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Good Morning India 🇮🇳
Prada has unveiled a flip-flop that’s basically a Kolhapuri chappal in witness protection, now parading as a “Made in Italy” masterpiece. The price tag screams couture, but the craftsmanship whispers “stolen.” Meanwhile, netizens are asking for “kuch aur designs,” because if we’re doing cultural theft, might as well loot the whole rack.
Now, let’s get into the dispatch! 🚀
Today’s reading time is 4.5 mins.
MARKETS 🔔🐂🐻
Updated till 11:45 pm IST June 25
Green Day for the Indian Market as there is an easing in the Middle East tension, showing positive global cues. Meanwhile, monsoon forecast, and moderating inflation are favouring the indices
Top gainers included Titan, M&M, Infosys, Power Grid, while Bharat Electronics, Kotak Mahindra Bank, and Axis Bank declined
SPACE 🛰️
Axiom Mission 4: India’s second astronaut in space after 40 years
What Happened? On June 25, Axiom Mission 4 —a private spaceflight by Houston’s Axiom Space in partnership with NASA and SpaceX launched from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center aboard a Falcon 9 rocket. Commander and former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson led the crew, which included ISRO’s Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla (serving as pilot on the mission), Polish engineer Sławosz Uznański‑Wiśniewski, and Hungarian researcher Tibor Kapu.
Who Is Shubhanshu Shukla? A 39-year-old IAF test pilot from Lucknow with over 2,000 flight hours across jets like Su-30 MKI and MiG-29, he is one of four astronauts chosen for India’s first human space mission, Gaganyaan. He trained in Russia and Houston. His Ax‑4 role marks him as the first Indian to visit the ISS and second overall in orbit, after Rakesh Sharma in 1984.
What’s the Mission About? The crew will spend roughly 14 days on the ISS, where they’ll conduct around 60 experiments, including seven led by Indian researchers, covering areas like microgravity effects and Earth observation. Axiom Space continues to build operational experience toward its own commercial space station.
Why It Matters?
National pride: India returns to space after 41 years, and Shukla carries the aspirations of 1.4 billion Indians.
Private space frontier: Marks a shift toward commercial crewed missions, with NASA and SpaceX enabling new private-sector access.
Global science teamwork: A true international collaboration—India, US, Poland, and Hungary aboard the ISS together.
This isn’t just a rocket launch, it’s a bridge between dreams and reality. Captain Shukla’s journey brings India one step closer to its own space station ambitions.
TECH 💻
India's Tech Lag: A Critical Look at the Global Race
Credits: Belfer Center
What Happened? Indians may be renowned for tech enthusiasts, but when it comes to the global tech race, we are behind. India is lagging far behind other countries in key tech sectors: AI, biotechnology, semiconductors, space, and quantum tech, with an overall score of 15.2 in the Critical and Emerging Technologies Index.
But what exactly is this Index? A global index launched to evaluate how 25 countries perform across five technology sectors: AI, biotechnology, semiconductors, space, and quantum. Developed using public and commercial data, allowing policymakers to compare relative strengths and weaknesses.
Why is India lagging?
Lower Investments & Talent Gaps: Insufficient R&D funding and skilled workforce in core tech.
Fragmented Ecosystem: Lack of synergy across government, industry, and academia.
Limited Manufacturing: Weak chip fabrication and fewer advanced labs.
Can India move forward? Yes, of course, we can! But, for that, we need to increase strategic investments in R&D and talent for semiconductors, AI, and biotech. Also, building stronger global tech partnerships for joint research and collaboration is crucial.
BUSINESS INDIA
Dhanda hai Yeh!
Air India aftermath continues: Tata Group's chairperson N Chandrasekaran has assumed direct oversight of Air India’s operations, focusing on safety, government relations, and staff welfare. The move is aimed to provide focused leadership during a critical period
Indian PSUs are rebounding: After a decline of 11% in FY25, Indian Public sector undertakings have gained 11% in Q1 FY26. Stocks such Canara, Maharashtra, Union Bank of India, and Indian Bank surged over 15%
NSE’s IPO: The long IPO wait of NSE may get over as SEBI can give them an NOC by the end of next month. This follows an offer to pay around ₹1400 crore to SEBI, settling old co-location and dark fibre cases, clearing its path.
Adani x Ambani collab: India’s topmost business tycoon collaborated for fuel marketing, leveraging their networks for petrol/diesel and CNG. This marks their second collaboration, aiming to challenge state-owned retailers and enhance fuel access
New weight loss drug in India to take on ‘Mounjaro’: After Eli Lily’s Mounjaro, Novo Nordisk has launched weight-loss drug Wegovy. With 24% of women and nearly 23% of men aged 15 to 49 being either overweight or obese in India, foreign weight loss brands are finding a huge business opportunity here
Data Boom in India: India's per-user data consumption, already the world-highest 32 GB/month, is set to nearly double to 62 GB by 2030, driven by 5G growth and rising digital service demand
WORLD: BUSINESS AND GEOPOLITICS 🌍
Kya chal raha hai?
Iran – Israel: Israel-Iran truce is holding for now, however trust is in short supply. Iran’s parliament just voted to cut ties with the UN nuclear watchdog but hinted at being open to talks, and Israel designated Iran’s central bank a terrorist entity
Hasina Faces Trial for Uprising Killings: Bangladesh’s war crimes tribunal has set July 1 for the indictment hearing of former PM Sheikh Hasina. She faces accusations of mass killings and enforced disappearances during last year’s July-August uprising
Indian-American lawmaker Zohran Mamdani has pulled off a political upset, defeating ex-Governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary for NYC mayor. Son of acclaimed filmmaker Mira Nair, Mamdani now heads into the mayoral race as the Democratic nominee
Fair Use of AI? A US judge ruled Anthropic’s use of copyrighted books to train its AI was fair use, calling it “transformative”, but storing over 7 million pirated titles wasn’t. The startup now faces a jury trial in December over copyright damages, which could reach $150,000 per book. The ruling is a first-of-its-kind verdict in AI copyright law
UK Boosts NATO Role With New Nukes: The UK will buy 12 US-made F-35 jets to rejoin NATO’s nuclear mission, its biggest nuke posture shift in decades. PM Starmer also pledged 350 air defence missiles for Ukraine (funded by £70M from frozen Russian assets) and aims to raise defence spending to 2.6% by 2027, hitting 5% by 2035
Aur Batao: News from across India 📰
Bihar gets green light for first Nuclear Plant: Bihar will get its first atomic plant under India’s ₹20,000 crore Nuclear Energy Mission, using safer, flexible Small Modular Reactor tech. The Centre also cleared a 1,000 MW battery storage project and 500 MW of extra power for summer
New US visa rule: Planning to study or visit the US? If you're applying for an F, M, or J visa, your social media accounts now need to be public. The embassy says it’ll help speed up security checks and confirm who you are
Cheaper shot, bigger lifesaver: Bharat Biotech and GSK will cut the price of their malaria vaccine Mosquirix to under $5 by 2028, half its current cost. With Gavi's (a global vaccine group) support, 12 African nations will add the vaccine to routine jabs this year
Perplexity joins WhatsApp: Perplexity AI just made your WhatsApp smarter. Users can now set reminders, get news alerts, and schedule tasks, all in plain language, no login needed. CEO Aravind Srinivas says it’s “a basic assistant” in your pocket
Sports and Entertainment
Neeraj Chopra wins the Ostrava Golden Spike with a best mark of 85.29m in the second round. This is his second win in a week, after his Paris Diamond League Success last Friday
Bumrah’s workload management: Despite facing a loss in the first Test, coach Gambhir confirmed Bumrah will only play three England Tests for workload management. He trusts other ‘inexperienced’ quicks to deliver
Stellar response to India’s Shooting League: Over 400 athletes from more than 20 countries have registered for the inaugural edition of the Shooting League of India from November 20 to December 2, 2025
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