Current Affairs for Competitive Exams: 05 August 2026, Daily Roundup
Current Affairs – 05 August 2026
National Current Affairs
1. Supreme Court on Cyber ‘Digital Arrest’ Scams: The Supreme Court directed the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Central Government to develop Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to tackle cyber frauds, especially ‘Digital Arrest’ scams.
Key Highlights:
- SOPs for handling mule accounts used in cyber fraud.
- Banks to strengthen real-time fraud detection and account-freezing mechanisms.
- Emphasis on coordinated action among banks, telecom operators and law enforcement.
2. Ease of Doing Business – Omnibus Regulatory Reform Bill: The Union Government introduced an Omnibus Regulatory Reform Bill to improve the business environment.
Key Features:
- Decriminalisation of 45 minor technical offences.
- Simplification of regulatory compliance.
- Promotion of single-window clearance for industries.
- Intended to improve the Ease of Doing Business ecosystem.
3. India’s Power Capacity to Reach 874 GW: The Government projected India’s installed power generation capacity to reach 874 GW by 2031–32.
Key Facts:
- Installed capacity (30 June 2026): 548.86 GW.
- Non-fossil fuel sources account for 54.18% of installed capacity, exceeding India’s 2030 NDC target of 50%.
4. Other Important National Updates
- Ministry of Finance proposed amendments to the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 regarding Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on select digital payments.
- IIT Hyderabad launched ANUGYAN, India’s first industry-academia Nuclear Technology Orientation Programme.
- Clouded Leopard Conservation Action Plan was launched on International Clouded Leopard Day.
International Current Affairs
1. Republic of Naoero: The Pacific island nation Nauru officially adopted its indigenous name Republic of Naoero.
Importance:
- Reflects indigenous identity and cultural heritage.
- Significant in Indo-Pacific regional affairs.
2. India–Bhutan Development Partnership: India and Bhutan reviewed progress under Bhutan’s 13th Five-Year Plan (2024–2029) during the 5th India–Bhutan Development Cooperation Talks.
Focus Areas:
- Infrastructure development.
- Hydropower cooperation.
- Neighbourhood First Policy.
3. India–Uzbekistan Relations: India and Uzbekistan agreed to target US$3 billion bilateral trade within the next three years and discussed expanding economic cooperation.
4. Major World Developments
- Qatar intensified diplomatic efforts to ease the US–Iran conflict.
- Fresh attacks near the Strait of Hormuz heightened concerns over global energy security.
- Ukraine launched a large-scale drone attack on multiple regions of Russia.
- Two firefighting helicopters collided during wildfire operations in Greece.
Defence Update
1. Supreme Court Seeks Response on CAPF Framework: The Supreme Court sought the Centre’s response regarding a petition challenging certain provisions governing the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs).
2. BEL–Esri India MoU: Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) signed an MoU with Esri India.
Purpose:
- Develop GIS and GeoAI solutions.
- Enhance defence mapping, surveillance and geospatial intelligence capabilities.
3. Vice Admiral Manish Chadha Assumes Charge: Vice Admiral Manish Chadha assumed charge as the Director General Naval Operations (DGNO).
4. Indigenous Defence Technologies
- Astrobase Space Technologies announced India’s first 80-ton-class Full Flow Staged Combustion (FFSC) rocket engine.
- CSIR and DRDO are jointly developing an indigenous turboprop engine for the Saras Mk2 aircraft and future UAVs.
- DRDO is advancing affordable air-to-ground munitions for MALE, HALE and UCAV platforms.
Science & Technology
1. WHO Cancer Research Agency Report: The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) updated its evaluation of several pharmaceutical compounds, identifying certain drugs with carcinogenic risk classifications.
Importance:
- Supports evidence-based drug safety regulations.
- Important for public health policy and pharmaceutical regulation.
2. Himalayan Chandra Telescope Completes 25 Years: The Himalayan Chandra Telescope (HCT) at Hanle, Ladakh, completed 25 years of operation.
Sports Update
Commonwealth Games 2026
- Union Sports Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya felicitated India’s Commonwealth Games 2026 medal winners.
- Cash awards announced:
- Gold: ₹30 lakh
- Silver: ₹20 lakh
- Bronze: ₹10 lakh
Other Sports
- Indian badminton pair Krishna Prasad Garaga and Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy advanced to the second round of the men’s doubles event.
- Arunachal Pradesh’s Biri Takar won Gold (Men’s Doubles) and Bronze (Men’s Singles) at the BWF Para World Circuit in Brazil.
- Egypt’s Mohamad Zakaria successfully defended the WSF World Junior Squash Championship men’s singles title.
Important Observance
World Wide Web Day ( 01 August) :
- Celebrates the invention of the World Wide Web by Sir Tim Berners-Lee.
- Highlights the importance of the open internet, digital connectivity and technological innovation.
Miscellaneous One-Liners Current Affairs
- Glaw Lake (Arunachal Pradesh) was designated India’s 101st Ramsar Site.
- Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs approved 33 projects under the Urban Challenge Fund (UCF).
- e-Zero FIR System introduced for quicker reporting of cyber financial frauds across multiple States and Union Territories.
- Environment book “Bringing the Cheetah Back to India: How Diplomacy Made Conservation’s Big Mission Possible” was released by IFS officer Prashant Agrawal.
- Department of Posts released a commemorative stamp on the birth centenary of Satish Gujral.
