NEWS 24-02-2019. NEWS FOR 25-FEB (MONDAY) February 19 Week 3 · The Aero India 2019 was inaugurated at the Air Force Station, Bengaluru, with a tagline, ‘’The Runway to a Billion Opportunities’’. This is a biennial air show and aviation exhibition organised by the Ministry of Defence. · U.S. President Donald Trump has directed the Pentagon to create a Military Space Force. This force will be the sixth branch of the U.S. military, to go along with the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines & Coast Guard. · The Indian Air Force (IAF) has received the Final Operational Clearance (FOC) standard certification for Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas from DRDO. The DRDO’s FOC certification testifies the combat readiness of Tejas. · The Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) has received clearance from the Ministry of Defence for the production of 114 ‘Dhanush’, long range artillery guns, under Make In India programme. · Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has unveiled ‘state-of-the-art’ domestically produced submarine ‘Fateh’, which is capable of firing cruise missiles. · In retaliation to the Pulwama attack, Indian Govt has removed the MFN (Most Favouvered Nation) status from Pakistan. It has also imposed 200% of Excercise duty on items being imported from Pakistan. It has also decided to snap all sports engagement with the nation. Week 2 · At least 37 CRPF personnel were martyred in J&K’s Pulwama district when a terrorist rammed an explosive laden car into the bus. Jaish-e-Mohammad, a Pakistan based terror group has claimed responsibility for the attack. · In a major boost for the Indian Air Force’s unmanned warfare capability, the Defence Ministry has approved 54 Israeli HAROP attack drones which can crash into high-value military targets to destroy them completely. · India is all set to produce 7.5 lakh Kalashnikov rifles in a joint venture with Russia. The AK-203, a derivative of the AK-47 will be manufactured by the Ordinance Factory Board in a joint venture with a Russian firm. The new rifles will be used by the troops deployed at the borders & will replace the INSAS rifles which were inducted in 1978. · The Indian Air Force is in advance talks with Russia for an urgent procurement of MiG-29 fighters that can be delivered promptly. The plan is to acquire 21 aircrafts to make a new squadron of MiG 29 jets. · In a major boost for the operational capabilities of the Indian Airforce, American aerospace major, Boeing delivered the first batch of 4 Chinook helicopters to India. The heavy-lift helicopters will be used by the Air Force to move & transport troops, cargo, artillery, ammunition supplies and equipment across the length & breadth of the country. Week 1 · The UK home secretary has ordered the extradition of Vijay Mallya over allegations of £1bn fraud. The UK home secretary noted that Vijay Mallya, a Fugitive Economic Offender is accused in India of conspiracy to defraud, making false representations and money laundering offences. · Azim Premji, Chairman of Wipro Ltd will be felicitated with the Ernst & Young Lifetime Achievement Award. EY is a multinational professional services firm and is one of the “Big Four” accounting firms.India’s Mithali Raj became the first woman to play 200 ODI matches with her 200th match appearance against New Zealand. < < Back