14 September 2013 Current Affairs
US and Russia Agreement on Removing Chemical Weapons on Syria
The United States and Russia have on 14 September agreed on a framework for removing chemical weapons from Syria .The break- through was announced after three day talks between the US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Geneva.The USA and Russia have agreed that Syria’s chemical weapons must be destroyed or removed by mid-2014. USA outlined a six-point framework under which Syria must hand over a full list of its stockpile within a week.
Japan Launches New Epsilon Rocket
Japan has launched a comparatively cheap and simple solid-fuel rocket on its first mission on 14 September. The Epsilon successfully delivered its payload, a telescope for remote observation of planets, about an hour after takeoff. Formerly called the Advanced Solid Rocket, the Epsilon uses solid fuel, a less powerful but more cost-effective source than liquid-fuel rockets. This throwback prototype is JAXA’s first new model since the launch of the first H2A rocket in 2001.The liquid-fueled H2A remains JAXA’s primary rocket, but Epsilon is suitable for delivering items to low-earth orbit with considerably less cost and complexity.Epsilon is half the size of the H2A, and JAXA reported that production and development cost three times less – at 3.8 billion yen (29 million euros, $38 million).