Monday, April 20, 2015

16 April 2015 Daily Current Affairs Updates



1) Nuclear-Capable Agni-III Ballistic Missile test-fired:
--> India on 16 April 2015 test-fired its nuclear-capable Agni-III ballistic missile, with a range of over 3,000 km, from a base in Odisha.
--> The surface-to-surface missile was fired from a launch complex at the Inner Wheeler Island off the coast of Dhamra in Bhadrak district.
--> Agni-III is capable of carrying warheads weighing up to 1.5 tonnes & is a surface-to-surface missile.
--> It is 16 metres in length and weighs 48 tonnes.
--> The missile has a two-stage solid propellant system.

2) Pakistan, Russia to hold first-ever joint military exercise:
--> Pakistan and Russia have agreed to hold first-ever joint military exercises as part of their enhanced defence cooperation.
--> The agreement was reached during a meeting in Moscow between Pakistan defence minister Khawaja Asif and his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu.

3) India and Canada signed nuclear agreement on supply of Uranium:
--> India and Canada on 15 April 2015 signed a nuclear agreement on supply of uranium to India.
--> The agreement was signed between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
--> PM Modi is on a three-day official visit to Canada, which is the first bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister in 42 years.

4) Former Nepal Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa died:
--> Former Nepal Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa passed away at Medanta Hospital on 16 April 2015.
--> Eighty-seven-year-old Mr. Thapa served as Prime Minister of Nepal for five terms, under three different Kings, in a politcal career spanning more than 50 years.
--> In 1966, he was first appointed as Prime Minister under the modified constitution of Nepal.

5) Vijendra Gupta appointed LoP in Delhi Assembly:
--> Bharatiya Janata Party’s legislature party leader Vijendra Gupta was appointed the Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly.
--> A notification to that effect was issued by Delhi Vidhan Sabha Secretary on 16 April 2015.
--> Mr. Gupta, who represents Rohini in the Assembly, said he did not demand the position and the Speaker designated him to the post as per the statute.

6) Susanta Lahiri, a co-creator of element 117, awarded Hevesy Medal:
--> Professor Susanta Lahiri, Chemical Sciences Division, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Kolkata, received the Hevesy Medal Award 2015, on April 12 at the Tenth International Conference on Methods and Applications of Radio-analytical Chemistry.
--> The award is for his outstanding contributions to heavy ion induced radioisotope production, tracer packet technique, converter targets, and green chemistry.
--> The other person to also win the award this year is Professor Kattesh V. Katti of the Cedntre for Radiological Research, University of Missouri, Columia.
--> This premier international award named after George de HEVESY, the 1943- Chemistry Nobel Laureate, for his work on the use of isotopes as tracers in the study of chemical processes, is given to “an individual in recognition of excellence through outstanding, sustained career achievements in the fields of pure as well as applied nuclear and radiochemistry, in particular applications to nuclear analytical chemistry.

7) Navy's new destroyer INS Visakhapatnam to be launched soon:
--> Indian Navy's new destroyer, INS Visakhapatnam, with enhanced capability to operate in nuclear, biological and chemical atmosphere, will be launched in Mumbai on 19 April 2015.
--> The ship is the first of the four follow-up order of the Kolkata class warships and will give a major flip to India's maritime capabilities when it is inducted in 2018.
--> The ship, named Visakhapatnam (Project 15 B), a stealth destroyer, is 65 per cent indigenous and has a number of weapon systems which have been made at home.

8) Neeraj Kumar set to be BCCI's new ACSU chief:

--> BCCI is planning appointment of former Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar as the chief of board's Anti Corruption & Security Unit (ACSU) in place of Ravi Sawani, who is unlikely to get an extension.

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