| STATEMENT | economy | prelims |
| BRICS | international bodies | prelims |
| SIDDHESWARA SWAMY TEMPLE | art and culture | prelims |
| THE PANAIYUR FOSSIL | history | prelims |
| SMALL-CAP FUNDS | economy | prelims |
| CYBORG BOTANY | technology | prelims |
| YOUR NAME IN LANDSAT | technology | prelims |
STATEMENT
India and New Zealand on Monday (April 27, 2026) signed a Free Trade Agreement
(FTA)
BRICS
- BRICS is an influential intergovernmental organization representing major emerging economies—Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Together, these 11 nations represent over 40% of the global population and ~37% of global GDP, aiming to increase economic/geopolitical cooperation, promote the Global South’s interests, and create an alternative to Western-dominated institutions
- India assumed the rotational BRICS Presidency on January 1, 2026, marking its fourth time leading the grouping (following 2012, 2016, and 2021).
SIDDHESWARA SWAMY TEMPLE
- Siddheswara Swamy Temple is a large Hindu temple located in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
- The main deity of the temple is Shiva and the primary festival celebrated is Maha Shivaratri.
THE PANAIYUR FOSSIL
- Panaiyur fossil assemblage dates back to Holocene period: study
- The Panaiyur fossil discovery refers to a significant, newly identified marine fossil assemblage found in Panaiyur village, located in the Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu, India.
SMALL-CAP FUNDS
Small-cap funds are equity mutual funds that invest in companies with smaller market capitalizations (typically ranked below 250 in India), offering high growth potential but with very high risk and volatility. Suitable for aggressive investors, these funds require a 7+ year horizon
CYBORG BOTANY
Cyborg botany is an emerging, interdisciplinary field that merges plant biology with electronic components to create hybrid systems capable of sensing, processing, and communicating information.
YOUR NAME IN LANDSAT
- Launched for Earth Day 2026, NASA’s Your Name in Landsat is an interactive, web-based tool that allows users to spell out their names using satellite imagery of real Earth landscapes
- This initiative leverages over 50 years of data from the joint NASA and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Landsat programme, which is considered the “gold standard” for observing the Earth’s surface.