Daily Current Affairs- 13th September 2026

Daily Current Affairs- 13th September 2026

UCC in all 21 NDA-ruled States by 2029: Amit Shah

In the News: Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on 13 September 2026 that the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) would be implemented in all 21 BJP-led NDA-ruled States before 2029. Speaking in Mumbai, he referred to UCC implementation in some States and expressed confidence that the remaining NDA-ruled States would follow.

Key Points:

• Constitutional Basis: Article 44 of the Constitution directs the State to endeavour to secure a Uniform Civil Code for citizens throughout India. It forms part of the Directive Principles of State Policy under Part IV of the Constitution.
• What UCC Covers: A UCC seeks greater uniformity in personal civil matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance and succession. Many of these subjects fall under Entry 5 of the Concurrent List, allowing both Parliament and State Legislatures to legislate.
• Uttarakhand's UCC: Uttarakhand became the first State in independent India to implement a UCC, with the law taking effect on 27 January 2025. Its framework covers matters including marriage, divorce, inheritance, succession and live-in relationships.
• Directive Principle: Article 44 is a Directive Principle rather than a Fundamental Right. Directive Principles guide governments in law and policymaking but are not directly enforceable by courts.

BRICS issues New Delhi Declaration, as UAE and Iran back down from tough positions

In the News: BRICS leaders adopted the New Delhi Declaration during the 18th BRICS Summit held in New Delhi on 12–13 September 2026 under India's chairship. Consensus was reached after Iran and the UAE moderated competing positions concerning the escalating West Asia conflict.

Key Points:

• New Delhi Declaration:The declaration was adopted under the summit theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”. It reaffirmed BRICS cooperation in political-security, economic-financial and people-to-people areas.
• West Asia Conflict: BRICS expressed deep concern over escalating tensions in West Asia and called for “maximum restraint”. The consensus avoided language directly blaming individual member States despite sharp differences involving Iran and the UAE.
• Trade and WTO Reforms: The declaration criticised trade-restrictive measures, excessive tariffs and protectionism while supporting a stronger multilateral trading system. It also backed reform of global governance institutions to increase representation of the Global South.
• Financial Cooperation: BRICS supported greater use of local currencies in trade and investment rather than announcing a common BRICS currency. Work on payment-system interoperability and greater local-currency financing by the New Development Bank will continue.
• India's 2026 Chairship: India hosted the 18th BRICS Summit and placed resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability at the centre of its presidency. China is set to take over the BRICS chairship for the next cycle.

China wants to create a BRICS open-source AI ecosystem. Where does India fit?

In the News: Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed greater BRICS cooperation in artificial intelligence at the 2026 New Delhi Summit, including an open-source AI community. The proposal envisages cooperation on large language models, AI training, digital infrastructure and shared technological capabilities among BRICS countries.

Key Points:

• China's AI Proposal: China proposed an open-source and inclusive BRICS AI ecosystem involving cooperation on AI models, computing resources and training. It is aimed partly at expanding technological self-reliance among emerging economies.
• BRICS Position on AI: The New Delhi Declaration recognised AI as an important driver of sustainable development while stressing safety, security, inclusiveness and reliability. It also called for equitable access to AI capabilities, particularly for the Global South.
• IndiaAI Mission: India launched the IndiaAI Mission in 2024 with an outlay of ₹10,371.92 crore. Its seven pillars cover compute capacity, indigenous models, datasets, applications, skilling, startup financing and Safe & Trusted AI.
• India's AI Strength: India's approach focuses on affordable computing, indigenous foundation models and Digital Public Infrastructure. Initiatives such as AIKosh and BharatGen strengthen India's ability to contribute to multilingual and open AI ecosystems.

‘Woman Unknown’ wins top prize at Venice Film Festival

In the News: Danish filmmaker May el-Toukhy's Woman Unknown won the Golden Lion for Best Film at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, which concluded on 12 September 2026. The film's lead actor Mathilde Arcel also received the Volpi Cup for Best Actress.

Key Points:

• Golden Lion Winner: Woman Unknown, directed and co-written by May el-Toukhy, received the Golden Lion, the Venice Film Festival's highest competitive honour. The film is a Denmark-Sweden-Latvia production.
• 83rd Venice Film Festival: The festival was held from 2–12 September 2026 at Venice's Lido. American filmmaker and actor Maggie Gyllenhaal chaired the international competition jury.
• Best Actress Award: Mathilde Arcel won the Coppa Volpi for Best Actress for her performance as Marie in Woman Unknown. The film is set against the social aftermath of Denmark's liberation from Nazi occupation.
• Other Major Awards: Lee Chang-dong's Possible Love received the Grand Jury Prize, while Ilya Khrzhanovsky won the Silver Lion for Best Director for DAU. John Malkovich won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor for Wild Horse Nine.

Ruthless Rybakina dethrones Sabalenka to claim first U.S. Open crown

In the News: In the News: Elena Rybakina, representing Kazakhstan, defeated two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka 6–4, 5–7, 6–2 in the 2026 U.S. Open women’s singles final. The victory gave Rybakina her maiden U.S. Open title and the third Grand Slam singles title of her career.

Key Points:

• 2026 U.S. Open Champion: Rybakina defeated Sabalenka in three sets at Flushing Meadows, New York. The victory denied Sabalenka a third consecutive U.S. Open women’s singles title.
• Third Grand Slam Title: The U.S. Open became Rybakina’s third major singles crown after Wimbledon 2022 and the 2026 Australian Open. She had also defeated Sabalenka in the Australian Open final earlier in 2026.
• World No. 1 Milestone: Rybakina earned enough ranking points at the tournament to rise to WTA World No. 1. She became the first player representing Kazakhstan to reach the top position in the WTA singles rankings.
• Sabalenka’s Winning Run Ends: The defeat ended Sabalenka’s 20-match winning streak at the U.S. Open. As the two-time defending champion, she had been attempting to complete a rare three-peat at the tournament.