Daily Current Affairs - 28-09-2026

National News

PM Modi Highlights India’s Anti-Terrorism Policy, Census Participation and Drug-Free India Campaign

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation through the 138th episode of Mann Ki Baat on September 27, 2026. He recalled the Uri terror attack of September 18, 2016, in which 19 Indian Army soldiers were killed, and the surgical strike conducted by the Indian Army on September 28–29, 2016, across the Line of Control (LoC) against terrorist camps in Pakistan. He also referred to Operation Balakot, the Balakot air strike, and Operation Sindoor in the context of India’s actions against terrorism. He noted the Delhi serial bomb blasts of September 13, 2008, and the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in the United States. Under the campaign for a Drug-Free India, the My Bharat initiative has involved youth, school students and college students in creating drug-awareness activities through a 100-day campaign. A. Selvaraj, a Professor in the Department of Tamil at a Government Arts and Science College in Manapparai, Tamil Nadu, undertook research on information about ancient sculptures received from a student and identified ancient sculptures and temples at different locations. Regarding the Census, the first phase has been completed in almost all States and Union Territories, with more than 32 crore people submitting information in 16 languages. The self-enumeration facility is available through the Census portal (se.census.gov.in), enabling citizens to submit family details through mobile phones, with the process taking about 15–20 minutes; more than 2.60 crore people had completed self-registration. The Prime Minister also paid tribute to Bhagat Singh on his birth anniversary on September 27 and referred to Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary on October 2 in connection with cleanliness activities.

International News

Warren Buffett Steps Down from Berkshire Hathaway Leadership at 96

Warren Buffett, widely associated with value investing, was born in Omaha, Nebraska, USA, in 1930 to Howard Buffett and Leila Stahl. At the age of seven, he read One Thousand Ways to Make $1000, which contributed to his early interest in business and investing. He studied economics at the University of Pennsylvania and later attended Columbia Business School, where he became a student of Benjamin Graham, known for developing the principles of value investing. Graham’s book The Intelligent Investor introduced Buffett to the concept of comparing a company’s intrinsic value with its market price. In 1956, Buffett established Buffett Partnership Limited. In 1965, he acquired control of Berkshire Hathaway, then a textile company, and transformed it into a diversified holding company with investments including GEICO, BNSF Railway, Apple, and Coca-Cola. During the 2008 global financial crisis, Berkshire Hathaway invested $5 billion in Goldman Sachs in September 2008, along with investments of $3 billion each in General Electric and Dow Chemical. Buffett’s investment principles include the Circle of Competence, Economic Moat, Margin of Safety, and Emotional Discipline. In 1988, Berkshire Hathaway began acquiring shares of Coca-Cola, investing about $1 billion and purchasing approximately 14.1 million shares; subsequent stock splits increased its holding substantially. In 2006, Buffett pledged more than 99% of his wealth to philanthropy and joined The Giving Pledge, associated with Bill Gates. At the age of 96, Buffett stepped down from his active leadership role at Berkshire Hathaway, while his son Howard Graham Buffett was designated Chairman Emeritus. Berkshire Hathaway is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska.

Russia Supports India’s Permanent UNSC Membership

Russia has expressed support for India becoming a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and has opposed permanent membership for Germany and Japan. The UNSC currently has 5 permanent members—the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom and France—which possess veto power, along with 10 non-permanent members elected on a rotational basis. India, Brazil, Germany and Japan are among the countries seeking UNSC reform and permanent representation. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that Russia supports permanent representation for developing countries from Asia, Africa and South America, including India and Brazil, along with greater representation for African countries. Russia pursues its diplomatic position in cooperation with international groupings including BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

India–Canada Relations and Free Trade Agreement Negotiations

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand in New York, USA, on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly for bilateral discussions. India–Canada bilateral relations had faced a setback in 2023 following allegations by former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau concerning the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. After Mark Carney became Prime Minister of Canada in March 2025, bilateral relations resumed diplomatic engagement. During the G20 Summit, India and Canada agreed to work towards completing negotiations for the India–Canada Free Trade Agreement (FTA) within 2026, with a target of increasing bilateral trade to 70 billion Canadian dollars by 2030. S. Jaishankar also met Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil to discuss bilateral energy cooperation and regional developments, as India seeks to diversify its energy sources.

Sports News

Asian Games Squash: Abhay Singh and Anahat Singh Win Silver Medals

At the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, India’s Abhay Singh won the silver medal in men’s singles squash, while Anahat Singh won the silver medal in women’s singles squash. In the men’s final, Abhay Singh lost to Malaysia’s Nik Eyn Yo by 9–11, 5–11, 5–11, giving the Malaysian player the gold medal. Abhay Singh was born in Tamil Nadu and studied at Guru Nanak College, Chennai. His silver medal was India’s second silver medal in squash at the Asian Games, after Saurav Ghosal won silver at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games. In the women’s final, Anahat Singh lost to Malaysia’s Vesavari Subramaniam by 4–11, 4–11, 7–11 and secured the silver medal, while Vesavari won gold. Anahat Singh’s silver was reported as India’s 14th silver medal at the Games. Both Abhay Singh and Anahat Singh would have earned direct qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games by winning their respective Asian Games finals, according to the qualification provision cited in the report.

India Wins First ODI; Virat Kohli Reaches 15,000 Runs and Tejaswin Shankar Wins Decathlon Bronze

In the first ODI against the West Indies at Thiruvananthapuram, India defeated the West Indies by 8 wickets. Batting first, the West Indies scored 295/7 in 50 overs, with Justin Greaves scoring 101 runs, while John Campbell scored 62 and Alick Athanaze scored 58. Chasing 296 runs, India scored 300/2 in 41.4 overs, with Shubman Gill scoring 110 runs and Virat Kohli remaining unbeaten on 139 runs from 88 balls, including 10 boundaries and 9 sixes. Kohli crossed 15,000 ODI runs, becoming the second player in ODI history to reach the milestone after Sachin Tendulkar, who has 18,426 ODI runs. Kohli also scored his 55th ODI century, while Shubman Gill recorded his 10th ODI century. In the Asian Games in Nagoya, Indian athlete Tejaswin Shankar won the bronze medal in the men’s decathlon with 7,934 points, finishing third. Japan’s Yuma Maruyama won the gold medal with 8,123 points, while China’s Jingqiwa Chen won the silver medal.

Asian Games: Ancy Sojan Wins Long Jump Silver and Parul Chaudhary Wins Steeplechase Bronze

At the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, Indian athlete Ancy Sojan won the silver medal in women’s long jump with a jump of 6.53 metres, finishing second; China’s Zhang Huiyi won gold with 6.55 metres, while China’s M. Than Wenjuan won bronze with 6.46 metres. In the women’s 3,000-metre steeplechase, India’s Parul Chaudhary won the bronze medal with a timing of 9:08.67, while Bahrain’s Winfred Yavi won gold in 9:04.36 and Kazakhstan’s Norah Jeruto won silver in 9:06.82. Indian badminton player P.V. Sindhu exited the women’s singles badminton event after losing in the semi-final; she also highlighted the limited recovery time between matches during the Asian Games badminton schedule.

Tamil Nadu News

Thaimaman Gold Ring Scheme Launched in Tamil Nadu

The Tamil Nadu Government’s Thaimaman Gold Ring Scheme was launched by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay in Madurai on September 28, 2026. Under the scheme, gold rings are provided to babies born in government hospitals and Primary Health Centres (PHCs) in Tamil Nadu from June 22, 2026 onwards. The Tamil Nadu Government has allocated ₹755.83 crore for the scheme and procured 1.28 lakh gold rings in the first phase. During the launch, gold rings were distributed to 30 babies. The Chief Minister also inaugurated the renovated Gandhi Memorial Museum, Madurai, which was renovated at a cost of ₹10.25 crore.

Tamil Nadu Withdraws RTI Exemption for Law and Order Department

The Tamil Nadu Government has withdrawn the Government Order (G.O.) that had exempted the Public (Law and Order) Department from the purview of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005. The earlier exemption was issued by the Human Resources Management Department under Section 24(4) of the RTI Act, 2005, covering the Public (Law and Order) Department associated with the state’s intelligence and security functions. Following strong opposition to the order, the government officially withdrew the exemption. Tamil Nadu Law Minister Nirmal Kumar announced the withdrawal through a post on X.

Economy News

MDR-Free Digital Payments for Individuals and Small Traders

Under the MDR-free digital payment framework, person-to-person transactions are free, while merchant transactions are free for 96% of individuals; only the 4% of individuals making merchant transactions above ₹2,000 are subject to the specified charge. Essential services and government services involving transactions up to ₹2,000 are free, while transactions above ₹2,000 are subject to 0.5% Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) per transaction, as stated in the infographic. MDR is calculated per transaction and not on the total receipts of a day, allowing multiple transactions of up to ₹2,000 each without MDR. The Maximum Retail Price (MRP) of a product remains the same whether payment is made through cash, credit/debit card or UPI. Small traders earning up to ₹1 lakh per month through QR-code payments are eligible for zero MDR.