GK One-Liners

What: India has been appointed to the Vice-Presidency of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) for the term July 2026 to June 2027. The appointment was announced at the FATF Plenary held in Paris, France. Vivek Aggarwal, Secretary in the Ministry of Commerce (MoC), will represent India in this role, succeeding Giles Thomson of the United Kingdom.

How: The FATF Plenary is the highest decision-making body of FATF, where member delegations meet to review reports and approve policies. The Vice-President typically assists the President in steering FATF’s global agenda on anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorist financing (CTF) standards, and is positioned to assume the Presidency in a subsequent term.

Why: India’s elevation to FATF Vice-Presidency reflects its growing credibility in global financial governance. This is a high-yield topic for UPSC Prelims (International Organisations) and banking exams, which frequently test FATF’s composition, purpose, and India’s role. Remember: Giles Thomson (UK) becomes FATF President from July 1, 2026, succeeding Mexico’s Elisa de Anda Madrazo.

What: The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is an inter-governmental body established in 1989 to set global standards for combating money laundering and terrorist financing. It has 40 member countries and its standards are followed by 200+ jurisdictions worldwide. India became a full member of FATF in 2010.

How: FATF issues the “Recommendations” — a set of 40 international standards that countries must implement. It maintains two lists: the “Black List” (High-Risk Jurisdictions subject to a Call for Action) and the “Grey List” (Jurisdictions under Increased Monitoring). Countries are evaluated through mutual evaluations conducted by FATF and regional bodies.

Why: FATF is a recurring topic in UPSC Prelims, banking exams (IBPS, RBI Grade B), and SSC CGL GK sections. Frequently tested facts include: its founding year (1989), secretariat location (Paris), member count (40), India’s membership year (2010), and the distinction between Black List and Grey List countries.

What: The ‘Indian Space Industry E-Catalogue’ was launched at the 5th Indian Space Congress (ISC) 2026, held in New Delhi from June 15–17, 2026. The e-catalogue was developed by the Satcom Industry Association (SIA)-India and covers 200+ companies, 20 domains, and 120+ sub-domains of India’s space sector.

How: The e-catalogue serves as a comprehensive digital directory of India’s private space ecosystem, enabling global buyers, investors, and collaborators to identify Indian space companies and their capabilities. Two additional reports were also released at ISC 2026: ‘Building India’s On-Orbit Servicing Ecosystem’ (with OrbitAID) and ‘India’s Strategic Opportunity in Space-Based Compute Infrastructure’ (with TakeMe2Space).

Why: This is relevant for UPSC Science & Technology and current affairs sections, particularly as India opens its space sector to private players post the Space Policy 2023. The ISC is an annual platform organised by SIA-India to catalyse the growth of India’s commercial space industry — a hot topic for mains essays and interviews.

What: Kalyani Strategic Systems Limited (KSSL), an Indian defence manufacturer, and AM General (USA) signed a partnership agreement at Eurosatory 2026, the world’s leading land defence exhibition held in Paris from June 15–19, 2026. The objective is to jointly develop next-generation 155 mm mounted artillery gun systems for modern battlefields.

How: The partnership will leverage the MARG (Mounted Artillery Gun) system platform, fitted with a 52-calibre cannon. It incorporates SRT (Soleil Rouge Technology) for enhanced barrel life and ballistic performance. The resulting system is designed to achieve a range exceeding 40 km, significantly beyond the 30 km range of conventional 155 mm guns, making it competitive with global peers like the K9 Vajra and ATAGS.

Why: This is significant for India’s defence indigenisation goals under the ‘Make in India’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ initiatives. UPSC Prelims and CDS exams frequently test details of India’s artillery modernisation, defence partnerships, and key exhibitions like Eurosatory, Aero India, and DefExpo. The 52-calibre barrel length is a key differentiator worth memorising.

What: The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, and the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), Nainital, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on June 18, 2026, for a duration exceeding 50 years. The MoU establishes a Bio-Climate Observation Network (BCON) Climate Observation Station at Devasthal, Uttarakhand — a high-altitude site already home to one of Asia’s largest optical telescopes.

How: The MoU was signed by A. Suryachandra Rao (Director, IITM) and Manish Kumar Naja (Director, ARIES). BCON stations collect long-term data on temperature, humidity, radiation, aerosols, and greenhouse gases at high-altitude Himalayan sites to understand climate change dynamics. This initiative is nested under Mission Mausam, the Ministry of Earth Sciences’ (MoES) flagship programme to modernise India’s weather and climate observation infrastructure.

Why: High-altitude climate observation stations are critical for Himalayan glacier monitoring, monsoon prediction, and climate modelling. For UPSC, this is relevant under Environment & Ecology (climate change, observation networks) and Science & Technology (IITM, ARIES, Mission Mausam). Remember: Devasthal is also home to the 3.6-metre Devasthal Optical Telescope (DOT), India’s largest.

What: The 52nd G7 Summit was held from June 15–17, 2026, at Évian-les-Bains in the Haute-Savoie region of France, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron. The theme was ‘Working Together to Address Major International Challenges’. Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended as a representative of a partner (outreach) country, continuing India’s consistent participation at G7 summits despite not being a formal member.

How: Four major outcomes emerged from the summit: (1) a ‘Leaders’ Declaration on Tackling Migrant Smuggling’ to counter illegal migration networks; (2) the POWERR Asia initiative — approximately USD 10 billion in energy investment for Asia, led by Japan; (3) a Declaration on Critical Minerals Supply Chains to reduce dependency on China; and (4) a 14-point USA-Iran Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on de-escalation in West Asia. The 53rd G7 Summit will be hosted by the United States.

Why: G7 summits are consistently tested in UPSC, SSC, and banking exams. Key facts to retain: venue (Évian-les-Bains, France), host (Emmanuel Macron), theme, India’s status (partner/outreach country), and the four major outcomes — especially the Critical Minerals Declaration given its relevance to India’s mineral security and battery supply chain ambitions.