1- Indian Coast Guard inductes high-speed patrolling ship Amogh

Indian Coast Guard has inducted a high-speed patrolling ship

Amogh

Amogh into its fleet.

• Amoghwill be stationed off Paradip coast in Odisha.
• It can travel at maximum speed of 63 km per hour
• The ship has facilities like firing gun, rubber boats including one motor-run, GPS system and upgraded radar system.
• Amogh will be utilized by Indian Coast Guard during emergency situations such as accident and natural calamities besides security purposes.

With the induction of this ship, the number of patrolling ships of the Coast Guard reached six.

About Indian Coast Guard

Indian Coast Guard is India’s statutory multi-mission organization that protects country’s maritime interests and enforces maritime law.

It has jurisdiction over the territorial waters of India, including its contiguous zone and exclusive economic zone(EEE).

It was established on 18 August, 1978 by the Coast Guard Act, 1978 and operates under the aegis Ministry of Defence.

2- Dr. M.O. Garg takes charge as Director General of CSIR

Dr M.O. Garg has taken charge as Director General (DG) of the

Dr. M.O. Garg | CSIR

Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR).

He will replace P S Ahuja who had held this post since May 2014.

About M.O. Garg

M.O. Garg is a gold medalist in Chemical Engineering from Nagpur University and has M.Tech degree from IIT Kanpur. He also has completed PhD from University of Melbourne.

Prior to this appointment, he was Director of CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum (CSIR-IIP), Dehradun for the past 11 years.

As of now, Garg is the author for at least 245 papers published in high impact scientific journals and also he has 33 national and international patents to his credit.

He has received two CSIR Technology Awards as well as a CSIR Shield for his commercialization efforts.

About Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR)

CSIR is government’s autonomous research agency, established in 1942.

Presently, CSIR has over 4,500 scientists working across 38 laboratories and employs over 9000 scientific and technical personnel.

The research bodies under CSIR cover science and technology focus areas ranging from aeronautics, instrumentation, mining, environmental engineering and to oceanography, geophysics, chemicals, drugs, genomics and biotechnology.

3- Greek Parliament elects Zoe Konstantopoulou as its new President

Greek Parliament has elected Zoe Konstantopoulou, a member

Zoe Konstantopoulou | President

  of the left wing party Syriza as its new President.

She was elected after receiving a record number of 235 of 300 deputies’ votes in the Parliament. With this win, she has the record of more votes a President of parliament received after the restoration of democracy in Greece in 1974.

She is second woman from Greek to be President of country after Anna Psarouda-Benaki who was elected in 2004. Zoe Konstantopoulou is also the youngest ever elected as President of the Greek Parliament.

About Zoe Konstantopoulou

She is a lawyer by profession and specialized in National, European and International Criminal Law and Human Rights.

She was first elected in the Greek parliament in 2012 with the left wing party Syriza from the First Athens District.

4- UN appoints Nickolay Mladenov as new Special Coordinator for Middle East peace

United Nation’s Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed

Nickolay Mladenov | UN

Nickolay Mladenov of Bulgaria as new Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and Personal Representative to the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority.

He will replace Robert Serry of the Netherlands and oversee the ongoing UN-backed reconstruction efforts in Gaza.

This reconstruction is undertaken by UN, after thousands of people were displaced in July 2014 during the month long Israel-Palestinian conflict.

About Nickolay Mladenov

• Prior to this appointment, he was head of the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI).
• Earlier, he was a Member of the European Parliament for Bulgaria.
• Nickolay Mladenov also has served as Bulgaria’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister of Defence.

5- 2nd prototype of naval variant of LCA-Tejas successfully tested

The Naval Prototype 2 (NP2) of indigenously developed light

LCA Tejas | 2nd prototype

combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas undertook its successful maiden flight in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

This successful maiden flight is considered as significant milestone in the India’s indigenous carrier borne aircraft development programme.

NP2 in its successful flight test showcased its arrested landing and ski-jump take off.

Key facts about Naval Prototype 2 (NP2) of LCA Tejas

• Naval variant LCA Tejas has a complex landing gear design, which is significantly different from the Air Force version of LCA.
• It is designed and developed by the public sector aeronautics company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)
• The NP2 addresses several systemic deficiencies observed in the progress on flight test of Naval Prototype 1 as it is incorporated with most advance avionic hardware components to operate with Navy.
• It is customized for a carrier landing and aided with Levcon Air Data Computer, Auto-throttle, external and internal Angle of Attack lights for carrier landing.
• NP 2 is also incorporated with arrestor hook integration, Derby Beyond Visual Range missile and tactical data link for landing on carrier.

6- IDCO signs MoU with IRE to set up a mineral separation plant in Odisha

State owned Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO) has signed a MoU with public sector Indian Rare Earth Ltd (IRE) to set up a mineral separation plant in Odisha’s Ganjam district.

MoU was signed by IDCO CMD Vishal K Dev and IRE CMD R N Patra in the presence of State Industries minister Devi Prasad Mishra in Odisha.

Key facts

• Cost of mineral separation plant in Odisha’s Ganjam district is pegged at Rs 450 crore.
• This project will be implemented through a Joint Venture (JV) Company, promoted by IDCO and IREL.
• IDCOL will have up to 49 per cent equity shareholding and IRE will have of 51 per cent shareholding in this JV Company.
• This project will play important role in mining and separation of heavy minerals like Limonite, Monazite, Zircon, Rutile, Garnet and Sillimanite obtained from sand from different villages along the Ganjam Coast.
• This project also seeks to produce rare earth and thorium compounds from beach sand extracted from Odhisa’s 470 Kms long beach which is mostly untapped .
• It will be implemented in 2 years and after its completion it will create employment opportunity for 400 people.

7- ICC clears bowling action of Pakistan’s Saeed Ajmal

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has cleared bowling

Saeed Ajmal | bowling action

action of Pakistan’s cricketer Saeed Ajmal.

ICC’s decision comes after retests and remedial work undertaken by Saeed have shown that his bowling action is as per ICC guidelines. Now, he can now resume bowling in international Cricket.

Earlier on 24th January 2015, he had undergone retests for his bowling actions at Sri Ramachandra University in Chennai. At the retests, it was revealed that the amount of elbow extensions of the off-spinner’s bowling action for all deliveries was within the 15-degree level of tolerance permitted under the ICC regulations.

Background

In September 2014, ICC had placed Saeed Ajmal under suspension from bowling in international cricket after an independent analysis had found the bowling action of him to be illegal.

ICC during the ban had mentioned that Ajmal’s bowling deliveries exceeded the 15-degree limit of tolerance permitted under the regulations.

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