Morning Digest: Harvey Weinstein convicted of top sexual assault charge in #MeToo case retrial; Jaishankar says India-EU FTA will elevate strategic partnership, and more

The Hindu Morning Digest: June 12, 2025

Former movie mogul Harvey Weinstein was convicted Wednesday (June 11, 2025) of one of the top charges in his sex crimes retrial but acquitted of another, and jurors were as yet unable to reach a verdict on a third charge. The split verdict meted out a measure of vindication to his accusers and prosecutors — but also to Weinstein — after the landmark case was thrown into limbo.

India and the European Union have made progress in discussions related to a free trade pact that will be “comprehensive, balanced and meaningful”, said External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Wednesday (June 11, 2025). Mr. Jaishankar made the remarks after meeting Maros Sefcovic, European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security in Brussels.

With the objective of ensuring equitable access to Tatkal tickets and curbing misuse, Indian Railways on Wednesday (June 11, 2025) announced a series of modifications to the Tatkal ticket booking system. The new provisions include Aadhaar-based authentication as a prerequisite for online Tatkal bookings. “Effective from July 1, Tatkal tickets booked through IRCTC’s official website and mobile app will be available only to users authenticated with Aadhaar,” a spokesperson of the Ministry of Railways said.

The government is strengthening Information Technology (IT) cells and cybersurveillance to counter terrorist propaganda being spread on social media, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan said on Wednesday. He said terrorists were using social media and advanced drone technology “not just for surveillance and espionage, but also to carry out pinpointed and focused attacks.”

SpaceX has said that it is standing down from Falcon 9’s launch of Axiom Space Ax-4 mission which will carry Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla’s to the International Space Station. “SpaceX is standing down from Falcon 9’s launch of Axiom Space’s Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) to the International Space Station from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, June 11, to allow additional time for SpaceX teams to repair the LOx leak identified during post static fire booster inspections. Once complete – and pending Range availability – we will share a new launch date,” SpaceX said.

Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge justified the decision to conduct a fresh caste census in Karnataka, saying it is necessary to reflect current realities. “The last caste census was conducted 10 years ago during Siddaramaiah’s first tenure as Chief Minister. Much has changed since then, with several communities being reclassified. A new survey is essential to assess the present socio-economic and educational status of each caste. The same parameters used in the previous census will be applied again, along with new parameters,” he explained.

India is unlikely to ratify the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) agreement—also known informally as the ‘High Seas Treaty’—at the ongoing United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, France, sources indicated to The Hindu.