Hindi Journalism Day is celebrated on 30 May to mark the first publication of ‘Udant Martand’, the world’s first Hindi newspaper.

• Udant Martand, meaning 'the rising Sun', was published under the editorship of Pandit Jugal Kishore Shukla (lawyer from Kanpur) in Calcutta (1826).
• On February 16, 1826, Shukla, along with Munnu Thakur of Banstala Gali, Calcutta, obtained government permission to start a Hindi newspaper.

Significance of Udant Martand

• Marked the beginning of Hindi journalism in India.
• Promoted Hindi as a language of public communication.
• Became a symbol of cultural identity and national awakening under British rule.

India has signed a deal with Vietnam for supply of BrahMos at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.

• BrahMos is a supersonic “Fire and Forget” cruise missile with Mach 2.8 speed, stealth capability and a 290 km range.

About Shangri-La Dialogue

• It is recognised as Asia's premier defence summit, held annually in Singapore and organised by International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).
• It brings together global defence leaders to discuss major security challenges.
• It serves as a platform for strategic debates, bilateral talks and defence cooperation.

Relics of Arhat Sariputra and Arhat Mahamoggallana, the two chief disciples of Lord Buddha, enshrined at Gandantegchenling Monastery, Mongolia

• These relics were preserved for centuries in the sacred stupas of Sanchi.

About Arhat Sariputta

• Regarded as the chief disciple (Aggasāvaka) of Lord Buddha and one of the two Dhamma-Senapatis. 
• He was the first human disciple to directly learn the Abhidhamma from the Buddha and is regarded as the first teacher to carry forward the Abhidhamma tradition.

About Arhat Moggallana

• Maha Moggallana was other chief disciple of Lord Buddha.
• His other name was Kolita.
• He served as the teacher of Rahula, the son of the Buddha.

Centre has temporarily exempted customs duty on cotton imports from 1 June–31 October 2026 to improve availability for the textile sector.

Cotton 

• It is also termed as “White-Gold”.

• A soft, fluffy natural fibre grown around seeds in a boll; a shrub (semi-xerophytic) crop of tropical and subtropical regions.
• In India it is grown in the kharif season in semi-arid regions of India.
• Temperature: Minimum 15°C for germination; 21–27°C optimal for growth.
  • It can tolerate temperature to 43°C but temperature below 21°C is detrimental to the crop.
• Soil: Well-drained alluvial, black, and red soils; sensitive to waterlogging.
• Species of cotton: There are four cultivated species of cotton and India is the only country cultivating all four cotton species on commercial scale.
• India has the largest area under cotton cultivation and second largest producer of cotton after China.

India Concludes Maiden Multilateral Exercise PRAGATI (Partnership of Regional Armies for Growth And Transformation in the Indian Ocean Region) 2026 for Indian Ocean Region Partners.

About Exercise PRAGATI 

• Duration: Two-week exercise.
• Participating Nations: India, along with 12 friendly regional partners- Bhutan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam.
• Objectives: Enhance counter-terrorism capabilities, specialized tactical skills, multinational interoperability, and intelligence-sharing among participating armies.

AUKUS members announced deeper maritime cooperation, including development of advanced underwater drones and expanded US submarine deployment in Australia from 2027.

About AUKUS

• Origin: 2021, as a strategic defence alliance between Australia, UK and US.
• Aim: To boost defense capabilities, accelerate technological integration, and expand the industrial capacity of all three nations as part of a collective effort to stabilize the Indo-Pacific region.
• Composed of two pillars: 
  • Pillar 1: Focuses on developing shipbuilding capacities of the three nations, which includes Australia's acquisition of its first SSNs (Nuclear-powered Attack Submarines).
  • Pillar 2: Focuses on joint development of eight advanced military capability areas such as autonomy, artificial intelligence (AI), electromagnetic warfare, modelling, and simulation.

JWST Detects Weather Patterns on Exoplanet WASP-94A b Located 700 Light-Years Away 

About James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)

• JWST is the largest, most powerful, and most advanced space telescope ever launched.
• Partnership: Joint mission of NASA, European Space Agency (ESA), and Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
• Launch: 25 December 2021.
• Location: Operates at Lagrange Point 2 (L2), about 1.5 million km from Earth.
• Objectives: Study the early universe, galaxy evolution, star formation and death, and exoplanets/planetary systems to understand cosmic history and the potential for life beyond Earth.