Today’s in History (January 11^th, 1966)

• In 1966, Indian Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri mysteriously died in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, just a day after signing the peace treaty to end the Indo-Pakistan War. Many conspiracy theories surround the incident, including that he was poisoned by the CIA.

Summary of Today’s News

Peregrine Lander

• It is also known as Peregrine Mission One
• It is the first attempt of United States to land on the Moon after 50 years.
• By– NASA and private space enterprises, Astrobotic Technology and United Launch Alliance
• The Peregrine Landeris expected to be one of the first American spacecraft to land on the Moon since the Apollo program.
• It is expected to touchdown on a mid-latitude region of the Moon called Sinus Viscositatis, or Bay of Stickiness.

Lakshadweep

• • It is India’s smallest Union Territory in terms of area.

• It is an archipelago of 36 coral islands.
• Its only 10 islands (Kavaratti, Agatti, Amini, Kadmat, Kiltan, Chetlat, Bitra, Andrott, Kalpeni, and Minicoy) are inhabited/populated.
• Its Southernmost island, Minicoy, is situated close to the busy 9-degree Channel a critical shipping route.

Drone, Detect, Deter and Destroy (D4 System)

• D4 is the first indigenously developed anti-drone system.
• It has been inducted into the Indian Armed Forces, recently.
• It has been developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
• Its key Features
  • It can detect, track and identify rouge drones within 4 km range.
  • D4 system can instantly detect and jam micro drones (Soft kill) and use a laser-based kill mechanism to terminate targets (Hard kill).

ANEEL (Advanced Nuclear Energy for Enriched Life)

• ANEEL is a mix Thorium and Uranium with good level of enrichment, that is called HALEU (High Assay Low Enriched Uranium).
• It has been developed by an American company
• It has been named after India’s scientist, Dr Anil Kakodkar).
• HALEU has an enrichment level of 5-20%, whereas most current reactors are enriched up to 5%.
• It will help in reduction in nuclear waste etc.

Blackfoot language

• Lily Gladstone, the first Indigenous best actress winner at the Golden Globes, delivered a speech in the Blackfeet language.
• Blackfeet/Blackfoot is an Algonquian language that predated English and French.
• It is spoken in Montana in the US, and in Alberta in Canada by Blackfoot people (i.e., tribes named Piegan, Siksika, and Kainah).

Bharatendu Harishchandra (1850-1885)

• • He was a poet, writer and reformist.
  • Promoted and revived the Hindi language.

• Known as father of ‘khadi Boli’.
• One of the eras of Hindi literature is also known as Bharatendu Yuga after him.
• Wrote under the pen name “Rasa”.
• Used publications to shape public opinion during freedom movement.
• Journals: HarishChandra chandrika, Kavivachan Sudha
• Drama: Andher Nagari, Bharat Durdasha, Vaidik Hinsa Hinsa Na Bhavati