1.A staggering 113 countries worldwide have never had a woman serve as head of state or government, and only 26 countries are led by women as of Monday, according to UN Women's global data on Women Political Leaders 2024.

2.Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, has been officially recognised as a ‘World Craft City’ by the World Crafts Council, an official spokesman said here.

3.The Kerala Assembly Monday unanimously adopted a resolution urging the Centre to officially change the state’s name to ‘Keralam’.

 4.Kozhikode in north Kerala, known for its rich cultural heritage, has been officially declared as India’s first UNESCO ‘City of Literature’.

5.In a move to ensure the safety and comfort of women during office hours, the West Bengal Transport Department is set to introduce two exclusive ladies’ special buses in Kolkata starting June 25, a senior state official said Monday.

6.Minister of Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare department, Krushna Chandra Patra said Monday that the Odisha government is planning to construct cold storage facilities in every block of the state.

7.The Opposition BJD Monday rejected Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi’s claim that he was lured with a ministerial berth and a mineral block by the previous Naveen Patnaik government.

8.Minister of Science and Technology Krushna Chandra Patra has suggested officials that the Pathani Samanta Planetarium here be renovated into a world-class standard institution with new features in galleries.

9.Intense spell of rain with thundershower is likely to occur across the state from June 26 due to active monsoon, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said Monday.

10.In order to enhance the efficiency and capacity of train movements at Khurda Road station, the Ministry of Railways, under the leadership of Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, has sanctioned the construction of a flyover, East Coast Railways (ECoR) officials said Monday

11.The sarpanch of Bayangdihi panchayat under Dhamnagar block in Bhadrak district had to let go of her post as she could not read or write Odia, sources said Monday.

12.The Supreme Court Monday termed as “unusual” the Delhi High Court’s decision of reserving the order while granting interim stay on the operation of the trial court’s order granting bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a money laundering case linked to the alleged excise scam.

13.A suspected Chinese state-sponsored hacking group has stepped up its targeting of Taiwanese organisations, particularly those in sectors such as government, education, technology and diplomacy, according to cyber security intelligence company Recorded Future.

14.Srimandir Ratna Bhandar (treasury) will be reopened soon, Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said, Monday.

15.The Lok Sabha witnessed a display of linguistic diversity Monday, with the newly-elected MPs taking their oaths in English and Indian languages, including Sanskrit, Hindi, Dogri, Bengali, Assamese and Odia.

16.India recorded a current account surplus of USD 5.7 billion or 0.6 per cent of GDP in the March quarter, the Reserve Bank of India said Monday.

17.Meta Monday announced the availability of its AI assistant ‘Meta AI’ in India on WhatsApp, Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, and meta.ai portal.

18.Spectrum worth over `96,000 crore will be on the block as auctions across eight bands will begin Tuesday, with telecom operators Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea vying for radio waves crucial for 5G mobile services.

19.Tapan Kumar Deka, known as the ‘superspy’ with commendable expertise in handling terrorism and radicalisation related cases, was Monday given a one-year extension till June 2025 as the chief of the Intelligence Bureau (IB).

20.The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) rendered 1.65 crore passport-related services to citizens in 2023, registering an annual growth of nearly 15 per cent.