Chandrayaan-2 to be launched on July 15

India’s second mission to the moon, Chandrayaan-2, would be launched on July 15, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman K. Sivan announced. The landing on the moon near the South Pole, an uncharted territory so far, would be on September 6 or 7, Sivan told reporters. The launch would take place at 2.51am on board the GSLV MK-III vehicle from the spaceport of Sriharikota. The ISRO had earlier kept the launch window for the mission from July 9 to July 16. The spacecraft, with a mass of 3.8 tonne, has three modules — Orbiter, Lander (Vikram) and Rover (Pragyan). Orbiter, with scientific payloads, would orbit around the moon. Lander would soft land on the moon at a predetermined site and deploy Rover. The scientific payloads on board Orbiter, Lander and Rover are expected to perform mineralogical and elemental studies of the lunar surface. The mission cost of Chandrayaan-2 with regard to the satellite was Rs 603 crore, he noted. The cost of GSLV MK-III is Rs 375 crore. 

Govt planning new labour legislation by merging 44 laws 

Aimed at helping investors and accelerating growth, the Modi government is planning a new labour legislation that would merge 44 labour laws under four categories — wages, social security, industrial safety and welfare, and industrial relations. The decision has been taken at an inter-ministerial meeting chaired by Home Minister Amit Shah and attended by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar, Commerce and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal among others. Gangwar said a new Labour Bill will be placed before the Union Cabinet after which it will be introduced in Lok Sabha, possibly in the second week of the coming Parliament session. “All major labour unions in the country were consulted by the government for the new labour laws,” he said.

Health Ministry proposes to ban electronic smoking devices

Going tough on Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS), including e-cigarettes, the Health Ministry has proposed to classify such alternative smoking devices as “drugs” under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, in a bid to ban their manufacture, sale, distribution and import. According to official sources, the proposal has been approved by the Drug Technical Advisory Board (DTAB), the government’s top advisory body on technical matters related to medicines in the country. The move comes amid a raging debate over the harm-reduction aspects of ENDS. Some states, including Punjab, Haryana, Kerala, Mizoram, Karnataka, and Jammu & Kashmir, have already banned e-cigarettes as an unapproved drug. While all of them have banned it under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, some have added the Poisons Act, 1919. The sale of e-cigarettes is completely banned in 25 countries, including Brazil, Norway and Singapore, while market authorization is required in 17 other countries.

New monthly GST return filing system from October

The Finance Ministry said the new monthly GST return filing system will be rolled out from October. The rollout is three months behind the schedule. The ministry was originally targeting a July rollout of the new return system as mandated by the GST Council last year. The existing monthly summary returns GSTR-3B shall be completely phased out from January 2020 when the new form ‘GST RET-1’ is set to replace it, the ministry said while announcing the roadmap for ‘Transition plan to the new GST Return’. Elaborating on the system, the Finance Ministry said businesses will be able to use the new return filing system (ANX-1 and ANX-2) on a trial basis for three months from July to September 2019, which will help them familiarise with the system.

Gehlot appointed as Leader of Rajya Sabha

Union Minister Thawarchand Gehlot was appointed the leader of the Rajya Sabha, a position occupied in the previous Narendra Modi-led government by senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley who has had health issues and is currently recovering. Gehlot, the Social Justice and Empowerment minister, is an experienced parliamentarian and a Dalit face of the saffron party. The appointment for the Leader of the Rajya Sabha is made by the party in power at the Centre. The 71-year-old leader from Madhya Pradesh has almost four decades of legislative experience. He was a member of the state assembly for several terms and has served in the Lok Sabha as well as the Rajya Sabha. Meanwhile, Union minister Piyush Goyal appointed as the deputy leader of the House in Rajya Sabha. The two-time Rajya Sabha MP will be succeeding Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, who has been elected to the Lok Sabha. Goyal is currently a Rajya Sabha member from of Maharashtra. 

PM Modi not to fly over Pakistani airspace

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not fly over the Pakistani airspace while travelling to Kyrgyz capital Bishkek to attend a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, the Ministry of External Affairs said. It said the Prime Minister will fly over Oman, Iran and several Central Asian countries countries to reach Bishkek. India requested Pakistan to let Modi's aircraft fly over its airspace when he travels to Bishkek. Pakistan accorded an "in principle" approval to India’s request. “The government of India had explored two options for the route to be taken by the VVIP aircraft to Bishkek. A decision has now been taken that the VVIP aircraft will fly via Oman, Iran and Central Asian countries on the way to Bishkek,” MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is also attending the meeting of the regional grouping. 

Imran Khan sets up commission to probe huge debts

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has vowed to go after the “thieves” who left the country badly in debt and set up a high-powered commission to probe huge debts incurred during the last 10 years, as he defended arrests of several key political figures in corruption cases. In an unusual midnight speech after the first Budget of his cash-strapped government was presented, Khan said that all economic problems were due to debt which increased to Rs 30 lakh crore from Rs 6 lakh crore in 10 years. His speech came on the day when the Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, Hamza Shehbaz was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in cases related to money laundering. On June 10, former president Asif Ali Zardari was also arrested by the NAB in connection with a multi-million dollar money laundering case. 

Gujarat begins evacuation of people from coastal areas 

As Cyclone Vayu advances towards the Gujarat coast, the state government launched a massive evacuation exercise to shift about three lakh people from low-lying areas of Saurashtra and Kutch regions, officials said. According to the latest weather information, the cyclone has intensified into “very severe” and is located around 340 km south of Gujarat’s Veraval coast. It would hit the coast near Veraval as a very severe cyclonic storm “with a wind speed of 145 to 155 kmph gusting to 170 kmph around morning of June 13,” a release issued by the meteorological department said. People living in low-lying areas of these 10 districts are being shifted to safer places. Around 36 companies of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are already assisting the local administration in the process. The Coast Guard, Army, Navy, Air Force and the Border Security Force have been put on high alert.

Rescuers flown to crash site of AN-32 aircraft

A team of personnel from Indian Air Force, Army and some civil mountaineers were airlifted to a location close to the crash site of an AN-32 aircraft in Arunachal Pradesh to look for possible survivors, officials said on June 12. The wreckage of the AN-32 aircraft of the Indian Air Force was spotted on June 11 in a heavily forested mountainous terrain by an IAF Mi-17 helicopter, eight days after it went missing with 13 people on board. The Russian-origin AN-32 aircraft was going from Jorhat in Assam to Menchuka advanced landing ground near the border with China on June 3 when it lost contact with ground staff at 1 pm, within 33 minutes of taking off. The IAF launched a massive operation after the aircraft went missing and the wreckage of the plane was spotted at a height of 12,000 feet near north of Lipo locality.

Govt stands firm on its GDP estimation

Dismissing the contention of former CEA Arvind Subramanian regarding overestimation of GDP numbers, the government said that it follows accepted procedures and methodologies for arriving at projections of national income. The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) also added that its projections of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth are broadly in line with estimates of various national and international agencies. The MoSPI said Subramanian’s claims of overestimation of India’s GDP growth is primarily based on an analysis of indicators, like electricity consumption, two-wheeler sales, commercial vehicle sales using an econometric model and associated assumptions. “The estimation of GDP in any economy is a complex exercise where several measures and metrics are evolved to better measure the performance of the economy,” the MoSPI said.

India backs Israel in UN against NGO 

In a rare move, India voted in favour of a decision introduced by Israel in the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) that objected to granting consultative status to a Palestinian non-governmental organisation, after the Jewish state said the organisation did not disclose its ties with Hamas. Israel introduced at a meeting of the ECOSOC the draft decision “L.15” on June 6 that sought to return to the NGO Committee Witness’ application for consultative status, a very rare occurrence. When the Palestinian Association for Human Rights had presented its credentials, Israel posed no objection. Shortly after the end of the session, the UN learned that the organisation omitted several important facts, including its ties with militant group Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip. The decision was adopted by a recorded vote of 28 in favour to 15 against, with five abstentions. Countries voting in favour of the decision were Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and the United States.

Coup leader Prayuth Chan-ocha to remain as Thai PM

Thailand’s king formally endorsed former army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha as an elected prime minister on June 11, five years after he seized power in a military coup, though the makeup of his coalition government’s cabinet is unclear. Prayuth knelt before a portrait of King Maha Vajiralongkorn and performed three elaborate bows during a ceremony at his government office to confirm his appointment. Thailand held a bitterly fought general election in March, and the new parliament last week voted for Prayuth as prime minister, thanks to the votes of the upper house, the Senate, which was entirely appointed by the military junta Prayuth had led since 2104. Critics have expressed doubt whether a government led by Prayuth can fare well in a parliamentary framework, with the parliamentary vote indicating that his coalition has only marginal control over the House, which passes laws and approves budgets. Prayuth’s coalition government includes 18 political parties whose leaders were also present for the ceremony.

US formally asks UK to extradite Assange

The US Justice Department has formally asked Britain to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States to face charges that he conspired to hack US government computers and violated an espionage law, the UK has confirmed. “Assange was arrested in relation to a provisional extradition request from the United States of America. He is accused of offenses including computer misuse and the unauthorized disclosure of national defense information. We have now received the full extradition request,” a spokesperson for the Home Office said. On April 11, police forcibly removed the WikiLeaks founder from the Ecuadorean Embassy near Harrods department store in central London. Assange took refuge in the embassy there in 2012 while being sought by Swedish authorities for questioning in a sexual assault investigation.

Turkey chafes at US pressure over Russian defences

Turkey said a US House of Representatives’ resolution condemning Ankara’s purchase of Russian defence systems and urging potential sanctions was unacceptably threatening. Relations between the two NATO members have been strained on several fronts including Ankara’s plans to buy Russia’s S-400 air defence systems, the detention of US consular staff in Turkey, and conflicting strategy over Syria and Iran. The standoff threatens to bring US sanctions, which would hurt Turkey's already recession-hit economy, and raise questions over its role in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The resolution urges Turkey to cancel the S-400 purchase and calls for sanctions if it accepts their delivery, which may come as soon as July. Turkey also criticised a letter from Washington on Ankara's eventual removal from the F-35 fighter jet programme, saying the language used did not suit the spirit of alliance between the two NATO allies.

Cabinet rank for Nripendra Misra and P.K. Mishra 

Nripendra Misra and P.K Mishra were re-appointed as Principal Secretary and Additional Principal Secretary respectively to Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Cabinet minister rank. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved both the appointments with effect from May 31, an order issued by the personnel ministry said. Their appointments will be co-terminus with the term of the Prime Minister, it said. During the term of their office, they will be assigned the rank of Cabinet minister, the ministry said. Misra was appointed the Principal Secretary to Modi in 2014. He is a 1967-batch retired IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre. Additional Principal Secretary Mishra, a 1972-batch retired IAS officer of Gujarat cadre, served in the same position in the last five years of the Modi government. Last week, National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval was re-appointed to the top post in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office for a second five-year term with Cabinet rank.

Mumbai bizman gets life in jail for hijack hoax

In the first conviction under the amended anti-hijacking law, a special NIA court awarded life term to a Mumbai-based businessman and also imposed a hefty Rs 5 crore fine for triggering a hijack scare on a Jet Airways plane in 2017. After the incident on October 30, 2017, Birju Salla became the first person to be put under the “national no fly list” and was also the first to be booked under the stringent Anti Hijacking Act, which had replaced a vintage law of 1982. The new anti-hijack rules came into force in July 2017. The NIA had said Salla prepared a “threat note” in both English and Urdu language and placed it “intentionally” in the tissue paper box of the toilet near the business class of the Mumbai-Delhi Jet Airways flight 9W339 on October 30, thereby jeopardising the safety of passengers and crew on board.

Govt not to build highways through wildlife sanctuaries

To ensure the protection of ecologically sensitive areas and flora and fauna, the government has asked states as well as NHAI to avoid building highways through wildlife sanctuaries and national parks, unless absolutely unavoidable. “To have minimum impact of highways on the protected eco-sensitive area, the implementing agency should consider to spare sanctuaries/national parks at the planning stage and wherever possible take a bypass/detour,” Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said. In a circular to National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL), Border Roads Organisation and states, it said all necessary clearances should be obtained before constructing highways in such areas.

Botswana High Court decriminalises homosexuality

Botswana’s High Court ruled in favour of decriminalising homosexuality, handing down a landmark verdict greeted with joy by gay rights campaigners. Under the country’s 1965 penal code, homosexuality is punishable by a jail term of up to seven years. But Judge Michael Elburu declared it was time to “set aside” the “provisions of a Victorian era” and ordered the laws be amended. In a courtroom packed with activists, the judge declared that the current laws oppressed a minority of the population. Jubilation erupted in the courtroom as the decision was announced, and campaigners waved the rainbow flag of gay rights. In Geneva, the UN agency UNAIDS added to the applause. “This is a historic ruling for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Botswana,” Gunilla Carlsson, UNAIDS’ executive director, said in a statement. Last week, Bhutan’s lower house of parliament voted to decriminalise gay sex but the amendment to the penal code still needs to pass the upper house of the Asian nation’s parliament to come into effect.

Life expectancy in India down by 2.6 years 

Life expectancy in India has gone down by 2.6 years due to deadly diseases caused by air pollution, according to a report by an environment think tank. “Air pollution is now the third highest cause of death among all health risks ranking just above smoking in India. This is a combined effect of outdoor particulate matter (PM) 2.5, ozone and household air pollution,” said a report by the environment organisation Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). “Due to this combined exposure, South Asians, including Indians are dying early — their life expectancy has reduced by over 2.6 years. This is much higher than the global tally of reduced life expectancy by an average of 20 months. While globally a child born today will die 20 months sooner on an average than would be expected without air pollution in India they would die 2.6 years earlier,” the report said.

Vaccine likely to prevent Alzheimer’s

A team of researchers led by an Indian-American scientist are working on a vaccine they hope could prevent Alzheimer’s disease by targeting a specific protein commonly found in the brains of patients affected by the neurodegenerative disorder. Researchers at the University of New Mexico (UNM) led by Dr. Kiran Bhaskar, associate professor in the varsity’s Department of Molecular Genetics & Microbiology, have started to test the vaccine on mice. “We used a group of mice that have Alzheimer’s disease, and there were a series of injections,” said Nicole Maphis, a PhD student and Bhaskar’s associate. She said the vaccine targets a specific protein known as tau that’s commonly found in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. Dementia is a syndrome in which there is deterioration in memory, thinking, behaviour and the ability to perform everyday activities. Worldwide, around 50 million people have dementia, and there are nearly 10 million new cases every year. Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia and may contribute to 60–70% of cases. In India, more than 4 million people have some form of dementia, says a study. 

Nurse who played a crucial role in IVF ignored on plaque

The name of a female nurse and embryologist who played a crucial role in developing the world’s first test-tube baby was excluded from a plaque honouring the pioneers of IVF despite objections from her colleagues, newly released letters reveal. Jean Purdy was one of three scientists whose groundbreaking work led to the birth of the first IVF baby, Louise Brown, at an Oldham lab in 1978. Yet her central role was largely forgotten in the rush to praise her colleagues, Prof Sir Robert Edwards and the surgeon Patrick Steptoe. Archived letters between Edwards and the Oldham Area Health Authority 39-years-ago revealed his request to recognise Purdy as one of the IVF innovators on a plaque was turned down. Purdy, who died from cancer in 1985 aged 39, was described by Edwards as “crucial” to their IVF work and was the first person to witness the successful cell division of the embryo that would become Louise Brown. Edwards was awarded a Nobel prize in 2010 for the development of IVF and was knighted in 2011.

Superflares from Sun could lead to power blackouts

Superflares erupted from the Sun could disrupt electronics across the Earth, causing widespread blackouts and shorting out communication satellites in orbit, scientists warn. Astronomers probing the edges of the Milky Way have in recent years observed superflares — huge bursts of energy from stars that can be seen from hundreds of light years away. Until recently, researchers assumed that such explosions occurred mostly on stars that, unlike Earth's, were young and active. Scientists from University of Colorado (CU) Boulder in the US have found that superflares can occur on older, quieter stars like our own — albeit more rarely, or about once every few thousand years. If a superflare erupted from the sun, the Earth would likely sit in the path of a wave of high-energy radiation, researchers said. Such a blast could disrupt electronics across the globe, causing widespread black outs and shorting out communication satellites in orbit.

Climate change can pose threat to global peace 

Climate change poses a threat to peace in countries around the world in the coming decade, according to an annual peace index that factored in the risk from global warming for the first time. Nearly a billion people live in areas at high risk from global warming and about 40 per cent of them are in countries already struggling with conflict, said the Australia-based Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP). Climate change causes conflict due to competition over diminishing resources and may also threaten livelihoods and force mass migration, it said. The index assigns each country a score based on 23 indicators ranging from homicide levels to weapons imports.The effects of climate change can create a “tipping point”, exacerbating tensions until a breaking point is reached, particularly in countries that are already struggling, said the report. 

Newsmaker

Actress Priyanka Chopra will be awarded the Danny Kaye Humanitarian Award by UNICEF’s American chapter at their Snowflake Ball in December. The award is named after actor-philanthropist Danny Kaye, who was UNICEF’s first Goodwill Ambassador.