NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Ministry of Social Justice Launches ‘JEEVAN’ App and ‘SHATAYU’ Dashboard for Senior Citizens’ Care and Support: The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment launched the “JEEVAN” mobile application and “SHATAYU” dashboard to strengthen safety, care, dignity, and empowerment of senior citizens through technology-based support services. The JEEVAN app provides information on government welfare schemes, emergency assistance services, and senior citizen homes supported by the ministry, with a user-friendly and accessible interface designed for elderly users. The SHATAYU dashboard was launched to strengthen the elderly caregiving ecosystem by providing information on the availability of geriatric caregivers across districts and states during the National Workshop on “Creating a Well-Functioning Care Economy.”
2. ICICI Bank Gets RBI Approval to Reappoint Sandeep Bakhshi as CEO Till October 2028 : ICICI Bank has received approval from the Reserve Bank of India to reappoint Sandeep Bakhshi as its Chief Executive Officer. His tenure has been extended for a further two years, allowing him to continue in the role until 3 October 2028.
3. Vice President Releases Book on P.N. Panicker : Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan released the book The Library Man of India: The Story of P.N. Panicker, authored by P. P. Sathyan, at Uprashtrapati Bhavan. The Vice President described P. N. Panicker as a champion of universal access to knowledge and stressed the need to revive reading culture in society.
4. 24 May – National Brother’s Day: National Brother’s Day is observed every year on 24 May to celebrate the bond of love, care, and friendship shared between brothers. The day highlights the importance of sibling relationships and acknowledges the support, protection, and companionship brothers provide in life.
5. NITI Aayog Convenes Education to Employment Committee : NITI Aayog convened the first meeting of the High Powered Education to Employment and Enterprise Standing Committee on
22 May 2026 in New Delhi. The committee was formed under the Union Budget 2026-27 to align education and skilling systems with labour market demand and to support the services sector. The committee examines the relationship between education outcomes, skill acquisition, and workforce requirements in India. Its agenda includes labour force participation, youth employment, education-skill alignment, and preparedness for jobs in the formal and informal economy. The committee aims to support India’s target of a 10% share in the global services market by 2047. India’s demographic dividend refers to a period when the working-age population is larger than the dependent population.
6. Raghav Chadha Heads Rajya Sabha Committee on Petitions: Raghav Chadha, a Rajya Sabha member, was appointed chairman of the Committee on Petitions of the Upper House on 23 May 2026. The appointment took effect on 20 May 2026 after the committee was reconstituted by Rajya Sabha Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan. The Committee on Petitions is a parliamentary committee of the Rajya Sabha that examines petitions presented before the House. It makes recommendations on matters of public importance and legislative concern. C.P. Radhakrishnan nominated 10 members to the Committee on Petitions. The panel includes Harsh Mahajan, Gulam Ali, Shambhu Sharan Patel, Mayankkumar Nayak, Masthan Rao Yadav Beedha, Jebi Mather Hisham, Subhasish Khuntia, Rwngwra Narzary, and P. Sandosh Kumar.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. India & Ethiopia Sign WTO Accession Protocol to Strengthen Trade and Strategic Ties : India and Ethiopia signed a bilateral accession protocol in Geneva to support Ethiopia’s accession to the World Trade Organisation. India reiterated its support for the inclusion of developing and Least Developed Countries in the global trading system, with the agreement being fast-tracked under the guidance of Piyush Goyal. India is Ethiopia’s second-largest trading partner, and bilateral ties were elevated to a Strategic Partnership during the visit of Narendra Modi to Ethiopia in December 2025.
2. Department of Posts and Flipkart Partner for Nationwide Last Mile Parcel Delivery Services : The Department of Posts and Flipkart signed an agreement for last-mile parcel delivery services across India.The partnership will combine the extensive postal delivery network of the Department of Posts with Flipkart’s strong e-commerce presence to provide efficient and customer-centric parcel delivery solutions.Under the agreement, the Department of Posts will handle last-mile delivery for Flipkart shipments using its vast network of over 1.6 lakh post offices across the country.a
3. New Delhi Hosts 68th Asian Productivity Organisation Governing Body Meeting Successfully: The 68th Governing Body Meeting of the Asian Productivity Organisation was held in New Delhi from 20–22 May 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, focusing on regional cooperation, productivity, and strategic collaboration among member economies.The meeting was hosted by the National Productivity Council under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India.During the session, Cambodia received the APO-AB Accreditation Certificate, while it was announced that the 69th GBM will be hosted in Laos in 2027 and the 67th Summit Meeting of Heads of APO Economies will be held in Sri Lanka in 2027.
4. 23 May – World Turtle Day: World Turtle Day is observed every year on 23 May to raise awareness about the conservation and protection of turtles and tortoises across the world.Theme 2026 – Dancing Turtles Rock!The day highlights the importance of preserving natural habitats and addressing threats such as pollution, climate change, illegal trade, and habitat destruction affecting turtle species.
5. India Leads Global IRCC Issuance Under Nagoya Protocol: India has become the global leader in issuing Internationally Recognised Certificates of Compliance under the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing. As of March-April 2026, India issued about 3,556 to 3,561 certificates out of a global total of 6,311 certificates recorded on the ABS Clearing-House. The Nagoya Protocol is a supplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity, adopted in 2010 and linked to access to genetic resources and fair and equitable benefit-sharing. The ABS Clearing-House is an international platform that records access and benefit-sharing information from registered countries. Internationally Recognised Certificates of Compliance, or IRCCs, are official documents issued under the Nagoya Protocol. These certificates serve as evidence that Prior Informed Consent has been obtained and Mutually Agreed Terms have been established between users and providers of genetic resources.
OTHER UPDATES:
DEFENCE
1. Indian Army Develops AI Platforms Kautilya and Q-FORCE: The Indian Army developed two Artificial Intelligence-based digital systems, Kautilya and Q-FORCE, in 2026 for command intelligence and logistics management. Kautilya is an AI-powered command intelligence platform, while Q-FORCE is an integrated digital application for supply chain and sustainment operations. Kautilya was launched during 21–25 May 2026 as an AI-powered command intelligence platform. It uses AI-enabled dashboards and Natural Language Processing-based interfaces for structured data generation, analytics, and decision support. The platform processes inputs on personnel, equipment, weapons, training, logistics, rations, and operational readiness. It also supports tablet-based data entry and functions as an AI co-pilot for administrative and operational tasks.
2. South Korea Plans Nuclear Submarine by Mid-2030s: South Korea unveiled a roadmap on 26 May 2026 to launch its first domestically built nuclear submarine by the mid-2030s. The project is designated as the Jangbogo N Project and is linked to South Korea’s shipbuilding and reactor technologies. The Jangbogo N Project is South Korea’s programme for a nuclear-powered submarine built within the country. The submarines are planned for active service in the late 2030s or later. The project was announced at the inaugural meeting of the Committee on Future Defense Strategy in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province.
SPORTS
1. Bharat Singh Chauhan Re-Elected as Chairman of Commonwealth Chess Association: Bharat Singh Chauhan has been unanimously re-elected as Chairman of the Commonwealth Chess Association for the term 2026–2030, recognising his decades-long contribution to chess development.The election process was conducted under the supervision of Hon’ble Santiago Pushpa Kumara Ekaratne, a retired High Court Judge, who served as the Returning Officer for the election.
2. India’s First Freediving Team for World Championship: India will field its first official freediving team at the World Apnea Pool Championship in Budapest, Hungary, from 2 June 2026. The team has three athletes: Archana Thiagarajan, Akshay Thatte, and Vachan H U. Freediving is a breath-hold underwater sport that includes pool disciplines and depth disciplines. The World Apnea Pool Championship is an international competition conducted under AIDA International, the global body associated with competitive freediving. Archana Thiagarajan became the first Indian to compete at a World Championship at Wakayama, Japan, from 28 June to 2 July 2025. She competed at the 34th AIDA Freediving World Championship and set four new national records across pool disciplines.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. Madhya Pradesh Partners with Google Cloud to Use AI for Simhastha Kumbh 2028 Management : The Madhya Pradesh government has partnered with Google Cloud to use AI-based solutions for the management of Simhastha Kumbh 2028 to be held in Ujjain.As part of the collaboration, a Centre for Excellence will be established in Indore, and AI solutions will also support sectors like agriculture, education, health, forestry, and women & child development.
2. Scientists Discover Fuel-Saving Earth-to-Moon Route: An international team of scientists published research in April 2026 in the journal Astrodynamics on a fuel-saving Earth-to-Moon trajectory. The study involved researchers from the University of São Paulo in Brazil and the University of Coimbra in Portugal. The lead author was Allan Kardec de Almeida Júnior, and Vitor Martins de Oliveira was a co-author. Earth-to-Moon travel uses transfer trajectories that are calculated with orbital mechanics and gravitational fields. A trajectory with lower delta-v requires less propellant for spacecraft manoeuvres. The newly identified route reduces fuel consumption by at least 58.8 metres per second of delta-v compared with previous optimal paths. The route uses gravitational effects from Earth and the Moon and follows pathways linked to the Interplanetary Transportation Network. The path approaches the Moon from its far side and uses routes around the L1 Lagrange point, which lies between Earth and the Moon. Low-energy transfers of this type have been used in missions such as the Japanese Hiten probe in 1991 and NASA’s GRAIL mission.
3. China Plans Chang’e-7 Lunar Mission for South Pole Research: China’s Chang’e-7 lunar exploration mission is scheduled for launch in the second half of 2026. The mission will study the Moon’s south pole through environmental and resource surveys, with a focus on permanently shadowed regions and possible water ice deposits. Chang’e-7 will use an orbiter, a lander, a rover and a small hopping spacecraft. The mission is designed for high-precision landing with an accuracy of better than 100 metres. The rim of Shackleton crater is a preferred landing site for the mission. The mission will search for water ice and other volatiles in permanently shadowed regions near the lunar south pole. It will also assess the area for a future research base. Chang’e-7 carries 18 science payloads, including instruments built with international partners such as the Egyptian Space Agency and the Bahrain National Space Science Agency.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. ZikZuk Technologies Receives RBI Approval to Operate as Prepaid Payment Instrument Issuer: ZikZuk Technologies has received final authorisation from the Reserve Bank of India to operate as a Prepaid Payment Instrument (PPI) Issuer under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007.The approval allows ZikZuk to offer regulated payment solutions, including digital wallets, prepaid cards, stored-value solutions, and services linked to UPI and cross-border financial systems.PPIs enable users to load money in advance for transactions and include services such as gift cards, transit payments, and UPI One World solutions for foreign nationals and NRIs visiting India.
2. RBI Approves Record ₹2.86 Lakh Crore Surplus Transfer to Government for FY 2025–26: The Reserve Bank of India approved a record surplus transfer of ₹2.86 lakh crore to the Central Government for FY 2025–26, marking one of its highest dividend payouts.The decision was taken during the 623rd meeting of the RBI Central Board in Mumbai, chaired by Governor Sanjay Malhotra, where the bank also reviewed the economic outlook and annual accounts.RBI reported a 26.42% rise in gross income and a 27.60% increase in expenditure before risk provisions, with net income reaching ₹3.95 lakh crore in FY26 compared to ₹3.13 lakh crore in FY25.The central bank also transferred ₹1.09 lakh crore to the Contingent Risk Buffer and maintained it at 6.5% of the balance sheet under the revised Economic Capital Framework.
3. RBI Imposes Penalties on City Union Bank, Mintifi Finserve and Newa Investments for Regulatory Non-Compliance: The Reserve Bank of India imposed monetary penalties on City Union Bank, Mintifi Finserve, and Newa Investments for non-compliance with regulatory directions.City Union Bank was fined ₹10.10 lakh for levying loan-related charges on certain agriculture advances under priority sector lending norms and for not reporting self-help group member-level data to credit information companies.The RBI also imposed penalties of ₹3.10 lakh on Mintifi Finserve and ₹2.70 lakh on Newa Investments for regulatory non-compliance.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1. Chandrayaan-3 Wins 2026 AIAA Goddard Astronautics Award for Historic Lunar South Pole Landing: The Indian Space Research Organisation’s Chandrayaan-3 was awarded the 2026 Goddard Astronautics Award by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics in Washington, D.C., for its landmark achievements in lunar exploration.Chandrayaan-3 created history on 23 August 2023 by becoming the first spacecraft to achieve a soft landing near the Moon’s South Pole, a region of high scientific and strategic importance.The mission provided crucial lunar surface data and confirmed the presence of key chemical elements, while the award was accepted on behalf of ISRO by India’s Ambassador to the United States, Vinay Kwatra.
2. Indian-Origin Scientists Salim Abdool Karim and Keertan Dheda Honoured with South Africa’s Highest Civilian Award: Indian-origin public health scientists Salim Abdool Karim and Keertan Dheda were among 38 individuals awarded South Africa’s highest civilian honour.They were conferred the prestigious Order of Mapungubwe by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at a ceremony held in Pretoria.The award recognises exceptional contributions in public health and global research that benefit both South Africa and the international community.
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