Daily Current Affairs, 26th March 2019

1) ISRO Set To Launch 29 Satellites Including EMISAT

•Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch 29 satellites including the primary payload EMISAT, on the first of April. Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-C45 will take off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota tentatively at 9:30 AM carrying the satellites onboard.

•EMISAT has been developed for monitoring radar network by India. EMISAT, weighing 436 kg, is intended for electromagnetic spectrum measurement. It will be placed in an orbit of about 753 km altitude. The customer payloads are from Lithuania, Spain, Switzerland and the US. They will be hurled into space at an altitude of about 505 km.

2) Trump Sign Proclamation Recognising Israel’s Sovereignty Over Golan Heights

•US President Donald Trump has signed a proclamation recognising Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights and told the visiting Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, that Israel has an absolute right to self-defence.

•Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 war but its sovereignty over the territory is not recognized by the international community. Over the past years terrorist groups in southern Syria continued to make the Golan Heights a potential launching ground for attacks against Israel.

3) World’s First Wireless Electric Car Charging Station Introduced By Norway

•Oslo, the capital city of Norway will become the world’s first city to install wireless, induction-based charging stations for its fleet of electric taxis with an aim to have a zero-emission cab system by the year 2023 according to a report by Reuters. Norway wants all new cars to be zero emission by 2025 whereas other nations, like Britain and France, have similar goals for 2040.

4) INS Kadmatt at Langkawi, Malaysia to Participate in LIMA-19

•Indian Navy’s frontline ASW corvette, INS Kadmatt arrived at Langkawi, Malaysia on a 7 days official visit. The ship is scheduled to participate in the 15th edition of Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition, LIMA-19 during the visit. INS Kadmatt was commissioned into the Indian Navy in January 2016.

•The ship would be participating in numerous activities at Langkawi, including the International Fleet Review (IFR) by the Prime Minister of Malaysia, maritime and air demonstration, Sea Exercises with 29 other participating navies, cultural exchange programmes, cross visits to ships, and sporting events.

5) Chinook Helicopters Inducted In Indian Air Force

•The Indian Air Force formally inducted the CH 47 F(I)- Chinook heavy-lift helicoptersinto its inventory at Air Force Station Chandigarh. IAF had signed a contract with M/s Boeing Ltd in September 2015 for 15 Chinook helicopters.

•The first batch of four helicopters has been delivered on schedule and the last batch is to be delivered by March 2020. These helicopters will be deployed in the Northern and Eastern regions of India. The helicopter is capable of airlifting diverse military and non-military loads into remote locations.

6) Indian-Sri Lankan Joint Military Exercise MITRASHAKTI–VI Begins

•The joint training exercise MITRASHAKTI – VI between Indian and Sri Lanka Armykick-started at Diyatalawa in Sri Lanka. An Indian contingent of 120 Army personnel, including 11 officers arrived last evening to take part in the two-week long exercise. The exercise is an annual event held in India and Sri Lanka alternatively.

•MITRASHAKTI is one of the largest bilateral armies to army exercises conducted in the region. Based on the success of previous exercises, it has been recently upgraded from a platoon level engagement to a full Company level engagement.

7) Indian Navy Nuclear, Biological, Chemical Training Facility Launched

•The Indian Navy’s state of the art Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Training Facility (NBCTF) was inaugurated by Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba at INS Shivaji, Lonavala. The training facility has been named ABHEDYA, which means impenetrable in Sanskrit.

•The Goa Shipyard Limited had signed the contract with the Indian Navy for the construction of the facility in March 2016. The new facility is expected to help train personnel of naval ships fitted with nuclear, biological and chemical detection and protection systems.

8) ADNOC Awards Onshore Block To Indian Consortium

•A consortium of two Indian oil companies, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, and Indian Oil Corporation Limited has been awarded the exploration rights for Abu Dhabi’s Onshore Block 1. The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) signed agreements awarding the exploration rights. The award has been endorsed by Abu Dhabi’s Supreme Petroleum Council.