A novel celestial object has caught the attention of sky observers: a toolbag adrift in space around Earth. In the course of a rare all-female spacewalk executed by NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara on November 1, their toolbag slipped away, according to NASA. The astronauts, both on their inaugural spacewalk, were conducting repairs on components that enable the ISS solar arrays to continually track the sun, as documented by SciTechDaily. 

“During the activity, one tool bag was inadvertently lost. Flight controllers spotted the tool bag using external station cameras. The tools were not needed for the remainder of the spacewalk. Mission Control analysed the bag’s trajectory and determined that the risk of recontacting the station is low and that the onboard crew and space station are safe with no action required,” said NASA on its blog.

The toolbag, resembling a white satchel, exhibits surprising brightness, just below the threshold of visibility to the naked eye. This brightness allows observers to spot it using binoculars, with a visual magnitude of around 6, slightly less bright than the ice giant Uranus, according to EarthSky. To track the bag, observers can locate the ISS, the third-brightest object in the night sky, using NASA’s Spot the Station tool. The bag orbits Earth two to four minutes ahead of the ISS.

Japanese astronaut Satoshi Furukawa spotted the bag floating over Mount Fuji last week, confirming its tracking, as noted by astronaut Meganne Christian. The lost toolbag is expected to remain in orbit for some months before descending rapidly and meeting its demise in Earth’s atmospheric inferno. Preliminary estimates suggest the toolbag should reenter the atmosphere around March 2024, according to EarthSky.

Last seen by @Astro_Satoshi while floating over Mount Fuji ? the ‘Orbital Police’ can confirm that the lost EVA gear is being tracked ? https://t.co/wz4MITmAfM pic.twitter.com/eksfu9fPFw

— Dr Meganne Christian (@astro_meganne) November 5, 2023

This incident is not the first time an object has been lost in space, nor is it the first occurrence of a lost toolbag. In 2008, Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper experienced a similar incident during an attempt to repair a damaged part on the ISS, altering plans for subsequent spacewalks. Additionally, in 2006, astronaut Piers Sellers lost his spatula while testing a heat shield repair technique.

Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Sunday said if the Congress retains power in Chhattisgarh, women will be given an annual financial assistance of Rs 15,000 in the state.

The announcement, which comes ahead of the second phase of Chhattisgarh elections scheduled on November 17, is being seen as a counter to the opposition BJP’s promise in its poll manifesto of giving Rs 12,000 per year to married women.

“Today, on the auspicious occasion of Diwali, with the blessings of Maa Lakshmi ji and Chhattisgarh Mahtari, an important decision has been taken for women empowerment,” Mr Baghel told reporters in Raipur.

After the Congress government is formed again in Chhattisgarh, women in the state will be provided an annual assistance of Rs 15,000 directly into their bank accounts under the “Chhattisgarh Gruha Lakshmi Yojana”, he said.

Mr Baghel also wished people of the state on Diwali.

The first phase of polling in 20 out of the total 90 assembly seats in the state was held on November 7. The remaining 70 seats will see voting on November 17. 

The Bihar government has warned of strict disciplinary action, including cancellation of appointment of newly recruited teachers if they form any ‘association’, or become part of it, and indulge in any form of protest against the policies of the Education department.

In a stern directive to newly appointed teachers, the Education Department in a statement on November 11 said around 1.2 lakh teachers, who cleared the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) recruitment exam 2023 received ‘provisional appointment letters’ on November 2.

The statement said they have not been allotted postings so far, nor they have started teaching in schools. But it has come to the notice that some of them have formed an association or become part of it and are criticising the Education department’s policies. It is a grave misconduct under the Bihar Government Employees Conduct Rules-1976.

“… they must refrain from indulging in such activities. The department will initiate strict disciplinary action, including cancellation of their provisional appointments with immediate effect if they are found guilty”, the department said.

It said that “Teachers selected from BPSC should not form any kind of union nor be a part of it. The attention of these school teachers has been drawn to Paragraph 7 of Section 17 of the Code of Conduct of Bihar School Teachers Rules 2023. Under this, Bihar Government Servants Code of Conduct 1976 applies to all school teachers”.

“The provisionally appointed teachers have formed an association… Formation of this association is illegal… This illegal association has also got its letterpads printed. The department has sought an explanation from an office-bearer of this association, who is a newly recruited teacher… Provisional appointment of such teachers can be cancelled with immediate effect”, said the department.

Despite repeated attempts, Bihar Education Minister Chandrashekhar was not available for his comments.

Commenting on the Education Department’s statement, Raju Singh, convener of TET Primary Teachers’ Association told PTI on Sunday, “We are in support of this decision of the Education Department. The newly recruited teachers, whose appointments are provisional in nature, can’t form or become part of an unregistered association….it’s illegal. They can do it only after the completion of their probation period. Everybody has the right to express his or her views, but it should be as per the provisions of the law and government employees conduct rules.”

As many as 1.20 lakh candidates cleared the examination held by the BPSC for 1.70 lakh posts of teachers in the state. The appointment letter distribution events were held in Patna Gandhi Maidan besides every district of the state. The BPSC conducted the Bihar Teachers Recruitment Exam 2023 on August 24, 25, and 26, in the offline mode. The exam was conduc