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
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
a few seconds ago
- Indian Express
As EC begins process to pick new VP, Opp hopes to get act together, NDA sits pretty
While Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar's 'sudden' resignation may have given the Opposition some ammunition to allege that all is not well in the NDA camp, it now has a new challenge before it: devising a collective strategy for the election of the next Rajya Sabha chairman. The Vice President is elected by members of both Houses of Parliament. Nominated members of the Rajya Sabha are also eligible to cast their vote. The Election Commission on Wednesday said it has begun the process of holding the vice presidential election and has started constituting the electoral college comprising MPs of both Houses of Parliament. The poll panel said it is also finalising returning officers for the election. 'On completion of the preparatory activities, the announcement of the election schedule will follow as soon as possible,' the EC said. The Indian Express spoke to several Opposition parties on their move forward. While they said there will 'definitely' be a candidate when the election happens, they are waiting to see how the government responds to the situation. 'We are waiting for the ruling side to make the next move. Once they pick a candidate, we will also discuss what has to be done,' a CPI(M) MP said. INDIA bloc leaders said the Congress will play a 'big' role in the elections as they are the 'largest' Opposition party. However, a Samajwadi Party MP added: 'They will need to consult all parties, bring everyone on board. The coordination will have to be done by the Congress. Since the resignation was so sudden and unexpected, the process will have to start from scratch.' Congress sources said the party is ready for the 'challenge'. 'We have coordinated with our allies on several issues and brought INDIA bloc parties together on the Pahalgam attack and Bihar Special Intensive Revision (SIR). We will do the same for this,' said a Congress Rajya Sabha member. But this coordination will be hard to pull off. Over the last year, the INDIA bloc has seen parties taking a different line over issues, with several parties even questioning the Congress's credentials to lead the alliance after a string of losses in state Assembly elections. Big edge to NDA, but tighter fight Unlike the presidential election, the electoral college for the Vice President only includes members of both Houses of Parliament, and does not include state legislators. Currently, there is one vacancy in the Lok Sabha (Basirhat, West Bengal), and five vacancies in the Rajya Sabha. Of the five vacancies in the Rajya Sabha, four are from Jammu and Kashmir and one from Punjab. The total strength of the two Houses together is 787 and the winning candidate needs at least 394 votes to be elected, if all eligible voters cast their votes. As numbers stand, the BJP-led NDA has 422 MPs. In the 542-member Lok Sabha, the NDA enjoys the support of 293 members. In the Rajya Sabha where the effective strength is currently 245, the ruling alliance has the support of 129 MPs, counting the nominated members who are likely to vote for the NDA nominee. Still, the election for Dhankhar's successor will likely be a narrow one compared to the last two elections. In 2017, when the first vice-presidential election was held under the Narendra Modi government, the contest was between then Cabinet Minister M Venkaiah Naidu and Opposition nominee Gopal Krishna Gandhi. Naidu won the contest by 272 votes. In 2022, when Dhankhar was up against Opposition nominee Margret Alva, his victory margin was even larger, at 346 votes. The TMC had at the time abstained from polling, alleging that the Congress had not consulted it before announcing Alva's nomination.
Time of India
a few seconds ago
- Time of India
You're Acting Like School Kids, Not Parliamentarians: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla Slams Oppn Protest
Day 3 of Parliament's Monsoon Session spiraled into yet another storm as Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla sharply rebuked opposition MPs for disrupting proceedings with placards, slogans, and aggressive protests. Amid chants over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bihar's voter list, the Pahalgam terror attack, and Donald Trump's revived mediation claim on Kashmir, Om Birla warned that 'this is Parliament, not the streets.' He reminded protesting MPs that they were sent to represent the people's issues, not mimic unruly behaviour from outside. The Speaker also cautioned of strict action if order isn't restored. Meanwhile, opposition MPs remained defiant, insisting the Bihar voter revision undermines democracy.#ombirla #loksabha #parliamentprotests #biharvoterlist #trumpkashmirclaim #pahalgamattack #monsoonsession #toi #toibharat #bharat #trending #breakingnews #indianews Read More
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
a few seconds ago
- First Post
'Stopped war': Trump again makes a claim India has repeatedly refuted on 4-day Pakistan clash
Trump has once again claimed credit for 'stopping war' between India and Pakistan, this time saying he intervened to prevent a nuclear conflict. His remarks have drawn sharp criticism from the Congress, which questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence on the matter. read more US President Donald Trump has once again claimed credit for averting a war between India and Pakistan, drawing sharp criticism from the Congress, which questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's continued silence on the matter. Speaking at a reception at the White House on Tuesday (July 23, 2025), Trump said, 'We stopped wars between India and Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda.' He further claimed that five aircraft were shot down during the India-Pakistan confrontation and that the situation was close to spiraling into a nuclear conflict. 'It was going back and forth. I called them and said, 'No more trade. If you do this, it's not going to be good.' They're both powerful nuclear nations, and that would have happened. I stopped it,' Trump asserted. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD #WATCH | US President Donald Trump says, "We have stopped wars between India and Pakistan. They were probably going to end up in a nuclear war. They shot down five planes in the last attack. It was back and forth, back and forth. I called them and I said no more trade if you do… — ANI (@ANI) July 23, 2025 The congress said that this marks the 25th time in the past 73 days that Trump has repeated his claim of preventing a war between the two South Asian neighbours. Reacting to the remarks, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at PM Modi, saying while Trump has made a 'silver jubilee' out of his claim, the Indian prime minister remains conspicuously silent. 'He has trumpeted his claim 25 times in 73 days, yet the Prime Minister of India has not uttered a word—choosing instead to travel abroad and destabilise democratic institutions at home,' Ramesh said in a post on X. He also slammed the Modi government for refusing to give firm dates for a parliamentary debate on the Pahalgam-Sindoor issue, adding that the PM has not committed to responding in the House. Trump also expanded his list of purported diplomatic achievements, claiming the U.S. had 'taken out Iran's entire nuclear capability' and stopped conflicts in Kosovo and Serbia. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD While Trump has frequently credited his trade diplomacy for de-escalating global tensions, there has been no official confirmation from New Delhi or Islamabad regarding his role in the alleged ceasefire or the reported aerial engagement.
