 silver, 9 bronze) at the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow, finishing 4th overall, with boxing and athletics as top contributors.
- Nauru officially renamed itself the Republic of Naoero, with citizens now called dei-Naoero, replacing its colonial-era name.
- Glaw Lake in Arunachal Pradesh’s Kamlang Tiger Reserve became India’s 101st Ramsar Site and the state’s first wetland under the Ramsar Convention.
- Lab-grown diamonds are gaining traction as natural diamond mines near depletion, with production via Chemical Vapor Deposition or High Pressure High Temperature methods yielding chemically identical stones to natural diamonds in weeks rather than billions of years.
- The Union Cabinet extended PM-KISAN till 2030-31 with a ₹3.15 lakh crore outlay, continuing ₹6,000 annual income support to eligible farmer families via DBT.
- The ZED Certification Scheme by MoMSME promotes quality and sustainable manufacturing among MSMEs through Bronze, Silver, and Gold certification levels, with 100% subsidy for women-owned MSMEs.
- The Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 extends tax exemptions for electronics manufacturing, component warehousing, and diamond trading to boost India’s “China Plus One” manufacturing strategy.
- ICAR developed India’s first Telomere-to-Telomere (T2T) reference genome of pigeonpea variety ‘Asha’, providing a complete, gap-free genetic blueprint to aid climate-resilient crop breeding.
- The UNSC conducted its first straw poll to select the next UN Secretary-General, whose five-year term begins January 2027, requiring at least 9 “Encourage” votes with no P5 veto.
- The Maldives linked its Favara payment system with India’s UPI, extending UPI’s cross-border connectivity to 10 countries including Cambodia, UAE, France, and Sri Lanka.
- IUCN launched the Phoenix Species Project in August 2026 with a $200 million initial commitment to recover 100 of the world’s most Critically Endangered species, backed by Re:wild, the Bezos Earth Fund, and Leonardo DiCaprio.
- ICAR-NIHSAD Bhopal developed India’s first indigenous African Swine Fever vaccine, a live-attenuated MA-104 cell line-based vaccine for pigs older than eight weeks.
- India and Rwanda held their first Joint Trade Committee meeting, with India currently ranking as Rwanda’s second-largest foreign investor as of 2025.
- Chief of the Army Staff launched Xtreme Weather Grade (XWG) Diesel, an indigenously developed military-grade fuel created through collaboration between the Indian Army and Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs).
- XWG Diesel is specially designed for high-altitude and extreme winter conditions, ensuring uninterrupted operation of military vehicles by remaining fluid in severe cold.
- The fuel has a pour point of −42°C, significantly reducing the risk of fuel waxing and gelling in sub-zero temperatures.
- XWG Diesel has a flash point of 50°C, providing a safe balance for fuel handling, storage, and operational use.
- The fuel complies with BS-VI emission standards and IS 1460:2025, making it environmentally compliant while meeting military operational requirements.
- A major advantage of XWG Diesel is that it requires no engine modifications, allowing seamless use in existing compatible diesel-powered military vehicles.
- MSV Faize Noore Oliya, an Indian-flagged commercial vessel, sank in the Red Sea after a reported attack off the coast of Yemen, but all 14 Indian seafarers were rescued safely.
- Satish Gujral, one of India’s most celebrated painters, sculptors, architects, and writers, is renowned for designing the Belgian Embassy in New Delhi.
- Satish Gujral’s notable contributions include the Partition Series and his acclaimed autobiography, A Brush with Life.
- To mark Satish Gujral’s birth centenary, the Department of Posts issued a ₹5 commemorative postage stamp, honouring his exceptional contribution to Indian art and architecture.
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