Axiom-4 Mission Live Updates: Shubhanshu Shukla addresses nation in Hindi from International Space Station

Jal Shakti minister CR Paatil on Thursday rejected Pakistan’s repeated letters asking India to lift the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, calling them just a formality that will not change India’s stand.

A terrorist affiliated with the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) was gunned down on Thursday during an encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur district, while three of his associates remain trapped in the dense Bihali forest of Basantgarh.

Axiom-4 Mission Live: Shubhanshu Shukla's family meets CM Yogi Adityanath at his official residence

Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla talked in Hindi during the welcome remarks and thanked Indians for their love and blessings. He added that he is looking forward for the next 14 days at the International Space Station.

During the welcome remarks, Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, on his first space mission, said, "It is a privilege to be among the few who have got the chance to see earth from a vantage point. This crew has made me feel so welcome. My expectations have surpassed."

NASA Axiom-4 Mission Live: Ax-4 astronauts share warm hugs with seven Expedition 73 crew members

• Axiom-4 crew share warm hugs as they were welcomed onboard the orbital post by seven Expedition 73 crew members, namely, Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers, Kirill Peskov, Jonny Kim, Sergey Ryzhikov, Alexey Zubritsky, and Takuya Onishi.
• The docking of the Dragon spacecraft was completed as Shubhanshu Shukla became the first Indian to set foot on the International Space Station.

On Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir's visit to the White House, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal says, "... We have noted the visit. I have no further comment to make. As far as the India-US relationship is concerned, our partnership with the United States is wide-ranging, grounded in shared democratic values and growing strategic convergence. A comprehensive global strategic partnership between India and the United States continues to receive high-level attention and is manifested in sustained dialogue and cooperation across sectors: trade, critical technology, energy, defence and several other fields..."

The International Space Station (ISS) shared that the hatches will be opened after 2 hours of checking the vessel and correcting pressure in the Dragon spacecraft.

The docking of the Dragon spacecraft has completed as Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla became the first Indian to set foot on the International Space Station.

Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla is all set to dock the Dragon spacecraft that he is piloting with the International Space Station (ISS). The Axiom-4 crew has been orbiting Earth since their launch from Florida a day before, as they look forward to spending 14 days on the ISS.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met his Kazakhstan counterpart, Lieutenant General Dauren Kosanov, on the sidelines of the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) Defence Ministers' meeting in Qingdao, China, on Thursday.

Two women Naxalites have been killed in an encounter with security personnel in Narayanpur district, Chhattisgarh, police said on Thursday. As per a report by PTI, the gunfight broke out late Wednesday evening at a forest under Kohkameta police station limits in Abhujmaad area when a joint team of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Special Task Force (STF) was out on an anti-Naxal operation, a police official said.

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested three accused, including a brother of the then Sub-Post Master (SPM), Lakhaoti, Sub-Post Office, Bulandshahar (now deceased) and two private persons, in a case related to a fake postage stamps scam of Rs. 2.5 Crore, as per an official statement.

CBI had registered a case on December 19, 2024 on the basis of complaint dated December 12, 2024 made by the Postal Department, Bulandshahar Division, UP against two accused including the then Sub-Post Master (SPM), Lakhaoti, Sub-Post Office, Bulandshahar and a private person and other unknown public servant and private persons on allegations that the accused public servant (now deceased) in criminal conspiracy with the accused private person and other unknown person is involved in criminal misconduct by using fake postage stamps, the probe agency said.

A Tiger was successfully rescued from a house in Mardu Village, Silli block, Ranchi district, near the Jharkhand-West Bengal border, approximately 70 kilometres from the district headquarters.

The operation, conducted by a joint team from the Palamu Tiger Reserve and Ranchi's forest department, concluded without any harm to human life despite its location in a densely populated area.

The tiger, initially spotted in the Palamu Tiger Reserve months ago, will be taken to Ormanjhi zoo for a medical checkup before a decision is made on its release, likely back into the Palamu Tiger Reserve.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced a significant reduction in electricity tariffs across the state.

According to a statement released by the Maharashtra Chief Minister's Office, electricity rates will be reduced by 10 per cent

in the first year and there will be a 26 per cent reduction in phases over the next five years.

The proportion of people using less than 100 units of electricity in the state is 70 per cent. Work on Mukhyamantri Saur Krishi Vahini Yojana 2.0 has started on a war footing, CMO added.

Two people were killed while six individuals are still missing amid heavy rainfall and rising water levels, near the Manuni stream in Himachal Pradesh's Kangra district, officials said.

As per officials, the SDRF police, volunteers, and project authorities evacuated people from camping sites to a safe location near the Ambedkar building in Kaniara, providing food and water.

"We have recovered two dead bodies. SDRF, police, SDM and the district authorities teams are at the spot. We are getting the headcount done to ascertain the no. of people missing. More details are awaited... The situation is not as grim as it is being projected... Near the Manuni stream, there is a small hydro power project. Some workers lived near it. It is a confluence point of many streams. The water level increased due to heavy rainfall, sweeping some people away... We cannot ascertain the no of people yet. The two deceased are being identified. The official number of the missing people will be out soon," he said.

The CBI on Wednesday arrested a fugitive who had evaded justice for more than 40 years in connection with a bank fraud case, drawing to a close an extraordinary saga of prolonged abscondence, officials said.

Satish Kumar Anand, a former manager of Hapur-based Ashok Trading, and Ashok Kumar, the owner of the company, were convicted in 1985 for defrauding the Bank of India of Rs 5.69 lakh, they said.

Anand and Kumar had allegedly conspired with the branch manager in 1977 to fraudulently secure a loan for the company. The loan was sanctioned on the basis of a fabricated receipt and forged bills falsely indicating the dispatch of a consignment, a CBI spokesperson said.