Prelims Current Affairs includes World Ovarian Cancer Day 2026, World Thalassemia Day 2026, Teesta River, Jamaica , Prevention Of Insults To National Honour Act, 1971, International Union For Conservation Of Nature, Pulitzer Prize 2026 & Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize 2026

 DAY TO REMEMBER

1. WORLD OVARIAN CANCER DAY 2026

Current Context: World Ovarian Cancer Day 2026 is being observed on 8 May to spread awareness about ovarian cancer and the importance of early diagnosis.

ABOUT WORLD OVARIAN CANCER DAY

• Observed On: 8 May every year
• Objective: To raise awareness about ovarian cancer, its symptoms, early detection and treatment access
• Theme 2026: “No Woman Left Behind”
• Focus Areas: Equal healthcare access, cancer support and women’s health awareness
• Significance: Ovarian cancer is often called a “silent disease” because symptoms are difficult to detect in early stages

 DAY TO REMEMBER

2. WORLD THALASSEMIA DAY 2026

Current Context: World Thalassemia Day 2026 is being observed on 8 May to spread awareness about thalassemia and promote early diagnosis and treatment support.

ABOUT WORLD THALASSEMIA DAY

• Objective: To raise awareness about thalassemia, an inherited blood disorder
• Theme 2026: “Hidden No More: Finding the Undiagnosed. Supporting the Unseen.”
• Focus Areas: Early diagnosis, genetic screening and equal healthcare access
• Health Impact: Patients often require lifelong blood transfusions and continuous medical care

GEOGRAPHY

3. Teesta River

Current Context: Bangladesh has renewed its request to move forward on the long-pending Teesta water-sharing agreement with India.

ABOUT TEESTA RIVER

• Type: Major tributary of the Brahmaputra River
• Origin: Originates from Tso Lhamo Lake at about 5,280 metres in North Sikkim
• Course in India: Flows around 150 km in Sikkim and 123 km in West Bengal
• Entry into Bangladesh: Enters Bangladesh through Mekhligunj in Cooch Behar district
• Final Drainage: Flows about 140 km in Bangladesh before joining the Bay of Bengal

IMPORTANCE FOR INDIA AND BANGLADESH

• Bangladesh’s Significance: Teesta is Bangladesh’s fourth largest trans-boundary river
• Catchment Distribution: Around 83% of the catchment lies in India and 17% in Bangladesh
• Economic Importance: Supports nearly 8.5% of Bangladesh’s population and 14% of its crop production

TEESTA WATER-SHARING AGREEMENT

• 2011 Understanding: India and Bangladesh reached an in-principle agreement in 2011 for sharing Teesta waters
• Pending Issue: Agreement could not be finalized due to coordination issues between the Union Government and the West Bengal government
• Recent Development: Bangladesh has expressed hope for reconsideration of the agreement in the current political context

PLACES IN NEWS

4. Jamaica

Current Context: India and Jamaica signed three MoUs in health cooperation, solarisation and broadcasting during the External Affairs Minister’s official visit.

ABOUT JAMAICA

• Location: Mountainous island nation in the Caribbean Sea, located south of Cuba
• Island Group: Part of the Greater Antilles island chain along with Cuba, Hispaniola and Puerto Rico
• Size: Third largest island in the Caribbean Sea after Cuba and Hispaniola
• Independence: Became independent from the United Kingdom in 1962
• Commonwealth Membership: Continues to remain a member of the Commonwealth of Nations
• Geological Formation: Formed due to collision of the North American and Caribbean tectonic plates around 25 million years ago.

PHYSICAL FEATURES OF JAMAICA

• Major Mountain Ranges: Blue Mountains, John Crow Mountains, Don Figuero Mountains and Cockpit Country
• Major Rivers: Black River, Rio Cobre and Rio Grande

HISTORY

5. Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971

Current Context: The Union Cabinet approved amendments to the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971 to make insult or obstruction to the singing of Vande Mataram a punishable offence.

ABOUT PREVENTION OF INSULTS TO NATIONAL HONOUR ACT, 1971

• Objective: To prevent disrespect towards national symbols such as the National Anthem, National Flag, Constitution of India, and proposed inclusion of National Song Vande Mataram
• Punishment: Imprisonment up to 3 years, or fine, or both
• Proposed Amendment: Makes insulting or obstructing the singing of Vande Mataram a punishable offence

ABOUT VANDE MATARAM

• Composer: Written in Sanskrit by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee
• Origin: First appeared in the novel Anandamath (1882)
• Historical Background: Novel based on the 1769–73 Bengal Famine and the Sanyasi Rebellion
• First Public Singing: Sung by Rabindranath Tagore at the Indian National Congress session in 1896
• Role in Freedom Movement: Became a symbol of nationalism during the Swadeshi Movement of 1905
• National Song Status: Adopted as India’s National Song on 24 January 1950

ENVIRONMENT

6. International Union for Conservation of Nature

Current Context: The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) approved 48 new members globally, including five organizations from the Mesoamerica and Caribbean region.

NEW MEMBERS FROM MESOAMERICA & CARIBBEAN

• Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigación y Desarrollo Alternativo U Yich Lu’um – Mexico
• Grupo de Ecología y Conservación de Islas (GECI) – Mexico
• Belize Fund for a Sustainable Future – Belize
• Asociación de Comunidades Forestales de Petén (ACOFOP) – Guatemala
• Fundación Segundo Montes – El Salvador

IUCN MEMBERSHIP

• Eligible Members: States, government agencies, subnational governments, NGOs and Indigenous Peoples’ organizations
• Regional Expansion: Membership in the Mesoamerica and Caribbean region increased to 123 organizations

AWARDS

7. Pulitzer Prize 2026

Context: Indian journalists Anand RK and Suparna Sharma, along with Natalie Obiko Pearson, won the Pulitzer Prize 2026.

• They received the award in the Illustrated Reporting and Commentary
• The award was given for Bloomberg’s investigative project “trAPPed”, which exposed cases of digital arrest fraud in India.

About the Pulitzer Prize

• Established in 1917.
• Named after newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer.
• Administered by Columbia University, USA.
• Categories and Awards: The Pulitzer Prize has 23 categories.

The award honours excellence in:

• Journalism
• Literature
• Music Composition

Previous Indian Pulitzer Prize Winners

Gobind Behari Lal

• First Indian to win the Pulitzer Prize for journalism in 1937.
• Associated with the Ghadar Party in America.

Siddhartha Mukherjee

• Won the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction.

Danish Siddiqui

• Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner.
• Won in:
• 2018 for coverage of the Rohingya crisis.
• 2020 for photographs depicting the human impact of COVID-19 in India.

AWARDS

8. GUILLERMO CANO WORLD PRESS FREEDOM PRIZE 2026

Current Context: UNESCO has awarded the 2026 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize to the Sudanese Journalists Syndicate.

ABOUT THE PRIZE

• Name:UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize
• Established:1997
• Type:Only UN-recognized award honoring individuals/organizations defending press freedom under difficult conditions
• Named after:Guillermo Cano Isaza (assassinated for his fearless journalism)

Download Pdf | Study Material | Downloads | Daily Quiz  | FREE Youtube Videos