1) D.K. Shivakumar to be new Karnataka Chief MinisterAfter months of speculation and uncertainty, Karnataka is set for a leadership transition on June 3, when D.K. Shivakumar will be sworn in as the State’s new Chief Minister. The eight-time MLA, popularly known as “DKShi”, is regarded as one of the Congress party’s most resourceful leaders in Karnataka.Siddaramaiah stepped down as Karnataka Chief Minister on May 28, saying he was complying with the wishes of the Congress high command. He was the State’s longest-serving Chief Minister.Shivakumar was unanimously elected leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) in the State on May 30, 2026, paving the way for him to assume the Chief Minister’s office.The Congress party’s principal strategist and troubleshooter in South India, Shivakumar previously served as Siddaramaiah’s deputy.2) RCB retains IPL titleRoyal Challengers Bengaluru crowned a dominant IPL 2026 campaign with a crushing five-wicket victory over Gujarat Titans in the final on Sunday (May 31, 2026), sealing the title with the same authority it had shown through the season.RCB had set the standard from the opening weeks of the tournament and reserved its best for the biggest night. For a side considered favourite, the season ended fittingly — as champion for the second successive year.Put into bat, Gujarat never found their footing against Bengaluru’s ‌incisive bowling, losing their in-form openers in the powerplay and managing only 155-8 at a packed Narendra Modi Stadium awash in red in support of the defending champions.Bengaluru made light work of the chase, ⁠cruising through without any real alarm as Kohli and Venkatesh ⁠Iyer (32 off 16) set the tone early, helping the team post 70-2 in the powerplay.Kohli, famously dubbed the ‘chase master’, tore into the attack with an unbeaten 75 off 42 balls, including ​three sixes and nine fours, also bringing up his fastest IPL fifty to take his tally to 68 half-centuries and nine hundreds.3) Twisha Sharma dowry-harassment caseActor-model Twisha Sharma was found unconscious in her marital home on May 12, around six months after marrying Bhopal lawyer Samarth Singh. She was later declared brought dead by doctors at the AIIMS hospital in Bhopal.The Bhopal police filed an FIR against Mr. Singh and his mother, Giribala Singh, a retired district judge, under provisions related to dowry and harassment.What followed is a dowry-harassment case that ballooned into accusations against Ms. Singh of misusing her influence as a former district judge to interfere in case proceedings, procedural lapses on the part of the Bhopal police, and evidence tampering by the accused family.Here is a timeline of events tracking the case.4) India, U.S. sign critical minerals pactOn the sidelines of the 11th Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, India and the United States on Tuesday (May 26, 2026) firmed up an important framework for cooperation in ensuring steady supplies of critical minerals, in a move that follows growing concerns over China’s export controls of rare earth minerals and strategic metals vital for technology supply chains.Apart from this, another framework agreement on critical minerals was also signed among the four Quad partner countries — Australia, India, Japan and the United States.“The Framework aims to deepen India-U.S. cooperation across the critical minerals and rare earths supply chain, including mining, processing, recycling and related investments. It seeks to strengthen resilient and diversified supply chains, while promoting collaboration in financing and effective management of critical minerals and rare earths scrap,” said an announcement on the “Framework” titled “Securing of Supply in the Mining and Processing of Critical Minerals and Rare Earths”.An understanding of this nature between India and the U.S. has been under consideration at least since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington D.C. in February 2025, when secure and resilient supply routes for critical minerals were considered a “shared strategic priority”, said the official press note on the matter.5) Supreme Court gets 5 new judgesOn 27 May, the Supreme Court Collegium recommended the appointment of five judges to the Supreme Court. This is the first set of recommendations made under the Chief Justice Surya Kant-led Collegium since he assumed office in November 2025.The resolution comes shortly after the Union cabinet approved a bill increasing the Court’s sanctioned strength from 34 to 38 judges.The Centre on Monday (June 1, 2026) cleared the appointment of five judges to the Supreme Court, taking the court’s strength to 37.Those appointed are Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court; Justice Shree Chandrashekhar, Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court; Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva, Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court; Justice Arun Palli, Chief Justice of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh; and senior advocate V. Mohana.