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.
