The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm)-2015
Queen
Elizabeth II opened the Commonwealth summit of leaders of the 53
Commonwealth nations in Malta on 27 November. The meeting will focus on
climate change and the threat of extremist violence. The theme of the
2015 summit is ‘The Commonwealth – Adding Global Value’. On behalf of
India External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj attended the summit. The
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm), held every two years,
will focus on climate change, with talks on security issues also
expected. UK Prime Minister David Cameron has pledged to set up a
Commonwealth unit to target the “scourge” of extremism.
Pankaj Saran -New envoy to Russia
Pankaj
Saran on 27 November 2015 selected as India’s new ambassador to Russia.
Currently he is the high commissioner of Bangladesh. He will replace PS
Raghavan in Moscow. Saran is a 1982 Indian Foreign Service batch
officer.
Commonwealth’s new Secretary General- Patricia Scotland
Dominica-born
British lawer Patricia Scotland has been elected as the new Secretary
General of the commonwealth. She becomes the first woman and also the
first British citizen elected for this post. She will succeed Kamelesh
Sharma from India in April 2016.
Agni-I test fired successfully
India
on 27 November, 2015 successfully test fired Agni-I ballistic missile
from Dr. Abdul Kalam Island off Odisha coast. The neclear capable
surface to surface missile can destroy targets nealry 700 Km away. The
missile is 15 m long and powered by solid and liquid propellants at a
speed of 2.5 km per seconds. It weighs around 12 tonnes and can carry
both convensional and nuclear payload of about 1000 Kg. It is equipped
with sophisticated navigation system.
China launched latest Yaogan-29 satellite
China
on 27 November, 2015 launched latest Yaogan Weixing series satellite
called ‘Yaogan-29′ (YG-29) by a Long March -4C launch vehicle from the
LC-9 launch complex at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre (TSLC). It
was reported as the 219th launch of the rocket family known as the Chang
Zheng in Chinese. The satellite will be used for experiments, land
surveys, crop yield estimates and disaster relief.
Harika won the FIDE online Chess Championship
Indian
Grand Master Harika Dronavalli won the title of FIDE World Online Women
Blitz Championship held on 26 November in Rome, Italy. More than 300
chess players from 39 countries took part in the preliminary
tournaments. Total 10 players participated in the finals. Among these
Harika from India and Nana Dzagnidze of Gerogea stood at first place
with 13.5 points each. With better tie brake score, Harika won the
title.