Current affairs 19 Sep 2026

Saturday

Tamil Test

MG Hector Tomahawk is India's first mainstream plug-in hybrid electric SUV

The MG Hector Tomahawk is India's first mainstream Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) SUV. A PHEV pairs a petrol engine and an electric motor with a battery that can be charged externally, so it can…

Snowtrout fish Schizopygopsis waddellii recorded in India for first time in Tawang

Schizopygopsis waddellii has been recorded in India for the first time from Pangkang Teng Tso Lake in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh. It is a cold-adapted freshwater fish of the Cyprinidae family and belongs to the snowtrout…

Ophiopogon japonicus (mondo grass) recorded in India for the first time in Arunachal Pradesh

Ophiopogon japonicus, an evergreen perennial commonly called dwarf lilyturf or mondo grass, has been recorded in India for the first time from West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh. Its tuberous roots, known as Ophiopogonis Radix…

ARAI's Takwe facility in Pune gets NABL accreditation for high-pressure cylinder testing

The Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) facility at Takwe, Pune, has received accreditation from the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) for high-pressure cylinder testing. ARAI was set up in 1966…

Free to Think 2026 report keeps India's academic freedom 'severely restricted'

Scholars at Risk's Free to Think 2026 report kept India in the "severely restricted" category for academic freedom, alongside Hong Kong, Indonesia, Pakistan, the West Bank and Ukraine. India's Academic Freedom Index (AFI) score dropped…

Kumik in Zanskar declared Ladakh's first Heritage Village

Kumik village in Zanskar was declared Ladakh's first Heritage Village on 15 September 2026. The village is known for its traditional mud houses, sacred spaces, farming practices and Buddhist traditions, and it holds Kanjur manuscripts…

FAO report 'Forests for food' highlights role of forests in fighting hunger

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN, with the Landscape Alliance, has published "Forests for food: Nourishing people, sustaining the planet". It stresses the role of forests in reducing hunger and poverty and…

CAZRI's climate-resilient moth bean varieties survive 35-day dry spell in Rajasthan

Four moth bean varieties developed by ICAR-Central Arid Zone Research Institute (CAZRI), Jodhpur, namely CAZRI Moth-4, 5, 6 and 7, withstood a prolonged 35-day dry spell during Kharif 2026 in western Rajasthan. Bred for arid…

Study finds Mercury may have shrunk 10-30% more than earlier estimated

A new study suggests Mercury may have contracted 10-30% more than previously thought as its interior cooled over billions of years. Researchers estimate that the planet's radius may have reduced by about 7.2 miles (11.6…

New 82.6 GHz, 400 kW gyrotron installed in SST-1 tokamak at IPR, Gujarat

India's fusion research, often called the 'artificial sun' project, has moved ahead with a new 82.6 GHz, 400 kW gyrotron installed in the SST-1 tokamak at the Institute for Plasma Research (IPR), Gujarat. SST-1 (Steady…