APPOINTMNETS

D.K. Shivakumar Set to Become Karnataka’s 24th Chief Minister

• D. K. Shivakumar is scheduled to be sworn in as the 24th Chief Minister of Karnataka on 3 June 2026.

• The oath-taking ceremony is planned at Lok Bhavan, Bengaluru, at 4:00 PM.

• Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah resigned on 28 May 2026.

• On 30 May 2026, Siddaramaiah proposed Shivakumar’s name as the leader of the Congress Legislature Party, which was unanimously approved.

• Under Article 164 of the Constitution, the Chief Minister is appointed by the Governor and heads the Council of Ministers.

• Discussions are underway regarding the formation of the new Karnataka cabinet.

• Around 10–20 ministers are expected to take oath in the first phase along with the Chief Minister.

• Senior Congress leaders, Chief Ministers from Congress-ruled states, and several opposition leaders are expected to attend the swearing-in ceremony.

Maria Montserrat Alvarado Appointed Head of Vatican Communication Office

• Maria Montserrat Alvarado has been appointed Prefect of the Dicastery for Communication by Pope Leo XIV.

• She will assume office on 1 November 2026 and become the first lay woman to lead a dicastery of the Holy See.

• The appointment was announced on 2 June 2026.

• The Dicastery for Communication, created by Pope Francis in 2015, oversees the Vatican’s major media and communication platforms.

• Its responsibilities include supervision of Vatican News, Vatican Radio, L’Osservatore Romano, and the Holy See Press Office.

• The Roman Curia serves as the administrative body that assists the Pope in governing the Catholic Church.

• Alvarado has served as President and Chief Operating Officer of EWTN News since 2023, managing global and multilingual news operations.

• She succeeds a line of senior Vatican administrators and follows Paolo Ruffini, who was the first lay person to head a dicastery.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Portugal and Austria Elected to UN Security Council

• Portugal and Austria were elected as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council on 3 June 2026.

• Their two-year term will run from 1 January 2027 to 31 December 2028.

• The election took place during the 80th session of the UN General Assembly at the UN Headquarters in New York.

• Both countries secured the seats allocated to the Western European and Other States Group (WEOG).

• Portugal received 134 votes, while Austria secured 131 votes in the secret ballot.

• The UN Security Council consists of 15 members—5 permanent and 10 non-permanent members.

• Non-permanent members are elected by the UN General Assembly for a two-year term and cannot seek immediate re-election.

• Portugal and Austria will each serve on the Security Council for the fourth time, replacing Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama, and Somalia, whose terms end in December 2026.

U.S. House Passes Resolution on Military Action Against Iran

• The U.S. House of Representatives passed a war powers resolution on 3 June 2026 directing the President to end hostilities with Iran unless authorised by Congress.

• The resolution was approved by a 215–208 vote, with four Republican members joining Democrats in support.

• Under the U.S. Constitution, Congress has the power to declare war, while the President serves as Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.

• The measure was introduced by Gregory Meeks in April 2026.

• It calls for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from hostilities involving Iran unless Congress formally approves military action.

• The resolution is a concurrent resolution, which does not require presidential approval and does not carry the same legal force as a law.

• A similar proposal had earlier advanced in the U.S. Senate, reflecting growing congressional debate over military powers.

• The move is linked to the War Powers Resolution of 1973, which seeks to limit unilateral military action by the President without congressional authorization.

AWARDS

J&K Bank Wins Gold at Finacle Innovation Awards 2026

• J&K Bank received the Gold Award at the Finacle Innovation Awards 2026 in Mumbai on 3 June 2026.

• The award was presented in the “Modern Technologies-led Innovation – Data Insights & Analytics Platform” category.

• The recognition was given for the bank’s cloud-based enterprise data and analytics ecosystem.

• The platform serves as a unified hub for reporting, business intelligence, analytics, and AI-driven applications.

• It supports artificial intelligence and machine learning for forecasting, customer analytics, risk assessment, credit management, and customer retention.

• The awards were organised by Infosys Finacle under the theme “Recomposing Banking: Playbook for the Next Phase of Banking Transformation.”

• The award was received by Amitava Chatterjee (MD & CEO) and Mohammad Muzaffar Wani (GM, Strategy & IT/CIO) on behalf of the bank.

• The 2026 competition attracted nearly 500 nominations from financial institutions, highlighting the significance of J&K Bank’s achievement.

SUMMIT AND CONFERENCE

France to Host the 52nd G7 Summit in June 2026

• The 52nd G7 Summit will be held from 15–17 June 2026 in Évian-les-Bains.

• France is hosting the summit, and Emmanuel Macron will chair the proceedings.

• Donald Trump confirmed his participation on 3 June 2026.

• The G7 comprises Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, with the European Union also participating.

• Key agenda items include artificial intelligence, global trade, critical mineral supply chains, and crime prevention.

• Invited guest countries include India, Brazil, Kenya, South Korea, and Syria.

• The summit schedule was revised from 14–16 June to 15–17 June 2026.

• The G7, established in the 1970s, serves as a forum for major advanced democracies to discuss global economic and strategic issues.