Indian Army contingent reached Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia for the 22nd Multinational Military Exercise Khaan Quest, which is scheduled to be conducted from 14th to 28th June 2025. 

About Exercise Khaan Quest

• Genesis: Bilateral initiative between the United States and Mongolia in 2003.
  • First multilateral exercise KHAAN QUEST: 2006.
• Objective: To prepare Indian Armed Forces for peacekeeping missions under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter.
  • Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter mentions Action with Respect to Threats to the Peace, Breaches of the Peace, and Acts of Aggression.

French AI startup Mistral launches Europe’s first reasoning-based language model.

• Large language models (LLM) are AI systems capable of understanding and generating human language by processing vast amounts of text data.

About Reasoning-based language model

• RLMs redefined AI's problem-solving capabilities by extending LLMs with advanced reasoning mechanisms.
• These  models employ chain-of-thought techniques, breaking down problems step by step to reach more accurate and contextually aware solutions.
  • Unlike traditional large language models that rely heavily on vast datasets and computational power.
• Concerns: High costs, proprietary nature, and complex architectures.

India, as the Vice President of IALA actively participated in the 2nd Session of the IALA Council, held in Nice, France.

About IALA

• Established: In 1957, as International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA).
  • In 2024: Officially changed its status from a Non-governmental Organization (NGO) to an Intergovernmental Organization (IGO).
• Objective: To navigate authorities, manufacturers, consultants, and scientific and training institutes from all parts of the world and offer them the opportunity to exchange and compare their experiences and achievements.

The Full Bench of Lokpal of India has adopted a new motto “Empower Citizens, Expose Corruption”.

About Lokpal

• Legal provision: Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act 2013 to investigate allegations of corruption against public functionaries.
  • It shall apply to public servants in and outside India and Prime Minister.
• Composition: Chairperson and eight Members. 
  • S/he should not be
    • Member of Parliament or State legislature 
    • Convicted of any offence
    • Less than forty-five years of age.
• Chairperson: CJI or a Supreme Court judge, or an eminent person.
• Term: Five years or until they attain the age of 70 years.

Recently, a rare sighting of Eurasian otters has now been reported in south Kashmir.

About Eurasian Otter (Lutra lutra)

• It is a semiaquatic mammal native to Eurasia and the Maghreb (Africa).
• Distribution: 3 continents (Europe, Asia and Africa).
  •  In India, it occurs in northern, northeast, and southern India.
• Characteristics
  • It has sleek brown fur and a long lithe body with a thick tail and short legs.
  • Adaptations for an aquatic lifestyle: Include webbed feet, ability to close small ears and nose when under water.
  • Very dense, short fur that traps a layer of air to insulate the animal.
• Conservation status
  • IUCN Status :  Near threatened
  • CITES :  Appendix I

An Indian employee at the French Embassy in New Delhi scammed hundreds of people, by promising them Schengen visas.

About Schengen Area

• The Schengen area is composed of 29 countries: 25 EU Member States and 4 non-EU countries (Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein).
• These countries engage in closer cooperation allowing them to achieve greater benefits that would be impossible to attain individually.
• The checks at internal borders between them have been abolished.
• Schengen is also a major driver of competitiveness for 32 million European businesses, contributing significantly to the Single Market.

A rare major lunar standstill phenomenon was seen recently with the radiant lunar spectacle the Strawberry Moon.

•  June’s full moon, known as the Strawberry Moon; traditionally named after the strawberry harvest season in North America.

About Major Lunar Standstill

• It occurs when the Moon's orbit reaches its maximum tilt relative to Earth.
• This causes the Moon to rise and set at its most extreme points along the horizon; as a result, the Moon appears lower in the sky than usual in the Northern Hemisphere.
• Major lunar standstill, a rare astronomical event that happens only once every 18.6 years.

Ministry of Finance clarified that there is no plan to impose MDR on UPI payments.

About Merchant Discount Rate (MDR)

• MDR is a fee that banks charge merchants for processing payments in real time.
  • Earlier, merchants used to pay an MDR fee amounting to 1 % of the total transaction value on card payments. 
• But in 2020, the government waived off MDR charges to promote digital payments in the country.

A solid-waste incinerator installed at Gangotri, inside Bhagirathi Eco Sensitive Zone (BESZ) has concerned social activist groups.

• Eco-sensitive Zones are ecologically fragile areas around Protected Areas and wildlife corridors notified under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

Bhagirathi Eco Sensitive Zone (BESZ)

• It is created to protect River Ganga's most pristine stretch covering 4179.59 sq. km. between Gaumukh and Uttarkashi town.
• Notification, issued in 2012, mandates the State Government of Uttarakhand to prepare the Zonal Master Plan (ZMP) to be implemented under the supervision of the Monitoring Committee.

India has voiced “deep reservations” about the European Union (EU)’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).

About the CBAM

• It is the EU's tool to put a fair price on the carbon emitted during the production of carbon intensive goods (steel, aluminium, cement etc) that are entering the EU, and to encourage cleaner industrial production in non-EU countries. 
  • It is part of its “Fit for 55” strategy aiming at reducing EU greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030.
• Enforcement: From 2026 while transitional phase lasts between 2023 and 2025.