The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is today recognized as one of the pioneer space research organisations of the world. On 07 September 2019, space enthusiasts from all over the world keenly watched the landing process of ISRO’s lander Vikram on the Moon’s surface. Everyone was praying for a perfect soft-landing. It was expected that (some hours after the landing) the rover Pragyan would come out and march on the Moon’s surface for the next 14 days and gather important observations. However, the lander was not able to perform a smooth landing and the mission went amiss.

The Parliament of India has scrapped Article 370 and provisions under 35A of the Constitution which granted special status to the State of Jammu and Kashmir, along with the order stating, “It (announcement) shall come into force at once". While introducing the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Bill in the Parliament, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the government has decided to bifurcate the state into two Union Territories – Jammu and Kashmir, which will have a legislature, and Ladakh, which will be without a legislature.

On August 15 (2019), a news report emerged that two artefacts were stolen in the past, a lime stone-carved relief sculpture and a Krishna bronze sculpture, were returned to India. More than 30 such artefacts have been returned to India in the last five years as an act of repatriation of objects of cultural importance. Although this is good news, much must be done to protect India’s valuable artworks, which have become the victim of malicious designs by international smugglers earning huge returns from such illegal trade.

Development in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh have both internal and external ramifications

Technology has come to play a vital role in a nation’s defence system. The armed forces have a mutual connection with technology. Many technologies that are routinely used in civilian life, like the Internet or the global positioning system (GPS), actually have a link to or are derived from, military innovations. In the case of Artificial intelligence (AI), the research and development (R&D) in civilian and military domains started almost simultaneously.

On July 9, al-Qaeda’s Emir Ayman al- Zawahiri incited violence against India and Pakistan by vehemently criticizing these neighboring countries for the plight of Muslims in Kashmir. Zawahiri’s video message titled “Don’t Forget Kashmir” was released by al-Qaeda’s propaganda arm, As-Sahab media foundation, on the online messaging platform Telegram. [1] Al-Qaeda, which struggled for many years to establish its foothold in the region, considers Kashmir as a core component of its Islamist campaign in South Asia.

In a surprise turn in world diplomacy, US President Donald Trump managed to pull a successful meeting with North Korea’s Chairman Kim Jong Un within a short notice of just 24 hours. Actually, Trump was to be on an official visit only to South Korea. This visit was planned in such a fashion that immediately after finishing the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, he would travel to South Korea (29 & 30 Jun 2019). During this time, Trump was scheduled to visit the line dividing North and South Korean territory in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

India’s story of growth is directly related to the development of technology. If Modi 2.0 is keen to find long-term solutions to ensure growth, then it has no option than to make investments in technologies. One important area of technology where much is expected from Mr Modi is the outer space. He has raised much expectation since his first term as he took a keen interest in the activities of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

Despite a strained relationship with the neighboring  ‘Stan’ (Persian for "land, place or "country")  i.e. Pakistan for the last few years, India has been gradually bringing other ‘Stans’ into its foreign policy fold. Kosh Kelingiz ! (Welcome!).

Natural disasters such as cyclones, their frequency and pace, must be directly linked to climate change.