Asia Current Affairs — Last 6 months
Daily news by your exam, state and topic — each with a short summary, key facts and MCQs.
Sat, 09 May 2026
Government appoints Lt Gen N. S. Raja Subramani (Retd) as CDS and Vice Adm Krishna Swaminathan as Chief of the Naval Staff
On 9 May 2026 the Government appointed Lt Gen N. S. Raja Subramani (Retd) as the next Chief of Defence Staff, succeeding Gen Anil Chauhan, and Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan as the next Chief of the Naval Staff, succeeding Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi.
DRDO's DRDL runs actively cooled full-scale scramjet combustor for over 1,200 seconds in Hyderabad
On 9 May 2026 DRDO's Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL) ran its actively cooled full-scale scramjet combustor for over 1,200 seconds at the Scramjet Connect Pipe Test facility in Hyderabad, a step towards hypersonic cruise missiles.
Suvendu Adhikari sworn in as West Bengal's first BJP Chief Minister at Brigade Parade Ground, Kolkata
On 9 May 2026 Governor R. N. Ravi administered the oath to Suvendu Adhikari as Chief Minister of West Bengal at Kolkata's Brigade Parade Ground, heading the state's first BJP government after the party won 207 of 294 seats.
Baksa district of Assam makes first-ever export of 20 MT ODOP honey to the USA
On 9 May 2026 a 20-metric-tonne consignment of One District One Product (ODOP) honey from Baksa, an Aspirational District of Assam, was flagged off to the USA in the district's first-ever honey export, facilitated by APEDA.
Jan Suraksha schemes PMJJBY, PMSBY and Atal Pension Yojana complete 11 years
On 9 May 2026 the Jan Suraksha schemes — PM Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, PM Suraksha Bima Yojana and Atal Pension Yojana, launched on 9 May 2015 — completed 11 years, with PMSBY enrolments at 58.09 crore and APY at 9.04 crore.
Indian Coast Guard commissions ICGS Achal, an Adamya-class Fast Patrol Vessel, at Goa Shipyard
On 9 May 2026 the Indian Coast Guard commissioned ICGS Achal, the latest Adamya-class Fast Patrol Vessel built by Goa Shipyard Limited with more than 50% indigenous components.
National Panchayat Awards 2025 announced for 42 panchayats; Sepahijala (Tripura) named best district
On 9 May 2026 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj announced the National Panchayat Awards 2025 for 42 panchayats from 17 States/UTs, with Sepahijala in Tripura named Best District Panchayat; the ceremony is on 3 June 2026.
PM pays tribute to Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore on Pochishe Boishakh
On 9 May 2026 PM Narendra Modi paid tribute to Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore on Pochishe Boishakh, Tagore's birth anniversary as per the Bengali calendar.
National Commission for Minorities holds national seminar on Parsis in Modern India in Mumbai
On 9 May 2026 the National Commission for Minorities held a national seminar, 'Parsis in Modern India: Navigating Cultural and Socio-Economic Pathways', in Mumbai, where Union Minister Kiren Rijiju spoke on preserving Parsi heritage and reviving the Avestan language.
19th Mumbai International Film Festival to be held from 15 to 21 June 2026; delegate registrations open
On 9 May 2026 delegate registrations opened for the 19th Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF), South Asia's oldest festival for documentary, short fiction and animation films, to be held at the NFDC premises in Mumbai from 15 to 21 June 2026.
Swachh Sagar, Surakshit Sagar 2026 coastal cleanup to run from 12 to 19 September
On 9 May 2026 Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh reviewed preparations for the 'Swachh Sagar, Surakshit Sagar' 2026 campaign, a week-long coastal cleanup from 12 to 19 September culminating on International Coastal Cleanup Day, and for the India International Science Festival in Pune in December.
Fri, 08 May 2026
India flight-tests Advanced Agni missile with MIRV system from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island, Odisha
On 8 May 2026 India successfully flight-tested an Advanced Agni missile with a Multiple Independently Targeted Re-Entry Vehicle (MIRV) system from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island, Odisha, hitting multiple targets spread over the Indian Ocean Region.
Steel cutting of fifth and last Fleet Support Ship for Indian Navy held at Hindustan Shipyard, Visakhapatnam
On 8 May 2026 the steel cutting of the fifth and last of five Fleet Support Ships for the Indian Navy was held at Hindustan Shipyard Limited, Visakhapatnam; the ships, of over 40,000 tonnes displacement, will replenish fleet ships at sea.
Second India Aircraft Leasing & Financing Summit held at GIFT City, Gandhinagar
On 8 May 2026 the Civil Aviation Ministry, IFSCA and FICCI held the 2nd India Aircraft Leasing and Financing Summit (IALFS 2.0) at GIFT City, Gandhinagar, where Minister Ram Mohan Naidu cited a USD 50 billion leasing opportunity over the coming decade.
ARIES Nainital study finds massive stars trigger star formation in Bright Rimmed Cloud 44
On 8 May 2026 DST announced that scientists at ARIES, Nainital found UV radiation from a massive star triggering new star formation in Bright Rimmed Cloud 44 in the Cepheus OB2 complex, identifying 22 new young stellar objects.
ECI publishes Index Cards and Statistical Reports for 830 Assembly constituencies within 72 hours on ECINET
On 8 May 2026 the Election Commission of India published the Index Cards and 14 Statistical Reports for all 830 Assembly constituencies that went to polls in the 2026 Assembly elections and bye-elections, the first time the reports came within 72 hours of results.
India hosts ISO subcommittee meetings on Space Systems and Operations for the first time
The Bureau of Indian Standards hosted the 35th Plenary and Working Group meetings of the ISO TC 20/SC 14 'Space Systems and Operations' subcommittee in New Delhi, the first time India hosted them, with 131 delegates from 13 countries, the Consumer Affairs Ministry announced on 8 May 2026.
Shivraj Singh Chouhan reviews DILRMP 3.0 and Land Stack initiative of the Department of Land Resources
On 8 May 2026 Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan reviewed the Department of Land Resources, including DILRMP 3.0 with ULPIN, Aadhaar seeding and Land Stack software, and proposed GIS-based monitoring for the watershed component of PMKSY 3.0.
Aizawl hosts Mizoram's first regional conference on cooperative reforms for North-Eastern states
On 8 May 2026 the Ministry of Cooperation held the second Regional Conference on Cooperative Reforms in Aizawl, the first such conference in Mizoram, bringing together all eight North-Eastern states; the first was held in Jaipur.
Renovated Andheri RS Post Office in Mumbai inaugurated as a future-ready hub under Jan Sewa Connect
On 8 May 2026 Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated the renovated Andheri Railway Station Post Office in Mumbai under the Department of Posts' Jan Sewa Connect, the first in Maharashtra and second in India under the initiative.
India advances BRICS MSME cooperation under its 2026 Chairship
On 8 May 2026 the MSME Ministry said that, as BRICS Chair in 2026, India will convene three SME Working Group meetings and the inaugural BRICS MSME Forum under the BRICS Partnership on the New Industrial Revolution (PartNIR), the first meeting having focused on access to finance.
Thu, 07 May 2026
DRDO and IAF conduct maiden flight-trial of TARA, India's first indigenous glide weapon kit
On 7 May 2026 DRDO and the Indian Air Force conducted the maiden flight-trial of the Tactical Advanced Range Augmentation (TARA) weapon off the Odisha coast, India's first indigenous glide weapon system that turns unguided warheads into precision-guided weapons.
Nation marks first anniversary of Operation Sindoor; PM salutes armed forces
On 7 May 2026 PM Narendra Modi saluted the armed forces on one year of Operation Sindoor, the strikes of 7 May 2025 on nine terrorist sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir after the Pahalgam terror attack.
IndiaAI and ICMR sign MoU to accelerate responsible AI adoption in healthcare
On 7 May 2026 IndiaAI, under MeitY, signed an MoU with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) under which ICMR will share datasets and models from its MIDAS framework on the AIKosh platform and get subsidised GPU compute.
Free annual health check-ups for workers aged 40 and above launched under Labour Codes
On 7 May 2026 Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya launched the nationwide Annual Health Check-Up Initiative for workers aged 40 and above under the Labour Codes from ESIC Medical College & Hospital, Basaidarapur, Delhi.
MoSPI releases uniform guideline for compiling Gross State Value Added with base year 2022-23
On 7 May 2026 MoSPI released a uniform guideline for States and UTs to compile Gross State Value Added (GSVA) estimates with the new base year 2022-23, prepared by a sub-committee on regional accounts chaired by Prof. Ravindra H. Dholakia.
101 auctioned mineral blocks operationalised since 2015 auction regime; Odisha leads
On 7 May 2026 the Ministry of Mines said 101 auctioned mineral blocks have been operationalised since the auction regime began in 2015, led by Odisha with 34, while FY 2025–26 saw a record 212 blocks auctioned.
2nd BRICS Employment Working Group meeting concludes in Thiruvananthapuram
On 7 May 2026 the second BRICS Employment Working Group meeting under India's 2026 BRICS Chairship concluded in Thiruvananthapuram, discussing social security, women's workforce participation, skills and digital technologies.
Expert task force formed to tackle litchi stink bug damage in Bihar
On 7 May 2026, on Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's direction, ICAR's National Research Centre on Litchi, Muzaffarpur, set up an expert task force to study damage to litchi crops in Bihar by the litchi stink bug and report within a week.
Women's participation in India's maritime sector up 340% since 2020, Sonowal tells 10th Indian Ocean Dialogue
On 7 May 2026 Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal told the 10th Indian Ocean Dialogue in New Delhi that women's participation in India's maritime sector has risen by about 340% since 2020.