1 New Zealand makes 57% of exports tariff-free for India
On July 9 , New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced that 57% of exports would be tariff-free . The announcement came just before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to New Zealand . Modi will arrive in New Zealand on Friday. Following this announcement , 57% of Indian exports, including kiwifruit, apples, meat products, forest and timber products, will be free. Furthermore, not all dairy products will be tariff-free. Furthermore, some re-exported dairy and bulk infant formula products will be duty-free. All Indian exports will receive duty-free access to the New Zealand market. India and New Zealand have periodically discussed a free trade agreement. Following this, the historic India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement was officially signed in April 2026. Under this agreement, Indian exporters have received 100% tariff-free access to New Zealand. India has also reduced or eliminated tariffs on 95% of products coming from New Zealand, with 57% becoming completely tariff-free from the first day of implementation. The first free trade agreement was signed between India and Sri Lanka in 1998, which was implemented from 2000.
A historic decision has been reached between India and Australia regarding cultural heritage conservation . Australia will voluntarily return three important ancient Tamil Nadu artifacts — the trident of Bhadrakali , the sacred Nandi stone statue , and the six-headed stone statue of Lord Kartikeya (Shanmukha) —to India. This announcement was made following the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during the ongoing third India-Australia Annual Summit in Melbourne. The Ministry of Culture stated that these artifacts include a bronze trident of Goddess Bhadrakali, a magnificent granite Nandi statue, and a basalt stone statue of the six-headed Kartikeya. All these objects, dating back to the 11th and 12th centuries, were originally acquired from historic temples in Tamil Nadu and are currently preserved in the collections of various cultural institutions in Australia. They will be returned to India after the completion of the prescribed legal and administrative procedures.
India and Australia , strengthening their strategic relationship, agreed on 18 major agreements and initiatives, including uranium cooperation , defense , maritime security , cyber technology , energy , education, and counter-terrorism cooperation . These outcomes were announced following bilateral talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese . India and Australia will also jointly develop a Critical Minerals Corridor. Australia will provide India with uranium for civil nuclear reactors. This will enable Australia to supply uranium for India’s peaceful nuclear energy program. The agreement will support India’s goal of 100 gigawatts of nuclear power capacity by 2047. The two countries also agreed to enhance cooperation in critical minerals, green hydrogen, maritime security, and defense. The two countries also took a significant step in the space sector. A temporary space tracking terminal for India’s Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission will be established in Australia’s Cocos (Keeling) Islands. This center will assist in monitoring and tracking the first four major missions of the Gaganyaan program. This will provide important technical support to India’s ambitious human space programme.
Uttarakhand has become the sixth fully literate state in the country after achieving the adult literacy standards set under the National Education Policy 2020 and the ULLAAS – New India Literacy Programme . The Governor approved the declaration on July 8, 2026, after the state met the literacy standards set by the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education. Uttarakhand has surpassed the adult literacy benchmark and achieved a literacy rate of 98.7 percent . With this achievement, Uttarakhand joins Mizoram, Goa, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim in the list of fully literate states .
The Department of Telecommunications has been declared the global winner for its flagship project, ” Samridh Gram: An Integrated Physical Digital Service Delivery Model Supported by BharatNet .” The award was presented under the Action Line C6 – Enabling Environment category of the prestigious World Summit on the Information Society Awards 2026. The award, presented during the WSIS Forum 2026 in Geneva , recognized India’s innovative approach to leveraging digital public infrastructure and telecommunications connectivity for inclusive rural development. Established under the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) process, led by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the WISIS Awards are among the world’s most prestigious recognitions for projects that use information and communication technologies (ICTs) to promote sustainable development. The Samridh Gram initiative brings together a wide range of citizen-centric services, including healthcare, education, agriculture, financial inclusion, skill development, e-governance, and e-commerce. Samridh Gram Kendra provides tele-consultation, diagnostic services through Health ATMs, and medicines through PM Jan Aushadhi Kendras; smart classes and AR/VR-based skill development; IoT-based soil testing, drone-enabled fertilizer and pesticide spraying, and mobile app-based smart irrigation solutions; CSC/e-governance and banking correspondent services; e-commerce support for local products; FTTH and PM-WANI connectivity; CCTV-based village monitoring; and digital access at the community level. This ensures seamless access to essential services and promotes inclusive, technology-enabled rural development.
On July 8 , DRDO successfully test-fired the Pinaka Long-Range Guided Rocket (LRGR) from Chandipur in Odisha . The rocket performed all the maneuvers during the flight and hit the target accurately. This new guided variant was fired from the Pinaka launcher already in use by the Indian Army . The LRGR can be launched from Pinaka variants with different ranges using the same launcher. The Pinaka LRGR has been jointly designed by DRDO ‘s Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) lab and High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL) .
On July 8th , SpaceX successfully launched the world’s first commercial nuclear-powered satellite, BOHR (Betavoltaic Orbital High-Reliability). The launch took place as part of the Transporter-17 mission , and the satellite was developed by the American company City Labs . The satellite is a small ” CubeSat ,” approximately the size of a softball. It was placed into orbit aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket along with 80 other payloads . It is considered the world’s first commercial nuclear-powered satellite. The current BOHR satellite still uses solar panels for normal operation. This is a significant milestone in the commercial use of nuclear power in space. It could be useful in future missions to the permanently dark regions of the Moon and deep space. It is a major step towards developing a more reliable energy source for long-duration space missions. BOHR utilizes nano-tritium betavoltaic technology, which converts beta particles from the radioactive decay of tritium directly into electrical energy. This technology could provide continuous power for long periods of time, especially in places with little or no sunlight. Such nuclear batteries could be useful in future applications where sunlight is inaccessible, such as permanently dark parts of the Moon or in deep space missions.
8 India becomes the largest global hub for Retail and FMCG Global Capability Centre
India has achieved a new milestone by becoming the world’s largest hub for retail and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) Global Capability Centers (GCCs) . As of July 8, 2026, 180 GCCs in this sector will be operating in the country, employing over 2.72 lakh professionals . This achievement reflects India’s strong technological capabilities, vast talent pool, and growing confidence among global companies. According to experts, India’s retail GCC workforce is 34 percent larger than the combined workforce of Poland, the Philippines, Mexico, Germany, and Egypt. In recent years, multinational companies have made India a major hub for their global operations, research, and digital innovation. Global Capability Centers, also known as captive centers or offshore development centers in the corporate world , are specialized units established by multinational companies to manage technology, data analytics, finance, supply chain, customer experience, and other critical business functions . Major global companies such as Lowe’s, Tesco, H&M, Walmart Global Tech, Target, L’Oréal and AB InBev have GCC operations in India, making the country a significant hub for global innovation.
9 Former India captain Sourav Ganguly to be inducted into ICC Hall of Fame
On July 10 , former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame . The announcement will be made at the ICC’s annual conference in Edinburgh , Scotland , on July 11. Ganguly will be the 12th Indian cricketer to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Ganguly took over captaincy of the Indian team in 2000 following the match-fixing controversy. Under Ganguly’s captaincy, India won the 2002 Champions Trophy and reached the final of the 2003 ODI World Cup. In 2004, India won a historic Test series in Pakistan and broke Australia’s record of 16 consecutive Test wins. Ganguly played 113 Tests for India, scoring 7,212 runs, including 16 centuries. He also played 311 ODIs, scoring 11,363 runs and scoring 22 centuries. He also took 132 wickets in international cricket. Besides batting, he served as BCCI President and is currently the President of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB). The Hall of Fame is the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) highest individual honor. It recognizes legendary players, umpires, or administrators who have demonstrated exceptional performance throughout their international careers. A player must have retired at least five years before being inducted into the Hall of Fame. So far, 12 Indian players have been honored with this honor, including Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Kapil Dev, and MS Dhoni.
10 Indian Pickleball Association announces Indian squad for 2026 Pickleball World Cup
The Pickleball Association of India has announced the Indian squad for the 2026 Pickleball World Cup . The team, selected after a competitive selection process , will represent the country in the professional category at the Pickleball World Cup, to be held in Da Nang, Vietnam, from August 30 to September 6. Harsh Mehta, a well-known name in the international pickleball world , will captain the team. He will be joined by Arjun Singh , who is representing and captaining India in the Under-18 category at the World Cup. Anish Frolian and Aman Patel have also been selected in the men’s category. Mihika Yadav , Aliya Ibrahim , Pearl Amalsadiwala , and Naomi Amalsadiwala are in the women’s category. includes
11 17-year-old Ashwath S. becomes India’s 98th chess Grandmaster
17-year-old Ashwath S. of Kanyakumari became India’s 98th Grandmaster by achieving his final Grandmaster norm at the Pune International Grandmaster Round Robin . Playing with black pieces in the final round, Ashwath defeated Kannan Vaidyanathan of the United States to claim the Grandmaster title. He finished second with 7 points from 9 rounds.