(1) Fuel prices hiked twice over last week

Over the last week, fuel prices were hiked twice: on May 19 and May 23. This was also the third time the prices were hiked in a span of eight days. On May 23, the prices were hiked by an average of 90 paise per litre across the country and across all variants.

Since the first in the series of hikes effected May 15, the price of both retail fuels, that is, diesel and petrol, cumulatively have risen by approximately ₹4.8 per litre in three tranches across the country.

The first of these hikes increased the price of the two retail fuels by ₹3 per litre. Thereafter, prices have surged by an average of 90 paise per litre twice, that is, on May 19 and the latest being Saturday (May 23, 2026).

(2) SRS indicates India in throes of demographic transition

The bulletin from the recent Sample Registration System (SRS) 2024 provides a sharp picture of key indicators like birth rate (live births per 1,000 population), death rate(deaths per 1,000 people), and Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) which is the number of deaths per thousand live births.

The country’s birth rate fell from 21 in 2014 to 18.3 in 2024, while the death rate is down from 6.7 to 6.4. The IMR, recorded as the number of deaths per thousand live births, has dropped from 39 to 24. 

While the overall performance is creditable, indicating several measures being launched by the Centre and different State governments to improve healthcare outcomes, the statistics in the bulletin showcase a worse performance by rural areas. 

The gains of urban areas in this bulletin are probably the most appreciable result in the field of IMR.

The differences are also stark, with some States way ahead of the rest. Kerala and Tamil Nadu lead the way with better statistics in all these sectors.

(3) Ebola outbreak rages in Africa

Ebola cases reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo reached over 900, with deaths crossing 110 on May 25, 2026. The outbreak was declared a national emergency by the World Health Organisation on May 17. This followed an earlier Ebola outbreak alert issued by the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention on May 15 in Congo’s Ituri province after the disease killed 65 people. 

Since 1967, the disease has killed over 15,000 people. A massive outbreak in 2014 in Western Africa killed over 11,000 people. So far, no case has been reported in India. 

This year’s outbreak and the amount of cases recorded as of May 25 is the third highest number of cases recorded, as per data from the CDC. 

(4) SpaceX releases prospectus ahead of Initial Public Offering

Elon Musk’s SpaceX released its prospectus on May 20, ahead of its massive IPO later this year. The document laid out business risks, opportunities and the company’s finances. SpaceX’s market vision focuses heavily on money from developing Artificial Intelligence tools for enterprises.

SpaceX identified a Total Addressable Market of $28.5 trillion, the “largest in human history.” Most of this comes from the AI segment. In this segment, enterprise AI makes up about $22.7 trillion. AI’s importance in the company’s vision is also reflected in the capital expenditure that the segment received. In the year ended 2025, the segment received $12.7 million of capital expenditure in a total of $20.7 million.

However, the segment’s current performance is not the strongest. AI’s loss from operations was $2.4 million dollars in the 2026 quarter ended March, while connectivity segment’s income from operations for the same period was $1.1 million and space segment’s loss was $662 million.

However, the company intends to change this. It said that the connectivity and AI segments are expected to be the primary growth drivers in the near term. Developing AI infrastructure and growing AI’s user base were stated as high priorities.

SpaceX targets a raise of $75 billion, the largest IPO bid in U.S. markets, betting on Artificial Intelligence, space and connectivity to bring in money for a robust lunar economy and colonies in Mars.

(5) Arsenal lift the Premier League trophy after 22 years

After three successive near-misses in the Premier League, the Gunners have crossed the finish line and were crowned champions after Manchester City failed to secure the required victory against AFC Bournemouth in the penultimate game of the season on Tuesday (May 19, 2026).

On Sunday (May 24, 2026), Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal lifted the Premier League trophy at Selhurst Park, after defeating Crystal Palace 2-1.

In top-flight English football, Arsenal’s tally is now at 14, after ending a 22-year drought. Liverpool and Manchester United’s tally lies at 20 apiece, with Manchester City, who has dominated the league the past decade under the managerial role of Pep Guardiola (winning 6 of the last 10) is not far behind at 10 titles.

Since 1992, when the Premier League was formed, Arsenal have won four titles.