Recent Current Affairs related to US

According to the 9th edition of the “Trade Watch Quarterly (TWQ) Thematic Analysis: Metals and Ores Trade” released by the NITI Aayog for the first quarter (Q1) of FY 2027 (April to June 2026), global goods trade reached $13.7 trillion in the first half of Calendar Year (CY) 2026, reflecting a 12.5% Year-on-Year (Y-o-Y) growth.

The total merchandise and services trade of India expanded to $506.9 billion in Q1 FY27, registering a 15.5% Y-o-Y growth. During the same period, merchandise exports increased by 16% to $129.5 billion, while merchandise imports grew by 19.8% to reach $216.1 billion.

US President Donald Trump, along with the leaders of Denmark and Greenland, has signed a trilateral security agreement titled “Infinite Life” at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

The pact allows for the expansion of the military presence of the USA in the Arctic region without changing the territorial status of Greenland. The agreement grants the USA permanent basing, overflight, and operational rights. It is to be noted that the agreement serves as an update to the original defense pact which was established in 1951.

OpenAI has launched “GPT-6 Astra”, a next-generation AI model designed to function as a highly capable computer operator.

The organization has also expanded the AI ecosystem with the introduction of “Astra for Law”.

According to the data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the total combined exports (merchandise and services) of India in the first five months of FY27 (April-August 2026) reached $399.27 billion, representing a growth of 15.5%.

Merchandise exports for the period stood at $215.91 billion, compared to $183.21 billion in the same period of the previous year. Total imports for the April-August 2026 period are estimated at $459.65 billion, showing a growth of 18.01%.

MoC&I further stated that in August 2026, the total combined exports of India were estimated at $82.68 billion, registering a growth of 25.41%. Total combined imports for the month are estimated at $92.09 billion, marking a growth of 18.75%.

The 22nd edition of the annual bilateral military exercise between the Indian Army (IA) and the US Army named “Yudh Abhyas 2026” is held at Bikaner in Rajasthan and Auli in Uttarakhand.

The exercise is being conducted under the “Operation Pathways” framework to enhance military cooperation and strategic ties between the two nations. The IA contingent is represented by an infantry battalion of the Rajput Regiment. The US contingent features elite, Arctic-trained soldiers from the 11th Airborne Division (“Arctic Angels”) and the 3rd Multi-Domain Task Force (3MDTF).

India, through the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoC&I), has joined the global ‘Call to Action for 6G Leadership and Security’ initiative alongside the USA and 24 other nations.

The initiative aims to strengthen international collaboration to develop secure, interoperable, and innovation-driven 6G (sixth-generation) telecommunication networks.

Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), an Institution of Eminence (IoE) Deemed to be University, has been selected as one of the three Indian host institutions for the US-India Fellowship for the 2026-27 academic cycle.

The fellowship is a 12-month programme designed to strengthen scientific and technological collaboration between India and the USA. Selected fellows will receive a monthly stipend of $1,650 to support their research and collaborative activities.

Cassandra Wilson, a two-time Grammy winner, passed away at the age of 70. She won the Grammy Awards in 1997 and 2009.

She was recognized as the ‘Best Singer of America’ in 2001 and was honored as a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in 2022.

The Indian Army (IA) has signed a Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) with the USA to procure 100 FGM-148 Javelin Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) systems through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) route. The deal is valued at $93 million.

The agreement also establishes a framework for the potential future co-production of the missile systems in India. The FGM-148 Javelin is manufactured by the Javelin Joint Venture (JV), a partnership between USA-based RTX Corporation and Lockheed Martin Corporation.

William F Rasmussen, the co-founder of Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN), passed away at the age of 93. He launched the network in 1979 along with his son Scott Rasmussen.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has signed a contract worth ₹1,943 crore with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc (GA-ASI) for the lease of two MQ-9B Sea Guardian High-Altitude Long-Endurance (HALE) Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS).

The leased HALE RPAS will be deployed by the Indian Navy for an operational duration of 30 months.

Venezuela, under Interim President Delcy Eloina Gomez, has formally notified the United Nations (UN) of its withdrawal from the Rome Statute, initiating the process to terminate its membership in the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The withdrawal will take effect one year after the notification. It is to be noted that the country originally become a State Party to the Rome Statute in 2002.

The United States of America (USA) has delivered the 21st MH-60R Seahawk multi-role maritime helicopter to the Indian Navy in Kochi, Kerala.

Manufactured by Lockheed Martin Corporation, these helicopters are part of a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) agreement signed in 2020 to procure 24 units at a total cost of $2.6 billion. The induction of these helicopters is intended to replace the ageing Sea King fleet.

INS Sudarshini, an indigenous three-masted sail training barque of the Indian Navy (IN), has represented India at the 'Sail4th 250' and the 'United States International Naval Review 250' celebrations held in New York Harbour.

The festival was organised to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States.

The US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) has presented the 2026 Leadership Award to Sunil Bharti Mittal, the founder and chairman of Bharti Enterprises Ltd.

The 2nd Pax Silica Summit was held in Washington DC, USA. During the summit, 35 nations, including India, endorsed a Statement on AI, an initiative spearheaded by the USA to establish trusted and resilient supply chains for AI technologies.

The 2-day event was hosted by Jacob Helberg, Secretary of Economic Affairs at the US Department of State. The Indian delegation was headed by S Krishnan, Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

The summit marked the expansion of the US-anchored tech security ecosystem, with new signatories including Germany, Greece, and the Netherlands (Europe); Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, and Panama (America); and Kazakhstan (Central Asia).

The Indian Navy has participated in the 30th edition of the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC 2026), the world's largest multinational maritime warfare exercise.

Hosted by the US Navy, the exercise was conducted at the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH) in Hawaii, USA. The theme for the 30th edition of RIMPAC was ' Partners: Integrated and Prepared'.

According to the report titled " India: Improved Macro Outlook after the United States of America (USA)-Iran Deal" released by Goldman Sachs, India's real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth forecast for Calendar Year 2026 (CY26) has been raised to 6.8%. The growth forecast for FY27 is increased to 6.5%.

The report also lowered India's retail inflation projection for the current year to 4.4% and reduced the Current Account Deficit (CAD) projection by 20 basis points (bps) to 1.1% of GDP.

The Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) of the USA, which administers the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme, has notified a proposed sale of sustainment support services and equipment to India at an estimated cost of $482.2 million.

This includes $230 million for the sustainment of M777A2 Ultra-Light Howitzers and $198.2 million for the AH-64E Apache helicopters.

US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian have signed a 14-point MoU aimed at ending the conflict between the two nations. The interim agreement was finalised electronically during the G7 summit in France.

The agreement mandates an immediate ceasefire, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and a 60-day negotiation period for a comprehensive peace settlement. The US and its regional partners have also committed to a $300 billion reconstruction fund to support the economic development of Iran.