All in One Current Affairs

Indian Navy and IOCL launch special fuel with reduced carbon footprints

Indian Navy along with the Indian Oil Corporation has succeeded in bringing down its carbon footprint by revising the fuel quality standards. The standards achieved are better than those under the international regulations thus helping in supporting country’s international logistics agreements as well.

A revised technical specification was arrived at consisting of 22 test parameters including critical parameters cetane number, flash point, sulphur content, sediment content, oxidation stability and Cold Filter Plugging Point (CFPP).

The Indian Navy’s present force level comprises about 140 ships and submarines and more than 200 aircraft safeguarding a large coastline of 7516 Kms with 1197 offshore islands and 2.01 million sq kms of Exclusive Economic Zone.

‘Echigo’ Japan Coast Guard Ship arrives in Chennai

The Japan Coast Guard Ship ‘Echigo’ has arrived Chennai on a five-day goodwill visit to participate in the Annual Joint Exercise ‘Sahyog-Kaijin’. Four Indian Coast Guard ships, their aircraft and a vessel from the Chennai-based National Institute of Ocean Technology – NIOT are participating in the exercise along with the Japanese vessel.

The 19th such exercise being conducted between the two Coast Guards since 2000. The exercise is being witnessed by Admiral Takahiro Okushima, Commandant, Japan Coast Guard and the Director-General of Indian Coast Guard Krishnaswamy Natarajan.

It aims at further strengthening bilateral ties and mutual understanding between the two Coast Guards. It is set to enhance interoperability in communication and Search and Rescue procedures and sharing of best practices.

India aces 2019 as no.1 shooting nation in the world

India finished the year 2019 as the top shooting nation in the world, leaving behind Olympic heavyweights China and the USA. India topped all the Rifle-Pistol World Cups and Finals in an unforgettable year by winning 21 gold, 6 silver and 3 bronze.

While India leads with 30 medals overall, China holds the second position with 11 gold, 15 silver and 18 bronze for a total of 44 podium finishes. The USA is placed third with 15 medals including six gold six silver and three bronze.

Albert Roca appointed as the new head coach of Hyderabad FC

Indian Super League side Hyderabad FC is delighted to announce Albert Roca as the club’s new head coach, starting from the 2020-21 season. Albert Roca has signed a two-year deal that will see him at the helm till the end of the 2021-22 season. Albert Roca will advise the new coaching staff for the remainder of the season and will take full charge from the beginning of next season.

The former FC Barcelona assistant coach led Bengaluru FC to the AFC Cup Finals making them the first Indian club to reach the final of a continental competition. In his tenure at BFC, apart from leading the club to an ISL final, the club also won Federation Cup and the Super Cup titles.

Renowned Caricaturist Thomas Antony passes away

Noted caricaturist Thomas Antony (62), passed away early morning due to a massive heart attack on Sunday at Kottackal in Malappuram district. He was the Executive Artist of Metro Vaartha and Secretary, Kerala Cartoon Academy.

Thomas Antony is the recipient of many prominent national and international awards like the United Nations Political Cartoon Award (2007), World Press Cartoon (2018), the Hart Animation Art Award Hyderabad (1998), Hindustan Times Cartoon Award ( 2000), National Film Acadamy Award in (2001), Free Cartoon Award China (2002), and India International Cartoon Award Hyderabad in (2002). 

Statue of Unity finds place in ‘8 Wonders of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’

As announced by External Affairs Minister, Dr. S Jaishankar, Sardar Patel’s 182 meter tall Statue of Unity in Gujarat is included in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s ‘8 Wonders of SCO’ list.

The ‘Statue of Unity‘, the world’s tallest statue, is a monumental tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, independent India’s first home minister as well as deputy prime minister. The statue was inaugurated in October 2018 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the occasion of Patel’s 143rd birth anniversary.

‘Raisina Dialogue’ begins in New Delhi from 14 January

The 5th edition of the prestigious Raisina Dialogue kicked-off in New Delhi on 14 January 2020. The three-day conference will continue till 16 January 2020. The Dialogue has been jointly organized by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Observer Research Foundation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated session.

Raisina Dialogue is India’s flagship global Conference on geopolitics and geo-economics, and also one of the largest gathering of its kind. The Raisina Dialogue 2020 will bring together 700 international participants from over a 100 countries.

The conference will see deliberations over 80 sessions around 5 thematic pillars including – Nationalist impulses challenging global institutions and collective action; Debate on the global trading architecture; Role of technologies in determining political, economic and military power; Global development agenda; and State-individual relationship in the age of digital communities and cyberspace.

‘Classical Telugu Centre’ in Nellore to be inaugurated by Vice President of India

Vice President of India M Venkaiah Naidu will inaugurate the Centre of Excellence for Studies in Classical Telugu (CESCT) in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh on January 21. Union human resource development minister Ramesh Pokhrial will also attend the programme. The CESCT, which is under the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), Mysore, has been shifted to Nellore.

The establishment of the centre in Nellore will facilitate to focus on the development of rich classical Telugu through research, seminars, debates and various activities. In this regard, a one-day group discussion of experts in classical Telugu will also be organised on January 20 by the centre with the participation of classical Telugu experts from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and other parts of the country.

Discussions on various topics concerning classical Telugu and also the preparation of a roadmap for the preservation, propagation, and promotion of classical Telugu will take place. The Vice-President will also participate in the concluding part of the discussions sharing his views on the issues discussed by the experts.

Indian Oil Corporation launches special NATO class diesel for Indian Navy

State-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has developed a special class diesel conforming to North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) grade for use in ships and vessels of Indian Navy. Vice Admiral G S Pabby launched the Upgraded High Flash High-Speed Diesel (HFHSD- IN 512) in presence of IOC Director (R&D) SSV Ramakumar and IOC Director (Refineries) S M Vaidya. Speaking on the occasion, Pabby called the launch of the upgraded diesel a historic day in the partnership of the Indian Navy and IOC.

The fuel possesses the best rheological and detergent characteristics validated against most stringent military specifications. It also has lesser environmental impact due to low Sulphur content and would result in the better performance of engines. The fuel will facilitate the Indian Navy to enhance its global footprint and will allow India to fuel the vessels of friendly foreign countries at places where fuel conforming to NATO grade is supplied.

Armed Forces Veterans Day celebrated on 14th January

The Armed Force Veterans’ Day is celebrated on January 14 every year since 2017 as a mark of respect to and in recognition of the services rendered by Field Marshal KM Cariappa, OBE, the first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army, retired on 14th January 1953.

The day also commemorate the selfless devotion and sacrifice of the veterans who laid down their lives in the defence of the nation. The event is celebrated to strengthen the bond between serving personnel and the veterans. Around 200 personnel attended the event.

Government appoints Michael Patra as the Deputy Governor of RBI

The government has appointed Michael Debaprata Patra as the Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank of India. Michael Debaprata Patra was currently serving as the Executive Director of RBI. He is appointed in place of former deputy governor Viral Acharya. Patra will serve as the deputy governor for three years from the time of his appointment.

As executive director, he was a member of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the RBI, which is invested with the responsibility of monetary policy decision making in India. He will continue to be an ex-officio member of the MPC as deputy governor. As deputy governor, Patra will look after Monetary Policy Department including Forecasting and Modelling Unit (MPD/MU).

ISRO to launch GSAT-30 satellite Using Ariane-5 Launch Vehicle

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch GSAT-30 satellite onboard Ariane-5 launch vehicle (VA 251) from French Guiana, overseas department of France on 17 January 2020.

The GSAT-30 is a communication satellite of India and configured on ISRO’s enhanced I-3K Bus structure to provide communication services from Geostationary orbit in C and Ku bands.

The GSAT 30 will provide high-quality television, telecommunication, and broadcasting services, ensuring continuity of service for INSAT 4A satellite.

Infosys signs five-year deal with GEFCO to digitize global operations

Infosys, a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting has partnered with GEFCO, a world leader in multimodal supply chain solutions and the European leader in automotive logistics, to support its digital transformation over the next five years.

The partnership will help transform the next-generation business application management services. Building upon the foundation of these services, Infosys will also leverage its Live Enterprise Suite to help GEFCO evolve into a ‘Digital Native’ organization. The end objective is to help GEFCO create new sustainable sources of competitive advantage and continuously improve value for its customers.

Amit Shah chairs 6th meeting of the Island Development Agency

Union home minister Amit Shah, chaired the sixth meeting of the Island Development Agency (IDA) on Monday. In the meeting chaired by Shah, the progress made under the “Holistic development of islands” program was reviewed. In the meeting, a detailed presentation was made by the CEO of NITI Aayog highlighting the current status of the planned projects being implemented for the benefit of the islanders.

The status of the implementation of decisions taken in the last meeting were also highlighted in the presentation. The meeting was attended by Lt. Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Admiral D. K. Joshi (retd), administrator of Lakshadweep Dineshwar Sharma, Rajiv Gauba, Cabinet Secretary, Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog among other officials.

Kento Momoto beats Axelsen to lift Malaysia Masters 2020 title

World number one Kento Momota won the Malaysia Masters after easily defeating Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen 24-22, 21-11. The victory in Malaysia lends credence to Momota’s drive to win the gold in July’s Tokyo Olympics.

The reigning world champion told reporters that he eyes more success in 2020. Japanese badminton player, Momota currently the best player on the planet, won a record 11 titles last year.