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China plans to expand its space station to six modules from three in coming years, offering astronauts from other nations an alternative platform for near-Earth missions as the NASA-led International Space Station (ISS) nears the end of its lifespan.
The operational lifetime of the Chinese space station will be more than 15 years, the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), a unit of China’s main space contractor, said at the 74th International Astronautical Congress in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Wednesday.
That would be more than the 10 years previously announced. China’s self-built space station, also known as Tiangong, or Celestial Palace in Chinese, has been fully operational since late 2022, hosting a maximum of three astronauts at an orbital altitude of up to 450 km (280 miles).
At 180 metric tons after its expansion to six modules, Tiangong is still just 40% of the mass of the ISS, which can hold a crew of seven astronauts. But the ISS, in orbit for more than two decades, is expected to be decommissioned after 2030, about the same time China has said it expects to become “a major space power”.
Bangladesh receives first Uranium consignment for Russia built nuclear plant (Page no. 2)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
Bangladesh Thursday received the first consignment of uranium for its only nuclear plant being built with Russian assistance, with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina saying that the country will use nuclear power for peaceful purposes.
The development comes amid the Ukraine war, which has led to sanctions from the Western countries on several Russian companies.
The sanctions delayed the project, which is expected to help the country's growing economy. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Hasina - both via video links - joined the ceremony where the uranium fuel for the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP) was handed over to Bangladesh authorities.
Rosatom's chief Aleksey Likhachev handed over the fuel to Bangladesh's Science and Technology Minister Yeafesh Osman at the ceremony in the northern Pabna district.
Today is a day of pride and joy for the people of Bangladesh," Hasina said. "Bangladesh will turn into a smart country in future, and the nuclear power plant is another step towards building that Smart Bangladesh," she said. "We will use nuclear power to protect peace.
Once NPP starts production, Bangladesh will become the 33rd nuclear power-producing country in the world, Hasina's ruling Awami League party said in a post on X. Putin congratulated Bangladesh for its nuclear "graduation", calling Dhaka Russia's "tested friend".
The flagship project meets interests of both countries and promotes further deepening of mutually beneficial cooperation," Putin said, adding that he kept an eye on the implementation of the project.
Front Page
Must dismantle entire terror ecosystem need ruthless approach: Shah (Page no. 3)
(GS Paper 3, Internal Security)
Union Home Minister Amit Shah asked state police forces and anti-terror agencies to adopt such a “ruthless” approach that no new terrorist group can be formed. “We need to not only combat terrorism but also dismantle its entire ecosystem.
Inaugurating a two-day anti-terror conference organised by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Shah said the fight against terrorism requires collaboration, from the grassroots to the global level.
“The Centre has taken a tough stand on all challenges like cryptocurrencies, hawala, terror funding, organised crime syndicates, narco-terror links, which has yielded very good results, but a lot still needs to be done.
To deal with terrorism, the Centre and the states, their agencies… will have to think in vertical and horizontal ways,” he said.
While praising the NIA for achieving over 94 per cent conviction, Shah asked all the states to take steps to increase the conviction rate too. Terrorism has no boundaries and no state can face terrorism alone. We have to come together to root out this evil.
He said the number of terror incidents has fallen from 6,000 in 2001 to 900 in 2022, under the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
For India inc, climate change is new single biggest business risk (Page no. 3)
(GS Paper 3, Environment)
Its not just Hindustan Unilever Ltd, the country’s largest FMCG company, for which weather is the “single biggest business risk” today.
From carmaker Hyundai to skincare company Emami and PepsiCo bottling firm Varun Beverages, unseasonal showers in summers, irregular weather patterns, and diverse rainfall patters – or climate change, in general – have started impacting the bottom line of India Inc.
We can’t control the weather, otherwise there’s no reason why we should not grow. If you just control the rain Gods, we will take care of the rest,” said Ravi Jaipuria, Chairperson, Varun Beverages, while responding to an investor’s question on whether the company will register growth in the second half similar to what it did in the first.
While offering HUL’s near-term outlook, CFO Ritesh Tiwari said the situation on the weather front remains “erratic”.
In terms of rural demand, the company said that it will have to watch out for the impact of monsoon and weather-related risk. El Nino has come earlier, and we know that when it comes early in the season, it grows more.
Govt & Politics
India flags US envoy’s visit to PoK: respect our sovereignty (Page no. 6)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
NEW DELHI has conveyed its “concerns” to Washington on the US Ambassador to Pakistan’s visit to Gilgit and Baltistan, which India considers to be part of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
I think our position on the status of the entire Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir being an integral part of India is well known. We would urge the international community to respect our sovereignty and territorial integrity.
We have raised our concerns about that visit by the US Ambassador to Pakistan with the US side,” the Ministry of External Affairs’ official spokesperson.
The US Ambassador to Pakistan, Donald Blome, travelled to Gilgit and Hunza valleys in the third week of September; the visit was flagged by Opposition parties in Pakistan.
The American Embassy in Islamabad said the purpose of his visit was to “explore opportunities for strengthening the region’s climate resilience”.
According to Pakistan newspaper, Dawn, the spokesperson of the US Embassy in Islamabad, Jonathan Lalley, said that Pakistan was among the most vulnerable countries with regard to climate change.
Express Network
Reexamining ruling on immunity to MPs & MLAs SC reserves order (Page no. 7)
(GS Paper 2, Judiciary)
A seven-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court reserved its judgment on the question whether the immunity available to MPs and MLAs under Articles 105 (2) and 194 (2) of the Constitution from prosecution will extend to cases of bribery as well.
The bench presided by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud was constituted to re-examine the correctness of the 1998 five-judge Constitution Bench judgment in the P V Narasimha Rao case wherein the majority held that legislators were immune to prosecution on bribery charges for their speech or vote in Parliament.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, had told the bench, also comprising Justices A S Bopanna, M M Sundresh, P S Narasimha, J B Pardiwala, Sanjay Kumar, and Manoj Misra, that the minority view of Justice S C Agarwal in the Rao case is the “correct view”.
The minority ruling said that “a Member of Parliament does not enjoy immunity under Article 105(1) or under Article 105(3) of the Constitution from being prosecuted before a criminal court for an offence involving offer or acceptance of bribe for the purpose of speaking or by giving his vote in Parliament or in any committees thereof”.
Editorial
Unpredicatablity of Putin (Page no. 10)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
Political developments in America and Europe over the last few weeks are again putting a spotlight on the global politics of the war in Ukraine.
In the US, the Republican Party seems to be hardening its scepticism over funding to Ukraine, while pro-Russia political forces are gaining strength in Europe. In the rest of the world, the war is becoming increasingly invisible.
It is worth iterating and re-iterating what was at stake in this war, especially in India where tacit support for Russia has dominated the discourse.
If Vladimir Putin’s aggression towards Ukraine had succeeded, it would have upended three important principles of international politics.
It would have been only the second time since World War II that a country would have sought to annex and incorporate another country as a whole.
India has rightly argued that war is not the way of the 21st century. But, if Putin had succeeded, it would have incentivised war as a principle of world politics with a vengeance. It was important that Putin be contained: The only question was the least destructive means of doing so.
Ideas Page
A bank for the future (Page no. 11)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
The growing optimism over India across the world today is indicative of a premium being placed on the country’s governance structures and its policy apparatus.
The government’s policies have enabled the country to become a hub of innovation. Today, in several parts of the country, ideas are being incubated that are leading to the production of novel public goods for people all over the world.
Nowhere perhaps are the winds of change so strong as in the banking and financial sector. It has been at the forefront of the transformative journey of the world’s largest democracy.
The past 25 years have seen high growth and stability, notwithstanding several episodes of stress — from the dotcom bubble, to the September 11 attacks, the 2008 financial crisis, the European debt crisis, the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine War. These emergencies have tested the limits of human knowledge.
India’s banking and financial sector has not been untouched by these forces. The last decade has been particularly challenging. The Covid-19 pandemic caused widespread devastation of lives and livelihoods. The war in Ukraine has compounded the situation.
Explained
Nagorno – Karabakh conflict and India (Page no. 12)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh is called one of the “frozen conflicts” of the world.
This conflict erupted on September 19, when Azerbaijan launched an offensive and within 24 hours, declared victory over the separatist province of Nagorno-Karabakh. Authorities of the province have now said the ethnic Armenian enclave would dissolve on January 1, 2024.
Though far away, the recent developments in the South Caucasus region have implications for India, in connectivity and ties with the region.
Nagorno-Karabakh is a mountainous region officially recognised as part of Azerbaijan. But its 1.2 lakh population is predominantly ethnic Armenian, having close cultural, social, and historical ties with Armenia.
Basically, Nagorno-Karabakh is an ethnic Armenian enclave in Azerbaijan. The Armenians are Christians, while Azeris are Muslims. The conclave is connected to Armenia through the 5-km Lachin Corridor.
In Norwegian Laurete Jon Fosse’s slow prose shades of Ibsen, Derrifa (Page no. 12)
(Award)
In an interview given to The New Yorker in November last year, Norwegian playwright, poet, novelist, essayist, and translator Jon Fosse spoke of the place that he writes from — which is both a sanctuary and a dare: “That place is for listening and for movement, and it’s a very safe place to stay.
But it can also be scary, because it’s the route for me to enter the unknown. I have to go to the borders of my mind, and I have to cross these borders.
And to cross these borders is frightening if you’re feeling very fragile… I simply didn’t dare to write my own things because I was afraid of crossing these borders in myself.
When I’m writing well, I have this very clear and distinct feeling that what I’m writing on is already written. It’s somewhere out there. I just have to write it down before it disappears.”
His focus on the subterranean that connects the personal with the universal won the 64-year-old this year’s Nobel Prize in Literature.
In the citation, the Nobel committee commended Fosse’s “innovative plays and prose which give voice to the unsayable”, and spoke of his “immense oeuvre, written in Norwegian Nynorsk and spanning a variety of genres consists of a wealth of plays, novels, poetry collections, essays, children’s books and translations”.
Economy
Services activity at 13 yr high in Sept on strong demand (Page no. 13)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
Activity in the crucial services sector rose at its fastest pace in over 13 years in September on the back of strong demand and new business, which helped create fresh jobs and prompted business confidence to hit the highest in more than nine years.
The S&P Global India Services PMI business activity index rose from 60.1 in August to 61 in September, signalling a sharp upturn in output that was one of the strongest in over 13 years.
The uptick meant that the index averaged 61.1 over the fiscal's second quarter, above that seen in the prior three-month period (60.6).
September's expansion in output was attributed to effective marketing, favourable demand conditions and strong influxes of new business. The survey is compiled from responses to questionnaires sent to a panel of around 400 service sector companies and the 50-point mark separates expansion from contraction.