THE HEADLINES::
- Axiom-4 mission carrying Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla to dock with International Space Station this afternoon.
- Defence Minister Rajnath Singh calls upon SCO member countries to crackdown on cross-border terrorism.
- CBSE to conduct Class 10th Board Exams twice a year from 2026.
- India’s FDI inflows surge to 8.8 billion in April this year.
- IMD says, heavy rainfall likely to continue in Northwest, Central, East and Northeast India during next 7 days.
- Indian Women’s team clinch overall title at Under-17 Asian Wrestling Championships in Vung Tau, Vietnam.
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Axiom-4 mission carrying Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla will dock with the International Space Station (ISS) this afternoon. According to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), docking is scheduled at 4:30 PM IST. After the docking with the ISS, Group Captain Shukla will become the first ever Indian to visit Nasa’s orbiting laboratory ISS. Axiom-4 carrying 4 astronauts lifted off from Nasa’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 12:01 PM IST yesterday. Indian Air Force officer Shukla’s trip comes 41 years after cosmonaut Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian to fly to space aboard a Russian Soyuz in 1984. Within minutes of take off yesterday, Group Captain Shukla had a message for his fellow countrymen. He said, we are back in space after 41 years and what an amazing ride it has been.
” Prime Minister Narendra Modi has welcomed the successful launch and said Group Captain Shukla carries with him the wishes, hopes and aspirations of 1.4 billion Indians. In Shukla’s home city Lucknow, his parents joined hundreds of students to watch the lift-off. They were welcomed by a music band on their arrival at the school and were seen breaking out into applause as the rocket lifted off. Born on 10 October 1985 in Lucknow, Group Captain Shukla joined the Indian air force as a fighter pilot in 2006. He has flown MiGs, Sukhois, Dorniers, Jaguars and Hawks and has more than 2,000 hours of flying experience. Besides piloting the mission, the Indian astronaut will have a busy schedule during his two weeks on ISS. But most of the time, the four-member crew will be conducting 60 scientific experiments, seven of which come from India. ISRO’s experiments will help improve our understanding of space and its effects on biology and micro-gravity. One of the key experiments will investigate the impact of spaceflight on six varieties of crop seeds. Ashish Abrahim, from News desks.”
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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has called upon SCO member countries to crackdown on cross border terrorism. He said terror funding must stop at all cost. Mr Rajnath Singh made these remarks while attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ meeting in Qingdao, China this morning.
He said that India believes reformed multilateralism can foster cooperation and help prevent conflicts between countries by creating mechanisms for dialogue and collaboration.
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The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) yesterday announced that Class 10th board exams will be held in two terms starting from next year. According to the new framework, the initial examination will take place in February which will be compulsory for all students. Meanwhile, the subsequent examination in May will be optional for those students who seek to enhance their performance. All passed students will be allowed to improve their performance in any of the three subjects out of Science, Mathematics, Social Science and languages. The results for the two phases will be announced in April and June, respectively.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the 48th meeting of PRAGATI yesterday and reviewed key projects related to mines, railways, and water resources. These projects, pivotal to economic growth and public welfare, were reviewed with a focus on timelines, inter-agency coordination, and resolution of issues. The Prime Minister underscored that delays in project execution come at the dual cost of escalating financial outlays and denying citizens timely access to essential services and infrastructure.
During a review of Prime Minister-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission, Mr. Modi urged all states to accelerate the development of health infrastructure, with a special focus on Aspirational Districts.
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Gross foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows into India surged to 8.8 billion dollars in April this year, higher than 5.9 billion dollars in March and 7.2 billion dollars in April 2024. According to the RBI’s monthly bulletin, manufacturing and business services accounted for nearly half of the gross FDI inflows in April this year. India ranked 16th globally in FDI inflows and recorded 114 billion dollars in greenfield investment in digital economy sectors over the last five years (2020-2024), the highest among all countries in the Global South.
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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said that heavy to very heavy rainfall activity is likely to continue over Northwest, Central, East and Northeast parts of the country during the next 7 days.
The weather agency further said that thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds are very likely at isolated places over Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, and Uttarakhand.
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Himachal Pradesh has experienced heavy monsoon rainfall in the past 24 hours. During this period, reports of cloudbursts and flooding have emerged from various parts of the state. According to the information received so far, five people have lost their lives in these incidents.
“Due to the torrential monsoon rains over the past 24 hours, several areas in Himachal Pradesh have witnessed cloudbursts, flash floods, and landslides, severely affecting normal life. In Dharamshala, the district headquarters of Kangra, flash floods occurred in the Manuni rivulet in Khaniyara. Several laborers residing in temporary sheds near the Indira Priyadarshini Hydro Project were swept away by the floodwaters. So far, two bodies have been recovered, while six individuals are still missing. Additionally, one person was seen fleeing into the forest in an attempt to save his life. The district administration, SDRF, NDRF, and police are engaged in relief and rescue operations. For safety reasons, other workers at the power project have been shifted to safer locations. Ritesh Kapoor, Akashvani News, Shimla.”
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Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav has said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is playing a leading role globally in the field of environment and wildlife conservation. Addressing the Indian Conservation Conference 2025 yesterday evening at the Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun, Mr. Yadav stated that in 2014, India had 47 tiger reserves, which has now increased to 58.
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After being out of view for a fortnight, the holy trinity of the Lord Jagannath Temple at Puri in Odisha will make an appearance before devotees in a youthful form during Nabajouban Darshan this morning. Thousands of devotees gathered in a serpentine queue to get a first glimpse of the lords.
“The seaside town is fully prepared for the nine-day Rath Yatra, which starts tomorrow. Carpenters are completing the finishing touches on the chariots. This will be a challenging time for the district administration as the Sri Jagannath Temple Administration has banned devotees from touching the deities during pahandi or while on the chariots during this year’s Rath Yatra. The Temple administration has already stated that any touching of the deities by devotees or those in disguise will be considered a cognisable offence. Security has been heightened to manage the increasing crowds and to control traffic. SN Pattnaik, Akashvani News.”
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International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is being observed today globally. A Central event will be held at Dr. Ambedkar International Centre in New Delhi today.
“The day is observed to strengthen action and cooperation to achieve the goal of an international society free of drug abuse. As part of its celebrations in India, a central event will be held at Dr. Ambedkar International Centre in New Delhi, with Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, B.L. Verma, attending as the Chief Guest.
In a message, Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) for celebrating “Nasha Mukt Bharat Pakhwada” from 12th of June till today.
As of June 2025, over 15.78 crore people have been sensitized through the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (NMBA) activities, including 5.26 crore youth and 3.31 crore women. More than 4.31 lakh educational institutions have participated in spreading awareness. Additionally, over 20,000 trained Master Volunteers have been deployed to lead these efforts at the grassroots level. With Chirag Jha’s report Payal Sharma for Akashvani news.”
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And now news from the world of sports, Indian Women’s team clinched overall title at Under-17 Asian Wrestling Championships in Vung Tau, Vietnam yesterday.
“Indian Women’s team clinched overall title at Under-17 Asian Wrestling Championships in , Vietnam yesterday. The Indian Women’s Team won a total of 10 medals include 5 gold, 3 silver, and 2 bronze. Moving on to Hockey, the Indian junior men’s team defeated Australia 2-1 in the battle for third place at the ongoing 4 Nations Tournament in Berlin yesterday. In Squash, India continued its strong run at the Asian Doubles Squash Championships in , Malaysia, with pairs reaching the finals in all three categories, Men’s, Women’s, and Mixed Doubles. India has now confirmed four medals at the event. And, fifth edition of Khelo India University Games 2025 will be held in November this year in Rajasthan. Neelam Kaushik, Sports desk.”
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Security forces have conducted a comprehensive joint mock drill at the Baltal base camp yesterday in preparation for the upcoming Amarnath Yatra scheduled to start on July 3rd. The Yatra will culminate on August 9 on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan.
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In Bihar, the state police are going to establish a specialized and dedicated unit on the line of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) as cases of drug abuse, addiction and illicit trafficking are witnessing rise. Talking to Akashvani News Additional Director General of Police headquarters Kundan Krishnan said the unit will have skilled professionals and will take action against organized drug-related crimes.
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TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS HEADLINE,
- The lifting of Axiom mission 4 carrying IAF pilot Shubhanshu Shukla along with his three crewmates from the International Space Station is covered prominently by all the dailies. ” In historic leap, Indian astronaut heads to ISS” leads The Hindu.
- “Dragon carrying Shukla to dock around 4:30 pm today”, informs Financial Express.
- On the 50th anniversary of the Emergency, The Tribune, quoting Prime Minister Modi, says, “Democracy was placed under arrest during Emergency.” While Financial Express writes ” Emergency flashpoint: BJP, Congress trade blows”.
- “Mira Nair’s sons Zohran wins New York Democratic primary for mayor”, reports the Asian Age.
- “Pakistan major who nabbed Abhinandan Vardhaman killed in separate ambush attacks by Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan fighters “, reports The Times of India.
- And finally, Hindustan Times, citing CBSE, says, ” Mandatory Class 10 boards in February, optional in May”.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN,
- Axiom-4 mission carrying Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla to dock with International Space Station this afternoon.
- Defence Minister Rajnath Singh calls upon SCO member countries to crackdown on cross-border terrorism.
- CBSE to conduct Class 10th Board Exams twice a year from 2026.
- India’s FDI inflows surge to 8.8 billion in April this year.
- IMD says, heavy rainfall likely to continue in Northwest, Central, East and Northeast India during next 7 days.
- Indian Women’s team clinch overall title at Under-17 Asian Wrestling Championships in Vung Tau, Vietnam.
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