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Russia to launch its own orbital station
Roscosmos, Russia's space agency said - it hoped to launch its own orbital station in 2025 as the country considers withdrawing from the International Space Station programme to go it alone.
Russia's Energia space corporation was aiming to have the module "ready for launch" in 2025.
ISS is one of the most ambitious international collaborations in human history - laucnhed in 1998, by Russia, the United States, Canada, Japan, and the European Space Agency collectively.
Russia lost its monopoly for manned flights to the ISS last year after the first successful mission of U.S. company Space X.
Science & Tech
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF)
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has recommended for the second year in the row that the State Department put India on a list (Countries of Particular Concern' or CPCs) for the worst violations of religious freedoms in 2020.
USCIRF has placed India on CPC and watch list in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009 and 2010.
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is a U.S. federal government commission created by the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998.
International Relations
What is "Article 224A" ?
Supreme Court activated a dormant constitutional provision to pave way for appointment of retired High Court judges as ad-hoc ones for a period of two to three years to clear backlog and came out with guidelines to regulate appointments.
Article 224A, used rarely, of the Constitution deals with appointment of ad-hoc judges in High Courts.
It says the Chief Justice of a High Court for any State may at any time, with the previous consent of the President, request any person who has held the office of a Judge of that Court or of any other High Court to sit and act as a Judge of the High Court for that State.
Polity
The World Press Freedom Index - 2021
India is ranked 142nd (unchanged from 142 in 2020) out of 180 countries in the annual "World Press Freedom Index 2021" released by Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF) (Reporters Without Borders).
In 2016, India's rank was 133 which has steadily climbed down to 142 in 2020. The RSF report says India is one of the world's most dangerous countries for journalists trying to do their job properly.
Norway is ranked first continuously for the fifth year followed by Finland and Denmark, while Eritrea is last in the Index at 180th position.
Read More: World Press Freedom Index
Social Issues