2 February Updates Conti.

1) Asia’s first Shore Based Test Facility (SBTF) was commissioned into the Indian Navy recently with which India joined the select league of just two countries – the United States and Ukraine. This SBTF has been established at INS Hansa in Panaji (Goa)
The SBTF is primarily used for flight testing

of Naval aircraft that operate from aircraft carriers. The SBTF has two parts including the Take-off Area with a ski-jump facility and the Landing Area with arresting wire facility, both of which are a replica of INS Vikramaditya.

2) Harish Rawat was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Uttarakhand on 1 February 2014.
Rawat was the Union Water Resources Minister in Union Government and he succeeded Vijay Bahuguna who was asked by the Congress high command to step down in a bid to boost the party’s prospects ahead of the April-May Lok Sabha polls. Bahuguna relinquished his post on 31 January 2014. Rawat became the 8th Chief Minister of the state.

3) Mahendragiri centre, at Tamil Nadu’s Tirunelveli, Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) of ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) was on 31 January 2014 elevated to the status of ISRO’s Propulsion Complex giving more autonomy to this centre.
The Mahendragiri centre, which was functioning under LPSC in Valiyamala near Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, would henceforth directly report to the ISRO chairman. The Mahendragiri centre has been instrumental in assembling and testing as many as 125 engines made by ISRO so far. The elevation would be a challenge to the scientists working in the centre.

4) In the first-ever move that would adversely affect flight operations to the US, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on 31 January 2014 downgraded India’s aviation safety ranking, bringing it below Pakistan and at par with countries like Ghana, Barbados and Bangladesh. Air passengers to and from the US may have to face the brunt as Indian airplanes would have to go through more engineering and other safety checks on the American soil. The main effect of this downgrade on Indian airline companies are:

• This downgrade would effectively bar Air India and Jet Airways from increasing flights to the US from the current level
• They would also not be able to enter into any new code-share relationships with any US airline

The downgrade does not mean that these airlines are unsafe but shows that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA’s) safety oversight is not enough to properly monitor safety performance of Indian carriers. As per the FAA, the downgrade means that the DGCA does not meet the safety standards set by UN agency International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)

5) Sellafield, British nuclear power site came to news on 31 January 2014 after an alert was declared after discovering higher than usual levels of radioactivity, but later called it off, saying naturally occurring radon gas had triggered the alarm.
Sellafield is the largest nuclear site in Europe and is situated in northwest England. It is the site of Britain’s worst nuclear accident in 1957 and once the producer of plutonium for nuclear bombs. The plant’s operating company said there was nothing wrong with its operations, but for several hours the cause of the higher reading at an air monitor near a perimeter fence was unclear, raising fears of a radioactive leak.

6. Olympic torch was lit in Russia on 1 February 2014 at its highest point on the western peak of Mount Elbrus, the highest peak of Russia.

The torch was lit by two experienced mountain climbers at a height of 5642 meters above sea level.

Important to note :

Winter Olympic Games in Sochi will start on 7 February 2014.