Live updates: top news of the day, June 11, 2025

SpaceX has said that it is standing down from Falcon 9's launch of Axiom Space Ax-4 mission which will carry Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla's to the International Space Station. It was originally scheduled to be launched on June 10, which was postponed to today owing to unfavourable weather conditions.
Meanwhile, India and the U.S. teams discussed issues pertaining to market access, digital trade, and customs facilitation during the week-long deliberations on the proposed bilateral trade agreement, an official said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted members of the multiparty delegations, part of India's diplomatic outreach in various capitals across the world following Operation Sindoor, at his official residence on Tuesday (June 10, 2025), telling them that the delegation by their very make up and strong advocacy reinforced India's message of unity in fighting terror.

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News18

42 minutes ago

• News18

600-Year-Old Inscription Found In Andhra Temple Refers To Sighting Of Halley's Comet

Last Updated: The discovery comes from a 15th-century Vijayanagara copper plate inscription, dated June 28, 1456 CE A remarkable archaeological discovery at the Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple in Srisailam, present-day Andhra Pradesh, has seemingly revealed India's earliest known epigraphic mention of Halley's Comet. This discovery comes from a 15th-century Vijayanagara copper plate inscription, dated June 28, 1456 CE. The copper plate inscription records a land grant by Vijayanagara king Mallikarjuna to a Vedic scholar, says a report in The New Indian Express. What makes this inscription exceptional is its detailed reference to a bright celestial object visible at the time, which historians and astronomers have identified as Halley's Comet. Astronomical data confirms that Halley's Comet was spectacularly visible during the summer of 1456, marking one of its historically significant apparitions observed in Europe and Asia. The inscription's date corresponds to Śaka 1378, dhātr̥ āṣāḍha ba. 11 in the Indian calendar, which translates to Monday, June 28, 1456 CE, matching the comet's known appearance. While ancient Indian texts like the Rigveda, Atharvaveda, and Brihat Samhita contained metaphorical references to comets, none offered a specific date for an actual astronomical event. This Srisailam inscription is the earliest concrete epigraphic reference to Halley's Comet in India, providing evidence of its observation and the cultural importance ascribed to it during the Vijayanagara period. Written in classical Telugu with parts in Sanskrit, the inscription follows the traditional copper plate grant format of the time. Including the astronomical event alongside details of the land grant indicates that such celestial phenomena were significant enough to be recorded in legal, religious, and administrative documents. The inscription notes that the land grant was made to Vedic scholar and astronomer Limgaṇarya to counteract the perceived negative effects of the comet's appearance and an associated meteor shower, reflecting the ruler's concern for his kingdom's well-being. Halley's Comet, last seen in 1986, is expected to return in 2061. First Published: June 22, 2025, 04:12 IST

Indian Express

an hour ago

• Indian Express

Neighbourhood policy at work: India to fly home Nepal, Sri Lanka citizens from Iran

In a major diplomatic outreach to its neighbours, India said Saturday it will evacuate nationals of Nepal and Sri Lanka who are stranded in Iran and want to leave the country. Officials in Delhi framed it as an example of India's 'neighbourhood first policy' — of helping its neighbours in times of crisis, be it conflict, natural calamity or pandemic. This announcement came on the day two more flights, operated by the Iranian Mahan Air, landed in Delhi. The Indian embassy in Tehran, in a post on X, said, 'On request of the Governments of Nepal and Sri Lanka, the Indian Embassy's evacuation efforts in Iran will also cover citizens of Nepal and Sri Lanka.' 'The citizens of Nepal and Sri Lanka may urgently reach out to the Embassy, either on the Telegram channel or over the emergency contact numbers: +989010144557;+989128109115; +989128109109,' it stated. Nepal's Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba expressed Kathmandu's gratitude. In a post on X, she thanked External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar 'for India's swift assistance in helping to evacuate Nepali nationals from Iran'. 'India's support in Nepal's evacuation efforts is a reflection of the strength of Nepal-India ties,' she said. Sources said about 16 Nepal nationals are in touch with the Nepalese embassy in Delhi. Sri Lanka's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a post, said, 'Sri Lanka extends its sincere gratitude to the Government of India for the timely assistance to evacuate Sri Lankan nationals from Iran alongside Indian citizens. This act of solidarity exemplifies the strong and enduring partnership between Sri Lanka and India, and is deeply appreciated by the people of Sri Lanka.' So far, a total of 827 Indians have been evacuated from Iran. 'Another evacuation flight from Mashhad landed in New Delhi at 1630 hrs on 21 June with 310 Indian nationals from Iran. With this, a total of 827 Indians have been evacuated,' Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, said. A group of about 290 Indian nationals, including students, reached Delhi late Friday night and early Saturday after being evacuated from Iran as its war with Israel intensified. On Wednesday, India announced the launch of Operation Sindhu to evacuate its nationals from Iran. 'Operation Sindhu flight brings citizens home. India evacuated 290 Indian nationals from Iran, including students and religious pilgrims by a charter flight. The flight arrived in New Delhi at 2330 hrs on 20 June and was received by Secretary (CPV& OIA) Arun Chatterjee,' Jaiswal wrote on X. 'Government of India is grateful to the Government of Iran for the facilitation of the evacuation process,' he said. The first batch of 110 Indian nationals, evacuated under Operation Sindhu, arrived in India Thursday, with many evacuees sharing firsthand accounts of the frightening situation they witnessed before being moved to safer locations. This is not the first time that Delhi has stepped in to evacuate citizens of its neighbours. In the early days of the Ukraine war, India evacuated nationals of neighbouring countries along with its own. Delhi managed to persuade Tehran to open Iranian airspace for the evacuation of around 1,000 Indians via the north-eastern town of Mashhad. Sources said Delhi, after days of negotiations, moved its nationals to Mashhad and secured overflight permissions from Iran and Turkmenistan to fly Indians out of harm's way. Mashhad is close to Iran's border with Turkmenistan, and India found an air corridor for a safe flight out. Indians were moved from Tehran to Qom and then to Mashhad, with the help of the Indian embassy and Iranian authorities. India's ties with Iran and Israel puts it in a delicate spot, where it has to do some diplomatic balancing act. Delhi has strategic stakes with Iran – from Chabahar port to shared concerns on Pakistan and Afghanistan. So, it has been very careful in its statements. It has a very strategic security and defence partnership with Israel as well. Shubhajit Roy, Diplomatic Editor at The Indian Express, has been a journalist for more than 25 years now. Roy joined The Indian Express in October 2003 and has been reporting on foreign affairs for more than 17 years now. Based in Delhi, he has also led the National government and political bureau at The Indian Express in Delhi — a team of reporters who cover the national government and politics for the newspaper. He has got the Ramnath Goenka Journalism award for Excellence in Journalism '2016. He got this award for his coverage of the Holey Bakery attack in Dhaka and its aftermath. He also got the IIMCAA Award for the Journalist of the Year, 2022, (Jury's special mention) for his coverage of the fall of Kabul in August 2021 — he was one of the few Indian journalists in Kabul and the only mainstream newspaper to have covered the Taliban's capture of power in mid-August, 2021. ... Read More

India Gazette

an hour ago

• India Gazette

Navy personnel celebrate International Yoga Day on-board INS Vikramaditya

New Delhi [India], June 21 (ANI): The Indian Navy marked International Yoga Day 2025 by conducting a special yoga session on board the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya. A video shared by the Navy showed personnel performing various yoga asanas on the ship's deck. Apart from this, 11,000 personnel from the Eastern Naval Command, along with their family members, performed yoga onboard Indian Navy ships and across the Vizag coastline. Eastern Naval Command is proud to join hands with YogAndhra 2025, a landmark initiative spearheaded by the Ministry of Ayush and the State Government of Andhra Pradesh, celebrating the International Day of Yoga in the coastal city of Visakhapatnam, an official statement from the Indian Navy said. Apart from this, the Indian Army also organised a yoga session at the world's highest battlefield, in Siachen. Multiple soldiers, veterans, families and children participated in the session. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took part in the 11th International Day of Yoga celebrations, where he hailed yoga as a gift 'beyond age' that transcends all boundaries and unites humanity in 'health and harmony.' The event took place against the scenic backdrop of the Visakhapatnam coastline, with Indian Navy ships stationed near the shore, adding to the grandeur of the celebrations. The Prime Minister praised the efforts of the Andhra Pradesh government and extended his appreciation to Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Jana Sena Party chief Pawan Kalyan for hosting the event in Visakhapatnam. He lauded their leadership as 'inspiring' and described the state's initiative to promote yoga as 'commendable.' Over three lakh individuals joined him for a mass yoga session in the coastal city, reinforcing this year's message that 'yoga belongs to everyone' and brings the world together. The Prime Minister recalled India's initiative at the United Nations in 2014 to declare June 21 as International Yoga Day, a move that received wide global support in record time. (ANI)