Daily Current Affairs

The 23rd FIFA World Cup began on 11 June 2026 with co-host Mexico beating South Africa 2-0 in the opening match in Mexico City. Julian Quinones scored in the 9th minute and veteran striker Raul Jimenez headed in the second goal in the 67th minute. This edition is historic on several counts: it is the first World Cup hosted jointly by three nations — the United States, Canada and Mexico — and the first to feature an expanded field of 48 teams instead of 32. Mexico also became the first country to host the men's World Cup three times (1970, 1986, 2026). The final is scheduled for 19 July 2026 in New Jersey, USA. EXAM ANGLE: 23rd edition; hosts — USA, Canada, Mexico; 48 teams (first time); final — 19 July 2026, New Jersey.

Economists polled by Reuters expect India's retail inflation for May 2026 to climb to roughly 4 per cent, a clear jump from April's 3.48 per cent and the first reading in this cycle to sit right at the RBI's medium-term target. The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) is releasing the official CPI numbers on 12 June 2026. Three pressures are at work: seasonal summer vegetable prices (April already saw tomatoes up over 35 per cent year-on-year), costlier fuel with Brent crude crossing 97 dollars a barrel amid the Gulf conflict, and a weaker rupee near 95.4 per dollar that makes imported crude and edible oils dearer. EXAM ANGLE: CPI is compiled by MoSPI; the RBI targets 4 per cent inflation within a 2–6 per cent band.

In its June 2026 Global Economic Prospects report, the World Bank revised India's growth projection for 2026 upward to 6.6 per cent from the 6.5 per cent estimated in January, and sharply raised the 2027 figure to 7.2 per cent from 6.6 per cent, with 7 per cent pencilled in for 2028. Deputy Chief Economist Ayhan Kose attributed the upgrade to domestic demand momentum strong enough to offset the drag from the Middle East conflict. India retains its tag as the fastest-growing major economy, while South Asia stays the fastest-growing region despite regional growth easing to 6.3 per cent from 7 per cent in 2025. Globally, the Bank expects expansion to slow to 2.5 per cent in 2026 — the weakest pace since the Covid-19 shock. EXAM ANGLE: Report — Global Economic Prospects (World Bank, twice a year); India 2026 — 6.6%; global 2026 — 2.5%.

Under Round 3 of the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for textiles, the government approved a fresh set of companies, taking the total to 96 participants with committed investments of Rs 12,822.67 crore, announced in the week ending 12 June 2026. The selected firms are expected to generate about 36,217 jobs across the textile value chain. The scheme targets three segments — man-made fibre (MMF) apparel, MMF fabrics and technical textiles — areas where India wants to reduce import dependence and compete globally beyond traditional cotton products. EXAM ANGLE: PLI Textiles — Ministry of Textiles; Round 3 totals — 96 companies, Rs 12,822.67 crore investment, ~36,217 expected jobs; focus — MMF and technical textiles.

The International Day of Play was observed on 11 June 2026 with the theme "Protect Play, Protect Childhood", highlighting that play is not a luxury but a child's right, essential for learning, mental health and social development. The observance is among the UN's newest international days — created by a General Assembly resolution adopted in March 2024 — and was first celebrated on 11 June 2024, making 2026 its third edition. UNICEF leads global advocacy, pressing governments to safeguard time, space and safety for children's play amid conflicts, screen overuse and academic pressure. EXAM ANGLE: Date — 11 June; established — 2024 (UNGA resolution, March 2024); 2026 theme — Protect Play, Protect Childhood.

The Union Cabinet on 10 June 2026 approved Phase 2(A) of the Ahmedabad Metro Rail Project in Gujarat. The new corridor will run 6.032 km from Koteshwar Road to Ahmedabad Airport, at an estimated cost of Rs 2,169.04 crore, finally linking the city's metro network to its airport. The extension builds on the existing Ahmedabad–Gandhinagar metro system and is expected to ease road congestion on the airport route while boosting public-transport ridership. EXAM ANGLE: Project — Ahmedabad Metro Phase 2(A); length — 6.032 km; route — Koteshwar Road to Ahmedabad Airport; cost — Rs 2,169.04 crore; approved by the Union Cabinet on 10 June 2026.

On 10 June 2026 the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by PM Narendra Modi, sanctioned construction of a Central Government General Pool Office Accommodation (CGGPOA) and General Pool Residential Accommodation (GPRA) campus at Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh's capital city. The combined outlay is Rs 2,533 crore — roughly Rs 1,299 crore for office blocks and Rs 1,235 crore for residential quarters — and the campus is expected to house around 8,000 central government officials. The decision strengthens the Centre's administrative presence in Amaravati as the city's capital infrastructure is rebuilt. EXAM ANGLE: Approving body CCEA, date 10 June 2026, location Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh), total cost Rs 2,533 crore.

On 10 June 2026, the Ministry of Defence concluded a Rs 449-crore contract with Bengaluru-based Accord Software and Systems Pvt Ltd for 20 Enhanced Capability Global Navigation Satellite System (ECGNSS) jammers meant for the Indian Navy. Signed in New Delhi in the presence of Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, the deal falls under the Buy (Indian-IDDM) route — Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured — and mandates at least 75 per cent indigenous content. The equipment can degrade an adversary receiver's ability to acquire and track satellite navigation signals and can also carry out deceptive jamming or spoofing, blinding hostile navigation at sea. EXAM ANGLE: ECGNSS jammers, Buy (Indian-IDDM) category, 75 per cent local content, Atmanirbhar Bharat in defence electronics.

India's Zojila Tunnel project achieved its final breakthrough on 9 June 2026 at Meenamarg in Ladakh's Kargil district, with Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari witnessing the blast that connected the full bore. The 13.153-km horseshoe-shaped tunnel between Baltal (near Sonmarg) and Meenamarg is India's longest and highest road tunnel and Asia's longest bi-directional single-tube tunnel, built at about 11,578 feet in the seismically active Himalayas. It will give all-weather connectivity on the Srinagar–Kargil–Leh axis, which currently stays cut off for nearly seven months each winter, and will shrink the Zojila Pass crossing from around 3.5 hours to roughly 15-20 minutes. Public opening is targeted around February 2028. EXAM ANGLE: 13.153 km; Baltal–Meenamarg; India's longest road tunnel; Asia's longest bi-directional single-tube tunnel; Srinagar–Kargil–Leh axis.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the Land Port Management System, named VINIMAY, in New Delhi on 9 June 2026. The platform digitises operations at land ports run by the Land Ports Authority of India, replacing paper-based processes for cargo clearance and passenger movement along land borders with Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar. By tracking trucks, consignments and travellers on a single dashboard, VINIMAY aims to cut delays in overland trade while tightening border security against unauthorised crossings. EXAM ANGLE: VINIMAY = Land Port Management System (LPMS), launched 9 June 2026, Ministry of Home Affairs, implemented through the Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI), which functions under MHA.

On 9 June 2026, NASA announced the four astronauts for its Artemis III mission, a key step in the programme to return humans to the Moon. The crew comprises commander Randy Bresnik, mission specialists Frank Rubio and Andre Douglas (all NASA), and pilot Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency (ESA), making it an international crew. Frank Rubio holds the American single-flight duration record of 371 days aboard the International Space Station. Artemis III, expected to launch in 2027, will operate in Earth orbit to test docking with commercially built lunar landers from SpaceX and Blue Origin, paving the way for the Artemis IV crewed Moon landing targeted for 2028. EXAM ANGLE: Artemis programme — NASA's Moon-return missions; Artemis III crew includes an ESA astronaut; Rubio's 371-day US record.

Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda launched nationwide celebrations on 9 June 2026 to mark a decade of the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA), releasing a commemorative Rs 75 coin and a Rs 5 postal stamp in New Delhi. PMSMA, started on 9 June 2016, guarantees free, assured antenatal check-ups to pregnant women on the 9th of every month at government facilities, focusing on second and third trimesters to detect high-risk pregnancies early. The campaign theme is "10 Years of PMSMA – A Decade of Care". EXAM ANGLE: Scheme — PMSMA; ministry — Health and Family Welfare; launched 2016; ANC day — 9th of each month; 10-year celebration — 9 June 2026.

West Asia saw a sharp flare-up on 8 June 2026 when Israel carried out airstrikes on central and western Iran in reply to Iranian missile fire, with explosions reported from Tehran, Isfahan and Tabriz. Crude prices jumped more than 3 per cent on fears the conflict could choke supplies, with Brent trading near 97 dollars a barrel. US President Donald Trump telephoned Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu urging restraint, and both Iran and Israel subsequently announced they had suspended attacks following his appeal to immediately stop shooting. A tentative US-Iran ceasefire-extension deal negotiated the previous week remains unfinalised. EXAM ANGLE: For India the episode matters through costlier oil imports, pressure on the rupee, and risks around the Strait of Hormuz — a frequent GK question area.

The UN's mid-year climate negotiations — the 64th session of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Bodies (SB64) — opened on 8 June 2026 at the World Conference Center in Bonn, Germany, and will run until 18 June. This is the first multilateral climate meeting since COP30 in Belem, Brazil (November 2025), and it sets the agenda for COP31, to be held in Antalya, Turkiye, later in 2026. UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell opened the session, with adaptation indicators, climate finance and the fossil-fuel transition dominating the talks. India, defending the equity principle and common but differentiated responsibilities, pushed back against attempts to impose new climate obligations on developing countries. EXAM ANGLE: SB64 = SBI 64 + SBSTA 64, Bonn, 8-18 June 2026; COP30 — Belem (Brazil); COP31 — Antalya (Turkiye).

President Droupadi Murmu conferred 51 gallantry awards at Phase-I of the Defence Investiture Ceremony 2026, held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi on 8 June 2026. The honours included 7 Kirti Chakras (2 posthumous), 15 Vir Chakras (3 posthumous) and 29 Shaurya Chakras (1 posthumous), given to personnel of the armed forces, Central Armed Police Forces and state police for exceptional courage in the line of duty. Notably, Air Commodore Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, one of India's Gaganyaan astronaut-designates (Gaganyatris), was among the Kirti Chakra recipients. EXAM ANGLE: The Kirti Chakra is India's second-highest peacetime gallantry award, after the Ashoka Chakra.