Axiom-4 put off again after leak detected on space station

The Launch of the Axiom-4 mission, on which Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla is supposed to travel to the International Space Station (ISS) along with three others, was put on an indefinite hold on Thursday, after a problem was detected on the space station itself.

CAG to finalise list of CA firms for audit of autonomous bodies

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) will finalise in two weeks empanelment of Chartered Accountancy (CA) firms for audit of autonomous, local and other bodies from July 2025 to March 2027, senior officials of the constitutional body said Thursday.-

THE COOLING EFFECT

Retail inflation, as measured by the consumer price index, plunged to a multi-year low of 2.82 per cent in May 2025, according to the latest data from the National Statistics Office. This is, in fact, the lowest recorded inflation after February 2019. With this latest print, retail inflation has averaged just under 3 per cent in the quarter so far (April-May). This is in line with the RBI's expectations. In the Monetary Policy Committee's June meeting, the central bank had pegged inflation at 2.9 per cent in the first quarter.

Speech and trust 

Regimes of free speech are fundamentally regimes of trust. They rely on a healthy distrust of the power of the state. Historically, no censor really thought they could get people to believe what the state wanted them to believe through censorship. What they did believe was that every act of censorship would reinforce the status of their subjects as being infantile -people who needed protection against speech. Censorship was the assertion of authority. The best defence of free speech is not instrumental, based on the value of truth, democracy or progress. It relies on something more elemental: No one should have authority over what we think or say. Who gave authority to anyone else over what I can think or say?-

KEEPING THE PROMISE 

A political, economic, and social transformation has been underway in the past 11 years. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, India has emerged as a self-reliant, inclusive, and globally respected nation. The foundation of this transformation rests on infrastructure. Connectivity was a major concern when PM Modi assumed office in 2014. Today more than 146,000 km of national highways-as against 91,000 km in 2014-bridge the gap between rural and urban, between aspiration and opportunity.-

In-house inquiry is not immunity

The discovery of burnt currency at the residence of a sitting judge on the night of March 14 has caused cracks in the faith that the public has in the judiciary, the integrity of institutions and the perception of justice in a democratic society. Certain efforts appear to have been made to heal the injury caused by this incident by initiating an in-house inquiry. The Chief Justice of India (CJI) quite diligently constituted a panel of three senior judges. The committee has given its report to the Chief Justice, who has submitted it to the President of India. It is reported that on the basis of the findings arrived at by the panel of judges, the CJI has recommended the removal of the judge through impeachment

Peer review is the proper channel

Arghya Sengupta Begins his book Independence and Accountability of the Higher Indian Judiciary by juxtaposing the views of Jawaharlal Nehru and Justice Y K Sabharwal. Nehru upheld Parliament's supremacy, arguing that the judiciary could advise but not obstruct the legislative will in shaping the nation's future. In contrast, Justice Sabharwal underscored the judiciary's expanding role in securing good governance, highlighting how the Supreme Court has intervened in areas like environmental protection, electoral reform, and constitutional amendments to ensure the rule of law prevails. This tension reflects a fundamental shift

May inflation drops to 2.82% on easing food prices, lowest since February 2019

A fall in prices of fruits, pulses, and cereals helped lower India's headline retail inflation rate to a 75-month low of 2.82 per cent in May 2025, according to data released on Thursday by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI), possibly providing son some more easing room to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).-

How Sebi's new verified UPI IDs will safeguard investors from cyber frauds

The securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) is set to introduce a structured unified payment interface (UPI) address mechanism for its registered intermediaries to tackle the rising number of unregistered entities in the stock market that are misleading investors. The move is expected to streamline the collection of funds by intermediaries from investors. Through this process, investors will be able to identify legitimate Sebi-registered market intermediaries before making payments to them. The markets regulator is also developing a new tool called 'SEBI Check' to verify the veracity of UPI IDs or bank details of registered intermediaries. The regulator has set an October 1, 2025 deadline to introduce both facilities.

WHY ANDHRA PRADESH & KARNATAKA ARE FIGHTING OVER MANGOES

The Chittoor district collector on June 7 issued an order banning the entry of Totapuri mangoes from other states into the district in Andhra Pradesh, a decision that has since put the state at loggerheads with neighbouring Karnataka.

Karnataka Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh, in a letter dated June 10, and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, in a letter dated June 11, asked their Andhra counterparts K Vijayanand and N Chandrababu Naidu, respectively - to roll back the order which, they said, was causing significant distress to mango farmers in Karnataka.-

War clouds over Middle East

A Cbs Report on Thursday said that "Israel is fully ready to launch an operation into Iran," and that in anticipation of "heightened regional tensions" the United States had issued travel advisories to American personnel and families in Iraq, Israel, and the broader region.

This comes just a day after US President Donald Trump had reportedly told Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the war in Gaza and "stop talk of an attack on Iran", as well as amid ongoing negotiations between Tehran and Washington over a nuclear deal.

While the talks are set to continue - the sixth round of negotiations are scheduled to take place in Muscat on Sunday - the latest, somewhat unexpected development has yet again left a Damocles' sword hanging over the Middle East.-

Why a majority of aviation accidents occur during takeoff & landing 

An Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner flying from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick with 242 people on board crashed shortly after takeoff on Thursday afternoon. While it is not yet clear what caused the crash, data show that most crashes take place during landing, takeoff, or the phases immediately preceding/succeeding these events.