Nivedita

After a 40-year hiatus, India marked its return to human spaceflight as IAF Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla launched to the International Space Station aboard SpaceX’s Axiom-4 mission. Taking off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Shukla joins an international crew for a 14-day science mission. His participation not only symbolizes India’s growing presence in global space collaboration but also supports ISRO’s upcoming Gaganyaan program and plans for an Indian space station by 2035.

India became the first team in Test history to lose a match despite five players scoring centuries, as England chased down a massive 371-run target at Headingley. The high-scoring thriller saw a combined total of 1673 runs the most in any India-England Test with Ben Duckett’s 149 setting a new record for the highest fourth-innings score against India. Despite India’s 835-run aggregate, the second innings collapse and England’s record chase sealed a historic defeat for the visitors.

On June 26, 1975, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared a state of Emergency in India, suspending constitutional rights, curbing press freedom, and initiating mass arrests. Triggered by an adverse court verdict and rising opposition led by Jayaprakash Narayan, the Emergency lasted 21 months and is remembered as the darkest chapter in India’s democratic history. This period saw democracy reduced to autocracy, with power concentrated in the hands of Indira and her son Sanjay Gandhi.

A French tourist in Udaipur has alleged that she was raped by a man who lured her away from a party under the pretext of sightseeing. The incident occurred in the Badgaon area, and police have launched a manhunt for the accused, who is currently absconding. The woman is receiving treatment and is in stable condition.

A government school teacher in Himachal Pradesh's Sirmaur district has been arrested for allegedly sexually harassing 24 girl students. The incident surfaced during a student-teacher interaction program, prompting immediate police action and departmental inquiry under the POCSO Act.