NATIONAL NEWS

International Day of Yoga 2026

• The 12th International Day of Yoga was celebrated on June 21, 2026 with theme "Yoga for Healthy Ageing" (endorsed by the WHO).

Major Events in India

• Kolkata Main Event: The main national celebration occurred at the historic Red Road in Kolkata, West Bengal, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• Yoga Sangam Initiative: Over 6,000,000 organizations registered via the Ministry of Ayush Yoga Sangam Portal to synchronize their local sessions simultaneously with the main event using the Common Yoga Protocol (CYP).
• Iconic Heritage Sites: The Ministry of Culture and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) activated special mass sessions at 100 historic locations, including the Red Fort in New Delhi, Hampi, Konark, and Mahabalipuram.
• Armed Forces: Personnel participated from extreme geographic locations, spanning from the Siachen Glacier to naval ships at sea.

Global Celebrations

• United Nations Headquarters: The Permanent Mission of India hosted an international delegation at the North Lawn in New York on June 18.

Yoga

DISHA 2.0

• Union Minister of State (I/C) for Law and Justice Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal has approved the continuation of the Central Sector Scheme ‘Designing Innovative Solutions for Holistic Access to Justice (DISHA)’ restructured as DISHA 2.0 for a period of five years from 1st April 2026 to 31st March 2031 co-terminus with the XVI Finance Commission cycle.
• DISHA 2.0 (2026-31), a meticulously rationalized and restructured Scheme initiated along with a new component, namely, VIDHI (Vision for Integrated Delivery of Harmonized Legal Initiatives) Sanjeevani. DISHA 2.0 aims to fulfil the constitutional mandate of “Access to Justice” to the people of India as enunciated under the Preamble and Articles 14, 21 and 39A of the Constitution of India and supports the implementation of United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 16 (SDG-16) on Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.

STATE SPECIAL NEWS

Yogandhra 2026

• Andhra Pradesh’s flagship mass yoga initiative, Yogandhra 2026, has received international recognition from the World Book of Records for its large-scale public participation and successful promotion of yoga across the state.

Andhra Pradesh

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

US-Iran Talks Begin in Switzerland

• The high-level direct talks between the United States and Iran at the Bürgenstock resort in Switzerland have concluded their first session with a breakthrough agreement on a 60-day roadmap toward a final peace deal.
• United States Delegation was led by Vice President JD Vance, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and Advisor Jared Kushner and Iranian Delegation was led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi

Key Outcomes of the Summit

• Lebanon De-confliction Cell: The two sides agreed to establish a joint forum focused on halting military operations and managing ongoing hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.
• Strait of Hormuz Safeguards: A direct communication line and specialized maritime mechanism were established to guarantee the safe passage of commercial vessels through the strategic waterway.
• Economic and Strategic Waivers: Iran secured crucial waivers for oil and petrochemical exports, alongside the launch of a regional development plan and the release of select frozen assets.
• Nuclear Principles: Mediators laid the groundwork for upcoming technical discussions regarding uranium enrichment limits and monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

United States (USA)

SUMMITS AND CONFERNCES

BRICS National Security Advisers Meeting

• India hosted the two-day BRICS National Security Advisers Meeting in New Delhi and it was chaired by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.
• Core Theme of meeting is "Non-traditional security challenges confronting the world today".

BRICS

ECONOMY & BANKING

India remains ADB's largest private sector market

• India remains the largest market for the Asian Development Bank's (ADB) private sector operations in 2026, with the lender targeting approximately USD 1 billion in direct private financing.
• This follows an announcement by ADB Vice-President (Market Solutions) Bhargav Dasgupta, outlining the capital commitments planned for the year.

Asian Development Bank's (ADB)

Draft of Telecommunications (Spectrum Assignment by Administrative Process) Rules, 2026

• The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) published the draft Telecommunications (Spectrum Assignment by Administrative Process) Rules, 2026 to establish a regulatory blueprint for assigning radiowaves without an auction.
• Formulated under Schedule 1 of the Telecommunications Act, 2023, these rules heavily impact state-run entities like BSNL and private satellite communication (satcom) giants like Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb, and Jio Satcom. [

ART & CULTURE

Human Skeletal Remains from Rakhigarhi

• Human skeletal remains excavated from the archaeological site of Rakhigarhi in Haryana recently have been formally handed over by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to the Anthropological Survey of India (AnSI), a national research institute of repute under Ministry of Culture, Government of India, for detailed scientific investigation.
• Rakhigarhi, spread across approximately 550 hectares in Haryana, is widely recognized as the largest known settlement of the Indus-Saraswati Civilization.
• Archaeological excavations have revealed evidence of continuous habitation from the Early Harappan to the Mature Harappan periods, including planned settlements, drainage systems, craft production centres, trade networks, and burial grounds.

Indus-Saraswati Civilization

19th Mumbai International Film Festival

• The Polish documentary Silver, directed by Natalia Koniarz, won the prestigious Golden Conch for Best Documentary Film at the 19th Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF).

Major Winners

ENVIRONMENT + SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Progress of Project Cheetah

• President Droupadi Murmu visited Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park and reviewed the progress of Project Cheetah, India’s flagship initiative to reintroduce the species in the wild after its extinction in the country.

Project Cheetah

Deuterated Compounds Production Plant and Commissions Prototype Sodium Cell

• Dr. Ajit Kumar Mohanty, Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy & Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission, inaugurated the Versatile Deuterated compounds Production Plant (VDPP) and commissioned the 24 kA Prototype Sodium Cell at the Heavy Water Board Facilities (HWBF), Vadodara.

DEFENCE NEWS

Commissioning of three indigenously built naval ships

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi commissioned three indigenously designed and built naval ships the stealth frigate INS Dunagiri, survey vessel INS Sanshodhak, and anti-submarine warfare shallow water craft INS Agray at the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port in Kolkata.
• INS Dunagiri: As the fifth Project 17A stealth frigate, this vessel is equipped with advanced weapon systems, including BrahMos missiles.
• INS Sanshodhak: This large survey vessel is designed for detailed oceanographic and hydrographic data collection.
• INS Agray: An Arnala-class vessel, this craft is tailored for anti-submarine littoral operations with advanced sonar and torpedoes.

INS Tarkash

• INS Tarkash reached Port Louis in Mauritius as part of its ongoing operational deployment to the South West Indian Ocean Region.
• During its stay, INS Tarkash will conduct a series of professional training capsules for personnel of the Mauritius National Coast Guard.

SPORTS

FIH Women’s Nations Cup

• The Indian women's hockey team clinched their second FIH Women’s Nations Cup title by defeating host nation New Zealand 2-0 in the final.

Key Awards

Abhay-Velavan won at Asian Doubles championships

• Abhay Singh and Velavan Senthilkumar won the men’s crown for a third consecutive year at the Asian doubles squash championships in Sarawak, Malaysia.

Para shuttler Thulasimathi

• India’s Thulasimathi Murugesan won two gold and a bronze in the France Para Badminton International in Mulhouse.

Vritti Agarwal

• Telangana swimmer, Vritti Agarwal smashed Richa Mishra’s record and win the gold medal on the concluding day of the National aquatics championships in Ahmedabad.

India won Women’s 4x100m Relay Gold at Asian Relays Championships

• At the Asian Relays Championships, India clinched the gold medal in the women’s 4x100m relay at Shaoxing in China.
• The Indian quartet of Srabani Nanda, SS Sneha, Sudeshna Shivankar and Tamanna clocked 43.85 seconds, a season best.

India won Tri-Nation A Series in Dambulla

• India A won the Tri-Nation A Series after defeating Sri Lanka A by 66 runs in the final at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium.
• Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was named the Player of the Match in the Tri-Nation A Series Final in Dambulla.

56th Grand Prix Usti nad Labem in Czechia

• Indian boxers delivered a historic performance at the 56th Grand Prix Usti nad Labem in Czechia, securing a total of 12 medals, including 8 golds, 3 silvers, and 1 bronze.