Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president and Union Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda has been named Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha, according to an official.

Mr. Nadda replaces Union Minister Piyush Goyal, who recently won the Lok Sabha election and took oath on Monday as a member of the Lower House of Parliament.

Rajya Sabha convenes on July 27 and is expected to conclude proceedings on July 3.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha.

Besides Mr. Nadda, 11 other members of the Upper House of Parliament are in the Union Council of Ministers.

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has introduced two new standards to boost safety and quality of electric vehicles.

In an official statement, the department of consumer affairs said BIS has come out with two new standards — IS 18590: 2024 and IS 18606: 2024.

These standards are aimed at enhancing the safety of electric vehicles in the L, M, and N categories.

“These standards focus on the critical component of electric vehicles ‘”the powertrain’ ”ensuring it meets stringent safety requirements. Additionally, they emphasize the safety and performance of batteries, ensuring they are both powerful and secure,” the statement said.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the Fast Track Immigration Trusted Traveller Programme (FTI-TTP) at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on Saturday. The initiative, designed for faster, smoother and safer immigration clearance, is likely to ease congestion at immigration counters.

Mr. Shah said the programme, to be launched at 21 major airports, will help Indians and Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) coming from other countries. Other than New Delhi, the initiative was launched in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kochi and Ahmedabad airports in the first phase.

In a landmark event today, Military College of Telecommunication Engineering (MCTE), Indian Army and Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering & Research (SAMEER), an autonomous R&D laboratory under the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to advance collaboration in ‘Next Generation Wireless Technologies for Indian Army’. The MoU was signed by Lt Gen K H Gawas, Commandant MCTE and Colonel Commandant Corps of Signals and Dr P H Rao, Director General SAMEER. The event was conducted in the esteemed presence of Shri S K Marwaha, Group Coordinator MeitY, and Maj Gen C S Mann, AVSM, VSM, Additional Director General of Army Design Bureau, Indian Army, reflecting the importance of this strategic initiative for the nation's defence and technological landscape.

This initiative marks a significant milestone in strengthening the Indian Army's technological capabilities which is aligned towards declared vision for 2024 as ‘Year of Technological Absorption for Indian Army’ by Chief of Army Staff

For many women around the world, the devastating loss of a partner is magnified by a long-term fight for their basic rights and dignity. Despite the fact that there are more than 258 million widows around the world, widows have historically been left unseen, unsupported, and unmeasured in our societies.

Today, as armed conflicts, displacement and migration, and the COVID-19 pandemic leave tens of thousands of women newly widowed and many others whose partners are missing or disappeared, the unique experiences and needs of widows must be brought to the forefront, with their voices leading the way.

Experience from the past, shows that widows are often denied inheritance rights, have their property grabbed after the death of a partner, and can face extreme stigma and discrimination, as perceived ‘carriers’ of disease. Worldwide, women are much less likely to have access to old age pensions than men, so the death of a spouse can lead to destitution for older women. In the context of lockdowns and economic closures, widows may not have access to bank accounts and pensions to pay for healthcare if they too become ill or to support themselves and their children. With lone-mother families and single older women already particularly vulnerable to poverty, this is an area that needs urgent attention.

The UN Public Service Day intends to celebrate the value and virtue of public service to the community; highlight the contribution of public service in the development process; recognize the work of public servants, and encourage young people to pursue careers in the public sector. Since the first Awards Ceremony in 2003, the United Nations has received an increasing number of submissions from all around the world.

The United Nations Public Service Awards is the most prestigious international recognition of excellence in public service. It rewards the creative achievements and contributions of public service institutions that lead to a more effective and responsive public administration in countries worldwide. Through an annual competition, the UN Public Service Awards promotes the role, professionalism and visibility of public service.

A satellite developed by China and France, the most powerful yet for studying the farthest explosion of stars, was launched into orbit on Saturday (June 22).

Sino-French satellite launched into orbit, state broadcaster reports

The satellite to study phenomena including gamma-ray bursts was lifted into orbit by a Chinese carrier rocket launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the southwestern province of Sichuan, CCTV said on Saturday.

The launch of the Space Variable Objects Monitor will play an important role in astronomical discoveries, the broadcaster said, citing the China National Space Administration.

It is the first astronomy satellite developed by China and France, although they developed the China-France Oceanography Satellite, launched in 2018, China Daily reported in April.

B. Dhiraj led India to two bronze medals in recurve competitions on the final day of the Archery World Cup Stage-3 in Antalya, Turkey, on Sunday.

Dhiraj combined with Bhajan Kaur to deliver the mixed team bronze before securing the men’s individual bronze.

The Indians rallied from a set down to beat the Mexican pair of Matias Grande and Alejandra Valencia, who is a 2020 Olympics mixed team bronze medallist, 5-3 (35-38, 40-39, 38-37, 38-38) to take the third place.

Four officers of the Armed Forces Medical Service (AFMS) have brought laurels to India by clinching a record 32 medals in the 43rd World Medical and Health Games held in Saint-Tropez, France, from June 16-23, 2024, a Defence Ministry release said on Sunday.

According to the release, Lieutenant Col Sanjeev Malik, Major Anish George, Captain Stephen Sebastian, and Captain Dania James made history by winning 19 gold, nine silver, and four bronze medals in the world's largest sports event for health professionals.

The government has permitted exports of 2,000 tonnes of non-basmati white rice to two African nations - Malawi and Zimbabwe.

The export is permitted through National Cooperative Exports Limited (NCEL), the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has said in a notification.

Though exports of non-basmati white rice have been banned since July 20, 2023 to boost domestic supply, exports are allowed on the basis of permission granted by the government to certain countries to meet their food security needs on request.

Malawi is a landlocked country in south-eastern Africa, while Zimbabwe is a South African nation.