Israel-Lebanon talks to be held in next Washington week, says US

The next round of Lebanese-Israeli talks will be held June 23-25 in Washington, the US State Department said on Friday following a call between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Lebanese president Joseph Aoun. 

Congo Ebola outbreak worsens as deaths top 200

The Ebola outbreak in Congo and Uganda has claimed more than 200 lives in its first month and is the worst known outbreak at this stage, with up to 35,000 suspected potential contacts, Africa's Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday. 

India's Russian oil imports at record high, set to remain core of crude diet

With India stepping up its oil imports from Russia amid the loss of West Asian barrels due to supply disruption owing to the crisis in the region, crude imports from Moscow in June are expected to touch an all-time high, preliminary ship tracking data indicates.

Although the US has allowed its sanctions waiver on Russian oil purchases to lapse, at least for the time being, industry experts and insiders expect Russian crude to remain Indian refiners' mainstay in the foreseeable future.

Many universities in MP, Chhattisgarh replace 'India' with 'Bharat' in degrees, marksheets

A number of state and central universities in some states have decided to replace the word "India" with "Bharat" in their degrees, marksheets, correspondence, invites, and signboards, among other things.

On Sunday, President Droupadi Murmu will attend a convocation of Rani Durgavati University in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur, a state university, where all degrees to be awarded will feature Bharat instead of India. 

70 lakh jobs created under PM-VBRY: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that around 70 lakh jobs have been created so far under the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana (PM-VBRY) and out of these, about 20 lakh youths have already completed six months in their first job.

Participating in the incentive disbursal programme under the PM-VBRY, he said, "Around 70 lakh jobs have been created so far with the support of Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana, and first-time employees have also gained the protection of social security. Nearly 20 lakh young people have completed six months in their first jobs, and today, about 10 lakh of them received incentives for completing this six-month milestone." 

Right to walk on safe footpaths a fundamental right, says SC

The Supreme Court on Friday held that the right to walk on secured footpaths is a fundamental right and urged the government to bring a law that declares this right and recognises the duty of municipal authorities and local bodies to build, demarcate, and maintain necessary pedestrian infrastructure.

"The right to walk is a fundamental right under Part III of the Constitution... The fundamental right to walk will take within its sweep the right to demarcated footpaths. 

Shah sets three-year justice delivery target

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said the government is working towards ensuring that the entire criminal justice process-from registration of an FIR to conviction and appeals is completed within three years, as he stressed greater use of technology, artificial intelligence and scientific evidence in crime investigation.

Addressing the inaugural session of the 26th All India Fingerprint Conference 2026 in Delhi, Shah said the Narendra Modi government has undertaken comprehensive reforms of criminal laws since 2019 with the objective of making science and technology an integral part of the criminal justice system.

"NCRB-Abhigyan, CrPI, e-Prosecution 2.0 and e-Forensics 2.0 applications launched today will facilitate the speedy disposal of pending cases and help ensure timely delivery of justice," Shah said after launching the applications developed by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). 

A reply to CEA: What's missing in India is not ambition, but competition

We need the reforms that will, again, unleash the ambition of all of Indian industry, not just of the Tatas, Ambani and Adani. The reform express must leave the station. 

3 indigenously built naval ships to be commissioned tomorrow

The Indian Navy will commission three indigenously built frontline platforms-Dunagiri, Sanshodhak, and Agray - in Kolkata on Sunday, and the ceremony will be presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Dunagiri is an advanced stealth frigate, Sanshodhak isa survey vessel (large), and Agray is an anti-submarine warfare shallow water craft. 

Navy to get 12 sets of indigenous 1.25 MW gas turbine generators for Kolkata-class ships

The Ministry of Defence on Friday signed a contract with Bharat Forge Limited for the acquisition of 12 sets of 1.25 MW gas turbine generators at a cost of around Rs 425 crore for onboard power generation on Kolkata-class ships of the Indian Navy.

The marine gas turbine generators will have at least 60% indigenous content, and the contract will be executed over a period of five years. 

The key hurdle to climate targets: Electrification

Only about 20% of the world's energy needs, or 'final energy consumption', is met through electricity.

Only around 42% of this electricity is generated through clean sources.

This means that just a little over 8% of the total energy consumed in the world now is clean.

MPC minutes: Why central bank opted for status quo on repo rates

The Reserve Bank of India's (RBI's) rate setting panel, Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), preferred to adopt a "wait and watch" approach and remain watchful and wary about the generalisation of inflation in the coming months against the backdrop of the West Asia conflict and its impact, according to minutes of the MPC meeting held on June 5. 

SEBI board reintroduces open-market buyback

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on Friday reintroduced the mechanism of allowing corporates to buy back shares through the open market. At the conclusion of its board meeting, SEBI Chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey also announced measures to relax the transfer procedure for securities held by deceased individuals and relaxed the norms for mutual funds to borrow for managing their day-to-day expenses. 

NE has potential to become India's next growth engine, says FM

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said the Northeast has the potential to become India's next engine of growth by leveraging its strengths in sustainable agriculture and premium organic produce. "The future of agriculture increasingly belongs not to those who produce the most, but to those who produce the best-cleaner, more traceable, more trusted and more premium. When Meghalaya's farmers rise, the Northeast rises," she said.