Top 10 Current Affairs May 2026 for UPSC, SSC, Banking and Railways Exams

From PM Modi being conferred with International honours by Sweden & Norway, the Conclusion of IPL 2026, to the appointment of the New Chief of Defence Staff. This month has witnessed events across every section, including National, International, Sports, Defence, and many others, which are likely to be asked in competitive exams. So, let's see all the major highlights of the month in our May 2026 current affairs roundup. This comprehensive current affairs update will boost your General Knowledge and help you stay ahead in UPSC, SSC, Banking, Railways, Defence, State PSC, Teaching Exams, and other competitive exams. Stay informed. Keep reading!

1. List of new Appointments in May 2026

2. National news May 2026

2.1 Increase in the Supreme Court Judge strength to 37

• The President of India has approved the proposal to introduce the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, in Parliament.

• The Bill seeks to amend the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act,1956, to increase the sanctioned strength of judges in the Supreme Court by four, from the present 33 to 37, excluding the Chief Justice of India.

2.2  Creation of a new Railway Zone in India

• Name: South Coast Railway Zone

• Zonal headquarters: Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh)

• Aim: To boost connectivity and efficiency through reorganization under the Railways Act, 1989.

• It will include the existing Guntakal, Guntur and Vijayawada divisions, which were earlier part of South Central Railway.

• Total Railway Zones in India : 19

2.3  India's Total Sugar Export Ban

• The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has issued a notification placing the export of all categories of sugar (raw, white, and refined) under the "Prohibited" category with immediate effect until 30th September 2026. 

• Reasons for the ban: 

  • Global meteorological models predict a moderate-to-strong El Niño persisting through 2026, which would suppress the Southwest monsoon and affect the planting window for the 2027-28 sugar year.

  • To prevent domestic speculative hoarding and localized price shocks.

3. International news May 2026

3.1  Santa Marta Climate Conference

• It's the First International Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels.

• Representatives from over 50 countries, accounting for nearly 50% of global GDP, gathered in Santa Marta, Colombia.

• Co-hosted by Colombia and the Netherlands.

3.2 26th member of the International Big Cat Alliance

• Name of the country: Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦

• The International Big Cat Alliance was launched by India as a global initiative focused on conserving and protecting big cats and their habitats worldwide.

• The 25-member countries of the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) include India.

3.3  Declaration of Ebola as a Global Health Emergency

• Declared by the World Health Organization

• The declaration was made after the recent outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda.

• Current WHO Director General (as of May 2026): Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

• WHO hq. : Geneva (Switzerland)

• What is the Ebola Virus?

  • Ebola is a highly dangerous viral disease which causes severe haemorrhagic fever in humans.

4. States/UTs news May 2026

4.1  State/UT Assembly elections

• Name of the State/UT where elections took place: West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam, Puducherry.

• Chief Ministers of the State/UTs :

4.2  India's First Paperless Judiciary State

• Name: Sikkim

• The announcement was made at a national conclave in Gangtok by Chief Justice of India, Surya Kant.

• Sikkim capital: Gangtok

5. Defence News May 2026

5.1  First Woman Cat-A Flying Instructor of the IAF

• Name: Squadron Leader Saanya

• The Cat-A Qualified Flying Instructor (QFI) qualification is one of the most respected flying instructor certifications in the Indian Air Force.

5.2  Exercise CINBAX 2026

• Edition: 2nd

• Countries: India & Cambodia

• Location: Kampong Speu province (Cambodia)

6. Sports news May 2026

6.1 IPL 2026

• Edition: 19th
• Total participating teams: 10
• Maximum titles won by: Mumbai Indians & Chennai Super Kings
• Important records created in IPL 2026: 

	Most Sixes in a Single Season 15-year-old Rajasthan Royals batsman Vaibhav Sooryavanshi smashed 65 sixes in the season, breaking Chris Gayle's long-standing record of 59. Most Powerplay Runs: Sooryavanshi also became the first batter in T20 history to score 500+ powerplay runs in a single tournament.
	Highest Individual Score: KL Rahul (Delhi Capitals) scored the season's highest individual score and the highest by an Indian in IPL history, an unbeaten 152 off 66 balls.
	Consecutive 50+ Scores: Gujarat Titans' Sai Sudharsan tied the all-time record for the most consecutive 50-plus scores in IPL history.

6.2 Thomas Cup 2026

• Sport: Badminton

• Edition: 34th

• Host: Denmark

• Winner: China

• Runners-up: France

6.3 Uber Cup 2026

• Sport: Badminton

• Edition: 31st

• Host: Denmark

• Winner: South Korea

• Runners-up: China

7. Important Awards May 2026

7.1  International Booker Prize 2026 

• Won by Yang Shuang-zi (Taiwan)

• She won it for her novel Taiwan Travelogue 

• The novel was translated to English by Lin King.

• The novel is a fictional memoir by a purported Japanese writer named Aoyama Chizuko, set in 1938, during Japan's colonial rule over Taiwan.

7.2  PM receives the highest civilian honours from foreign nations

• Norway's highest civilian honour: The Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit.

• Sweden's highest civilian honour: Royal Order of the Polar Star, Commander Grand Cross.

8. Report/Ranking/Portal May 2026

8.1  Henley Passport Index 2026

• It's a globally recognized ranking of passports based on visa-free travel access.

• Published by Henley & Partners, ranks 199 passports across 227 destinations using data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

• Top in the ranking: Singapore (192 visa-free destinations)

• India's rank: 78th (56 visa-free destinations)

8.2  Ayush Anudan Portal

• Launched by the Ministry of Ayush

• The portal has been created to streamline the complete funding lifecycle from proposal submission and document verification to approval and real-time monitoring.

9. Obituaries May 2026

9.1 Gurbax Singh Grewal

• Veteran Indian hockey player

• He was a member of India’s 1968 Olympic bronze medal-winning team.

9.2 Ted Turner

• Founder of CNN 

• In 1970, he acquired the struggling television station in Atlanta, Channel 17 and later transformed it into WTBS (America’s first ‘superstation') using satellite technology to broadcast nationwide.

• He later earned the nickname ‘The Mouth of the South’ .

10. Important Books May 2026

10.1 Apnapan: Narendra Modi Sang Mere Anubhav

• Written by Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

• It tells about how two Chief Ministers worked together to resolve different matters of the states.

Here's the BONUS! Special Days in May 2026, List of National & International Important Days

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