Junior Digest

Moscow, July 9,2024: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced the opening of two new Indian consulates in Kazan and Yekaterinburg in Russia even as he praised President Vladimir Putin for his great work in strengthening the bilateral partnership for more than two decades under his leadership.

Addressing the Indian diaspora at the Carlton hotel in Moscow, Prime Minister Modi said that this is his sixth visit to Russia in the past 10 years, and the two leaders have met 17 times in the past decade.

“India-Russia ties have always been marked by warmth and enthusiasm and they are based on the strong foundation of mutual trust and mutual respect.. For every Indian, the name of Russia denotes an all-weather friend of India, a trustworthy friend,” the PM said.

“I specially thank President Putin’s role for the friendship between India and Russia. He has done great work in making the foundations of this partnership strong in the over past two decades of his leadership,” the PM said.

He announced that India will open two new consulates in Kazan and Yekaterinburg to strengthen the ties between the two countries.

Thanking the Indian diaspora for the warm reception, PM said, “I have not come here alone. I have brought with me the fragrance of the soil of India. I have brought with me the love of 140 crore countrymen.”

Recounting his election victory, the PM said: “It has been a month since I took oath as the Prime Minister of India for the third time and I took a vow that I will work with three times more strength, and at three times more speed.”

“The government’s goal is to make India the third-largest economy in the world in the third term,” he said to loud cheers from the audience.

PM Modi said the world is surprised to see the pace of development in the country in the last 10 years, since he took over.

“When people from the world come to India, they say that ‘India is changing.’ They can clearly see the transformation of India, the reconstruction of India. Today 140 crore Indians are preparing to be at the forefront in every field,” he added.

He said his government was able to successfully bring the economy out of the Covid crisis, and also make the Indian economy one of the strongest in the world.

Highlighting India’s victory in the T20 World Cup, the PM said, “Today’s youth and today’s young India does not give up till the last ball and the last moment. Victory kisses the feet of those who are not ready to accept defeat.”

Referring to the achievements of his government, he said that in the past decade they were able to double the number of airports in the country and electrify over 40,000 km of the railway lines.

“This makes the world realise the potential of our country…this makes the world believe that ‘Bharat is changing’,” he said.

“This change in India is not just in the system and infrastructure, but this change is also visible in the confidence of every citizen and every youth of the country.”

“I am happy that India and Russia are working together to give new energy to Global Prosperity. All of you present here are giving new heights to the relations between India and Russia. You have contributed to Russian society with your hard work and honesty,” the PM said, praising the diaspora.

New Delhi, Aug 20,2024: The Supreme Court on Tuesday came down heavily on the conduct of West Bengal Government and the now-removed principal of R G Kar Medical College and Hospital over the lapses in handling the case of the rape and murder of a doctor in the institution on August 9. The court also ordered the constitution of a 10-member National Task Force to suggest steps for safety of doctors within two months.

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra had on Sunday taken suo moto cognizance of the rape and murder of the doctor.

Taking up the matter on its own initiative, the Court questioned the West Bengal Government and the police over the handling of the case.

CJI also told the state to not take coercive actions against people who were participating in peaceful protests and speaking up in the media and social media.

“Let not the power of the State of West Bengal be unleashed upon peaceful protesters. Let us deal with them with great sensitivity. This is a moment for national catharsis,” CJI said.

The Court appealed to the doctors, who are protesting all over the country against the incident, to return to their duties.

The Court said that since it has taken up the issues relating to the doctors’ safety, the protesting medical professionals should refrain from abstention from duties.

The CJI expressed deep concerns over the fact that the name of the victim, photographs and video clips showing the dead body have been spread all over the media.

The Court also questioned the State over the conduct of the Principal, the delay in the registration of the FIR and the vandalism which took place at the hospital during a public protest on August 14.

“After the crime was detected in the early hours of the morning, the Principal of the hospital tries to pass this off as a suicide. The parents are not allowed to see the body for a few hours…” CJI said.

Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the State of West Bengal, refuted the charges and said that this was incorrect information, we will place on record all facts, he said.

CJI questioned why the Principal was given the charge of another hospital after he resigned from RG Kar Hospital.

Sibal said that an “Unnatural Death” case was registered immediately and claimed that there was no delay in the registration of the FIR.

The bench questioned the timing of the FIR. The autopsy was conducted between 1 pm and 4.45 pm of the day.

The body was handed over to the parents at about 8.30 pm for cremation. However, the FIR was registered only at 11.45 pm, doesn’t autopsy reveal the victim was raped and murdered?” CJI asked.

“What was the principal doing? Why first it was attempted to pass off as suicide?” CJI asked.

CJI also questioned the State over the acts of vandalism which took place at the hospital on August 14 during a “reclaim the night” protest campaign.

“Hospital is invaded by the mob! Critical facilities were damaged. What was the police doing? The first thing the police have to do is to secure the crime scene,” CJI said.

Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta said that a mob gathering of 7,000 people won’t assemble without the knowledge and the connivance of the police.

The SG said that the root of the issue is that the West Bengal police is functioning under a DIG-in charge who himself is facing various allegations.

Sibal said that a lot of misinformation is spreading in the media regarding the case and the State was only taking action against them.

The Court asked the CBI to file a status report on the investigation by Thursday, August 22 in a sealed cover.

The Court also directed the State of West Bengal to submit a status report on the investigation into the acts of vandalism.

The Federation of Association of Medical Consultants of India (FAMCI), Delhi Medical Association etc. have filed an intervention plea in the present case raising the safety concerns for medical workers in hospitals across the country in the absence of any centralized laws.

The bench said that it is deeply concerned about the virtual absence of conditions of safety for young doctors in public hospitals, especially women doctors who are more vulnerable because of the nature of work and gender.

“Therefore, we must evolve a national consensus. There must be a national protocol to create safe conditions of work. If women cannot go to a place of work and feel safe, we are denying them equal opportunity. We have to do something right now to ensure that the conditions of safety are enforced,” CJI said.

CJI directed that a “National Task Force” comprising doctors all over the country be created to give recommendations on the modalities to be followed all over the country to ensure the safety of women.

The bench noted that several states such as Maharashtra, Kerala, and Telangana etc. have framed state laws to deal with violence against doctors.

However, these laws do not address deficiencies in institutional safety standards.

The bench observed, “As more and more women join the work force the nation cannot wait for another rape for things to change on the ground.”

The bench recorded many issues such including: Medical professionals doing night duty are not given adequate rooms to rest. There are no separate duty rooms for women and men; Interns, residents, and senior residents are made to do 36-hours duty where basic conditions of hygiene and sanitation are often absent; Lack of security personnel at hospitals is more of a norm than an exception; Medical care professionals do not have adequate toilet facilities; Places of stay for medical professionals are situated far from the hospitals and transportation facilities are not adequate; Absence or lack of properly functioning CCTV cameras to monitor the hospitals; Patients and attendees have unrestricted access to all places; Lack of screening for arms and weapons at the entrance and Ding and ill-lit places within the hospital.

The bench ordered the constitution of a ten-member National Task Force. The force will be headed by Surgeon Vice Admiral Arti Sarin AVSM, VSM. Director General Medical Services (Navy).

The NTF shall make recommendations pertaining to the safety, working conditions and well-being of the medical professionals. NTF has to furnish an interim report in three weeks and a final report within 2 months.

The body of the post-graduate trainee doctor was found in the R G Kar Hospital’s seminar room on August 9. The Kolkata Police arrested a civic volunteer the next day in this connection.

On August 13, the Calcutta High Court directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to take over the investigation, after expressing lack of satisfaction with the Kolkata Police.

The High Court passed the order acting on petitions filed by one of the parents of the victim and certain other individuals.

Ranchi (Jharkhand) , June 26,2024: Jharkhand CM Champai Soren, Minister Satyanand Bhokta, and others on Wednesday attended a state-level awareness programme against the consumption and sale of narcotic substances in Ranchi.
“Someone who gets affected by narcotics loses hope of going forward and doing good work. Action has been taken against such gangs who peddle drugs…Different types of drugs are being smuggled. Schools and its vicinity are the most affected. By targeting them, the future of youth is being pushed into darkness. If the youth are affected, the state will plunge into darkness once again. So, we should consider this very important. Awareness about this should created in our family and across the state…” said the Jharkhand CM while addressing the event.
CM Soren highlighted that the state is running an awareness campaign in which people have been communicated about narcotics addiction and made aware of how it could potentially destroy society, youth, and their future.
“We are running an awareness campaign in which we try to communicate with every person. We tried to make people aware of how the consumption of narcotics destroys society, youth, and their future. There is an entire nexus of it at work which promotes addiction to various things like brown sugar, opium, ganja, and many more,” said the CM.
Urging people to make a resolution against narcotics abuse, the CM said, “There must be awareness regarding the sale and consumption of narcotics in the state. We should take resolution against this so that we will stay away from narcotics and lead a happy and healthy life. We have given out information on how it can potentially affect the body. I request you to stay in connection with the administration so that you can report such matters and make Jharkhand and the country free of such addictions.”
He further emphasised that the campaign started on June 19 will ensure stringent actions against the peddlers to save the youth and Jharkhand free from the drug menace.

WASHINGTON, July 31,2024: In the moments before NASA’s DART spacecraft slammed into the asteroid Dimorphos in a landmark planetary defense test in 2022, it took high-resolution images of this small celestial object and its larger companion Didymos.

These images have enabled scientists to unravel the complicated history of these two rocky bodies located in the vicinity of Earth and gain insight into the formation of what are called binary asteroid systems – a primary asteroid with a secondary moonlet orbiting it.

An analysis of the craters and surface strength on Didymos indicated it formed about 12.5 million years ago. A similar analysis indicated Dimorphos formed about 300,000 years ago. Didymos probably formed in our solar system’s main asteroid belt, between the planets Mars and Jupiter, and then was knocked into the inner solar system, the researchers said.

An examination of the largest boulders on Didymos and Dimorphos gave clues about the origins of the two asteroids.

“Both asteroids are aggregates of rocky fragments formed from the catastrophic destruction of a parent asteroid,” said astronomer Maurizio Pajola of the National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) in Italy, lead author of
one of five studies, opens new tab

on the asteroids published on Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications.

“These large boulders could not have formed from impacts on the surfaces of Didymos and Dimorphos themselves, as such impacts would have disintegrated these bodies,” Pajola added.

Didymos, which has a diameter of about a half mile (780 meters), is classified as a near-Earth asteroid. Dimorphos is roughly 560 feet (170 meters) wide. Both are “rubble pile” asteroids, comprised of pieces of rocky debris that coalesced through the influence of gravity.

“Their surface is covered with boulders. The largest on Dimorphos is the size of the school bus, while the largest on Didymos is big as soccer field,” said Olivier Barnouin, a planetary geologist and geophysicist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland and lead author of
another of the studies, opens new tab

.

“There are cracks on the surface and the rocks of Dimorphos, while Didymos may have finer-grained soils at the equator, although it is difficult to be sure with the images we have. The surfaces of both asteroids are weak, much weaker than loose sand,” Barnouin added.

The researchers concluded that Dimorphos is composed of material that flew off the equatorial region of Didymos due to the speed at which it was spinning.

“In the case of Didymos, it is thought that in the past, it rotated faster around its axis due to the YORP effect (spin acceleration driven by the effect of sunlight on its uneven surface), and thus ejected the boulders from its equatorial region, forming Dimorphos,” Pajola added.

Didymos currently spins at a rate of once every 2-1/4 hours.

Few boulders were observed at the equatorial region of Didymos.

“Its equator is much smoother, while mid-latitudes up to the poles are much rougher, with big boulders sitting on the surface,” Pajola said.

The U.S. space agency’s DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) carried out a proof-of-principle mission, demonstrating that a spacecraft could apply kinetic force to change the path of a space object that otherwise might be on a collision course with Earth. Didymos and Dimorphos do not pose an actual threat to Earth.

DART struck Dimorphos on Sept. 26, 2022, at about 14,000 miles per hour (22,530 kph) at a distance of roughly 6.8 million miles (11 million km) from Earth, and succeeded in modestly changing its path. The collision also slightly changed the shape of Dimorphos.

The DART data has improved the understanding of binary asteroid systems.

“Binary asteroid systems represent about 10-15% of the total number of asteroids that are in near-Earth space,” Barnouin said. “More generally, with every new observation of an asteroid or asteroid system, we learn more about how asteroids form and evolve. They are complex systems, but have some key similarities, especially when we consider the smaller – less than a kilometer (0.62 mile) – asteroids.”

Oct 10,2024: David Baker, Demis Hassabis and John M. Jumper won the prize.They cracked the code for proteins’ amazing structures.
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2024 is about pro­teins, life’s ingenious chemical tools. David Baker has succeeded with the almost impossible feat of building entirely new kinds of proteins. Demis Hassabis and John Jumper have developed an AI model to solve a 50-year-old problem: predicting proteins’ complex structures. These discoveries hold enormous potential.

The diversity of life testifies to proteins’ amazing capacity as chemical tools. They control and drive all the chemi­cal reactions that together are the basis of life. Proteins also function as hormones, signal substances, antibodies and the building blocks of different tissues.

“One of the discoveries being recognised this year concerns the construction of spectacular proteins. The other is about fulfilling a 50-year-old dream: predicting protein structures from their amino acid sequences. Both of these discoveries open up vast possibilities,” says Heiner Linke, Chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry.

Proteins generally consist of 20 different amino acids, which can be described as life’s building blocks. In 2003, David Baker succeeded in using these blocks to design a new protein that was unlike any other protein. Since then, his research group has produced one imaginative protein creation after another, including proteins that can be used as pharmaceuticals, vaccines, nanomaterials and tiny sensors.

The second discovery concerns the prediction of protein structures. In proteins, amino acids are linked together in long strings that fold up to make a three-dimensional structure, which is decisive for the protein’s function. Since the 1970s, researchers had tried to predict protein structures from amino acid sequences, but this was notoriously difficult. However, four years ago, there was a stunning breakthrough.

In 2020, Demis Hassabis and John Jumper presented an AI model called AlphaFold2. With its help, they have been able to predict the structure of virtually all the 200 million proteins that researchers have identified. Since their breakthrough, AlphaFold2 has been used by more than two million people from 190 countries. Among a myriad of scientific applications, researchers can now better understand antibiotic resistance and create images of enzymes that can decompose plastic.

Life could not exist without proteins. That we can now predict protein structures and design our own proteins confers the greatest benefit to humankind.

David Baker, born 1962 in Seattle, WA, USA. PhD 1989 from University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Professor at University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA and Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, USA.

Demis Hassabis, born 1976 in London, UK. PhD 2009 from University College London, UK. CEO of Google DeepMind, London, UK.

John M. Jumper, born 1985 in Little Rock, AR, USA. PhD 2017 from Uni­versity of Chicago, IL, USA. Senior Research Scientist at Google DeepMind, London, UK.

Kigali [Rwanda], October 1,2024: Highly contagious Marburg virus spreads across Rwanda, resulting in over 300 infection cases and eight deaths across the country.
According to Al Jazeera, the country declared an outbreak of the virus which presently has no authorised vaccine or treatment. The virus has affected seven out of the 30 districts in the country.
Health minister of Rwanda, Sabin Nsanzimana said that the country is “intensifying contact tracing and testing to help stop the spread.” Rwandan authorities are intensifying outbreak control efforts to prevent the virus which has infected the country for the first time.
WHO’s Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus informed on the social media platform X that the World Health Organization (WHO) is scaling up its support and working with the Rwandan authorities to help stop the spread of the virus.
Marburg outbreak has been reported across African countries like Tanzania, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, and South Africa according to the WHO.

According to the WHO’s Rwanda Office, emergency medical supplies are being readied to curb the virus and a consignment of infection prevention and control supplies is being prepared for delivery to the Rwandan capital city Kigali in the coming days from WHO’s Emergency Response Hub in Nairobi, Kenya.
The rare virus was first identified in 1967 after it caused an outbreak of disease in the laboratories across Marburg, Germany, and Belgrade, Serbia when people died after being exposed to the virus while researching on monkeys.
The virus is transmitted to people from fruit bats and spreads among humans through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, surfaces and materials.
According to WHO, symptoms of Marburg virus include fever, muscle pains, diarrhoea, vomiting and, in some cases, death through extreme blood loss.
The virus causes hemorrhagic fever and has a fatality ratio of up to 88%. It is in the same family as the virus that causes Ebola virus disease.

New Delhi, Nov 14,2024: Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully completed the Flight Tests of Guided Pinaka Weapon System as part of Provisional Staff Qualitative Requirements (PSQR) validation trials.

The flight tests have been conducted in three phases at different field firing ranges, a Defence Ministry statement said.

During these tests, the PSQR parameters ie ranging, accuracy, consistency and rate of fire for multiple target engagement in a salvo mode have been assessed by extensive testing of rockets.

As many as 12 rockets from each production agency from two in-service Pinaka launchers upgraded by the launcher production agencies have been tested.

The precision strike variant for Pinaka Multiple Launch Rocket System is a totally indigenous weapon system designed and developed by Armament Research and Development Establishment in association with Research Centre Imarat, Defence Research and Development Laboratory, High Energy Materials Research Laboratory and Proof and Experimental Establishment Munitions India Limited and Economic Explosives Limited.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has complimented DRDO and the Indian Army for the successful PSQR validation trials of the system and stated that the induction of this Guided Pinaka Weapon System will further boost the artillery fire power of the Armed Forces.

Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Samir V Kamat also congratulated the teams associated with the trials and said the rocket system has completed all pre-requisite flight trials before induction into the Indian Army.

Mumbai, July 3,2024: The BSE Sensex on Wednesday posted 572 point gains to touch the 80K level for the first time at 80,013.77 in the opening level, as buying was witnessed across the level amid a strong Asian market.

The National Stock Exchange (NSE) jumped 154.30 points to 24,278.15.

The BSE Sensex registered intraday highs at 80,074 and lows at 79,754.95 point, respectively.

The NSE registered days high and low at 24,307.25 and 24,207.10 point, respectively.

In 30 scrips, 20 advanced while 10 declined.

The mid cap rose by 0.54 pc and mall cap by 0.65 pc.

The gainers were HDFC Bank by 2.91 pc to Rs 1780.95, Axis Bank by 1.89 pc to Rs 1277.45, ICICI Bank by 1.78 pc to Rs 1211.60, Kotak Bank by 1.57 pc to Rs 1797.10, and IndusInd Bank by 3.71 pc to Rs 1439.70.

The losers were TCS by 1.04 pc to Rs 3974.10, Ultrasemco by 0.62 pc to Rs 11773.40, Reliance Industries by 0.45 pc to Rs 3118.25, and Maruti Suzuki by 0.36 pc to Rs 11995.45.

New Delhi [India], August 29,2024: Reliance Industries announced that its Board of Directors will be meeting on September 5, 2024, to consider a 1:1 bonus issue for its equity shareholder, the company informed the exchange in a filing on Thursday.
This means that for every share an investor holds, they may receive an additional share if the proposal is approved.
“We wish to inform you that pursuant to Regulation 29 and other applicable provisions of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015 (“Listing Regulations”), a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Company is scheduled to be held on Thursday, September 5, 2024 to consider and recommend to the shareholders for their approval, issue of bonus shares in the ratio of 1:1 to the Equity Shareholders of the Company by capitalization of reserves” said the company in the filing.
The company stated that the board will discuss and potentially recommend this bonus issue to the shareholders for their approval.
If the board approves this bonus issue, it will be funded by capitalizing the company’s reserves. A 1:1 bonus issue is often seen as a way to reward existing shareholders by increasing the number of shares they hold, effectively doubling their shares without any additional cost.
While this does not change the overall value of their investment, it can increase the liquidity of the shares in the market.
Bonus issues can also reflect a company’s confidence in its future prospects and a strong financial position, as it typically indicates that the company has sufficient reserves to distribute among shareholders.
Shareholders and investors will be closely watching the outcome of the meeting on September 5, as this decision could impact the stock’s performance and investor sentiment. If the bonus issue is approved, the shareholders will need to give their final nod in a subsequent general meeting.
Reliance Industries is a conglomerate with diversified interests in sectors such as petrochemicals, refining, oil, telecommunications, and retail.

Bhubaneswar, Oct 25,2024:Severe cyclonic storm Dana, accompanied by gusty surface winds reaching speeds of up to 110 kmph, made landfall early Friday morning at the Habalikhati Nature Camp in Bhitarkanika in Odisha’s Kendrapara district.

According to IMD sources, the landfall process of Cyclone Dana, which began around midnight on Thursday between Bhitarkanika and Dhamara, triggered heavy rains in Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Balasore, and Mayurbhanj. The landfall process completed this morning.

The storm moved north-northwest at a speed of 10 kmph and weakened into a cyclonic storm over north coastal Odisha on Friday. It is currently centered approximately 30 km northeast of Bhadrak and 50 km north-northwest of Dhamara, with sustained wind speeds near the cyclone’s center ranging from 80-90 kmph, gusting up to 100 kmph.

The cyclone is expected to move northwest across northern Odisha and gradually weaken into a deep depression within the next six hours. The system is under continuous surveillance by the Doppler weather radar at Paradip.

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi reviewed the post-landfall situation on Friday at the SRC office with senior officials. He reported a ‘zero casualty’ outcome, attributing this to the timely actions taken by the administration during the cyclone’s landfall. He directed district collectors in affected areas to assess damage from Cyclone Dana.

Majhi praised the timely actions and efforts of the administration in ensuring zero casualties, stating that, with the blessings of Lord Jagannath, the government achieved its target of ‘zero casualties.’

He also instructed the concerned authorities to clear all roads by 1 p.m. and restore power by the evening. The government had deployed 19 NDRF teams, 51 ODRAF teams, and 220 fire services teams in areas anticipated to be affected by the severe cyclonic storm Dana.

Around six lakh people were evacuated from vulnerable areas and sheltered in 8,382 cyclone shelters, where they were provided with dry and cooked food. The highest number of evacuations was in Balasore, with 1.72 lakh people, followed by over one lakh in Mayurbhanj, and under a lakh each in Bhadrak, Kendrapara, and Jajpur districts.

New Delhi, December 26,2024: The Winter Session of Parliament which commenced on November 25 was adjourned sine die on 20,Friday . During its 26-day tenure, the session facilitated 20 sittings of the Lok Sabha and 19 sittings of the Rajya Sabha.
According to PRS Legislative Research, the Lok Sabha functioned for 52 per cent of its scheduled time and the Rajya Sabha functioned for 39 per cent of its scheduled time. In the first week, both Houses functioned for less than 10 per cent of the scheduled time. Lok Sabha sat an extra day on a Saturday to discuss the workings of the Constitution.
During the session, two key bills were passed by Parliament. The Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak, 2024, which replaces the Aircraft Act, of 1934, aims to modernize the regulatory framework governing civil aviation while retaining most provisions of the original Act.
The Appropriation (No. 3) Bill, 2024, another notable legislation, authorizes additional expenditure from the Consolidated Fund of India for the fiscal year 2024-25. As a Money Bill, it was passed by the Lok Sabha and deemed approved by the Rajya Sabha without amendments. This bill was introduced during the Budget Session, 2024.
Five new bills were introduced during this Winter Session, targeting various legislative priorities. The Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024, seeks to enable simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies, a significant step towards electoral reforms. The bill however was moved to a Joint Parliamentary panel on demand by opposition parties.
Similarly, the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, aims for synchronized elections for the legislatures of Puducherry, Delhi, and Jammu and Kashmir alongside Lok Sabha polls. Both bills have been referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee for further examination.
The Merchant Shipping Bill, 2024, introduced on December 10, proposes reforms to replace the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958. It focuses on ship registration, maritime training, seafarer welfare, and pollution control.
Another maritime-focused bill, the Coastal Shipping Bill 2024, seeks to regulate vessels engaged in trade within India’s coastal waters and is pending in the Lok Sabha.
Progress was also made on bills introduced in earlier sessions. Legislation such as the Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, was passed by Lok Sabha. Railways (Amendment) Bill, 2024, and Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, 2024 were also advanced through one House.
Several other older bills, including the Pesticide Management Bill, 2020 and the Indian Medicine and Homoeopathy Pharmacy Bill, 2005, continue to await resolution. These examples highlight the extensive legislative backlog and the complexity of parliamentary deliberations.
As the session concluded, 33 bills remained pending in Parliament. This includes newer introductions like the Carriage of Goods by Sea Bill, 2024, as well as older proposals such as the Seeds Bill, 2004, and the Delhi Rent (Amendment) Bill, 1997, which have been under consideration for decades.
According to PRS Legislative Research, in this session, Question Hour did not function in Rajya Sabha for 15 out of 19 days. While, in Lok Sabha, Question Hour did not function for more than 10 minutes on 12 out of 20 days.
The Constitution remained a key topic of this Parliament Session. The issue was discussed for 16 hours in Lok Sabha and 17 hours in Rajya Sabha. However, no half-an-hour or short-duration discussions were held. These discussions require Ministers to respond to issues raised by members.
While several notices for adjournment motions were received in Lok Sabha, none of them were accepted. In Rajya Sabha, several notices were filed under Rule 267. None of these were accepted or discussed. These devices allow scheduled House business to be set aside to discuss matters of urgent importance.
The first supplementary budget for 2024-25 was discussed for 7.3 hours in Lok Sabha. An additional expenditure of Rs 44,143 crore was approved, which amounts to 1 per cent of the total expenditure for 2024-25.
Before Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal moved a motion that the two bills concerning ‘One Nation, One Election’ be referred to a Joint Committee of the two Houses.
The motion, which had names of 27 members from the Lok Sabha, was approved amid din in the House. The committee will have 12 members from the Rajya Sabha.
The Committee will submit its report to Lok Sabha by the first day of the last week of the next session.
Speaker Om Birla said maintaining the dignity of Parliament is a collective responsibility.
He said that there should be no protest at any of the “dwars” of Parliament, saying it is not appropriate. He said the Parliament will have to take appropriate action in case of violation.
Parliament witnessed parallel protests from both the Treasury and Opposition benches outside the parliament on Thursday morning.
INDIA Bloc MPs led by Rahul Gandhi held a protest in the Parliament premises and demanded the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his remarks on Babasaheb Ambedkar. The ruling BJP MPs were protesting in the Parliament’s premises against the Congress party for “insulting” Babasaheb Ambedkar.

Chennai, Oct 2,2024: In a significant breakthrough, the Vikram Lander and the Pragyan Rover onboard India’s third Moon Mission Chandrayaan-3 has discovered buried crater on the Moon.

In an update, ISRO said in a study published in peer-reviewed journal Icarus, scientists from PRL and ISRO have shown that Indian Lunar mission Chandrayaan-3 landed within a buried impact crater.
The crater is around 160 km in size, 4.4 km deep, and likely to be older than the South Pole Atkin (SPA) basin.
This is revealed based on analysis of images obtained by Navigation Cameras on Chandrayaan-3 Pragyan rover and Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter’s Optical High Resolution Camera.
The Chandrayaan-3 mission with the Vikram Lander and the Pragyan Rover landed in the high latitude highland region near the south pole of the Moon.
The landing site is located 350 km from the SPA basin rim, an ancient and the largest impact basin in the Solar System.
This landing site has undergone the complex emplacement sequence of SPA basin ejecta followed by the nearby and distant impact basins and complex crater ejecta materials.

“We found that the SPA basin is the major contributor, which deposited nearly 1400 m of ejecta materials, and 11 other basins deposited 580 m of ejecta. The other complex craters contributed up to 90 m of ejecta”, the Scientists said.

Meanwhile, secondary craters of a few km’s in diameter located adjacent to the Vikram lander contributed to 0.5 m ejecta, which are crucial target materials for the Pragyan rover insitu analysis.

The Pragyan rover Navcam and Optical High Resolution Camera images gave the first clue about the linear, distal ejecta rays or groove-like structures possibly formed due to the distant impacts deposited at the Chandrayaan-3 landing site.

Pragyan rover images revealed the landing site is devoid of greater then 1 m boulders along the traverse, which reveals typical highland terrain.
The regional exploration around the Chandrayaan-3 landing site revealed a near semi-circular like structure, with highly degraded in nature. This semi-circular structure encompassed the Statio Shiv Shakti (yellow star).

Further detailed geomorphological and topographical analysis revealed that the semi-circular structure is a heavily degraded crater structure or a buried impact crater with a diameter of 160 km.
This semi-circular structure was highly degraded due to the mantling of thick ejecta deposits from the SPA basin and followed by many other complex craters throughout the geological history of the Moon.
This buried crater is one of the oldest crater on the Moon, and the Chandrayaan-3 Vikram lander and Pragyan rover landed and roved within this buried crater, which is hosting the SPA basin ejecta material and some of the most deeply excavated materials on the Moon.

Washington, Dec 12,2024: US President-elect Donald Trump said on Thursday that he is against the strikes by the Ukrainian armed forces deep into Russia with US long-range missiles, because it leads to an even greater escalation of the conflict.

“I disagree very vehemently with sending missiles hundreds of miles into Russia. Why are we doing that?” Trump said in an interview with the Time magazine, adding that the United States is “just escalating this war and making it worse.”

Trump said he was going to use US aid to Ukraine as leverage against Russia in the talks to end the conflict.

“I want to reach an agreement,” Trump said, “and the only way you’re going to reach an agreement is not to abandon.”

Dec 16,2024: Legendary Indian musician Zakir Hussain, considered the greatest tabla player of his generation, has died.
Hussain, known for his “dancing fingers”, died on Sunday from complications arising from a chronic lung disease at a hospital in San Francisco, his family said in a statement.
Born in Mumbai, the 73-year-old was the world’s best-known exponent of the tabla drums, the main percussion instrument in Indian classical music.
“His prolific work as a teacher, mentor and educator has left an indelible mark on countless musicians,” said his family, adding that he had hoped to inspire the next generations of tabla players.
Hussain was taught to play the instrument at the age of 12 by his father, the renowned tabla player Ustad Alla Rakha.
He once said in an interview shared widely on social media that his father welcomed him into the world after he was born by speaking tabla rhythms into his ears.

Srinagar, Aug 22,2024: In a significant political development, the National Conference (NC) and Congress have formed a pre-poll alliance for the upcoming Assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir.

NC President Farooq Abdullah made the announcement on Thursday, following a meeting with Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi at his residence in Srinagar.

“The pre-poll alliance between the NC and Congress has been sealed for all 90 seats,” Farooq told reporters here. “The alliance is on track and will proceed smoothly with God’s grace,” he said.

As constituents of the Opposition INDIA bloc, NC and Congress previously contested the Lok Sabha polls in Jammu and Kashmir together. While Congress lost both seats in Jammu division, NC won two out of three seats in Kashmir.

When asked about Rahul Gandhi’s earlier statement that all INDI alliance partners would work together in Jammu and Kashmir, the NC president replied, “Congress and NC are united, and CPI(M) is also with us. We hope the people will support us, and we will win the election with a big majority to serve them.”

Farooq highlighted the challenges faced by the people during the past 10 years without an elected government, expressing hope that statehood would be restored with full strength.

He emphasized the importance of statehood, saying, “We promise to restore it. Almighty willing, Jammu and Kashmir will be granted statehood with full powers, and we stand by the INDI alliance to achieve this.”

The assembly election will be held in Jammu and Kashmir in three phases on September 18, 25, and October 1.

Washington, Aug 3,2024: U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris has won enough delegate votes to secure the Democratic presidential nomination, Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Jaime Harrison announced on Friday, noting that the results are not yet official.

The virtual voting process closes for delegates on Monday, and the DNC is expected to make official announcement of the results Monday evening. The Democratic National Convention, which is scheduled for Aug. 19-22, will formally nominate the party’s presidential candidate.

The virtual voting process for approximately 4,700 delegates started on Thursday morning. One and a half days into the voting, Harris’s campaign reported that she has obtained more than the 2,350 votes required to secure the nomination.

Harris, 59, would be the first Black woman and the first Indian American in U.S. history to receive a major party’s presidential nomination.

Earlier, U.S. media reports said that Harris is expected to reveal her running mate by Monday, and will hold their first rally together in Philadelphia on Tuesday.

Patna, July 29,2024: Election strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor announced on Sunday that he would launch a new political party on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti on October 2.
The most significant aspect of his annoucement is that the he would launch his political outfit ahead of Bihar assembly polls.
Addressing the functionaries during the Jan Suraaj Abhiyan at Bapu Sabhaghar in Patna, he said that the foundation stone for the party would be laid on October 2, and the party would begin with over one lakh people as its office bearers.
The election strategist also informed that he would not lead the party instead the leaders would be elected from their respective assembly constituencies.
Prashant Kishore further exuded confidence of winning the assembly elections in Bihar in 2025.
In this meeting, three big names joined the Jan Suraaj campaign including former Chief Minister Karpoori Thakur’s granddaughter Dr Jagriti in the presence of Prashant Kishore.
Anand Mishra, an independent candidate from Buxar in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, also joined the party and extended his support to this campaign. He praised Prashant Kishore’s efforts.
Professor Rambali Singh Chandravanshi also took membership in Jan Suraaj campaign after being impressed by Prashant Kishore aim of bringing in development in the state.

Paris [France], July 28,: Ace India shooter Manu Bhaker finished third to secure a bronze medal in the final of the Women’s Air Pistol event in the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024 on Sunday.

She became the first Indian women to win a medal in shooting at Olympics.

Bhaker brought India’s first medal in the ongoing mega event as she won a bronze medal with a score of 221.7.

It was a redemption arc for Manu after her pistol malfunctioned in Tokyo Olympics. She scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman in 20 years to reach an shooting final in an individual event of Olympics since Suma Shirur in 2004.

South Korea’s Ye Jin clinched the gold medal with an Olympic record of 243.2 points. Her compatriot, Kim Yeji settled for silver with 241.3 points.

On the opening day, Bhaker finished third in the qualification round of Women’s 10 Metre Air Pistol to qualify for the final at the ongoing Paris Olympics on Saturday. While Rhythm Sangwan failed to make her place in the final after finishing in 15th place.

SYDNEY/WASHINGTON, June 25, 2024: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is due to plead guilty on Wednesday to violating U.S. espionage law, in a deal that will set him free after a 14-year British legal odyssey and allow his return home to Australia.

Assange, 52, has agreed to plead guilty to a single criminal count of conspiring to obtain and disclose classified U.S. national defence documents, according to filings in the U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands.

The deal marks the end of a legal saga that has seen Assange spend more than five years in a British high-security jail and seven holed up in the Ecuadorean embassy in London as he fought accusations of sex crimes in Sweden and battled extradition to the U.S., where he faced 18 criminal charges.

The U.S. government viewed him as a reckless villain who had endangered the lives of agents through WikiLeaks’ mass release of secret U.S. documents – the largest security breaches of their kind in U.S. military history.

But to free press advocates and his supporters, which includes world leaders, celebrities and some prominent journalists, he is a hero for exposing wrongdoing and alleged war crimes, and was persecuted for embarrassing U.S. authorities.

On Wednesday, Assange is due to be sentenced to 62 months of time already served at a hearing in Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands, at 9 a.m. local time (2300 GMT Tuesday).

The U.S. territory in the Pacific was chosen due to Assange’s opposition to travelling to the mainland U.S. and for its proximity to Australia, prosecutors said.

Australian-born Assange left Belmarsh maximum security jail in the early hours of Monday, before being bailed by the London High Court and later boarding a flight, his wife, Stella Assange said. He was currently on a stopover in Bangkok, she said.

“I feel elated,” Stella, who flew to Australia from London on Sunday with the couple’s two children, told Reuters.

“I also feel worried … Until it’s fully signed off, I worry, but it looks like we’ve got there.”

A video posted on X by Wikileaks showed Assange dressed in a blue shirt and jeans signing a document before boarding a private jet. After the hearing in Saipan, Assange will fly to Canberra where he will arrive on Wednesday, his wife said.

He had recently won permission to appeal against the approval of his U.S. extradition and the case was due to be heard at London’s High Court next month, a factor that Stella Assange said helped galvanise talks over a deal.

New Delhi, July 18,2024: The Supreme Court on Thursday said a re-conduct of National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Under Graduate 2024 can only happen if there are sufficient grounds for it and directed the National Testing Agency (NTA) to publish by Saturday the full city and centre-wise results on its website while masking identities of students.

Hearing a batch of petitions concerning grievances related to NEET-UG 2024 and prayers to cancel the exam due to malpractices, a Bench comprising Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, Justice J B Pardiwala, and Justice Manoj Mishra told the senior advocate Narendra Hooda, appearing on behalf of the petitioner students, “You have to show us that the leak was so systemic and affected the entire examination to warrant the cancellation of the entire exam.”

At the time of ordering publication of results, the Apex Court was unwilling to defer the counselling for selected students which is scheduled to begin from Monday.

The CJI said, “If we accept your wider submission, we would like your assistance on the lines on which the investigation must happen.”

The CJI said that an investigation is going on. If what the Central Bureau of Investigation has told us is revealed, it will affect the investigation. “People will become wise.”