1. Chandrayaan 3 touches down on moon’s South Pole: ‘Communication link established’
2. BRICS Submit: India fully supports expansion of BRICS: PM Modi
3. Modi government sets up high power committee to review DRDO
4. Mizoram: Under-construction railway bridge collapses near Sairang, 17 dead
5. EAM Jaishankar, and his Russian counterpart Lavrov exchange views on various issues

What Else

6. Constitutional crisis averted as Manipur governor summons assembly on August 29
7. Canada-Based Businessman Arrested By CBI In Defence Espionage Case
8. LCA Tejas successfully test-fires indigenous ASTRA Beyond Visual Range air-to-air missile off Goa coast
9. Sanjay Mishra likely to head new oversight body coming for ED and CBI
10. Article 370 was never intended to be permanent: SC
11. President Alvi invites CEC Raja for meeting to fix ‘appropriate date’ for elections
12. China will be working with Thailand and Laos to crack down on Myanmar-based cyber crime gangs that often target Chinese nationals.

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Chandrayaan 3 touches down on moon’s South Pole: ‘Communication link established’

• Chandrayaan 3’s Vikram lander has successfully touched down on the moon’s south pole, at 6:04 pm on Wed, sparking jubilation across the country.
• But the arduous task lies ahead for India’s third moon mission.
• ISRO on Wed said it had established the communication link between the lander and the MOX-ISTRAC in Bengaluru.
• ISRO also shared images of the lunar surface from the Lander Horizontal Velocity Camera taken during the descent.
• The ISRO scientists have said they will run a series of experiments for 14 days to learn more about the composition of lunar soil and rocks.
• The south pole on the moon is expected to have ice deposits and minerals.
• India is looking to become the first country to conduct studies of the South Pole, as no mission has yet ventured to this part of the moon. (here)
• Goal: Showcase the complete process of landing and rover movement.
• Carrying out on-site scientific investigations, as well as creating and validating novel technologies essential for future interplanetary endeavors.
• Due to its resemblance to Earth’s diversity, investigating the South Pole presents an opportunity to gain insights into the conditions that existed on Earth billions of yrs ago.
• This exploration holds the potential to provide indications about the feasibility of future lunar colonization.
• The presence of water-ice reserves adds to the intrigue surrounding these areas and motivates space agencies to undertake polar exploration efforts.
• Chandrayaan-1’s Moon Impact Probe suggested the existence of water and helium molecules beneath the Moon’s outer layer.
• Consequently, conducting comprehensive experiments on the lunar surface. (here)
• “India is now on the moon…historic day for country’s space sector”: PM Modi hails Chandrayaan-3 mission success
• BRICS banquet dinner: World leaders congratulate PM Modi on Chandrayaan-3’s success: At the banquet dinner during the BRICS Summit on Wed, PM Modi was congratulated by several world leaders including Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on the success of Chandrayaan-3. (here)

BRICS Submit: India fully supports expansion of BRICS: PM Modi

• PM Modi while addressing the open plenary session of the 15^th BRICS Summit stressed that India fully supports the expansion of BRICS and we welcome moving forward with consensus on this.
• Speaking at the open plenary session, PM Modi further said “We will need to make our respective societies future-ready to make BRICS a future-ready organization,”
• “In India, to provide education to the children living in rural areas, DIKSHA- Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing Platform has been developed.”
• Moreover, PM Modi stressed that ‘diversity’ is the biggest strength of India. (here)
• BRICS expansion faces eleventh-hour hurdle as divisions persist: (Reuters) – A deal to expand the BRICS appeared stuck in 11^th-hour negotiations, threatening to undermine the bloc’s ambition to give the “Global South” more clout in world affairs.
• Agreement to expand BRICS could allow dozens of interested nations to seek admission as Beijing and Moscow push to forge it into a viable counterweight to the West.
• The debate over enlargement has topped the agenda at the summit.
• And while all BRICS members have publicly expressed support for growing the bloc, there were divisions among the leaders over how much and how quickly.
• Summit host South Africa’s foreign minister Naledi Pandor said BRICS leaders had agreed on mechanisms for considering new members.
• However, a BRICS member country official told Reuters that the leaders had not yet signed a finalized admission framework.
• An agreement had been meant to be adopted on Wed, but it had been delayed after PM Modi introduced new admission criteria.
• Bloc heavyweight China has long called for an expansion of BRICS as a means of fostering a multipolar world order to challenge Western dominance.
• Russia’s President Vladimir Putin is keen to show Western powers he still has friends.
• Brazil and India, in contrast, have both been forging closer ties with the West.
• The admission criteria, India’s Modi proposed included requiring members not be the target of international sanctions, ruling out potential candidates Iran and Venezuela.
• Modi was also pushing for a minimum per capita GDP requirement. (here)
• PM Modi to hold a bilateral meeting with SA Prez Ramaphosa Meanwhile, Ramaphosa said as the country has an urbanized population and can provide a stable workforce in the future, BRICS countries have an opportunity to contribute to and participate in Africa’s growth story. (here)

Modi government sets up high power committee to review DRDO

• Under the directions of PM Modi and to overhaul the DRDO, Def Min Rajnath Singh has set up a 9-member committee under Prof K VijayRaghavan to review and redefine the role of the department and submit a report within three months.
• Prof Raghavan is a former Principal Scientific Advisor to the GoI and one of the key architects of the National Research Foundation (NRF).
• The decision to review the functioning of the DRDO and the entire defense research and production eco-system was a much-awaited development as the PM himself was concerned about the lack of accountability and delayed research.
• The DRDO has often acted as a hurdle in defense acquisitions in the name that it was developing the very product that was being imported, in the name of indigenization. (here)

Mizoram: Under-construction railway bridge collapses near Sairang, 17 dead

• At least 17 workers were killed, and others are feared trapped after an under-building railway bridge collapsed near the Sairang in Mizoram on Wed around 11 am.
• There were 40 construction workers on the bridge at the time of the incident.
• The Sairang branch of the Young Mizo Association is currently carrying out rescue operations.
• Union railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced ₹10 lakh compensation for the kin of the deceased, and ₹2 lakh for those who are critically injured.
• The bridge with a height of 104 m was constructed over the Kurung River and is located between Bairabi and Sairang railway stations.
• Sairang railway station is set to be the last railhead before reaching Mizoram’s capital.
• Once completed, the project will connect Aizawl with the national railway. (here)

EAM Jaishankar, his Russian counterpart Lavrov exchange views on various issues

• External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Russian FM Sergey Lavrov on Wed exchanged views on bilateral, and international issues during the BRICS summit.
• The two exchanged views on a wide range of bilateral and international issues, interaction within the UN, G20, and BRICS, and steps to further develop trade and economic cooperation, logistics, and financial interaction.
• Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wed told at the summit that Moscow wants to put an end to the “war unleashed by the West”.
• Addressing the plenary session virtually, Putin also called for de-dollarisation stressing that BRICS countries must expand settlements in national currencies and enhance cooperation between banks.
• Putin also announced Russia as chairman of BRICS next year. (here)

Constitutional crisis averted as Manipur governor summons assembly on August 29

• The next session of the Manipur Assembly will convene on Aug 29 with the state Cabinet’s recommendation receiving the nod of the Governor Tue, staving off a potential constitutional crisis.
• The Assembly Secretariat issued an order stating that the Governor had summoned the session at 11 am on Aug 29 at “assembly hall, Imphal”.
• The development came a day after the Cabinet sent its fresh recommendation to Uikey.
• The new session will now be notified under an emergency rule of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the Manipur assembly
• The CMO tweeted Tuesday that the cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, decided Monday to convene the next session on Aug 29. (here)

Canada-Based Businessman Arrested By CBI In Defence Espionage Case

• The CBI has arrested a Canada-based businessman in connection with a defense espionage case in which a journalist and a former Navy commander were held in May.
• Rahul Gangal, the businessman who took Permanent Residency in Canada in 2019 and also worked in a MNC, arrived in India last week, they said.
• The CBI received information about Gangal’s arrival and located his place of stay in Delhi.
• A special court on Mon sent Rahul Gangal to CBI custody for 4 days.
• The probe agency had earlier arrested freelance journalist Vivek Raghuvanshi and former Navy commander Ashish Pathak, who was working for a private company.
• The CBI has been on the trail of suspects based in India and abroad since the arrest of Ashish Pathak and Vivek Raghuvanshi, officials said.
• During the probe, several incriminating documents relating to Indian defence establishments, have also been seized, the spokesperson said.
• Vivek Raghuvanshi was allegedly collecting sensitive information and minute details about the progress of various DRDO projects, the CBI said. (here)

LCA Tejas successfully test-fires indigenous ASTRA Beyond Visual Range air-to-air missile off Goa coast

• Tejas, Light Combat Aircraft LSP-7 successfully fired the ASTRA indigenous Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missile off the coast of Goa on Aug 23, 2023.
• The missile release was successfully carried out from the aircraft at an altitude of about 20,000 ft.
• The test launch was monitored by the Test Director and scientists of the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), DRDO, and HAL along with officials from CEMILAC
• The aircraft was also monitored by a Chase Tejas twin-seater aircraft.
• Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh said the launch would significantly enhance the combat prowess of Tejas and reduce the dependency on imported weapons. (here)

Sanjay Mishra likely to head new oversight body coming for ED and CBI

• The Centre is considering creating a new post of Chief Investigation Officer of India (CIO) on the lines of the Chief of Defence Staff and the National Security Advisor.
• As per discussions at the highest level, the chiefs of the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate will report to the CIO.
• Sources -The govt feels that there is a lot of overlap in the areas of investigation of the ED and the CBI.
• The ED focuses mainly on financial fraud, including cases related to money laundering and FEMA, but the CBI also looks into corruption and other economic offenses.
• A CIO heading the two agencies would bring better synergy between them (here)

Article 370 was never intended to be permanent: SC

• The reference to Article 1, a permanent feature of the Constitution of India, in Article 370 is “a clear indicator” that the latter was “never intended to be permanent”, the Supreme Court said on Wed.
• Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, presiding over a 5-judge Constitution bench, made the remarks while hearing arguments on petitions challenging changes made to Article 370 and reorganization of the erstwhile state of J&K into 2 UTs.
• So the object of putting that in Article 370 was to redouble the Constitutional statement that Article 1 is a permanent feature of the Constitution. (here)

[NEIGHBORHOOD]

President Alvi invites CEC Raja for meeting to fix ‘appropriate date’ for elections

• President Arif Alvi has invited Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja for a meeting today or tomorrow to “fix an appropriate date” for general elections.
• Alvi wrote to the CEC on Wed, citing the constitutional requirement for the president to decide a date for general elections within 90 days of the dissolution of the NA
• In view of this, he added, the CEC was invited to meet him today or tomorrow to set an “appropriate date” for elections.
• While the president has cited the constitutional provisions, a recent amendment to the Elections Act 2017 empowered the ECP to announce the dates for polls unilaterally without having to consult the president.
• Alvi’s invitation to the CEC comes against the backdrop of the Election Commission of Pakistan having ruled out elections this year, following the notification of the latest 2023 digital census. (here)

China teams up with Thailand and Laos to tackle cybercriminals in Myanmar who often target Chinese nationals

China will be working with Thailand and Laos to crack down on Myanmar-based cyber crime gangs that often target Chinese nationals.

• Chen Hai, the Chinese envoy to Myanmar, released a joint statement on Tue with his Thai and Laotian counterparts, calling for “stronger coordination” to crack down on scams and “resolutely reverse the high incidence of crimes”.
• This came days after Chinese public security ministry officials and their counterparts from Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos met in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai.
• They launched a special cooperative mechanism to crack down on human trafficking related to cyber scams originating in Myanmar.
• The 4 countries have set up a coordination center in Chiang Mai for police cooperation in tackling cyber crime gangs, a statement following the meeting said. (here)