Current Affairs for May 21, 2026

National Anti-Terrorism Day (May 21): Observed across India to mark the death anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, who was assassinated on this day in 1991. The day aims to wean youth away from violence and extremism while promoting national harmony.

International Tea Day (May 21): Marked under the 2026 theme "Sustaining Tea, Supporting Communities". The Indian Tea Association (ITA) highlighted record export earnings of ₹8,488 crore for 2025, while raising serious concerns over early 2026 climate stresses, such as a 97% rainfall deficit in Assam.

Sweden Joins India’s 'Shukrayaan' Mission: Sweden formally partnered with ISRO for the upcoming Venus Mission (Shukrayaan). The Swedish Institute of Space Physics will provide the Venusian Neutrals Analyser (VNA) to study solar wind interactions with Venus’s atmosphere.

India-South Korea Defense & Cyber MoU: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, during his official visit to Seoul, signed a landmark MoU with South Korea. The agreement focuses on cyber threat intelligence sharing and protecting joint military infrastructure.

India Hosts PRAGATI 2026 Joint Military Exercise: India commenced the PRAGATI 2026 multilateral military exercise, hosting armed forces from 12 nations. The event features a massive operational showcase of indigenous defense platforms under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.

Blackstone-Google AI Venture: Blackstone and Google announced a $5 billion venture to offer Google’s custom AI Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) as a compute-as-a-service. The venture aims to establish a massive 500 MW data center capacity by 2027.

India Hosts 68th APO Governing Body Meeting: The 68th Asian Productivity Organization (APO) session commenced in New Delhi (May 20–22), attended by Union Minister Piyush Goyal and delegates from 20 economies to discuss the APO Vision 2030 framework.

DRDO Successfully Tests ULPGM-V3 Missile: The Defence Research and Development Organisation successfully flight-tested the upgraded Upgraded Laser Guided Anti-Tank Missile (ULPGM-V3). The indigenous missile is now cleared for immediate mass production.

Maharashtra Launches 'Kasa Kay?' Health Campaign: The Maharashtra government rolled out the state-wide "Kasa Kay?" (How are you?) rural health campaign, deploying mobile clinics to provide diagnostics and mental health counseling across remote villages.

Jannik Sinner Wins Italian Open: Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner continued his historic run by winning the Italian Open, securing his 6th consecutive Masters title of the season and extending an incredible 29-0 match record in Masters events this year.