Chandrayaan-3 | After successful launch, ISRO plans soft landing on August 23
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched its third lunar mission Chandrayaan 3 on-board the heavylift LVM3-M4 rocket in Sriharikota on July 14. Chandrayaan 3 will attempt the technically challenging soft landing on lunar surface on August 23, ISRO Chairman S Somanath said. He said the craft’s infusion into the lunar orbit has been planned from August 1. The soft landing has been planned at 5.47 p.m. on August 23. A successful mission would see India enter an elite club of nations — the U.S., China and the erstwhile Soviet Union — to have achieved soft landing on the moon.
The Maharashtra Cabinet was reshuffled on July 14 and all nine Nationalist Congress Party Ministers, who joined the Eknath Shinde-led government earlier this month, were allocated key portfolios. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who led the vertical split within the NCP, was allocated the Finance and Planning portfolio. NCP’s Chhagan Bhujbal was allotted the Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection departments while Dilip Walse-Patil will now oversee the Cooperation department.
The Supreme Court on July 14 issued notice to Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar in a petition filed by Uddhav Thackeray loyalists accusing him of deliberately delaying the disqualification proceedings pending against Chief Minister Eknath Shinde for defection. Appearing before a three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, senior advocate Devadutt Kamat, for Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sunil Prabhu, said the Speaker had quickly issued notices after learning that the petition was filed in the apex court.
PM Modi conferred with France’s highest award Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has become the first Indian Prime Minister to have been conferred with the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour, France’s highest civilian and military honour, by French President Emmanuel Macron. Mr. Modi received the honour at the Elysee Palace in Paris on July 13 and joined the ranks of other prominent world leaders such as the former president of South Africa Nelson Mandela, King Charles - the then Prince of Wales, former Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, former Secretary General of the United Nations, among others. The Prime Minister is in France for a two-day official visit and was accorded a red-carpet welcome as he arrived in Paris on July 13.
Arrested Tamil Nadu Minister V. Senthilbalaji suffered a major setback at the Madras High Court on July 14, with Justice C.V. Karthikeyan, the third judge named by Chief Justice S.V. Gangapurwala following a split verdict by a Division Bench on July 4, ruling that a habeas corpus petition filed by his wife Megala, is not maintainable. Justice C.V. Karthikeyan held that the ED is authorised to subject an accused person in a money laundering case to custodial interrogation, the petition field by the Minister’s wife is not maintainable and that the ED can subject the Minister to custodial interrogation even after the expiry of 15 days from arrest.
Supreme Court agrees to hear plea against limited restoration of Internet in Manipur on July 17
The Supreme Court on July 14 agreed to hear on July 17 the Manipur government’s plea against the State High Court order for limited restoration of the Internet. The Manipur government, represented by advocate Kanu Agarwal, made an urgent mention of the State’s pending plea before Chief Justice of India D. Y. Chandrachud.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah urged both FPOs and PACS to operate in a “hybrid model” under which around 11,770 FPOs that have already been set up can link themselves with PACS through an agreement to provide services to cooperative members. Existing 65,000-odd PACS can begin operating as FPOs. Stressing the need to work in a hybrid model, Mr. Shah said, “GDP (Gross Domestic Produce) is very important for any country. If you increase GDP through manufacturing, the job creation will not be much. If you strengthen agriculture and allied sector through cooperatives, not only GDP but job opportunities will also increase.”
Russian lawmakers approve bill banning gender reassignment
Russian lawmakers in the lower house of parliament on July 14 voted overwhelmingly in favour of new legislation that would make gender reassignment illegal, further cementing an ultra-conservative, anti-Western drive in society. “The State Duma banned gender reassignment in Russia. The relevant changes to the legislation, initiated by the Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin and deputies of all factions, were adopted in the final version unanimously,” read a statement on the Duma’s website.
United States sets a grim milestone with new record for the deadliest six months of mass killings
The United States has registered 28 mass killings during the first six months of this year, according to a database maintained jointly by the Associated Press, USA Today and the Northeastern University. This number sets a new grim milestone in the country’s ongoing cycle of gun violence, exceeding the previous record of 27, set in the second half of 2022. Between January 1 and June 30, the U.S. witnessed the death of 140 people in mass killings, all but one of which involved guns. The death toll rose just about every week.
India’s wholesale prices remain in deflationary territory for third successive month in June
India’s wholesale prices remained in deflationary territory for the third successive month in June, with the pace of price contraction from a year ago quickening to -4.12% from -3.48% in May. This is the sharpest contraction in wholesale prices in about eight years, and was largely aided by the base effects from last June when wholesale price inflation was 16.2%, and some deceleration in commodity prices. Some food items such as milk, cereals, pulses and wheat, reported high inflation rates in the range of 8% to 9%. Vegetables reported 22% deflation year-on-year, but prices were up 13.2% in June, when compared to May.
India’s shot putter Tajinderpal Singh Toor stamped his authority in the continental circuit by defending his Asian Athletics Championships title before limping out of the competition after his gold-winning second round throw in Bangkok on July 14. The Asian record holder Toor threw the iron ball to a distance of 20.23m in his second throw but limped out after the effort, holding his groin. Saberi Mehdi (19.98m) of Iran and Ivan Ivanov (19.87m) of Kazakhstan took the silver and bronze respectively.
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