Current Affairs — 20 October 2026
Daily news by your exam, state and topic — each with a short summary, key facts and MCQs.
Tue, 20 Oct 2026
Ninth India-Brazil-South Africa Maritime Exercise (IBSAMAR IX 2026) concludes at Simon's Town
The ninth edition of the India-Brazil-South Africa Maritime Exercise (IBSAMAR IX 2026) concluded at Simon's Town, South Africa, on 20 October 2026 after ten days of harbour and sea phases, with INS Tarkash representing India.
Japan's JAXA launches Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft on H3 rocket to bring back samples from Phobos
On 20 October 2026 (04:41 JST; 01:11 IST), JAXA launched the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft aboard H3 Launch Vehicle flight No. 10 from the Tanegashima Space Center; MMX is a sample-return mission to Phobos, a moon of Mars.
Asian Para Games 2026: Deepthi Jeevanji, Simran, Pranav Soorma, Devender Kumar and Nishad Kumar win athletics gold for India
On 20 October 2026, India won five para athletics golds at the Asian Para Games 2026: Deepthi Jeevanji (400m T20, title defended with Games Record), Simran (200m T12, record), Pranav Soorma (discus F51/52/53, Asian Record), Devender Kumar (discus F43/44/62/64) and Nishad Kumar (high jump T47, Games Record).
Rajnath Singh represents India at 25th SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting in Dushanbe; calls for dismantling the entire ecosystem of terrorism
On 20 October 2026, Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh addressed the 25th meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, which adopted a Joint Communiqué, the SCO budget for 2027 and the PMTEC Action Plan 2026-2030.
UDAN regional connectivity scheme completes 10 years: 687 routes, 95 aerodromes and 1.72 crore passengers
A PIB backgrounder released on 20 October 2026 said UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik), launched on 21 October 2016, has operationalised 687 routes and 95 aerodromes and carried 1.72 crore passengers, with the next phase (Modified UDAN) launched on 4 July 2026.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visits India; holds talks with EAM S. Jaishankar in Mumbai on trade, defence and energy
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited India on 20-21 October 2026, his second visit after May 2026, and held talks with EAM S. Jaishankar in Mumbai, where both sides welcomed progress on the India-U.S. Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA).
India-Russia naval exercise INDRA 2026 concludes; INS Sahyadri departs Vladivostok
INS Sahyadri departed Vladivostok on 20 October 2026 after the successful conclusion of INDRA 2026, the bilateral naval exercise between the Indian Navy and the Russian Federation Navy, held in harbour and sea phases.
Asian Para Games 2026: Manish Narwal wins silver in 10m Air Pistol SH1; Bhavina Patel and Niranjan Mukundan win bronze
On 20 October 2026, Manish Narwal won silver in the Men's 10m Air Pistol SH1, Bhavina Patel bronze in table tennis Women's Singles Class 4-5 and Niranjan Mukundan bronze in the Men's 200m Individual Medley SM7 at the Asian Para Games 2026.
Shilp Samagam Mela 2026: Mysuru edition concludes; Guwahati edition to run from 21 to 28 October
On 20 October 2026, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment's nine-day Shilp Samagam Mela concluded at the Dasara Exhibition Grounds, Mysuru (Karnataka), and announced an eight-day edition at Farm Gate, Khanapara, Guwahati (Assam) from 21 to 28 October 2026.
WWF-India's EIACP centre launches nationwide Green Diwali Campaign (20 October-8 November 2026) focusing on 130 NCAP cities
On 20 October 2026, WWF-India's EIACP Programme Centre, supported by MoEFCC, launched a nationwide Green Diwali Campaign till 8 November 2026 urging a cracker-free Diwali under Mission LiFE, with special focus on the 130 cities under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).
UAE Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan visits India; holds talks with EAM Jaishankar in Mumbai
UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan was on an official visit to India on 19-20 October 2026 and held delegation-level talks with EAM S. Jaishankar in Mumbai on the India-UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
IIA scientists generate Doppler velocity images of the solar corona from Aditya-L1's VELC payload to track CME direction
Scientists at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru, reported on 20 October 2026 that they have generated Doppler velocity images of the solar corona using the Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC) on Aditya-L1, which can show whether coronal mass ejections move towards Earth.