Good morning,

A little before 4 am IST on Thursday, four astronauts set off aboard a NASA spacecraft on a journey that will take them farther from Earth than any human has travelled since the Apollo program more than five decades ago. They will travel to the Moon, loop around it once, and return to Earth in about ten days. Astronaut Christina Koch of the United States will be the first woman to reach Moon’s neighbourhood. NASA’s Artemis programme is mainly about getting humans back on the Moon, and this time, it is set to prepare the ground for frequent and prolonged stays, creation of a permanent base, and explore possibilities of exploitation of local resources for sustainable long-term human presence.

With that, let’s move on to the top stories from today’s edition:

🚨 Big Story

In a televised address from the White House, United States President Donald Trump on Thursday said the US’s core objectives for the Iran war are nearing completion. He said Iran is now decimated both economically and militarily. He said the US will hit Iran so hard in 2-3 weeks it would be sent “back to the Stone Age”. He said it took the US 32 days to decimate “one of the most power countries”. “We will continue until our objectives are fully achieved,” Trump emphasized. He added that countries that receive oil through the Strait of Hormuz “must take care of that passage,” adding, “They must grab it and cherish it.” Here are the key takeaways from his speech.

⛽Taking stock of government efforts to source LPG and LNG supplies from different countries and ensuring availability of power and fertilisers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has directed all departments concerned to “take all possible measures to ameliorate the problems of citizens and sectors affected by the ongoing global situation.” In a statement released by the PMO, Modi said, “all efforts must be made to safeguard citizens from the impact of this conflict.” He also emphasised smooth flow of authentic information to the public to prevent misinformation and rumour mongering,” according to the statement.

In our Opinion section today, Vikas Swarup delves into the “politely” advancing dangers across the globe as the confrontation around Iran deepens. He writes: “The silence is as alarming as the war itself. When the most consequential supply-chain disruption in half a century produces this little diplomatic urgency, it tells you something about how badly the international system has atrophied — and how much we have all normalised the idea that crises of this magnitude are simply things that happen to us, rather than things we have the power to stop.”

⚡ Only in Express

In response to a series of deadly bus fires in Jaisalmer and Andhra Pradesh that claimed over 50 lives, a revised bus body code, made effective by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways last year, to regulate design and safety standards, has tightened compliance. However, it has brought work at small manufacturing units in Rajasthan, a major hub producing 10 percent of the country’s sleeper bus bodies and employing thousands, to a halt. For manufacturers and workers, the new rules mean additional expenses and bureaucratic delays, especially in renewing licences. The Suthar community in Rajasthan has been acutely hit.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, during his meeting with a delegation of Rajasthan’s small truck and bus body manufacturers, promised to either reduce or waive licence fees. While the announcement brought some relief on the ground, lack of implementation means work has yet to resume. Here’s the story of the hammer men of Rajasthan.

📰 From the Front Page

‘Walk of shame’: From Nashik to Thane, a viral policing trend is spreading across Maharashtra, wherein accused are brought into the police stations by cops, and are made to apologise on camera for making reels that glorify gangsterism. However, Maharashtra Inspector General (law and order) Manoj Kumar Sharma said that no instructions had been passed to create such videos and that such acts were not encouraged. Starting the trend, Nashik Commissioner Sandeep Karnik tracked down a group of youth who declared Nashik a “fortress of crime,” turning the phrase on its head.

The proposal by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (I&B) to post Indian Information Service (IIS) officers at 40 Indian missions abroad has not found favour with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). In its fresh proposal, the I&B ministry is learnt to have scaled down the number of such posts to 10. The proposal entails the creation of a new global outreach unit within the Press Information Bureau (PIB), starting with 40 cadre posts for IIS officers in foreign missions to handle media and communications, with the aim to project India’s growth story and counter adverse narratives.

📌 Must Read

“But we cannot compromise with the growing population of illegal migrants, mostly Bangladeshi Muslims who have been brought by the Congress regime and given settlement illegally in many districts…That’s why our intention is very clear – we have to remove them from those illegal occupations.”

Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, BJP’s former chief minister of Assam, is one of the incumbent party’s major campaigners in the upcoming state Assembly elections. In an interview, Sonowal speaks on multiple issues, including the BJP’s poll prospects, its position on various matters, and some key Congress leaders’ defection to the party. Read excerpts.

FCRA: The Union government on Wednesday deferred a discussion on the contentious Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment (FCRA) Bill, 2026, which seeks to amend the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010. The Act regulates the acceptance and utilisation of foreign contribution and foreign hospitality to “ensure that such inflows do not adversely affect national interest, public order or national security”. However, several Opposition parties have alleged that the legislation would affect institutions belonging to minority communities, including Christians in Kerala. We explain the Bill.

‘Moral reaffirmation’: Meanwhile, the Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed by a voice vote the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which seeks to recognise Amaravati as the new capital of the state. During the discussion, TDP MP and Union MoS for Rural Development Dr Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani highlighted the sacrifices of farmers and women at the forefront of the Amaravati movement. “The Bill is not merely a legal correction, but a moral reaffirmation—restoring dignity, justice, and trust among those who made unparalleled sacrifices for the State’s future,” Pemmasani said.

⏳ And Finally…

⚽A shattered legacy: Coach Gennaro Gattuso wears a face of defiance, consoling his devastated troops. Some wrapped their heads in their shirts, some cried on the turf. Some stood stone-faced — a moment of misery yet to fully register. For the third successive time, four-time world champions Italy failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup. This time, they lost on penalty shootouts to Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was “a blatant message that footballing glory has left the country. It ripped up the delusion that it is still a football powerhouse. The rot and decay had long set in, some had refused, some denied, some turned a blind eye, but in this moment, Italian football unravelled and bared its casket of skeletons,” Sandip G writes.

🎧 Lastly, tune in to today’s episode of our 3 Things podcast, where we talk about upcoming Assembly elections in Kerala; Defence Ministry’s BRO efforts towards building roads and bridges to connect Chhattisgarh’s remote areas, that were once dominated by Maoist, to prominent regions. Lastly, we also discuss the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2026.

That’s all for today. Have a wonderful day!

Until next time,
Ariba