16 May 2026 — Daily Current Affairs Quiz
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Digital Governance
WTISD 2026 — ITU Theme & History
Observed 17 May annually. 2026 theme: ‘Digital lifelines: Strengthening resilience in a connected world’. ITU founded 17 May 1865 (first International Telegraph Convention, Paris). World Telecommunication Day celebrated since 1969; merged with World Information Society Day in 2006 (ITU Plenipotentiary, Antalya). India: ITU member since 1869; ITU Council member since 1952. Previous themes: 2025 — Gender equality; 2024 — Digital innovation for sustainable development.
International
PM Modi’s Five-Nation Tour — UAE Investment Deals
Tour began 15 May 2026. UAE leg: 6 MoUs signed; total UAE investment: USD 5 billion. Breakdown: Emirates NBD — USD 3 billion in RBL Bank; IHC — USD 1 billion in Sammaan Capital; ADIA & NIIF — USD 1 billion in Indian infrastructure. Key pacts: Strategic Defence Partnership, Strategic Petroleum Reserves MoU, LPG Supply Agreement, Ship Repair Cluster at Vadinar (Gujarat). UAE: India’s 3rd largest trade partner (FY26); Indian diaspora in UAE: 3.5 million+.
Culture & Heritage
Leiden Plates — Chola Copper Plates Repatriation
21 copper plates (Leiden Plates / Anaimangalam Copper Plates); 11th-century royal charter of Rajaraja Chola-I (r. 985–1012 AD). Documents patronage of a Buddhist Vihara in Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu. Brought to Netherlands by Florentius Camper (1703–1712); donated to Leiden University in 1862. Return follows UNESCO’s ICPRCP process (24th session, October 2023). Plates contain Sanskrit (genealogy) and Tamil sections. Landmark success for India’s Heritage Diplomacy.
Technology
CBI’s ABHAY — AI Notice Verification System
ABHAY = AI-Based Helpbot for Authentication of Your Notice. India’s first real-time notice verification platform launched by CBI to combat ‘digital arrest’ scams. Users upload scanned notices; AI flags as genuine or fraudulent. Available 24×7. CBI established: 1941 (as Special Police Establishment); renamed 1963; HQ: New Delhi; under Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.
Business & Economy
SBI Record Profit & FY26 Dividend
SBI’s highest-ever annual net profit: Rs 80,032 crore (FY26) — first time crossing Rs 80,000 crore; up 12.88% YoY. Record date for FY26 dividend: 16 May 2026; dividend: Rs 17.35/share (1,735% on Re 1 face value); payment date: 4 June 2026. Gross advances: Rs 49.32 lakh crore (+16.87%); CRAR: 15.40%. SBI Chairman: Challa Sreenivasulu Setty. HQ: State Bank Bhavan, Mumbai. Established: 1955.
Environment
Ganges Soft-Shell Turtle — IUCN & Conservation
Nilssonia gangetica — IUCN: Endangered; Schedule I, Wildlife Protection Act 1972. India’s first satellite-tagged individual released at Kaziranga NP & Tiger Reserve, Assam (1,302 sq km; UNESCO WHS 1985). One of world’s largest freshwater turtles; found in Indus, Ganga, Brahmaputra, Yamuna, Mahanadi systems. Key threats: habitat loss, poaching, illegal trade. Revered in Odisha’s temple ponds.
Governance
UPSC Civil Services Prelims 2026 & NEET Controversy
UPSC admit card released: 15 May 2026. Exam date: 24 May 2026 (Sunday); two sessions — GS Paper I (morning) and CSAT Paper II (afternoon). UPSC established: 1926; renamed 1950 under Article 315; HQ: Dholpur House, New Delhi. Also: NTA cancelled NEET UG 2026 on 12 May 2026 (paper leak allegations); CBI probe ordered. NTA established: 2017, under Ministry of Education.
Technology
India Chairs CCDB 2026–28 — IT Security Leadership
CCDB (Common Criteria Development Board) = technical core of CCRA (Common Criteria Recognition Arrangement); manages Common Evaluation Methodology (CEM) and the Common Criteria Portal. India: Chair for April 2026 – April 2028. Nodal agency: MeitY with STQC Directorate. India joined CCRA as Certificate Authorising Nation: 16 September 2013. CCRA: 20 certificate-authorising + 18 certificate-consuming nations.
Health
Ebola Outbreak 2026 — DRC’s Ituri Province
New Ebola outbreak in DRC’s eastern Ituri province; death toll: 65. Ebola caused by Orthoebolavirus; first identified in 1976 in Sudan and DRC (then Zaire). Transmission: direct contact with blood/secretions/bodily fluids; not airborne. Incubation: 5–21 days; case fatality rate: ~50%. No known cure; supportive care. Deadliest outbreak: 2014–16 West Africa. DRC is most historically affected country.
Science
Uturuncu — The ‘Zombie’ Volcano of Bolivia
Dormant stratovolcano, southwestern Bolivia, Andes; altitude 6,008 m (tallest in southern Bolivia). Called ‘zombie’ volcano: shows seismic & geothermal activity despite no eruption in 250,000 years. Centre rising; surroundings sinking → ‘sombrero’ shape. Beneath: Altiplano-Puna Magma Body at 10–20 km depth (~200 km span; Earth’s largest known active magma body). New hot magma batches rising raise eruption concerns. Dominated by dacitic lava domes.
🎴 Revision Flashcards
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What is the WTISD 2026 theme, and on which date is WTISD observed?
‘Digital lifelines: Strengthening resilience in a connected world’ — 17 May
ITU founded 17 May 1865; India member since 1869
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Which UAE bank committed USD 3 billion in RBL Bank during PM Modi’s visit?
Emirates NBD — part of USD 5 billion UAE investment in India
Other deals: IHC → Sammaan Capital; ADIA & NIIF → Infrastructure
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What are the Leiden Plates, and which Chola king do they belong to?
21 copper plates — 11th-century royal charter of Rajaraja Chola-I (r. 985–1012 AD)
Donated to Leiden University 1862; returned via UNESCO ICPRCP
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What does ABHAY stand for, and who launched it?
AI-Based Helpbot for Authentication of Your Notice — launched by CBI
Combats ‘digital arrest’ scams; 24×7 availability
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What is SBI’s record profit for FY26, and what is significant about 16 May 2026?
Rs 80,032 crore (highest ever); 16 May = record date for dividend of Rs 17.35/share
Up 12.88% YoY; first time crossing Rs 80,000 crore
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What is the IUCN status of the Ganges soft-shell turtle (Nilssonia gangetica)?
Endangered (IUCN Red List) — Schedule I, Wildlife Protection Act 1972
First satellite-tagged individual released at Kaziranga NP, Assam
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Which country’s Ituri province has reported a new Ebola outbreak in 2026?
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) — death toll: 65
Ebola first identified 1976; virus not airborne; fatality rate ~50%
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Why is Uturuncu called a ‘zombie’ volcano, and where is it located?
Seismically active despite no eruption in 250,000 years — southwestern Bolivia, Andes (6,008 m)
Altiplano-Puna Magma Body beneath; ‘sombrero’ ground deformation shape
Think & Discuss
Heritage Diplomacy vs. Cybersecurity Leadership: Which Should Define India’s Global Identity in 2026?
Context from today’s quiz: Two distinct but equally significant events have marked India’s global positioning this week. First, India secured the return of 11th-century Chola Copper Plates (Leiden Plates) from the Netherlands — a win for Heritage Diplomacy after years of UNESCO ICPRCP negotiations. Second, India was nominated Chair of the Common Criteria Development Board (CCDB) for 2026–28, signalling global recognition of India’s IT security leadership. These two achievements represent very different faces of India’s ambitions on the world stage — cultural-historical identity and emerging technology power.
🤔 Your Perspective Matters
India’s diplomatic bandwidth is finite. From repatriating ancient artefacts to chairing global IT security bodies, from PM Modi’s five-nation tours to managing the NEET controversy at home — India is simultaneously projecting multiple identities globally.
Should India prioritise Heritage Diplomacy (reclaiming cultural artefacts, asserting civilisational identity) or Technology Diplomacy (IT security leadership, digital governance standards) as its primary soft power strategy — or can it genuinely pursue both without dilution?
Should India prioritise Heritage Diplomacy (reclaiming cultural artefacts, asserting civilisational identity) or Technology Diplomacy (IT security leadership, digital governance standards) as its primary soft power strategy — or can it genuinely pursue both without dilution?
- The CBI’s ABHAY platform combats ‘digital arrest’ scams using AI — while simultaneously India chairs global IT security standards at the CCDB. Does this domestic-global alignment strengthen India’s credibility, or does the NEET paper leak controversy (and CBI probe) undermine India’s claim to governance leadership in technology?
- SBI’s record Rs 80,032 crore profit signals the financial muscle behind India’s global ambitions, yet the Ganges soft-shell turtle’s ‘Endangered’ status and the Ebola outbreak in DRC’s Ituri province both point to biodiversity and public health crises that require funding. How should India balance economic growth metrics with ecological and global health commitments?
- PM Modi’s five-nation tour yielded USD 5 billion in UAE investments and the Leiden Plates repatriation from the Netherlands — in the same week. Is this convergence of economic diplomacy and cultural diplomacy a sign of India’s maturing foreign policy strategy, or does it risk spreading diplomatic focus too thin across too many arenas simultaneously?
We’d love to hear your thoughts! Share your perspective in the comments.
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