India’s first solar observatory mission Aditya-L1 launched by ISRO
India’s first solar observatory mission — Aditya-L1 — was launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation on September 2. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), in its 59th flight with the Aditya-L1 onboard, took off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 11.50 a.m. Sixty three minutes after take-off, the separation from the satellite took place with the PSLV launching the Aditya-L1 spacecraft in a highly eccentric orbit around Earth at 12.53 p.m.
Chandrayaan-3 | Pragyan rover has traversed over 100 metres on Moon surface
The Chandrayaan-3’s rover, Pragyan, has traversed over 100 metre from the lander Vikram on the surface of the Moon. ISRO chairperson S. Somanath said, “The lander and rover are functioning. Our team, using the scientific instruments, are doing a lot of work. The good news is that the rover has moved 100 metres from the lander.”
CBI charges three arrested Railway officials in Balasore triple train collision case
The CBI has filed a charge sheet against three Railway officials in connection with the triple train collision in Odisha’s Balasore on June 2, which led to the death of nearly 291 people. Among those arraigned are Arun Kumar Mahanta, who worked as a Senior Sectional Engineer (Signal) in Balasore; Mohammed Amir Khan, then posted as Sectional Engineer in Soro; and technician Pappu Kumar, who was posted in Balasore.
Tribal woman paraded naked by husband in Rajasthan; seven arrested
Seven people have been arrested and four others detained after a 21-year-old tribal woman was allegedly stripped naked and paraded in a village in Rajasthan’s Pratapgarh district, police said on September 2. “We have arrested seven men, including the husband of the accused, and four others have been detained in connection with the case,” police said. CM Ashok Gehlot is expected to meet the victim woman and her family at Dhariyawad in Pratapgarh.
U.S. President Joe Biden will travel to India next week to participate in the G20 Summit and will have a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 8 on the sidelines of the historic meeting, the White House has announced. India, President of the G20, will host global leaders for the Summit scheduled to take place on September 9 and 10 in New Delhi. During the Summit, Mr. Biden will commend PM Modi for his leadership of the G20, the White House said.
Four held for Amazon employee’s murder; fifth accused on the run
Four of the five accused involved in the shootout at north-east Delhi’s Bhajanpura, where an Amazon employee was killed and another injured, have been arrested and efforts are on to catch the last accused, the police said on September 1. According to a senior officer, while Mohammad Sameer alias Maya was arrested on August 30, Bilal Gani alias Mallu was caught around 2 a.m. on August 31. Two others — Suhail, 23, and Mohammad Junaid, 19 — were arrested near Burari around 11.30 p.m. on August 31, the officer said. The fifth accused, Adnan, 19, is on the run, he added..
Dangri terror attack | Victims’ families demand justice; call for protest on Jammu-Poonch Highway
Family members of the seven people killed in a terror attack earlier this year in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district have called for a protest on September 4 against an alleged delay in action by security agencies over the incident. Seven people died and 13 more were injured on January 1 when terrorists struck Dangri village of Rajouri and opened indiscriminate fire. They also left behind an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) which went off the next morning.
Maratha quota | More than 360 booked for violence in Maharashtra’s Jalna
“A day after a protest over Maratha quota turned violent in Maharashtra’s Jalna, leading to some police personnel and others getting injured, the situation is under control on September 2 and the police have filed a case against more than 360 persons, of whom 16 have been identified, for their alleged involvement in violence,” an official said. Police used baton-charge and fired teargas shells to disperse a violent mob at Antarwali Sarathi village on Dhule-Solapur road in Ambad tehsil, around 75 km from Aurangabad, on September 1.
A division bench of the Rajasthan High Court on Saturday issued a show-cause notice to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on a PIL seeking suo moto criminal contempt proceedings against him. The PIL was filed by local advocate Shivcharan Gupta on Thursday following the Chief Minister’s remark suggesting “corruption” in the judiciary. A division Bench headed by Justice M.M. Shrivastava and Justice Ashutosh Kumar heard the matter on Saturday and issued the notice to Mr. Gehlot, directing him to respond within three weeks.
By 2080, India could lose groundwater by 3 times the current rate: Study
The rate of groundwater depletion could triple by 2080, if Indian farmers continued to draw groundwater at the current rate, which could threaten the country’s food and water security, according to a new study. Warming climate has compelled farmers in India to adapt by intensifying the withdrawal of groundwater used for irrigation, the study led by the University of Michigan, U.S., found.
Pakistan Army Major among two personnel killed during raids along Afghan border
A Pakistan Army Major and a soldier were killed in a gunbattle with militants during an intelligence-based operation in the restive northwest tribal district bordering Afghanistan, the army said on September 2. The incident happened two days after nine soldiers were killed in a suicide attack by the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terror group in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Pakistan caretaker PM Anwarul Haq Kakar calls inflated electricity bills “non-issue”
Pakistan Caretaker Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar called the matter of inflated electricity bills, which have led to the countrywide protests, a “non-issue”, Dawn News reported on September 2. Mr. Kakar also said it was raised by some political parties and was a “tool in their election campaigns.“ It is not a very serious issue, but political parties are in election mode and using it as a social cause,” the interim Prime Minister told senior journalists and news anchors on August 2.
Over half of Sri Lanka’s population ‘multidimensionally vulnerable’: UNDP study
The crushing economic crisis in Sri Lanka last year has left more than half of the island’s population “multidimensionally vulnerable”, according to a national citizens’ survey led by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The study spanning the years 2022 and 2023, and covering 25,000 households across the country, found 55.7 % of the population to be vulnerable across three dimensions — education, health and disaster, living standards — and 12 indicators, including school attendance, physical condition [of health], unemployment and indebtedness.
Uday Kotak resigns as CEO of Kotak Mahindra Bank
Uday Kotak has resigned as the managing director and chief executive of Kotak Mahindra Bank , the bank said in a stock exchange filing on September 2. Dipak Gupta, currently the joint managing director, will carry out the chief executive duties until Dec. 31, the bank added. Kotak’s resignation comes four months ahead of his planned retirement at the end of this year.
Windfall profit tax on crude oil cut; levy on diesel, ATF exports hiked
The government has cut the windfall profit tax on crude oil produced in the country while the levy on exports of diesel and aviation turbine fuel (ATF) has been hiked, an official notification said. The tax, levied in the form of special additional excise duty or SAED, on domestically produced crude oil was reduced to ₹6,700 per tonne from ₹7,100 a tonne.
Asia Cup 2023: India vs Pakistan | Near-empty stands, lack of buzz raises eyebrows
A cricket match involving India and Pakistan is not just about top-quality cricket, but it is also about roaring fans giving the stadium the atmosphere of a Roman colosseum. But the Pallekele Stadium was cocooned in a rather serene ambience on September 2, as India and Pakistan faced each other in their Asia Cup 2023 Group A match. There were fans — the flag-waving, cheering, applauding kind. But not in numbers that often electrify the venue, despite India batting first.
Novak Djokovic comes back after dropping the first 2 sets to beat Laslo Djere at the U.S. Open
Everyone should know by now to never count out Novak Djokovic. No matter how big a deficit he faces. No matter how poorly he might be playing. And so it made sense that Djokovic would manage to come all the way back from a two-set deficit to beat Laslo Djere 4-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-1, 6-3 in the third round of the U.S. Open, avoiding what would have been his earliest exit there since 2006. “Trust me,” Djokovic said, “it was nerve-racking all the way until the last shot.”
