Yoga is an ancient physical, mental and spiritual practice that originated in India. The word ‘yoga’ derives from Sanskrit and means to join or to unite, symbolizing the union of body and consciousness. Recognizing its universal appeal, on 11 December 2014, the United Nations proclaimed 21 June as the International Day of Yoga by resolution 69/131.
This year marks the 11th International Day of Yoga with the theme “Yoga for One Earth, One Health”, which echoes a vital truth that personal wellness and planetary health are inseparably linked. The proposal was first introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address during the opening of the 69th session of the General Assembly.
2025 Theme: Yoga for One Earth, One Health
A solstice — derived from the Latin sol ("sun") and sistere ("to stand still"), because the seasonal movement of the Sun's daily path (as seen from Earth) appears to "stand still" at a northern or southern limit before reversing direction — is an event that occurrs when the Sun reaches its most northerly or southerly day-arc relative to the equator.
Therefore, there are two solstices that occur annually: around June 21 (commonly known as "Summer Solstice" for being the first day of summer and the longest day of the year) and December 21 (commonly known as "Winter Solstice" for being the first day of winter and the shortest day of the year).
Tthe General Assembly of the United Nations acknowledged that the celebration of those events is an embodiment of the unity of the cultural heritage and centuries-long traditions. It, therefore, recognized 21 June as the International Day of the Celebration of the Solstice.
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) announced on June 18, 2025, in Hyderabad, the soft launch of BSNL Quantum 5G FWA. This indigenous, SIM-less fixed-wireless-access solution delivers fibre-like speeds over 5G radio. The service was inaugurated at BSNL’s Ameerpet Exchange by Shri A. Robert J. Ravi, Chairman & Managing Director, BSNL/MTNL.
“Quantum 5G FWA demonstrates how Indian engineers can create world-class connectivity. It is the first SIM-less, 100% home-grown customised 5G FWA for BSNL.
Eminent journalist and President of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) Trust, Shri Ram Bahadur Rai, was presented the ‘Padma Bhushan’ award by Shri Satpal Chauhan, Director General, Ministry of Home Affairs. The honour comprised a citation bearing the signature and seal of the President of India, along with the award medal.
Shri Ram Bahadur Rai currently serves as the President of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) Trust and as the Chancellor of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Tricentenary University, Gurugram. He also guides several other institutions.
In a significant move towards inclusive digital governance, the Digital India BHASHINI Division (DIBD) and the Government of Mizoram have signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote multilingual governance and empower the Mizo community through language technology in their native tongue.
With this strategic partnership, Mizoram is set to adopt BHASHINI’s innovative platform, reaffirming its commitment to preserving the state’s linguistic heritage while ensuring digital access and participation for all citizens.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) welcomes the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) Telecommunication Tariff (71st Amendment) Order, 2025 released on 16 June 2025, which mandates that all retail FTTH broadband plans up to 200 Mbps must be offered to Public Data Offices (PDOs) at tariffs not exceeding twice the corresponding consumer broadband price.
Launched under the PM vision of “Broadband for All,” PM‑WANI continues to transform public internet access, strengthen digital inclusion, and generate new economic opportunities in both urban and underserved regions. DoT has earlier, on 16 September 2024, issued a suite of targeted reforms in the PM‑WANI framework to resolve bottlenecks in Public Wi‑Fi expansion.
About PM-WANI:
The PM-WANI (Prime Minister’s Wi-Fi Access Network Interface) framework, approved by the Union Cabinet on 9th December 2020, aims to expand broadband access through Public Wi-Fi networks across India. It supports the goals of the National Digital Communications Policy, 2018 by enabling a robust digital infrastructure.
The framework includes components such as Public Data Offices (PDOs), PDO Aggregators (PDOAs), App Providers, and a Central Registry maintained by C-DOT. To encourage widespread participation, no license or registration fee is required for PDOs and PDOAs. Users can access internet services by downloading a mobile app, authenticating themselves, and connecting to a PM-WANI.
The President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr. Nikos Christodoulides, warmly welcomed the PM of the Republic of India, Shri Narendra Modi, for an official visit to Cyprus from 15 to 16 June 2025. PM Modi’s visit, the first by an Indian Prime Minister to Cyprus in over two decades, marks a historic milestone and reaffirms the deep and enduring friendship between two nations.
The two leaders held wide-ranging discussions on bilateral, regional, and global issues, underscoring the growing breadth and depth of cooperation between Cyprus and India. They welcomed recent progress in economic, technological, and people-to-people ties, reflective of the dynamic and evolving nature of the relationship.
Neeraj Chopra clinched his first Diamond League title in two years after finishing top in Paris at the Charlety Stadium. His best throw of the night came at 88.16m in his first attempt, which was enough to seal the win for the Olympic gold medallist.
Julian Weber of Germany, who had beaten Neeraj at the Doha Diamond League and the Janusz Kusociński Memorial in Poland, finished second, with his best throw coming at 87.88m. Brazil’s Luiz Mauricio da Silva finished third with an attempt of 86.62m, which was a new personal best for him. He also broke his previous continental record of 86.34m.
For the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the logo and mascot for the global event were unveiled by the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI). The 12th edition of the tournament, which will be held from September 27 to October 5, will feature 186 medal events (101 men’s, 84 women’s and one mixed).
India is hosting the event for the first time, and is the fourth Asian country to do so, after Doha 2015 in Qatar, Dubai 2019 in the United Arab Emirates and Kobe 2024 in Japan. The official mascot, called Viraaj, is a young elephant with a blade prosthesis.
Leading rating agency ICRA, in its latest outlook, said India's real GDP growth for 2025-26 will be 6.2 per cent, down from 6.5 per cent in the preceding financial year. Real GVA growth is also expected to ease to 6 per cent from 6.4 per cent. Regarding inflation, the CPI is expected to be above 3.5 per cent, while the WPI will be over 1.8 % for the current fiscal.
ICRA has forecast the fiscal deficit to be 4.4 per cent of GDP for 2025-26, with the current account deficit projected at 1.2 per cent to 1.3 per cent during the same period. The Centre's capital expenditure is budgeted to rise by 10.1 per cent in 2025-26, which will boost investment activities, it added.
It also said that the combination of the sizeable income tax relief in the Union budget for 2025-26, rate cuts leading to lower EMIs and moderation in food inflation is expected to boost household disposable incomes.
The report added that the tepidness in India's merchandise exports is expected to continue in the near term.
The RBI reduced the mandated portion of lending that small finance banks have to extend to priority sectors such as agriculture and small businesses, lowering it by 15 percentage points. Small finance banks currently have to extend 75% of their loans to priority sectors. After a review, the Reserve Bank of India has effectively cut the requirement to 60% of total lending.
The SFB shall continue to allocate 40 per cent of its ANBC or CEOBE, whichever is higher, to different sub-sectors under PSL as per the extant PSL prescriptions, while the balance 20 per cent shall be allocated to any one or more sub-sectors under the PSL where the bank has competitive advantage."
Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) has bagged a Rs 511 crore deal to manufacture and design ISRO’s Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV). HAL announced that it had emerged as the top bidder in a competitive process conducted by the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center (IN-SPACe).
With this, HAL becomes the first Indian firm to own, build, and commercialise an entire launch vehicle system. According to CNBC-TV18, HAL is expected to manufacture 6 to 8 SSLV rockets each year to meet both domestic and international demand. It is expected to earn around $6.5 million per launch.
The technology handover will take place through an agreement involving HAL, ISRO, NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL), and IN-SPACe. As part of the process, ISRO will provide full training and support for the production and launch of two SSLV rockets over the next two years.
HAL won the bid against two strong consortia — one led by Alpha Design Technologies, a unit of Adani Defence Systems, and state-backed Bharat Dynamics. The share price of HAL rose as much as 1.6 per cent to hit the session’s high at Rs 4,980 on June 20. The SSLV is designed to provide on-demand launch services for small satellites, which are growing in demand globally.
The Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions has issued an office memorandum on providing Old Pension Scheme benefits to the Cental Government employees who have subscribed for Unified Pension Scheme. The instructions have been issued by the DoPPW on June 18, 2025.
he Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare (DoPPW) has issued instructions that those who opt for UPS will be entitled to benefits in the OPS under the CCS (Pension) Rules, 2021, or the CCS (Extraordinary Pension) Rule,s 2023. However, OPS benefits will be available under the specified conditions only.
The DoPPW has issued a circular last year in October, 2024 clarifying that central government employees who are covered under National Pension System (NPS) can also avail the OPS benefits in certain situations. The DoPPW has extended the facility of availing OPS benefits for central government employees covered under UPS as well.
Helped by significant improvement in energy efficiency and investment capacity, India has been ranked 71st on a global Energy Transition Index released by the World Economic Forum. Sweden topped the list of 118 countries, followed by Finland, Denmark, Norway and Switzerland in the top five.
China was ranked 12th, the US was 17th and Pakistan at 101st place. Congo was ranked lowest. While India's rank has fallen from 63rd last year, the WEF said India and China experienced the greatest overall improvement among large economies, especially in increasing access to energy and strengthening transition readiness.
While 77 of 118 countries improved their scores in 2025, the share of countries advancing across all three energy dimensions -- security, sustainability and equity -- was only 28 per cent, highlighting that the majority still progressed unevenly. The US led in energy security, while India advanced in energy efficiency and investment capacity.
In the latest edition of the QS World University Ranking released early Thursday morning, around 50 per cent of Indian universities’ ranking has improved from last year, with IIT Delhi gaining the top spot in India. Globally, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) retained the ‘best institute in the world’ position for the 14th time this year.
This year, the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) has climbed from 150 in 2025 to 123 in the 2026 rankings. IIT Delhi has climbed more than 70 places in two years, ranking at 123rd this year compared with 197th in 2024 and 150 in 2025. IIT Bombay, which was ranked at first in the 2025 rankings, is placed at the second position in QS World University rankings.
IIT Madras has achieved the third spot in India followed by IIT Kharagpur and IISc Bangalore in the fourth and fifth ranks. University of Delhi is ranked at 328th rank this year. Last year, the central university made the biggest improvement by jumping 79 ranks — from 407 in 2024 to 328 in 2025.
India rose a position to rank 15 among top global destinations for foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2024, despite a marginal dip in inflows at $27.6 billion, data released by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) on June 19 shows.
The country was ranked 16th in 2023 when it attracted $28.1 billion in FDI, UNCTAD’s World Investment Report 2025. The decline in inflows contrasts with a notable increase in greenfield project announcements. India ranked fourth, with 1,080 greenfield projects announced in 2024. The country also among the top five economies in terms of international project finance deals.
China fell to the fourth place with a 29 percent decline in FDI inflows, dropping from the second position it held in 2023. India also climbed in the global ranking of FDI outflows, moving to the 18th slot with $24 billion in outward investments — up from 23rd in 2023, when outflows totalled $14 billion.
Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) countries – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the US - will meet on Sunday in the remote town of Kananaskis, Alberta, nestled in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies, for three days of intense discussions.
This will be the 51st G7 summit meeting.
The first meeting took place in 1975 in Rambouillet, France. Back then, it was known as the G6 meeting, as Canada did not become a member until the following year. Russia joined the forum in 1998, making it the G8, but was effectively expelled in 2014, following its annexation of Crimea. Since then, the forum has been known as the G7.
Canada is hosting this year’s G7 meeting, it’s the seventh time it has assumed the presidency of the group. Besides leaders of the G7 countries and the EU, which is also represented at the summit, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has invited several heads of state from non-G7 countries as guests. The G7 represents 44 % of global GDP but only 10 % of the world population.
