19th April, 2024 Current Affairs

NATIOANL
Vice Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi Appointed As Next Chief Of Naval Staff

• Vice Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi has been appointed as the next Chief of the Indian Navy. He will succeed Admiral R Hari Kumar who is retiring on 30th of this month. Prior to taking over as Vice Chief of the Naval Staff, Mr Tripathi has served as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command.
•  A Communication and Electronic Warfare specialist, he has served on frontline warships of the Navy as Signal Communication Officer and Electronic Warfare Officer, and later as the Executive Officer and Principal Warfare Officer of Guided Missile Destroyer INS Mumbai. He commanded the Indian naval ships Vinash, Kirch and Trishul.
• Vice Admiral Tripathi is a recipient of the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and the Nausena Medal for devotion to duty.

Also Read: April 18th Current Affairs Quiz: Top GK Questions and Answers

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INTERNATIONAL
European Union Leaders Agrees To Impose New Sanctions On Iran After Its Attack On Israel By Drones And Missiles

• European Union leaders have agreed to impose new sanctions on Iran after its attack on Israel by drones and missiles. The decision came as EU leaders gathered for a two-day summit in Brussels. The EU leaders in their statement from the summit also urged all parties to exercise the utmost restraint and to refrain from any action that may increase tensions in the region.
• The union felt it was very important to do everything to isolate Iran and new sanctions against the Islamic Republic would target companies involved in the production of drones and missiles.
• Iran launched an unprecedented drone and missile onslaught over the weekend against Israel, which caused little damage after most of the projectiles were intercepted.
• Germany, France and several EU states are looking at expanding a scheme that seeks to curb the supply of Iranian drones to Russia to include the provision of missiles and cover deliveries to Iranian proxies in the Middle East.

HEALTH
Nigeria Becomes First Country to Roll Out New Meningitis Vaccine

• Nigeria has become the inaugural nation to introduce the innovative Men5CV vaccine, recommended by the WHO, targeting five strains of meningococcal bacteria. This historic milestone holds immense promise in combating meningitis, a severe threat in Africa, particularly in Nigeria.
• The vaccine rollout, funded by Gavi, is a crucial step towards achieving the WHO’s goal of eliminating meningitis by 2030.
• The Men5CV vaccine offers a comprehensive defense against the five major meningococcal strains, presenting a substantial improvement over existing vaccines, which typically target only one strain. This advancement has the potential to drastically reduce meningitis cases and propel progress towards its eradication.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Indigenous Technology Cruise Missile successfully flight-tested by DRDO off the Odisha coast

• Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted a successful flight-test of Indigenous Technology Cruise Missile (ITCM) from the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur off the coast of Odisha on April 18, 2024.
•  During the test, all subsystems performed as per expectation.
• The missile performance was monitored by several Range Sensors like Radar, Electro Optical Tracking System (EOTS) and Telemetry deployed by ITR at different locations to ensure complete coverage of the flight path.
• The flight of the missile was also monitored from the Su-30-Mk-I aircraft of the Indian Air Force.
• The missile followed the desired path using way point navigation and demonstrated very low altitude sea-skimming flight. This successful flight test has also established the reliable performance of the indigenous propulsion system developed by Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE), Bengaluru.
• The missile is also equipped with advanced avionics and software to ensure better and reliable performance. The missile is developed by Bengaluru-based DRDO laboratory Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) along with contribution from other laboratories and Indian industries. The test was witnessed by many senior scientists from various DRDO laboratories along with the representatives from the production partner.

Published date : 20 Apr 2024 12:49PM