India’s first solar observatory, Aditya-L1, successfully reached its destination, Lagrange Point L1, on Saturday. The mission was launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 2 September, and it covered 1.5 million kilometres in four months. The satellite was launched on a PSLV-C57 rocket and carried seven payloads to study the photosphere, chromosphere, and corona, the outermost part of the Sun’s atmosphere.
The Maldivian government on Sunday suspended three deputy ministers who drew flak after they made derogatory comments about Indian PM Narendra Modi. Maldivian government spokesperson Ibrahim Khaleel confirmed that Malsha Sharyf, Mariyum Shiuna, and Abdulla Mahzoom Majid, who made the objectionable and racist remarks, have been suspended. The archipelago nation’s government distanced itself from the remarks after the Indian High Commission in Maldives raised the issue with the authorities.
China announced sanctions on five American defence-related companies on Sunday in response to US sanctions on Chinese companies and its arms sales to Taiwan. In line with China’s Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law, Beijing said it had decided to sanction BAE Systems Land and Armament, Alliant Techsystems Operation, AeroVironment, ViaSat, and Data Link Solutions. “The countermeasures consist of freezing the properties of those companies in China, including their movable and immovable property, and prohibiting organizations and individuals in China from transactions and cooperation with them,” a foreign ministry spokesperson said.
On Saturday, Taiwan’s defence ministry accused China of harassment and trying to impact public morale by repeatedly sending balloons suspected to be for surveillance purposes. According to media reports, Taiwan’s Military News Agency urged Taiwanese people “to clearly understand the Chinese Communist Party’s cognitive combat methods and face it rationally and calmly so as to avoid being affected by it.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Istanbul to address the Middle Eastern and Ukrainian issues, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Saturday. Furthermore, Blinken emphasised the need “to prevent the [Israel-Hamas] conflict from spreading, secure the release of hostages, and expand humanitarian assistance,” Miller said. Further, Blinken and Erdoğan addressed Europe’s security priorities. In addition to Ukraine, these included completing Sweden’s NATO accession and increasing trade and investment between the US and Turkey.
On Sunday, Qatari PM Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani held a press conference in Doha with US State Secretary Antony Blinken. The Qatari PM highlighted the importance of an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, as well as the implications of hostile actions in the Red Sea for regional stability and security. Meanwhile, Blinken asserted that he would bring up the subject of civilian protection during his next visit to Israel, adding that Palestinian civilians should be allowed to return home rather than being forced to leave Gaza.