Highlights: Dragon capsule with Shubhanshu Shukla docks successfully at ISS
Highlights: Catch all the news developments from around the world here
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June 25, 2025, SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Crew Dragon capsule carrying Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and three others lifts off from the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Centre, in Florida, USA.(Photo: PTI)
Highlights: The Dragon capsule of the Axiom 4 Mission, carrying Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla along with three other crew members, successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday at 4:30 pm IST. The perpetrators and sponsors of terrorism must be held accountable, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told a conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on Thursday, even as he chose not to sign a communique by the bloc for not explicitly addressing India's concerns over Pakistan-backed cross-border terrorism. Two people have died and six others remain missing following heavy rainfall and rising water levels near the Manuni stream in Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district, officials reported.
According to authorities, the SDRF, volunteers, and project personnel evacuated individuals from camping areas to a safer location near the Ambedkar building in Kaniara, where food and water were provided.
Officials further stated that a sudden surge of water, triggered by heavy rain, inundated a residential colony within 15 minutes, leading to the tragic incident.
In other developments, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has recruited three researchers from OpenAI to advance his company’s superintelligence initiative, according to the Wall Street Journal. The hires — Lucas Beyer, Alexander Kolesnikov, and Xiaohua Zhai — were previously based at OpenAI’s Zurich office.
Meanwhile, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has begun procuring two additional Mobile BSL-3 (MBSL-3) laboratories to enhance outbreak response capabilities and improve healthcare access in remote and hard-to-reach areas.
Known as RAMBAAN, these mobile labs are the first-of-their-kind, fully indigenous Rapid Action Mobile BSL-3 units, designed for field deployment and equipped to handle diagnostic demands during outbreaks involving both known and novel high-risk pathogens.
Developed under the Pradhan Mantri-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission by ICMR in collaboration with Klenzaids Contamination Controls Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai, the RAMBAAN labs are currently stationed at the National Institute of Virology in Pune and the RMRC in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh.
These units were first deployed during the Nipah virus outbreak in Kozhikode, Kerala, in September 2023, and again in Malappuram district in July 2024.
9:57 PM
Rajnath refuses to sign SCO communique over exclusion of Pahalgam terror attack
Defence Minister Rajanth Singh on Thursday refused to sign a joint communique of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) at a meeting of its defence ministers in Qingdao, China, as it omitted the Pahalgam terror attack and did not explicitly address India's concerns over Pakistan-backed cross-border terrorism.
9:02 PM
Irdai flags concerns on implementation of guidelines
As part of routine supervision, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai) initiated inspections at some health insurance firms, and flagged concerns with some companies on implementation of certain regulatory norms in the new health insurance master circular, people aware of the development said.
8:49 PM
N Chandrasekaran briefs Tata Sons board on long term care of AI victims
N Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons, today briefed the board of directors on the steps taken by the Tata group to support the families affected by the Air India crash on June 8. Chandrasekaran informed the board that Tata Sons and Tata Trusts will jointly establish a dedicated trust to provide long-term assistance to the victims' families.
7:22 PM
Make GIFT IFSC competitive to attract HNI funds: Nirmala Sitharaman
Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman nudged financial sector regulators to pursue initiatives that catalyse the core mandate of the GIFT International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) to bring foreign capital into India through structured channels.
5:58 PM
Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla becomes 1st Indian to enter ISS
Shubhanshu Shukla has become only the second Indian to travel to space and the first-ever to visit ISS with the Axiom-4 Mission.
5:35 PM
Credit growth to improve to 13-13.5% in FY26: India Ratings
India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) expects credit growth to improve marginally in FY26 to 13-13.5 percent, up from FY25 levels. However, the composition of loans is likely to shift, with continued slowdown in lending to non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) and the retail segment. This decline is expected to be offset by a revival in private capital expenditure (capex), which would support growth in the corporate segment, the rating agency said.
5:04 PM
Himachal floods: Death toll reaches 4; Search continues for 7 missing
Officials confirmed on Thursday that the death toll from Wednesday’s flash floods in Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district has risen to four, following the recovery of two more bodies from a hydro project site. Search operations have been intensified to find the seven persons still missing since flash floods triggered by cloudbursts hit Kangra and Kullu districts on Wednesday.
4:41 PM
BJP uses Constitution to gain power: SP chief Akhilesh Yadav
Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav slammed the BJP on Thursday, alleging that the saffron party uses the Constitution to gain power but as soon as it assumes office, it stops respecting the Constitution. Yadav stated despite taking an oath to uphold the Constitution framed by BR Ambedkar, BJP leaders display a "complete lack of integrity" in their actions.
4:23 PM
News update: Dragon capsule docks successfully at ISS
3:56 PM
AI plane crash: Govt says data extraction from black boxes underway; being analysed at AAIB Lab
The Centre on Thursday stated data is being extracted from black boxes, and analysis of cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder is underway to reconstruct the sequence of events that led to the fatal crash of the Air India plane in Ahmedabad on June 12. Providing a detailed update a fortnight after the fatal accident that killed 270 people, the civil aviation ministry said the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) promptly initiated an investigation and constituted a multi-disciplinary team headed by the AAIB chief on June 13 in line with prescribed norms.
3:48 PM
40 civil servants of Uttarakhand adopt their first place of posting
Forty senior IAS officers of Uttarakhand have adopted their first place of posting to develop them further as desired by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. The chief minister had asked the IAS officers to adopt and develop their first place of posting and contribute to the building of a developed nation.
3:37 PM
CIA chief says ‘credible evidence’ Iran nuclear program severely damaged in US strikes
CIA and Trump administration officials are citing 'new intelligence' they say proves US strikes severely damaged Iran’s nuclear program.
3:35 PM
Khamenei issues first statement since ceasefire
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a video message posted on X, praised his nation for its “victory over Israel". This marks his first public statement since the United States announced a ceasefire between Iran and Israel.
2:54 PM
SC to hear petition on Maratha reservation in Maharashtra in July
The top court on Thursday decided to hear in July a plea over the issue of Maratha reservation in Maharashtra. The matter came up for urgent listing before a bench of Justices K V Viswanathan and N Kotiswar Singh. The counsel appearing in the case referred to a June 11 order of the Bombay High Court deciding to hear afresh the pleas against the constitutional validity of the law providing Maratha reservation from July 18.
2:50 PM
272 Indians, 3 Nepalese nationals evacuated from Iran
India has evacuated 272 Indian and three Nepalese nationals from Iran following the conflict with Israel, officials said on Thursday. A special flight carrying them arrived in Delhi a little past midnight from the Iranian city of Mashhad.
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First Published: Jun 26 2025 | 9:05 AM IST
