UPSC Prelims Current Affairs for 26 April 2026

Artemis Accord

April 26, 2026

Recently, Jordan signed the Artemis Accords at NASA Headquarters.

It was launched in 2020.
The Artemis Accords are a non-binding set of principles designed to guide civil space exploration.
It provides a common set of principles to enhance the governance of the civil exploration and use of outer space.
It was co-led by NASA and the U.S. Department of State, together with seven other founding member nations (Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom).
India is also a signatory to this accord.
The principles of the Artemis Accords include:

Source: NASA

Q1: Which space agency initiated the Artemis Accords?

Ans: NASA – Launched in 2020

Q2: What are the Artemis Accords?

Ans: Set of non-binding principles for civil space exploration of Moon, Mars, comets, asteroids

April 26, 2026

China’s military recently said it conducted military drills including live-fire exercises in waters east of the Philippines’ Luzon Island.

It is the largest and most important island of the Philippines.
It is found in the northern part of the country.
More than half of the Filipino population lives on Luzon.
Manila, the capital city of the Philippines, is located on this island.
It is bounded by the Philippine Sea (east), Sibuyan Sea (south), and the South China Sea (west).
To the north, the Luzon Strait separates Luzon from Taiwan.
Luzon’s coastline, more than 5,000 km long, is indented by many fine bays and gulfs, including Lingayen Gulf and Manila Bay on the west and Lamon Bay and Lagonoy Gulf on the east.
The important ranges are the Cordillera Central in the north; the Sierra Madre, following much of the east coast; and the Zambales Mountains on the central-western coast.
Mount Pulog (2,930 metres) is the island’s highest peak.
There are also famous volcanoes like Mount Mayon (known for its perfect cone shape) and Mount Pinatubo.
Luzon has the largest lake in the Philippines, the Laguna de Bay.
The major rivers are Cagayan, Abra, Agno, Pampanga, and Bicol.
In addition to Manila, the main cities of Luzon are Quezon City, Pasay, Cabanatuan, Legaspi, Baguio, Batangas, and Laoag.
Luzon leads the country both in industry (concentrated near Manila) and in agriculture (rice, corn [maize], coconuts, sugarcane, mangoes, bananas).

Source: TP

Q1: What is the largest island of the Philippines?

Ans: Luzon Island

Q2: Which sea lies to the east of Luzon Island?

Ans: Philippine Sea

Q3: Which sea lies to the west of Luzon Island?

Ans: South China Sea

Q4: What is the highest peak on Luzon Island?

Ans: Mount Pulog

Q5: Which volcano on Luzon is famous for its perfect cone shape?

Ans: Mount Mayon

April 26, 2026

Recent back-to-back cub deaths in Kanha put the spotlight on tiger monitoring systems.

Location: It is located in the “Maikal” ranges of the Satpuras in the state of Madhya Pradesh.
Corridor: It has an active corridor between Kanha and Pench Tiger Reserves. Kanha is also connected with the Achanakmar Tiger Reserve of Chhattisgarh State.
Terrain: It is characterized mainly by forested shallow undulations, hills with varying degrees of slopes, plateaus, and valleys.
Tribal Communities: The region is known for some of the ancient tribal communities, like the Gond and Baiga still inhabit the region.
It is also the first tiger reserve in India to officially introduce a mascot, “Bhoorsingh the Barasingha”.
Vegetation: It primarily consists of a moist Sal and moist mixed deciduous forest.
Flora: Bamboo, Tendu, Sal, Jamun, Arjun, and Lendia flourish.
Fauna: The Park has a significant population of Royal Bengal Tigers, leopards, sloth bears, and Indian wild dogs.

Source: IE

Q1: Kanha Tiger Reserve is located in which state?

Ans: Madhya Pradesh

Q2: Kanha Tiger Reserve forms part of which larger landscape?

Ans: Satpura-Maikal Landscape