1. The Supreme Court emphasized balancing development and environmental protection, highlighting that the right to industrialization and development is a fundamental right alongside the right to a clean environment, guaranteed under Articles 14, 19, and 21. The verdict upholds sustainable development while ensuring judicial interference is limited in approved projects.
2. ISRO and the Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL) have developed two indigenous 32-bit microprocessors, Vikram 3201 and Kalpana 3201, designed for space applications. Vikram 3201 is India’s first fully indigenous microprocessor for launch vehicles, while Kalpana 3201 is a versatile SPARC V8 RISC microprocessor compatible with open-source software.
3. New Zealand Prime Minister said he looks forward to signing a free trade agreement with India in 60 days, a move which is expected to increase bilateral trade by 10 times over ten years.
4. American astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore will return to Earth on Wednesday after the longest-ever unscheduled stay in space.