Daily current Affairs May 17, 2026

Current Affairs and GK updates 17/05/2026

Here is the Daily current affairs and GK updates of the day for UPSC,SSC,IBPS,RRB,NTPC and other competitive exams preparations.This updates particularly focus on news updates from 17th may 2026.Stay ahead in your exam preparation with the latest Daily Current Affairs and GK updates for 17 May 2026. This roundup covers key national decisions, international developments, important appointments, sports highlights, and observance days. Curated for aspirants of UPSC, SSC, IBPS, RRB, NTPC, and other competitive exams, it ensures you grasp the most relevant events shaping India and the world today.

National

• President Droupadi Murmu has approved an increase in the sanctioned strength of judges in the Supreme Court from 33 to 37, excluding the Chief Justice of India, through the promulgation of the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Ordinance, 2026.
• The Chhattisgarh government will launch the “Jan Bhagidari – Sabse Door, Sabse Pehle” campaign from tomorrow to ensure that welfare schemes reach tribal villages.The campaign, which will continue until the 25th of this month, will be conducted in more than 8,000 villages across the state. It will be implemented by the Tribal Development Department and will cover villages under the Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan and the Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan.
• President Droupadi Murmu will present Padma Awards for the year 2026 on the 25th of this month.
• The Indian Navy inaugurated its premier Naval Sailing Node at Upper Lake, widely known as Bhojtal, in Bhopal on 17 May 2026.The inauguration ceremony was presided over by Adm Dinesh K Tripathi, CNS, in the presence of a senior officials from defence forces and civil administration, NCC Cadets and students.The facility aims to motivate more youth of Madhya Pradesh to embrace competitive water sports and inspire them to join the Defence Forces.

International

• PM Modi receives Sweden’s Royal Order of Polar Star, Commander Grand Cross; 31st global honour so far-. Sweden’s Royal Order of Polar Star, Commander Grand Cross is the utmost recognition and honour that can be conferred upon a Head of Government.Prime Minister Narendra Modi is holding delegation-level talks with his Swedish counterpart Ulf Kristersson in Gothenburg. The two sides are also expected to explore new avenues of cooperation in trade, green transition, artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, startups, resilient supply chains, defence, space, climate action, and people-to-people ties.
• In Indonesia, Dukono volcano erupted today in country's North Maluku province, spewing grey ash up to 5,000 metres above its peak.
• Nepali mountaineer Kami Rita Sherpa has created history by climbing Mount Everest for a record 32nd time today. The 56-year-old climber broke his own record for the highest number of ascents of the world’s tallest peak.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the decision after more than 300 suspected cases and 88 deaths were reported.

Appointments

• V D Satheesan to Be Sworn in as Keralam Chief Minister on May 18:The new Keralam government led by Congress leader V D Satheesan will be sworn in tomorrow in Thiruvananthapuram.

Sports and culture

• Thailand Open: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty defeated in men’s doubles title:In Badminton, World No. 4 Indian pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty went down 12-21, 23-25 to Indonesia’s Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin in the men’s doubles final of the Thailand Open in Bangkok today.
• Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina wins Italian Open women’s title:In tennis, Ukraine's Elina Svitolina stunned World No. 4 Coco Gauff of the US, 6-4, 6-7 (3-7), 6-2 to win the women’s title at the Italian Open yesterday.

Days Observed

• World Telecommunication and Information Society Day is being observed today globally. This day commemorates the founding of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) – the United Nations Agency for Digital Technologies in 1865 in Paris. The purpose of this day is to help raise awareness of the possibilities that the use of the Internet and other information and communication technologies (ICTs) can bring to societies and economies, as well as of ways to bridge the digital divide.
• World Hypertension Day is being observed today globally. The day is a part of Hypertension Awareness Month, aiming to raise global awareness about high blood pressure, promote prevention, detection, and control, and encourage action at individual, community, and health-system levels. The theme for this year is “Controlling Hypertension Together: check your blood pressure regularly, defeat the silent killer”

Static GK for exam preparations

• Ebola, also known as Ebola virus disease (EVD) and Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF), is a viral hemorrhagic(abnormal or excessive bleeding, or a condition caused by bleeding.) fever in humans and other primates, caused by four of the six known ebolaviruses.Symptoms typically start anywhere between two days and three weeks after infection.The first symptoms are usually fever, sore throat, muscle pain, and headaches.These are usually followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, hepatic and renal dysfunction,at which point some people begin to bleed both internally and externally.The disease causes a mortality rate of anywhere between 25 and 90%, averaging out at approximately 50%.