Daily Current Affairs — 13 September 2026: BRICS Summit, Women's Asia Cup Final, Forex Reserves Record

BRICS nations unanimously adopted the 'New Delhi Declaration 2026' on the first day of the 18th BRICS Summit at Bharat Mandapam (12 September), themed 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability' — the declaration renewed the push for UN Security Council reform and deeper local-currency financial cooperation via the New Development Bank.

PM Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit (12 September) — Xi's first visit to India in seven years — with both leaders emphasising border peace and tranquility and Modi's '3 mutuals' framework of mutual respect, sensitivity and interests.

PM Modi also held a separate bilateral meeting with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit (12 September).

China will take over the BRICS chairship for 2027 and host the next Leaders' Summit, marking the conclusion of India's fourth BRICS chairship term.

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan inaugurated the three-day Global Dryland Congress 2026 in New Delhi (10-12 September), jointly organised by ICAR and ICRISAT under the theme 'Transforming Dryland Agriculture with South-South Cooperation,' bringing together over 800 global experts.

Delhi Metro began operations early, from 6 AM, on 13 September 2026 to help candidates reach exam centres for the UPSC NDA & CDS (II) 2026 examination amid traffic restrictions for the BRICS Summit.

India's foreign exchange reserves jumped $44.9 billion in a single week to a record $785.71 billion (week ended 4 September 2026) — driven largely by inflows under the RBI's diaspora foreign-currency deposit drive — pushing India past Russia to become the world's fourth-largest reserve holder after China, Japan and Switzerland.

The National Green Tribunal (8 September) directed Rajasthan's Department of Mines and Geology to curb illegal sand mining in the Aravalli hills, ordering strict compliance with the 2020 Enforcement and Monitoring Guidelines and the 2016 Sustainable Sand Mining Management Guidelines.

World No. 1 Elena Rybakina won her maiden US Open title, beating Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 in the 2026 women's singles final (12 September) at Flushing Meadows, and replaced Sabalenka atop the WTA rankings.

Unbeaten India took on Sri Lanka in the Women's T20 Asia Cup 2026 final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on 13 September, with India chasing back-to-back title defence in the tournament.

Botanists documented Ophiopogon japonicus — an East Asian medicinal herb — for the first time in India, in the forests of Arunachal Pradesh's West Kameng district.

The Chhattisgarh government approved the 'Chief Minister Startup and NIPUN Mission' with a Rs 500 crore outlay over five years, to set up Entrepreneurship Development Centres in all 33 districts of the state and turn youth into job creators.