INTERNATIONAL NEWS
1. Mount Etna erupts:
About Mount Etna and its geographical features:
- Italy’s Mount Etna is the highest active volcano in Europe, located on the east coast of Sicily.
- Etna covers an area of some 600 square miles (1,600 square km), and its base has a circumference of about 93 miles (150 km).
- Mount Etna was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013.
GOVERNMENT SCHEMES
2. ULLAS Scheme:
Why in news?
Goa becomes India’s second fully literate state under ULLAS Scheme
Aim of the ULLAS Scheme:
- Goa has become the second state after Mizoram to achieve full functional literacy status.
- However if we take Union Territories also on account, the Union Territory of Ladakh was the first Union Territory/State in India to achieve full functional literacy status on 24 June 2024.
- Note: If 95% of the population of a state/Union territory is functionally literate, then the state/union Territory is considered fully functionally literate.
- The Government of India aims to achieve full functional literacy by 2030.
IMPORTANT APPOINTMENTS
3. President of UN General Assembly:
Why in news?
Germany’s Annalena Baerbock elected President of the 80th UN General Assembly.
About UN General Assembly and its election procedures:
- The U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly elected Germany’s former foreign minister Annalena Baerbock to be the next head of the 193-member world body in a secret-ballot vote demanded by Russia.
- She will succeed Philemon Yang, former Prime Minister of Cameroon, in Sep 2025.
SCIENCE & TECH NEWS
4. First-ever indigenous Polar Research Vessel:
why in news?
India to build first-ever indigenous Polar Research Vessel
About the construction and its special features:
- India’s Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Norway’s Kongsberg company to build India’s first-ever indigenous Polar Research Vessel (PRV).
- GRSE will be building the PRV in its yard in Kolkata, ensuring a boost to Government’s ‘Make In India’ initiative.
AWARDS & HONOURS
5. National Florence Nightingale Awards:
Why in news?
President Murmu confers National Florence Nightingale Awards to 15 nurses
About the Award and its historical details:
- The National Florence Nightingale Award was instituted in 1973 by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to honour outstanding nursing personnel in various settings.
- Each awardee received a certificate of merit, cash reward of Rs 1 lakh and a medal.
About Florence Nigtingale:
- Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) was a British nurse, social reformer and statistician.
- She was the founder of modern nursing.
- She was born in Italy and named after the city of her birth.
SPORTS NEWS
6. IPL 2025:
Why in news?
The Wait Is Over RCB defeats PBKS To Lift IPL 2025 Trophy
IMPORTANT DAYS
7. World Bicycle Day:
Why in news?
World Bicycle Day is celebrated on June 3rd
About the day and its importance:
- The main Purpose of World Bicycle Day is to recognise the bicycle’s distinctive, adaptable, and eco-friendly characteristics as a means of transport.
- The United Nations General Assembly declared World Bicycle Day in April 2018.
- Theme 2025: “Cycling for a Sustainable Future”