Daily Briefing: Shubhanshu Shukla, back from beyond

With Tuesday’s launch, the company enters a market that is still in its early phase of EV adoption but is gradually expanding. Can Tesla’s entry speed up the transition? Only time will tell.

On that note, let’s get to the rest of today’s edition.

Big Story

Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian to visit the International Space Station (ISS), has safely returned home. At around 3 pm yesterday, the Dragon spacecraft, named ‘Grace’, splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the Californian coast after a 20-day landmark space journey. Fifty minutes later, a smiling Shukla emerged from the space capsule, taking a few tentative steps, assisted by two people.

Shukla’s space odyssey provides vital experience for India’s space ambitions, including its first human spaceflight mission, Gaganyaan, tentatively planned for 2027. It also saw an Indian go into space, 41 years after Rakesh Sharma travelled aboard the Soviet Union’s Soyuz T-11 spacecraft.

My colleague Anonna Dutt has prepared a useful guide on what happens to astronauts’ bodies when they return to Earth, where they are likely to feel the effects of gravity after spending weeks in microgravity. Post-flight injuries are common among astronauts, as well as difficulties with mobility, which is why they require “reconditioning“.

Also read: Why spacecraft prefer splashing down in water instead of landing on the ground

Only in Express

The BJP government is undertaking an ambitious new project similar to its earlier initiative at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi. Work has started on the Rs 1,000 crore Banke Bihari Corridor, following the Supreme Court’s approval on May 15, which permitted the use of temple funds to acquire five acres of land. However, the project faces a familiar obstacle: opposition from local residents in Vrindavan who will be displaced. The government intends to relocate affected families to Rukmini Vihar and Sunrakh Bangar, about 7 km away in the Mathura-Vrindavan area. Among those being displaced are sevayats of the Banke Bihari Mandir, who have lived near the temple for generations and fear losing their traditional way of life.

From the Front Page

Crime scene: As the investigation into the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack progresses, the NIA is relying on a “star protected eyewitness”, a local who encountered the three Pakistan-based terrorists just minutes after the assault. The witness revealed a chilling detail: the gunmen fired celebratory shots into the air after killing civilians.

Clarify: Amid the confusion over the Election Commission’s special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, the Telugu Desam Party — a key BJP ally — has sought clarity on the “scope” of the exercise. In a letter to the EC, the TDP said it should be made clear that the SIR is “not related to citizenship verification.”

Revised: The latest among NCERT’s revisions of its school textbooks is the Class 8 Social Science textbook. It now highlights “many instances of religious intolerance” during the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal era. Interestingly, one of the chapters includes a note that “no one should be held responsible today for events of the past”.

Must Read

Roadblock: Fans of Prime Video’s Panchayat would recognise how a single road’s promise can influence entire elections in rural India. A similar situation is unfolding in real life in Madhya Pradesh’s Sidhi district, where the lack of a road connecting a village to vital healthcare services has caused a major controversy. Leading the effort is 22-year-old Leela Sahu, an online influencer with vast followers. Sahu’s campaign started when she became pregnant. But what began as a personal struggle swiftly turned political, putting her at odds with the local BJP leadership. This is her story.

De-risk: US President Donald Trump’s increasing closeness with Pakistan and his attacks on Russia, which may disrupt India’s oil trade, have caused some in India to feel “betrayed”. The only reassurance, as columnist C Raja Mohan notes, is that India is not alone. As Trump reshapes American relations with long-standing allies, New Delhi might consider re-evaluating its foreign policy.

And Finally…

I leave you with my piece on matcha, the whisked powdered Japanese tea that has sparked a widespread lifestyle trend. Popularised by wellness enthusiasts and fitness influencers, this green drink might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but that hasn’t halted its global surge. What lies behind the matcha craze? Dive in.

🎧 Before you go, tune in to the latest ‘3 Things’ podcast episode. Today’s lineup: Maharashtra’s controversial public security Bill, why climate talks fail, and the Nimisha Priya case.

That’s all for today, folks! Until tomorrow,
Sonal Gupta