Current Affairs 09 September 2026

UN Adopts New World Map to Better Represent Africa’s Actual Scale.

• UN Decision: UN General Assembly adopted a resolution promoting the 2018 Equal Earth projection as a more accurate representation of land area.
• Vote: The resolution received 164 votes in favour; the US voted against.
• Why It Matters: The Mercator projection significantly distorts the relative size of regions, especially near the poles.
• Africa’s Scale: Africa is about 14 times larger than Greenland, despite their similar appearance on Mercator maps.
• Other Projections: Gall-Peters and Eckert IV are among alternative equal-area projections.
• Next Step: An implementation event involving UNESCO is planned in Lomé in early 2027.

UGC Approves Birkbeck, University of London’s Bengaluru Campus.

• UGC Approval: UGC issued the Letter of Approval (LoA) on 4 September 2026 for Birkbeck, University of London’s Bengaluru campus.
• First Campus: It will be the university’s first international campus.
• Location: Sattva Tech Park, Bengaluru, with support from the Education Centre of Australia (ECA).
• Courses: Undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in Business Management and Business Analytics.
• Degrees: Awarded by the University of London under Birkbeck’s academic oversight.
• Fees: Up to 60% lower than comparable UK tuition costs.
• Policy Link: Supports NEP 2020’s internationalisation of higher education.

Bengaluru Startup Develops India’s 1st Privately Built Nuclear Fusion Tokamak.

• PRAGYA: India’s first privately built nuclear fusion tokamak, developed by Bengaluru startup Pranos.
• Purpose: Test bed for fusion and plasma research.
• Future Goal: Project Praniq aims for a net-energy fusion reactor by 2030.
• Funding: Pranos has raised over $7 million.
• Policy Support: Enabled by the SHANTI Act, 2025, allowing private participation in India’s nuclear sector.

UNEP Report Warns That 1.5°C Global Warming Overshoot Is Unavoidable.

• UNEP Report: Limiting Overshoot released on 4 September 2026.
• 1.5°C Breach: Exceeding the 1.5°C threshold is now considered unavoidable.
• Projected Peak: Warming could reach 1.8°C above pre-industrial levels.
• Major Risks: Greenland and West Antarctic ice-sheet loss, Amazon dieback and AMOC disruption.
• Way Forward: Minimize the peak and duration of warming overshoot, followed by sustained net-negative CO₂ emissions.
• Finance Gap: Developing countries need $310+ billion annually for adaptation by 2035.

TNSDA Begins Third Phase of Underwater Archaeological Exploration at Poompuhar.

• Launch: TNSDA began the third phase of underwater archaeological exploration at Poompuhar on 7 September 2026.
• Location: Off the coast of ancient Kaveripoompattinam, Mayiladuthurai district, Tamil Nadu.
• Objective: Trace ancient Tamil maritime trade links and locate submerged port structures.
• Exploration: Divers and archaeologists are searching up to 10 metres deep, around 2 km offshore.