‘India is on the Moon’: Chandrayaan-3’s lander module successfully lands on Moon
The Lander Module (LM) of the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) third lunar mission Chandrayaan-3, launched on July 14, successfully landed on the Moon’s surface on August 23, making India only the fourth country after the erstwhile USSR, the U.S. and China to make a soft-landing on the lunar surface. With the successful landing, India also became the first country to land near Moon’s south pole. India is now on the Moon and the success belongs to all humanity, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, addressing ISRO scientists virtually from Johannesburg. India made a resolve “on the Earth and fulfilled it on the Moon”, he added.
FIDE Chess World Cup 2023: Praggnanandhaa vs Carlsen 2nd game ends in draw
The second round of Indian grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa’s game vs World No.1 Magnus Carlsen ended in a draw in the FIDE Chess World Cup held in Baku, Azerbaijan on Wednesday. On Wednesday, Carlsen played with white pieces. The 18-year-old Indian GM reached the final against a fancied and higher rated opponent. The Indian teenager became only the second player from the country to reach the final of the World Cup after the legendary Viswanathan Anand and has already qualified for the Candidates tournament in 2024.
Board exams twice a year, class 11, 12 students to study 2 languages: MoE’s new curriculum framework
Board examinations will be conducted twice a year with students having the option to retain the best score, while class 11 and 12 students will have to study two languages instead of one, according to the Ministry of Education’s new curriculum framework. According to Ministry officials, the curriculum, as per the New Education Policy (NEP), is ready and textbooks will be developed on its basis for the 2024 academic session.
Death toll may cross 20 in collapse of under-construction railway bridge in Mizoram, say officials
The death toll in the collapse of the railway bridge being constructed over the Kurung River in Mizoram is likely to cross 20, officials said on Wednesday. They said that 13 bodies had been retrieved so far and five more had been located after the accident that took place around 9.30 a.m. on August 23. Earlier, Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) spokesperson Sabyasachi De confirmed the death of 17 workers. “We are awaiting updates from the ground,” he said.
Article 370 hearing | ‘Centre has no intention to touch special provisions applicable to Northeast’
As a five-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud continued its hearing on several petitions challenging the abrogation of the provisions of Article 370, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta on August 23 submitted on specific instructions of the Union that the “Union Government has no intention to affect any of the special provisions applicable to Northeast or any part of India”. Advocate Manish Tewari, appearing for an intervenor, during the hearing, submitted, “The underlying principle of autonomy under Article 370 and Article 371 is more or less the same. So therefore, what your lordships will hold in this matter, will have implications on Article 371.”
Calyampudi Radhakrishna Rao better known as C.R. Rao passed away on August 23, 18 days short of turning 103. According to his students and peers, he passed away in Buffalo, New York. He was awarded the International Prize in Statistics this year. Tributes poured in from his peers, friends, family and a grateful nation for his immense contribution in the fields of mathematics and statistics. His contribution to India’s statistics can be estimated from his long association with the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) in Kolkata where he joined in 1943. During his stint at the ISI the courses he taught were converted into bachelor and masters programmes.
PM Modi, South African President Ramaphosa discuss regional & multilateral issues of mutual interest
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday held a bilateral meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa during which they reviewed the progress made in bilateral ties, exchanged views on regional and multilateral issues and also on ways to work jointly to strengthen the voice of the Global South. PM Modi met President Ramaphosa in Johannesburg on the sidelines of the 15th BRICS Summit. During his address to the BRICS summit, Modi also expressed hope that India’s proposal to accord permanent membership of the G20 to the African Union will be supported by all the BRICS nations.
ED conducts searches at premises of Chhattisgarh CM Baghel’s political advisor, two OSDs
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday conducted searches at the premises of Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel’s political advisor Vinod Verma and two Officers on Special Duty (OSDs) in Raipur and Durg districts, sources said. The searches were also held at the premises of a businessman in Durg district, they said. The exact case in connection with which the searches were being conducted was not yet known.
Sri Lanka is currently processing a request by China to allow a research ship to dock in the country, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on August 23, a year after a visit by a Chinese spy vessel to the Island nation raised security concerns in India. “The Chinese embassy here has made an application and the ministry is currently looking at it,” Priyanga Wickramasingha, the foreign ministry spokesperson, told PTI. No dates have been fixed yet for the visit, she said.
Russia attacks grain facilities in Ukraine’s Danube region
Russia overnight attacked with drones the south of Ukraine’s southern Odesa and the Danube River regions, a key area for grain exports, causing fires in grain facilities, Ukrainian military and local authorities said on August 23. “The enemy hit grain storage facilities and a production and transshipment complex in Danube region. A fire broke out in the warehouses and was quickly contained. Firefighters continue to work,” military said on the Telegram messaging app.
Facebook owner Meta breaks privacy rules, Norway regulator tells court
Meta Platforms is breaking European data privacy rules in Norway, the country’s data regulator told a court on Wednesday, in a case that could have wider European implications. Meta has been fined one million crowns ($94,145) per day since Aug. 14 for breaching users’ privacy by harvesting user data and using it to target advertising at them. So-called behavioural advertising is a business model common to Big Tech.
