Chinese rocket tumbled into the ocean
In its third flight since its maiden launch in 2020, China’s most powerful rocket launched a laboratory module to the new Chinese space station in orbit on July 24.
An enormous Chinese rocket – the Long March 5B – crashed to earth over the Pacific and the Indian oceans, ending a week of global anxiety and alarm. There were fears that the rocket’s 22-tonne core stage would hit a populated area as it hurtled back to earth. Even though China was widely criticized for the rocket re-entry risks it imposed on the world, it dismissed these concerns.
Long March 5B launched on July 24 with a laboratory module to the new Chinese space station under construction in orbit, marking the rocket’s third flight since its maiden flight in 2020. The first stage of a rocket is typically made up of heavy pieces that usually do not reach orbit after takeoff but fall back safely along a near-precise trajectory.
In the event that they enter orbit, then a costly de-orbit maneuver will be required for a steered, controlled return through engine burning. When there is no de-orbit maneuver, the orbital core stage plummets uncontrollably.
The core stage remnants of China’s Long March 5B rockets are known to make fiery, out-of-control descents back to earth. There is a difference in the mission sequence where the core stage reaches orbit and then crashes.
Almost all nations’ rockets separate the launcher and payload before they leave the atmosphere, according to a Guardian report. The payload is then given a final boost by an additional engine. According to the report, China’s 5B series uses no second engine and goes straight into orbit.
Long March 5B debris fell on Ivory Coast in May 2020, and Chinese rocket remains dived uncontrollably into the Indian Ocean near the Maldives in May 2021.
Rocket debris in uncontrolled descents is difficult to track precisely because of the variables involved. This prediction is extremely challenging due to atmospheric drag, solar activity variations, and angle and rotational variations of the object, among other factors.
Even a minute’s error in re-entry time could cause hundreds of kilometers to be changed in the final resting place of the debris.
Among the ten hardest things we do in space, debris re-entry is probably one of the most difficult to predict, Dr. Darren McKnight from satellite tracking company LeoLabs told Cosmos Magazine.
The Space Liability Convention of 1972 defines responsibility in the event that a space object causes harm. A launching State is liable for damages caused by its space objects on the surface of the earth or to aircraft, as well as damage caused by its faults in space, according to the treaty. A procedure for the settlement of damages claims is also provided in the Convention.
The law does not prohibit space junk from crashing back to earth. Two Maharashtra villages were found to have debris from a Chinese rocket in April.
The re-entry of NASA’s 76-ton Skylab in 1979 spread debris over uninhabited parts of Australia and the space agency was fined $400 for littering.
Using the Liability Convention, only the Soviet Union and Canada settled over the debris of Soviet Cosmos 954 that fell in a barren area.
CAD 3 million was paid to Canada for cleaning up the mess in accordance with international law.
Delhi Government’s new liquor policy
On May 2, the Delhi government’s revised policy, allowing shops to open until 3 am and allowing licensees to offer unlimited discounts, was proposed by a group of ministers in the cabinet.
As of August 1, only government-owned liquor vendors will be allowed to sell alcohol in the national capital, as announced by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Saturday (July 30).
Due to alleged irregularities in its new liquor policy, the Delhi Police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) recently launched an investigation into the Delhi government’s excise department.
Vinai Kumar Saxena, Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor, also recommended a CBI probe into the policy and instructed the city’s Chief Secretary to submit a report on the “role of officers and civil servants in its illegal formulation, amendments, and implementation.”
On May 2, the Delhi government’s revised policy, allowing shops to open until 3 am and allowing licensees to offer unlimited discounts, was proposed by a group of ministers in the cabinet.
CS Naresh Kumar, who was appointed in April this year, had to review the policy before it could be implemented. The CS found “procedural lapses” and irregularities in the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 after receiving the proposal from the excise department. On July 8, he wrote Sisodia, who is the head of the excise department, and requested a response. On the same day, the report was sent to Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and LG Vinai Kumar Saxena.
According to sources, the CS also informed the Delhi Police’s EOW about alleged illegalities, cartelization, and monopolies occurring in the liquor trade after expressing concerns with the policy. Over the course of 15 days this month, the EOW collected digital video recordings (DVRs) of excise department meetings, including one that reportedly lasted until 5 am on the night of July 11-12.
EOW of Delhi Police sent a notice to the assistant commissioner of the Delhi Excise Department seeking details about the alleged illegal distribution of liquor licenses to companies that violated New Excise Policy 2021-22.
Documents and details are urgently needed from the excise department, such as the date of formulation of the New Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 and the start of the tendering process for the grant of liquor licenses under the new policy.
In addition, the EOW has asked the department to provide the application forms for all successful applicants who received liquor licenses, along with other relevant documents.
As reported by the LG and CM of Delhi, Sisodia allegedly changed the excise policy without the LG’s approval, such as waiving Rs. 144.36 Crores in license fees due to COVID-19.
Additionally, Sisodia gave undue benefits to liquor licensees by revising the rates for foreign liquor and removing the import pass fee of $50 per case of beer. As a result, foreign liquor and beer became cheaper at retail, resulting in a loss of revenue for the state government.
If changes are made to an already implemented policy, the excise department must bring them before the cabinet and forward them to LG for final approval. Changes made without the approval of the cabinet and LG are illegal and in violation of Delhi Excise Rules, 2010 and the Transaction of Business Rules, 1993.
It was proposed in 2020 and came into effect in November 2021. The city of Delhi was divided into 32 zones, with 27 liquor vending machines in each zone. It also marked the end of government selling of liquor in the city – only private liquor shops operate now, and every municipal ward has 2-3 liquor shops. Liquor mafia and black marketing were to be ended, revenues increased, consumer experience improved, and liquor vends were to be distributed fairly. Also, the government made rules more flexible for licensees by allowing them to offer discounts and set their own prices instead of selling on the government’s MRP. In response, vendors offered discounts, which attracted crowds.
Excise department discounts were temporarily withdrawn following opposition protests.
Excise policy 2021-22 increased the government’s revenue by 27 percent, generating around Rs 8900 crore.
A man died from monkeypox
A government probe has been announced, but it is unclear what comorbidities this patient had. Only three other deaths have been reported outside Africa, and they could all have been due to preexisting conditions.
A monkeypox patient has died in India for the first time. A youth who arrived in Kerala from the UAE a few days ago and died in Thrissur on Saturday (July 30) tested positive for the infection while abroad, state Health Minister Veena George said on Sunday.
There were three cases detected in Kerala earlier, but this is a new case. On Sunday, two of the three earlier cases were reported to be in stable condition, while one had been discharged from the hospital.
As well Delhi, monkeypox had been detected. It was a different case in Delhi because the patient did not have any foreign travel history. In Kerala, all of the cases, including the one that resulted in death, occurred in individuals who came from the Middle East.
A 22-year-old youth from Punniyoor in Thrissur died in a private hospital in Thrissur days after returning from the UAE. His samples were then sent to the National Institute of Virology’s Kerala Unit in Alappuzha by the Kerala Health Department.
He said the man’s family had only informed the hospital in Thrissur on Saturday that he had been diagnosed with monkeypox while abroad.
According to Health Department sources, the youth reached Kerala on July 22 and visited a hospital on July 26 after developing a fever. Afterward, he was moved to another hospital, where he died on Saturday afternoon after being put on life support.
It is not necessarily true that monkeypox killed the man who died just because he had been diagnosed with the virus. In addition to his death, there may have been other causes, which can only be determined after experts analyze his condition.
In light of the low fatality rate of monkeypox, a high-level investigation would be conducted,” the Health Minister said.
According to George, the patient did not show any symptoms of the disease despite having tested positive. “The youth showed no signs of monkeypox. As a result of symptoms of encephalitis and fatigue, he was admitted to the hospital. She said his relatives only handed over the test result (of the UAE test) on Saturday.
Over 20,000 people have been sickened in about 78 countries as a result of the multicountry outbreak since May. Many of the deaths have occurred in Africa, where monkeypox outbreaks have been occurring for years and where a more virulent strain of the virus may be circulating. Over 75 people have been reported dead in Africa.
Aside from the Kerala death, there have been only three deaths outside Africa.
Brazil reported the first monkeypox-related death outside the African continent on Friday (July 29). Also, on Friday, a patient died in Spain’s Valencia region, and on Saturday, a patient died in the Andalusia region. The two deaths in Spain are the first monkeypox-related deaths in Europe.
In Brazil, however, the victim was a 41-year-old man who also suffered from lymphoma and weakened immunity. German broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) quoted the government of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais as saying the patient’s comorbidities aggravated his condition.
Both patients in Spain had been hospitalized with infections that attacked the brain in the days before they died, and it is possible their deaths were caused by preexisting conditions. The risk of death is very low – less than 1%.
This estimate is also based on African data. In spite of a large number of cases, no deaths have been reported outside Africa in the multicountry outbreak. Dr. R Gangakhedkar, one of India’s most renowned epidemiologists, says the case fatality ratio is very low statistically.
Protection of children against corporal punishment
The definition of corporal punishment is a punishment that is physical in nature. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 prohibits ‘physical punishment’ and ‘mental harassment’ targeting children under Section 17(1) and makes it a punishable offense under Section 17(2).
According to an Associated Press report, Bout’s defense lawyer claims that the US vindictively targeted him after it was revealed that one of his companies flew supplies to American military contractors during the Iraq war despite UN sanctions being in place. Several times, Bout himself has reiterated that the case against him is political.
National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) Guidelines for Eliminating Corporal Punishment in Schools define physical punishment as any action that causes pain, hurt, injury, or discomfort to a child, regardless of its severity. It includes hitting, kicking, scratching, pinching, biting, pulling the hair, boxing ears, smacking, slapping, spanking, hitting with any implement (cane, stick, shoe, chalk, dusters, belt, whip), giving electric shocks, and so on. This includes making children assume an uncomfortable position (standing on benches, standing against the wall in a chair-like position, holding their ears through their legs, kneeling, forcing ingestion of anything, and detention in a classroom, library, restroom, or any enclosed space in the school).
Mental harassment is defined as any non-physical treatment that adversely impacts the academic and psychological well-being of a child. This includes sarcasm, humiliating adjectives, intimidation, derogatory remarks, ridiculing, belittling, and shaming.
NCPCR guidelines for eliminating corporal punishment against children require schools to develop clear-cut protocols and mechanisms to address grievances from students.
A drop box is to be placed where aggrieved individuals can submit their complaints, while anonymity is to be maintained.
The ‘Corporal Punishment Monitoring Cell’ at every school must consist of two teachers, two parents, one doctor, one lawyer (nominated by DLSA), a counselor, an independent child rights activist, and two senior students. The CPMC is responsible for investigating complaints of corporal punishment.
In cases of corporal punishment, parents or caregivers can take advantage of the IPC and JJ Act to file a police complaint, but there are relevant authorities tasked with protecting children in schools.
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and the State Commissions for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCRs) are responsible for monitoring children’s right to education under Section 31 of the RTE Act.
As part of the RTE Act, state governments have also notified block/district level grievance redressal agencies.
edited and proofread by nikita sharma
