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.

Sriram Krishnan, one of the highest-profile Indian-American technology advisers in the Trump administration, announced that he will leave his role at the White House at the end of this month after helping shape the administration's artificial intelligence strategy over the past 18 months.

In a statement posted on social media, Krishnan said he would take a break before returning to work on major AI-related challenges facing the United States.

"I'll be leaving my role at the White House at the end of this month. After a break I'll be working on helping tackle some of the large challenges facing America on AI," he wrote.

Krishnan described his government service as "the privilege of a lifetime" and said it was "an honor to serve under President Donald Trump".

Andhra Pradesh is set to leverage AI to improve neonatal healthcare, with the State government launching a pilot project to automatically assess and record health indicators of newborn babies through smartphone-based video technology.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Health Minister Y Satya Kumar Yadav announced that AI-powered newborn health monitoring services will be integrated into the mobile application used by Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs).

The technology will enable automatic recording of critical health parameters such as weight, height, head circumference, chest circumference and arm measurements without physically touching the infant.

West Bengal is poised to become the 36th State/Union Territory in the country to implement the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY), marking a major milestone in India's journey towards universal health coverage and equitable healthcare access, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Sunday. The formal induction of the state into the flagship health insurance scheme will take place on Monday through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the National Health Authority (NHA), under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of West Bengal.

The MoU signing ceremony will be presided over by Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda and attended by senior leaders and officials from both the Centre and the state. Among those expected to be present are West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, Union Ministers of State Pratap Rao Jadhav and Anupriya Patel, Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava, and West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Agarwal.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will launch the Land Port Management System (LPMS) on Tuesday in New Delhi.

The initiative reflects the Narendra Modi government’s commitment to smart border management, aimed at enhancing efficiency, transparency, and security in cross-border trade and passenger movement through technology-driven solutions.

The Ministry of Home Affairs said the launch of LPMS will be a landmark step in India’s move towards a modern, technology-enabled border management system. It added that the platform aligns with the goal of strengthening trade facilitation, connectivity, national security, and the vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047.

LPMS is a digital platform designed to integrate operations across land ports into a unified system. It will enable secure, real-time exchange of logistics and regulatory information, bringing land ports on a par with digital systems already in place at airports and seaports.

India’s push for defence self-reliance is often measured in big-ticket platforms – fighter jets, aircraft carriers, submarines and missiles. But a recent move by the Indian Navy highlights a less glamorous reality: even the most advanced combat aircraft are only as effective as the weapons they can carry.

The Navy has issued a requirement for indigenous 80-mm air-to-ground rockets for its MiG-29K fighter fleet, a step aimed at reducing dependence on imported munitions and strengthening wartime readiness. While the development may appear minor compared to multi-billion-dollar fighter or missile programmes, defence planners increasingly view ammunition and weapons stocks as one of the most critical components of military preparedness.

Pakistan has significantly expanded its Earth-observation satellite network over the past 16 months, launching six satellites between January 2025 and June 2026, according to a report by ThePrint.

As per the report, most of the newly launched satellites are positioned in orbits that allow frequent imaging of Indian territory, particularly northern India and the Jammu and Kashmir region, raising questions about their potential strategic and security implications.

The rapid pace of such launches comes more than a year after India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire following Operation Sindoor. While the security situation on the ground has remained relatively stable, Pakistan appears to have quietly strengthened its space-based surveillance capabilities with support from China in satellite development and launch services.

India has widened its nuclear lead over Pakistan, with its estimated arsenal reaching 190 warheads compared to Pakistan's 170, according to the latest assessment by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

In its Yearbook 2026, released June 8, SIPRI said both South Asian neighbours continued to modernise and strengthen their nuclear forces during 2025, even as nuclear risks increased globally and arms-control frameworks weakened.

SIPRI estimates that India possessed around 190 nuclear warheads as of January 2026, up slightly from previous assessments, while Pakistan's stockpile stood at approximately 170 warheads. The figures give India a lead of about 20 warheads over its western neighbour.