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This week India marked its first National Space Day to commemorate Chandrayaan-3’s landing on the south pole of the lunar surface, a feat no other country has accomplished. India’s giant leap to the Moon brought global appreciation for India and its space agency.
Apart from this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi went on a two-nation tour to Europe. After visiting Poland, he arrived in war-torn Ukraine with his message of peace.
A report on sexual harassment in the Malayalam film industry has shocked Kerala. The Hema Committee report has sparked strong reactions in the state, with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan assuring action.
Here’s all this and more in our weekly roundup of explainers from India.
1. PM Modi embarked on a two-day trip to Poland, where he met his Polish counterpart, Donald Tusk. This was the first visit of an Indian prime minister to the European country in 45 years. The two nations, celebrating 70 years of diplomatic relations, elevated their ties to strategic partnership.
From Poland, Modi took a 10-hour train ride to Ukraine. He held bilateral talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the iconic Mariinskyi Palace in Kyiv. The two leaders also shared a solemn moment during their visit to the Martyrologist Exposition on children at the National Museum of History.
The museum was set up for the children who lost their lives in Russia’s war with Ukraine. According to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Modi reiterated India’s consistent stance of resolving the conflict through “dialogue and diplomacy”. What else happened during Modi’s crucial trip to Ukraine? Read our explainer to find out.
2. On August 23 last year, India scripted history as its Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft landed on the lunar surface, becoming only the fourth nation to do so. Celebrating the first anniversary of this achievement, India marked the National Space Day on Friday.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsIndia established itself as a force to be reckoned with in the global space sector with the success of the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (Isro) Chandrayaan-3. From carrying rocket cones on bicycles to achieving a feat no other country has, Isro has come a long way. We take a look at the Indian space agency’s journey in this story .
3. Amid pressure from the opposition and its allies, the Centre withdrew the latest lateral entry advertisement seeking to fill positions at various levels in the Union government. This came after voices within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) objected to lateral entry into bureaucracy.
The opposition also targeted the NDA government and called for reservations in the lateral entry scheme. Days after the ad stirred a major controversy, Union minister Jitendra Singh shot off a letter to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) chairperson, recommending cancellation of the lateral entry hiring. Read our story to find out how the ad triggered a political storm.
4. The Hema Committee report has unearthed the rampant sexual harassment plaguing the Malayalam cinema industry. It has documented unsettling accounts of sexual harassment, exploitation, and ill-treatment of women in the industry. From casting couch to harassment, men in cinema are making the workplace unsafe for women.
The report also sheds light on the existence of a powerful lobby of 10-15 men, who wield significant control and call shots across the Kerala film industry. The findings have led to strong reactions from film stars, politicians and the women’s panel. We give details about this important report in our story .
5. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) investigation into the brutal rape and murder of a young trainee doctor in Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital has revealed disturbing details. The psychoanalysis test of the main accused, Sanjay Roy, has found that he is a “pervert and severely addicted to pornography”.
As per a CBI officer, the prime suspect had an “animal-like instinct”, and showed no remorse for the heinous rape and murder of the 31-year-old trainee doctor during questioning. What is a psychoanalysis test and what has it disclosed about the accused? We explain in this report .
6. A new drug has reached New Delhi’s party circuit. Mescaline, commonly used as a party drug, has been seized in the National Capital. The Delhi Police arrested a Nigerian woman for allegedly smuggling and supplying psychotropic substances and 3.87 kilogrammes of mescaline worth around Rs 15 crore.
What is this drug getting Delhi high? Read our explainer to know more.
You are all caught up for this week. If you like our explainers and want to keep a tab, you can bookmark this page .
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