Iran launched its Chamran-1 research satellite

♦ Iran launched its Chamran-1 research satellite into orbit. This is its second successful satellite launch in 2024. Chamran-1 was launched into space by the Qaem-100 satellite carrier, was put into a 550-kilometre (340-mile) orbit and its first signals had been received. The satellite was designed and built by Iranian Electronics Industries (SAIran). 

♦ In January 2024, the Sorayya satellite was launched into a 750 km orbit, the highest by the country so far. 
 

BRICS Literature Forum 2024

♦ The BRICS Literature Forum 2024 began in Kazan, Russia. It aims to bring together prominent writers, poets, philosophers, artists and scholars from the BRICS nations. The Mayor of Kazan, Ilsur Metshin, inaugurated the forum under the theme, “World Literature in the New Reality: Dialogue of Traditions, National Values, and Cultures.”

♦ Representing India at the forum were Madhav Kaushik, President of the Sahitya Akademi, and Dr. K. Sreenivasarao, Secretary of the Sahitya Akademi. 

♦ The forum served as a platform for intellectual exchange, reinforcing the power of literature in bridging cultures and promoting social harmony across borders.
 

YUDH ABHYAS-2024

♦ The 20th edition of India-USA Joint Military Exercise YUDH ABHYAS-2024 commenced at Foreign Training Node in Mahajan Field Firing Ranges, Rajasthan on 9 September 2024. The exercise is scheduled to be conducted from 9th to 22nd September 2024. 

♦ Exercise YUDH ABHYAS has been held annually since 2004, alternating between India and the USA.

♦ This edition marks a significant increase in the scope and complexity of the joint exercise in terms of troop strength and equipment. 

♦ Aim of the Joint Exercise is to enhance joint military capability of both sides to undertake counter terrorism operations in a sub conventional scenario under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter.

University of Leeds in the UK

♦ According to researchers at the University of Leeds in the UK, India leads the world in generating plastic waste, producing 10.2 million tonnes a year. the world creates 57 million tonnes of plastic pollution every year. The study also said more than two-thirds of it comes from the Global South.

♦ The researchers examined waste produced on the local level at more than 50,000 cities and towns across the world for a study in the journal Nature.

♦ The top 8 plastic polluter countries are: India, Nigeria, Indonesia, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Russia and Brazil. Those eight nations are responsible for more than half of the globe’s plastic pollution, according to the study’s data.

♦ The United States ranks 90th in plastic pollution with more than 52,500 tons (47,600 metric tons) and the United Kingdom ranks 135th with nearly 5,100 tons (4,600 metric tons). 

♦ Lagos, Nigeria, emitted the most plastic pollution of any city. The other biggest plastic polluting cities are New Delhi; Luanda, Angola; Karachi, Pakistan and Al Qahirah, Egypt.

The Indian Navy and the South African Navy

♦ The Indian Navy and the South African Navy have signed an Implementing Agreement (IA) to ensures the safety of the South African Navy’s submarine crew in times of distress or accident. This agreement was signed by Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi, Chief of the Naval Staff of the Indian Navy and Vice Admiral Monde Lobese, Chief of the South African Navy on 4 September 2024. 

♦ Under this agreement, the Indian Navy will provide assistance by deploying its Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV) when required, further strengthening the collaborative ties between the two navies.