LEGAL NEWS

Parliament Clears Five Maritime Bills to Strengthen India’s Blue Economy

• Parliament passed five key maritime bills in the Monsoon Session to modernize outdated colonial laws.

• These reforms aim to accelerate the growth of India’s blue economy, as highlighted by Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on August 22.

• The Bills of Lading Act, 2025, will simplify documentation processes and improve ease of doing business in maritime trade.

• The Carriage of Goods by Sea Bill, 2025, aligns with international Hague-Visby Rules to reduce legal disputes and foster global trade.

• The Coastal Shipping Bill, 2025, targets a higher modal share, lower logistics costs, and aims to save around ₹10,000 crore annually.

• The Merchant Shipping Bill, 2025, updates the 1958 law to enable faster wreck removal and efficient salvage operations.

• The Indian Ports Bill, 2025, replaces the 1908 Act, empowers state boards, promotes better port governance, and introduces state-level dispute resolution.

SPORTS

Elavenil Valarivan Clinches Gold at Asian Shooting Championship 2025

• Elavenil Valarivan won gold in the women’s 10m air rifle event at the 16th Asian Championship held in Shymkent on 22 August 2025.

• She topped the final with a score of 253.6, marking her second Asian gold after her 2019 victory in Taiwan.

• China’s Xinlu Peng secured silver with 253 points, while Korea’s Eunji Kwon claimed bronze with 231.2.

• Fellow Indian shooter Mehuli Ghosh narrowly missed the podium, finishing fourth with 208.9.

• Valarivan had qualified for the final in eighth place with a score of 630.7.

• Her win marked only the second senior individual gold for India at this championship.

• Earlier, Anantjeet Singh Naruka won India’s first senior gold in men’s skeet, while Manu Bhaker bagged bronze in women’s 10m air pistol.

Tapasya Creates History with India’s First Gold at 2025 U20 World Wrestling Championships

• Tapasya won India’s first-ever gold at the U20 World Wrestling Championships by defeating Norway’s Felicitas Domajeva 5-2 in the 57kg final.

• She advanced to the final after close victories over France’s Romaissa El Kharroubi in the quarters and Japan’s Sowaka Uchida 4-3 in the semis.

• Srishti claimed silver in the 68kg category after falling to Japan’s Ray Hoshino 0-7 in the final, having beaten Germany’s Laura Koehler 7-3 in the semis.

• Priya Malik also reached the final in the 76kg category, dominating Serbia’s Evelin Ujhelji 10-0 in her semi-final bout.

• Reena secured a spot in the 55kg final by overpowering Romania’s Alexandra Voiculescu 11-1 in the semis.

• Sumit Malik earned silver in the men’s 57kg division, narrowly losing 5-8 to Russia’s Magomed Odzamiro in the final.

• India has so far won one gold and two silvers in the 2025 edition, compared to seven medals in 2024, which included a gold by Jyoti Berwal in the women’s 76kg.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

ISRO to Launch Gaganyaan’s First Uncrewed Test Flight in December 2025

• ISRO is set to launch the maiden uncrewed test mission of the Gaganyaan program, labeled G1, by December 2025.

• The update was officially shared by ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan during a media interaction held in New Delhi.

• The G1 mission will include Vyommitra, a semi-humanoid robot developed to replicate human-like actions in a space environment.

• Out of a total of 10,000 validation tests planned for the mission, approximately 7,700 have been successfully executed.

• The remaining tests are expected to conclude by March 2026, completing the preparatory phase of the project.

• This year, ISRO has crossed 196 scientific and technical development milestones, including significant advancements like GLEX-2025 and a new high-power electric propulsion system.

• In collaboration with international partners, India is preparing to launch a 6,500 kg communication satellite for the United States from its launch facility.

• Additionally, over 13 terabits of scientific data from the Aditya L1 solar mission have been made accessible to researchers around the world.

NATIONAL NEWS

Observers Named for Upcoming 17th Vice Presidential Election

• The Election Commission of India has appointed Sushil Kumar Lohani and D. Anandan to oversee the conduct of the upcoming Vice Presidential election.

• Lohani is associated with the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, while Anandan serves under the Ministry of Finance.

• The election is scheduled for the 9th of next month, following the resignation of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar due to health complications.

• This will be India’s 17th Vice Presidential election since independence.

• The Vice President is selected through an Electoral College, comprising members from both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.

• The ruling NDA alliance has nominated CP Radhakrishnan as its candidate for the post.

• The INDIA opposition coalition has fielded former Supreme Court judge B. Sudershan Reddy as their contender.