NewsBytes

With waves and smiles, Shubhanshu Shukla returned to Earth on Tuesday after an 18-day stay on the International Space Station, a feat that holds the promise to herald India's own human spaceflight ambitions. The Lucknow-born Shukla and three other astronauts of the private Axiom-4 mission splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the San Diego coast in California in the pre-dawn darkness at 2:31 am Pacific Time (3:01 pm IST) amid cheers from the citizens of India, literally on the other side of the world. Shukla, a Group Captain in the Indian Air Force, became the second Indian to travel to space after Rakesh Sharma's 1984 sojourn as part of a Soviet Russian mission. He also scripted history by becoming the first Indian to travel to the International Space Station with the longest stint -- 20 days -- in orbit around the Earth. For India, Hungary and Poland, this mission has realised the return to human spaceflight, with astronauts from these countries travelling to space for the first time in more than 40 years. The Dragon Grace spacecraft lifted off from Florida on June 25 and docked at the International Space Station on June 26 after a 28-hour journey.

Global EV giant Tesla on Tuesday made its much-awaited entry into India, launching its Model Y with price starting at Rs 59.89 lakh while opening its first experience centre in Mumbai. Tesla, led by American tech billionaire Elon Musk who had in the past cited India's high import tariffs for the company not entering the country earlier, will be importing the Model Y as a completely built unit (CBU), from its Shanghai manufacturing facility in China. The mid-sized electric SUV Model Y, which was once the world's best-selling car, will be offered in India in two variants -- rear-wheel drive with base price at Rs 59.89 lakh and long-range rear wheel drive at a base price of Rs 67.89 lakh. The deliveries are slated to start in the third and fourth quarter of 2025, respectively, for the two variants. The rear-wheel drive variant has a range of 500 km while that of the long-range rear wheel drive is 622 km on a single charge. The Model Y will compete with a range of electric luxury cars from German automakers such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi.

The Union Health Ministry on Tuesday termed reports claiming it has directed vendors to put warning labels on food items such as samosas, jalebis and laddos as "misleading, incorrect, and baseless". It clarified that its advisory on health messaging about hidden fats and excess sugar in various food items is not a directive for vendors to put warning labels on their products, and underlined that it does not target India's rich street food culture. The general advisory is a behavioural nudge to make people aware of hidden fats and excess sugar in all food products, and not specifically to any particular food product, the ministry said in a statement. The advisory mentions other messages promoting healthy food such as fruits, vegetables and low-fat options and making suggestions for people to opt for physical activity, such as the use of stairs and short exercises. The ministry had separately issued an advisory, which is an initiative towards making healthier choices at workplaces. It advises displaying boards in workplaces to raise awareness on the harmful consumption of hidden fats and excess sugar in various food items.

India constituted 6.4 per cent of the global population of children who did not receive a single dose of any vaccine in 2024, according to a United Nations report. The new national immunisation coverage data released on Monday by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF also highlighted that "India accounted for 49.2% of zero-dose children in South Asia", as per statistics from the Regional Office for South Asia (ROSA). The term "zero-dose children" refers to those who have not received any routine immunisations, including the first dose of the DTP (diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis) vaccine. This metric is a critical indicator of access to immunisation services and overall healthcare infrastructure. The report said India accounted for "6.4% of zero-dose children globally". Every year, WHO and UNICEF release global and national routine immunisation coverage estimates (WUENIC).