Daily Current Affairs – 12-07-2026

Important Days

Malala Day – July 12

Malala Day is observed every year on 12 July to recognize the contributions of Malala Yousafzai towards girls’ education and children’s rights. The United Nations (UN) declared 12 July as Malala Day in 2013. Malala is the youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate, honoured for her global advocacy for education.

Sports News

Ganguly, Anjum and Pietersen Inducted into ICC Hall of Fame 2026

Sourav Ganguly, Anjum Chopra, and Kevin Pietersen were inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame – Class of 2026 at a ceremony held in Edinburgh. Their induction increased the total number of ICC Hall of Fame members to 125. Sourav Ganguly, former India men's captain, led India to the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup final and the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy joint title, scoring 7,212 runs in 113 Tests and 11,363 runs in 311 ODIs. Anjum Chopra, former India women's captain and the only woman inductee in the Class of 2026, became the first Indian woman cricketer to score 1,000 ODI runs and the first to play 100 ODIs. She captained India to an overseas Test victory in South Africa in 2002 and scored 2,856 ODI runs. Former England captain Kevin Pietersen played a key role in England's 2005 Ashes victory, was Player of the Tournament in the 2010 ICC Men's T20 World Cup, and scored 8,181 runs in 104 Tests, 4,440 runs in 136 ODIs, and 1,176 runs in 37 T20Is.

Indian Cricketers in the ICC Hall of Fame (Year-wise)

1. Sunil Gavaskar – Inducted: 2009

2. Bishan Singh Bedi – Inducted: 2009

3. Kapil Dev – Inducted: 2010

4. Anil Kumble – Inducted: 2015

5. Rahul Dravid – Inducted: 2018

6. Sachin Tendulkar – Inducted: 2019

7. Vinoo Mankad – Inducted: 2021

8. Diana Edulji – Inducted: 2023

9. Virender Sehwag – Inducted: 2023

10. Neetu David – Inducted: 2024

11. MS Dhoni – Inducted: 2025

12. Sourav Ganguly – Inducted: 2026

13. Anjum Chopra – Inducted: 2026

Kranti Gaud Becomes First Woman on Lord’s Honours Board

India's Kranti Gaud became the first woman to be inducted into the Lord's Honours Board after taking 5 wickets for 37 runs in 17 overs during the Women's Test against England at Lord's, London. The 22-year-old fast bowler helped dismiss England for 170 runs, giving India a 115-run first-innings lead after scoring 285 runs. Her achievement places her alongside Indian cricketers Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, Bishan Singh Bedi, and Kapil Dev on the Lord's Away Dressing Room Honours Board, which recognizes bowlers who have taken five or more wickets in a Test innings. This match is the first Women's Test at Lord's, held 142 years after men's Test cricket began at the venue and 50 years after the first major women's international match at the ground between England and Australia.

Linda Noskova Wins First Wimbledon Title

Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic won her first Grand Slam title by defeating fellow Czech player Karolina Muchova 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 in the Wimbledon women's singles final held in London. The 21-year-old became the third Czech woman in four years to win the Wimbledon title, following Marketa Vondrousova (2023) and Barbora Krejcikova (2024). Former Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, who won the title in 2011 and 2014, and Martina Navratilova, the record nine-time Wimbledon singles champion at the All England Club, attended the final. Kate, Princess of Wales, presented the Venus Rosewater Dish trophy to Linda Noskova.

Animesh Kujur Sets Indian Record Overseas

At the World Athletics Continental Tour Challenger held in Wetzlar, Germany, India's Animesh Kujur secured second place in the 100-metre sprint by clocking 10.14 seconds. With this performance, the 23-year-old became the fastest Indian athlete to complete the 100-metre race on foreign soil. The timing of 10.14 seconds is also his personal best, improving upon his 10.19 seconds recorded in the qualification round of the same competition.

Sarvesh Kushare Creates History at Diamond League

At the Diamond League athletics meet held in Monaco, India's Sarvesh Kushare secured third place in the men's high jump by clearing 2.26 metres. This is the first time an Indian high jumper has finished on the podium in the Diamond League series. Sarvesh also became the fourth Indian athlete to achieve a top-three finish in a Diamond League meet after Neeraj Chopra, Murali Sreeshankar, and Vikas Gowda. Ukraine's Oleh Doroshchuk won the event by clearing 2.32 metres, while Great Britain's Jack Kimani finished second with 2.30 metres.

National News

PaBV-4 Bird Virus Detected in India for the First Time

A team led by Pankaj Deka and Sangeeta Das of Assam Veterinary and Fishery University, Guwahati, has identified and genetically characterised Parrot Bornavirus-4 (PaBV-4) in India for the first time. The study, published in Scientific Reports, examined 83 psittacine birds belonging to 13 species from aviaries in Assam, Karnataka, and West Bengal during 2020–2024. PaBV-4, belonging to Orthobornavirus alphapsittaciforme, causes Proventricular Dilatation Disease (PDD), a viral disease affecting the digestive and nervous systems of birds. The virus was detected in 44 of the 83 birds, including about 88% of dead birds and 19% of apparently healthy cage mates, indicating asymptomatic infection. Genetic analysis confirmed that all positive samples belonged to the PaBV-4 strain previously reported in Canada, Israel, Japan, South Korea, and the United States, highlighting potential risks to the conservation and captive breeding of psittacine birds.

SIR Draft Electoral Rolls Released

As part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the Election Commission of India (ECI) released the draft electoral rolls for Odisha, Manipur, Mizoram, Sikkim, and the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. A total of 23,82,014 names (6.39%) were deleted from the draft rolls out of 3.72 crore electors. Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu recorded the highest deletion rate of 30%, while Mizoram recorded the lowest deletion rate of 5.2%. Odisha registered the highest number of deletions at 20.12 lakh. Major reasons for deletion included permanent migration, death of voters, multiple enrolments, and untraceable voters. Voters have one month to submit claims and objections, and the final electoral rolls will be published on September 11.

Anupam Misra Appointed CMD of Hindustan Copper

Anupam Misra has assumed charge as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Hindustan Copper Limited (HCL). He holds a B.Tech in Civil Engineering from IIT Kharagpur and a PGDM from IIM Lucknow. He has experience in the minerals, metals, chemicals, engineering goods, and project sectors. Before joining Hindustan Copper Limited (HCL), he served as Director (Marketing) at Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore Limited (FACT).

INS Mahendragiri Commissioned into the Indian Navy

The indigenously built INS Mahendragiri was commissioned into the Indian Navy at Visakhapatnam under the Project 17A programme. Project 17A, approved in 2009 at a cost of ₹45,000 crore, aims to build seven warships for the Indian Navy. The warships are being constructed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), Mumbai, and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata. INS Nilgiri, the first warship under the project, was commissioned in January 2025, while INS Mahendragiri is the sixth warship in the series. The vessel was dedicated to the nation by Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Built by MDL, the warship is 149 metres long, has a displacement of 6,670 tonnes, can travel at a speed of 52 km/h, and has a crew strength of 230 personnel. During the event, Rajnath Singh stated that the Indian Navy, under Operation Urja Suraksha, escorted 18 merchant ships carrying essential goods worth over ₹9,000 crore after the conflict in West Asia.

Playback Singer S. Janaki Passes Away

Veteran playback singer S. Janaki passed away at the age of 88 in Mysuru, Karnataka due to age-related ailments. Born in 1938 at Pallapatla village near Repalle in Guntur district of present-day Andhra Pradesh (then Madras Presidency), she entered the film industry at the age of 19. In 1956, she won the All India Radio singing competition and received an award from the then President Dr. Rajendra Prasad. She made her Tamil film debut in 1957 through Vidhiyin Vilayattu and began her career with AVM Studios. During a career spanning nearly 60 years, she sang more than 48,000 songs in 20 languages and also composed music for the Telugu film Mauna Poratam. She received 4 National Film Awards for playback singing: 1977 for Senthoora Poove (16 Vayathinile), 1981 for Ettumanoorambalathil (Oppol), 1984 for Vennello Godavari Andham (Sithara), and 1992 for Inji Iduppazhaga (Thevar Magan).

Union Home Ministry Guidelines on National Song and National Anthem

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued a new directive stating that State Songs may be sung first at official government functions, followed by the National Song – Vande Mataram, and then the National Anthem – Jana Gana Mana, both of which must be sung compulsorily. The Ministry reiterated that the National Song and National Anthem must be sung or played at specified official events, including the arrival and departure of the President of India, Governors, and Lieutenant Governors, official government functions, award ceremonies, the President’s address to the nation through All India Radio and Doordarshan, and during the bringing of the National Flag in parades. The directive also states that the correct lyrics and pronunciation must be followed while singing or playing both songs. Earlier, on January 28, the Ministry issued guidelines stating that the six stanzas of Vande Mataram, with a duration of 3 minutes and 10 seconds, should be sung at specified official events. The Constituent Assembly, through its resolution dated January 24, 1950, declared Jana Gana Mana as the National Anthem of India and decided that Vande Mataram, which played a significant role in the Indian Freedom Struggle, should be honoured with equal status.

Tamil Nadu News

IITM Study on Monsoon Rain Evaporation

A study by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune has found that nearly 25% of the southwest monsoon rainfall over the northern Western Ghats evaporates before reaching the ground. This is the first observational estimate of raindrop evaporation in India, and the findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. The study, led by Saikat Sengupta, estimated that evaporation ranged from 4% to 61% during the June–September monsoon season. The research used rainwater isotope analysis, a laser spectrometer, and the Below Cloud Interaction Model to estimate evaporation. The findings are expected to improve weather and climate models and enhance the understanding of the Indian monsoon.

13th-Century Inscription Discovered in Sivaganga

A 13th-century inscription has been discovered on the bank of Vanni Kanmai at Karaiyur Puthuvalavu near Thiruppathur in Sivaganga district. The inscription was studied by Pulavar Kalirasa, founder of the Sivaganga Tholnadai Group, Narasimhan, Secretary of the group, and Velayutharaja, Associate Professor of History at Alagappa Government Arts College, Karaikudi. The 2-foot-long inscription contains seven lines and, based on its palaeography, has been identified as belonging to the 13th century. The inscription records that a Seeyar (Vaishnavite Acharya) living on the bank of the lake in the ancient settlement of Vannakka Nallur taught and preserved Vedic principles for the welfare of the people. The inscription also confirms the historical name Vannakka Nallur, which is also found in the inscriptions of Maravarman Sundarapandyan I and Jatavarman Sundarapandyan at the Azhagiya Manavala Perumal Temple in the same region. The nearby Ayyanar sculpture is also believed to belong to the 12th or 13th century.

Tamil Nadu Amends Mineral Transport Rules

The Government of Tamil Nadu has issued a Government Order (G.O.) empowering the Director of Geology and Mining to impose a temporary ban on the transport of minerals to other States whenever there is a mineral shortage in Tamil Nadu. The Government has amended the Tamil Nadu Prevention of Illegal Mining, Transportation, Storage and Mineral Dealers Rules, 2011, and published the amendment in the Government Gazette. The order covers construction minerals such as Manufactured Sand (M-Sand), black stones, large stone fragments, boulders, jelly stones, crushed stones, and hand-crushed stones, with the objective of ensuring adequate availability of these minerals within Tamil Nadu.

International News

India–New Zealand Strategic Partnership

India and New Zealand held high-level bilateral talks in Auckland on July 11, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. The two countries signed 10 agreements covering maritime security, naval logistics cooperation, disaster management, animal husbandry, dairy technology, tourism, culture, and sports, and announced 8 key decisions. Both countries agreed to elevate bilateral relations to a Strategic Partnership with a 4-year Action Plan and set a target to increase bilateral trade to ₹35,000 crore (7 billion New Zealand dollars) within the next 5 years, from the present ₹18,000 crore. They also agreed to implement the India–New Zealand Free Trade Agreement signed in April, under which 100% duty-free access is provided for Indian exports and tariff concessions are extended to 95% of New Zealand imports. New Zealand also joined the Global Biofuels Alliance launched by India. The joint statement reaffirmed commitment to a free, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific region, support for the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), freedom of navigation, and cooperation against terrorism. Both countries also signed a Joint Action Plan on Sports Cooperation, marking 100 years of India–New Zealand sporting relations.