Current Affairs - International

The 28th Session of the FAO Committee on Forestry (COFO 28) was held in Rome, Italy, from September 28 to October 2, 2026. During the session, India highlighted its achievements in forest and landscape restoration, including its ranking of 9th globally in total forest area and 3rd in net annual forest area gain. India also presented initiatives such as the Bonn Challenge, Aravalli Green Wall, MISHTI and Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), which organised the session, is a specialised United Nations agency headquartered in Rome and works internationally to improve food security, nutrition and agricultural development.

Kuwait hosted the launch of the India-Kuwait Media Connect (IKMC) platform by the Embassy of India on September 30, 2026. The initiative was introduced to strengthen bilateral dialogue and improve information exchange between India and Kuwait. The platform operates under the theme “Partnership, Perspectives and Possibilities” and aims to provide regular media access to information about India-Kuwait relations. It also seeks to highlight India’s progress in areas such as infrastructure, digital capabilities, and economic growth. Paramita Tripathi, Ambassador of India to Kuwait, officially unveiled the IKMC logo. Kuwait’s capital is Kuwait City, and its currency is the Kuwaiti Dinar.

Iowa will host the $15 billion steel plant being built by Mesabi Metallics, the US-based subsidiary of India’s Essar Group. The facility is projected to produce 10 million tonnes of steel annually, with commercial production expected to begin in 2030. The project is expected to create around 1,750 permanent jobs in Iowa and is supported by a $2.5 billion iron ore mine in Minnesota’s Mesabi Iron Range. The plant aims to compete globally through advanced manufacturing technology, focusing on scale, quality, and cost efficiency. Essar Group, founded in 1969 and headquartered in Mumbai, operates across energy, metals, mining, and infrastructure.

California banned child marriage by establishing 18 as the minimum age for marriage and domestic partnership with no exceptions. Governor Gavin Newsom approved Assembly Bill 1267 (AB 1267), which repeals earlier provisions that permitted minors to marry with parental consent or judicial approval. The law takes effect on January 1, 2027. Before this legislation, California had no statutory minimum marriage age, and around 35,000 minors were married in the state between 2000 and 2021. With this reform, California became the 18th US state to completely ban child marriage without exceptions, strengthening legal protection for minors.

The United Nations adopted its first Political Declaration on sea-level rise through a high-level meeting of the UN General Assembly held in New York on September 24, 2026. The declaration addresses the legal, environmental, economic and humanitarian consequences of rising sea levels, with particular attention to Small Island Developing States and low-lying countries. It affirms a presumption of continuity of statehood and sovereignty for vulnerable island nations and recognises the stability of maritime zones under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). It also calls for stronger climate adaptation, resilient infrastructure, early warning systems and improved access to climate finance.