1 PM Modi inaugurated Vizhinjam port
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday dedicated the Rs 8,900 crore ‘ Vizhinjam International Deepwater Multipurpose Seaport ‘ to the nation in Thiruvananthapuram , Kerala . It is India’s first semi-automated port . Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and several dignitaries were present on the occasion. The Kerala government signed an agreement with Adani Ports and SEZ Limited (APSEZ) to develop the Vizhinjam International Deep-Sea Port under the public-private partnership (PPP) model in August 2015. Adani Ports emerged as the sole selected bidder and Adani Ports was awarded the project in 2015. The agreement gave Adani a 40-year concession to build, operate and transfer the port, with a provision for a 20-year extension. Cyclone ‘Ockhi’ in 2017 caused considerable damage to the construction, especially the breakwater, leading to delays. Shortage of essential construction materials, especially limestone, further hampered progress. It has India’s tallest ship-to-shore cranes and is equipped with an AI-powered vessel traffic management system. Located just 10 nautical miles from the International East-West Shipping Route, Vizhinjam is set to become an important transshipment hub, reducing India’s dependence on ports like Colombo, Singapore and Dubai.
2 Union Minister Kiren Rijiju reached Ho Chi Minh city of Vietnam with the sacred relics of Lord Buddha
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju arrived in Ho Chi Minh city of Vietnam by a special aircraft with the holy relic of Lord Buddha . The visit coincides with the United Nations Day of Vesak celebrations held in Vietnam from May 6 to 8. Vietnamese leaders and monks installed the holy relic at Than Tam Monastery after offering ceremonial prayers. A sacred Bodhi tree sapling brought from India was planted at the Vietnam Buddhist University . These relics brought from Sarnath will be displayed in several cities till May 21.
3 Donald Trump nominates Mike Waltz as next US Ambassador to the United Nations
US President Donald Trump has nominated Mike Waltz as the next US ambassador to the United Nations . Waltz, Trump’s current national security adviser, is a former military and congressman and is expected to bring his experience to the new role. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio will serve as national security adviser. He will temporarily handle both roles.
4 Government puts cyber crime centre I4C under PMLA
In April 2025 , the Department of Revenue (DoR) under the Ministry of Finance (MoF) authorized the New Delhi (Delhi) -based Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) to exchange information with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) , MoF under Section 66 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA). The move aims to trace money trails and combat cyber frauds . It allows I4C to share and receive information with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and other law enforcement agencies, which will help identify the masterminds behind cyber frauds. Amid rising cases of cyber frauds targeting the common man, this information-sharing initiative will help identify the masterminds behind such international crimes. These online frauds are being carried out through fake websites, deceptive social media pages, and paid advertisements on search engines. Fraudsters also send OTP (one time password) or web links to a person’s phone or electronic mail (email), and when an unsuspecting person clicks on the link or shares the OTP, his/her phone/computer gets hacked. The government has urged people to report such fraudulent websites to the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) at cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930 in case of any cyber fraud.
5 Revive our ocean: A step toward protecting coastal ecosystems around the world
In April 2025, a new global initiative called ‘ Revive Our Ocean ‘, the first of its kind, was launched to empower coastal communities in establishing and managing marine protected areas (MPAs) through localised action. The initiative is being led by the United States of America (USA) -based non-governmental organisation (NGO) Dynamic Planet and the National Geographic Society ‘s (NGS) Pristine Seas programme. The new initiative is supported by renowned British naturalist David Attenborough . It is based on three main pillars: inspire, enable and equip . The main goal of the initiative is to help coastal communities create and manage MPAs by overcoming the barriers they face . Revive Our Ocean has created the Revive Our Ocean Collective, bringing together local leaders and successful community groups. At first, it will focus on seven countries : the United Kingdom (UK), Portugal, Greece, Turkey, the Philippines, Indonesia and Mexico.
6 Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul of Thailand elected as the new President of BWF
On April 26, 2025, Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul of Thailand was elected as the new President of Badminton World Federation (BWF) for the 2025-2029 term at the 86th BWF Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in Xiamen , China . With this, Leeswadtrakul becomes the second woman to serve as the President of the sport’s global governing body after China’s Lu Shengrong who held the position from 1993 to 2001. She will replace Poul-Erik Hoyer Larsen of Denmark whose 12-year term has ended. Hoyer was conferred the title of Honorary Lifetime Vice President by the BWF membership at the BWF AGM.
7 Government includes seven compound archers in TOPS core group for the first time
The Government of India has included seven compound archers in its Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) core group . For the first time, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has included the compound archery event in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics . Keeping this in mind, the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has included seven compound archers in the TOPS for the first time. The total number of archers included in the TOPS for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics has now gone up to ten. It already includes three recurve archers Dheeraj Bommadevara, Ankita Bhagat and Deepika Kumari . The Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has also included compound archers – Ojas Deotale, Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Aditi Swami, Abhishek Verma, Preneet Kaur, Prathamesh Jawakar and Priyansh in the TOPS core group. Aditi Swami and Ojas Deotale won the women’s and men’s individual compound titles respectively at the 2023 World Archery Championships in Berlin, Germany. Jyothi Surekha Vennam won the gold medal in the women’s individual compound archery event at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games while Abhishek Verma won the silver medal in the individual event at Hangzhou. Recently, the pair of Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Rishabh Yadav won the only gold medal for India in the mixed event of the Archery World Cup 2025 Stage 1 held in Auburndale, Florida, USA in April 2025. Preneet Kaur, Priyansh and Prathamesh Jawakar are excellent archers in team events. The Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports launched the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) in September 2014.
8 Former VCOAS Lt Gen S Pattabiraman passes away
In April 2025, Lieutenant General Sundararajan Pattabiraman , former Vice Chief of Army Staff (VCOAS) and Colonel Commandant of Bombay Sappers passed away at the age of 78 at the Military Hospital in Wellington, Nilgiris district, Tamil Nadu (TN). He was born in 1946. During his distinguished 40-year career, he held several key positions, including Director General of Information Systems and Army Commander of Western Command, leaving behind a lasting legacy. He was commissioned into the Corps of Engineers, specifically the Bombay Sappers, one of the oldest and most decorated regiments of the Indian Army (IA). He served as the first Director General (DG) of Information Systems of the IA and Army Commander of the largest operational command of the IA, namely Western Command. He served as the VCOAS from 2005 till his retirement in December 2006.