NEWS 26-09-2023. News For 29th-Sep (Friday) *MONTHLY NEWS AUGUST* *National* 1. India became the first country in the world to soft-land (Vikram Lander) on the South Pole of the moon. 2. India's GDP grew by an unexpected 7.8 % in the 1st Quarter of FY 23-24. This is more than the RBI's and World Rater's expectations. 3. The first space-based Indian observatory to study the Sun - *Aditya-L1*, was launched in Sep '2023. 4 India is working on modernizing 1,309 railway stations across the nation & make them world-class travel hubs. 5. Union Health & Family Welfare Minister announced the elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis commonly known as elephantiasis by 2027. 6. India has launched *Urea Gold* - coated with Sulphur, to tackle sulphur deficiencies in the soil. *International* 1. The 15th BRICS Summit commenced on the 22nd Aug under South Africa’s chairmanship, in Johannesburg. BRICS have included Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE to become full members of the bloc from jan 24. This will make BRICS strength grow from 5 to 11 countries. 2. China, the world's second-largest economy, is now facing *deflation* with 21% joblessness among 16 to 24 year olds. 3.USA has declared the Indian Independence Day, August 15, as a National Day. *Sports* 1.Indian duo, Esha Singh and Shiva Narwal, won gold medal at the 10m air pistol mixed event of the ISSF World Championship 2023 at Baku, Azerbaijan. 2.The Indian hockey team defeated Malaysia by 4-3 and won Its fourth Asian Champions Trophy. 3. The Indian women’s compound archery team clinched Indias first ever gold medal at the World Archery Championship held in Berlin, Germany. 4.The Indian women's hockey team won the 100th Anniversary Spanish Hockey Federation defeating hosts Spain 3-0. *Defence* 1. LCA Tejas has successfully fired the ASTRA indigenous Beyond Visual Range air-to-air missile off the coast of Goa. 2. President Droupadi Murmu launched the 6th firigate of Project 17A of the Indian Navy *"INS Vindhyagiri"*, in Kolkata. 3.The IAF has received Israel’s Spike Non-Line of Sight (NLOS) anti-tank guided missiles, a fire-and-forget, anti-tank and anti-personnel missile with an effective range of 32km. 4.Indian Army inducted the lighter and more compact version of the Weapon Locating Radar (WLR) called *Swathi Mountains* to enhance the Army's battlefield surveillance capabilities. 5. The Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), has handed over the first Radio Frequency (RF) Seeker of Akash - the Next Generation Weapon System to DRDO. < < Back