Current Affairs — 03 June 2026

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The reference appeared in a joint communique released after a strategic dialogue between the EU's foreign and security policy chief and Pakistan's foreign minister in Islamabad. India holds that Jammu and Kashmir is an internal matter and objects to such third-party references.

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The article stresses that gene numbers do not match complexity: a human has roughly 22,000 genes, only modestly more than a fruit fly (about 17,000) or mouse (about 21,000). What matters is how, when and where genes are switched on and off.

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After Nepal's March 2026 general election, Balendra Shah, a former rapper turned politician, became Prime Minister as the country's youngest head of government. Lamichhane, a senior RSP leader, was the first major leader to visit India after this change.

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Under a Town Planning scheme, owners typically contribute about 25 to 40 per cent of their land for public infrastructure and housing for weaker sections, and get back the remaining 60 to 75 per cent as well-shaped, reconstituted, more valuable plots. This is voluntary pooling rather than compulsory acquisition.

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The poll projects about 7.3% growth (down from 7.8% in the prior quarter), but these are forecasts. The binding official quarterly and annual GDP data is scheduled for release on 5 June 2026 by the National Statistical Office.

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The Court held that online gaming companies supply a taxable 'actionable claim', and GST is charged on the value of the taxable supply, not on profits. So tax applies to the full amount staked, whether a player wins or loses, rejecting the companies' argument that only the platform fee should be taxed.

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The share of savings deposits fell to 28.7% in March 2026 from 34.6% in March 2022, while term (fixed) deposits rose from 55.2% to 61.6%. Savers moved to FDs as savings rates (about 2.5%) lagged FD rates (about 6.25%) and fell below retail inflation.

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The Tana Bhagats belong to the Oraon tribe of the Chotanagpur region in Jharkhand. Their movement began in 1914 under Jatra Bhagat against British rule, zamindars and heavy taxation, and later embraced Gandhian ideals of non-violence.

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Venezuela became India's third largest crude supplier in the latest month, after Russia and the United Arab Emirates. The renewed flows, after a nine-month gap, reflect India's strategy of diversifying its energy sources amid disruptions near the Strait of Hormuz.

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The waiver was created to cushion global oil supply when the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, amid a wider West Asian conflict, disrupted flows. Since the strait carries about a fifth of global oil and gas, the waiver gave import-dependent India room to keep buying discounted Russian crude. The latest extension lapses on June 17, with the final call resting with the US Treasury.

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A major fabrication facility is planned at Dholera in Gujarat, envisioned as part of a greenfield semiconductor city, with assembly, testing and packaging units in states such as Assam and Uttar Pradesh. The ISM offers up to 50% fiscal support for approved fab projects.

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Cheap urea absorbs nearly two-thirds of the subsidy and has skewed the N:P:K (nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium) ratio to about 10.9:4.4:1 against the recommended 4:2:1, with too much nitrogen crowding out other nutrients. The structural fix suggested is bringing urea under the Nutrient-Based Subsidy framework.

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A large share of the April mobilisation came from small savings, with the National Small Savings Fund contributing about Rs 83,464 crore (PPF alone around Rs 38,787 crore). The government took no ways and means advances from the central bank, keeping that figure at zero, signalling a comfortable cash position; market borrowings actually saw a net outflow.

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The study found that fine particulate matter (PM2.5/PM10) crosses the placental barrier and sets off inflammation, which switches off a protein essential for foetal growth, causing harm that can last into late childhood. This links air pollution to health risks that begin even before birth.