1 Shubham Shukla became the first ISRO astronaut to reach the space station
For India, June 26 became a historic day in the space sector when Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla of the Indian Air Force stepped on the Space Station (ISS) . With this, he became the first Indian to reach the International Space Station (ISS) and after 41 years an Indian traveled to space. Earlier in 1984, Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma flew on the Soviet Union ‘s ‘ Soyuz T-11 ‘. Shubham Shukla reached space aboard the Dragon spacecraft ‘Grace’ of American company SpaceX under Axiom Space’s private mission Axiom-4 (Ax-4) . The flight launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA and after a journey of about 14 hours, it connected with the ‘ Harmony ‘ module of the space station. It is worth noting that Shubhanshu Shukla is the second citizen of India to reach space. Before him in 1984, Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma traveled to space from the Soviet Union’s Soyuz T-11 mission. However, Shubhanshu Shukla is the first Indian to have reached the International Space Station. Three of his colleagues in the Axe-4 mission include mission commander Peggy Whitson , Polish astronaut Slawosz Ujnski-Wisniewski, and Hungarian payload specialist Tibor Kapu. Shubhanshu Shukla was born on 10 October 1985 in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh . He is a fighter pilot of the Indian Air Force and one of the four astronauts selected for ISRO’s Gaganyaan mission .
2 Book titled The Emergency Diaries-Years that Forged a Leader released in New Delhi
Union Home Minister Amit Shah released a book titled The Emergency Diaries – Years That Forged a Leader in New Delhi . The book highlights the pivotal role of the then young RSS pracharak Prime Minister Narendra Modi who played a key role in the fight against the Emergency. The book presents a vivid picture of Mr Modi fighting for the ideals of democracy. Mr Shah released the book during the Samvidhan Hatya Diwas 2025 event on the 50th anniversary of the Emergency. During the event, the Union Home Minister flagged off the Loktantra Zindabad Yatra. The yatra will be held across the country with the aim of spreading awareness about constitutional values, democratic rights and lessons learnt from the Emergency.
3 MoU signed to empower women self-help groups
The Ministry of Rural Development and the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship signed a Memorandum of Understanding to empower women self-help groups through structured skilling, entrepreneurship development and market-aligned livelihood interventions . The partnership aims to strengthen rural livelihoods through tailored, market-oriented training and entrepreneurship support. Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that this collaboration reinforces the commitment to transform rural women into self-confident entrepreneurs. He said that together both the ministries are moving towards realizing the vision of three crore Lakhpati Didis in rural India.
4 ‘New Bangladesh Day’ will be celebrated on 8 August in Bangladesh
Bangladesh will celebrate 8 August as New Bangladesh Day . This day will be celebrated to mark the anniversary of the swearing-in of the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. He took office on 5 August last year, 3 days after the fall of Sheikh Hasina ‘s government. After this, there was a rebellion among the students in Bangladesh. The government has declared 5 August as July Uprising Day . Apart from this, the government has declared 16 July as Martyr Abu Sayeed Day. The 36-day program to commemorate the anniversary of the July Uprising will be celebrated from 1 July to 5 August.
5 Amit Shah chaired the 25th Central Zonal Council meeting in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
The 25th Central Zonal Council meeting was held on 24 June 2025 in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh . It was chaired by Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah . The previous 24th Central Zonal Council meeting was held on 7 October 2023 in Narendra Nagar, Nagpur, Maharashtra . The first meeting of the Central Zonal Council was held on 1 May 1957 in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. 19 issues of national and regional issues were discussed in this meeting. The Central Zone is the only Zonal Council in the country which has no disputes among its member states. The Central Zonal Council comprises Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The Varanasi meeting was attended by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav. Prime Minister of India Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru proposed regional councils in 1956 as a forum for solving inter-state problems and promoting a spirit of cooperative cooperation among member states. The objective of the Zonal Council was to strengthen national integration and to prevent the growth of intense state identities, regionalism, linguism and particularistic tendencies. Five Zonal Councils were established under the provisions of the States Reorganisation Act 1956 enacted by Parliament. A separate Zonal Council for the North Eastern States was established under the North Eastern Council Act 1971.
6 The dream of becoming a pilot will now come true, DGCA will organize RTR exam
Now becoming a pilot in the country will be easier than ever, as the government has empowered the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to conduct the RTR exam under the Indian Aircraft Act , promoting ease of doing business and ease of flying for pilots in India . Earlier, the authority to conduct the Radio Telephone Restricted (RTR) exam was with the Department of Telecommunications . Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu posted on the social media platform ‘X’, “The landmark Act ‘ Indian Aircraft Act ‘ to modernize India’s civil aviation ecosystem came into force on 1 January 2025. Promoting ease of doing business and ease of flying for pilots in India, the transformative provisions of the Act empower DGCA to conduct the RTR exam, which was earlier conducted by the Department of Telecommunications.
7 Bihar government has issued a notification to form a nine-member trust for the construction of a grand temple dedicated to Maa Janaki in Sitamarhi
The Bihar government has issued a notification to form a nine-member trust for the construction of a grand temple dedicated to Maa Janaki in Sitamarhi . This temple to be built in Punaura Dham of Sitamarhi will be built on the lines of Lord Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya . The temple trust will be known as Shri Janaki Janmabhoomi Punaura Dham Mandir Nyas .
8 India to host World Police and Fire Games
India will host the World Police and Fire Games . It has won the bid to host the prestigious 2029 World Police and Fire Games . The announcement was made after a strong bid by Indian delegates before the WPFG Federation in Birmingham, USA . The event will be held in Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and Ekta Nagar in Gujarat . Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel in a social media post called it a proud moment for Gujarat and expressed happiness over the state’s growing reputation as a global sporting destination. It is attended by thousands of police officers, firefighters and quick response personnel from over 70 countries. Successful hosting of the event will establish Gujarat as a major venue for world-class sporting events.
9 Khelo India University Games will be held in Jaipur
Khelo India University Games will be held in Jaipur, Rajasthan in November. This will be the fifth edition of Khelo India University Games which started in February 2020. Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said that this year more than 4 thousand players from more than 200 universities will participate in it. He said that these games provide a national platform for the players to showcase their talent. He said that the University Games are for athletes under the age of 25. These games are being organized after the Under-18 Khelo India Youth Games held in Bihar in May.
10 Indian women’s team won the Under-17 Asian Wrestling Championship title
The Under-17 Indian women’s wrestling team has won the Asian Wrestling Championship title in Vietnam . The Indian team won the champion trophy with a total of 10 medals including 5 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze . China finished second and Japan third . Earlier, the Indian team had also performed exceptionally in the Under-23 Women’s Asian Wrestling Championship in Vietnam.
11 India won all three titles at the 2nd Asian Squash Doubles Championship 2025
The Indian squash team performed brilliantly in the 2nd Asian Squash Doubles Championship 2025 and won all three titles . Anahat Singh and Abhay Singh won two out of three titles. The 2nd Asian Squash Doubles Championship was held from 23-26 June 2025 at Arena Emas, Kuching, Malaysia . It was jointly organized by the Squash Rackets Association of Malaysia and the Squash Rackets Association of Sarawak . The pair of 17-year-old Anahat Singh and experienced Joshna Chinappa defeated Malaysian pair Aina Amani and Yi Shin Ying 2-1 (8-11, 11-9, 11-10) in the women’s doubles final. The pair of Anahat Singh and Joshna Chinappa is the first Indian pair to win the women’s doubles title at the Asian Squash Doubles Championship. The pair of Anahat Singh and Abhay Singh won the mixed doubles title. In the final, the Indian pair defeated the Malaysian pair of Amisha Raj Chandran and Rachel Arnold 2-0 (11-9, 11-7) to win the gold medal. The pair of Anahat Singh and Abhay Singh won the bronze medal at the 19th Asian Games held in Hangzhou, China in 2023. Defending champions Abhay Singh and Velavan Senthilkumar retained their title by defeating the Pakistani pair of Noor Zaman and Nasir Iqbal in the final.