12th May 2026

1. Overview of PM Narendra Modi’s Visit to Karnataka and Telangana on 10 May 2026
2. AIFF & Odisha Government Renew 5-Year MoU to Strengthen Youth Football Development
3. India Hands Over IUCAA Banner to SAAO to Strengthen Scientific Cooperation
4. Delhi Metro Partners with Airtel Payments Bank to Launch RuPay ‘On-The-Go’ cards
5. SBI Research Projects India’s Q4FY26 Growth at 7.2%
6. SAIL Appoints Ashok Kumar Panda as New Chairman and MD
7. Indian Coast Guard Commissions Indigenous FPV ‘ICGS ACHAL’ in Goa
8. Shanghai Hyundai Archery World Cup Stage 2: India Women’s Recurve Team Wins Gold
9. Australian Tennis Legend Mal Anderson Passed Away
10. Union Minister Amit Shah Releases Tushar Mehta’s books ‘The Bench, the Bar, and the Bizarre’ and ‘The Lawful and The Awful’
11. World Migratory Bird Day 2026 – May 9
12. International Argania Day 2026 – May 10
13. Assam Enters New Leadership Phase as CM Himanta Sarma Sworn In Again
14. Mental Health Awareness Week 2026
15. International Nurses Day
16. International Day of Plant Health 2026
17. Meet the ‘Messi of Chess’ Who Is Breaking Records Worldwide
18. Project Cheetah Hits New Milestone – Experts Call It Crucial

National News

India and South Africa Strengthen Strategic Astronomy Collaboration

• What: India’s High Commissioner Prabhat Kumar handed over the banner of the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) to the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) to strengthen scientific research ties.
• Tell me more:
  • The formal ceremony took place at the Royal Observatory in Cape Town earlier this week.
  • The SAAO and Indian collaborators have maintained a strong partnership through the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) facility for two decades.
  • India currently holds the 2026 BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) chairship.

Union Minister Launches International Big Cat Alliance Summit Website

• What: Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav launched the website and logo for the 1st International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) Summit 2026, which India will host on June 1, 2026.
• Tell me more:
  • The International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) is an inter-governmental international organisation headquartered in India.
  • This alliance focuses on the conservation of seven big cats: Lion, Tiger, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Cheetah, Jaguar, and Puma.
  • The upcoming summit follows the theme ‘Save Big Cats, Save Humanity, Save Ecosystem’.
  • World leaders expect to adopt the ‘Delhi Declaration’ as the first-ever global declaration on big cat conservation.
  • India launched the IBCA in 2023 to address conservation challenges collectively through cooperation and knowledge sharing.

State News

Prime Minister to Visit Karnataka and Telangana

• What: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Bengaluru and Hyderabad on Sunday to participate in The Art of Living’s 45th anniversary celebrations and launch several developmental projects worth approximately Rs 9,500 crore for regional growth.
• Tell me more:
  • This event also marks the 70th birthday of the founder, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.
  • Foundation stones will be laid for the four-laning of the Hyderabad-Panaji Economic Corridor.
  • The Pradhan Mantri Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel (PM MITRA) Park will be unveiled at Warangal.

Delhi Metro Launches Co-branded National Common Mobility Cards

• What: The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) partnered with Airtel Payments Bank to launch co-branded RuPay ‘On-The-Go’ National Common Mobility Cards (NCMC) to enable seamless travel payments across various transit networks nationwide.
• Tell me more:
  • DMRC Managing Director – Vikas Kumar
  • Airtel Payments Bank MD and CEO – Anubrata Biswas
  • The partnership supports the national ambition of ‘One Nation, One Card’ for modernizing urban mobility.

GDP Forecasts

State Bank of India Projects India’s GDP at 7.5%

• What: The State Bank of India (SBI) Research report projects a resilient growth path for India with a full-year Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of 7.5% for the financial year 2026 despite global turmoil.
• Tell me more:
  • The report pegs Real GDP growth at 7.2% for the fourth quarter of the financial year 2026.
  • Economic growth is expected to moderate to 6.6% in the financial year 2027 reflecting a gradual normalization.

Defence News

Indian Coast Guard Commissions Fast Patrol Vessel Achal

• What: The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) commissioned the Adamya-class Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV) ‘Achal’ at Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) to enhance operational capabilities and safeguard the maritime frontiers of the country.
• Tell me more:
  • ‘Achal’ is the fifth ship in a series of eight FPVs being constructed by the Goa Shipyard Limited.
  • The vessel will be stationed at Vadinar, Gujarat.

Important Days

World Migratory Bird Day 2026 – May 9

• 2026 Campaign is Every Bird Counts – Your Observations Matter!

International Day of Argania – May 10

• The argan tree (Argania spinosa) is a special tree found mainly in southwest Morocco. It grows in very dry areas where there is little water and poor soil.
• These trees form a forest ecosystem called the Arganeraie, which supports many unique plants found only in that region. The argan tree is very strong because it can survive harsh conditions like drought, soil erosion, and infertile land.

Mental Health Awareness Week 2026 – May 11–17

• 2026 Theme: Action

International Nurses Day – May 12

• Theme: Our Nurses. Our Future. Empowered Nurses Save Lives

International Day of Plant Health 2026 – May 12

• Theme – “Plant Biosecurity for Food Security and Nutrition”

Sports

Archery World Cup 2026 in Shanghai, China

• What: The Indian women’s recurve archery team, featuring Deepika Kumari, Ankita Bhakat, and Kumkum Mohod, won the gold medal at the Archery World Cup 2026 in Shanghai by defeating the People’s Republic of China.
• Tell me more:
  • Sahil Jadhav secured a bronze medal for India in the men’s individual compound event.
  • The Indian contingent concluded the Shanghai leg of the series with a total of two medals.

Faustino Oro Becomes Second Youngest Chess Grandmaster

• What: Argentinian prodigy Faustino Oro became the second-youngest player in history to earn the Grandmaster (GM) title at the Sardinia World Chess Festival in Italy, achieving this feat at 12 years, 6 months, and 26 days old.
• Tell me more:
  • American Abhimanyu Mishra is the youngest player who claimed the highest title in chess at 12 years, four months, and 25 days in July 2021.
  • Nicknamed ‘Messi of Chess’, Oro is just the seventh player to accomplish this feat before turning 13, joining an elite list that includes Mishra, Sergey Karjakin, D Gukesh, Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus, Javokhir Sindarov, and R Praggnanandhaa.

Memorandum of Understanding

All India Football Federation and Odisha Renew Partnership

• What: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) and the Department of Sports and Youth Services (DSYS), Government of Odisha, signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to expand their youth football partnership.
• Tell me more:
  • This second MoU follows an initial partnership established in November 2023 to develop elite youth football.
  • The partnership operates through the All India Football Federation-Federation Internationale de Football Association (AIFF-FIFA) Talent Academy.

Appointments

Ashok Kumar Panda Appointed as CMD of SAIL

• The Government of India appointed Ashok Kumar Panda as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the state-owned Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL).

BJP’s Himanta Sarma Sworn in as CM of Assam Again

Miscellaneous

Australian Tennis Legend Mal Anderson Passes away

• Tennis Australia announced that legendary Australian tennis player Mal Anderson died at the age of 91. He became famous in 1957 after becoming the first unseeded player to win the US Open men’s singles title.

Union Home Minister Releases Book by Tushar Mehta

• Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah released a book titled ‘The Bench, the Bar, and the Bizarre and The Lawful and the Awful’ authored by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta in New Delhi.

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