14 July 2026 - "Daily Current Affairs" Updates

PM's Visit to New Zealand (2026)

Why in News?

During the Prime Minister's visit to New Zealand, India and New Zealand announced the India–New Zealand Strategic Partnership and adopted the Roadmap to 2030 to deepen bilateral cooperation across multiple sectors.

India–New Zealand Strategic Partnership

On 11 July 2026, the Prime Ministers of India and New Zealand met in Auckland and formally announced the Strategic Partnership. The Roadmap to 2030 provides the framework for expanding bilateral cooperation.

1. Political and Diplomatic Engagement

• Regular high-level dialogue involving Prime Ministers, Cabinet Ministers and Foreign Ministers.

• Stronger coordination among ministries and government departments.

• Annual senior-level meetings to monitor implementation of the Strategic Partnership and Roadmap to 2030.

2. Defence and Security Cooperation

• Continue joint military exercises, unit visits, personnel exchanges, Defence Staff College exchanges and high-level defence dialogue.

• Implement the 2025 Memorandum of Understanding on Defence Cooperation.

Maritime Security

Both countries agreed to implement the Maritime Cooperation Arrangement, Hydrography and Nautical Cartography Arrangement, and Mutual Logistics Support Arrangement. They will also conduct bilateral naval exercises, cooperate under the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative and establish an Annual Maritime Security Dialogue.

Counter-Terrorism and Cyber Security

• Operationalise the Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism.

• Continue the Cyber Dialogue.

• Strengthen law-enforcement cooperation.

• Improve critical infrastructure resilience.

3. Trade and Economic Cooperation

Trade Target: Double bilateral trade to NZ$7 billion, approximately ₹35,000 crore, by 2030.

Free Trade Agreement: Work towards early implementation of the India–New Zealand FTA.

Trade Facilitation: Operationalise the 2025 Authorised Economic Operators Mutual Recognition Arrangement under the 2024 Customs Cooperation Arrangement, simplify customs procedures and facilitate trusted trade.

Primary Industries: Strengthen cooperation in horticulture, forestry, animal husbandry and dairying through research, technical collaboration and policy dialogue.

Tourism: Promote two-way tourism and encourage direct non-stop flights under the updated Air Services Agreement.

4. People-to-People, Culture and Sports

• Strengthen engagement with the Indian diaspora and cooperation between local governments.

• Continue sports cooperation and implement the Joint Action Plan on Sport.

• Promote exchanges in traditional medicine.

• Cooperate in recognition of seafarer competency, maritime heritage and cultural exchanges.

5. Education, Science and Disaster Management

• Implement the 2025 Education Cooperation Arrangement and expand institutional partnerships.

• Strengthen cooperation in agriculture, climate, digital transformation, science and technology, emerging technologies, research and innovation.

• Cooperate through the International Solar Alliance, Global Biofuels Alliance and disaster-management agencies.

6. Regional and Multilateral Cooperation

Indo-Pacific:

• Coordinate in ASEAN-led and other regional forums.

• Strengthen cooperation under the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative.

• Support peaceful dispute resolution under international law, particularly UNCLOS.

United Nations:

• Strengthen cooperation at the UN.

• Support UN reforms, including India's candidature for permanent membership of a reformed UN Security Council.

• Exchange support for multilateral candidatures wherever possible.

Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) Scheme

Why in News?

The Central Government has approved all 28 major projects proposed by the Delhi Government under the SASCI Scheme.

What is the SASCI Scheme?

It is a Central Government initiative providing interest-free financial assistance to States and Union Territories for capital expenditure and infrastructure development. Administered by the Ministry of Finance, it was launched in 2020–21 amid financial stress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Core Objectives

• Boost capital expenditure.

• Accelerate quality public infrastructure creation.

• Support economic growth and employment.

• Encourage reforms linked to capital investment.

Key Feature: 50-Year Interest-Free Loans

The Centre provides 50-year interest-free loans exclusively for capital investment projects.

Reform-Linked Incentives

Financial incentives are linked to state-level reforms and capital-investment performance.

Tourism Infrastructure

The scheme supports end-to-end tourist experiences, the tourism value chain, shortlisted tourism proposals, sustainable operation and maintenance, and quality expertise for project design and development.

Project Selection

Projects are approved on proposals submitted by State Governments and funded after Central Government evaluation.

Begonia quadricornualata

Why in News?

Botanists have discovered a new flowering plant species, Begonia quadricornualata, in Papum Pare district of Arunachal Pradesh.

Where Was It Discovered?

The species was found during a botanical survey at Senki View, on the eastern fringe of Itanagar Wildlife Sanctuary. Papum Pare lies at the intersection of the Himalayan and Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspots.

What Makes It Unique?

The plant is best known for its four-horned fruit. As the fruit matures, four horn-like projections develop into four wing-like structures.

Meaning of the Name

The name quadricornualata comes from Latin:

• quattuor — four

• cornu — horn

• alatus — winged

It refers to the transformation of four horns on the ovary into four developed wings as the fruit ripens.

Key Morphological Features

• Upright stems.

• Delicate white to pink flowers.

• Fruits densely covered with reddish-brown woolly hairs.

• Female plants have dense red-to-brown hispid or stiff bristly hairs.

• Exceptionally long petioles reaching up to 50 cm.

• Female plants bear a single flower at a time.

Closest Relatives

Closely related to Begonia handelii and Begonia tessaricarpa, but distinguished by its four-winged fruit, woolly appearance, longer petioles and solitary female flowers.

Conservation Status

Proposed IUCN Status: Data Deficient (DD).

Digital Threat Report 2025–26

Why in News?

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has released the second edition of the Digital Threat Report 2025–26 for India's Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI) and payments ecosystem.

What Does the Report Examine?

It assesses cybersecurity risks in India's BFSI sector, identifies sector-wide security gaps and examines emerging cyber threats.

Evidence Base

• Digital Forensics and Incident Response research.

• Observations from the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team.

• Inputs from the Computer Security Incident Response Team in Finance.

• Research on adversarial Artificial Intelligence.

Aim

• Strengthen cybersecurity preparedness.

• Enhance long-term cyber resilience amid rapid digitisation of financial services.

Edition and Released By

The 2025–26 report is the second edition; the first was released in 2025. It was jointly released by MeitY, CERT-In, CSIRT-Fin and SISA.

Key Finding 1: Attacks Are Targeting Trust

Cybercriminals increasingly target trust in digital systems rather than merely stealing data. Attack vectors include biometric onboarding, partner applications, AI-driven decision-making and real-time payment systems.

Key Finding 2: Financial Attacks Are Changing

Attacks are shifting from direct system compromise towards manipulation of digital identities, APIs, programmable finance, third-party ecosystems and AI-enabled systems.

Key Finding 3: Threats Are Evolving Rapidly

Six of seven cyber-threat predictions from the previous edition have already materialised.

Key Finding 4: Rise of AI-Enabled Threats

Deepfake attacks are becoming more sophisticated through real-time executive video deepfakes, malicious Large Language Models and continuously evolving techniques.

Key Finding 5: Social Engineering Remains a Major Threat

Social engineering and Business Email Compromise are increasing. Credential theft and session hijacking remain major methods of unauthorised access.

Key Finding 6: Cyberattacks at Machine Speed

Attacks are increasingly automated, AI-generated and executed at machine speed. Phishing emails are highly personalised and difficult to distinguish from legitimate communications. The BFSI sector remains the most targeted industry.

Key Recommendations

Strengthen Digital Onboarding:

• Active liveness detection during biometric verification.

• Continuous session monitoring using behavioural biometrics, device posture checks and token binding.

Improve Identity Governance:

• Extend identity management to service accounts, machine identities and AI agents.

• Enable cross-database identity verification where legally permissible.

Enhance Cyber Resilience:

• Continuous security assurance.

• Ecosystem-wide trust frameworks.

• Resilience-based cybersecurity approach.