UPSC Daily Current Affairs | One Liners 05-09-2026

One Liners 05-09-2026

History, Art and Culture

Gollala Gudi Temple

Recently, the ASI notified Gollala Gudi Temple as a monument of national importance for its exquisite carvings.

• Location – Palampet in the Mulugu district of Telangana.
• This temple is situated near the UNESCO-listed Ramappa Temple.
• Built during – The period of the Kakatiya Dynasty between the 12th and 14th centuries.

Architectural Features

• A Trikutalaya (three‑sanctum shrine) with a mandapa (pillared hall) facing east.
• Three garbhagrihas (sanctum sanctorums), the central one housing a Shiva lingam.
• Its parapet is adorned with sculptures, while the entablature (the upper part of a building supported by columns) and doorways feature rows of carved hamsas with “jali” (latticework) among the temple’s distinctive features.
• Artistic Motifs – The sculptures of dvarapalas, musicians, dancers, madanikas (celestial maidens), and lions.
• Niches on walls depict Vishnu, Lakshmi, Ganesha, and Mahishasuramardini Durga (slayer of demon Mahishasura).
• Legal Framework – Under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958.

Polity & Governance

Retirement age for district judge

The Supreme Court pushes for raising retirement age in district judiciary to 62 as case backlog exceeds five crore.

• All India Judges Association v. Union of India, 2026 – A three-judge Bench of the Supreme Court of India has directed several state governments to raise the retirement age of judicial officers in the district judiciary from 60 to 62 years.
• Retirement Age Limits by Court
  • Supreme Court – 65 years for both the Chief Justice of India and other judges.
  • High Courts – 62 years.
  • District and Lower Courts – 60 years (though the Supreme Court has recently pushed states to enhance this retirement age to 62 years).
• Current Situation – Over 5.18 crore cases are pending in district courts nationwide, and problems includes attrition of experienced judges leaves posts unfilled, worsening delays.

Economy

Global Bond Sell-off

Economies across the world are facing a new problem: investors selling their government bond holdings.

• Global bond sell-off – It happens when investors around the world suddenly and simultaneously rush to sell their government and corporate bonds.
• Reason for selling – High inflation and massive U.S. debt issuance.

• Impact on Governments – Future borrowing plans of governments, including India, could be affected; higher borrowing costs may strain public finances.
• Effect on Private Sector – It could raise the cost of borrowing for businesses and may reduce private sector investment in the economy.

Chipflation

• Chipflation – It is a rising economic trend where massive global demand for artificial intelligence data centers drives up the cost of memory and semiconductor chips, making everyday consumer electronics more expensive.

Environment

National Wildlife Day, 2026

• It is celebrated twice a year – on September 4 & February 22 (in memory of wildlife conservationist Steve Irwin).
• 1^st celebrated in September 2005, established by animal behaviourist and philanthropist Colleen Paige.
• Objective – To raise awareness of different animal species around the world and to encourage their conservation.
• World Wildlife Day is celebrated annually on March 3rd.

International Vulture Awareness Day, 2026

• Every year, the first Saturday in September is dedicated to vultures, falling on September 5^th  this year.
• Objective – To highlight the critical ecological roles and conservation needs of vultures worldwide.
• Importance of vultures – Vultures are nature’s clean-up crew. By rapidly removing animal carcasses, they play a vital role in maintaining healthy ecosystems and reducing risks associated with decaying carcasses.

Joint Declaration on Wetland Conservation

Recently, India and Germany signed a Joint Declaration of Intent on the conservation and wise use of wetlands of international importance.

• Objective – This declaration is seen as a step towards strengthening scientific cooperation and sharing best practices in wetland management.
• Signed during – 4^th Indo-German Environment Forum (IGEF).
• IGEF – The highest-level bilateral forum between India and Germany on environmental policy and has been held since 2008.
• Theme of 4^th IGEF – Together For More Resilience.
• Organised by – Jointly by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Government of India & Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Protection, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN), Germany.
• In association with – Asia-Pacific Committee of German Business (APA) & Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

Security

Khagantak-243

Recently, the IAF has successfully conducts trial of the indigenous Khagantak-243 bomb dropped from a Su-30MKI fighter at the Pokhran Field Firing Range in Rajasthan.

• Khagantak-243 – It is a 300-kg-class airborne long-range stand-off precision-guided glide bomb.
• Glide bomb – A standoff precision-guided aerial weapon equipped with wings and flight control surfaces that allow it to glide toward a target over a flat trajectory after being released from a distance.
• Design & Development – Indigenously designed & developed jointly by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Nagpur-based start-up JSR Dynamics under the Development-cum-Production Partner model.
• Range – It covers 144km to 180km when released from an altitude of around 12km at Mach 0.8.
• Design – A cylindrical body, swivel-type mid-body glide wings and five aft control surfaces that help it navigate towards its target.

Sports

6th World Nomad Games

Prime Minister of India attended the opening ceremony of the World Nomad Games in Kyrgyzstan’s capital, Bishkek, from August 31 to September 6.

• World Nomad Games – A biennial event that celebrates the rich sporting traditions, culture and heritage of nomadic civilisations rather than standard Olympic disciplines, bringing together countries in a vibrant celebration of their shared culture.
• Origin – It was conceived following the Bishkek Declaration signed in 2012 (Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkey) - the declaration spoke of solidarity among the Turkic States.
• Participation – Athletes from more than 100 countries are taking part in the games.
• 2026 edition – Has a wide-ranging sports programme comprising 43 disciplines, including
  • Sports – Traditional wrestling forms such as Goresh, Kurash and Mongol Bokh, along with Kok Boru, Kekpar, equestrian events, Toguz Kargool, Mangala, Oware, Chuko, Ordo, tug of war and strongman competitions.
  • Cultural Programme – Recognised by UNESCO, features festivals like “Echo of Nomads,” Nomad Fest, “Heritage of Nomads,” Art Lab and Ethno-Bazaar.
  • Science Programme – Includes international conferences and discussions on nomadic heritage, traditional knowledge and cultural dialogue.
• Indian contingent, 2026 – Comprises 87 members, including 73 athletes, 10 cultural representatives and four participants in the scientific programme.

Index

UN votes to adopt new world map

The UN General Assembly has voted to replace the traditional world map with one that more accurately reflects the size of Africa.

• “Correct the Map” resolution – Sponsored by Togo and backed by African Union (AU) members.
• Voting – Passed with the support of 164 nations, including France and the UK - United States was the only nation to vote against it, while six countries abstained.
• Mercator map – It has been in common use since the 16th Century, designed in 1569 by the Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator to help European explorers navigate across the world.
• Criticism – It makes countries near the poles appear much larger than they really are - shows Africa as similar in size to Greenland, even though it is 14 times larger.
• Alternative Projection – In an effort to correct this, a team of cartographers in 2018 created an equal-area map they called the Equal Earth projection, which shows the relative sizes of continents more accurately.
• In February, the African Union’s 54 member states adopted it and said it more accurately represents the sizes of all continents, particularly Africa.