Former Lok Sabha Secretary General and constitutional expert Subhash C. Kashyap passed away in New Delhi. He was 97. Dr Kashyap was part of the high-level committee headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind to prepare a legal framework on simultaneous elections. Author of over 100 books, he served as the secretary general of Lok Sabha from 1983 to 1990.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that Dr Kashyap was one of India’s foremost constitutional scholars whose contributions to parliamentary and constitutional discourse enriched the society. The Prime Minister said that his writings and commitment to strengthening democratic institutions were noteworthy.
The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) facilitated the flagging off of the first-ever sea shipment of botanical-infused ready-to-cook millet functional foods from Karnataka to New Zealand on June 3, 2026.
The export of botanical-infused millet functional foods highlights the growing potential of India's value-added agricultural products and is expected to benefit millet-growing farmers through enhanced demand and improved market access. Such initiatives contribute to strengthening India's agri-export ecosystem while generating opportunities across the millet value chain.
Chairman, APEDA- Abhishek Dev.
Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Shri Jitin Prasada today inaugurated the Global Business Research Conference (GBRC) 2026 at the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), a Deemed-to-be University under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India.
The conference, themed “Managing Business Amidst Worldwide Turbulence”, has brought together eminent academicians, policymakers, management educators, researchers and industry experts from India and abroad to deliberate on emerging challenges and opportunities shaping the global business environment.
About IIFT
Established in 1963, the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) is a premier institution under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India. Recognised as a Deemed to be University, IIFT is engaged in education, research, training and capacity building in the areas of international business, trade and economic policy.
A Tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for implementation of the National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly was signed in the august presence of Shri Kiren Rijiju, Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs;
Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Law and Justice and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs; Dr. L. Murugan, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs; and the Speaker of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly. Sh. Suvendu Adhikari, Chief Minister, West Bengal joined virtually.
With the signing of the MoU, the West Bengal Legislative Assembly becomes the 33rd Legislature in the country to join the NeVA initiative, bringing the nation another step closer towards the vision of "One Nation – One Application" for legislative governance. 21 Legislatures have successfully transitioned to fully digital functioning through the NeVA platform.
National Awards for e-Governance (NAeG) are presented every year to recognize and promote excellence in implementation of e-Governance initiatives. The 29th NAeG 2026 awardees in seven categories include the Gram Panchayats category, recognising deepening and widening of service delivery at grassroots level through digitisation.
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Dr. Jitendra Singh announced an ANRF-supported digital portal aimed at facilitating training in patent filing support and research paper writing assistance for researchers, students and innovators across the country.
Dr. Jitendra Singh said that the newly announced portal will serve as an important capacity-building resource for researchers and young innovators by providing structured support in scientific writing, publication processes, intellectual property protection and patent-related procedures.
He noted that improving access to such resources would strengthen the quality of research output, enhance innovation outcomes and help researchers translate scientific work into publications and intellectual property assets.
Austria, Kyrgyzstan, Portugal, Trinidad and Tobago, and Zimbabwe were elected as non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the year 2027-28, with India saying it looks forward to working closely with them during their two-year tenure.
In a closely watched and contested election on June 3, 2026, the 193-member United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) elected the five new non-permanent members who will replace Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama, and Somalia when their terms conclude at the end of 2026.
The five new non-permanent UNSC members were elected by secret ballot for the two-year term beginning from January 1, 2027, and ending on December 31, 2028. In a major setback to Germany, the European country lost the election in the Western European and Other States category, securing 104 votes.
Portugal (134 votes) and Austria (131 votes) won the election for the two seats allocated to the group. The results were announced by the President of the UN General Assembly and former German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.
In the two seats for African and Asia-Pacific States, Zimbabwe got 182 votes while Kyrgyzstan got 142 votes.
Kyrgyzstan, which will sit on the Council for the first time, emerged victorious after four intense rounds of voting, defeating the Philippines by a vote of 142-49. In the Latin American and Caribbean States category, Trinidad and Tobago got 181 votes.
The powerful UN Security Council comprises 15 members, including five permanent veto-wielding members: China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Next year, the newly-elected members will join the P5 nations and Bahrain, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Latvia, and Liberia, who will remain on the Council through the end of 2027.
India last sat at the UNSC horseshoe table as a non-permanent member in 2021-22, and Delhi has declared its candidature for the 2028-29 term.
Manila-based multilateral funding Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Standard Chartered Bank have signed agreements to strengthen supply chain finance in India through risk-sharing arrangements covering both USD and rupee transactions.
The agreements include a risk participation arrangement structured through Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) to support US dollar-denominated transactions, and a partial guarantee facility agreement to support onshore rupee transactions, ADB said in a statement.
A key feature of this partnership is its focus on emerging and underserved segments of supply chain finance, particularly distributor financing, it said, adding that the collaboration represents ADB's first engagement in this space within the market.
Lionel Messi got another feather on his cap as he was felicitated with the Princess of Asturias Award for Sports, one of the most prestigious international accolades recognising careers of extraordinary significance and impact on society.
Messi, who led Argentina to the FIFA World Cup 2022 title, became the first individual footballer to receive the award.
The Princess of Asturias Award annually recognises distinguished individuals and institutions in fields such as the Arts, Literature, Social Sciences, Scientific and Technical Research, International Cooperation, Concord, Communication and Humanities, as well as Sports.
Previous recipients in the Sports category include legends such as Rafael Nadal, Michael Schumacher, Serena Williams, and Eliud Kipchoge.
US-based investment firm GQG Partners sold a 1.8 per cent stake in airports operator GMR Airports to Fidelity International for Rs 1,906 crore through open market transactions.
The shares were disposed of at an average price of Rs 97.75 apiece, taking the transaction value to Rs 1,906.12 crore.
Rajiv Jain-backed GQG Partners, through its affiliate GQG Partners Emerging Markets Equity Fund offloaded 19.50 crore shares representing a 1.85 per cent stake in GMR Airports, according to block deal data available on the NSE.
Meanwhile, Fidelity International through its affiliate Fidelity Investment Trust Fidelity International Small Cap Fund acquired the same number of shares, as per the data on the National Stock Exchange (NSE).
Shares of GMR Airports rose 1.04 per cent to close at Rs 99.15 apiece on the NSE.
Seasoned diplomat Vipul was appointed on June 2, 2026 as India's next ambassador to Saudi Arabia, widely seen as a crucial posting given the Gulf nation's growing influence and the volatile geopolitical crisis in West Asia.
Mr. Vipul, a 1998-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, is currently serving as Indian ambassador to Qatar.
Mr. Vipul has served in Indian Missions in Cairo, Colombo, Geneva, and Dubai.
Mr. Vipul also worked as a Joint Secretary at the Ministry between 2014 and 2017.
Subsequently, he was Consul General of India in Dubai between 2017-20.
He served as Joint Secretary (Gulf) in the MEA from 2020-2023.
He has been serving as India's Ambassador to Qatar since August 2023.
The National Panchayat Awards 2025 was conferred today on 42 outstanding Panchayats from across the country in New Delhi by Union Minister of Panchayati Raj and Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, today has approved upgradation of the Khagaria-Purnea Section of NH-31 and NH-231 to the 4-Lane Standard (143. 529 kms) in Bihar on BOT (Toll) Mode at a cost of Rs.3936.05 crore.
The proposed upgradation of the Khagaria-Purnea Section of NH-31 and NH-231in Bihar will address severe geometric deficiencies, sharp curves, and congestion in built-up areas across Khagaria, Bhagalpur, Katihar and Purnia district. An extended Greenfield Bypass of Purnea City of 6.729 Km length will be developed as part of instant project.
The project will increase average travel speeds, reduce travel time to about two hours, and improve overall road safety, fuel efficiency, and vehicle operating costs, thereby enhancing regional mobility and socio-economic development.
On 15 December, the General Assembly adopted a resolution (A/RES/2994 (XXVII)) designating June 5 as World Environment Day and urging “Governments and the organizations in the United Nations system to undertake on that day every year world-wide activities reaffirming their concern for the preservation and enhancement of the environment.
Time is running out, and nature is in emergency mode. To keep global warming below 1.5°C this century, we must halve annual greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Without action, exposure to air pollution beyond safe guidelines will increase by 50 per cent within the decade and plastic waste flowing into aquatic ecosystems will nearly triple by 2040.
The Committee on Fisheries endorsed the proposal for the declaration of 5 June as the International Day for the Fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing. The date reflects the day when the Port State Measures Agreement officially entered into force as an international treaty.
IUU fishing catches millions of tonnes of fish every year. To curtail this, Target 4 of Goal 14 of the Sustainable Development Agenda adopted in 2015 by the UN General Assembly, specifically urged the international community to “effectively regulate harvesting and end overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and destructive fishing practices” by 2020.
