1 Polish film ‘Silver’ wins Golden Conch Award at MIFF 2026, honouring excellence in global and Indian storytelling
The 19th Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF) concluded with a grand closing ceremony at the Ravindra Natya Mandir in Dadar, Mumbai , where some of the finest artists in documentary, short fiction, and animation cinema were honored with the festival’s prestigious Golden Conch and Silver Conch awards. The festival’s highest honor, the Golden Conch Award for Best Documentary Film , was presented to the Polish documentary ” Silver ,” directed by Natalia Koniarz and produced by Maciej Kubicki . The award was received by Malgorzata Wejczyk-Golebiak, Director and Plenipotentiary Minister of the Polish Institute. The national competition showcased the strength and diversity of contemporary Indian non-feature cinema, with three films winning the prestigious Silver Conch Award. The Silver Conch Award for Best Indian Animation Film went to Armstrong from Angalamman Temple Street , directed and produced by Bhuvnesh M. Kumar, aka Bunz . The Silver Conch Award for Best Indian Short Fiction Film was given to ” Small Clouds ,” directed by Shubham Sumit and produced by Dheeraj Singh . The Silver Conch Award for Best Indian Documentary Film was given to ” Y, ” directed by Sainath S. Uskaikar and produced by Bharatbala Ganapathy . The jury praised the film for its visual depiction of a vanishing nomadic musical tradition and its sympathetic exploration of memory, heritage, and cultural continuity. The Silver Conch Award for Best Animation Film was given to the German film ” Maya’s Song ,” directed and produced by Franziska Schönenberger and Jayakrishnan Subramanian . The Silver Conch Award for Best Short Fiction Film in the International Competition went to the Iranian film ” Under the Snow ,” directed by Nafiseh Zare .
2 Mumbai International Film Festival 2026 to host world premiere of animated film ‘Bharti and Bibo’, dedicated to Indian women personalities
The 19th Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF 2026) hosted the world premiere of the Hindi animated series ” Bharti and Bibo ,” produced by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) and Puppetika Media and directed by Sneha Ravishankar . The series presents the true stories of four great women of India. The Ahilyabai Holkar series depicts the Maratha queen’s rise from the royal family of Indore to her administrative acumen and diplomatic skills in the discharge of her duties. Rani Durgavati tells the story of the reign of the Gondwana queen and her rebellion against the Mughal emperor Akbar. Rani Rashmoni tells the story of a social reformer from Kolkata who challenged the East India Company, created a public welfare system, and, along with Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, pushed for several reforms, including a law banning polygamy. She was also the founder of the Dakshineswar Kali Temple . Saalumarada Thimmakka, an environmentalist from Karnataka, is portrayed in a distinctive light.
3 Solicitor General Tushar Mehta’s tenure extended
On June 22 , the central government extended the term of senior advocate Tushar Mehta for three years . Tushar will now hold the position of Solicitor General of India from July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2029. This will be his fourth consecutive term and the second-longest to date . Prior to Tushar, C.K. Daftary held the position for the longest time (13 years) . The Cabinet Appointments Committee (ACC) approved the extension. Tushar Mehta was first appointed Solicitor General of India in 2018. Tushar’s term has been extended consecutively to 2020, 2023, and now 2026. Tushar enrolled as an advocate with the Gujarat Bar Council in 1987. In 2008, Tushar was appointed Additional Advocate General of the Gujarat government. In 2014, Tushar was appointed Additional Solicitor General of India. The Solicitor General is the second-most senior law officer of the Government of India. The Attorney General of India is the only position above the Solicitor General. The government also extended the terms of office of five Additional Solicitors General (ASGs) serving in the Supreme Court by three years.
4 British PM Keir Starmer resigns from his post
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced his resignation on Tuesday . Starmer is the seventh person to resign from the post of British PM in the last 10 years. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced that he will step down as the leader of the Labour Party . He has accepted that his party no longer believes that he is the right person to lead the party in the next general election. Senior British politician Andy Burnham has formally become the MP from Makerfield by taking oath in the House of Commons after the resignation of Keir Starmer. Mr Burnham, who was considered the frontrunner as Starmer’s successor, gained significant momentum after returning to Westminster by defeating the Reform UK candidate in a crucial by-election in Makerfield.
5 Human skeletal remains recovered from Rakhigarhi handed over to Anthropological Survey of India for advanced scientific research
The human skeletal remains recently recovered from the Rakhigarhi archaeological site in Haryana have been formally handed over by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to the Anthropological Survey of India (ANSI) , a prestigious national research institute under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, for detailed scientific examination . Professor B.V. Sharma, Director of the Anthropological Survey of India , stated that this transfer, under a recently signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two institutions, is expected to significantly advance multidisciplinary research at one of the most important urban centers of the Indus-Saraswati Civilization. Spread over approximately 550 hectares, Rakhigarhi in Haryana is widely recognized as the largest known settlement of the Indus-Saraswati Civilization . Archaeological excavations have revealed evidence of continuous settlement from the Early Harappan to the Mature Harappan period. These include planned settlements, drainage systems, craft production centers, trade networks, and cemeteries. During excavations conducted by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) Excavation Branch-II in Greater Noida during the 2025-26 field season, archaeologists discovered eight burials in Mound No. 7 , which was previously identified as a cemetery. Three complete human skeletons, along with skeletal fragments recovered from other burials, have been transferred to the Anthropological Survey of India’s Ancient Human Skeletal Repository and Laboratory in Kolkata for detailed examination.
6 Union Minister for Home Affairs and Cooperation Shri Amit Shah to launch NAFED’s auction portal ‘NAFEX.in’ in New Delhi
Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah will launch NAFED ‘s auction portal, ‘ NAFEX.in ‘ , on June 23, 2026, at the Atal Akshay Urja Bhawan in New Delhi . Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan will also be present at the event. NAFED Chairman Shri Jethabhai Ahir , Managing Director Shri Deepak Agarwal, and senior officials will also be present. During the event, Shri Amit Shah will launch several key digital and farmer-centric initiatives of NAFED, including the NAFED-KALYAN scholarship for farmers’ children , the DRISHTI portal for inventory management of pulses and oilseeds , the ERP portal to strengthen enterprise resource planning, and the auction portal NAFEX.in . Live registration and the launch of the auction process will also be demonstrated on the auction portal during the event. The launch of NAFEX.in is a significant step towards strengthening transparency, efficiency, and ease of operation in the auction process.
7 US approves $480 million defense deal
On June 22 , the US approved a US$482.2 million (approximately Rs 4,100 crore) defense assistance package for India . This package is intended to strengthen the maintenance, logistics, and operational capabilities of India’s AH-64E Apache attack helicopters and M777A2 ultra-light howitzers . The approval was granted by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA). This package will not purchase any weapons , but will instead focus on maintaining existing weapons in the system. This includes spare parts, technical assistance, training, engineering services, and logistics support. This move will strengthen India-US defense cooperation.
8 Andhra Pradesh’s flagship mass yoga initiative ‘Yogandhra-2026’ receives international recognition from the World Book of Records
Andhra Pradesh ‘s flagship mass yoga initiative, Yogaandhra 2026, has received international recognition from the World Book of Records . This recognition was given for the successful and widespread publicity of yoga across the state. Dr. Ullaji Eliazer, Joint Secretary, Southern Region, World Book of Records, presented the official certificate to Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu in Vijayawada . The state had set a target of involving 15 million yoga enthusiasts under Yogaandhra 2026, but the number of participants far exceeded expectations, with over 17 million people registering. This is a significant achievement.
9 ICC releases return-to-play post-pregnancy guidelines
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has released ” Return to Play Post-Pregnancy Guidelines ” for women cricketers . This initiative is considered a significant step towards promoting the careers of players in women’s cricket. It includes a 6-R framework , which will implement a process to ensure a safe return. The 6-R framework includes “Ready,” “Review,” “Restore,” “Recondition,” “Return to the field,” and “Refining.” Each board will also appoint a case manager, who will provide support to the entire team from pregnancy to return, along with a doctor or physiotherapist. Training environments will be designed to provide practical support, including childcare, child feeding/care space during matches, and travel support. Declaring pregnancy will be entirely at the player’s discretion, and no mandatory pregnancy tests have been imposed by the board. After the birth of the child, there will be psychological support, medical review, and a gradual return to cricket training.
10 Vaibhav Suryavanshi scores a record half-century
On June 21 , Vaibhav Suryavanshi scored a half-century (50) in 11 balls . He became the first player to score the fastest half-century . Vaibhav achieved this feat in the final of the ongoing series between India List-A and Sri Lanka List-A . The fastest half-century in 50-over cricket was scored by Kaushalya Weeraratne of Sri Lanka . Kaushalya completed his fifty in 12 balls while playing for Ragama Cricket Club in 2006. India-A also won the tri-series by defeating Sri Lanka-A by 66 runs in the final. At the senior level, there are two types of matches in 50-over cricket: List-A and One Day International. The record for the fastest fifty in One Day International is held by AB de Villiers and Matthew Ford . Both batsmen completed their half-centuries in 16 balls each .
11 India won gold in the Asian Relay Championship
India performed brilliantly in the Asian Relay Championship held in Shangyu, China and won many medals. In the competition, the team won the gold medal in the women’s 4x100m relay . Earlier, India had won the silver medal in the 4x400m mixed relay and the bronze medal in the 4x100m mixed relay . Earlier, India finished second in the 4x400m mixed relay and Kazakhstan finished third. India also won the bronze medal in the 4x100m mixed relay. Thailand won the gold medal, while China won the silver medal.