India successfully test-fires BrahMos supersonic cruise missile
- India successfully conducted the first test of the BrahMos cruise missile aimed at increasing its life from 10 to 15 years.
- The missile was test fired from a mobile launcher from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur along the Odisha coast.
- The BrahMos supersonic cruise missile is jointly developed by Russia’s Mashinostroyenia and India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
- It has been named after two rivers - the Brahmaputra River in India, and the Moskva River in western Russia.
CRPF raises ‘Bastariya Battalion’ to combat Naxals activities
- The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has commissioned special unit called ‘Bastariya Battalion’ (numbered 241) to combat Naxals activities in Bastar.
- All candidates are selected from four highly Naxal infested districts in Chhattisgarh - Bijapur, Dantewada, Narayanpur and Sukma.
China launches relay satellite to explore far side of moon
- China has launched a relay satellite, which is part of its programme to explore the dark side of the moon.
- The satellite is named Queqiao, which translates to Magpie Bridge.
- The satellite will be the point of contact for communication between the earth and a probe (called the Chang’e-4 lunar probe) which will be landed on the moon.
- China will be the first nation to land a probe on the far side (or the dark side) of the moon.
- The Chang’e-4 rover will explore the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the moon’s far side.
Government earns Rs 1,400 crore revenue from e-Visa scheme
- The government has earned Rs.1,400 crore so far as revenue from its highly successful e-Visa scheme.
- The e-Visa scheme was launched in 2014.
- It was offered to citizens of 163 countries visiting India as tourists.
- 19 lakh tourists made use of the e-Visa scheme in 2017.
- The e-visa fees are divided into four slabs of zero, $25, $50 and $75.
RIL gets green nod for Rs 2,338 cr expansion project in Maharashtra
- Reliance Industries (RIL) has received environment clearance for the expansion and optimisation of its petrochemical complex at Nagothane in Raigad district of Maharashtra.
- The estimated cost of the project is Rs.2,338 crore.
- The project is for expansion and de-bottlenecking of petrochemical project at Nagothane.
Indian Navy’s all-women crew circumnavigate the globe
- An all-women crew of the Indian Navy completed a circumnavigation expedition in the 55-foot sailing vessel, INSV Tarini, in 8 months.
- It was first-ever all women Asian and Indian circumnavigation expedition of globe.
- The six-member crew began the expedition on September 10, 2017, which covered 21,600 nautical miles, visited five countries and crossed the equator twice.
- The expedition was completed in six legs, with five stopovers. INSV Tarini sailed across four continents and three oceans and passed south of the Great Capes – Leeuwin, Horn and Good Hope.
71st World Health Assembly held in Geneva, Switzerland
- The Indian Delegation was led by Union Health Minister of India, J P Nadda, at World Health Assembly.
- The theme this year is “Health for All: Commit To Universal Health Coverage.”
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