NATIONAL NEWS

Government Extends Unified Pension Scheme (UPS)

The Government of India has extended Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) benefits to Central Government employees who retired under the National Pension System (NPS) with at least 10 years of service on or before March 31, 2025.

Eligible retirees or their spouses must apply by June 30, 2025 to claim the benefits.

It is applicable to Central Government NPS retirees and their spouses with a minimum of 10 years of qualifying service, and who retired on or before March 31, 2025.

Eligible retirees will receive 1/10th of the last drawn basic pay plus dearness allowance for every six months of qualifying service.

Monthly Top-Up Pension is provided based on the difference between the UPS payout (including DA) and the annuity received under NPS.

Telangana Declares Kumram Bheem Conservation Reserve to Strengthen Tiger Corridor

The Telangana State government has established the Kumram Bheem Conservation Reserve, covering 88 square kilometres, to serve as a vital wildlife corridor connecting multiple tiger reserves and sanctuaries across central India.

It serves as a crucial link between Kawal Tiger Reserve (Telangana) and Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (Maharashtra), while also connecting to Kanhargaon, Tipeshwar, Chaprala, and Indravati

It is home to resident breeding tigers, with reports of over 45 unique transient tigers using the area over the last decade.

It supports leopards, wild dogs, sloth bears, wolves, hyenas, honey badgers, and jungle cats, indicating a healthy predator base.

 

DEFENCE

Russia Confirms Delivery of Remaining S-400 Missile Systems to India by 2026

Russia is committed to delivering the remaining two units of the S-400 air defence system to India by 2025-26.

The S-400 system performed very efficiently during the recent India-Pakistan tensions.

The contract for the remaining S-400 units is on track, with deliveries expected to meet the publicly announced timelines.

India signed a $5.43 billion deal with Russia in 2018 for five squadrons of the S-400 Triumf missile system.

So far, three squadrons have already been delivered.

The S-400 is a state-of-the-art air defence platform capable of engaging multiple aerial threats at long ranges.

Russia and India are considering expanding bilateral cooperation in air defence and anti-drone systems.

The growing threat of drones, especially during the India-Pakistan clash, has highlighted the need for counter-drone technologies.

Russia has experience in modernising anti-drone systems, which are already part of ongoing India-Russia defence dialogue.

The Deputy Chief of Mission, Roman Babushkin, mentioned a potential visit by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to India, expected soon (possibly this month).

The ongoing India-Russia defence partnership is seen as strategically important in the current global security environment.

 

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

President of South Korea

Lee Jae-myung was sworn in as the 14th President of South Korea, officially known as the Republic of Korea, in Seoul on June 4, 2025, after winning the Presidential by-election.

The Presidential by-election was held in the country on 3rd June 2025, following the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk-yeol.

President Yoon Suk-yeol was ousted from office after he imposed martial law in the country on the night of December 3rd, 2024.

A presidential by-election was held in South Korea on 3rd June 2025, in which the opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung stood against Kim Moon-soo of the ruling People Power Party.

Lee Jae-myung was contesting his third Presidential election.

According to the South Korean constitution, the President has a term of five years and serves a single term.

The South Korean governance system is patterned after the presidential system of the United States of America. The President is the Head of State and the Commander in Chief of the country’s Armed Forces.

The Presidential office and residence are known as the Blue House.

Chairman of Tata Chemicals

S Padmanabhan, PGP '82 alumnus of IIM Bangalore and recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award (2008), has been appointed Chairman of Tata Chemicals effective 30 May 2025.

He has been associated with the Tata Group for over four decades, holding key leadership roles across various companies within the Group.

Most recently, he served as Director at Tata Chemicals before becoming Chairman.

Padmanabhan completed his Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP) at IIMB with a specialization in Marketing.

He took over as Executive Director of Operations at Tata Power Co. Ltd. in February 2008, overseeing Generation, Transmission, and Distribution businesses, including the Mumbai Licence Area and Maharashtra Projects.

He also served as Director of Operations at Tata Power Trading Co. Ltd.

Chairman of Fertiliser Association of India

Sailesh C Mehta, Managing Director of Deepak Fertilizers and Petrochemicals Corporation Ltd (DFPCL), has been elected as the new Chairman of the Fertiliser Association of India (FAI).

He succeeds N Suresh Krishnan, the Managing Director of Paradeep Phosphates Ltd, who was the previous Chairman of FAI.

Sailesh Mehta has over 40 years of experience in the fertiliser and petrochemical industry.

He also served as the Chairman of FAI (Western Region) for more than 5 years.

Mehta is also the Chairman and Managing Director of Mahadhan Agri Tech Ltd, a subsidiary of DFPCL.

 

SPORTS

Ulaanbaatar Open 2025

Indian wrestlers ended their campaign at the 2025 Ulaanbaatar Open Wrestling Ranking Series with 21 medals—six golds, seven silvers, and eight bronzes.

The event was held in the Mongolian capital, Ulaanbaatar, from 29 May to 1 June 2025.

It was the third-ranking series orgainsed by the United World Wrestling (UWW) in 2025. The first ranking series for the senior wrestler was held in Zagreb, Croatia (February 5-9), and the second was held in Tirana, Albania (February 26-March 2).

The fourth and last Ranking series of 2025 will be held in Budapest, Hungary, from 17 -20 July 2025.

India sent a 31-member wrestling team to the Ulaanbaatar Open 2025.

The team included Aman Sehrawat, who was participating for the first time in an international event after winning a medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Aman won a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics and, at the age of 21, became the youngest Indian to win a medal in Olympics history.

RCB Win First IPL Title

The Royal Challenger Bengaluru (RCB) finally won their first Indian Premier League (IPL) title, beating Punjab Kings by 6 runs to end their 18-year title drought.

The final of the 18th edition of the IPL was held at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, on June 3, 2025.

It was also Virat Kohli's first IPL title, as he has been with RCB since he started playing the IPL.

Virat Kohli was the top scorer for RCB, scoring 43 runs in 35 balls. Virat Kohli was ably supported by RCB Captain Rajat Patidar, who scored 26 runs off 16 balls.

RCB ended their innings at 196 for 9 in their allotted 20 overs.

Chasing 191 to win in their allotted 20 overs, the Punjab Kings fell short by 6 runs.

Winner - RCB, Collected a cheque of Rs 20 crore and the winner's Trophy

Runner-Up- Punjab Kings, collected a cheque of Rs 12.5 crore and the Shield.

Orange Cap- It is given to the highest run scorer in the IPL - Sai Sudarshan of Gujarat Titans (759 runs).

Purple Cap- Given to the highest wicket taker - Prasidh Krishna of Gujarat Titans (25 wickets)

Most Valuable Player of the IPL - Surya Kumar Yadav of the Mumbai indians

Emerging Player of the IPL - Sai Sudarshan of Gujarat Titans

 

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression

On June 4th, International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression 2025 is observed all over the world as an awareness event.

Every year on June 4th, the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression acknowledges the pain that children around the world suffer.

In 1982, the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression was established on August 19.

In 1997, U.N.O.D.C. was established. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the agency tasked with ending violence against children, was formed.

In 2018, the Unprecedented Refugee Crisis out broke and this year marks the first time the number of people including children fleeing war, persecution, and conflict exceeds 70 million, according to the U.N. refugee agency.

In 2019, The Case of Disappearing Human Rights Defenders appeared.

The United Nations tracked 357 killings and 30 enforced disappearances of human rights defenders, journalists, and trade unionists in 47 countries.