Daily Briefing: Shubhanshu Shukla, crew's return journey to Earth; Jannik Sinner wins Wimbledon 2025; and more
After over two weeks at the International Space Station (ISS), NASA's Axiom-4 mission crew with Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and 3 others are set to begin their journey back to Earth today. In his farewell address on the eve of day of return, Group Captain Shukla, the first Indian on board the ISS,said: 'Today's India looks ambitious from space… today's India still looks 'saare jahan se acha.' The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), which has been an equal partner in the entire exercise, said the microgravity experiments conducted by Shukla during the mission represent a significant leap in space technology.
From the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft undocking to the splashdown off California coast on Tuesday – catch all the real-time action via our live blog!
Follow suit: The Election Commission's move to carry out the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar ahead of the upcoming Assembly polls stirred up confusion and quite a controversy. But, there's more to follow. A day after a petition was filed in the Supreme Court challenging the decision, the poll panel wrote to Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of all other states on July 5, directing them to begin preparations for a similar exercise, The Indian Express has learnt.
Qualifying date: The official letters sent out indicate that while the nationwide exercise may start soon, a final timeline for the rest of the country is yet to be decided — though the aim is to include everyone who turns 18 years of age by January 1, 2026.
Likely impact: This move gains significance against the backdrop of the upcoming Assembly elections in 2025 in BJP-ruled Assam; TMC-ruled West Bengal; DMK-ruled Tamil Nadu; and Left-ruled Kerala. The Union Territory of Puducherry will also elect a new Assembly next year. Whether the SIR in these four states — three of which are ruled by Opposition parties — will be linked to the Assembly elections next year may depend on how the top court hearing on the Bihar exercise unfolds.
🎧For a detailed recap of the Bihar case in court, tune in to today's episode of our 3 Things podcast.
Some unanswered questions: Over the weekend, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau's (AAIB) preliminary report on the probe into the deadly Air India Boeing Dreamliner crash near Ahmedabad airport on June 12 came into the spotlight.
The initial probe report, released on Saturday morning, is only an account of the initial findings of the investigation, and is subject to change. That said, there's some scope for reading between the lines. From sketchy cockpit voice recorder (CVR) details to an interesting addition of an aviation psychologist in the probe team – this particular report marks a departure from the normal. Here's more.
GST reforms: To speed up the process of overhauling the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime, Union Home Minister Amit Shah is set to initiate discussions with all stakeholders — states as well as Central ministries — to resolve outstanding issues. This brings the proposal to do away with the 12 per cent slab back on the table. Though this would simplify the multiple rate structure, it is estimated to amount to significant losses of Rs 70,000-80,000 crore for the Centre and states combined, top sources said.
Iran's 'air power': For the Opinions section today, columnist Syed Ata Hasnain writes on the longstanding asymmetry in Iran's force structure and what it needs to be a strategic global actor. In reference to the Iranian strikes on Israel in April 2024, the former corps commander of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps explains why the country's 'missile-rich, air force-poor doctrine was, surprisingly, decades in the making'.
'Adult content', AI and an arrest: Last week, an Assamese woman's 'provocative posts' on Instagram made her an overnight sensation over claims that she had entered the adult film industry. Now, it has emerged that she was the victim of a cybercrime from a man she studied with, and who allegedly morphed her images and videos using AI tools to harass her. The 30-year-old accused was arrested on Saturday night, after the police tracked him down via information that he had provided to create the profile, which gathered over a million followers in a short period.
Sinner is a winner: On Sunday evening, Jannik Sinner rounded out a deserved four-set victory to win his first Wimbledon title. The win tasted sweeter to the Italian as it came against Spain's Carlos Alcaraz, only five weeks after the latter clinched the French Open title. The World No. 1's best came out in a match that lacked the same epic feel of their clash in Paris last month.
Until next time
Vibha
Vibha B Madhava is a sub-editor at the news desk for IndianExpress.com. She is interested in writing about gender, culture and politics of ableism. Having specialised in digital journalism, she is keen to explore various forms of interactive, multimedia storytelling. Apart from that, she also likes to experiment with social media.
Qualification, Degrees/other achievements: Bachelor's degree in Media and Communication from Manipal Institute of Communication, Manipal Academy of Higher Education. PG Diploma in Integrated Multimedia Journalism from Asian College of Journalism, Chennai.
With The Indian Express, this is Vibha's first stint in pursuing journalism in a full-time capacity. Previous internship experience: Deccan Herald, Bengaluru; The News Minute, Bengaluru; The Mojo Story; Radio Indigo 91.9 and Fever FM 94.3 (Hyderabad)
You can find her on Twitter as @VibhaBMadhava , on LinkedIn (Vibha B Madhava), or write to her at vibha.madhava@indianexpress.com. ... Read More
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