INS Tarangini
- INS Tarangini is part of the first Training Squadron based at Kochi, under the Southern Naval Command of the Indian Navy.
- The word Tarangini means ‘the one that rides the waves’.
- It is the first ship of the Indian Navy to have circumnavigated the globe in the year 2003-04.
- It commenced ‘Lokayan-18’ from Kochi, to cover a distance of over 20,000 nautical miles to display the Indian flag at 15 ports across 13 countries.
- During its Lokayan voyage, it will participate in the prestigious ‘tall ship races - 2018’ at Sunderland Port in the UK.
- It has already participated in tall ship races conducted around the world in 2007, 2011 and 2015.
Longest Lunar Eclipse of the Century
- A total lunar eclipse will occur on July 27-28, 2018 with a totality duration of 1 hour 43 minutes which makes it the longest total lunar eclipse of this century (2001 AD to 2100 AD).
- In this eclipse, the Moon will pass through the central part of the Earth’s umbral shadow.
- Longer eclipse – The moon will be at apogee, means at farthest from the Earth in its orbit and will be moving at a slower speed in its orbit.
- This slower moving full Moon will take longer time and greater distance of Earth’s umbral shadow cone to travel, making it the longest duration of total eclipse of this century.
- Brighter Moon - On July 27, the red planet Mars, will also be at opposition, meaning that the Sun and Mars will lie opposite to each other, keeping the Earth in the middle.
- This will result in Mars coming close to the Earth, causing it to appear brighter than normal.
Govardhan Teerth
- Union Tourism Ministry recently sanctions Rs.50 crore for development of Govardhan Parikrama in Mathura under PRASAD scheme.
- The ‘National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Augmentation Drive’ (PRASAD) has been launched by the Ministry of Tourism in the year 2014-15.
- Its objective is holistic development of identified pilgrimage and heritage destinations.
- Click here to know more about PRASAD scheme.
S-400 Air Defence Systems
- India is going ahead with the purchase of S-400 air defence systems from Russia despite American concerns.
- The U.S. has passed the CAATSA (Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act) that proposes to impose sanctions on nations that have significant defence relations with Russia.
- This has generated significant concern in India which is heavily dependent on Russia for military hardware.
- While the U.S. Administration has said waivers will be incorporated in it to protect friends and allies, it is yet to be done.
Swachh Survekshan Grameen
- Government has recently launched the Swachh Survekshan Grameen, 2018.
- It is a nationwide survey of rural India to rank the cleanest and dirtiest States and districts.
- A random selection of 6, 980 villages across 698 districts will be surveyed.
- This is the first comprehensive survey for rural India, which has been launched after three successful editions of a similar survey in urban India.
- The ranking will be based on qualitative and quantitative evaluation.
- The three basic parameters are,
- Direct observation of public places by independent surveyors,
- Service-level progress using data from the Swachh Bharat Mission’s information system and
- Citizens’ feedback.
Resolution 2427
- The UN Security Council has adopted a resolution 2427, which won unanimous approval of the 15 members of the council.
- The resolution aimed at a framework for mainstreaming protection, rights, well-being and empowerment of children throughout the conflict cycle.
- It also condemns attacks against schools and hospitals and the denial of humanitarian access by parties to armed conflict.
- It demands that all relevant parties immediately put an end to such practices and take special measures to protect children.
Source: The Hindu, PIB, Business Standard
