The 11th BRICS Parliamentary Forum concluded in Brasilia, Brazil, on June 5, with participating parliaments from all 10 BRICS member countries unanimously condemning the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, India. The forum also saw India assume the chairmanship of the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum, to be hosted next year.

Led by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, the Indian delegation played a key role in shaping the joint declaration. The expanded BRICS parliamentary forum now includes India, Brazil, Russia, China, South Africa, Iran, the UAE, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Indonesia.

A major outcome of the two-day event was the collective agreement among member nations to adopt a zero-tolerance policy on terrorism. India’s firm stance on countering terrorism—through enhanced intelligence sharing, curbing financial support to terror groups, and preventing the misuse of emerging technologies—received widespread support.

The UNESCO Regional Office for South Asia, in partnership with the IndiaAI Mission under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and Ikigai Law, hosted the fifth and final stakeholder consultation on the AI Readiness Assessment Methodology (RAM) at the Shangri-La Eros Hotel in New Delhi on June 3. Over 200 experts from government, academia, industry, and civil society convened to strategize the responsible adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in India.

This consultation marked the culmination of a series of five sessions held across New Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Guwahati, organized under the joint AI RAM initiative by UNESCO and MeitY’s IndiaAI Mission. The initiative is focused on crafting an India-specific AI policy report that identifies strengths, pinpoints growth opportunities, and offers actionable recommendations for ethical AI adoption across various sectors. The RAM serves as a diagnostic tool to bolster governmental capacity for AI regulation and institutional governance.

At a time when habitat loss and climate change threaten countless species, the discovery of a new species of parasitic wasp - named ‘Losgna Occidentalis’ from Chandigarh has drawn attention to the unexplored richness of India’s biodiversity.

A recent study published in Zootaxa, a peer-reviewed scientific journal for animal taxonomists, titled - ‘Rediscovery and description of a new species of Losgna (Cameron 1903): reviving a forgotten ichneumonid genus (Darwin wasps) in India’ - points out the rediscovery of the Losgna genus in India, after close to six decades, and describes “a new species collected from an urban dry scrub forest in Chandigarh.”

The State Public Health Laboratory, one of the apex referral laboratories in the State, has developed its own molecular diagnostic test kits to identify five common species of free living amoeba (FLA) which are toxic to humans and which can cause amoebic meningoencephalitis. A highly fatal brain infection, cases of amoebic meningoencephalitis are being reported frequently in Kerala now.

“It was a proud moment for us when we identified Acanthamoeba spp. as the pathogenic organism in one of the acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) samples that we received from the Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College on Thursday. It was also the first human sample in which we could identify the organism, after we developed the molecular diagnostic test kits six months ago,” says S. Sunija, Director of the State PH Lab.

Legendary Indian wicketkeeper-batter and former captain MS Dhoni has been inducted into the prestigious ICC Hall of Fame, marking another glorious chapter in his storied cricket career. The International Cricket Council announced that Dhoni was among seven cricketers honoured this year, which included greats like Matthew Hayden (Australia) and Hashim Amla (South Africa). Celebrated for his calm under pressure and unmatched tactical nous, but also a trailblazer in the shorter formats, MS Dhoni’s legacy as one of the game’s greatest finishers, leaders and wicketkeepers has been honoured with his induction into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. With 17,266 international runs, 829 dismissals and 538 matches across formats for India, Dhoni’s numbers reflect not just excellence but extraordinary consistency, fitness and longevity.

Dhoni, who led India to three major ICC titles – the 2007 T20 World Cup, 2011 ODI World Cup, and the 2013 Champions Trophy – was celebrated by the ICC for his “calm under pressure and unmatched tactical nous,” as well as his trailblazing influence in the shorter formats of the game. Across formats, Dhoni accumulated 17,266 runs, effected 829 dismissals behind the stumps, and played 538 international matches – a testament to his consistency, fitness, and longevity.

Digital India Bhashini Division (DIBD) and the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on the development and deployment of multilingual artificial intelligence solutions across key public-facing railway platforms. The MoU was formally signed by CEO of BHASHINI Amitabh Nag and Managing Director of CRIS G.V.L. Satya Kumar in New Delhi. The strategic partnership aims to integrate BHASHINI’s state-of-the-art language technology stack, comprising Automatic Speech Recognition, Text-to-Text Translation, Text-to-Speech, and Optical Character Recognition, into CRIS-managed systems such as the National Train Enquiry System (NTES) and RailMadad. This will enable citizens to access critical railway services in 22 Indian languages.

The partnership will also focus on co-developing chatbots and voice assistants for multilingual passenger support, developing multilingual over-the-counter interfaces for railway enquiry setups, scaling BHASHINI-powered services through cloud and on-premise infrastructure, deploying these capabilities across websites, mobile apps, kiosks, and call centers, and enabling real-time, speech-based interaction in multiple Indian languages. A series of joint technical workshops and pilot deployments is scheduled to commence in the coming months.

Kolkata, The Calcutta High Court has allowed changing the surname of a minor boy on his birth certificate, holding that provision of altering the name in Kolkata Municipal Corporation records holds good for replacing the surname also.

for changing her surname and that of the child in its record, supported by appropriate documentation evidencing her second marriage.

The court, however, declined to grant the prayer for changing the father's name on the birth certificate in the absence of a valid adoption order.

For Seba P A, 26, from Kerala, the cost of breathing easy, moving around and enduring fewer bouts of infection comes at a steep price — nearly Rs 18 lakh per month. For long, she had managed with the Rs 50 lakh government grant under the national policy of rare diseases, one of which — Spinal Muscular Atrophy — she is battling. Now she is on a crusade to make life-saving drugs, currently under patents, affordable for persons suffering from rare diseases.

Suffering from Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), a rare disease that progressively affects muscle functions, her condition can be managed with Risdiplam. Developed by Swiss pharma giant Roche, one bottle of Risdiplam costs around Rs 6 lakh in India — something her taxi driver father cannot afford.

Prominent writer Sarah Joseph has been conferred with the 2024 Mathrubhumi Literary Award, which was presented to her by Jnanpith awardee and eminent writer Pratibha Ray at an event held here.

The award included a cash prize of Rs 3 lakh, a citation, and a sculpture by M V Devan.

At the award ceremony, Ray congratulated Kozhikode for winning the status of ‘literary city of India’.

Uttar Pradesh tourism department and Union ministry of external affairs organised a six-day familiarization trip, ‘Bodhi Yatra' from June 2-7 under the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC) initiative.

The trip featured a 50-member delegation from five ASEAN countries – Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam – which explored key Buddhist heritage sites and other attractions across UP.

Tourism and culture minister Jaiveer Singh said the special journey was to promote India's Buddhist circuit globally and strengthen cultural and tourism ties between India and Southeast Asian countries.

The delegation, which included Buddhist monks, travel agents, and social media influencers, began their journey in Agra and concluded it in Sarnath, before proceeding to Buddhist sites in Bihar