 "Nasa astronauts Reid Wiseman and Victor Glover greet each other next to Nasa astronaut Christina Koch and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, at Kennedy Space Centre, ahead of the Artemis II launch in Cape Canaveral, Florida, US, March 27, 2026. Reuters")
What can you expect from the world of news today?
The much-awaited Artemis II mission by Nasa is set to mark a historic return to deep space. The liftoff is scheduled for today (April 1).
Also. India is all set to roll out its first-ever fully digital Census starting today. The initial phase, consisting of House Listing and Housing Census, will be conducted across eight states and Union Territories.
Here is what else is in store for the day.
Nasa’s Artemis II Moon mission
The Artemis II mission launch window by Nasa is today evening. Nasa’s onsite countdown clock begins ticking down at 4:44 pm EDT (2:14 am IST) to a targeted launch time of 6:24 pm (3:54 am IST).
The first woman. The first person of colour, and the first Canadian. The four people will soon step aboard a spacecraft for the first human moon mission in more than five decades.
Also, while doing so, they will emerge as the new faces of American space exploration. The roughly 10-day journey will carry the astronauts around the Moon, though they will not land on its surface, according to reports.
None of these astronauts was alive during NASA’s historic Apollo program, which sent 24 astronauts to the Moon, including 12 who walked on its surface. This time, they will not land on the Moon or even orbit it; however, the out-and-back mission will still take them thousands of miles deeper into space than any human has ventured before.
India to begin first fully digital census
India to begin its first fully digital Census with a 33-question survey today, after a Covid-induced delay.
The initial phase, consisting of House Listing and Housing Census, will be conducted across eight states and Union Territories, in which households will be asked to answer 33 detailed questions covering housing conditions, basic amenities, household assets, and access to infrastructure such as water, electricity, sanitation, and digital connectivity.
The Registrar General and Census Commissioner, Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan, announced that the exercise will be carried out in two phases.
While the first phase focuses on housing and household conditions, the second, called population enumeration, will gather individual-level data, including caste information.
The once-in-ten-year population survey, originally scheduled for 2021, was delayed after the Covid pandemic due to technical and logistical issues.
Apple turns 50 today
Today, (April 1), Apple has turned 50. On this day, the tech giant is set to celebrate 50 years of making its products.
On this occasion, Apple CEO Tim Cook wrote: “Fifty years ago in a small garage, a big idea was born. Apple was founded on the simple notion that technology should be personal, and that belief changed everything…”
Russia’s petrol export ban to kick in
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak has instructed the Energy Ministry to draft a resolution banning the export of refined petrol, effective today.
Meanwhile, crude oil exports will continue unaffected. Russia’s state-run news agency TASS had earlier reported that the ban is expected to remain in effect until July 31 this year.
Novak said the decision was driven by instability in global oil and refined products markets stemming from the ongoing crisis in West Asia.
New Income Tax rules to kick in today
If you are a salaried individual in India, big changes are coming your way starting today. With the Income Tax Act, 2025, and Income Tax Rules, 2026, set to come into effect, you will notice changes to your salary structure that affect your current spending as well as your retirement fund.
This is going to be the biggest shift in the ratio between basic salary and allowances. Earlier, companies kept the basic salary component low, between 25 and 40 per cent of one’s total pay. This was done in order to keep the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) and gratuity low.
This will change now. Under the new Code on Wages, basic pay, Dearness Allowance (DA), and retaining allowance must make up at least 50 per cent of your total cost to the company.
H-1B visa rules change from today
If you’re planning to apply for an H-1B visa, the process is undergoing a significant reset. From today (April 1), new rules and system changes by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will take effect, affecting everything from forms to selection criteria and costs.
USCIS will only accept the latest version of Form I-129 - the core document used by employers to sponsor H-1B applicants.
Any application submitted using an older version of the form will be automatically rejected, making this a critical compliance step for employers and applicants alike.
The updated form also asks for more detailed job-related information, including qualifications, field of study, and role responsibilities - signalling tighter scrutiny.
With inputs from agencies