NATIONAL
1. India successfully test-fired home grown AAD interceptor missile
2. Sudarsan Pattnaik creates Guinness World Record by creating 48.8 feet tall sand castle
3. Shri Ananthkumar inaugurates Orientation Programme for launching of 1000 Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras (PMBJKs)
4. Government appoints IAS officer Ajay Tyagi as Sebi chief for 5 years
5. Aero India 2017 to be held from February 14-18
INTERNATIONAL
6. China releases theme of BRICS Summit
NATIONAL
1. India successfully test-fired home grown AAD interceptor missile
• India successfully test-fired its home grown Advanced Air Defence (AAD) interceptor missile from launching complex-IV of Dhamara Abdul Kalam defence base off Odisha coast this morning.
• The interceptor is a 7.5-metre-long single stage solid rocket propelled guided missile equipped with a navigation system,
• a hi-tech computer and an electro-mechanical activator would intercept a target, mimicking an incoming enemy missile, mid-air.
• Defence sources said today’s test was mainly to assess the weapon’s killing capability.
• The Advanced Air Defence interceptor, dubbed as Ashwin, will destroy the incoming missile in the endo-atmospheric region at a low altitude of less than 30 kilometres.
• The success of the AAD test will boost India strengthen its position in the exclusive club of US, Russia and Israel.
2. Sudarsan Pattnaik creates Guinness World Record by creating 48.8 feet tall sand castle
• Sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has created a Guinness World Record by creating a 48.8 feet tall sand castle at Puri beach in Odisha.
• The record-breaking sculpture was built with a message of world peace, and featured sculptures of Mahatma Gandhi, Gautama Buddha and Nelson Mandela.
• Patnaik achieved the rare feat in four days. The previous record holder, an American, had completed his art of 45.10 feet in seven days.
• Swapnil Dangerkar of the Guinness World Record said, Patnaik's art is the tallest sand castle in the world. The castle will be exhibited on the Puri beach for two more days.
3. Shri Ananthkumar inaugurates Orientation Programme for launching of 1000 Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras (PMBJKs)
• National Yuva Cooperative Society (NYCS) here today, for launching of Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras (PMBJKs) in the country.
• The workshop was targeted to educate and channelize youth to synergize their efforts for taking ahead the mission to open 3000 PMBJKs by March 2017.
• The MoU signed earlier between Bureau of Pharma PSUs of India (BPPI) and NYCS for establishing 1000 PMBJKs in the country,
• the workshop served the purpose of laying the details of the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) threadbare and presented a future model of a PMBJK before the district conveners of NYCS.
• Representatives from 24 States and 106 districts from across the country
4. Government appoints IAS officer Ajay Tyagi as Sebi chief for 5 years
• The government on Friday appointed Ajay Tyagi, a low-profile, senior bureaucrat in the finance ministry to head the Securities and Exchange Board of India, the country's capital markets watchdog.
• Mr Tyagi will replace UK Sinha who will finish his term on March 1, 2017.
• Finance ministry officials describe Mr Tyagi as a no-nonsense bureaucrat with knowledge and experience of financial markets.
• He has been in charge of the capital markets division in the economic affairs department since October 2014 and headed the committee that crafted the draft code on resolution of financial firms
5. Aero India 2017 to be held from February 14-18
The 11th biennial edition of International Aerospace and Defence Exhibition - Aero India 2017 will be held at the Air Force Station, Yelahanka here from February 14-18.
Aero India which began in 1996, has carved a niche for itself as a premium aerospace and aviation exhibition in the international arena and has become one of the most sought after exhibitions in the Asian region in terms of participation from across the globe. The event is being organised and conducted by the Defence Exhibition Organisation (DEO).
The highlights of this year's show are:
(i) Participation from 270 Indian Companies and 279 foreign companies. That is a total of 549 companies.
(ii) The total area of the show has grown from 24,403 sqm to 27,678 sqm this year.
(iii) Number of aircraft participating are 72.
(iv) The gross area has also increased from 2,50,000 sqm to 2,60,000 sqm.
(v) It is expected that two lakh business visitors will attend the show.
INTERNATIONAL
6. China releases theme of BRICS Summit
• China has released the theme and the cooperation priorities of the 2017 BRICS Summit which is scheduled to begin in September, the official media reported on Friday.
• The summit will be held under the theme “BRICS: Stronger Partnership for a Brighter Future,” state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
• It will also feature five key priorities such as deepening cooperation, strengthening global governance, carrying out people-to-people exchanges, making institutional improvements and building broader partnerships.
• The BRICS comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
• The inaugural summit was held in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in 2009. South Africa did not take part in it as the nation was admitted to the group in 2010. So far a total of eight summits have taken place.
