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San Diego, July 15: Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and three fellow astronauts from the Axiom-4 commercial space mission successfully returned to Earth on Tuesday, following an 18-day stay at the International Space Station (ISS).

The SpaceX Dragon capsule "Grace", carrying Shukla, mission commander Peggy Whitson, and mission specialists Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary, splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California at 3:01 pm (local time), concluding a 22.5-hour return journey.

The spacecraft had undocked from the ISS at 4:45 pm IST on Monday, marking the end of a mission that made Shukla the first Indian astronaut to visit the International Space Station.

A screengrab posted by @Axiom_Space showed Shukla smiling and waving as he exited the capsule aboard the recovery vessel.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the achievement, stating, "I join the nation in welcoming Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla as he returns to Earth from his historic mission to space. As India’s first astronaut to have visited the International Space Station, he has inspired a billion dreams through his dedication, courage, and pioneering spirit. It marks another milestone towards our own Human Space Flight Mission – Gaganyaan."

Following splashdown, Shukla and the Axiom-4 crew were assisted out of the capsule and transferred to the recovery vehicle for initial medical checks and debriefing.

The mission is considered a major step in strengthening international cooperation in space exploration and bringing India one step closer to its own independent human spaceflight program.

New Delhi, July 10: The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear a plea seeking a direction to the Centre to use diplomatic channels to save an Indian nurse, who is likely to be executed in Yemen on July 16 for murder charges.

A bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi listed the matter for hearing on July 14 after advocate Subhash Chandran KR said diplomatic channels need to be explored at the earliest.

He submitted that payment of blood money to the family of the deceased permissible under Sharia law can be explored.

The family of the deceased may pardon the Kerala nurse if blood money is paid, he submitted.

The bench asked the counsel to serve the copy of the petition to the Attorney General and sought his assistance.

Nimisha Priya, 38, a nurse from Palakkad district of Kerala, was convicted of murdering her Yemeni business partner in 2017. 

She was sentenced to death in 2020, and her final appeal was rejected in 2023. She is currently imprisoned in a jail in Sana'a, the capital of Yemen.

The plea has been filed by an organisation "Save Nimisha Priya - International Action Council" which extends legal support to assist Nimishapriya.

The plea cited a media report that stated that the tentative date for execution of Nimishapriya has been fixed as July 16 by the Yemeni administration.

Israel has waged a systematic "thirst war" in the Gaza Strip, carrying out at least 112 attacks targeting water collection queues that have killed over 700 Palestinians - mostly children - since the war began.

Israeli forces have destroyed 720 wells and blocked fuel needed to run water and sewage infrastructure, the territory's government media office said Monday, resulting in severe water shortages, the collapse of essential services, and the outbreak and spread of disease, especially among children.

On Tuesday morning, Israeli airstrikes targeted multiple locations across the Gaza Strip, including several sites in Gaza City, areas east of Jabalia camp in the northern enclave and other parts of the territory, resulting in several Palestinian casualties and injuries.

The Israeli army issued an urgent evacuation warning to all people living in dozens of Gaza City and Jabalia neighbourhoods.

More than 58,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began on 7 October 2023, mostly civilians, according to Gaza's health ministry.