Awards

Miss Universe 2009

Eighteen-year-old Stefania Fernandez(Venezuela ) was crowned Miss Universe 2009 by incumbent crown holder and compatriot Dayana Mendoza at Los Angles

· The first runner-up title is shared by Miss Australia Rachael Finch and Miss Puerto Rico Mayra Matos Perez.

· The title of second runner-up went to Miss Kosovo Gona Dragusha,

Venezuela made history at the Miss Universe 2009 pageant by winning the crown for the second year running.

· Ms. Fernandez became the sixth Miss Universe from a South American country, known for its obsession with beauty.

· Venezuela has won five Miss Universe titles, five Miss World and four Miss International crowns — more than any other country.

Miss India, Ekta Chowdhury, exited the contest without making it to the top 15.

Stockholm Water Prize

This year’s recipient of “Stockholm Water Prize, is India’s Bindeshwar Pathak, on his achievement in promoting low-cost sanitation. He received this prize at “Closing Plenary of World Water Week” in Stockholm, Sweden,

Government initiatives

· The Centre plans to ensure safe drinking water to all habitations by 2012.

· It has also set a target of covering rural India under the ‘Total Sanitation Campaign’ by 2010.

· The National Water Policy allocated first priority to drinking water in planning and operation of water resources systems.

· The Minister complimented Noting that the per capita availability of water was about 1,700 cubic metres,

MSRF

The chairman of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, M.S. Swaminathan, was awarded a honoris causa by the University of Talca at a recent function in Chile.

· In his remarks, Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences Hernan Paillan hailed Dr. Swaminathan’s contribution to the breeding research programmes of three key products worldwide — wheat, rice and potato.

· The university also awarded the presidential medal to Dr. Swaminathan

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Defence

MILITTARY OPERATIONS

Operations to check piracy on African coast

Operation Ocean Shield, Operation Atlanta , SHADE ,

Operation Ocean Shield,

Foreseeing an upsurge in pirate attacks in the coming months, the forces of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation patrolling the Gulf of Aden are bracing themselves for the challenge. Two Standing NATO Maritime Groups will be deployed in rotation in the pirates-infested area for the next two years.

· The NATO forces will operate in tandem with the European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) and the U.S.-led counter piracy Task Forces 150 and 151.

· Besides India, which is one of the 17 contact nations for NATO in counter-piracy operations, China, Japan and Russia have deployed their naval ships in the region to ensure safe passage of merchant vessels from their countries.

· The Indian Navy’s missile frigate Godavari is now deployed on counter-piracy duties.

Operation Atlanta

The European Union, on its part, extended deployment of 12 naval ships under Operation Atlanta, launched in August last, till December 2010,

Meanwhile, EUNAVFOR has developed a tool, Mercury, using a Web application by which all navies in the region can have real-time communication with one another. The Indian Navy is also using it.

SHADE

To coordinate patrolling by individual navies and combined forces as also increase their situational awareness, an initiative, Shared Awareness and Deconfliction (SHADE), was kick-started under the aegis of the United States’ Combined Maritime Force (CMF),