Air India plane crash, Iran-Israel conflict, Trump-Musk feud, and more: The week in 5 charts

The Hindu

17-06-2025

(1) Israel-Iran conflict
On June 16, Iran and Israel exchanged missile fire for the fourth day after Israel struck several targets in Iran targeting its nuclear facilities and military a couple days earlier. Israel's offensive also targeted Iranian military leaders and several nuclear scientists, killing top leaders in the military command structure.
Israel-Iran conflict live updates
Israel's 'Operation Lion' struck targets across Iran, with the International Atomic Energy Agency putting out a statement calling for a halt after Israel struck the Natanz nuclear facility.
Iran's weakened proxies, damage to military bases and risking its global standing by not retaliating all put it in a tight spot. In this context, the pressure on Iran to come to a nuclear deal with the U.S. has increased. The attacks come after talks for a nuclear deal with the U.S. President Donald Trump fell into an impasse earlier this month. While the U.S. has denied its involvement in Israel's strikes, other reports suggest Mr. Trump knew of Israel's plans.
(2) Air India plane crashes, leaving one survivor
An Air India Boeing Dreamliner 787 planecrashed in Ahmedabad, killing over 200 passengers and crew on Thursday (June 12). The crash was one of the worst aviation accidents in recent times.
The flight, headed to London, crashed shortly after it took off from the Sardar Vallabhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, reaching a height of over 600 feet before the signal was lost. The plane crashed into a hostel canteen area around 2 km away from the point of last contact, resulting in several casualties.
The accident ended the Boeing variant's spotless safety record, making it the first crash for the 787 Dreamliner.
While the exact cause for the crash remains unknown, the plane's landing gear not being retracted after take-off has raised concerns. The black box was recovered from the tail portion on June 13, and the voice recording from the cockpit retrieved on June 15. DNA samples have been given for testing and 86 victims have been identified through the results.
(3) India's population reaches 146.39 crore
India's population is estimated to have reached 146.39 crore by April, says a new UN demographic report, which adds that the country's total fertility rate (TFR) has declined to 1.9, falling below the replacement level of 2.1.
The population is expected to grow to 170 crore before starting to dip in about 40 years, the report titled 'State of the World Population 2025: The Real Fertility Crisis' says. It calls India the 'world's most populous nation', while pegging former leader China's current population at 141.61 crore.
The demographic indicators in the United Nations Population Fund report for 2025 are close to India's own projection of its population published in 2019 by a technical group of experts. According to these projections, India, as of 2025, is estimated to have a population of 141.10 crore.
The UN report says that millions of people are not able to realise their real fertility goals. Calling this the 'real' crisis, and not overpopulation or underpopulation, the report calls for the pursuit of reproductive agency — a person's ability to make free and informed choices about sex, contraception and starting a family — in a changing world.
India's youth population remains significant, with about 24% of the population in the age bracket of 0-14, 17% in age group of 10-19, and 26% in the age group of 10-24. Further, the report estimates that 68% of the population in India is of working age (15-64 years).
(4) Telangana Cabinet expanded with three new ministers
The Telangana State Cabinet has seen the first expansion 18 months after the Congress Government took over the reins in December 2023.
Governor Jishnu Dev Varma administered oath of office and secrecy to three new Ministers – G. Vivek Venkataswamy, Adluri Lakshman Kumar and Vakiti Srihari at a simple ceremony on Sunday (June 8, 2025).
The strength of the Cabinet reached 15 with the addition of three more members and there is still space for accommodating few more.
The three newly-inducted ministers in Telangana were assigned portfolios on Wednesday (June 11, 2025).
According to the notification, G Vivek Venkata Swamy has been given charge of Labour and Mines and Geology, while Adluri Laxman Kumar has been assigned SC Development, Tribal Welfare, Minorities Welfare. Vakiti Srihari has been appointed Minister for Animal Husbandry, Sports and Youth Services.
(5) How the Trump–Musk fallout unfolded
Billionaire Elon Musk said on Wednesday (June 11, 2025) that he regrets some of the posts he made last week about U.S President Donald Trump, in a post on his social media platform X.
Musk's statement came just days after Trump warned him of 'serious consequences' if he attempted to target Republicans backing a contentious spending bill.
The two have been trading barbs on social media since last week, with Musk calling Trump's sweeping tax and spending proposal a 'disgusting abomination.'