Current Affairs 04 August 2026

China Gets 1 FDI Approval in FY26; Hong Kong Gets 13.

China: Only 1 FDI proposal worth ₹1 crore approved in FY 2025–26.
Hong Kong: 13 proposals worth ₹610.42 crore approved.
Total FDI approvals: 63 proposals worth ₹10,292.67 crore cleared under the government route.
Top investors: Singapore – ₹3,259.88 crore, UK – ₹2,477.67 crore, Thailand – ₹1,600 crore.
Press Note 3: Requires government approval for FDI from countries sharing a land border with India.
FY26 change: 10% non-controlling beneficial ownership relaxation excludes China and Hong Kong.
Cumulative FDI (2000–2026): Hong Kong – $4.91 billion; China – $2.51 billion.

Andhra Pradesh and Australia signed 4 MoUs on clean energy, advanced manufacturing and education.
Solar Manufacturing: IIT Tirupati, UNSW and CoEET will establish a Centre of Excellence for Solar Manufacturing.
Focus areas include solar PV manufacturing, panel recycling and circular economy.
Education: UNSW, SPMVV and Samagra Shiksha will collaborate on teacher training and capacity building.
Other areas include workforce mobility, student mental health and advanced industrial research.

Glaw Lake, Arunachal Pradesh became India’s 101st Ramsar Site on 3 August 2026.
Located in the Kamlang Tiger Reserve & Wildlife Sanctuary in the Eastern Himalayas.
First Ramsar site from Arunachal Pradesh.
The freshwater lake supports rich biodiversity, including 150+ tree species and 49 orchid species.
India’s Ramsar sites increased from 26 (2014) to 101 (2026).
India ranks 1st in Asia and 3rd globally in the number of Ramsar sites.

CoE for Handloom Technology (CoE-HT) inaugurated at IIT Delhi on 3 August 2026.
Objective: Modernize the handloom sector using AI and digital technologies.
Key initiatives: Handloom 4.0, Handloom e-Vidya, HandloomX, and Kalagriha Handloom Studio.
Focus: Technology innovation, sustainability, ergonomics and AI-enabled tools.
Target: Train 1,000+ weavers, faculty and professionals over the next 5 years.

Harshita Jakhar, a 19-year-old cyclist, became the first Indian woman to feature in the Tour de France Femmes in Switzerland.
She led the ceremonial start of Stage 2 in Aigle, completing a 4.5-km ride ahead of the professional peloton.
Selected for the UCI World Cycling Talent Programme among eight cyclists from developing cycling nations.
Won 3 gold medals at the 2025 Khelo India Youth Games.
Secured 1 silver and 2 bronze medals at the 2024 Asian Junior Cycling Championships.
Trains at SAI National Centre of Excellence, Patiala, under her father and coach Rakesh Jakhar.