CURRENT AFFAIRS 04-05 September, 2026

CURRENT AFFAIRS 04-05 September, 2026

1. UN BACKS RESOLUTION ON AFRICA’S MAP SIZE –

• The United Nations General Assembly approved an African-led resolution on 4 September 2026 to promote maps that show continents in more accurate relative sizes. The resolution supports the use of the Equal Earth projection and moves away from the 16th-century Mercator projection in educational and public mapping contexts.

Mercator Projection

• The Mercator projection was developed in 1569 by Gerardus Mercator, a Flemish cartographer. It preserves direction and local shape, which made it useful for marine navigation, but it enlarges landmasses near the poles and distorts relative area.

Equal Earth Projection

• The Equal Earth projection is an equal-area map projection introduced in 2018. It keeps the proportional area of continents and countries closer to their actual size, which makes it suitable for thematic maps and school atlases.

2. ARGENTINA ESCALATES FALKLANDS DISPUTE WITH UK –

• Argentina and the United Kingdom have renewed a long-running sovereignty dispute over the Falkland Islands, which Argentina calls Las Malvinas. On 3 September 2026, Argentine President Javier Milei announced plans for economic sanctions against foreign firms involved in offshore oil and gas extraction near the islands without Argentine approval.

Falkland Islands Dispute

• The Falkland Islands are a British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic Ocean. Argentina has claimed sovereignty over the islands since the nineteenth century, and the dispute led to the Falklands War in 1982. The islands are located east of southern Argentina and north of Antarctica in a strategic maritime zone.

Sea Lion Offshore Oil Project

• The Sea Lion project is an offshore oil development in the North Falkland Basin. Rockhopper Exploration, a British company, and Navitas, an Israeli company, are associated with the project. Offshore hydrocarbon projects in disputed maritime areas often involve licensing, territorial claims, and jurisdictional questions under international law.

3. ISRO LAUNCHES GSLV-F17 WITH EOS-05 SATELLITE –

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched GSLV-F17 on 4 September 2026 from the Second Launch Pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. The 51.7-metre-tall rocket carried the 2,367 kg EOS-05 satellite and placed it in a Sub-Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit about 18 to 19 minutes after liftoff.

GSLV Mission Profile

• GSLV stands for Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle, a three-stage launch vehicle used by India for placing satellites into geosynchronous transfer orbits. GSLV-F17 was ISRO’s 19th GSLV mission and the 107th launch from Sriharikota.

EOS-05 Satellite

• EOS-05 is an Earth observation satellite designed to operate from a geosynchronous orbit at about 36,000 km altitude. ISRO stated that the satellite is intended to monitor the Indian subcontinent and transmit real-time images every 30 minutes during its expected nine-year operational life.

4. RAJNATH SINGH UNVEILS RAKSHA DEFENCE DIPLOMACY DOCUMENT –

• Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh released the RAKSHA defence diplomacy framework document in New Delhi on 3 September 2026. The document sets out a 10-year roadmap for India’s defence partnerships, security cooperation, and defence manufacturing outreach.

RAKSHA Framework

• RAKSHA is a defence diplomacy framework prepared by the Ministry of Defence. It links India’s national security objectives with cooperation in bilateral and multilateral defence relations.
• The framework covers a 10-year period and includes four pillars. These pillars are Strategic Partnerships, Capacity Building, Indigenous Exports, and Maritime Security.

5. IAF TESTS INDIGENOUS KHAGANTAK-243 GLIDE BOMB-

• The Indian Air Force conducted a successful drop trial of the indigenously designed long-range glide bomb Khagantak-243 on 2 September 2026. The weapon was released from a Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jet and is being developed as a precision-guided munition for stand-off delivery.

Khagantak-243 and Glide Bombs

• A glide bomb is an air-launched weapon that uses wings or control surfaces to travel towards a target after release. Such weapons are designed to extend range without continuous propulsion and are used with fighter aircraft for stand-off attacks.

Design, Range and Guidance

• The Khagantak-243 has a reported stand-off range of more than 140 km when released from an altitude of about 12,000 metres. Its technical design includes a cylindrical body, mid-body swivel-type glide wings, five aft control surfaces, and a Mk-81 general-purpose blast-fragmentation warhead.
• The weapon uses an Inertial Navigation System and jamming-resistant satellite navigation for mid-course guidance. It can also use Electro-Optical/Infrared or Passive Homing Head seekers for terminal guidance.

MCQ QUIZ

Q1.  The United States recently carried out strikes on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz. Larak Island belongs to which country ?

1. a) Oman
2. b) Saudi Arabia
3. c) Iraq
4. d) Iran

Q2.  India’s Prime Minister was recently conferred Uzbekistan’s highest honour for strengthening bilateral relations. Which of the following is this award ?

1. a) Order of Amir Temur
2. b) Order of Outstanding Merit
3. c) Order of Friendship of Peoples
4. d) Oliy Darajali Do’stlik Order

Q3.  Where is the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit being held from 31 August to 1 September 2026 ?

1. a) Tashkent, Uzbekistan
2. b) Astana, Kazakhstan
3. c) Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
4. d) Dushanbe, Tajikistan

Q4.  The Supreme Court recently invoked Article 142 while dealing with FIRs related to NEET-UG paper leak protests.

1. In this context, consider the following statements:
2. Article 142 empowers the Supreme Court to pass orders necessary for doing complete justice.
3. Orders passed under Article 142 are enforceable only within the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.

         Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

1. a) 1 only
2. b) 2 only
3. c) Both 1 and 2
4. d) Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation-

• Statement 1 is correct: Article 142 of the Indian Constitution explicitly states that the Supreme Court in the exercise of its jurisdiction may pass such decree or make such order as is necessary for doing “complete justice” in any cause or matter pending before it.
• Statement 2 is incorrect: The text of Article 142 explicitly mentions that any decree so passed or order so made shall be enforceable throughout the territory of India (not just within the court’s physical or local jurisdiction), in the manner prescribed by parliament or by an order of the President.

Q5.  With reference to the Indus Waters Treaty, recently in the news, consider the following statements:

1. The Indus Waters Treaty, signed in 1965 between India and Pakistan, was brokered by the World Bank.
2. The Treaty provides for a dispute-resolution mechanism that includes the appointment of a Neutral Expert and, in certain cases, reference to a Court of Arbitration.
3. India has recently stated that it does not recognise the authority of the Court of Arbitration constituted at The Hague and considers its rulings legally invalid.

         Which of the statements given above are correct ?

1. a) 1 and 2 only
2. b) 2 and 3 only
3. c) 1 and 3 only
4. d) 1, 2 and 3

Explanation-

• Statement 1 is incorrect: The Indus Waters Treaty was signed on September 19, 1960 (not 1965) in Karachi by Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Pakistani President Ayub Khan, with the mediation of the World Bank.
• Statement 2 is correct: The Treaty outlines a graded, sequential dispute-resolution mechanism. It begins with the Permanent Indus Commission, moves to technical “differences” handled by an appointed Neutral Expert, and handles major legal disputes through a Court of Arbitration.
• Statement 3 is correct: India maintains that the parallel and simultaneous push for a Court of Arbitration alongside a Neutral Expert violates the treaty’s structural framework. Following its decision to hold the pact in abeyance, India officially rejected the rulings and legitimacy of the Hague-based tribunal, deeming it illegally constituted and its awards legally invalid.

Answer Key