1) Nuclear-Capable Prithvi-II Missile Successfully Test-Fired
•Prithvi-II is capable of carrying 500-1,000 kilogram of warheads and is thrusted by liquid propulsion twin engines.
2) First-Ever Pelican Festival Held At Atapaka Bird Sanctuary In Andhra Pradesh
•The Andhra Pradesh government has decided to hold the first-of-its-kind, one-day Pelican Festival at the Atapaka Bird Sanctuary on Kolleru.
•Kolleru is one of the largest freshwater lakes in the country. Atapaka village is located on the borders of the Krishna and the West Godavari districts.
3) Sushma Swaraj Visit To Saudi Arabia: Attends Opening Ceremony Of Al-Janadriyah Fest
•External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj attended the opening ceremony of the 32nd Al Jana-driyah festival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. India has been invited as the Guest of Honour country for the festival.
•Mrs Swaraj in her first engagement addressed Indian community members at a reception in Riyadh and spoke about the relations between the two countries. During her three day visit, she will meet with the Saudi leadership to discuss bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest.
4) President Ram Nath Kovind Inaugurates Mahamastakabhisheka Utsav
•The President of India Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the 88th Mahamastakabhisheka Utsav of Lord Gomateshwara in Hassan district of Karnataka.
•Mahamastakabhisheka of Gommateshwara, who is also known as Bahubali takes place once in 12 years. It is an important Jain pilgrimage centre and lakhs of tourists visit Shravanbelagola to see 57 feet tall monolithic stone statue.
5) SpaceX Launches Its Most Powerful Rocket Towards Mars
•The US-based SpaceX has successfully launched the world's most powerful operational rocket Falcon Heavy towards Mars. The rocket, carrying a Tesla Roadster car, will revolve around the Sun in a way that will repeatedly bring it close to the Earth and Mars.
•Falcon Heavy's thrust and capacity are the highest since NASA's Saturn V, which carried astronauts to the Moon. Falcon Heavy successfully lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
6) 6th Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy Statement Released By RBI
•On the basis of an assessment of the current and evolving macroeconomic situation at its meeting, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) decided to keep the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) unchanged at 6.0%.
•Consequently, the Reverse Repo Rate (RRR) under the LAF remains at 5.75%, and the Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate at 6.25%. GVA growth for 2017-18 is projected at 6.6%. GVA growth for 2018-19 is projected at 7.2% overall with risks evenly balanced.
7) CSE Ranked Top Environment Policy Think Tanks In India
•The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has been ranked the top environment policy think tanks in India while it has secured the 16th position in global rankings, climbing up two positions from the last year.
•The rank was given by The Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (TTCSP) of the Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania. In the 'Energy and Resource Policy Think Tanks' category, CSE has been ranked the 2nd in India and 38th in the world. In the 'Best Independent Think Tanks' category, the green body has been ranked 6th and 123rd in the world.
