On June 14th, 2025, India saw key developments in science, economy & gender equity. The European Space Agency’s Solar Orbiter mission released the first-ever images of the Sun’s south pole, marking a milestone in heliophysics. Earlier, on June 12th, a tragic Air India Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad claimed over 270 lives. The same day, the Global Gender Gap Report 2025 ranked India 131st out of 148 countries, reflecting slow progress on gender parity. In positive economic news, India’s retail inflation eased to a six-year low of 2.8% in May, aided by falling food prices.

Awareness regarding daily UPSC current affairs is crucial for cracking the UPSC Prelims, excelling in UPSC Mains. It helps perform well in the UPSC personality test, thus becoming an informed and effective UPSC civil servant.

Below are the current affairs and headlines of the day taken from The Hindu, Indian Express, Press Information Bureau & All India Radio as required for UPSC preparation:

Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner Crash

Source: The Indian Express

Syllabus: GS Paper III - Disaster Management

IN NEWS 

• An Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight from Ahmedabad to London, carrying 242 individuals (230 passengers + 12 crew), tragically crashed shortly after takeoff on June 3, 2025. 

• The aircraft impacted a medical college hostel in Meghani Nagar, Ahmedabad, within 40 seconds of becoming airborne. Reports indicate only one survivor, a British national, has been found. 

• Approximately 265 bodies have been recovered, including 24 individuals from the ground. This incident marks the first fatal crash involving a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.

Details Related to the Crash

• Flight Path: The flight originated from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (Ahmedabad) and was destined for Gatwick Airport (London).
• Crash Site: The aircraft crashed into a densely populated area, specifically near a medical college hostel, located five kilometers from the airport.
• Timeline: The aircraft lost contact and crashed within 40 seconds of takeoff.

Casualties

International Agencies Involved in Air Crash Investigations

• ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization)
  • Nature: A specialized agency of the United Nations.
  • Role: Sets global safety standards and recommended practices for international civil aviation. It coordinates investigation procedures, accident reporting formats, and conducts safety audits of member states.
• IATA (International Air Transport Association)
  • Nature: A global trade association representing most of the world's airlines.
  • Role: Collects and analyzes aviation safety data from its member airlines. It assists with safety benchmarking, developing best practices, and providing compliance tools to enhance operational safety across the industry.

Global Gender Gap Report 2025

Source: The Hindu

Syllabus: GS Paper III - Economy

IN NEWS 

• The World Economic Forum (WEF) has released its Global Gender Gap Report 2025, which assesses the state of gender parity across 148 countries. 

• India was ranked 131st out of 148 countries, indicating a relative decline in its position compared to last year’s rank of 129 (out of 146 countries). 

• While global parity has improved slightly, India's score increased marginally but its rank dropped, suggesting slower progress relative to other nations in closing gender gaps.

Key Highlights from the Report (Global)

• Global Gender Gap Closed: overall, representing the strongest annual improvement since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Years to Full Parity: At the current rate of progress, it is estimated that it will take 123 years to achieve full gender parity globally.
• Top 5 Countries (Global Gender Gap Index):
  1. Iceland (maintaining the top position for the 16th consecutive year)
  2. Finland
  3. Norway
  4. United Kingdom
  5. New Zealand
• Women in Workforce (Global Average): Women constitute 41.2 of the global workforce.
• Women in Top Leadership Positions: Only 28.8 of top leadership positions are held by women, highlighting a persistent and significant leadership gap.
• Overall Trend: Although there is a modest improvement globally, progress remains uneven across different regions and dimensions. Gender inequality continues to be a significant challenge, particularly in the critical domains of political empowerment and economic participation.

India-Specific Data and Insights (2025)

India's Challenge

• Translating Gains: Improvements in educational attainment and health and survival scores are not adequately translating into increased female representation in the workforce or leadership positions.
• Structural Barriers: Persistent structural barriers continue to impede progress in economic participation and political empowerment, indicating deep-rooted societal and systemic challenges that prevent women from achieving full parity.

Retail Inflation at 6-Year Low

Source: The Hindu

Syllabus: GS Paper III - Economy

IN NEWS 

• India’s retail inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), eased in May 2025, marking a 75-month (6-year) low. This figure represents the lowest CPI inflation recorded since February 2019. 

• Furthermore, food inflation, a significant component of the CPI, has shown consistent moderation for seven consecutive months, contributing substantially to the overall decline.

Key Data Points (May 2025)

• Overall CPI Inflation: 2.8 in May 2025. This is the lowest since February 2019.
• Average CPI for FY 2025–26 (April–May): Averaged 2.99 for the first two months of the fiscal year, which is the lowest for this period since FY 2017–18.
• Food & Beverages Inflation (Sub-index of CPI):
  • Food Inflation (May 2025): 1.5.
  • Food Inflation (April 2025): 2.1, indicating further moderation.

Key Drivers of Decline (Deflationary Trends)

• Vegetables: Experienced significant deflation at −13.7.
• Pulses: Showed a decline in prices at −8.2.
• Spices: Prices moderated with a decline of −2.8.
• Meat: Saw a marginal price reduction of −0.4.

Offsetting Factors (Still High Inflation)

• Edible Oils: Continued to exhibit double-digit inflation.
• Fruits: Maintained persistently high inflation rates.

Reasons for Moderation in Inflation

• Deflationary Trends: The primary reason for the overall moderation is the significant deflation observed in key food items such as vegetables, pulses, spices, and meat.
• Base Effect: A favorable base effect from the previous year, where prices were relatively high, contributes to a lower Year-on-Year (YoY) percentage change in the current period.

Policy Intervention: The government implemented proactive policy measures, such as reducing the customs duty on crude edible oil imports from 20 to 10. This intervention was aimed at countering high prices in the edible oil segment and improving supply, thereby helping to curb inflationary pressures.