For Chandrayaan-4, India May Head Back To Moon's "Gold Rush Zone"

India has opened the world's eyes to the Moon's south polar "gold rush region". Now Chandrayaan 4 - the first ambitious lunar sample return mission, likely around 2028 -- homes in on same region to land. From Shiv Shakti Point to Mons Mouton Mountain, the Indian Space Research Organisation or ISRO is now narrowing down potential landing zones near the Moon's tallest mountain.

India had drawn global attention to the Moon's south polar region nearly two decades ago. Now it could be the landing pad for its most ambitious lunar mission yet -- Chandrayaan 4 - which aims to bring pieces of the Moon back to Earth.

Scientists at ISRO say they have identified a promising cluster of potential landing sites close to Mons Mouton, the Moon's highest mountain and one of the most scientifically intriguing regions near the South Pole.

Using ultra sharp images from the Chandrayaan 2 orbiter, researchers have been quietly mapping hazards, slopes and sunlight conditions to zero in on terrain, which offers both safety and scientific payoff.

The move marks a significant moment in India's long and increasingly influential relationship with the lunar South Pole -- a region now seen globally as the Moon's most valuable real estate because of its ancient geology and the possibility of water ice locked in permanently shadowed craters.

India's Long South Pole Connection

India is the only country to have reached the lunar South Polar region three times. Chandrayaan 1's Moon Impact Probe struck close to the South Pole in 2008, sending back data that would soon change lunar science. Chandrayaan 2 followed in 2019 but crash landed during its final descent. In 2023, Chandrayaan 3 achieved a historic soft landing at Shiv Shakti Point, making India the first nation to land safely so close to the South Pole.

That continuity matters. It also underpins India's quiet but firm scientific claim to the region -- a claim rooted not in geopolitics but in discovery.

It was Chandrayaan 1 that, for the first time, detected clear signatures of water molecules on the Moon's surface. That single finding reshaped global lunar priorities. Since then, American, Chinese, Russian and private missions have all set their sights on the South Pole, hoping to tap water or ice that could one day support human habitats, fuel production and deep space missions.

In many ways, India opened the door to what is now widely described as the south polar gold rush.

Why Mons Mouton Matters

The focus on Mons Mouton is no coincidence. Rising dramatically above the surrounding terrain, the mountain sits in a region that balances competing demands: scientific richness, long periods of sunlight for solar power, and relatively gentle slopes for landing.

ISRO scientists have used high resolution stereo images, sharp enough to spot boulders barely a third of a metre across, to assess multiple candidate sites around the mountain. From these, a handful of kilometre scale zones have emerged as strong contenders, with one area standing out for having fewer hazards, smoother terrain and more consistently sunlit patches. The site being examined closely is called MM1located at about 86 degrees latitude which has the minimum hazards for a robotic soft landing.

For Chandrayaan 4, landing safety is not just about touching down. It is about taking off again.

A Mission Unlike Any India Has Flown Before

Chandrayaan 4 will be India's first mission to collect samples from the Moon and return them to Earth, a feat achieved so far by only a few countries. The spacecraft will land near the South Pole, scoop and drill lunar soil, seal the samples, and then launch an ascent module from the Moon's surface to rendezvous in lunar orbit.

The samples will eventually be brought home inside a re entry capsule, splashing down or landing on Indian soil for detailed laboratory analysis.

This leap builds directly on Chandrayaan 3, which proved that India could land precisely, operate robotic systems on the surface and even perform short "hops" with a lander. Chandrayaan 4 adds entirely new layers of complexity -- lunar lift off, docking in orbit, contamination free sample handling and a controlled return through Earth's atmosphere.

ISRO plans to launch the mission using two heavy lift Launch Vehicle Mark 3 or LVM3 rockets, assembling the spacecraft in Earth orbit before sending it onward to the Moon.

Why Samples Matter

Lunar samples tell stories that orbiters and surface instruments cannot. The Apollo and Soviet Luna missions returned material decades ago, but mostly from geologically similar regions. China's Chang'e 5 mission filled one important gap by bringing back younger volcanic material.

The South Pole represents something different: ancient, largely untouched lunar crust, potentially mixed with volatiles preserved for billions of years. Studying such samples could help scientists reconstruct how the Moon formed, how it cooled, and how water and other elements moved across its surface over time.

Once on Earth, the samples will be examined not just with today's instruments, but with technologies yet to be invented, ensuring their scientific value lasts for generations.

Setting Stage For The future

Chandrayaan 4 is expected to fly around 2028, and ISRO is already looking beyond it. Follow on missions, including Chandrayaan 5 in collaboration with Japan, are expected to deepen India's presence in the same south polar neighbourhood. 

The Indo-Japanese mission -- often called LUPEX -- will also target to land in the South Polar Region but hopefully closer to the South Pole itself and look directly for water ice.

Together, these missions will also serve a larger goal: preparing India for human exploration beyond low Earth orbit. The technologies being tested, autonomous docking, precision navigation, safe re entry, are essential stepping stones toward one day landing Indian astronauts, or Gaganyatris, on the Moon and bringing them back safely hopefully by 2040.

Nearly twenty years after Chandrayaan 1 changed how the world looks at the Moon, India is once again shaping the next phase of lunar exploration. This time, it is not just opening eyes, it is choosing where to dig.

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"Trade Negotiation A Two-Way Thing": Amul Chief Allays Farmers' Concerns

The India-US trade deal has sparked huge concern among the country's farmers, who feel that cheaper American products coming into the country will add to the challenges they face. The dairy sector, however, feels that those concerns might be misplaced. 

In an exclusive interview with NDTV, Amul's Managing Director  Jayan Mehta said the agreement strongly protects the farmers and the agriculture sector and give them invaluable access to the US market. 

"Market access is a very important part and a trade negotiation is always a two-way thing," he told NDTV. 

"The negotiations were necessary to get larger market access and that was done with this deal. More importantly, the tariffs also coming down from 50 to 18 per cent, will bring in the Indian products, getting better access to those markets and paving a way for the brighter future for all those associated with this sector," he added. 

"One of the key important aspects of the dairy industry and the livestock sector is cattle feed," he said, citing the example of Amul which works with 36 lakh farmers across 18,600 villages of Gujarat and collect and handle about 350 lakh litres of milk every day. 

One of the things Amul needs, he said, is to provide good quality cattle feed, which has a "combination of variety of agricultural-based ingredients like de-oiled rice bran, which comes after the extraction of oil from the husk of the paddy, to maize, rapeseed extractions and molasses".

"At Amul, we have about 8 plants manufacturing close to 12,000 tonnes of cattle feed every day," he said, but even here, India is not importing items for which there is little use, he said, giving the example of DDGS (Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles), a little of which is used in cattle feed.

India has also abundance availability of DDGS because we also started manufacturing ethanol from maize... but you cannot use more than 3 to 4% of DDGS in this.  So, there is no practical advantage of having that commodity coming into the country under the free trade agreement," he said.

"So, per se, there is nothing to worry for the cattle feed sector, for the dairy sector and for the farm sector... announced in the recent trade negotiation," he added.

The famer organisations of the country -- spearheaded by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha and All India Kisan Sabha -- have announced a one-day strike on February 12.

In a statement, the SKM alleged that the deal was a "total surrender" of Indian agriculture and farmers to American multinational corporations. 

"The framework is an abject rejection of the claim of the Commerce Minister that the agriculture and dairy sectors are out of the Free Trade Agreements (FTA) and the Government of India will not make any compromise on the interests of agriculture," read a statement from the farmers' groups.

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Video Shows 3 Men Catcalling Northeast Woman At Temple, Internet Fumes

A disturbing video documenting three men catcalling and following a woman while she was walking to a temple in India has surfaced on social media. The incident has sparked significant outrage and debate regarding women's safety. Chiro, who is from Northeast India, shared the video on Instagram, opening up about the incident. She mentioned that the men assumed she didn't understand Hindi. She wrote, "They thought I didn't understand Hindi, and, to be honest, this is so f wrong but then also, these kinds of things are happening to me just because I look a little different."

In the video, she's heard saying, "The weirdest species in the world would be Indian men when they see a girl walking alone. I'm on my way to the temple, and these guys have been catcalling me non-stop." The video shows three men following her, smiling, singing a Bollywood song loudly, and gesturing towards the camera. Despite being filmed, the three men continued to follow her. She clarified later that she only felt safe once she stopped and waited for friends to join her.

Here's the video:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Chiro (@chiro_diaries)

Chiro also addressed accusations of staging the video for attention. She explained her reason for posting was to address the situation, not seek publicity. She also mentioned she's smiling in the video because she wanted to handle it calmly, and people shouldn't expect her to cry on camera.

Social Media Reaction

The video sparked outrage and concern, with many commenting on the men's audacity to harass a woman in a public space with no fear of consequences. Many also praised Chiro for her courage, noting how many wouldn't have dared to record the incident. One user wrote, "I will say again upbringing, morals, environment along with education on etiquette is what men in India need every sec."

Another commented, "The fact that they aren't even threatened of you recording their inappropriate behaviour they still have the audacity to smile seeing the camera. The country is never going to 'progress' when women can't even walk around freely."

A third user stated, "The audacity of these type of men is scary."

"Bro, this is honestly terrifying to me. I don't think I would've had the courage to record it like you did; you are really brave. It's even scared me how normalised this has become at this level that they don't even feel shame anymore because they know the justice system rarely holds them accountable," a fourth added. 

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T20 World Cup Points Table: India Take Huge Net Run-Rate Lead Over Pakistan

Suryakumar Yadav batting just like he does and Mohammed Siraj's incisive first spell headlined defending champions India's scratchy 29-run win against the United States of America despite a stunning top-order collapse in the opening encounter of the T20 World Cup on Saturday. A veteran of many-a-battle here at the Wankhede Stadium, Suryakumar's 49-ball unbeaten 84 was a blend of fine rescue act and a defiant counter-attack against a USA attack that proved to be more than mere pushovers. The Indian captain garnered all his experience of playing at his home ground, reaped rich dividends for being patient but more importantly, disciplined, as plucky USA had India on the mat at 77 for 6 at one stage in the first half.

But Suryakumar's late onslaught which had 10 fours and four sixes after being dropped on 15, took India as far as 161/9 after being precariously placed at 128/7 after 18 overs.

USA, in reply, finished at 132/8 in a meek response with the bat, especially in comparison to their first-innings show in which bowlers kept the high-flying Indians on a tight leash and held on to their catches.

Siraj, who joined the team late Friday evening, came in as a replacement for an indisposed Jasprit Bumrah and bowled a fuller Test match length to take two wickets in his first spell and ended with 3/29 in 4 overs. Once USA were 13 for 3 within fourth over, they didn't have a chance to surpass the middling total. USA's fight petered out with Siraj accounting for openers Andries Gous (6) and Saiteja Mukkamalla (2) and Arshdeep Singh (2/18) removing skipper Monank Patel for a duck.

From 13/3 in the fourth over, USA stitched multiple partnerships but never really got back on track of their chase. Milind Kumar (34), Sanjay Krishnamurthi (37) and Shubham Ranjane (37) played useful knocks which only reduced the margin of defeat.

None of them could really dominate and once Varun Chakravarthy (1/24) and Axar Patel (2/24) took charge of the post Powerplay overs giving only 48 runs and taking three wickets in those eight overs. Earlier, Suryakumar stood tall with a 49-ball innings, single-handedly driving India out of woods after a stunning collapse saw them reeling at 77 for six in the 13th over.

South Africa born Shadley van Schalkwyk returned with figures of 4-0-25-4 as India's famed batting line-up, barring Suryakumar, endured a horrendous outing with the bat and were in real trouble of being restricted for an under-par total.

The writing was perhaps on the wall when India failed to find a run on the first four balls of the innings with USA not giving any room for the Indian batters to free their arms.

While Ishan Kishan (20) smacked a six off the fifth ball to get rolling, the first blow to India came when Abhishek Sharma fell for a first-ball duck in the second over.

The world No. 1 Abhishek hit Ali Khan's delivery straight to Sanjay Krishnamurthi at deep cover, and for the first of the several times in the night the Wankhede Stadium fell silent.

The fielding set by US skipper Monank was top notch as he positioned fielders straighter than finer.

Tilak Varma (25) broke the shackles when he danced down to hit a straight off Saurabh Netravalkar (0/65) in the third over and went after van Schalkwyk for three fours in the next and it looked like India were finally up and running.

However, Ishan, having smacked Ali off his pads for a spectacular six, failed to make the most of a dropped catch and hit one straight to mid-on off van Schalkwyk on the first ball of the sixth over.

Van Schalkwyk couldn't believe his luck when Tilak failed to time a pull off a short ball off one that rose more than he expected, giving catching practice to USA captain Monank Patel.

Shivam Dube (0) is no stranger to the Wankhede wicket but the burly all-rounder was totally outfoxed by an innocuous slow bouncer failing to check his stroke.

Looking completely clueless, Dube was caught in an awkward approach during the time of connection with the ball flying to Netravalkar at short fine leg.

Rinku Singh (6 off 14 balls) couldn't control his first attacking stroke which went straight to long-on off Mohammad Mohsin (4-0-16-1). Hardik Pandya (5) fell to former Mumbai left-arm spinner Harmeet Singh (4-0-26-2) while trying to clear the sweeper cover, and Axar Patel (14) in his bid to get some late quick runs.

With the onus of getting India out of trouble once again solely on him, Suryakumar dug in deep to farm the strike and rarely missed connecting on the shots that have been his trademark.

Being the only Indian batter to have understood the nature of the wicket completely, Suryakumar opened up finally in the last two overs. He collected 34 runs off those, which included 21 in the last from Netravalkar.

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Sub-Contractor Knew Delhi Biker Fell Into Ditch, Did Nothing To Help: Cops

A sub-contractor has been arrested after a biker fell to his death in a pool-sized pit dug by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) in Janakpuri, officials said Saturday. 

A probe revealed that the sub-contractor, Rajesh Prajapati, was allegedly alerted about the accident hours before police received information about it, but he failed to take any action, officials said.

Twenty five-year-old Kamal Dhyani, a resident of Kailashpuri and an employee of a private bank, was returning home late Thursday night from his workplace in Rohini when he fell into the deep pit and died. His body, along with his motorcycle, was found inside the ditch the next morning.

A family passing through the area the previous night had noticed that the victim had fallen into the pit. They immediately alerted a security guard deployed at the site. 

The security guard informed a junior staff member the same night, stating that a person had fallen into the pit, police said.

The junior staff member then called Prajapati at around 12.22 am and asked him to reach the spot. Prajapati subsequently arrived at the site and saw a motorcycle and the man inside the pit but he didn't inform anyone and went back home, officials said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Darade Sharad Bhaskar said Prajapati knew that someone had fallen into the pit, hours before the matter came to the police's notice.

Call detail records showed that Prajapati was informed about the incident at around 12:22 am, following which he reached the spot within 15-20 minutes, the police said.

However, Prajapati neither informed the police nor any emergency authority at that time. Information about the incident reached police only the next morning around 8 am, Bhaskar said.

Kamal's twin brother, Karan Dhyani, said the family had visited several police stations, including Dabri, Vikas Puri and Sagarpur, while searching for him during the night but received no assistance.

"It has been more than 24 hours since my brother's death, and the police are still saying they are looking for cameras," Karan said, alleging negligence on the part of the DJB.

He further claimed that there were no warning boards, reflectors or barricades at the time the pit was dug.

A 20-foot-deep pit without proper barricading led to Kamal Dhyani's death, the lawyer representing the victim's family said on Saturday, alleging "complete carelessness" by the Delhi Jal Board and delays by police in collecting crucial evidence, including CCTV footage.

"The pit was not covered properly, nor was any barricading placed around it to warn commuters," the victim's lawyer said, adding that potholes were present across the Janakpuri area.

"The Delhi Jal Board showed complete carelessness," the lawyer added. 

On Friday, the Delhi government suspended three Delhi Jal Board (DJB) officials -- an executive engineer, assistant engineer and junior engineer. 

The same day, an FIR was registered at Janakpuri police station under Section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against the contractor and concerned DJB officials.

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In Wargame Simulation, Russia Invades A European Country. Then This Happens

European governments are stepping up military planning amid rising fears that Russia may move against NATO or European Union countries sooner than expected. Europe may not be fully prepared to respond to such a threat, a recent wargame has revealed.

The Baltic states, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, are considered key risk areas. 

The wargame, held in December by Germany's Die Welt newspaper and the German Wargaming Center at Helmut Schmidt University, simulated a Russian incursion into Lithuania in October 2026.

It involved former senior German and NATO officials, lawmakers, and security experts. Wargames are designed to identify gaps, risks, and possible outcomes without real fighting.

In the simulation, Russia used a claimed humanitarian crisis in its Kaliningrad exclave to justify taking over the Lithuanian city of Marijampole, a transport hub near the borders of Poland and Belarus. The narrative created enough uncertainty for the United States to avoid invoking NATO's Article 5.

The article says - if one NATO member is attacked, it is considered an attack on all members. Each member must take action to help defend the attacked country.

Germany hesitated in the exercise. Poland mobilised its forces but did not cross into Lithuania. A German brigade already deployed in Lithuania failed to intervene after Russian drones laid mines on roads leading from its base.

Marijampole, a town of about 35,000 people, is at an important road crossroads. It links the Via Baltica highway to Poland with the road from Belarus to Russia's Kaliningrad region. Lithuania has to keep this road open for Russian traffic under a treaty, which makes the town strategically important.

European defence officials say the risk of a Russian move has increased due to tensions with US President Donald Trump over Ukraine, Greenland, trade, and wider transatlantic issues.

Russia has also shifted to a war-driven economy. They have sharply increased weapons production, military recruitment and defence spending. Officials say this expansion goes well beyond the immediate needs of the war in Ukraine. They believe Russia is building the capacity to challenge NATO directly, as per The Wall Street Journal.

Earlier assessments in Berlin and other European capitals held that Russia would not be able to threaten NATO before 2029. That timeline is now under review. Many officials believe Russia could act much sooner, possibly before Europe completes its ongoing defence buildup.

“Our assessment is that Russia will be able to move large amounts of troops within one year,” the Netherlands Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans said in an interview. “We see that they are already increasing their strategic inventories, and are expanding their presence and assets along the NATO borders.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin has spoken of restoring Russia's historic power. This raises concerns in countries that were once under Russian control. All three Baltic nations have been NATO and EU members for about two decades.

Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, it has also increased hybrid attacks across Europe. In Poland, authorities have investigated several infrastructure-related incidents. In Ukraine, Russian strikes have repeatedly damaged the power grid, forcing civilians to adapt, especially during winter months.

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Curiosity Rover Reconnects After Solar Conjunction, Begins Critical Organic Search on Mars

NASA’s Curiosity rover has resumed science operations after solar conjunction, returning to a previous drill site for a rare organic chemistry experiment. Using its final supply of TMAH, Curiosity will analyse Martian rock samples for signs of organic molecules while also monitoring dust and atmospheric conditions inside Gale Crater.

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