1. 11th NPT Review Conference Begins in New York

The Eleventh Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) officially commenced on April 27, 2026, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

• Exam-Centric Facts:
• Duration: The conference is scheduled to run from April 27 to May 22, 2026.
• President-Designate: Ambassador Do Hung Viet, the Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, is presiding over the conference.
• Objective: Held every five years, the conference assesses the implementation of the treaty’s provisions across three pillars: non-proliferation, disarmament, and the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
• Context: The meeting occurs amidst heightened global geopolitical tensions and aims to reach a consensus on a final declaration to strengthen the global nuclear regime.

2. Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC) 2026

The Global Network Against Food Crises (GNAFC) released the 10th edition of the Global Report on Food Crises 2026 on April 24, 2026, highlighting an "alarming" state of global hunger.

• Exam-Centric Facts:
• Key Finding: Approximately 266 million people across 47 countries faced acute food insecurity in 2025.
• The Lead Drivers: Conflict has overtaken extreme weather as the primary driver of hunger. For the first time in the report's history, two famines were declared in the same year (Gaza and parts of Sudan).
• Most Affected: While the report identifies several high-risk zones, Nigeria remains one of the most food-insecure countries globally, with large populations facing "Emergency" levels of hunger due to localized conflict and economic instability.
• Trend: Acute hunger has nearly doubled over the past decade, with over 20% of the analyzed population consistently facing food crises since 2020.

3. IAF Launches 'Mehar Baba Competition-3' (MBC-3)

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has launched the third edition of the Mehar Baba Competition, a premier initiative to foster indigenous innovation in drone technology.

• Exam-Centric Facts:
• Theme: "Collaborative Drone-Based Surveillance Radars."
• Objective: The competition challenges Indian start-ups and researchers to develop a "Proof of Concept" for a swarm of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) that act as an airborne radar to detect and track aerial targets in contested environments.
• Registration: Commenced on April 27, 2026.
• Impact: The previous two editions (focused on disaster relief and airfield debris detection) successfully generated orders worth approximately ₹2,000 crore for the Indian drone industry.

4. Major Political Shift: 7 AAP Rajya Sabha MPs Join BJP

In a significant realignment in the Upper House, seven Rajya Sabha Members of Parliament from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) officially merged with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on April 27, 2026.

• Exam-Centric Facts:
• The MPs: The group includes high-profile leaders Raghav Chadha, Swati Maliwal, Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, Vikramjit Sahney, and Rajinder Gupta.
• Anti-Defection Law: By joining as a group (representing two-thirds of the AAP's total strength of 10 in the Rajya Sabha), the MPs avoided disqualification under the anti-defection law.
• Rajya Sabha Impact: The merger has boosted the BJP’s strength from 106 to 113 seats, bringing the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) closer to a majority in the 245-member house.
• Chairman's Approval: The merger was formally approved by the Rajya Sabha Chairman, C.P. Radhakrishnan.