Current Affairs - International

Seoul, South Korea, hosted the 27th World Knowledge Forum, which commenced on September 8, 2026. The three-day event was held at The Shilla Seoul and Jangchung Arena under the theme “The Promethean Moment: Architecting the Co-Intelligence Order.” The forum focused on the global integration of Artificial Intelligence and its impact on civilisation. Organised by the Maekyung Media Group, the event explored five major pillars: Power, Capital, Intelligence, Planet, and Humanity. Discussions also highlighted the concept of Co-Intelligence, in which AI enhances human potential while operating within values, ethical norms, and respect for human dignity.

New Delhi will host the 18th BRICS Summit in 2026. The summit is scheduled to take place from September 12 to 13, 2026, at Bharat Mandapam. India is hosting the BRICS Summit for the fourth time, having previously hosted the event in 2012, 2016 and 2021. The theme for the 2026 summit is “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.” The summit reflects the expanding scope of BRICS, which has evolved from its original BRIC grouping of Brazil, Russia, India and China to a broader platform addressing economic cooperation, global governance, development, technology, climate action and other Global South priorities.

France is collaborating with India on the TRISHNA Earth observation mission through the French space agency CNES and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). TRISHNA, or Thermal Infra-Red Imaging Satellite for High-resolution Natural Resource Assessment, is designed to provide detailed observations of Earth’s surface temperature, emissivity and environmental conditions. The mission will study terrestrial water stress, coastal and inland waters, urban heat islands, glaciers, snow-melt runoff and other climate-related factors. France is contributing the Thermal Infrared (TIR) payload, while ISRO is developing the VNIR-SWIR payload. The mission represents significant space cooperation between India and France in Earth observation and climate research.

Sweden participated in the bilateral dialogue with the IndiaAI Mission under the Sweden-India Technology and AI Corridor (SITAC) in New Delhi. The dialogue focused on strengthening cooperation between India and Sweden in Artificial Intelligence and Digitalisation. The IndiaAI Mission highlighted key priorities such as compute capacity, datasets and models, application development, future skills, indigenous AI, start-up financing, and Safe & Trusted AI. The IndiaAI Mission operates under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and has an approved outlay of ₹10,372 crore. Sweden, whose capital is Stockholm, is a member of both the European Union and NATO.

The United Kingdom officially recognised India’s Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS) on September 8, 2026. This recognition is intended to help Indian exporters avoid double taxation under the UK’s upcoming Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), scheduled to begin on January 1, 2027. The mechanism will apply to carbon emissions embodied in imports such as aluminium, cement, fertiliser, hydrogen, iron and steel. British importers of Indian goods can seek carbon price relief based on the effective carbon price already paid under India’s CCTS. The CCTS operates under the Energy Conservation Act, 2001, with the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) serving as its nodal implementation agency.