India retained its position as the world's fifth-largest military spender and the second-largest importer of major arms, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). This, once again, reflects New Delhi's continued push to modernise its armed forces amid a rapidly evolving global security environment.

The findings, published in SIPRI Yearbook 2026, state that India's military expenditure reached $92.1 billion in 2025, marking an 8.9 percent jump from the previous year. The report, released on June 8, places India behind only the U.S., China, Russia and Germany in defence spending.

Notably, the latest assessment comes months after the Centre announced a record defence allocation of around $85 billion in the Union Budget, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh describing the increase as "unprecedented" and necessary to equip the armed forces with fighter jets, drones, submarines, warships and other critical military platforms.

President Droupadi Murmu will present the coveted Padma awards to noted personalities, including actors and R. Madhavan, as well as Satish Shah, whose kin will receive it posthumously, during the second round of the civil investiture ceremony on June 23, officials said on Monday (June 8, 2026).

The President has approved the conferment of 131 Padma awards this year – five Padma Vibhushans, 13 Padma Bhushans and 113 Padma Shri. At the ceremony on May 25, she had conferred two Padma Vibhushans, six Padma Bhushans and 58 Padma Shris.

President Droupadi Murmu conferred Gallantry Awards to the personnel of the Armed Forces, Central Armed Police Forces, and State and Union Territory Police during the Defence Investiture Ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhawan this evening. Vice President C P Radhaskrishnan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, along with other Union Ministers and senior officials of the armed forces, were also present on the occasion.

The President conferred seven Kirti Chakras, 15 Vir Chakras and 29 Shaurya Chakras to the personnel of the Defence Forces, Central Armed Police Forces and State and Union Territory Police during the Ceremony. Inspector Laxman Kewat and Inspector Rameswar Prasad Deshmukh of Chhattisgarh Police were honoured with the Shaurya Chakra for their exceptional courage during anti-naxal operations in the state.

Major Aditya Pratap Singh was given Shaurya Chakra for exceptional bravery in foiling a major attack by insurgents in Arunachal Pradesh. Lance Naik Meenatchi Sundaram A was awarded Kirti Chakra for his indomitable spirit and exceptional bravery, wherein, despite being severely injured, he neutralised one hardcore terrorist in Jammu and Kashmir.

A rare bright yellow puffball mushroom discovered in Arunachal Pradesh’s Longding district could mark the first recorded occurrence of the species in the region, drawing attention to the largely unexplored fungal diversity of the Eastern Himalayas.

The mushroom was documented during a field survey conducted in Zedua village on June 4 by researchers from ICAR Krishi Vigyan Kendra.

Scientists have preliminarily identified the specimen as Bovista colorata, commonly known as the yellow puffball mushroom, based on its distinctive spherical shape and striking yellow fruiting body.

The observation was made by Dr. Deep Narayan Mishra, who serves as a Subject Matter Specialist (Plant Pathology) at KVK Longding.

Hosts India signed off the inaugural World Yogasana Championships campaign with 114 medals that included a century of gold (102) to underline their domination at the EKA Arena here on Monday.

Second-place Japan were a distant second with three gold, three silver and five bronze, with Argentina taking the third spot thanks to their lone athlete, Nabila Barraza's exploits of two gold and three silver, according to a press release.

Neighbours Nepal were the second most successful contingent in terms of number of medals won as they clinched a total of 52 medals, including one gold, 36 silver and 15 bronze to finish fifth on the medal standings. Uzbekistan finished with 25 medals, including one gold, 13 silver and 11 bronze.

Fitch Ratings on Tuesday lowered its GDP growth projections for the current fiscal to 6.4 per cent from the earlier estimate of 6.7 per cent, saying that the US-Iran war will slow down the economy in the September and December quarters.

Fitch said it expects a slowdown in economic growth in FY27 from the 7.4 per cent clocked in FY26 as rising prices erode real incomes and dampen consumer spending, amid resilient capital expenditure.

"We expect GDP growth to ease to 6.4 per cent in FY27, a downward revision of 0.3pp from March. Domestic demand will be the main driver of growth, but lower imports in real terms imply positive contributions to growth from net external demand," Fitch Ratings said in its June Global Economic Outlook.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay will launch the Singappen Special Force on Tuesday evening aimed at providing enhanced protection to women and children in the state.

This dedicated police unit will strengthen the government's efforts in protecting women and children through monitoring and patrolling of public places, identifying vulnerable places and taking remedial steps.

It will also ensure police visibility and build confidence among the people, prevent harassment in public places, and work towards a people-driven movement for women and child-friendly society, the government said.

Kumar Shanker has taken over as the Managing Director (MD) of Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL), the company said on Friday. Prior to joining IGL, Shanker served as Managing Director of Maharashtra Natural Gas Limited in Pune.

A Chemical Engineering graduate from Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani, Shanker brings more than 32 years of experience in the oil and gas sector. His expertise spans commissioning and operations of gas processing plants, petrochemical project management, corporate strategy and planning, marketing, regulatory affairs, and city gas distribution.

During his tenure, MNGL emerged as one of India's top five CGD companies in terms of growth, profitability and infrastructure development for domestic piped natural gas connections.

In a move that radically alters how environmental crimes are prosecuted in India, the Kerala Forest Department has launched the e-court integration feature for its ‘HAWK’ (Hostile Activity Watch Kernel) system. This initiative makes Kerala the first State in India to achieve a fully digitised, judiciary-integrated wildlife offence management system.

By establishing a direct digital link between the Forest department and the District Court Management System (DCMS) via an Application Programming Interface (API), the State has effectively eliminated the need for physical paperwork in wildlife crime prosecution. The system, developed in collaboration with the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and supported by NTT Data, helps to monitor the real-time lifecycle of every case file while ensuring unprecedented institutional transparency.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has nominated Han Seong-sook, the current Minister for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), as the country’s next Prime Minister.

Announcing the nomination, Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik praised Han’s extensive experience in the technology sector, saying she is well placed to lead South Korea’s transition into the artificial intelligence era and to drive inclusive economic growth.

If approved by the National Assembly, Han would become the first female Prime Minister under the Lee administration and only the second woman to hold the post in South Korea’s history, after Han Myeong-sook, who served from 2006 to 2007.

Before entering government, Han served as chief executive officer of Naver, South Korea’s leading internet portal company, and spent most of her career in the technology and digital industry. She assumed her current ministerial role when the Lee administration took office.