1 Doha Diamond League: Neeraj Chopra finished second in men’s javelin throw event, broke his own record
India’s Neeraj Chopra finished second in the men’s javelin throw event at the Doha Diamond League . He managed to throw the javelin to a record distance of 90.23 meters . Julian Weber of Germany finished first with 91.06 meters . Neeraj crossed the 90-meter distance for the first time in his career by throwing the javelin to 90.23 meters in the third round . Julian Weber secured the first position in the last attempt. Apart from this, India’s Parul Chaudhary finished sixth in the women’s 3000 meters steeplechase event . She broke her own national record with a time of 9 minutes 13.39 seconds .
2 Government releases first monthly PLFS report for April 2025
The Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation released the first-ever monthly Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) report on 15 May 2025. The PLFS April 2025 report contains the country’s employment and unemployment data for the January to March quarter 2025. The next report will be released on 15 June 2025. The ministry used to release the PLFS report quarterly and annually, but it has decided to release it monthly, quarterly and annually. The government uses the employment and unemployment data in the PLFS report to formulate policies regarding employment and labour welfare. The National Statistical Office (NSO) under the Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation releases the PLFS report. The data is collected through sample surveys by the National Sample Survey (NSS). During the April quarter 2025 (January to March 2025), 89,434 households were surveyed, of which 49,323 were in rural areas and 40,111 in urban areas. The total number of people surveyed was 3,80,838, of which 2,17,483 were in rural areas and 1,63,355 were in urban areas.
3 IIFT announces setting up of first overseas campus in Dubai
The Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) has announced to set up its first overseas campus in Dubai . Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal expressed happiness over this historic achievement and congratulated IIFT. According to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, this historic progress has been possible after receiving approval from the Ministry of Education and No Objection Certificates from the Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs and University Grants Commission. This is in line with the vision of NEP 2020 , which emphasizes internationalization of Indian institutions and creation of global learning centers.
4 Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the Multi-Agency Centre in Delhi
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday inaugurated the newly built Multi-Agency Centre (MAC) at Delhi ‘s North Block . At the inauguration ceremony, the Home Minister congratulated the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) jawans for successfully scaling the world’s fifth highest peak, Mount Makalu (8,485 metres) on April 19. This is the first time any Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) has scaled the peak.
The manner in which the Indian armed forces have acted against terrorist and military installations in Pakistan and illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir under Operation Sindoor has attracted global attention. Along with killing more than 100 terrorists and neutralizing Pakistani attacks under this action, India’s new air defense system Akashteer has now become a topic of discussion. Akashteer , an indigenous defense system operated entirely by artificial intelligence, has successfully completed the task of intercepting the designated targets in real time.
6 Now Gaya will be known as ‘Gayaji’
Many important decisions were taken in the Bihar Cabinet meeting held on Friday under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar . The biggest decision was to change the name of Gaya city . Now this religious and historical city will be known as ‘ Gaya Ji ‘. The cabinet has approved an ex-gratia of Rs 50 lakh each to the families of the soldiers martyred in ‘Operation Sindoor’. This decision reflects the government’s respect and responsibility towards the martyrs and their families. At the same time, the state government has also announced an increase in dearness allowance (DA) while giving relief to its employees, which will benefit lakhs of employees financially. The cleaning system of block and zonal offices will now be handed over to Jeevika Didi. This will not only improve the sanitation system, but will also provide employment to women.
India’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York on Friday organised a special panel discussion on the occasion of International Vesak Day titled ‘ Teachings of Gautama Buddha – Path to Inner and Global Peace ‘. The event was attended by high-level diplomats, scholars and spiritual leaders who underlined the relevance of Buddha’s teachings to today’s global challenges. Vesak is the holiest day for followers of Buddhism across the world, marking the birth, enlightenment and parinirvana of Gautama Buddha . All these events took place on the full moon day of May. The United Nations General Assembly recognised Vesak as an international day in 1999 through resolution 54/115 to honour Buddhism’s contribution to global spirituality and peace.
8 Indian Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa won the Superbet Chess Classic tournament
Indian Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa has won the Superbet Chess Classic tournament in Bucharest , Romania . Praggnanandhaa won after a tiebreak with Alireza Firouzja and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave . After nine rounds, all three players were tied at five and a half points . After this, the playoff was played. The first two tiebreaks ended in a tie. The first tiebreak was between Praggnanandhaa and Firouzja, followed by a tiebreak between Vachier-Lagrave and Firouzja. Praggnanandhaa won the third tiebreak against Vachier-Lagrave. World champion D Gukesh finished ninth in the tournament with four points. The next leg of the Grand Chess Tour, the SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz event will be held in Croatia from July 1.
9 President Draupadi Murmu honoured Swami Ramabhadracharya with the 58th Jnanpith Award
President Draupadi Murmu conferred the 58th Jnanpith Award to Sanskrit scholar Swami Ramabhadracharya at a ceremony held in New Delhi . Swami Ramabhadracharya and eminent Urdu poet and lyricist Gulzar were selected for this prestigious award for 2023. These eminent personalities have been honored with this award for their outstanding contribution in the field of literature. However, Gulzar could not attend the award ceremony due to ill health.
10 Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra appointed Lieutenant Colonel of Indian Army
The Indian Army has promoted 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medalist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra to the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel . This was reported in the official Government of India document ” The Gazette of India “. Neeraj Chopra was commissioned as a Junior Commissioned Officer in the Rajputana Rifles regiment of the Indian Army in the rank of ‘ Naib Subedar ‘ in 2017. He was later promoted to the rank of Subedar in 2021. Following his exploits at the Tokyo Olympics, he was promoted to the rank of Subedar Major in 2022. He has now been promoted to the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He was commissioned into the Indian Army following his impressive performance in javelin throw at the national and international level. Neeraj Chopra was born in a farmer family in Khandra village near Panipat, Haryana. In 2012, he became the under-16 national champion and in 2014, he won his first international medal, a silver medal, at the Youth Olympic Qualification Competition held in Bangkok in 2014. In 2016, he won a gold medal at the South Asian Games held in Guwahati, Assam. After joining the Indian Army in 2017, Neeraj Chopra joined the ‘Mission Olympic Wing’, which trains athletes in 11 disciplines for various national and international events.
11 L R Srihari of Tamil Nadu became the 86th Indian Chess Grandmaster
L.R. Srihari has become the 86th chess Grandmaster of India by achieving his third Grandmaster norm at the Asian Individual Men Chess Championship 2025. Before L.R. Srihari, P Shyamnikhil of Tamil Nadu was the 85th chess Grandmaster of India. P Shyamnikhil won this prestigious title at the 2024 Dubai Police Masters Chess Tournament on 12 May 2024. The Asian Individual Men Chess Championship was held in Al-Ain, UAE from 6-15 May 2025.
12 National Endangered Species Day
National Endangered Species Day calls for significant efforts to preserve endangered species and their habitats. This day is celebrated every year across the world on the third Friday of May and this year in 2025 it is celebrated on Friday, May 16, with the theme “Celebrate to save species”.