The United Nations has said 2025 will be designated the ‘International Year of Quantum Science and Technology’. In a statement, the body said the initiative will be “year-long”, “worldwide”, and that it will “be observed through activities at all levels aimed at increasing public awareness of the importance of quantum science and applications.”

The proclamation is the result of a resolution led by Mexico in May 2023 and which was soon joined by other countries. By November that year, almost 60 countries had co-sponsored the resolution and the UNESCO General Conference adopted it. In May this year, Ghana submitted a draft resolution to the U.N. General Assembly asking for an official proclamation, with the support of over 70 other countries. The General Assembly acceded on June 7.

In athletics, India’s Gulveer Singh has clinched the silver medal in the Men’s 5000-metre race at the Portland Track Festival High-Performance Meet in Portland, US, yesterday.

The Asian Games bronze medallist also became the fastest Indian in the men’s 5000-metre race.

Gulveer clocked the national record timing of 13 minutes 18.92 seconds to surpass the previous record of 13 minutes 19.30 seconds, set by Avinash Sable last year.

Dylan Jacobs of USA bagged the gold, while his compatriot Eric Van Der Els won the bronze medal.

With this achievement, Gulveer now holds the national records in both the 10,000-metre and 5,000-metre races.

Mumbai Cricket Association president Amol Kale has passed away due to cardiac arrest in New York.

Kale had travelled to United States and watched the India vs Pakistan match live from the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium along with MCA secretary Ajinkya Naik and apex council member Suraj Samat on Sunday.

Amol Kale’s passing away has sent huge shockwaves in the cricket community, with quite a few expressing their shock along with a message of condolence.

Earlier in 2022, Kale was elected as the MCA president following his victory against World Cup champion Sandeep Patil. During his tenure, the domestic cricket circuit witnessed massive success and Mumbai also clinched the Ranji Trophy.

In Sikkim, Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya administered the oath of office to Sanjeet Kharel as Pro-Tem Speaker of the State Legislative Assembly on Tuesday (11th June 2024) at Raj Bhawan in Gangtok.

As Pro-Tem Speaker, Mr. Kharel will preside over the inaugural session of the 11th Sikkim State Legislative Assembly, including the oath-taking of newly elected members. He represents the Namthang Rateypani constituency.

The swearing-in ceremony was attended by prominent figures including Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang (Golay), the Chief Secretary and other dignitaries.

Nara Chandrababu Naidu, Telugu Desam Party supremo, was sworn in as the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh for the fourth term on Wednesday, June 12. Andhra governor S Abdul Nazeer, former Telangana governor Tamilisai Soundarajan were present at the swearing-in.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah, Union ministers JP Nadda and Bandi Sanjay Kumar, and several other leaders attended the oath-taking ceremony.

Four-time MLA Mohan Charan Majhi will be the next Chief Minister of Odisha, senior BJP leader and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced on Tuesday.

The 52-year-old leader is a prominent tribal face in the coastal state. Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo and Pravati Parida will be his deputies.

In a post on the microblogging site X, Rajnath Singh said, "Delighted to announce that Shri Mohan Charan Manjhi has been elected unanimously as the leader of Odisha BJP Legislature Party. He is a young and dynamic party karyakarta who will take the state forward on road to progress and prosperity as the new Chief Minister of Odisha. Many congratulations to him."

India is set to host the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup in December 2025. It will be the first time that a Junior Hockey World Cup will be comprising as many as 24 teams.

The Executive Board of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) decided to name India as hosts on Tuesday.

“Giving more opportunities to play to a larger and more diverse number of National Associations is one of the key pillars of our Empowerment and Engagement strategy. We saw at the FIH Hockey5s World Cup in Oman this year how more diversity brings a huge added value to our events,” FIH President Tayyab Ikram said in a statement.

The UK's prestigious Oxford University has agreed to return a 500-year-old bronze idol of a saint believed to be stolen from a temple in Tamil Nadu to India.

"On 11 March 2024, the Council of the University of Oxford supported a claim from the Indian High Commission for the return of a 16th-century bronze sculpture of Saint Tirumankai Alvar from the Ashmolean Museum. This decision will now be submitted to the Charity Commission for approval," said a statement from the university's Ashmolean Museum.

The 60cm-tall statue of Saint Tirumankai Alvar was acquired by the Ashmolean Museum at the University of Oxford from Sotheby’s auction house in 1967 from the collection of a collector named Dr JR Belmont (1886-1981).

His appointment will be effective from 23 June afternoon, says a release from Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) today (11 June).

He has been appointed for three years. He will be promoted to a general and take over the role of the chief of the army.

He currently serves as the Chief of General Staff of Bangladesh Army.

An alumnus of Bangladesh Military Academy, he was commissioned in the Corps of Infantry on 20 December 1985.

June marks the annual observance of World Day Against Child Labour, a crucial reminder of the millions of children worldwide who are forced into work, often at the expense of their education and well-being.

Child labour is defined as any work that is inappropriate for a child’s age, physical, or mental capacity, and its far-reaching consequences can have devastating effects on their development and future.

In India, the Constitution explicitly prohibits children under the age of 14 from working in mines, factories, or hazardous occupations. Similarly, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) defines a child as anyone below the age of 18 who should not be involved in hazardous work.