Current Affairs For SSC CGL Exam - 20 January, 2014

Current Affairs For SSC CGL Exam

India successfully test-fired its nuclear-capable strategic missile Agni-IV, with a strike range of about 4,000 km, from a test range off the Odisha coast.
It was test launched from the launch complex-4 of the ITR at Wheeler Island.
A high performance on-board computer with distributed avionics architecture, a high speed reliable communication bus and a fully digital control system were used to control and guide the missile to the target.
The sophisticated missile is lighter in weight and has two stages of solid propulsion. The payload, with a re-entry heat shield can withstand temperature of more than 3000 degree Celsius.
This is the third development trial of Agni-IV missile by the DRDO.Radars and electro-optical systems along the coast of Odisha have been positioned for tracking and monitoring all the parameters of the missile.
Two Indian naval ships were anchored near the target area to witness the final event.
The last trial of the missile was carried out successfully on September 19, 2012 from the same base.

Government has appointed senior police officer Aruna Bahuguna as the new chief of the Hyderabad-based National Police Academy, alma mater for IPS officers in the country.
With this appointment, Bahuguna, a 1979-batch IPS officer, will be the first woman Director of the 65-year-old institution also known as the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy (SVPNPA) and is tasked with the training of police leaders after they are recruited by the UPSC through the all-India civil services exam.
Bahuguna (56), who belongs to Andhra Pradesh cadre, is at present posted as the Special Director General, CRPF, at its headquarters in the national capital.
The Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently issued orders in this regard.
The officer, who has served in various positions with Andhra Pradesh police, also holds the distinction of being the first woman SDG in CRPF, country's largest paramilitary force.
She is the second-in-command of the 3 lakh strong force, after the DG.

India has done the most towards establishing an enabling legal and policy framework for children in the SAARC region, closely followed by Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Maldives, Bhutan and Sri Lanka have scored very well on health, education and child protection outcomes including birth registration and child marriage, says a new survey.
Overall, Sri Lanka has the highest score in the child-friendliness index though all countries, including Afghanistan and Pakistan, have made important progress in most of the themes covered by the report.
The South Asian Report on the Child-friendliness of Governments evaluates the efforts of the governments at fulfilling the obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The survey has been done by the South Asia Initiative to End Violence Against Children — a SAARC apex body.
Despite the progress, 500 million South Asians still live in extreme poverty, and there are great disparities between rich and poor children. Inequalities, gender discrimination and conflicts based on religion, caste and ethnicity deeply affect children, who are also influenced by social norms condoning child labour, child marriage and corporal punishment.

Third-seeded Maria Sharapova has been eliminated in the fourth round of the Australian Open, losing 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 to Dominika Cibulkova in the second major upset in 24 hours on Rod Laver Arena.
Sharapova struggled with her serve, hitting seven double-faults in the third set, and needed an off-court medical time out after the second set for what appeared to be a lower back problem.
The four-time major winner was two tournaments into a comeback from a prolonged layoff with a right shoulder injury.
Top-ranked Serena Williams was knocked out in the fourth round in a three-set loss to 14th-seeded Ana Ivanovic.

World number one Datuk Lee Chong Wei may hang up his badminton racquet at the end of this year, if his performance is not at its best.
The national badminton champion said fatigue and personal problems were the main reasons prompting him to voice his intention to retire this year.
Chong Wei started his career at 18, and among his greatest achievements was winning the silver medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.