French Open (Roland Garros)
Context
- Alexander Zverev (Germany) won the French Open 2026 men’s singles, defeating Italy’s Flavio Cobolli.
- Mirra Andreeva (Russia, age 19) became the youngest women’s singles winner since Monica Seles in 1992.
About French Open
- The French Open is officially called Roland Garros and is the only Grand Slam played on a clay surface.
- The clay court at Roland Garros is a five-layer structure nearly 80 cm deep, comprising foundation stones, gravel, volcanic rock residue, compacted limestone, and crushed red brick.
- The limestone layer is the most critical component as it retains moisture and provides structural stability.
- The crushed red brick layer is only 3 to 5 mm thick and is primarily cosmetic, helping players slide.
- Calcium chloride is used to slow moisture evaporation and maintain court consistency during hot weather.
Grand Slam Tournaments
| Tournament | Country | Surface |
| Australian Open | Australia | Hard Court |
| Roland Garros | France | Clay Court |
| Wimbledon | United Kingdom | Grass Court |
| US Open | United States | Hard Court |
The term “Grand Slam” dates back to 1933 when Australia’s Jack Crawford won three majors and reached the US Championships final.- In 1989, the four Grand Slams formed the Grand Slam Committee to administer shared rules.
- Grand Slam tournaments are open to players ranked 500 or better; players under 14 years are ineligible.
- There are no entry fees for players and no limit on Wild Cards a player may receive.
VB-G RAM G
Context: Union Rural Development Minister announced an interim allocation of ₹95,962 crore for VB-G RAM G, with a combined outlay of ₹1.25 lakh crore including states’ share.
About VB-G RAM G Act, 2025
- Full name: Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025.
- It replaces and reforms the MGNREGA framework, raising the employment guarantee from 100 days to 125 days per rural household per financial year.
- If employment is not provided within the stipulated period, unemployment allowance is payable after 15 days.
- States can notify an aggregated pause of up to 60 days during peak sowing and harvesting seasons.
- Wages must be paid weekly or within 15 days of work completion; delays attract mandatory compensation.
- Planning and Governance
- Planning originates from Viksit Gram Panchayat Plans (VGPPs), prepared through participatory processes and approved by Gram Sabhas.
- Digitally integrated with PM Gati Shakti for national-level convergence.
- Uses biometric authentication, geo-tagging, and real-time dashboards for administration.
- Administrative expenditure ceiling raised from 6% to 9%.
- Financial Architecture
| Category | Centre : State Ratio |
| General States | 60 : 40 |
| North-East and Himalayan States | 90 : 10 |
| UTs without Legislatures | 100% Central Funding |
Governing Council of NITI Aayog
Context: The 11th Governing Council meeting of NITI Aayog was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.
About NITI Aayog
- NITI Aayog is a government advisory body (think tank) set up by a Union Cabinet decision.
- It is neither a Constitutional nor a statutory body.
- About Governing Council
- The Governing Council was first constituted in 2015 and reconstituted in 2021.
- Chairperson is the Prime Minister of India.
- Members include Chief Ministers of all States and UTs with Legislature and Lt. Governors of other UTs.
- Its objective is to ensure cooperative federalism and provide a platform to discuss inter-sectoral, inter-departmental, and federal issues to accelerate national development.
Bonn Climate Conference 2026
Context: India called for addressing the shrinking climate finance pool and widening adaptation finance gap at the 64th Session of UNFCCC Subsidiary Bodies (SB64) in Bonn, Germany.
More in News
- India associated itself with positions of the Group of 77 and China, LMDC (Like-Minded Developing Countries), and BASIC bloc (Brazil, South Africa, India, China).
- India pressed for dialogue on unilateral trade measures like the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), anchored in Article 3.5 of the UNFCCC Convention.
- The Bonn meeting runs from June 8 to 18 and is the first multilateral climate conference since COP30 held in Belém, Brazil.
- COP31 will be hosted in Antalya, Turkiye in November 2026, with Australia presiding over the negotiations.
About Bonn Climate Conference
- Officially known as the 64th Sessions of the Subsidiary Bodies (SB64), it serves as a technical preparatory meeting ahead of the annual COP summit.
- It operates through two subsidiary bodies: SBI (Subsidiary Body for Implementation) and SBSTA (Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice).
- Their primary role is to prepare draft decisions for the annual Conference of the Parties (COP).
Key Agenda Items
- Health groups called for increasing adaptation finance from the COP26 target of $40 billion to $120 billion annually by 2035.
- Technical discussions began on operationalising 59 Belém Adaptation Indicators adopted at COP30.
- Discussions focused on operationalising the Just Transition Mechanism agreed at COP30 for capacity building and technical cooperation.
- The Sharm el-Sheikh Mitigation Work Programme is due to conclude in 2026 with a possible extension under discussion.
- Deliberations continued under the Sharm el-Sheikh Joint Work on Agriculture and Food Security.
Chandrayaan-3 – Shiv Shakti Point Soil Findings
Context: Data from Chandrayaan-3 revealed that soil at Shiv Shakti Point near the Moon’s South Pole is chemically close to the lunar meteorite ALHA 81005 discovered in Antarctica in 1982.
Key Findings
- The soil at Shiv Shakti Point is rich in iron and magnesium-deficient aluminium, closely resembling the composition of lunar meteorite ALHA 81005.
- The soil is a mix composition of ferroan anorthosite and Mg-suite lithologies, which are typical lunar rock types composed of elements like calcium and magnesium.
- The findings highlight compositional diversity in the lunar highlands and demonstrate that impact histories can expose and redistribute crustal materials across the Moon.
- The data was gathered by the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS), a scientific probe aboard the Pragyan rover of Chandrayaan-3.
About APXS
- APXS is designed to unravel the chemical composition of soil at the Chandrayaan-3 landing site.
- Chandrayaan-3 landed on the Moon’s South Pole in August 2023.
Election Symbols
Context: The EC is unlikely to allot a cockroach as an election symbol, as it stopped allotting animals as election symbols following representations from animal welfare activists in the 1990s.
Legal Framework
- Election symbols are allotted under the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968.
- The Election Commission of India (ECI) is solely responsible for allotment of symbols.
- As per current notifications, there are 6 national parties, 26 state parties, and 2,597 registered unrecognised parties.
Types of Symbols
- Reserved symbols are exclusive to recognised national and state parties.
- Free symbols are allotted to unrecognised registered parties and independent candidates.
- The latest free symbols list (published May 2025) has 184 symbols, including AC, balloon, doorbell, dustbin, frying pan, jackfruit, and grapes.
- Proposed symbols must not resemble existing symbols, have no religious or communal connotation, and must not depict any bird or animal.
Symbol Preferences
- Unrecognised parties must submit 10 symbol preferences from the free symbols list.
- Parties may also propose 3 new symbols with clear designs for EC’s consideration.
Split in a Political Party
- Para 15 of the Symbols Order, 1968 empowers the EC to decide on rival factions’ claims in case of a party split.
- EC uses three tests from the Sadiq Ali case: Test of Aims and Objects, Test of Party Constitution, and Test of Majority.
- If both legislative and organisational tests are indecisive, the EC freezes the symbol and asks both factions to choose new symbols.
- Since 1997, the faction not receiving the parent party’s symbol must register as a separate party and earn recognition through subsequent electoral performance.
Animal as Symbol
- EC stopped allotting animals as election symbols following representations from animal welfare activists in the 1990s.
- Bahujan Samaj Party retains the elephant as its symbol as it was formed before the ban, making it one of the few exceptions.
