Morning Filter: ISRO gears up for maiden human space flight programme

1. Israel-Hamas war, day 15 | Israel strikes southern Gaza as Palestinians brace for a ground invasion Palestinians in Gaza reported heavy airstrikes in the southern city of Khan Younis, where civilians had been told to seek safety amid Israel’s bombardment of areas closer to the Israeli border. Ambulances streamed into Gaza’s second largest hospital, already overflowing with patients and people seeking shelter. The U.N. secretary general was at the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza trying to find a way to get badly needed aid into the enclave. 2. ISRO gears up for maiden human space flight programme with launch of test vehicle mission The launch of a single-stage liquid propulsion rocket on Saturday will signal ISRO’s journey towards its ambitious human space flight programme, Gaganyaan, when the first crew module test to ensure the safety of astronauts will be conducted by the space agency at Sriharikota. The 13-hour countdown for the launch of an uncrewed flight test commenced on Friday. 3. PM Modi to attend Scindia School event on Saturday Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in a programme marking the celebration of 125th founder’s day of ‘The Scindia School’ in Gwalior on Saturday. He will lay the foundation stone of a multipurpose sports complex in the school and present its annual awards to distinguished alumni and top achievers, the PMO said. 4. Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif heads to Islamabad on Saturday Nawaz Sharif, also the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo, landed in Dubai late on Thursday and is expected to return to Pakistan on a chartered flight, ending a self-imposed four-year exile in London, Geo News reported. In Pakistan, the Islamabad High Court on Thursday provided temporary relief to Sharif as it granted the 73-year-old former prime minister a protective bail in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia corruption cases until October 24. An anti-corruption court also suspended his arrest warrant in the Toshakhana vehicles case. 5. Cricket World Cup | Smarting from shock losses, England and South Africa look to turn the tide Reeling from upsets in their previous outings, a formidable South Africa will have an upper hand against a faltering England when the two teams meet in a World Cup match in Mumbai on Saturday. 6. Cricket World Cup | Winless Sri Lanka desperate to break shackles against unpredictable Netherlands Having a caused a major upset, the Netherlands will have a spring in their side when they take on a struggling Sri Lanka in the World Cup in Lucknow on Saturday. [logo] The Morning Filter 21 October 2023 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Morning Filter newsletter, your guide from The Hindu on the major news stories and events to follow today. [[Arrow]Open in browser]( [[Mail icon]More newsletters]( Here are the latest updates and the big news stories to follow today 1. Israel-Hamas war, day 15 | Israel strikes southern Gaza as Palestinians brace for a ground invasion Palestinians in Gaza reported heavy airstrikes in the southern city of Khan Younis, where civilians had been told to seek safety amid Israel’s bombardment of areas closer to the Israeli border. Ambulances streamed into Gaza’s second largest hospital, already overflowing with patients and people seeking shelter. The U.N. secretary general was at the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza trying to find a way to get badly needed aid into the enclave. 2. ISRO gears up for maiden human space flight programme with launch of test vehicle mission The launch of a single-stage liquid propulsion rocket on Saturday will signal ISRO’s journey towards its ambitious human space flight programme, Gaganyaan, when the first crew module test to ensure the safety of astronauts will be conducted by the space agency at Sriharikota. The 13-hour countdown for the launch of an uncrewed flight test commenced on Friday. 3. PM Modi to attend Scindia School event on Saturday Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in a programme marking the celebration of 125th founder’s day of ‘The Scindia School’ in Gwalior on Saturday. He will lay the foundation stone of a multipurpose sports complex in the school and present its annual awards to distinguished alumni and top achievers, the PMO said. 4. Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif heads to Islamabad on Saturday Nawaz Sharif, also the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo, landed in Dubai late on Thursday and is expected to return to Pakistan on a chartered flight, ending a self-imposed four-year exile in London, Geo News reported. In Pakistan, the Islamabad High Court on Thursday provided temporary relief to Sharif as it granted the 73-year-old former prime minister a protective bail in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia corruption cases until October 24. An anti-corruption court also suspended his arrest warrant in the Toshakhana vehicles case. 5. Cricket World Cup | Smarting from shock losses, England and South Africa look to turn the tide Reeling from upsets in their previous outings, a formidable South Africa will have an upper hand against a faltering England when the two teams meet in a World Cup match in Mumbai on Saturday. 6. Cricket World Cup | Winless Sri Lanka desperate to break shackles against unpredictable Netherlands Having a caused a major upset, the Netherlands will have a spring in their side when they take on a struggling Sri Lanka in the World Cup in Lucknow on Saturday. 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