World Food Safety Day on 7 June aims to draw attention and inspire action to help prevent, detect and manage foodborne risks, contributing to food security, human health, economic prosperity, agriculture, market access, tourism and sustainable development.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) jointly facilitate the observance of World Food Safety Day, in collaboration with Member States and other relevant organizations. This international day is an opportunity to strengthen efforts to ensure that the food we eat is safe.
Under the slogan “Food safety, everyone’s business”, the action-oriented campaign promotes global food safety awareness and calls upon countries and decision makers, the private sector, civil society, UN organizations and the general public to take action. An estimated 420 000 people around the world die every year after eating contaminated food.
World Oceans Day reminds everyone of the major role the oceans have in everyday life. They are the lungs of our Planet, a major source of food and medicine, and a critical part of the biosphere. "Wonder: Sustaining what sustains us" is the theme for World Oceans Day 2025, a year marked by the UN Decade of Ocean Science and the celebration of the World Ocean Conference.
The ocean produces at least 50% of the planet’s oxygen, it is home to most of earth’s biodiversity, and is the main source of protein for more than a billion people around the world. Not to mention, the ocean is key to our economy with an estimated 40 million people being employed by ocean-based industries by 2030.
Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting & Parliamentary Affairs, Dr. L. Murugan will inaugurate the National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) for the Puducherry Legislative Assembly on June 9,2025.
A trial run of NeVA was conducted during the recently concluded 6th session of the 15th Puducherry Legislative Assembly by uploading the Lieutenant Governor’s speech, Chief Minister’s Budget speech, List of Business, and Replies to the Questions of Members on NeVA.
In a landmark move to strengthen grassroots governance, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, in collaboration with the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, has introduced a dedicated category under the National Awards for e-Governance (NAeG) 2025 to recognize outstanding digital initiatives by Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs).
A first-of-its-kind recognition for PRIs, a new award category titled “Grassroots Level Initiatives for Deepening Service Delivery at Gram Panchayats or Equivalent Traditional Local Bodies” has been introduced to honour exemplary digital initiatives by Panchayats.
Notably, 2 out of the 3 Jury Awards conferred under NAeG 2025 have been awarded to Gram Panchayats, highlighting the innovation and dedication of Gram Panchayats in advancing digital governance and delivering quality citizen services.
"The UMEED Portal will add a new chapter in the history of Waqf property management and administration in India. It will not only bring transparency but will also help the common Muslims, particularly women and children," said Shri Kiren Rijiju, Union Minister for Minority Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs, after launching the UMEED Central Portal in New Delhi on 7th June.
The UMEED Central Portal, short for Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Act, 1995 will serve as a centralized digital platform for real-time uploading, verification, and monitoring of Waqf properties. The portal is developed by the Ministry of Minority Affairs.
Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah, on 7th June 2025, launched Bharatiya Bhasha Anubhag (Indian Languages Section) in New Delhi. Many dignitaries including the Union Home Secretary and the Secretary, Official Language were present on the occasion.
Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah said that, under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, with the establishment of the Bharatiya Bhasha Anubhag (Indian Languages Section), the Department of Official Language has now become a complete department.
Five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen clinched his seventh Norway Chess title after American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana did a good turn by defeating star India player D Gukesh to grab three full points in the final round of Norway Chess. Defending champion Carlsen ended the tournament with 16 points after drawing with the other Indian in the tournament, Arjun Erigaisi.
In the women’s section, overnight leader and two-time world blitz champion, Ukraine’s Anna Muzychuk won the title with 16.5 points despite an Armageddon tie-break loss to India’s R. Vaishali in the final round. Muzychuk’s draw in the classical game against the Indian earned both players a point each, while Vaishali secured another half a point by beating the Ukrainian.
In Chess, Indian Grandmaster Aravindh Chithambaram won the 6th Stepan Avagyan Memorial chess tournament held in Jermuk, Armenia. Arvind finished with 6.5 points from 9 rounds, tying with compatriot Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa but winning on tie breaks.
Aravindh remained unbeaten in the 10-player round-robin event, scoring four wins and five draws. In the final round, playing with the black pieces, he defeated Armenia’s Aram Hakobyan, while Praggnanandhaa secured a win against Robert Hovhannisyan. This win follows Aravindh’s earlier victory at the 2025 Prague Chess Festival Masters.
Eminent scholar and author Daji Panshikar, known for his deep knowledge of Indian epics and contributions to Marathi literature, passed away at his residence in Maharashtra’s Thane following a brief illness. He was 92. Panshikar was widely respected for his scholarly interpretations of texts like the Mahabharata, Eknaathi Bhagwat, and Bhavarth Ramayan.
Some of his notable books include “Mahabharata: Ek Sudacha Pravas”, “Karna: Khara Kon Thota?”, “Kathamrut”, “Kanikaniti” and “Unfamiliar Ramayana” (in five parts). He was a scholar of Indian epics, “Ramayana”, “Mahabharata”, and the literature of saint-poets He delivered over 2,500 lectures in India and abroad.
Eid-uz-Zuha, the festival of sacrifice or Baqrid is being celebrated with religious fervour and gaiety in various parts of the country today. The faithfuls are offering prayers in Eidgahs and mosques.
The festival marks the devotion and faith of the Prophet Ibrahim in Allah, who agreed to sacrifice his son, Ishmael; in a divine act of mercy, Ishmael is replaced with a lamb, signifying sacrifice and submission to God’s will.
India's foreign exchange reserves stood at $691.5 billion as of May 30, down $1.2 billion from the previous week and coming off near-eight-month highs, announced Reserve Bank of India. The country's reserves are now about $13.4 billion below their all-time high hit in September 2024.
These (reserves) are sufficient to fund more than 11 months of goods imports and about 96% of external debt outstanding. Foreign exchange reserves include India's reserve tranche position in the International Monetary Fund.
Starlink, the world’s largest space-based communication company, has got licence to operate in India, more than 2 years after it filed an application.The satellite broadband licence for the American major, which has a presence in over 125 countries,has come at a time when the industry stands divided over the issue of spectrum pricing and the method of allocations of airwave
The report states that Starlink is expected to receive a trial spectrum in the coming days, after meeting all the security compliance requirements outlined in its letter of intent (LoI).
Before the spectrum is allocated, Starlink must get approval from the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe).
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has rejected the universal bank licence application filed by Annapurna Finance. Annapurna Finance was established in 2009 and is now one of the top ten NBFC-MFIs (non-banking finance company-micro finance institution) in the country, according to its website.
Currently, Fino Payments Bank has applied for a small finance bank licence, while AU Small Finance Bank (SFB) was the first to file the application for conversion to a universal bank and Ujjivan SFB’s board has approved applying for a universal SFB licence. As on March end, the MFI had Rs. 11,034 crore of loans, 2.9 million clients and 1,636 branches.
The RBI has reduced the qualifying asset threshold to 60% (net of intangible assets) from 75% of total assets for NBFC-MFIs (non-banking finance company – microfinance institutions), allowing them to diversify their asset base. The qualifying assets of NBFC-MFIs should constitute a minimum of 60 per cent of the total assets (netted off by intangible assets).
If an NBFC-MFI fails to maintain the qualifying assets for four consecutive quarters, it should approach the Reserve Bank with a remediation plan for taking a view in the matter. The definition of qualifying asset is aligned with the definition of ‘microfinance loans’.
A microfinance loan is defined as a collateral-free loan given to a household having annual household income up to ₹3 lakh. For this purpose, the household means an individual family unit, i.e., husband, wife and their unmarried children.
In view of the feedback received after public consultations, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has relaxed certain aspects of the earlier draft guidelines on gold loans in the final norms. The regulator said lenders must now maintain 85 per cent loan-to-value (LTV) ratio for consumption related gold loans below Rs 2.5 lakh, as against the earlier proposed 75 per cent.
For consumption loans backed by gold as collateral with Rs 2.5 lakh-Rs 5 lakh ticket size, the LTV ratio has been mandated at 80 per cent, while for loans above Rs 5 lakh, the LTV ratio has been maintained at 75 per cent. The prescribed LTV ratio shall be maintained on an ongoing basis throughout the tenor of the loan, the RBI said.
Lenders may renew an existing loan or sanction a top-up loan upon a formal request from the borrower and subject to a credit assessment, within the permissible LTV, and provided the loan is classified as standard. Further, renewal of bullet repayment loan shall be allowed only after payment of accrued interest, if any.
However, detailed credit assessment, including assessment of borrower’s repayment capacity shall be undertaken in case the total loan amount against eligible collateral is above ₹2.5 lakh to a borrower,” the regulator said.
New Delhi, Delhi, Tripura and Tamil Nadu are among the top performers in dealing with challenges related to adult literacy and education while Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh lag behind in certification outcomes, according to results of the Foundational Literacy Numeracy Assessment Test .
FLNAT is a nationwide assessment focused on foundational literacy and numeracy certification. States and Union territories identify illiterate populations, train them, and then test and certify them as they come out of illiteracy. The assessment comprises three subjects - Reading, Writing, and Numeracy - each carrying 50 marks, totalling 150 marks.
The test has been developed to evaluate the foundational literacy and numeracy skills of registered non-literate learners. The FLNAT process was rolled out in phases between July 2024 and March 2025, with over 1.77 crore adult learners tested. By May 2025, only 34.31 lakh were officially certified, reflecting a national certification average of about 19.4 pc.
The data compiled and declared by the National Institute of Open Schooling offers insight into how states differ in tackling adult education and literacy challenges. Tamil Nadu recorded a 100 per cent success rate, certifying all 5,09,694 learners who appeared for FLNAT. Tripura closely followed, certifying 13,909 of 14,179 learners, a 98.1 pc success rate.
Delhi certified 7,901 of 7,959 candidates, recording a 99.3 pc success rate. In contrast, states like Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh posted lower certification rates despite moderate participation. Uttarakhand certified 85.7 pc test takers, Gujarat certified 87.1 pc and Himachal Pradesh certified 88.3 pc candidates. Previously, two FLNATs were conducted in 2023.
Out of 64 countries responsible for over 90% of global GHG emissions, only 22 are making progress in the Climate Change Performance Index 2025, while 42 are falling behind. This year, the top three positions remain vacant, with no single country ranking ‘very high’ on all parameters for climate change mitigation in 2025.
Denmark has retained its rank as the top country (#4) in the CCPI Index 2025, earning a very high rating in the renewable energy category, a high rating in greenhouse gas emissions and climate policy, and a medium rating in energy use.G20 countries account for over 75% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, with 14 of their countries receiving a low or very low CCPI Score
Dassault Aviation and Tata Advanced Systems Limited have signed four Production Transfer Agreements to manufacture the Rafale fighter aircraft fuselage in India, marking a significant step forward in strengthening the country’s aerospace manufacturing capabilities and supporting global supply chains.
Under the scope of the partnership, Tata Advanced Systems will set up a cutting-edge production facility in Hyderabad for the manufacture of key structural sections of the Rafale, including the lateral shells of the rear fuselage, the complete rear section, the central fuselage, and the front section.
The first fuselage sections are expected to roll off the assembly line in FY2028, with the facility expected to deliver up to two complete fuselages per month. The signing of these contracts reflects Dassault Aviation’s strong commitment to India’s ‘Make in India’ and AtmaNirbhar initiatives.
